Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer
Chapter 94: Karma Is A Bitch (2)

Chapter 94: Karma Is A Bitch (2)

The incident at the pond didn’t attract much attention from the higher-ups. Sure, Shoka came to look at things for a couple of seconds before walking away and chalking up the incident as an ’accident’.

That was all Adrian needed to know how common such ’accidents’ were. Tens of people must have lost their lives in such accidents for the tribals to act like nothing significant happened.

However, Adrian was happy that the incident quickly got whitewashed. Still, the three youngsters behind the accident weren’t satisfied with how things ended.

Adrian didn’t know if they were mad because the elf was still alive or because they were baffled by how the elf survived. Either way, it didn’t matter to Adrian and farming the slimes.

After a few hours, it was time to head back as they were done for the day... or so Adrian thought.

***

The settlement grew more vibrant after sunset. Lanterns were hung everywhere as people went about their business as usual. Kids laughed as they played with each other while the elders got busy visiting the market and buying necessities.

However, the fun was limited to the tribals and the few Nexarians. For the slaves, there was no peace, even at night. The night was fun for the Tulkas, and what better way to have fun than to play with the slaves?

Adrian lay asleep among the other slaves in the crowded barn. Thankfully, he wasn’t kept with the other heroes, as that might have caused him some issues.

But the night took an unexpected turn when a sudden loud knock echoed through the room. Startled, Adrian jolted awake like the rest of them. Unlike him, the other slaves weren’t surprised, but some were scared and rushed back to hide anywhere they could.

"What the hell?"

Before Adrian could gather his thoughts, the barn doors were flung open with a bang. The men and women of the tribe barged in, their eyes scanning the huddled crowd of slaves.

Adrian didn’t know what was happening but followed the others and kept his head down, wondering what would happen next. Suddenly, the tribals each picked out a slave they fancied before taking them away despite their protests. Among them was the elf couple Adrian had met earlier.

Soon, half the shed was emptied before the doors were closed again. Those left behind sighed in relief before going back to sleep.

"What just happened here?" Adrian asked the man sleeping next to him.

"You’re new, aren’t you?" the old man asked, to which Adrian nodded. "No wonder you don’t know anything. You could say it’s a culling game for those savages."

"Culling game?"

The Old man nodded before continuing, "Yes, culling games. Once a week, at a random night, they barge in here, selecting whoever they please and then do unspeakable things to us."

Adrian silently listened to the old man as he described the culling games in more detail. While it wasn’t what the tribals called it, in essence, it was the same thing because not everyone taken would return to the barn.

Some of the slaves would die, mainly at the hands of the males. The women, though, had no taste for killing. Instead, they found their satisfaction in using the slaves for their twisted desires, engaging in unspeakable acts they couldn’t dare to do with their husbands.

Although the men who returned to the barn were never the same, they at least returned alive. However, it was so with the women who often never came back.

"Thankfully, they have no interest in an old-timer like me," the old man concluded, turning over to sleep. "Youngsters like you, however, are their prime target. They probably had something planned today, so they let you go. Otherwise, those wicked women would have torn you apart."

The old man shifted to get comfortable and began snoring despite being bound in chains.

On the other hand, Adrian started planning how he could use these nights to his advantage while peeking at the stars from the broken roof of the barn.

Within moments, he had a plan ready to teach those tribals from before a lesson while also putting his plan to the test. But for that, he needed everyone to fall asleep first.

’The tribals probably have traitors within the slaves, people who work extra hard for a little bit of mercy,’ Adrian thought as he carefully looked around.

As everything quieted down, Adrian got to work. Slowly dragging the rusty chains towards him, he found a weak link in them. The arrogant Tulkas didn’t pay any attention to general maintenance, thinking their fear was enough to keep the slaves in check.

Taking out his blade from the inventory, and with the edge of the blade, Adrian noiselessly forced the chain apart. However, he wasn’t as quiet as he believed because the old man beside him woke up and saw everything.

For a fraction of a second, Adrian contemplated if he should silence the old man, thinking he could be one of the spies. But he decided against it when the old man raised his hands, probably wanting Adrian to free him as well. But he didn’t and hammered the chain back in place.

"What are you doing?" the old man whispered angrily. "This is our best shot at escaping. Those savages are distracted, busy with... other things!"

"You’re quite old," Adrian smirked. "I don’t think you could run that fast either way, so sit tight. I’ll be right back."

Though he said that, Adrian had no intention of walking away without dealing with the old man first. He merely said those things to gauge his reaction and then decided how he’d deal with the senile fool.

"You think I’ll just let you leave? I’ll scream and wake everybody up, and then you’ll be fucked-"

Adrian heard enough and grabbed the old man by his neck, slowly increasing the pressure.

"Why don’t you try screaming now?" Adrian scoffed as his eyes began to glow. "You won’t do shit because you won’t remember shit."

The following moment, Adrian used [Illusionary Eyes] to erase the old man’s memories. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he put the old man in deep sleep.

Finally, Adrian activated his [Camouflage] ability, blending seamlessly into his surroundings until he vanished from sight.

’Now then... time for some karma.’