Mature Content Warning: Not Much Really.

Author's Notes: I'm a little behind on updates for various things due to equally various reasons. Still, I finally got this out! Tomorrow there should be an update to Origin, Galataea, and Blackthorne. If real life doesn't keep intruding (Part of the various reasons that I won't go into.)

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Chapter 8.1: Blood Tracker

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The mournful howl of the wind perfectly captioned the lonesome image of the lighthouse atop the cliff. It was an ancient symbol for seafarers, but it had been put out of use long ago. Now, it was only a haven for bandits and various other rogues who lived counter to society.

Scott and Rhea waited patiently as Ero fluttered around the area in search of at least one of the bandits. The city council had determined that their good works of late merited this opportunity to acquire their desired writ of meritorious service. However, they had spent the better part of the day in the area and had not found even a single bandit. They had been tasked with the discovery of where the bandit group threatening the village of Descendant’s Cove made their lair.

Ero returned to the group then shook her head. “Sorry, I tried fairy hard, but I didn’t see any sign of bandits.”

“Thanks Ero.” said Scott.

Rhea nodded to the tiny girl. “Good job, but you saw no sign of bandits here either?”

“No, none. It looks like no one has been here in a fairy long time.” said Ero before she pouted in a cute manner.

Scott leaned back against an old pine tree then rubbed his chin. It made no sense. If the bandit’s in the area were really in the area there should at least be some sign of them.

Rhea tilted her head to the side. “You know, we haven’t checked on the slave trader in a few days.”

“You thinking the same thing I am?” asked Scott.

“Yeah, maybe...” said Rhea.

“Tonight is the full moon. We’re a good distance from town.” said Scott.

“Exactly.” said Rhea.

“Full moon? Wait, but on the night of the full moon the mermaids want to do interesting things with any human who will have them.” said Ero.

Scott’s eyebrows pressed together and a frown rose up on his lips. “He did not give us a time limit on getting back to him with the writ, so maybe we should go check in with him.”

“Yeah, I think so, too.” said Rhea. The beautiful elf maiden’s eyes narrowed. A visit to the slave trader sounded like the best thing to do right now.

The trio decided to put off finding the bandit lair till the end of the full moon period. Something about the current situation did not sit right with them. They discussed their misgivings on the long trip back to town. The day ended long before they reached the outskirts of the city and the moon had already begun to rise in the background.

They headed to the slave quarter straight away. Upon arrival at the massive tent, neither of the three was surprised to see a large crowd of people gathered around.

There was a large stage set up just outside the trader’s tent. He stood atop it with a friendly smile and waved to the gathered people.

“Greetings, greetings, and gather round! The finest show on ARS is about to begin!” called out the trader.

“A fine show, huh?” asked Scott with venom in his voice.

Rhea remained silent, but her expression spoke volumes about her thoughts. Was the trader really about to do what she thought he was about to do?

Ero exclaimed something in surprise. Scott and Rhea turned to the side and saw someone they had not expected.

“Gambol? What’s going on?” asked Scott. The ninja master did not seem like the sort of person who would frequent a slave trader’s auction.

“Hmm? Oh! It’s you three!” called out Gambol. His body flashed briefly then he disappeared for a split-second before reappearing next to Scott.

“Hi Gambol!” cried out Ero.

“Hey again, Ero.” Gambol smiled at the overly enthusiastic girl then looked to Scott and Rhea once more. “You don’t know what’s going on?”

Scott glanced at Rhea then back to Gambol. “We thought this guy might be selling the mermaids despite telling us he would take care of them till we could claim them properly.”

“Well, if he said it, he probably meant it. He’s a fairly honest guy, except when it comes to his obsession with his sister.” said Gambol.

“What do you mean? He seemed to want little to do with her.” said Rhea.

Gambol laughed. “They’re rivals of a sort. I’ve only met his sister once, recently. It had to do with your job actually, but I’ve met this guy a few times. Every time, he’s had a different story about her that couldn’t possibly be true.”

Scott openly stared at Gambol. What kind brother and sister rival issues did the guy have to make up a story like the one he had told them? “Well, if he’s not selling the mermaids into slavery, what is all this?”

“Oh? It’s the grand auction! Once every three months he holds an auction where his current roster of premium slaves all step up on stage and try to convince people to buy them.” said Gambol.

“They actually want people to buy them?” asked Scott incredulously.

“Sure! High-end slaves are well-trained in various arts and can command a considerable price. Some of them even take pride in it for some reason. Of course, there’s also another reason for that.”

Rhea looked at Gambol then rolled her eyes. “Oh, now I remember what this really is...”

“What is it Rhea?” asked Ero.

Rhea laughed softly then sighed. “The mermaids are probably fine. This has nothing to do with them.”

“What is it then?” asked Scott.

Gambol grinned at him then held up a sack of Fayth. “I came prepared...”

Rhea snorted at him. “What would my sister think?”

“Depends on the kind of deal I get.” said Gambol.

She laughed a little then nodded. “Probably. She doesn’t get jealous that easily.”

“I wish she would. It’d make it easier to know if she actually liked me.” said Gambol.

Scott looked back and forth between them, uncertain what to say. Ero did not speak either. She was too busy fluttering up and down while trying to get a better view of the stage.

“So, one of you was about to tell me what all this is really about?” asked Scott.

“Oh, yeah.” Rhea leaned in close and whispered to him so that the crowd would not be able to hear as easily. “This is probably a player auction. Basically, players who want to role-play being a slave or starting their lives enslaved.”

Scott blinked twice. That was both absurd and entirely practical. It was like starting out an adventuring career in prison. You start with nothing and move from there. It was decidedly strange and more than a little disturbing, but if that was really what was going on here, it was not necessarily a bad deal.

Ero fluttered over to Scott then stood atop his head. “Why didn’t I think of this before? This is the perfect spot.”

Scott leaned his head back to look up and Ero stepped forward just enough so that she could bend over to look down. They smiled at each other briefly then straightened up.

Ero happened to look to their left and spotted an oversized bee hanging out near one of the auction-goers. She tapped on Scott’s head with her foot then directed him toward it.

“That bee is bigger than you Ero.” said Scott lightly.

“I know, right? It would make two of me!” replied the fairy.

“Bee?” asked Gambol.

They pointed to the giant bee and both Gambol and Rhea checked it out. The overly large insect buzzed merrily around a man who wore a crown of pink flowers.

A few other oddities caught their attention, such as a Shar-Shar selling fish-on-a-stick, and a man who had to be at least twenty feet tall. It seemed like all manner of people had come out of the woodwork for this event.

Whatever was about to happen, Scott was certain that it would be interesting. Though, it did seem to take a while to set up.