"Woof?"
Even as Rage pressed his belly against the sand in stealth mode, his blue eye sensed something was off. Among the crowd near the campfire, a little girl clutched a tattered tile, her gaze unwavering as it locked onto him.
It was as if she could see through his disguise!
But every Original Sin's camouflage relied on erasing scent and trace, creating an absolute stealth using optical mimicry and 3D projection. Ordinary people couldn't see through it.
Otherwise, Rage wouldn't have been able to tail this group of former mercenaries—now turned sand bandits—for so long without being noticed.
Yet now, his concealment was pierced by a seemingly dirty little girl.
The blue eye's focus on the girl immediately drew the attention of the other two heads. The brown eye and the heterochromatic eye followed its gaze, noticing the girl protected among the crowd, clutching the tile.
"Woof?"
But before long, the advancing sand bandits pressed forward, blocking Rage's line of sight and cutting off the connection between him and Eurydice.
"Hand over all your supplies, and we'll let you live!"
The bandit leader's fingers scraped against the curved blade. Sickle drew the rust-red long sword from his pack; its jagged edge looked ready to fall apart.
Kazal gripped his staff and stood. As a guest, he knew the moment demanded a stance: when the hosts are in danger, one must align with them to show loyalty. Otherwise, betrayal or retaliation might follow later.
Kazal knew this instinctively—he knew exactly what to do.
"How do you expect us to survive if you take everything?"
Sickle tightened his grip on the long sword, a relic he had found in some ruin. Though its appearance was poor, Sickle knew its true strength.
Unexpectedly resilient, the blade was like a predator's bite: it tore through flesh, coated in ancient poison that prevented wounds from healing, causing fever and muscle spasms, ending in a miserable death.
This sword had been with him a long time, and he fully understood its capabilities. This knowledge allowed him to remain calm even facing a far larger bandit force.
"Your survival is none of our concern! We want your food, your water, and the women in your group!"
The curved blade reflected the firelight with a menacing glint. The bandit leader's gaze burned with predatory certainty.
"This is impossible!"
Sickle steadied himself, but the bandit leader licked his cracked lips, his bloodthirsty eyes sweeping the group.
"Even better!" he snarled. "Kill them all! Leave none alive!"
He raised the curved blade high. All around, bandits let out chilling cries, advancing step by step, aiming to break the survivors' morale.
The blades' reflections danced in the firelight, the wails rising and falling, the relentless advance sowing panic among the scavengers.
"Don't panic!"
Sickle lowered his stance, sword held before him, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the leader.
"We can survive this!"
"Really?"
The bandit leader smirked, sliding his toes into the sand.
Thump!
A mound of sand kicked up, blinding Sickle's eyes. Caught off guard, he flailed his sword. But a curved blade, like a snake hidden in the sand, found a gap in his defense.
Ssshh!
A chilling sensation spread from his chest through his entire body, sapping his strength. When he opened his eyes, the bandit leader's cruel grin dominated his vision.
"Spit!"
A mouthful of thick phlegm struck Sickle's face, blinding him again.
Despicable methods. Truly contemptible.
Thud!
Sickle collapsed, and the bandit leader picked up his long sword, spinning it expertly before hoisting his curved blade toward the scavengers.
"Men, old people, children—kill them all! The rest are ours!"
"Yes!"
"Kill them!"
"Take their food, take their water, take everything!"
The bandits quickly scattered the campfire group. The scavengers' resistance crumbled under the brutal assault.
"Let go of me!"
Eurydice was yanked from the crowd. With the men dead, the remaining women, children, and elderly were like lambs awaiting slaughter. Kazal was kicked to the ground.
"Boss, this one's for you!"
A gaunt bandit grabbed Eurydice by the wrist, forcing her to the leader. The leader tilted her chin up, scrutinizing her.
"Not bad. Didn't expect these desert scavengers to produce such a pretty daughter!"
Eurydice struggled, but it was useless; the bandit's strength far surpassed hers, and his cruelty left no room for mercy.
In her hand, she still clutched the tattered tile. Forced to meet the leader's gaze, her pupils glimmered with an unknown light.
At that moment, the bandit's hideous face vanished, replaced by a skull stripped of flesh. Eurydice's eyes scanned him, seeking old wounds and weaknesses.
She soon noticed a deep gash along his ribs: flesh missing, bone cracked.
Her gaze shifted past the bandit to his back. There, resting in the sand, was the three-headed hound, bored, glancing lazily at them.
"Long ago, in the farthest reaches of time, there existed a god who protected scavengers."
"He is the guardian of all scavenger tribes in Shurima."
Kazal's passionate voice echoed in Eurydice's mind.
"Scavengers offered the most beautiful maiden of the tribe to the Three-Headed Hound God, becoming its wife to show reverence!"
"And the god, in turn, bestowed blessings upon the scavengers—invincible weapons of glass-like blade to defend themselves!"
Seeing the Three-Headed Hound, normally invisible to others, Eurydice glanced at her tribe. Most men had been killed; the remaining women, children, and elderly were lambs awaiting slaughter.
"Let go of me!"
She aimed at the bandit's rib wound and swung the tile hard against it.
"Ah!!"
The bandit screamed as pain contorted his face. His weapons clattered to the sand as he stumbled back, clutching his wound.
Freed from his grip, Eurydice ran toward Rage. The three-headed beast watched her approach with mild interest as her footprints marked the sand.
"Oh great god!"
She knelt in the sand, the grains biting her knees like knives, yet she felt no pain.
Holding the tile with both hands, Eurydice bowed low before Rage.
"Please save us!"
"Send down your lightning and wrath! Descend upon us humble beings, like dust beneath your feet!"
Her voice trembled with urgency and grief. She was certain only she could see this three-headed hound. Kazal's story confirmed her belief: this was an ancient deity, guardian of scavengers.
"I offer myself. I wish to be your wife. I will serve you for all eternity!"
"…Please…" She heard footsteps behind her, heart pounding as she whispered the final plea, "Save us!"
"Little girl!"
The bandit leader brandished his knife behind her, glaring at her kneeling figure.
"What audacity!"
He yanked her by the hair, growling, "Today, we'll start with you—slice your throat, drain your blood, remove your bones, peel off your flesh!"
Dragged across the sand, Eurydice looked at Rage, pleading with her eyes. The two heads disregarded her entirely.
…Only Duke mattered to them.
Yet the blue eye stared thoughtfully at the girl. It scanned the tile in his paw. The faded paint revealed the Three-Headed Hound God, and beneath it, a line of hidden code appeared.
"Woof!"
The blue eye howled. The other two heads—brown and heterochromatic—noticed as well.
All three exchanged a glance. Why was their exclusive communication code on this tattered tile?
The code's content revealed itself:
"Help them!"
The three heads read the message, stunned. Why did their code's decoded message ask this?
"God… help us!"
The desperate plea of Eurydice reached Rage. The three heads exchanged looks again, then rose from the sand, revealing themselves.
"Roar!!"
A terrifying roar exploded, sending all onlookers trembling. Eyes turned toward the majestic Three-Headed Hound standing in the sand.
"Is the Three-Headed Hound God real?" Kazal, on the ground, struggled to look up, memories of his last conversation with the old man flooding back.
"Do you really think your scavenger god exists?"
"Of course! Otherwise, why would I have spent my life searching for him?"
"But now it seems you were wasting your efforts!"
"Because I couldn't see him, you know!" The old man's self-deprecating gaze replayed in Kazal's mind. Only eyes blessed by the sun could see him.
Eyes blessed by the sun! Kazal swallowed, staring at Eurydice. "So that's what it means!"
The kneeling girl, bathed in sunlight's faint glow, shimmered with vision clear enough to pierce all veils.
"God, take us away!"
End of chapter....
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