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墨書 Inktalez
I was astonished by the sheer number of Giant Bats and their sudden appearance. It seemed as if all the Giant Bats from the Underground Cavern had gathered here, illuminated by the firelight, resembling grotesque gliders with their fangs bared.
Beyond the firelight, where light met darkness, the flickering figures of the Giant Bats swarmed like ants. I couldn't fathom how they managed to maintain their flight without plummeting to the ground. The density was so great that it appeared they were almost touching, leaving no visible space for flight.
The Giant Bats were even more afraid of fire. At that moment, I confirmed this information. As three torches ignited simultaneously, the swarm of Bats surrounding the boat expanded dramatically. It was as if the miasma in the firelight was being dissolved and repelled by the light and heat.
"We need more torches," Tang Yumo panted. She seemed to have forgotten her earlier embarrassment, which eased my mind a bit; I didn't want to be questioned about this matter, not even in private. Of course, if she pursued it, I would definitely play dumb.
The fire from the torches pushed the Giant Bats back a distance, giving Fatty and Tang Yumo a moment to catch their breath.
Fatty still glared with his blood-red eyes. However, at that moment, the redness in his eyes was no longer from anger or severe pain but rather a deep crimson. In the firelight, he looked like an Evil Spirit that had just crawled out of a blood pit, drenched in bright red blood that soaked his entire body, dripping from his bald head and chubby face due to the thick, warm blood. The hem of his clothes clung to his barrel-like body as it dripped down.
I couldn't tell whose blood it was—his or that of the Giant Bats. I also couldn't discern whether it was boiling hot blood or the heat emanating from Fatty ’s frenzied state; steam rose from his body like vapor escaping from a steaming pot.
Tang Yumo's face and body were also dripping with blood, but it was far less terrifying than Fatty's. Beneath the bloodstains, I couldn't see her complexion clearly, but I could make out her expression; there was a blankness on her face—a calmness amidst extreme excitement.
The cleanest among us was Jack, who stood alone at the bow of the boat. He had bloodstains on his body and face, but they were not smeared together; instead, they were scattered droplets clearly visible as blood from the Giant Bats falling from above.
“Damn it. Give me a torch,” Fatty said, his eyes fixed on Jack before turning to me.
He had recognized the key issue before I did: it wasn't that he had attracted the Giant Bats at the stern; rather, they were deliberately avoiding the torches at the bow and concentrating their attacks toward the rear of the boat.
Finally, I stood up, raising my torch high. I disturbed the dense swarm of Bats above my head, creating a turbulent flow as if receding tides had cleared a space corresponding to the circle of light cast by my torch.
I tossed a torch to Fatty. It flew through the air from bow to stern in a fiery arc, like a wolf charging into a flock of sheep or a shark plunging into a school of sardines, causing panic among both sheep and fish alike.
Fatty caught the torch and let out a chilling laugh that sent shivers down my spine.
“Damn it! With such an obvious flaw, you dare challenge me? You think you can’t be cut down or burned?”
Fatty grinned menacingly. With the flow of his words, saliva and blood splattered out.
"Are you hurt?" I asked nervously.
"While they're in chaos, hurry and row downstream. Don't wait for them to react. The lower temperature downstream will make them lose their agility," Tang Yumo shouted louder.
"They're afraid of fire, can't you see? They won't dare to come down," I yelled back.
I was more concerned about Fatty. Although he was acting wildly and fiercely, I sensed something was wrong with him. The blood on his body obscured any visible injuries. However, the blood that sprayed from his mouth was undeniable. If he started to tough it out now, there was no way he could last until the end and leave this place alive.
"What the hell are you injured?" I turned and shouted at Fatty again.
Fatty spat out blood and foam from his mouth. "Injured? Who the hell can injure me?"
Now I understood; the blood and foam spewing from his mouth were just a result of his bravado. He was merely blowing out the blood that had trickled down his face. Worrying about him felt a bit unnecessary.
"Don't you notice any changes in these Giant Bats? You’ve even eaten this stuff before."
Tang Yumo's words reached my ears almost simultaneously with Fatty's. It was clear she was genuinely anxious; under normal circumstances, she wouldn't engage with Fatty or compete for words with him.
"Their blood has turned red. What does that mean?" Jack's voice remained steady.
"They're maturing rapidly. Something is making them feel threatened, so they've accelerated their maturation process. The power of Devil's Curse has intensified. If we don't get rid of them quickly, we might not be able to escape at all."
"Can they change their instinctive fear of fire?" I interjected.
This was the question I cared about most. They all had weapons; at the very least, they had Straight Blades, while I only had a burning stick left along with my teeth.
"No, their fear of fire is innate, and fire can be lethal to them. But for an intelligent life form, there are more ways to solve problems than just fleeing. These Giant Bats, inheriting devilish thinking, will adopt even crazier strategies."
"What will they do?"
"How would I know! Do you think I've been through this before?" Tang Yumo roared again like a mother leopard. "But I do know we must get rid of them in the shortest time possible. They won't stay in this state forever; they fear fire, but they fear failing their mission even more. The will of the devil will make them abandon their fear of fire."
"Don't shout at me about some devil's curse. I know exactly what I'm doing!" I had been seething with resentment at being trampled by her and Fatty, and at that moment, I finally couldn't hold back and shouted out.
However, I knew Tang Yumo was right about one thing: we needed to get rid of these Giant Bats as soon as possible. Their appearance here was no coincidence; I certainly knew where their nest was—far upstream on the Underground River. They had come out of their lair to appear here, and the fact that they made not a sound meant they weren't just following us; they had been lying in wait for us to stumble into them.
Tang Yumo seemed to have accelerated their maturation process, which I couldn't understand. But it appeared that these Giant Bats possessed a certain level of intelligence, which I believed was innate to them.
I handed another torch to Jack beside me.
"Cover us." Then I turned to Tang Yumo. "Row the boat; let's hope they're not as clever as you."
With that, I settled into the boat's cabin and grabbed an oar.
Suddenly, an unusually loud noise filled my head. It seemed to bypass my ears and go straight to my brain. (To Be Continued...)
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