Chapter 137 - Facing Death

"--Bifrons, do something!"

"That is not my place-nya."

So casually denied by the cat that slumbered upon his shoulder, he debated on tossing it from his body out of spite but decided to save his energy on surviving.

--Think, think!

The only saving grace in this moment of falling was that the malicious creatures seemed to ignore him as he fell from the bridge. Seeing nothing below him but utter darkness amplified his desire to live, not wanting to know what slumbered in those unknown depths.

Attempting to grab hold of the swiftly passing walls of rugged stone, his index finger was rejected, snapping back in a clean break from the overwhelming velocity pulling him.

He could only let out a sharp gasp and wince as the adrenaline dulled the pain, watching as his finger turned to a deep shade of purple.

"Araphel: Inverse Hand!"

It was the last option afforded to him, propelling the dark limb forward against the blur of stone that he continued to fall next to--carving the claws of the magical hand deep into the stone, dragging down as it slowed his fall before he stopped abruptly. The abrasive halt in velocity seized the air from his lungs, shooting through his nerves a sharp pain--but he was alive.

--If it wasn't for reinforcement, I would've snapped in two!

Taking a moment to collect his lost breath, hanging only by the hand formed of dark mana, he looked down at the abyssal pits that awaited below him, hungering for his arrival.

"Not today...Not today…"

Ren wiped the saliva that inhabited the corner of his mouth, still huffing as his heart thumped against his chest.

"You've halted your tumble, however, what shall you do now-nya?"

"...That's a good question."

Even if he stopped his fall, there wasn't much he could do to climb back up from this position. Inverse Hand wasn't capable yet of complex movements like climbing which would at the very least require two hands to be manifested at once, something completely out of his skill level.

Looking at his stomach where the origin of the dark hand lent itself from, Ren scoured his brain for an answer to this predicament, swaying back and forth gently in the air.

"I'll have to do this the old-fashioned way, I suppose…"

Taking a strong ration of breath into his lungs, he swung himself up, gripping onto the subtle grooves within the vast wall of blackened stone, securing his grip as sediment attempted to guide his fingertips away.

"You've got quite a journey ahead of you-nya."

Following the comment from the lazing cat on his shoulder, Ren looked up to confirm the distance he had to climb--unable to see the precipice of the cliff, only the sky of stone that imprisoned him within this realm.

"--No talking, busy."

Ren muttered in a strain, slowly raising one hand up at a time, carefully locating the next handle to rest his life upon.

--One step at a time. Slowly, carefully. You've got this, Ren.

The most troublesome aspect of this climb was guiding the tips of his toes into an applicable spot in the jagged, reclusive mountain. Clasping his calloused fingertips that hid behind the comforting cloth of his gloves around the jutted-out handle of stone, a subtle vibration ran against his hands.

"Do you feel that?"

Ren asked quietly without receiving an answer, stopping in place as he focused, feeling nothing this time. Then it occurred again. It became slightly stronger, now feeling it run throughout his body as a quiet nose of stone being broken came to his ears.

"Do you hear that? Bifrons?"

Pestering the slumbering familiar, it finally awoke with a silent yawn, baring its fangs as it blinked a few times--gathering its senses as its ears perked up to the vibrations.

"Ah, it seems you've garnered the attention of the Burrowers."

"The what--"

Just from that name alone, his mind jumped to the most likely answer to what had caused the now continuous vibrations. Something was making its way to him from within the sea of stone he held his body close to.

--Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

There was nothing that he could do in the position he was in as the handles he held onto kept his very life in check, causing a cold, stressed sweat to break from the pores on his forehead.

He watched with an anxious breath as the stone before his eyes began to give to a small crack, running along the surface of the darkened material with its jagged form.

"--Araphel: Inverse Hand---!"

Yelling out of complete desperation, he loosened his grasp on the grooves carved into the stone, allowing the magically conjured limb to slam into the stone and take hold. It seemed he acted not a moment too late, watching as whatever was carving its path towards him reached its destination, blasting a meter-wide hole through the side of the far-reaching stone.

First, he saw its long, platinum whiskers that bounced as its pink, scarred nose sniffed the air through the cloud of dust risen by its abrasive impact.

Peeking its head out, the top of it was completely covered in old wounds, calloused by its many injuries as it seemed to possess no eyes of its own, only guided by its powerful nose. Ren witnessed the tools it used to swiftly dig through the ocean of rock, the claws that gave its name--each claw was the size of a shortsword, dangling down with a repugnant horror that had him begging to never meet its clasps.

--Does it know I'm here?

Ren wished for its ignorance, watching as he dangled from below the grasp of his inverse hand. A singular gulp followed by him releasing a muffled breath caused the creature to point its constantly sniffing nose in his direction, digging its sword-like claws into the stone to allow itself to protrude further out from the stone. From below, he could nearly see its full form, covered in light, beige fur.

--Would using a piercer work from here? If I missed, I could end up taking out the stone that the inverse hand is holding onto. If I hit...the thing could fall on top of me. It's not worth it.

Keeping his hand over his nose and mouth to mask his presence, Ren continued to strain his legs as he kept the soles of his boots pressed against the side of the mountain.

All he could listen to was the humming ambiance that filled the caverns along with the rugged yet quiet squeaks that emitted from the creature's mouth. Attempting to relieve himself from the strain put on his legs in this position, his foot slid against the stone, sending pebbles to cascade down the hips of the stone wall--catching the attention of the burrowing beast.

"Shit!"

It released a high-pitched roar of sorts at him before it left the hole it sat in, using its claws like icepicks as it slammed down towards him with its buck-teeth nipping at him. Ren hastily attempted to swing himself to the side, using the inverse hand as a harness--not realizing that the mole-like creature had stabbed its claws into the very stone his life depended on.

As the slab of rock fell from its home, so did Ren, yelling out as his voice was carried through the vast winds while his back faced the abyss below.

--This is it. I'm going to die again. At least this time, it'll be over quickly.

Closing his eyes to prepare for impact, shielding his face with his arms, he fell for much longer than he had anticipated. It was tangible; exiting the subtle light of the cavern and entering into what was considered the darkness below. The air became putrid, filling his nostrils with something that compelled him to exile liquid from his mouth--holding back that urge with everything he had.

If there was one feeling he recognized within this treacherous space, it was that it was evil--just existing in this pit felt as if he was being cursed every moment.