"Response to the count when he asks you a question!"
Zephyrine continues to stay silent and glare at him.
"Now calm down. We can't damage goods."
"I apologize, count."
Zephyrine sat in the darkness with his hands and legs chained together. For a long period of time there was no light in the room except for when guards enters once a day to hand him a piece of bread and a bowl of water.
"How long do I have to be locked here for"
"Until the third moon disappears and the first and second are full."
"How long is that?"
"Figure it out yourself."
The guard left the room holding the torch in his hand, leaving Zephyrine in the dark once again. This continued for five days until Aldric Skywings finally came down himself with two guards by his side.
"Did you enjoy the darkness while I was gone?" He said with a smirk on his face.
Zephyrine didn't say anything. A guard strikes the cage with his sword shouting. Aldric walked closer to Zephyrine, whose eye was still not fully adjusted to the light.
"Today's the day, so get ready. Carry him up to the carriage"
The two guards picked up the cage and followed Aldric out of the room. They walked towards a wagon that was covered with a black cloth and placed him in the wagon. The sun was coming to a rest as they continued to prepare to head out to sell Zephyrine off.
Time slowly passed and the count finally came out wearing a black cloak and a mask that hid his whole face. There they set off, through the night street with almost no people walking in the night. They finally stop in front of the audition house who's light was completely out. Aldric came out of the carriage up ahead and the guards dragged Zephyrine out of the wagon then they walked to the alleyway to a door where a short man welcomed them into the audition house.
"Welcome to the night alley audition house, sir."
"I'm here to sell this slave today."
Aldric's voice sounded different, it was almost unrecognizable.
"Alright. Sir, please come in so we can inspect the good"
They enter the door and follow the short man into a room with 3 people in black clothing and a dark mask over their face with the symbol of the audition house, a crescent moon, on the forehead of the mask.
"They are the appraisers. They'll inspect if your slave is up to standard."
"Is this the slave that you are trying to sell?" one of the appraisers asked.
"Yes, but he is not a slave yet. So, he is still unmarked."
The appraisers began inspecting the good. One flashed a light stone in Zephyrine's eyes, one check for injuries, and one recorded information on his condition.
"Subject appears to have black pupils, no redness."
"No major injuries, just minor bruises and scratches."
"Black pupils, minor bruises and scratches. Height appears 6 thorns, Weight around 4 bellton. Slightly pale face, chance of illness"
After a bit of inspection, they lift Zephyrine up and put him back in the cage.
"The subject may carry sickness or may be sick, looking at his pale face. Height is average, weight is lower than most. No major injuries. He is not a high end slave, but he can still get you a good amount of gold."
"It's alright, but how much is the split?"
"The split? Ah. It's 6, 4"
"How generous of this auction, giving the seller just a high cut!" Skywings said with a high smile, his rotund belly quivering with laughter.
"Sir. I think you are mistaken. We get 6 and you are given 4"
"What?"
"Sir. We are a dark auction house. What we do here is not legal by the kingdom's law. If you are not afraid of being caught by the royal guard, then go somewhere else."
"Fine. I want to sell him here."
After the count and the short man came to an agreement, the guards dragged the cage to the storage room. The guards head out of the storage room, they shut the door, leaving the room with no light.
Zephyrine sat there quietly waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dark room. Looking around he realized he was not the only person being sold, as there seemed to be more cage with people curled up in them. Not being surprised by this, he attempted to break the cage. Each strike only causes pain to Zephyrine, leaving the cage unscathed.
"Stop it. You aren't getting out of the cage, even if you do, do you really think they will just let you leave?"
"Who is it?!" Zephyrine startled by the voice, and moved closer to a corner of the cage.
"Just another slave being sold off."
"But I'm not a slave!"
"Yet. You aren't a slave yet. You just have to give up. There is no way for you to escape"
"What do you mean? I'm going to get out."
"Sigh. You are foolish."
Zephyrine, annoyed by the person's response and infuriated, continues to strike the cage. Each strike continues on and on, creating loud sounds echoing through the room. Then the door opened, two guards and a man in a bird-like mask walked into the room.
"Hold him down," the bird-mask said, pointing at Zephyrine.
The two guards grab him out of his cage and pin him to the ground. The bird-mask opens his bag, holding a cloth in one and a bottle in another. Pouring the liquid from the bottle onto the cloth, he place the bottle back into the bag. He knee down and lift Zephyrine's head up by his hair, covering his mouth and nose with the cloth.
Slowly Zephyrine's eye began to shake, he starting to feel drowsy and eventually he blacked out.
"That should quiet him until the auction start"
"Doing that to a young boy is too cruel," the voice said.
"I don't think it's your place to talk. It's better for him to be out then injuring himself. It'll only damage the auction item."
The mask-man walks out of the room, as the guards return Zephyrine back to his cage.
Countdown to auction, 50 shodbell.