novelraw Chapter 237: The Jackal Beastmen Town.
Chapter 237: The Jackal Beastmen Town.
Walking out from a massive cave entrance, Thoren could not help but breathe a deep sigh of relief. A bright smile crept up his face as he felt the open air around him.
Even though the Bleeding Desert was also dangerous in its own right, he still preferred it over the goddamn dark underground world he had just escaped.
Looking around, he could see many awakeners coming and going out of the tunnel entrance. Everyone seemed to be searching for the Bloodstone, just like the two strangers had mentioned.
But for what purpose did they need these stones?
Even though he was deeply curious, he did not ask as he looked at the young man and woman who had guided him out.
"Are you also returning to the town?" the young man asked with a bright, friendly smile.
"Yes," Thoren responded with a simple nod of his head.
"Good. Let us go together," the young woman responded with high enthusiasm in her voice. "My name is Cressida."
"My apologies. I am Neville," Neville introduced himself as the three of them left the massive cave entrance behind.
"Thoren," Thoren said casually, giving only his first name.
"I think you are waiting for your party members?" he added, looking at Cressida and Neville, who could not wait to return to the town.
"Ah. About that, our party members can manage themselves," Cressida responded, flashing Thoren a sweet and reassuring smile.
"We have all made an agreement. We do not have to wait for each other," Neville added with a shrug. "We can all meet at our designated meeting place."
Cressida nodded in agreement with Neville’s explanation.
"I see," Thoren nodded, his expression not displaying any visible emotion.
The group then descended into an abrupt and awkward silence as they walked through the scorching desert dunes. Their feet left deep footprints behind them in the hot sand.
After walking for close to an hour, Thoren finally saw a small town in the distance ahead. The town was made entirely of mud, and it had an ugly, uninviting appearance.
Even though he was deeply curious about how a human town could possibly appear in the middle of the Bleeding Desert, he chose to remain quiet. Right now, he must not show that he was ignorant of his current environment.
After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived close to the town’s outer walls.
To Thoren’s complete surprise, this town did not belong to humans at all. It belonged to the Jackal Beastmen instead. Guarding the entrance gate were four Elite Jackal Beastmen, each one armed with sharp weapons.
’What is going on here?’ he thought inwardly, his mind racing with questions.
He saw many Jackal Beastmen carrying many humans in iron cages as they entered the town. Savage smiles adorned their beastly faces.
Many of the captured humans were pleading for someone to save them, but no one answered their desperate cries. Some of the other awakeners simply ignored the prisoners entirely.
Cressida and Neville did not show any changes in their expressions, as if this terrible scene was completely common and normal to them.
Staring at the horrific scene, Thoren’s curiosity grew even stronger. He had always thought that humans and Jackal Beastmen were life and death enemies, but he was clearly wrong about that assumption.
There was so much more at play here than he initially understood.
Slowly, it became their turn to enter the town.
Neville and Cressida each took out a single Bloodstone from their inventory and gave it to the lead Elite Jackal Beastman. Receiving the Bloodstone, the guards allowed them entry without any trouble.
Seeing this, Thoren did not hesitate. He fetched one of the Bloodstones from his inventory and gave it to the same guard. Now, he finally understood one of the important uses of the Bloodstone.
It served as an entry fee to the Jackal Beastman town.
Walking inside the town, Thoren saw a wide mud road filled with potholes and cracks. On the street, he could see many awakeners moving back and forth.
Additionally, he saw Jackal Beastmen treating human slaves like common animals. Some humans walked on all fours, sticking out their tongues like dogs.
A leather leash was wrapped tightly around their necks.
Many of these poor souls were covered in fresh bruises and dried, caked blood.
This horrific sight left Thoren completely stunned and speechless.
How could any fellow human allow their own kind to be treated like an animal without doing anything to stop it?
Even though he was furious and deeply disgusted by this scene, he did not let his emotions show on his face. He kept his expression carefully neutral.
"Thoren, where are you staying?" Cressida asked, flashing him another bright smile.
"I do not have a particular place in mind," Thoren responded casually, keeping his tone light.
"That is not good. You know the town is not safe for us humans," Cressida replied with a concerned tone in her voice. "You must always stay at the Gila Fiend Inn."
"It is the safest place in the entire town," she added earnestly.
"Let us go. I am familiar with the patron, and I will introduce you to him," Cressida did not wait for Thoren to respond as she walked forward toward the center of the town.
"She is right," Neville added with a serious nod. "That is the only place that can truly guarantee your safety here."
"Very well," Thoren nodded in agreement. "I will follow your suggestion."
Neville nodded with a pleased expression as the two of them walked toward the Gila Fiend Inn while Cressida was ahead.
A moment later, they arrived before a three-story mud building that looked older than the surrounding structures.
In front of the building hung an old wooden board, dangling back and forth in the hot desert wind. The words Gila Fiend Inn were carved deeply into its weathered surface.
Walking inside the Inn, Thoren saw a tall, well-built Jackal Beastman standing behind the counter. His deep, bloody red eyes locked onto Thoren for a long, assessing moment before they returned to Cressida. The beastman gave her a silent nod of recognition.
"I have spoken to him. He will treat you very well," Cressida responded, flashing Thoren her best reassuring smile.
"Thank you," Thoren replied sincerely.
"It is nothing," she waved her hand dismissively. "We are fellow humans. We need to help each other in this terrible place."
"We will be taking our leave now. Take care of yourself," she added warmly.
"See you around," Neville also added before the two of them turned and left the Inn together.
Looking at their departing backs, Thoren creased his brow for a long moment before he turned to look at the Jackal Beastman behind the counter.
Just from his powerful aura alone, Thoren knew this creature was a lot stronger than any Elite Beastman he had faced before.
’Interesting,’ Thoren thought as he moved closer to the counter.
The Jackal Beastman watched him approach with cold, calculating eyes. Neither of them spoke for several long seconds. The silence between them was thick with unspoken tension.
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