Chapter 303 Monster and Trepidation
It didn't take long for the event to begin. The curtain on stage gradually opened to reveal a monstrous creature in a cage, flanked by an announcer and a figure wielding a whip. The monster looked fierce, with jutted, spiky scales that gave it a humanoid shape, but in all the wrong places. Before Aleshia could comprehend what was happening, the figure with the whip opened the gates that had contained the monster.
Slowly, the monster tentatively abandoned its cage, limping and hunched over, avoiding pressure on one side of its body. It was then that Aleshia noticed the cuts on the creature's tendons and the striations covering its body. She glanced at the other members of her party; though she could see only a small portion of their faces, they all looked equally disgusted. "Let's get out of here," she whispered. "Beasts treated like this will most certainly go out of control sooner rather than later, and I don't want to be part of that sooner."
"Alright," the group whispered back in agreement. They all stood up and turned to leave. As they were exiting, guards approached and stopped them. "Now, why are you ladies leaving this fine establishment?" one of them asked imperiously.
Kelly spoke for the group, fully aware of the societal hierarchy they had entered, and adjusted her tone to match what the guards would expect. "It seems this occasion is not quite what we had all hoped for. We must be leaving now," she said while bowing gracefully.
"Very well, one last thing before you leave, you must take off your masks here and now. Otherwise…" they warned.
"Understood, then we shall do just that." Kelly removed her mask, prompting the rest of the group to follow suit. She placed her mask into the guard's hands and curled his fingers around it. The others followed her example. Their touch did not seem to bother the guards, but it appeared the masks were all the guards wanted, and the group was without further trouble. Just as they were about to leave, they heard a loud crack, followed by the sound of flesh squelching and a roar of pain, before a strange, discordant cackling laughter filled the air.
The distressing sounds behind them urged the group to quicken their pace to the exit. Once outside, they didn't stop running until they had put significant distance between themselves and the circus, eventually arriving at the main square, where there were plenty of people.