Henryk and Someryn could clearly hear Kael's sword deflecting the Titan's attacks.
Calling it fighting would be an understatement. Now the Titan was simply tormenting the surviving triangular hunters.
"Ugh!" Kael grunted as the Elemental Devourer once again countered his slash and kneed him in the stomach.
The silver-haired man tried to get back up. He leaned on his sword hilt as Markus tried to stab his opponent with his daggers.
Markus was slightly faster than the others, but it was still useless, as the Titan blocked every attack. Boredom and disinterest in this fight were evident on the red-eyed monster's face. Henryk wondered why he was so cozy with them when I could simply kill them.
"How much mana do you have left?" Kael, who had risen, approached the panting Brina, who rested her hands on her knees.
"Not much," she replied tiredly.
"That's not good." Kael watched as Markus bravely faced his powerful opponent.
At that moment, Kael felt his knees buckle. He was certain he wouldn't dare approach the Titan again. He was afraid of him. He was ashamed to admit it aloud.
He looked at the bloody bodies of his companions, already dead. His breathing was labored. He couldn't believe their deaths. After all, just a month ago, he had sat with them in the inn, laughing and drinking.
Terror was etched on his face. He knew they had no chance of winning. Markus was still fighting, but sooner or later he would give in. Brina was low on mana, and Kael himself no longer had the courage to fight.
He had no other choice.
"We have to get out of here quickly, Brina," he said, his voice laced with shame, placing a hand on the sorceress's shoulder.
"But what about Markus? He's still fighting..."
"It doesn't matter anymore... He's already dead. We have to seize this opportunity while we can."
Kael walked toward the slaves, tugging on Brina's hand.
"?!" The swordsman's eyes widened as he noticed that two of his slaves were missing.
He wondered where they had escaped. His plan was to use all the slaves to dig a small tunnel under the ice wall blocking the way forward. The disappearance of two slaves meant there was another way out. He began to look around.
*THUD*
Kael stiffened with fear at the sudden sound of a falling body. He looked to his right, where he had heard the noise. His premonition had not deceived him. With an icy spear in his chest, the human slave lay dead on the ground.
The other slaves began to scream and choke in fear.
"You know what, Kael Caldven," the Titan said seriously, his smile fading. "It's true that I consider humans weak, but I didn't think you'd be dishonorable enough to flee, abandoning your comrade."
At that moment, the Titan held Markus high by the throat. Fear was evident in Markus's eyes. Even Henryk and Someryn saw it from their hiding places.
The elemental devourer aimed his hand at the swordsman. A spearhead shot out at random from his hand.
However, the spear missed its target as the ice man intended.
At the last moment, Kael grabbed the Demonkin slave by his clothes and shielded himself with his body. The icy spearhead pierced the demonkin's heart.
Henryk covered his mouth with his hand, trying to hold back the vomit. Someryn watched nervously, worried about what would happen next.
The young elven slave, as well as Felicia, screamed in fear.
The Titan shook his head in disappointment.
"You've fallen far, Human. You're drawing the audience into our fight. It's a very weak tactic."
Suddenly, the Elemental Devourer's form vanished. With a powerful gust of wind, Kael was suddenly struck in the back. The blow was so powerful that he flew all the way to the other side of the battlefield.
Brina tried to cast another spell, but the Titan interrupted her, striking her in the face so hard that the sorceress slammed into the ice wall, ultimately losing consciousness. The iceman ignored her completely and headed towards Kael, who was writhing on the ground, unable to get up.
"Hen?..." Someryn looked at the young man with fear in his eyes.
"Yes, you're right." He swallowed. "Time to run."
Henry started down the corridor and quickly noticed that Someryn wasn't following him.
"What are you doing? Come on, we don't have time."
"These..." The white-haired man gestured to Felicia and the young elf. "We can't leave them like this."
"Are you crazy? If that one spots us, we'll be dead."
Despite Henryk's warning, Someryn decided to leave his hiding place and quietly call out to the other two slaves.
Henryk, not knowing why, didn't go any further. He still saw the Titan tormenting Kael, kicking him in the stomach and punching him.
He looked at the unconscious Brina, and suddenly a lightbulb went off in his head.
He trotted quietly out of his hiding place. Someryn was just returning with the others, and he looked surprised when he saw Henry running towards him. Henry wordlessly brushed past him and leaned over the unconscious sorceress. He lifted her into his arms bridal style. He glanced at the Titan, who still had his back to him. He quickly returned to the passage where the others were waiting.
"Let's get out of here," he said quickly, beginning to push Brina through the narrow corridor.
The slaves exchanged glances for a moment, then followed him down the corridor.
Meanwhile, with Kael.
"UGH!!!" the silver-haired man groaned in pain, then began to choke on blood.
The Titan beat him mercilessly, sometimes with his fists, sometimes with his legs. His sword embedded itself in the ground nearby. Watching this pathetic creature grovel, he felt disgusted and decided to finally put an end to it.
"Goodbye," he said without emotion, stomping on Kael's head, crushing it.
The pool of blood spread quickly. The Titan took his sword and suddenly noticed something.
"Where the hell are those people?"
He was so busy with adventurers that he didn't notice his slaves had escaped.
"*Sigh* Never mind."
The ice walls began to disappear.
*STEP!*
*STEP!*
The Titan heard a loud groan behind him, causing a slight tremor. The Elemental Devourer glanced over his shoulder, seeing a figure much larger than himself.
"We have an interesting task, Brother."
"What happened?" asked a large, six-meter-tall creature made entirely of earth.
"A few piles of meat escaped. But that's okay," the Titan said, smiling sadistically, revealing his sharp teeth. "Let the hunt begin."
Meanwhile, Henryk and the other no longer slaves were still escaping through the narrow tunnel. They knew they wouldn't escape easily, but they had to try anyway.
Henryk, for some reason, remembered a certain Night City legend saying that a man is defined by how he acts on the edge. That's how legends are born, they say. But Henryk had no intention of becoming a legend. He had to survive here and now... at all costs.