Just before Daniel could move he was surprised by a monster that fell not far from where he was hiding. It was a stocky monster, not a flat monster who insisted on finding the squirrel first.
The face of the monster broke, the rocks exploded, and then his body turned to ashes. The explosion was loud enough, like a massive bomb explosion that could tear Daniel's body if only he did not hide behind the rock just in time.
He stiffened, gulped hard, and convinced himself to be more careful from now on. He never saw how the end of the monsters that died, instead Daniel discovered how humans died at the hands of monsters. It turned out that there were several terrifying ways provided by the universe to select the creatures in it.
With sweaty hands and trembling, Daniel cocked his head. He found the monsters outside cheering and starting to dance. The flat monster holding the squirrel was now carried and paraded with endless praise.
Gold chance! Daniel then ran to go to the wide-open room, along the cobbled streets in the monster's den in the form of a very high and wide cave with a semicircular curved roof. Just like outside, at some point, there were yellow glowing rocks that were placed on the stone containers.
When Daniel reached halfway there was a stone monster passing by, it made Daniel hide again behind the protruding rocks that were quite common in the cave. To the monsters, the rocky ridges might look like an uneven texture measuring no more than five centimeters, but to Daniel, they were very useful.
Daniel was at the doorstep. There was another monster passing by, carrying several tools Daniel was unable to properly identify. After the last monster was out of sight, and the smell of sulfur from his body began to fade, Daniel strengthened the weapon in his hand and started to sneak in.
He hid in a corner, it took a long time to reach him considering the room was very large. There were at least five or six monsters in the room. They were lighting a fire from yellow stones by blowing sulfur fumes from their respective mouths on the rocks. They would stop and rest when tired and started taking turns.
The fire that was to be used to roast the humans who were currently hanging was hanging by a non-flammable rope on top. They looked like prisoners who had been executed cruelly.
Daniel was almost amazed until he heard a voice not far from the place where he was hiding. When Daniel glanced in a direction he found a face glaring at him, a woman with beautiful golden hair, beautiful eyes too, which were now filled with tears.
Daniel remembered that face. She was the woman that a monster took a few moments ago into the room, and it seemed like she was asking Daniel for help.
Ok, the problem now was that Daniel didn't know how to go up to the top, the place where the woman was being put. She was placed on a stone placemat which might resemble a table in the human world. But it's big and tall, and she should be centered a little unless she's squirmed to get Daniel's attention.
As Daniel wanted to step forward and find a way to go up, the pounding of a monster's feet shook the ground closer. Daniel returned to his hiding place and watched.
"You are so bad I will advance your order if you disobey." One of the monsters actually caught the woman, and he pulled out her golden hair and then placed her quite roughly in a slightly centered position.
Another monster turned his head, who had been busy blowing the natural rock that glowed yellow, and let out the fire. "Do not try to do that! The human must be slightly wilted so that they can be roasted later, otherwise, the skin will be moist and not crispy. Brok won't like it and we'll be in trouble."
Another monster snorted. As his body swayed, he seemed to start moving away. "I wonder why we have to keep Brok in charge. His tastes with us are much different. He loves bacon and we love fresh meat. Why do we have to defend him?"
A monster who was doing something else chimed in, preceded by a growl, "Watch your words! Brok has many supporters because his strength is the greatest among us. Without Brok, we would only fall into the hands of other clans. We must obey if we are to survive."
The anti-Brok monster didn't answer now. His eyes that were rock fists moved restlessly from time to time. Then he went to a corner to get a container. The grimaces on his face looked terrifying as the sulfurous smoke poured out, "I love these humans. Their flesh looks fine and healthy. Who caught them?"
"Gaur caught it. The one with curly hair can be taken now, it looks like she's withered enough."
Daniel tensed in place. A moment later he saw Wendy who was unconscious now swinging on the claws of a monster to give to another monster. Daniel's heart was racing. When Wendy gets to the grill, then it's over.
"She's ripe enough. I'll grill this one too."
"But she was just brought in a few days ago. Brok is meticulous and a perfectionist."
"I know his taste, so you don't need to doubt me. Her skin is good enough to bake. If Brok doesn't want to, we can eat it for ourselves. She is also not dead, even though we do not give him nutrition. But her condition is getting critical. If we wait for her any longer she could die, and Brok might get mad. He hates carcasses."
Daniel began to see Wendy's body was tied with a rope that would not be flammable. Up there, there was a hook that will be used to hang the rope, then it would put the humans on the embers of the yellow rock.
Daniel was stuck on what to do, he didn't have much chance of saving Wendy or even of saving himself. If he was reckless it would all be over. In this cave, there were more than a dozen monsters, and he knew that his strength would not be enough to defeat them all.
So Daniel cursed himself as he saw the end of Wendy.
But in the end, a miracle came. The hook that was to be used to hang Wendy was broken, and it made her body almost fall on the embers of the fire if only a monster didn't catch her immediately. Cracking sounds quite loud, and Daniel wondered which part of Wendy's crushed bone?
One of the monsters grunted, "Broken again. This area is often damaged. Who wants to fix it?"
"Just call Vuruz. He's outside, fighting with Utoh. They were fighting over the live squirrel earlier."
The groan was heard again, the growl louder. The dust of the feet shook the ground and made Daniel's body bounce like a ball on the floor.
Just as one of the monsters that were about to summon the mechanic between them was about to come out, news started to arrive, "Brok wants us together. There is important news that we should know. You must gather now."
Daniel saw the reluctance of the monsters, who seemed to be monsters who were against Brok's power. They flocked out, one of which put Wendy back in her place, on the table where the golden-haired woman was.
When the toes of the last monster were out of sight, Daniel set off in motion to make a real rescue.
***