The hyena guard pushed Jenny into a cage and locked the door. After the door clicked, he smiled at her. "You better grow some nice weed for our chief, or else we will use your corpse to fertilize the plants."
He laughed as he strolled away.
Jenny rose to her bare feet and examined the dome-shaped cave chamber, which has one sealed wooden door and piles of loot. Gold, diamonds, gems, and boxes laid across the dark walls on top of each other. The treasure must be stolen goods the Laughing Death Clan stolen from their victims. A good place to leave the ruby stone at.
Being traded as a slave was Jenny's idea. And it worked!
Zena thought it was dumb, consisting the hyena bandits could kill her immediately. Maybe she was lucky, but the gate was the only entrance to get inside. And Jenny's plan worked, except- how could she get out?
She shook the cage door. It rattled without snapping open.
Strong cage. Perhaps it was stolen too. A primitive tribe couldn't build a metal cage with sticks and stones. Still, that won't stop Jenny.
She pushed herself through the bars, but they were too close together. Jenny stepped back and sighed. She should have turned skinny instead of building muscles.
I'm too thick..... Jenny spotted a rock near the cage, shaped like a baseball.
If she could reach it, she could use it to bash the lock off the door. Better than using a key.
Jenny kneeled and squeezed her left arm through the poles. At least one of her body parts could move through the bars.
She reached for the rock, but only her fingers touched it. So she stepped back and squeezed her right leg through the bars. First, her toes touched the rock, and then her barefoot curved on it.
"Yes!" Jenny pushed the rock toward the cage with her foot. Then she grabbed it and pulled it through the bars. It slipped into her cage easily.
Next, Jenny approached the door and slip the rock through the barred door. With her arms out, she slammed the rock against the lock.
Bang! Bang! Bang-
The lock cracked and fell to the ground. Jenny pushed the door open and cheered. "Yeah! I'm so cool!"
Now to find the ruby stone. By chance, the hyenas could have left it inside the chamber with their stolen loot.
Jenny checked the pile and brushed through the golden coins. If the ruby was buried beneath the loot, it would take long, like searching for a needle in the haystack. Jenny hoped she wasn't right about that.
She picked up a chest and opened it. Nothing.
After she tossed the chest, she spotted a red sparkling glare at the top of the third pile. She climbed up the pile and found the ruby.
"Yes!" Jenny grabbed the gem and stared at it closely.
Just like what the client said, the ruby was round and smooth like a marble ball. The only round gem on the loot.
Without pockets, Jenny would have to hold it tightly. If she loses it, there will be no reward.
Jenny slid off the loot pile and sprinted toward the wooden door. She pushed the door a bit and peeked through the crack. Nobody was patrolling in the corridor, meaning the coast should be clear. If Jenny was wrong, she could fight her way out. Sneaking out would be a better option if Jenny doesn't want to get swarmed by blood-thirsty hyenas. Fighting doesn't always solve problems unless you have no choice.
Jenny pushed the door more and stepped out on her toes. There better be no surprises.
She crawled through the cavern tunnel on all fours, moving quietly as possible like a cat. Huntar had trained her to move like an animal to escape from any situation. Sometimes it felt embarrassing, but it helped her survive. Although she was human, she could mimic animalistic moves that were necessary.
In the future, it seemed logical to behave like an animal with common sense. Since she arrived, Jenny had to adapt herself to the wild without showing mercy. And being athletic helped her achieve her new set of skills. But she still has a long way to go before fighting stronger Beastmen. If Jenny was a Beastman, she imagined she would be a catgirl who could move faster than her enemies. Speed was good, making Jenny glad she spent years doing cardio at her old home.
Jenny stopped toward an open chamber, spotting a hyena guard snorting on the floor, holding a spear. She almost forgot she needed a weapon in case she gets caught. Huntar couldn't give her one because slaves carrying blades would make them look suspicious. Seeing a stone dagger on the guard's leather belt around his loincloth, Jenny knew that blade will be suitable for her. A spear was better, but if Jenny tried to pull the weapon from the hyena's tight arms, she might wake him up. Due to his muscular body mass and chubby stomach, he could squeeze her to death or rip her into pieces. Like anyone who feared death, Jenny whether not become dog chow without a fight. Actually, hyenas aren't dogs, they belonged to the Hyaenidae family, who are feline creatures. Jenny still remembered the natural history book she read in college. Good thing she read that book.
While keeping her eyes on the dagger, Jenny crawled toward the hyena. Please don't wake up! Please don't wake up!
She approached the guard and grabbed the blade's handle. Slowly, she pulled the dagger from the guard's sheath. Her heart raced, but she didn't stop.
When she got the dagger, the guard shook and blinked his eyes, freezing Jenny. He yawned and fell back to sleep.
Jenny sighed and crawled out of the chamber. She should move fast before the other hyena bandits can find her. If any of them find the cage empty with the broken lock, all of them would swarm the entire cave. Moving slow won't help her escape fast.
She reached the throne chamber and saw no sign of Borga and her male harem anywhere. Maybe they decided to rest in a different cozier chamber with their female superior.
Jenny dashed through the throne chamber and continued through the tunnel, which should be the way back to the gate. With relief, she entered a large cavern where the gate stood.
She rushed straight toward the gate, not caring to look first before she sprinted. She pulled the handle up, but the gate didn't swing open. It was locked tight.
"Going somewhere?" a deep feminine voice echoed behind her.
As the hairs on her back stood up, Jenny slowly turned around. She wasn't alone.