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Those slaves who remained would receive a sort of communal home, built by Gagarel until individual accommodations could be constructed. The slaves were quite impressed by the puppeteers unearthly grace and beauty as it worked. They even joined in to help things hurry along. The locals were less enthusiastic about it. Once they realized that the slaves are here to stay they had some reservations about it. This was a double edged sword. On one hand it creates animosity between two easily distinguishable parties, which could easily be exploited. On the other it could easily lead to them blaming Jet for these foreign elements. He'll have to deal with that later.
For now Jet focused on something else. He waited for a while until the trader packed his things and continued his journey once no more trades could be made. Quietly he slinked away and followed the caravan from a safe distance away. He waited for night to descend so he could use the cover of darkness to ambush the trader and recoup some of his losses. Hiding among tree branches he was already imagining how he'd vent his torment on the Guildsman when something unexpected happened.
As soon as the sun set over the horizon and the veil of night blanketed Creation a beast sprung upon the caravan before Jet could. Illuminated by the light of the moon a vicious tiger sprung out from the undergrowth. Jet had never witnessed such ferocity that this man-eater displayed. The feline possessed the natural cunning of an apex predator, attacking those guards who were farthest from their comrades first, before pouncing back into the tall grass. Confusion spread like wildfire as the men each let out a quick scream before falling silent with their throats ripped out, or their lifeless bodies dragged back into the bush.
The assault was swift, brutal and efficient. In a minute the eight guards were all gone and the marchants horses were spooked so much that they broke out of their bindings and ran away, leaving their master at the mercy of the beast, which had none. The formerly smug merchant was torn to ribbons while screaming and kicking about. It was almost as if the animal purposefully wanted him to suffer for as long as possible.
The Infernal watched in amazement as the tiger feasted on its prey once it finally died. The great cat licked its mouth clean the same way an epicurean did to savor the last scraps of a fine meal. Then the beast turned around and took its leave. But the swing of its tail knocked over a brass lantern, spilling burning oil over the wooden wagon and setting the whole caravan ablaze.
