Kali, Maia, and Castiane stood silently by Oresus's side. They all stared at the human sacrifices sent to the chaos beast with fear in their eyes. Even Castiane who usually acted like she was fearless had her legs wobbling under her.
15 refugees. That was the number of people that were sacrificed to the chaos beast before the cultists led them away from this hall.
Along the way, nobody spoke. Even those who had broken down only cried in silence, tears silently soaking their face.
With eleven stage 1 and one stage 2 cultists guarding them in the tunnels, the warriors meekly followed their lead.
The numerous cultists they met along the way, either moving past them or standing in front of a cave or tunnel increased their unease. They were shocked at the number of bloodrainist in their ranks.
After a twenty minutes walk across numerous tunnels, the cultists leading them finally stopped. A large tunnel extended beyond their sight, many building made of mud stood under the ceiling, sparsely decorated by crystals who emanated light.
[From now on, this will be your home. You will all live here. You are all free to move as you want, further in you'll find shops, you can take anything you want without having to pay. Feel free to wander around and explore, but you are strictly forbidden to leave the tunnel without being instructed to. If you are caught wandering outside by guards, you will be punished by the divine beast.]
One of the cultists dressed in a dark robe, his face concealed under a hood spoke to them in a lazy voice. As soon as he finished introducing them the rules, he left with his team from where they came from.
The refugees stood at the entrance of the tunnel, not daring to take a step forward. They could see other people already living here, entering and leaving the buildings.
After a few minutes, Leopold and the rest of the mercenaries went to explore the tunnel.
The more courageous ones followed their example and detached themselves from the group.
Only then did Oresus walk away towards the brown building he could see upfront. With the girls following behind.
The first building he entered appeared similar to a house in its shape and interior, except it had one large dormitory, where over 25 beds made of hard mud were placed.
The people inside reacted strangely to their presence. They examined them thoroughly before staring at them with overwhelming lust. The men rose from their beds as soon as Kali, Castiane, and Maia appeared, though their stares were mostly directed at Castiane's body.
The women living in the house, on the other hand, were extremely excited when Oresus appeared in their sight. They took great care in making their shabby clothes look as neat as possible to give the best impression they could.
After leaving the first building, they kept exploring the others.
What was perturbing was that a crowd had formed in the road outside the building, with all the current residents staring at the refugees, some even stalking Castiane.
It was only after finding an empty 'house' that they took the time to interrogate one resident that was following them.
[You guys are new, you still don't realise how great this place is. They give us food crystals based on how much work we accomplish, and this work isn't hard, anyone can do it.]
The chatter from refugees who had just entered their building interrupted him momentarily.
He took his time to stare at Castiane's body and laugh as if she was already his.
[This tunnel has a place called "Sublimation Pagoda". That's where most of the work is done. Men and women go there to have sex, the longer they stay, the more they're paid.]
The girls listened on the side, only now realising why everyone in this place reacted with lust when they saw them. Castiane showed disgust at the man stares, even more so after realising what he had in mind.
[I am already rich with dozens of food crystals and one luxury crystal, I'm willing to pay 4 food crystals for a session with you in the sublimation pagoda, if you can last till tonight, I'll give you two more...]
He didn't have time to finish before Castiane kicked him outside the building. She did not even try to avoid his private parts, she ravaged his body until his screams could no longer be heard.
The refugees who had entered the building froze on the spot. When Oresus stared at them in silence, they quickly fled from inside the house.
[This place is demonic! Only devils and demons live here!]
Castiane sat on a bed while gritting her teeth. Ever since entering this place, the ring of dissimulation on her hand has stopped functioning, allowing everyone to see her true appearance. Few people were able to tell the difference between a human and an elf since they looked similar, but every human lusted after elves, no matter if they knew their identity or not.
[Maybe...]
Kali seemed deep in thought. Occasionally glancing at Oresus from the corner of her eyes. She chose a bed near him and no longer opened her mouth.
Maia seemed deeply scared ever since seeing the chaos beast swallow human souls. Even now, she stood rooted in the middle of the room, her eyes looking at the ground below.
[You girls stay here, I'll go check a few things outside.]
He made way for the only door of the house when Kali rose from her bed.
[I'll also come. I want to check on my team.]
Oresus gave her a glance before leaving with her trotting right by his side.
Castiane looked at her with disgust. Glancing around the dormitory, she took Maia to explore the rest of the house.
[So, where are you going?]
She asked with a slight blush on her face, her hands locked behind her back. Allowing her twin peaks to expand above and beyond.
Oresus seemed aware of what she had in mind, briefly glancing at her voluptuous chest in her open jacket, her breasts only confined by a tight black shirt.
[Don't you think it's weird that the chaos beast only devoured 15 of us? We were 200, why did he stop at 15. Also, why would they build houses for us, and what that sublimation pagoda has to do with all of this.]
She nodded her head absentmindedly, glancing at men and women walking in the road, disappearing in the houses around them.
[If I'm not wrong, that magical beast is still in its early stage of development. It cannot consume more than 15 souls per day, every 2 days. And that pagoda of sublimation, they must do something to people in there, I just don't know what.]
He stopped when he realised she wasn't paying attention. Looking where she was staring at, he noticed a couple kissing wildly in an alley between two houses. The man's hands entered widely inside her clothes, she released moans of pleasure without a care for those watching them.
He frowned with a serious expression, watching Kali blush as she pretended to ignore the couple.
[You're in heat. Since when did your body start to feel like this?]
Her eyes widened in shock when she heard him. She took two steps back before traces of anger appeared on her face.
[What?! I am not! How could you say that! You...]
[What happened? Did he bully you again?]
Leopold and his group suddenly appeared, noticing Kali strange state, they sent stern glances at Oresus.
[No, I just...I don't want to talk about it.]
Under Oresus concerned stare, Kali and her mercenary team left further down the road.
He was concerned because the direction they were heading for was exactly where he intended to investigate, the sublimation pagoda!
[Just what is happening here.]
He asked himself, raising his head to stare at the ceiling, at the transparent crystals illuminating this dark place.
The crystals he was staring at were produced artificially, same as the houses and tunnels, they were all created by an earth magicalist. He knew this but none of it could explain the strange atmosphere in the tunnel.
And there was also the fact that the rings of dissimulation no longer worked in this place.
He looked back at the building where Castiane and Maia were still in, before walking ahead, trying to catch up to Kali's group.
Houses extended on both sides of the road, the tunnel expanding in a rectangular shape. There were fewer and fewer people the closest he got to the sublimation pagoda.
The rare people he saw going in the opposite direction had their eyes muddled in tiredness, their steps slow and unsteady, as if drunk.
It was completely different from those running ahead of Oresus, they seemed full of life and energy.
He appeared to have already formed an idea in his mind of what he was going to find, but he still wanted to confirm his thought.
The sublimation pagoda was a large triangular building, built like a temple.
The door wasn't locked, people could enter by pushing it but it always closed itself after someone entered.
He noticed there was another door on the side for people leaving the building.
Seeing no trace of Kali or her team nearby, he knew they had already entered inside.
He did not use the power of his eyes ever since he entered the cave. Ever since he met the chaos beast, he became much more prudent in his actions.
Like he expected, with just a little push, the door of the sublimation pagoda opened.
As soon as he stepped inside, a lovely girl around 17 greeted him with a wide smile. Her naked body still had traces of having recently been used by a man but she showed no sign of exhaustion.
Her small white breasts stood erect, in an aroused state.
[Welcome to the sublimation pagoda handsome, want to swing your dick inside this slutty girl first?]
She said with a sultry voice, her waist swaying energetically, illustrating her words with allure.
[I'm looking for someone.]
He answered coldly, his eyes scanning the hall in search of Kali.
He saw over thirty couples abandoning themselves to lust and sex. His face remained unperturbed until the black-haired girl by his side put her hand on his trousers.
[Come on, don't be like that, I'm sure I can do even better than any of the girls here. Give me a chance okay.]
He did not look at her, nor respond, only moving away from the entrance, seeing doors at the end of the main hall.