Skinwalker

Glancing at his arm, where the slave's grip should have been severed, the slashed hand was still intact, clutching onto his arm.

Releasing the grip of the hand, the robust slaver flung it to the ground and prepared his knife, wary of another potential attack. The lanky slaver joined him, standing prepared for any further developments.

"I warned you about these slaves being shit. We could have disposed of them quietly, but no, you insisted on taking them there."

The robust slaver found the lanky slaver's complaints unhelpful, sensing that something was amiss. They had been dealing with slaves for a long time, and this situation was unprecedented.

They had been instructed to exercise caution until they reached the triangle-shaped rock, and following these guidelines had always proved successful until this point.

'Is this slave rebelling? It's strange for a human slave to possess such strength, especially with the collar in place.'

His thoughts were not unfounded; it was indeed bizarre. He, being on the receiving end, knew the sheer strength behind that grip.

As slavers and slaves alike pondered the unfolding events, a swarm of black maggots began oozing out from the severed hand. Witnessing this eerie sight, the slavers both instinctively took a step back, thoroughly unsettled.

The maggots crept toward the lacerated arm, burrowing into the flesh with a repulsive squelching sound that sent shivers down Adrian's spine, creating an indescribable sense of discomfort.

'So this is the consequence of enduring prolonged silence, only to be abruptly inundated with sound.'

With his thoughts spiraling into unsettling territories, Adrian instinctively heightened his guard, sensing an imminent turn of events.

Surveying the stout chain that bound him and his fellow slaves, disappointment painted his expression as its sturdiness belied any hope for an easy escape.

'Escaping is going to be a hellish task unless I can get the keys.' 

Observing the situation, Adrian focused his attention on the formidable slaver, noting the jingling keys hanging tantalizingly at his right side.

As the maggots burrowed into the flesh, the earlier bleeding wound miraculously ceased its flow.

"End him now! We don't know what's going on. Keeping him alive will only get us all killed."

The previously unremarkable boy from the twins spoke up.

Turning towards the boy, Adrian couldn't help but see him in a new light. The courage to speak up in such a perilous situation, knowing well the risk of facing immediate repercussions, impressed Adrian. It was a commendable display of courage and resilience.

"You piece of sh*t! Do you want me to end you right now?" shouted the lanky slaver, aggressively shaking his whip to assert dominance.

The suggestion from the boy lingered in the air, and the robust slaver found himself torn between dismissing it as the impulsive words of a frightened boy or considering it as a plausible solution to their uncertain predicament.

As he weighed the options, the collective anxiety among the slaves heightened.

The human slave on the ground, whose movements had caught the slaver's attention, gradually stirred. The slaver's gaze intensified, his hand gripping the knife tightly, ready for any unexpected developments.

The metallic clinks of chains and the muffled murmurs of the maggots added an eerie backdrop to the tension that enveloped the scene.

The robust slaver's internal struggle mirrored the broader apprehension shared by both the enslaved and slavers.

The human slave, his face still pressed against the ground, attempted to leverage his arms to rise, but the absence of one hand disrupted his equilibrium, causing him to falter and fall back.

Seemingly uncomfortable with the awkwardness of his struggle, he shook his arm while remaining prone.

'What is he doing?' 

A shared thought resonated among everyone present, for they were all in the same predicament. The answer to their collective uncertainty soon unfolded.

The area where the hand had been severed began to generate a new hand at a rapid pace, sending shivers down their spines.

Just as their brains processed what was happening, the arm was restored to top condition with the hand intact. Feeling the hand, the human slave pushed himself off the ground again, and this time, he succeeded.

Upon standing, he surveyed everyone around him and then directed his attention to his arms and legs, still chained. Dissatisfied with what he saw, he forcefully pulled his arms away, snapping the chains like paper.

'Kachaw'

The loud sound of the chain breaking prompted the slavers to instinctively attack the human slave. The robust slaver, holding a staff, waved it in a peculiar motion, causing the snow under their feet to become tangible and move like ropes, binding the human slave's arms once again.

The lanky slaver, on the other hand, swung his whip around the human slave's neck in an attempt to break it, but to everyone's surprise, it remained intact.

Observing this bizarre turn of events, the other slaves shared a common thought—to escape. However, the unyielding chain that bound them prevented any attempt to flee. Bewildered by the inexplicable occurrences, they realized that whatever was unfolding was far from ordinary.

"We must get the keys from the slaver, or we're all facing death," the boy declared urgently, his eyes fixed on Adrian.

"Do you have any idea what's happening?" Adrian inquired, sensing that the young boy might be knowledgeable about the unfolding events. The urgency of his suggestion to eliminate the human slave hinted at a deeper understanding.

Upon hearing the question, the young boy scanned their surroundings before turning his gaze back to Adrian.

"This is the territory of an abomination known as a skinwalker. It's not the time for details; just know that we have to escape as soon as possible if you want to live."

Adrian's chuckle echoed with a bitter realization of the bizarre fate that had entwined him in a situation involving a mysterious entity known as a skinwalker.

As the weight of the situation settled, he felt an urgency to heed the boy's warning and focused on the impending need for escape if he wanted to survive.

'This, my dear, is not a light punishment from Mother's gaze.'