Chapter 334 - 329: Blood Pit

Chapter 334: Chapter 329: Blood Pit

The torches by the edge of the pit crackled.

The orange-red glow of the fire illuminated a circular pit, roughly twenty meters in diameter. Its walls were rough earth, and a layer of dry grass covered the bottom.

The grass was stained with dark brown blood.

Three Giant Lizards crouched at the bottom of the pit.

They were over two meters long, their bodies covered in gray-green scales. Two rows of serrated teeth, each as thick as an adult’s thumb, were visible in their mouths.

The Giant Lizards’ murky yellow eyes stared at the crowd by the pit. Perhaps due to prolonged hunger, low hisses rumbled from their throats every so often.

"Place your bets! Place your bets!"

A bald pirate stood at the edge of the pit, holding a wooden box aloft. It contained a scattered collection of Copper Leaves and Silver Moons.

"I bet this skinny monkey won’t last thirty breaths!"

"Bullshit! I say he can run for fifty breaths!"

The pirates crowded around the pit, their faces flushed red from alcohol and excitement.

Holding their cups of ale, they shoved one another as they tossed money into the box.

A pirate chieftain stood at the edge of the pit.

He wore grease-stained leather armor with a scimitar tucked at his waist. A gnarled scar curled from the corner of his brow, and his left eye socket was a hollow pit.

He was sizing up the islander before him with his one good eye.

It was a middle-aged man.

He was so thin he was nothing but bones, the burlap clothes hanging from his frame like a dishrag.

His hands were bound behind his back with coarse rope, and his mouth was gagged with a bundle of rags.

The man looked pleadingly at the chieftain, his bloodshot eyes filled with tears and fear.

"It’s your turn."

The scar-faced pirate kicked the man in the back.

The man lost his balance and tumbled over the edge of the pit.

He somersaulted through the air and slammed onto the dry grass. The gag flew out of his mouth, and a wretched scream erupted from his lips.

The three Giant Lizards instantly lifted their heads.

Their nostrils flared as they sniffed the air. Their tongues darted from their mouths, flicking rapidly.

The man struggled to get up.

His hands still bound, he could only push himself up with his shoulders and knees.

"Run! Go on, run! Maybe you can make it out!"

"HAHAHAHA!"

The pirates at the edge of the pit began to jeer.

Some whistled, some clapped, and some threw rocks into the pit. The stones struck the man’s back and pelted the Giant Lizards, kicking up clouds of dust.

The nearest Giant Lizard moved.

It launched itself forward, its body shooting out like an arrow. Its claws dug four deep gouges in the dirt as its maw gaped open, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

The man screamed, scrambling backward.

His feet slipped on the straw, and he fell to the ground. The Giant Lizard pounced, pinning his chest with its foreclaws. The man struggled desperately, but his meager strength was nothing before the beast.

The Giant Lizard lowered its head and bit into the man’s shoulder.

Teeth tore through flesh and ground against bone. The man’s scream turned shrill, like a chicken being strangled.

The other two Giant Lizards closed in.

One bit down on the man’s leg, the other on his arm. The three Giant Lizards then pulled in opposite directions simultaneously.

Blood sprayed from his wounds, spattering the straw and the lizards’ scales.

The man’s screams grew faint, finally turning into muffled moans. His body was torn to pieces, his entrails spilling from his ruptured abdomen.

A cheer erupted from the edge of the pit.

"Haha! Only twenty breaths!"

"I won! Give me the money!"

The pirates slammed their cups together, splashing ale everywhere. The bald pirate opened the wooden box and started divvying up the winnings.

Not far away, Xiaolan, hidden in the shadows, clapped a hand over her mouth.

Tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped onto the ground. Her body shook so violently that her teeth chattered.

She wanted to look away, but her eyes refused to obey.

The Giant Lizards in the pit were tearing at the dismembered limbs, and the CRUNCH of breaking bones reached her ears with horrifying clarity.

Her stomach churned, and bile rose in her throat.

Mia squatted beside her.

Her purple eyes were fixed on the pirates, a flicker of red light glowing in their depths for just a moment before vanishing.

"The desires of these people... they stink."

Mia’s voice was quiet, as if she were muttering to herself.

Kael didn’t speak.

His gaze swept across the camp, memorizing the position of every tent, the post of every sentry.

The team members behind him were as silent as statues, melting into the darkness, waiting only for his order.

The scar-faced pirate walked to the edge of the pit and spat.

"Next!"

Two pirates dragged a person out of a nearby cage.

It was a little girl.

She looked no older than ten, wearing a tattered burlap dress. Her hair was a mess, and her face was stained with dirt and tears.

She was dragged to the edge of the pit, her legs kicking wildly as she sobbed.

"No! I beg you! No!"

The pirates laughed even louder.

"How long will this little brat last?"

"I bet ten breaths!"

"Too few! I’ll bet fifteen!"

Xiaolan’s body froze.

She stared at the little girl as fragmented images flashed through her mind.

Her breathing grew ragged, and her chest tightened as if blocked by something. Her hand drifted unconsciously toward the shortsword at her waist.

Kael’s hand clamped down on her wrist.

"Don’t move," he said, his voice low.

Xiaolan turned her head, looking at him with red-rimmed eyes.

"But..."

"If we reveal ourselves now, we’ll be announcing to everyone that an outside force has arrived on the island."

Kael’s fingers tightened, his grip painful on her wrist.

"This will affect Lord Velin’s plan."

Xiaolan bit her lip.

She forced herself not to look at Kael, forced herself not to look at the little girl.

’I have to obey orders.’

’I have to obey orders.’

...

She repeated the words over and over in her mind, like a mantra.

The scar-faced pirate grabbed the little girl’s arm and held her over the edge of the pit.

"Are you ready?"

He asked the pirates around him with a smile.

The pirates raised their cups.

"Throw her in!"

"Throw her in already!"

The scar-faced pirate opened his hand.

The little girl screamed as she plummeted into the pit.

Just at that moment, a massive explosion rocked the other side of the camp.

It was an explosion.

Flames shot into the sky, illuminating half the heavens. The shockwave overturned several tents, sending wood and cloth flying through the air.

The pirates in the camp were stunned for a moment, then began to shout.

"We’re under attack!"

"Get your weapons!"

"Go check it out!"

The scar-faced pirate lost his grip on the little girl.

The little girl tumbled into the pit, but the Giant Lizards’ attention was momentarily drawn by the explosion. They raised their heads and hissed in the direction of the sound.

The pirates ran toward the explosion.

The camp descended into chaos. People were shouting, running, and stumbling to the ground.

Kael stood up and gestured to the team members behind him.

"Now’s our chance."

He and several team members burst from the bushes like phantoms, their figures a blur in the firelight.

Their shortswords left their sheaths, and several arcs of cold light flashed through the air.

The few pirates guarding the fighting pit didn’t even have time to react before their throats were slit by sharp blades.

Blood sprayed out, spattering on the ground.

The pirates clutched their necks, a gurgling sound coming from their mouths. They swayed for a moment before collapsing to the ground.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Kael, along with several other agile team members, leaped into the pit.

The team moved with perfect coordination against the lunging Giant Lizards. They dodged, parried, and thrust, killing all three beasts before they could even manage more than a few wretched cries.

The little girl was curled up in a corner of the pit, trembling all over.

Kael walked over and crouched in front of her.

"Run that way. Keep running. Don’t look back."

He pointed toward the jungle.

The little girl stared at him blankly, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Go. Now."

With that, Kael turned and leaped out of the pit.

The others were already waiting at the edge.

Xiaolan and several other team members took out Alchemy Potions and quickly poured them on the pirates’ corpses. The moment the potion touched the blood, it began to bubble, emitting a pungent odor.

"Cut off some of their limbs. Make the scene look like they were eaten by Magical Beasts."

After everything was taken care of, Kael ordered a retreat.

The squad moved like quicksilver, melting silently into the surrounding darkness and vanishing without a trace.

The little girl climbed out of the pit and ran toward the jungle.

She stumbled and fell several times, but each time she scrambled back to her feet and kept running.

The camp behind her was still burning.

But she was no longer afraid. She knew where to find her people.

The firelight illuminated her retreating back and the tearstains on her cheeks.