God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

"The rest of your party has been transferred over to that place. I can assure you that they are unharmed, but I can't guarantee they will remain that way if they continue to stay there." Boulder said, his gaze cutting through the air, piercing Cain like a sharp arrow.

Cain took some time to digest what Would was saying...

If Boulder wasn't lying to him, then the so-called Champion was a selfish idiot, but it seemed there was no lack of them so far, so he wasn't very surprised.

Cain returned the gaze,

"Do you know what the conditions were Balangol to pick his champion and priest?"

Boulder raised his head, a contemplative look on his face,

"Well... From what I've heard so far, there has to be a decent amount of devotion, as well as compatibility with the Death Element."

Cain frowned, "The Death element?"

Boilder's face turned a bit dark,

"Well, apparently, although the Champion is a selfish prick, he's not someone to be trifled with. He's gone on a few excursions outside the dome, but in those times, I can genuinely say that the power he holds isn't something mortals can understand."

Cain frowned. Clearly, things weren't as simple as before. Cain had come across a few God Remnants in his time, so he had a basic idea of how they worked.

They could offer immense power. However, there were limits to it.

"Just what kind of abilities are we talking about here?" Cain inquired further.

Boulder sighed, "Have you every seen a being crumple to dust before your eyes?"

Cain shook his head, "I don't think so."

At the very least, there had to be some bloody matter, bones and viscera involved for it to count as a kill, right? Or was he going about things the wrong way...

Boulder's bland face smiled, although the smile seemed creepy,

"Well, thanks to that guy, I had to witness, first hand, the complete and utter death of a Devil. Even its body turned to sand. It is a very terrifying ability indeed."

Cain scratched his head, "I don't think that's a lot of useful information, but I'll make due with what I have "

Boulder cleared his throat,

"In any case, I've told you all I know. All I can ask for is your cooperation. We are short on manpower and we could really use a lot of help. "

Cain shrugged, "What's in it for me?"

Boulder smiled calmly, "I think I hold enough power and leverage around here to set at least, even a few of yoir comrades free. The one that's being kept here as well. If you can promise your cooperation, then it's just a matter of a few words."

Cain's eyes narrowed.

There were two ways to interpret what Boulder ha d just told him. If he wanted to be optimistic, then this was an olive branch extension.

If he could help Boulder, he would give him what he wanted, establishing an agreement on mutual benefit and trust.

However, looking at it from another angle, it wouldn't be wrong to interpret it as a very well clad threat.

The fact he could get a portion of Cain's party released meant he also had the power to do the latter.

'This guy... Just what is his true face? What kind of power does he hold here?'

Frankly, it was off putting.

He stared at Lucia, who was brooding behind Boulder.

An idea suddenly formed in his mind.

Cain smiled, "How about this... What if I tell you I can find a way to get this place under control?"

Lucia turned to him, her face filled with doubt,

"You? What do you think you can do besides have a foul mouth?!"

Boulder raised a brow, "I'm listening..."

Cain cleared his throat, his expression a bit smug,

"I wasn't entirely sure previously, but now that I have the whole picture, I think it is very possible. Don't worry, I don't need you to help me rescue my party. They'll be fine. In fact, they might probably know what to do without me saying anything. When the time comes, we can count on them."

Boulder shook his head, "You aren't making any sense."

Cain smiled, "To put it simply, gods, celestials, it doesn't matter. A dead god is still dead at the end of the day. There's only so much it can do. As long as Balangol doesn't come down here himself, I'll be breaking his alter down and dethroning his champion."

Boulder nodded, "And how do you plan on doing that?"

Cain wagged his finger, his face smug,

"That, my friend, is a secret. A secret is only as good as the suspense behind it. Trust me. The wait is worth it."

Boulder's eyes narrowed,

"So you are telling me to have blind faith in you?"

Cain nodded vigorously, "Do you even have another choice? The next best option is to kill me, but I can guarantee you probably won't be successful on that."

Lucia reached for the gun straddled to her waist,

"That sounds like a threat, Cain."

Cain snorted "That wasn't a threat. I'm simply explaining the circumstances."

Boulder chuckled. He waved his hand, prompting Lucia to take her finger off the trigger.

Cain shrugged, "Again... Not a threat, but a suggestion."

Boulder raised his hands in defeat,

"Alright I agree. So what do you want?"

Cain raised two of his fingers,

"I want freedom to leave the dome and free reign inside the dome as well."

Lucia snorted, "Why not take all our guns as well..."

Boulder frowned, "I'm sorry, but might not be possible. You are still considered a prisoner under questioning here. The reason we haven't handed you over to those guys is because we need you. Please, reconsider."

Cain remained silent for a few seconds before sighing,

"Fine. I want to be able to go on hunts as well."

The job of a Hunter in this place was to leave the dome and forage for food and resources amongst other things.

It was a dangerous job that involved frequent contact with Devils and other creatures. However, on average, a Hunter was far stronger than a soldier, who's job was simply to kill any Devils that approached the dome periodically.

Boulder placed a finger on his chin,

"That might be possible. However, we'll need to convince the General."

Cain turned around and pulled a slab of meat out of his inventory,

"That's your problem now."

Lucia stared at Boulder with helplessness on her face. In response, Boulder's face remained unchanging.

After a few seconds of relative silence, Boulder finally gave in,

"You've got yourself a deal."

***

"Lucia. Are you sure of this?"

Standing near the guardrails of the outpost, Boulder looked towards the distance where the edge of the dome protecting them began.

As usual, his face was passive and unmoving. Like stagnant water...

Lucia nodded, "Although he might e annoying to deal with, I am sure of his capabilities. After all..."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously,

"He was able to take the Devil, Inixth on in a fight without dying at the very least."

Boulder sighed, "Lack of competent fighters is one of the reasons we keep losing our on resources compared to the other two settlements."

"As they continue to grow, we'll keep becoming obsolete, until eventually, we won't be able to stand on our own. When the time comes, we'll have no choice but to run for our lives, or be devoured."

Lucia chuckled darkly,

"We might not even have the liberty of choice when the time comes."

Boulder remained silent.

Lucia continued, "All I'm saying is we are sure of his ability. The problem here is getting him to trust us. Bringing those arrogant bastards to their knees is the first order of operation."

Boulder turned around,

"I'll be going then. Make sure to keep an eye on him."

Lucia nodded. A moment later, Boulder was gone, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Life was complicated and no longer simple. Before all this, she had lived life relatively simple. She has never even killed an animal before all this.

And yet, here she was, conspiring to murder more than a dozen of them all at once.

'If we do manage to kill of those bastards, I wonder what'll happen...'

It surely couldn't be anything good. But they could surely cross that bridge when the time was right.

***

Staring at the door, Cain's mind was deep in thought.

'Now that the groundwork has been laid, all that's left is the execution.'

He had thought this part would be many times more difficult. Who knew a golden opportunity such as this would present itself to him.

'That old man wants to expand his influence. If he can't do it internally, he sought to do it externally. That's why he appears a bit desperate.'

The silence in the room was heavy, but it gave him the appropriate amount of solace he needed to think.

'To truly conquer this place, two things have to be done. One is to bring this General to heel. Two is to destroy the temple of the God of the Sands and Death and kill his Champion and Priests.'

Things that were easier said than done...