Born in Blood

Plunging down, Liam's hair hectically fluttered upwards. With how deep the pit was, if he fell at his current speed, he would inevitably turn to mush.

Liam cursed, clutching his blades and attempting to stab them into the stone – the katana & wakizashi scraped against the rock and created sparks, but failed to penetrate the surface.

Rapidly, his blades were being shaved away – but slightly slowed his descent.

Thankfully, a curve appeared at the distant bottom, illuminated by a bright iridescent light.

Liam's blades shattered, causing him to curse loudly again.

With no other choice, he used his bare hands and feet to slow down his plummet.

Instantly, his nails splintered – followed by the skin of his fingers and palms shredding away.

Liam didn't dare let go – using his body slowed his descent much more effectively than his weapons.

Right when the bones underneath his flesh grew visible, Liam reached the gentle curve, rolling diagonally instead of plunging vertically.

Panting heavily, Liam felt like his hands and feet were burning – thankfully, the regeneration that came with his Rank 3 body slowly started to reform his flesh.

Iridescent light shone on his pale face – the first brightness he had seen in months.

Liam shifted his tired gaze towards the entrance... and his chest sank.

Compared to the vastness of the 'Ora' Mine, he was basically a speck of dust. The walls of the mine were studded with glittering 'Ora' stones, shimmering like precious gems and amethysts.

Drops of pure, concentrated 'Ora' seeped from the gemstones, resembling sweat in the bright light. The entire area was overflowing with such gems, creating a breath-taking display of natural beauty and wealth.

However, the ceiling of the 'Ora' Mine was marred with claw marks – they were deep, but it looked like the same spot was attacked repeatedly.

Despite that, Liam didn't even glance at them – instead, his attention was on something in the middle.

It was hard to miss, really.

'It' was a magnificent fox, with white fur that shimmered as if made of pure light. Its relaxed posture, with its muzzle resting on its crossed paws, only added to its serene appearance.

With each gentle breath it took, the nearby 'Ora' Stones lost their luminance and were absorbed into the fox's being.

This peaceful picture was only made more surreal by its seven magnificent tails, each gracefully undulating in the air, as if defying the laws of gravity even in its slumber.

Calling it a mere fox would be disrespectful – it resembled a mighty Kitsune.

Strangely, it wasn't large – even smaller by Rank 4 beast standards. It looked slightly frail, but the aura it emitted was much more dangerous than any of the darkness beasts Liam had seen.

Even at that distance, Liam felt his mental sphere being pressured... he felt watched.

Taking in a shaky, cold breath, Liam sat with his back against the cave wall, his eyes unwavering from the Kitsune.

If it woke up, Liam's fate was sealed. He couldn't climb up the giant pit, and he didn't even have any weapons to defend himself.

'Think, think!' His mind raced for anything. Quite frankly, there were no options present for him to choose from.

His gaze shifted towards the claw marks. Upon closer inspection, the claw marks had pierced through the 'Ora' Mine ceiling. There were even holes that he observed – which he could easily fit through.

'If the Kitsune made those claw marks, it couldn't escape from here... it's stuck. If I can somehow get there without waking it up, I can escape!'

All he could do was pray in his heart that the beast didn't wake up due to his presence as he did so.

Heaving a long breath to calm his nerves, Liam--

...Was the Kitsune smiling at him? Oh god, it was.

Its eyes looked like bright golden suns that were glued to his figure.

"You are cunning, human."

A deep feminine voice with a slight tinge of playfulness rang out from where the Kitsune was, and Liam's chest sank even more.

'I-It's... talking?'

Its grin grew disturbingly wider.

It rose up, sitting on its frail front legs – the frightening grin didn't leave its face, showcasing its sharp, canine teeth.

Liam felt his blood turn cold. Could it read--

"Your thoughts?" The Kitsune said, enjoying the crestfallen look on Liam's face.

Climbing up the pit sounded a lot more plausible now, but he couldn't move a single muscle – a firm pressure held his body still.

"I must say, I never expected you to be the first to betray your fellow human. Watching you two make your way to certain death has been... entertaining."

A look of realization fell on Liam's face. He ground his teeth and grimaced. He didn't fail to notice the fox's choice of words.

"The mental waves... they were yours. How?"

The Kitsune scoffed.

"With how anxious you looked, I thought you might turn back and cower like humans usually do."

This time, Liam scoffed. He didn't know why, but when nearing death, his confidence soared.

"Isn't that what you're doing now?"

Head-splitting pressure assaulted Liam's mental sphere – forcing him on his knees. Had he not used Thicken just in time, it would've gotten riddled with cracks.

"I must have been too lax with how I treated you, human. I'll make sure to savor your flesh."

The pressure slowly mounted, enveloping his brain from all sides. Liam's mental sphere buckled and strained – preparing to shatter at any second.

He squirmed on the ground clutching his head. Veins popped on his neck – his tone strained as he managed to squeeze out a few words.

"I can... bring you... out of here."

The pressure lessened considerably, enough for Liam to catch his weak breath.