God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 197: Prometheus (5).

They say hell has many layers, but the one with flames that could consume souls was the most notorious of all the planes...

Cain could only imagine his descent through the cave as a passage straight to such a hell.

With every step he took, the increase in temperature was so drastic he nearly choked on the sudden bursts of heat. Sweat oozed out of his pores in the gallons, drenching and ruining his clothes completely.

The blood loss coupled with the extreme heat meant he had only a few more minutes of consciousness at most. And he had barely taken a few steps into the cave.

'To think I still couldn't escape death...' Cain thought to himself with the last vestiges of his consciousness. He had endured so much in such a short amount of time, it was a surprise he was still standing on his two feet.

'I don't want to die...' Those were his final thoughts as his body gave out naturally. Despite his stronger-than-natural body, he was still human in the end. The human body, unlike other races, wasn't made to endure extreme conditions. While it could be modified with mana or other energy sources, some things were just impossible to change with just that little effort.

THUD!

His eyes remained open as he stared at the darkness all around him. To the bitter end, he still wasn't willing to give up. He was just limited by his mortal body...

His shackles restricted his movements, and his chains held him down. However, these chains and fetters were his very own existence. Unless he got rid of that, he would be unable to go very far on the path to the zenith.

His skin grew drier as he lost more and more moisture. His consciousness was quickly fading, yet he fought hard to hold onto that last thread of his mind.

The fear of it all ending gripped his heart...

At that moment, he realized just how much he valued his life.

Suddenly, he felt a slight tug at his wrist...

Due to the darkness, he was unable to see what caused it. However, because he was still a bit conscious, he was able to feel sensations on his body. The tugging continued for a while before it stopped briefly.

Confusion filled his barely consciousness mind...

What was pulling at his wrist? Was it a Lythoran Wyrm, or was it another creature trying to nibble at his near-corpse?

Before he could produce a more solid thought, the tugging stopped again, then resumed, only this time, rather than a light tug, he felt his body rise from the ground, and in one smooth motion, he felt his body traveling through the air like he was being dragged at high speeds.

If he was conscious, loud yells and curses would have been pouring out of his mouth. However, since he was just barely clinging to life, he figured it would be best to preserve his energy.

He could feel the air splitting around him, telling him that he was moving incredibly fast. At the same time, the heat of the surrounding air was increasing, telling him he was being carried deeper into the cave he had entered.

All sorts of thoughts flew through his head...

What sort of creature would be carrying him straight to hell at such speeds? He could tell from the faint aura the creature emoted that it wasn't a {Lythoran Wyrm}. However, it wasn't human as well...

Hence, he couldn't tell if it was friend or foe...

However, all these things were trivial at this moment. He quickly circulated his Ki in order to preserve his life. The hot energy seeped through his pores, touching upon his weary bones and flesh to sustain them. However, that was the most it could do. As he was, anything more than what he was currently using would kill him.

Slowly, the thread of consciousness he held tight slowly slipped out of his grasp. He didn't know why, but he felt that the creature that was carrying him into the depths of 'hell' didn't have any ill intentions toward him.

As such, he finally let his guard down and faded into unconsciousness...

***

"The Ice bridge is complete..." Dan said with a serious look sprawled on his face.

"I see..." Hunter said, a grin slowly making its way onto his face.

"What are you planning?" Susan said, looking at Hunter from the corner of her eyes.

"Scouting... Me, Dan, Manny, and the Fatty..." Hunter said with a smile.

"Hmm... We do need to see the situation of the central region. Let's just hope we don't encounter idiots like the ones we just did." Susan said coldly, her tone as frigid as an icicle.

"En... Leave it to me." Hunter said to her with a thumbs up.

"Oi... When did I agree to anything of such?!" Vincent looked up from his meal and glanced at Hunter with a raised brow.

"You don't want to come along?" Hunter said with a smirk.

"You bet your furry tail I do!" Vincent rose to his feet with maximum agility.

Staring at Vincent with a glare, Hunter shook his head before turning back to Susan.

"I can trust you to do what is needed?" Hunter said firmly.

"You don't need to tell me..." Susan said dismissively. Turning her head to the side, she stared at the group of people who looked a bit less destitute than before.

Their eyes shone with the light of hope, and they all stared forward with purpose in their tired eyes. Compare to them, these ones with less power had it harder...

Enduring the cold took more effort for them and although they were now well-fed they still had to endure so much hardship.

Seeing where her gaze had drifted over, Hunter shook his head,

"Let's scout the area first. We don't know the dangers ahead. Taking them along will be too dangerous for them."

"I know..." Susan said. Turning to Steve who stood beside her like a PR, she spoke in a light airy voice,

"Go with them..."

Steve stared at Susan with a light grin, "Tsk, tsk my Lady... I cannot for the life of me leave this place. Some things require my attention, so it isn't time for me to depart."

"Why is that? You going with them will make the process smoother." Susan said in confusion. It was apparent she had a good idea of Steve's ability. He was very skilled with using light elemental magic, and as such, would be a very good addition to the scouting team.

"Well, let's just say my overwhelming curiosity won't let me leave just now. I want to see what your-" Before Steve could complete his words, a quick blow to the midsection turned his face purple, shutting him up.

"Ahem... Well, since you've refused, I guess there is nothing I can do about it. You guys should be on your way then. It's getting dark." Susan cleared her throat, a slight blush forming on her face.

"Hmm... Is that so..." Hunter said with a small smile. Shaking his head, he gave Dan a small nod, who returned the nod and disappeared from sight.

"Finally... We get to stretch our legs!" Manny who had been frustrated about the lack of action let loose a cackle. Grabbing his blades he had stabbed into the ice bridge out of frustration, he rode a torrent of wind that appeared out of nowhere. Like a ghost, his shadow disappeared into the distance.

Vincent, who looked bigger than before ran across the bridge faster than a bullet despite his big size. There was no sound produced as his feet made contact with the ice bridge despite his huge size.

'Things are really changing up now...' Vincent said to himself as he ran across the bridge. He stared at the dark clouds that loomed in the distance before him.

The shadow of the sun had long since disappeared over the horizon, and darkness had slowly encroached over the waters. Dark skies and even darker waters, yet they provided a serene atmosphere filled with melancholy.

'I just hope these changes don't kill me. Hahaha!'

Letting a low chuckle to himself, Vincent increased his speed and turned into a blur as he sped down the Ice bridge.

Together, the group raced into the night, completely unsure of the dangers the night held in store for them...

***

A Cigarette locked between his lips, Calio took a deep drag as he stared at the darkness before him.

'I hate this shit...' He thought to himself as he looked at the dark ocean without a change in expression. A scar dragged down the side of his face to his left lip, causing him to look a bit scary. However, anyone that stared into his docile eyes would be able to tell he wasn't a demon.

The most notable thing about him, however, was the large tail swishing behind him. His ears were also longer than regular humans and shaped like that of a cat. The eyes staring into the darkness were shaped like slits and let off a luminous glow in the dark.

He sat on a watch tower that had been made crudely with wooden tanks, metal beams, and earth magic. The watchtower was created as an outlook into the ocean. A bow as black as midnight and a quiver of arrows sat beside him. It was obvious by the dust gathering on it that it had been a while since he had used it.

'Why do I need to be the one on the lookout all the time? Besides, what the hell does she expect will come from here, a freaking horde of shark zombies?!' Calio couldn't help but grumble to himself. He had been stationed here by Leah, the leader of the survivors on this Island, to watch over the ocean.

Once there was anything suspicious, he was to report back immediately, although he doubted that was her true intention.

'She's probably scared I'll take over her position as the strongest of I was allowed to hunt and level up properly.' Calio thought to himself in spite. It was clear he thought very highly of his skills.

'If she wasn't so scared, she wouldn't station me here to do something as stupid as watch over water while she and her posse of idiot Amazonians play house.' Calio spat out a mouthful of phlegm as he stared into the darkness, rage bubbling in his heart.

Just as he was about to let his eyelids drop for the umpteenth time, he noticed something from within the ocean. Frowning, he focused his gaze, and activated a skill that heightened his senses.

That way, he was able to see something that nearly scared all the hairs off his back...

"Son of a bitch!"

Right before his eyes, a road of Ice was being created from thin air. When he had first looked, it had been a few miles away, but within the time it took for him to get a proper look, the distance between the gradually elongating ice road and the shore was shortened by a quarter.

'What the hell is that?! An Ice Ghost?!' Calio thought to himself.

However, he quickly calmed down and picked up his bow and quiver.

'Since this is happening, might as well go take a look. Report back my arse...' Calio thought to himself with a chuckle. Although he had been instructed to report back immediately if he saw any changes, he wasn't about to take any orders from a teenage girl who just happened to be more lucky than him.

He would show her who was boss by defeating whatever it was that was approaching. Who knows, maybe he would even get lucky and attain a power that would make him stronger than that bitch Leah. He would show her then that men were not to be taken lightly...

With those thoughts in mind, Calio readied his mind and jumped down from the outpost. Taking a step forward, he dashed toward the Ice bridge that had already come into contact with the shore...