God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 523: Troublesome Flies.

The subtle feeling of nostalgia hit Cain at the back of his throat like an afterburn...

'Its been a while, huh...'

The last thing he remembered from this island was the incredible battle between himself and the absolute behemoth of a Devil, Forza. A {Flame Devil} that, had it been left to grow, would have easily been able to sink an island.

Cain sighed...

This was where it all began. In a way, it was bittersweet, mostly bitter with a light sweetness if one was concerned about the details...

Now, it was a wreck. The explosions and demolition of all the buildings hadn't made things any better. With most traces of civilization wiped from the surface of the island, the world has decided to claim what was rightfully its.

And also...

'The cold...'

For the first time in a long while, Cain was felt what it was like to be exposed to dreadful cold.

'Thos forest... there's something strange about it.'

Although this strangeness didn't appear anyway mystical, it definitely wasn't normal. The fact that he, as a Tier 1 being could feel the biting cold in this forest, and yet, tehre weee Tierless beings that could endure it as well meant something shady was up...

Staring at Cain, Steve couldn't help but sigh woefully...

"Things aren't looking very good."

Cain shook his head, "I figured as much."

They had just killed more than a hundred of these creatures. And yet, it wasn't because they wanted to. Rather, it was out of necessity.

Although all Mutant Creatures had the urge to devour humans, the {Steelhead Mayflies} were rather peculiar. Humans weren't their main targets. Instead, they were drawn to a special fruits that grew in the island;

The Sapphire Bloomberry...

A beautiful fruit that had begun to grow all around the island after the exposure to Devil Essence.

"Devil Essence, huh..." Cain muttered to himself. Remembering the peculiar change that had come over him, he chose to remain quiet.

"The {Steelhead Mayflies} feed mainly on this fruit. In other words, they are pests. And we are merely conducting pest eradicated. However, they are really persistent bastards." Steve added.

Cain nodded, fully understanding their current position.

"Where is Blaze and the others?"

Steve pointed at a well trodden path,

"They are back at the base. We have to keep it well hidden to prevent every dastardly beast and its mother from causing chaos every time."

Cain nodded, "We'll discuss more when we get there."

Steve nodded. However, he paused for a few seconds. He dropped his head, his eyes showing clearly that he was thinking hard about something.

Then, it finally hit him,

"Shit! How the hell did you get here?!"

Cain chuckled, "You ask me about this now?"

Vincent also seemed shocked, "That true. Wait! Could this be an evil wraith that has taken the form of our tyrannical leader?; Kill it!"

"Yeah!" Manny yelled, already drawing his sword.

Cain snorted and gave them a condescending look,

"Unlike you fools who just waste your time loafing around, I've actually managed to get something done. Like I said, we'll discuss it when we get to the base camp."

Steve sighed, clearly intrigued,but decided not to say more,

"This way..."

Cain followed behind them. The jungle was made up of brambles and thick bushes, as well as a dense canopy of foilage from very tall trees.

Most of these trees, Cain noticed, had very hard bark. Definitely very different from what he was used to.

'They definitely don't produce normal wood.' Cain to himself whilst activating {Eye of General Observation}.

***

{Bolenon Darkwood Tree}:

Description: A type of Darkwood Tree with a bark as hard as steel. However, the interior of this tree contains a sap that is as sweet as nectar, which {Onyx Nightsongs} and other avian creatures love to feed on.

***

Cain frowned, "Onyx Nightsongs?"

Steve, who was walking directly in front of answered,

"Those pesky bastards? Apparently, they love feeding on the sap insides these trees."

Cain frowned, "What features and abilities do they have?"

Steve thought about it for a while,

"They are very fast, and only come out when its darker. Not only that, but their beaks are made from a sharp material, far sharper than a normal blade. Once they cut you, it becomes very hard to heal the wound."

While there was little difference between night and day nowadays, as Tier 1 beings, they were able to see the slightest changes in luminous intensity. They could now tell, albeit with a bit of concentration, when it was night or day...

"Then they are quite dangerous." Cain said.

Steve nodded, "Everything in this forest is. However, as long as you keep a distance and get them in the chest, they are as good as dead."

Cain sighed. He then thought for a while,

"By the way, why haven't we been attacked yet?"

Steve chuckled, "Who do you think I am? Look beneath you..."

Cain raised a brow and looked at the well trodden path beneath his feet. He became astonished,

"These are..."

Steve nodded, "A Beast warding magic circles I created myself. Not bad, eh?"

Cain shook his head, "It's revolutionary."

Steve rubbed his nose, his cheeks flushing a bit,

"Well, I'm not that great compared to you. I'm very proficient in enchantments now... Well, as proficient as I can be currently."

Despite his words, anyone listening could hear how proud of himself he was.

"Wow... So humble." Vincent said, more than a bit snarky.

Steve smirked at him, "Sure... Says the person with zero accomplishments to their name."

Vincent's smile became a bit forced,

"That's not quite accurate. I've joined in on quite a few battles myself. I'm more of a fighter than a magician."

Steve shook his head, "Heathen..."

"What'd you say?!" Vincent's flared.

Cain held back his laugh, "That's enough, both of you."

Then he spoke to Steve,

"Can it keep Tier 1 creatures away?"

Steve shook his head, "Unfortunately, no."

Cain turned quiet. Things weren't looking great. From all he had gathered so far from Steve, they were barely holding on.

Cain had had them stay on the island for one main reason;

To gather useable resources. Purchasing potions from the system was simply a waste of precious points. If they could gather the materials themselves, with the correct recipe, they could create twhir own potions.

But why stop there?

Through trial and error, perhaps they might even be able to create new recipes altogether.

This wasn't impossible, but they would need a whole lot of materials. This was where this treasure trove came in...

However, despite how tantalizing the treasure looked, it was booby-trapped.

Deadly beasts and even deadlier terrains. Then having survived so long was a feat in and of itself. With death lurking again every corner, staying alive was a privileged.

Steve continued, "We've managed to gather quite a bunch of Sapphire Bloomberries, Blood Lily Bismuth, and many others. The island is very rich in mana stones, so there's no reason to be worried about that for now."

"My concern is finding a safe and consistent way to harvest these things. Also, alchemy isn't a safe science to study. I need better amenities of I'm to produce quality products." Steve said, his chin raised so high, he might as well be trying to break his own neck.

Cain nodded, "From what I've heard, the main issues you face here are the number of dangerous Mutant Creatures and diabolical mutant plants, the pests, and the lack of basic amenities for not just living, but also producing quality products. There's also this unbearable cold. Is that right?"

Even with his armor on, Cain could still feel the biting cold.

Steve nodded, shivering a bit. However, he was already a more used to it than Cain, so he wasn't too bothered.

Cain said nothing and continued to follow behind. They passed through a deep ravine, eventually getting back onto the path. Making several twists and turns, they finally arrived at a small clearing.

The foilage here was far more spread out. The grass was a soft emerald green, and there was a slightly sweet fragrance coming from them.

Staring at the clearing, Cain could make out quite a few things...

Tents made from the hide of Mutant Creatures could be seen everywhere. There were numerous people, Beastmen and whatnot, strolling everywhere.

At the center of what seemed to be the camp was the remnants of what he could tell was the old gymnasium. The entire place thing was in a state of semi-ruin, but it was one of the only buildings that still seemed to be standing.

Cain glanced at Steve. He smiled,

"All the stuff is stored over there. Shall we?"

They made their way through the camp...

Earning stared as they strolled through the camp, Cain wasn't sure of what to make of the expressions on the faces of the people he passed by.

'Hopeful, or not... Brave, yet filled with cowardice...'

Sometimes, humans could be walking contradictions...

Their eyes were muddled with fear and anxiousness. However, when they stared at Steve, Manny, and Vincent, they became filled with life.

He could hear murmurs and whispers floating around, but didn't pay them any mind. He didn't need to. He could already tell what they would be about...

"You're back?" A normal looking human ran up to them, a look of relief on his face.

Vincent nodded, "We cleared an entire flock of the flies. The main colony might notice soon, but that's still up for debate."

The man sighed, then, as though noticing Cain for the first time, stared at him suspiciously...

Vincent chuckled, the in an overly comedic fashion, gestured at Cain,

"Ramus... I present to you... Our tyrannical leader, Cain! Feel free to let loose a round of applause any moment from– Ack!"