As the man's final, guttural rattle was swallowed by the silence of the night, Cassian stood amidst the carnage he had wrought.
The flickering light of the campfire performed an eerie dance over the scattered corpses and pools of dark red blood.
The air was thick with the sharp scent of metal, burnt flesh, and fresh blood.
Cassian yawned with a faintly bored expression, as if what he had just done wasn't taking nine lives, but merely finishing a simple chore.
He rolled his shoulders back with ease and calmly walked through the bodies to the side of the campfire.
He crouched down and tore off a large piece of the now-unclaimed meat the slave traders had been cooking for themselves.
As the first bite reached his lips, a look of pure pleasure spread across his face. In the midst of this savagery, it was as if he were eating the most delicious meal in the world.
Meanwhile, the other slaves, still behind the bars of the iron cage, watched him with bated breath.
