Chapter 81: Cannibals in the Wild lands.

The guard who had the idea shifted his eyes to Zoo, ready to pitch his idea, that he thought would change everything and make all their problems go away. Suddenly, the ground began to vibrate. Heavy, thudding footsteps echoed from the entrance to their shelter, accompanied by the low, guttural growls of the malevolent beasts. The air instantly grew cold and smelled heavily of iron and dried blood.

Campbell rode into the square on the back of a horned horse. He was laughing, the strings of teeth on his belt rattling. Behind him, his men hooted and whistled, their eyes scanning the empty streets where residents were peeking through the cracks of the locked windows of their small mud houses.

"Well, well, well!" Campbell roared, swinging himself down from his mount. He walked over to Zoo and slapped him on the shoulder so hard the old man almost hit the dirt. "It’s my favorite day of the week! Tell me, old Zoo, has the Twin Blue Crossing been behaving?"

"W-welcome, Mr. Campbell," Zoo stammered, bowing so low his nose almost touched his knees. "One thousand mid-grade energy stones, perfectly accounted for. Not a single stone missing, I swear it on my ancestors!"

One of Campbell’s thugs dragged a heavy chest open, running his dirty fingers through the glowing blue energy stones. He bit one, grinned, and nodded to his boss. "They’re the good stuff, captain."

"Excellent," Campbell purred. His eyes then drifted over to the tied-up, trembling merchant on the ground. He walked over, using the tip of his muddy boot to lift the man’s chin. He sniffed the air and chuckled. "Ah, he’s fat...he must have a juicy heart. Smells like he’s been eating well. Plenty of meat on the bone. My boys are going to love the soup we make out of this one tonight!"

The merchant let out a muffled, desperate wail, tears streaming down his face as two cannibals grabbed him by the arms and hoisted him up like a sack of grain.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Zoo!" Campbell laughed boisterously, leaping back onto his terrifying beast. "Keep the stones coming, keep the meat fresh, and maybe we won’t have to eat any of your children next week!"

With a wave of his blood-stained hand, Campbell and his group turned their beasts around. They left the evening hours behind, riding out into the dark wild lands, laughing happily as they carried away their wealth and their terrified dinner.

Back in the square, Zoo finally let out the breath he had been holding, collapsing onto his knees. The town had survived another week, but the cost of their survival was growing heavier by the day.

"We can’t keep doing this," A skinny man hissed at Zoo. "We have to find a way to fight back. What will do if someday he asks for two people. What of two becomes three, four, and five. Our children are at risk. I didn’t escape the capital to live like this. Word will soon spread and merchants will stop coming here. How will we trade?"

Zoo snapped at him, "You think I don’t know?"

Another man stepped forward, "We can find that Soul maiden everyone is looking for. If we give her to Campbell, he will go to capital and meet the mayor. Maybe he will never return. Or maybe we can trick him into killing her and spread the word. If he is a hunted man, he will not return."

A woman who was hiding the shadows stepped out, raising her voice, "Or maybe the Soul maiden can save us."

Windows opened, one by one. The people didn’t know how to proceed, but they knew they needed to find Zyra Scorpion.

******

Zyra was in her shelter, just about to join Hunter and Achilles in the main house kitchen. Her boots clicked softly against the stone floor. The very moment she stepped across the threshold, the low murmuring between the two men snapped shut like a clam.

But Zyra wasn’t deaf. From the little that she had caught right before the silence fell, they were talking about some elder, and Hunter had apparently told Achilles to bring her here to the valley.

Zyra crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the two guilty-looking cousins. "Are you two planning to bring in even more fugitives behind my back?" she asked, her voice dripping with suspicion.

Hunter sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "It’s not a fugitive," he said mildly. "It’s my childhood nanny. She seems to have become homeless recently."

Zyra raised her brow. Hunter Magnus had grown up with a nanny. This meant he was no ordinary man; he came from a family with some means or wealth. Ordinary people did not pay nannies to raise their children.

Achilles nodded quickly, eager to clear his name. "Yeah, his stepsister kicked her out of the family estate. Heartless, right? Anyway, Nanny Rosita is currently staying at my private residence in the Capital, but she doesn’t like it there...the noise and all."

"She is the only family I have left." Hunter told Zyra.

Hearing Hunter talk about his nanny with such quiet concern struck a chord in Zyra. For a fleeting second, the tough warrior exterior cracked, and she genuinely missed Mrs. Munch. She couldn’t help but wonder if the sweet old woman was doing okay out there in the harsh world or she had already died.

But business was business. Zyra shook off the sentiment, pointing a finger at Hunter. "Just so we are clear, if you are bringing new residents into this valley, someone has to pay their rent. No exceptions. All these men Achilles brought have to pay rent if they are staying here. They pay for meals too, because I am not feeding anyone."

Hunter didn’t even blink. He looked her dead in the eye and reminded her, "You have never paid me a single energy stone since I started working as your personal bodyguard, Zyra."

"Oh, please!" Zyra shot back, rolling her eyes. "I literally took you into a hidden dungeon! You’re the one who willingly handed those stones over to Cade!"

Achilles sat there, his eyes darting back and forth between them like he was watching a high-stakes martial arts match. He was thoroughly impressed. His cousin Hunter was usually a man of absolute silence, a stone wall that ignored the world. Yet, this woman managed to get him to bicker like a regular human.

But then Achilles caught a specific word. "Wait... Cade?" he asked, leaning forward.

Before he could dig any deeper, both Hunter and Zyra snapped their heads toward him and gave him a terrifying, synchronized look. Achilles instantly clamped his mouth shut.

Zyra turned her attention back to the table, casually announcing, "Anyway, we are going to another dungeon tomorrow."

"You have training tomorrow, dungeon visits can hold on," Hunter countered immediately, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Then do not talk to me about stones." Zyra shot back, completely unfazed.

"Training?" Achilles whispered under his breath. Shock dressed his face. Was his cousin training her? That was very unusual, Hunter had turned down high grade stones and pleas to be a combat instructor private or public at academies! But he was training her?

On seeing the dark aura radiating from Hunter, Achilles wisely folded his hands and decided not to ask any more questions. He valued his life. More importantly, he valued his hair.

"So, Beast Valley, huh?" He flashed a grin. "Who came up with the name, and don’t say the witch with the wand?"