[center][h2]Beastmen[/h2][/center]

Birds chirped, rays of sun filtered through the canopies of solitary trees, and little critters scampered through the overgrowth. There, in the tall grass hugging the narrow dirt paths, hid a group of beastmen. 

The group’s leader and recruiter, Bitall, was the one closest to the path. His eyes were closed, with his ursine ears turning and tilting at every single sound, especially the sound of approaching footsteps, footsteps which any beastmen worth his weight in Xas could tell were coming from the soft, leather-sandal covered feet of Silvans.

The group’s tracker Jackal, hidden under a fallen tree just a few paces behind Bitall, took a couple of sniffs at the air and barely managed to bite back a low growl. He tapped Dima the Trainee’s shoulder in a sequence that meant the approaching Silvans carried prey with them and wielded his adze.

Some people were definitely not blessed by the Bronzed Bloom in terms of looks, and Dima was one of them. That was the main reason behind his acceptance of Bitall’s offer of employment, which saw him receive a nice chunk of Xas as well as a set of incredibly well-crafted furs. So that’s how he ended up under the service of the Strongteeth, the two beastmen known for supplying most of New Daman high society with Silvan servants. His job was simple, to whack all armed people over the head and leave the rest to Bitall and Jackal.

The footsteps were right next to them. Something popped on the other side of the dirt path, hidden too by the tall grass, and made the Silvans freeze in their tracks. The women huddled together and shielded the children while the men exchanged looks. Then the sound came again. 

“Rrrraaaaargh!” Roared Dima. He jumped out of his spot with a club in each hand and struck one of the men in the back of the head. He huffed and puffed at the other shocked Silvans, eyes narrowing as he saw the women and children back away. The two remaining men leveled their shiny spears at him, and he grunted.

The two men charged. The closest one Dima barely managed to parry, feeling the cold metal tip slice his side as it missed him narrowly. He saw the other man charging at him still, even as he still struggled with the first one, trying to wrestle his spear away, and his heart skipped a few beats.

Until Bitall crashed into the man, a sickening crack echoing through the sparse woods, followed by the sounds of a wild animal feasting and a man screaming. 

The sounds distracted Dima’s opponent long enough for him to land a single blow on the man’s neck, sending his crumpling into a heap on the floor. 

It was at this point that most of the women and children turned to run, only for the foremost one to set off a tripwire making a massive sickly green net fall on top of them, making them all trip and land over each other. Children cried, women screamed. One of them pulled out a knife and cut a piece of the net and their screams rose to a peak, then fell silent. 

Jackal walked out of his hiding spot, whistling. “Whew! These things ain’t even trying no more.” He said as he looked at the dozen or so Silvans caught in his net, a glint in his eye. “And what a catch, huh? We even got some pale ones this time... And look! Golden hair, sheesh!”

“EASY, EASY, EASY!” Bitall’s loud voice came from the tall grass, with him emerging from the grass soon after with a shower of blood dripping from his maw, little bits of flesh stuck in between his teeth being painfully noticeable with the way he was grinning. “Can’t believe it! So easy!”

Dima felt the colour drain a little from his face. He panted, bringing a hand to cover the bleeding gash on his side. Bitall noticed Dima’s wound and patted him on the shoulder. “Good. Good, kid! Don’t you worry, the Strongteeth will take care of that for ya! Now get the collars and ropes, we got a long walk back to camp, and these Silvans ain’t gonna keep themselves in line when they wake up.”

[hider=Summary]

A group of Beastmen belonging to a faction called The Strongteeth ambush a group of innocent humans in Node 14, killing the men and capturing the women and children who they then put in collars and ropes and take back to camp, implying the existence of a large human trafficking operation.

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[hider=Might]
5 Might remaining
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