God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

The journey back to Gwendolyn was uneventful, to say the least.

Standing in the deck, Cain admired the dark, frothy ocean, his gaze serene.

A wave of salty air washed over his face, driving the peace home even more.

There was absolutely no reason for this wonderful feeling to be destroyed by acknowledging the unholy beings that dwelt beneath the black oceanic tidal waves smashing into the rocks on the coast.

The entire ship was desolate.

There was absolutely no one there.

'Well, that's not quite true, is it?'

Cain glanced behind him.

Floating above his shoulders, just a few inches away, was a ghastly apparition in the form of a beautiful young woman in a long white satin tunic.

Her eyes were of hollow darkness, devoid of anything living.

Cain sighed once again.

The ghost of Gwendolyn didn't seem to be in a particularly good mood today. In fact, she hadn't said a word to him all this time, merely glaring daggers into his back.

He shrugged.

Even if the ghost's mood was foul, he wouldn't let that ruin his high spirits.

The wooden floorboards cracked under the strain of his weight.

The various enchantments on the hull of the ship lit up like stars in the sky. These runic enchantments performed various tasks, but chief amongst them was keeping Mutant Creatures away.

They worked like magic. Literally.

Even the creatures that now dotted seemed to ignore the ship's presence.

'I just hope nothing too crazy comes this way.'

He hesitated for a moment, then headed down below deck.

There, he quickly found his cabin.

Upon entering, he discovered than not much had changed. Which was certainly a good thing.

Looking around, he realized it was rather disorganized.

Parts for different magic items he had been working on at a time, random papers filled with runic writing and arcane knowledge were scattered everywhere as well.

He hadn't been here for a while, so it was also quite dusty.

His vibrant mood dulled slightly.

With a sigh, he began cleaning up.

Some time later, Cain wiped the beads of sweat gathered on his temple.

He plopped down onto the simple bed. With the cabin cleaner, it was much more comfortable.

The urge to lay his head down and have a rest was almost irresistible, but he persevered.

He extended his senses out.

There was indeed not a single soul onboard.

The sound of the waves crashing into the hull was the only thing that kept the otherwise maddening silence away.

Cain thought about it for a moment before coming to a decision.

With his mind, he reached out and activated the authority of the {Beastmaster's Subspace}.

***

'I wonder when he's going to show up.'

Expelling a deep breath from her lungs, Ignis calmly took a measured step forward.

With a delicate balance of power and control, she twisted her body forward, thrusting her fist outward.

The air before her vibrated due to the shockwave released from her simply punch.

Moving quickly, her body spun and she leapt into the air, kicking fiercely.

The air around her feet ignited and burned, leaving fiery trails behind.

Dropping to the ground, she dragged her feet across the ground, leaving another scorch mark.

Like this, she continued to move, battling a non-existent opponent.

Sweat sizzled on her greyish skin, turning into vapor due to her body's extreme temperature.

A deadly combination of violence and grace. Her technique was hard, yet fluid. Her kicks carried enough force to tear a man's head clean off his neck, her punches even more deadly.

Her brows were knit together, forming a rather fierce look.

After a while, she finally came to a halt.

She exhaled once again, her breath heavy, rising like a broken cloud form her parted lips.

"You seem agitated."

Ignis turned around.

Standing in the shadows from the ruins Kai wore a grin as she walked up to Ignis.

Lin Lin wore a grumpy look as she glared up at Kai,

"I told you not to come bother her. You are just looking for a fight, aren't you?"

Ignis chuckled,

"I'm not bothered by it, Lin. Thank you for the concern."

Then she glanced at the others trailing behind,

"It's good to see you all again." She said with a smile.

Leah stared at Ignis with a contemplative look,

"It has been some time, hasn't it? You look like you've been up to a lot,

Ignis's smile faded away as she huffed,

"Well, not really. Just hunting here and there. I have recovered back to my original tier and have regained all my powers, but my days have been mostly uneventful."

Leah grinned,

"Is that so? Looks like you've been abandoned by the master."

"Leah! Don't be rude." Sisi said.

Ignis chuckled wryly,

"Well, she's not wrong, is she?"

Leah guffawed as she walked forward, patting her on the shoulder,

"That is quite unfortunate. Isn't that right, Rosey?"

Roselle glared at her, "What do I have to do with this?"

Leah smiled, her face contorted with mischief,

"Well, weren't you with him for... how long was your trial? Several weeks? Months?"

A deep blush appeared on Roselle's face,

"What are you saying?!"

Kai folded her hands,

"That's the truth, isn't it? Did you guys make any progress in there? Did you get him to fall in love with you? It shouldn't be too hard. After all, you are a real beauty."

Roselle's blush deepened.

Lin Lin turned to Kai with a blank look,

"How can you say that with a straight face?"

The tall huntress shrugged,

"But I'm saying the truth, aren't I? Rosey is so pretty. That Cain would be a fool and an idiot not to fall head over heels."

Leah tapped on her chin,

"That would indeed be the case under normal circumstances..."

Kai raised a brow,

"What do you mean?"

Leah smiled mischievously again,

"A man surrounded by diamonds all the time would value them as much as he does rocks. That guy always seems to have beauties hanging in his arms. How can our precious Rosey ever compete with that?"

"Enough! Enough already!" Roselle yelled, finally having enough.

Leah burst out laughing, unable to control herself.

Ignis couldn't hold back a chuckle as well.

'He does seem to always have beauties around him.'

The {Cherufe Spawn} paused for a moment.

Then her skin turned a deeper shade,

'Does that means I'm also— No! I'm reading too deep.'

She let out a sigh then turned to Leah,

"I assume you came looking for me for a reason. What's the matter?"

Leah's mood shifted a bit,

"Well, there are a few things, but I guess the most important one is..."

Ignis raised a brow.

A lot had happened over the past few months.

Though her life had been relatively short compared to her kin, most of whom were already dead, everything had accelerated beyond her expectations since that Demon had captured her and sealed her at the heart of that mountain.

Then, she had been with Cain.

After the most recent battle with Valestorm, things had settled down. During that time, she had become rather acquainted with Leah and the rest of the beast girls.

Most of them were good souls unfortunate enough to have had such a fate brought up on them. The Beast god, Pluto was generous in his blessings, but most of them who did receive Divine Blessings that could aid in combat lacked the resolve to stomach battle.

Who could blame them?

Their lives up until a certain point has been without darkness and chaos. Then all of a sudden their world had turned around, completely devolving into a place of madness and terror.

She had gone on a few hunts with them over which they had bonded. Although she was not human, she couldn't help but feel fond of these ones in particular.

"We would like you to watch over our sisters while we take on the Second Trial and advance to the Second Tier. " Leah said after a moment of hesitation.

Ignis shrugged, "I don't see any reason why not. But wouldn't Roselle be enough?"

Leah frowned, "I'm worried that might not be the case."

She glanced at Lin Lin.

With a nod, Lin Lin clasped her hands mumbling arcane words under her breath.

Runes manifested into existence from the nothingness an invincible barrier spread out around them.

Ignis couldn't help but feel something was off.

Leah continued,

"Recently, there have been rather terrible rumors floating around. Rumors of a conflict soon breaking out."

Ignis frowned, "A conflict?"

Leah nodded, her face a bit grim,

"A conflict between the Iron Beetles, particularly Carrion's people, which is technically all of them, and the Golden Asura."

Ignis nodded,

"I have heard about that. But they sound like just that— rumors. I know Cain. Getting into a conflict now would be the furthest thing from his mind."

Leah sighed,

"Things might not be so simple. Recently, a group of extremists have declared their hatred and prejudice for the 'vile' Beastmen, calling us unholy and unnatural."

"A bunch of uncultured pricks of you ask me." Kai muttered offhandedly.

Leah glared at her, then continued,

"They keep trying to instigate fights on the streets, attacking random Beastmen as well. Quite frankly, I am worried things might only get worse as time goes on."

Ignis fell silent.

Then she answered a moment later,

"Alright, consider it done. I'll help out as much as I can."

Leah let out a relieved sigh then she smiled,

"I always knew we could count on you. Thank you. I'll make sure to pay you back in the—"

Ignis shook her head,

"No need for that. Besides, we are all a part of the infamous Golden Asura. Looking out for one another is rather normal."

Leah bowed slightly, "Then, we'll be on our way. We have to finish making preparations for the trial."

Ignis nodded, "I wish you success in your trials."

Leah gave her a nod then a wave as she turned around. The rest followed behind her.

Just before they were out of sight, Roselle the turned around,

"I'll contact you later to fill you in on the details we have on hand."

Ignis gave her a nod then a wave.

Soon, they all disappeared, leaving her alone once again.

The cool wind kissed her cheeks.

It was pleasant.

She let out a sigh,

"At least I have something to do."

She stood up, ready to begin training again when all of a sudden, her perspective flipped.

For a moment, she lost complete control, unable to do anything but watch as her body was sucked in and dragged away into a rift in space.

Passing through a white nothingness, her screams were silent.

Eventually, he landed with a thud on the ground.

"Ah, damn it!" She cursed, swallowing the urge to throw up.

She was confused. This had never happened before.

A deep voice wormed its way into her ears,

"Hm? It worked!"

Breathing heavily, she looked up and stared...

Stared into the eyes of the person that summoned her.

"It's been a while, hasn't it. Hey, what's with that face? Aren't you happy to see me?"