I decided to give my new shapeshift a test run, so I was back in the slums. The adventurer whose shape I transformed into was plain ugly. While the transformation used the guy’s body as a baseline, there was no point in remaining overweight, bow legged, or dumb-faced. I completed several alterations in front of my mirror, removing most of the garish faults, and ended up with a lean, muscular physique I could properly fight in.

The black market identification the adventurer had kindly dropped for me was hung loosely around my wrist. I had a suspicion it would come in handy in this little adventure deep into the slums.

Making my way through the dirty streets, I occupied my thoughts by fiddling with the leather pommel of my new sword. Colored lamps, which the city made sure to build everywhere, faintly warded off the gloom, and shop doors all around remained silently sealed to conceal whatever lurked within. Red lights, particular to the several avenues branching away from the main street, guided those interested in an erotic encounter. I was even able to spot several eager workers out searching for customers.

I however, was solely interested in finding a magic tool that could help me carry my luggage. I would like to purchase a magic bag, a tool enchanted with powerful, rare, expansion magic occasionally found deep in dungeons, but officially analyzed tools were far too expensive.

One thing to like about the black market is the access to cheap magical devices, which can have similar affects as the official ones. Though, there are three issues: 1) Most magic tools in the black market are cursed. That’s why they are not sold in normal shops. 2) Cursed tools are illegal, and anyone caught with one would be immediately arrested. 3) The curses these tools carry are often highly dangerous; it was not unheard of for a cursed too to cause someone’s death. Fortunately, I was becoming increasingly familiar with Omenspect, which I believed could be used to sift through the useless or dangerous cursed tools.

I used the skill in several shops as I delved deeper into the slums, finding little more than trinkets and fakes. When I left such a shop, I saw a sight that filled me with immense disgust.

A slowly moving carriage blocked my way from crossing the street. Pulled by two tired horses with shaggy brown manes, I could hardly call the atrocity a carriage. Metal bars were beaten and welded into a firm box shape; the bars were twisted into position scarcely two fingers apart. The magic light tool was the cleanest part of the whole ensemble, and it cast a spider web of light upon the merchandise locked within.

Three human women, barely into their teens, and two thin boys were displayed in plain white clothes. The chains fastened taut to the bars forced their limbs apart and their heads up. With sad eyes they had no choice but to look at the people walking freely outside the cage as it slowly clanked along the cobbled street.

Slaves.

Only when the carriage turned a corner, was I able to breathe. I had clenched my hands hard enough that I bled from my nails digging into my palms. I stood there rooted in place for several minutes simply breathing to calm down. I was lucky the slaves were all human. I did not know how I would have reacted if I saw a pascheel chained behind those bars. Suffice to say, my effort to blend into human society would have been blown away.

I would stop at nothing to eradicate slavery.

But first I had to find something akin to a magic bag; I would enact my crusade when I was well and ready.

 

My face likely turned sour with a scowl, since no one came close to me, including the desperate prostitutes, as I continued my search through the slums. Several stores had some interesting items, but none useful enough to buy. I was just about to give up at the last store when the shop owner seemed to recognize the tag around my wrist.

He kept looking my way, but each time I looked back, annoyed at his nervous glances, he would immediately avoid eye contact. Fed up, I finally walked over. While he had no merchandise worth buying, his fleeting looks were another matter.

I held up my wrist so he could not pretend to not see it, “You recognize this?”

“…Yes.” He said quietly.

“Excuse me. What did you say?”

I admit my tone was a little rude. Who wouldn’t be though, after I just saw a hateful display of slavery and I was not able to find what I wanted. However, he was almost shivering in fright. Maybe this particular shapeshift was good at scaring people?

“I apologize, sir,” He bowed deeply. “For not recognizing you. I rarely receive customers like your personage in this small corner of the market.”

Like, what?

He bowed again when I didn’t say anything.

“Apologies. Please forgive me! I will get you the pass right away.”

He sputtered those words as fast as he could, then immediately ran behind the counter and through a door in the back. A second later, he reemerged with four differently colored masks in hand.

One white, one black, a red, and a blue.

What were they for?

“These are the colors my small shop has been given by the Collection House. I apologize, they are not worthy of your personage.” He stammered.

I had no idea what the shivering man was talking about. I paused in thought, still not saying anything in response and inspected the masks.

[Blue Access Auction Mask] For children. Cursed.

[Red Access Auction Mask] Bad. Cursed.

[Black Access Auction Mask] Do you want to get stabbed? Cursed.

[White Access Auction Mask] Chocolate fudge ice cream. Cursed.

…Well okay.

I pointed toward the white mask. It was one of those half-face ones that only went over my eyes and some cheek. The white was blinding and the edges curled in many directions, but omenspect left me without much choice.

“O-of course, sir. I am required t-”

Gulp.

“-to ask you for a large silver.”

I handed over five silver coins, picked up the mask, and left the shop.

I hesitated to put on the mask, because it was cursed. Eventually, I went for it. The mask seemed to wrap around my head as soon as it touched skin. When I tried to pry it off, painfully so, it didn’t budge. That was the mask’s curse: unable to be removed. But, it was also a magical tool. I was able to see slightly better in the dark streets, and thinking about the ‘Collection House’ caused an address to appear in my vision.

The address led to a warehouse-like construction with soft yellow lights bolted high up on the walls. Two men stood with swords at their hips in front of the double doors. As I entered, they gave me a long look behind their masks.

A wide hallway ran immediately along the left side of the entrance. Long, plush benches lined the walls, and more muscular men stood and watched. Unease rapidly began to replace my earlier anger. When I managed to gulp down the uncomfortable feeling, I was already in front of the woman behind the counter at the far end of the hallway. Everyone wore a white mask of some kind; the woman’s covered the whole left side of her face. Her eyes were green.

“Good evening sir,” she spoke. “Will you be a party of one tonight?”

“Yes?”

“Very good. Tonight’s event has started. Doors will close in the next ten minutes. We have a tool that will unlock your mask for removal on your way out. Will your party be participating?”

“Uh, yes?”

“Very good. Does your party require a bid proxy?”

A bid, so was this an auction?

“No."

“Very good. The particulars will be explained during the event. Your party is number 17.”

She pointed at a door, and I was led through another hall lined with more doors and more masked men. They all looked the same. The man leading the way, nodded to his doppelganger who opened a door and moved aside.

“Knock on the door if your party needs anything,” said the doppelganger when I stepped into the room. “Your party will be escorted out of the house when the event ends. Should you win an item in the collection, your party will be guided to the transaction. A fortuitous evening to you, sir.”

The door was shut firmly behind me. A hushed rustling, I heard from the other side, confirmed the guard had resumed his position blocking the door. I felt, simultaneously, like a vip and like a pig in a slaughterhouse.

Inside the room, five chairs sat facing a large window. They were black and expensive looking, and when I sat down I sank in like I was sitting on pillows. The window overlooked a stage where a tall man in a prim suit was speaking quickly with large gestures.

Two rows of plain theater-like chairs were lined up before the stage and I counted seventeen people seated at a distance from each other. I wondered if they could see through the window in my room; somehow I doubted it.

Sounds were coming from curious small boxes set into the arm-tips of the five chairs. Specifically, I realized I could hear what the auctioneer was saying.

“…bid is at 2 gold, now 2 gold, for the fine bloodied estoc. Can I get higher? Going once, twice, now three times. Sold to party number three, congratulations. As the next item is brought out; from an anonymous seller…”

I soon drowned out his speech and turned my attention to the pamphlet that was resting on my chair. The main points read:

• To make a bid, first press the “G” button on the arm of the chair, then choose an increment button below “ss,” “ls,” or “g”. Increment buttons may be pressed more than once to increase the amount of current bid. To complete the bid press the “G” button again.
• To cancel a bid mid-process press, the “X” button.
• An automatic house processing charge will be applied to the final bid in the amount of 10%, 5% on mystery items, or otherwise specified by the auctioneer during the time of bidding.

 

 

“Before we move on to the house’s special items tonight, let us bring out our mysteries.” The auctioneer spoke. “These four items only, have a 5% processing charge, and a reserve price at 1000G. They have been analyzed by the house and certified for non-deadly effects. Here, the first item in this box. As you can see from the guys carrying it, it is long and heavy. Seller has authorized the house to inform bidders that the item is a household decoration. It is colored white-grey and stands on its own. Bidders try your luck; can I get two gold? Just two gold and it’s yours…”

I doubted I would be able to afford the special items so I paid close attention to these so-called mystery items. They were annoyingly concealed behind a draping cloth, and the descriptions were measly at best. I omenspected each one, but each result sounded dangerous.

“..And to our last mystery item. Mysterious it truly is. I got a chance to look at this one myself, and folks do I tell you it is a fanciful gem of a piece. The seller is a patron of the house, but will go anonymous today. I can tell you the item was picked up deep in a young dungeon in lands far to the west. Exotic, beautiful, how can it be passed up? Even I think the patron is crazy for selling. And while the item does have a curious curse, it is not dangerous. We’ll start this one at 3 gold, do I hear any offers?”

A whole three gold was absurd to buy something that I couldn’t even see. I had no desire to spend that much, let alone more, since that was already half of my leftover savings. But omenspect was pushing me to do otherwise.

While the response omenspect returned was only [Auction House Mystery Item], the feeling was buy it, buy it now!

“Well looks like we have a race on our hands. Third bid at 1800G. Let’s raise the stakes here, do I hear 2000? 2000? Going once…”

I didn’t even think. It was done when I realized I had pushed the buttons.

“We’ve got an interested buyer now. Bid is at 2200, do I hear 24? 2400G and the race continues. 2400G?”

“Going once-”

“We have 2400. Do I hear 2600?”

Darn it, yes!

“An immediate bid. Will it keep rising…Yes, it does! We have 2700? And it is the same two bidders now. Rare to see a mystery item bid so hot.”

Why am I doing this again? I can’t go any higher.

“Looks like we’re holding at 2700G. 2700 going once, twice-”

“-And the second party bid 6 gold. Mystery item number four is now at 3000G. Going once, twice. The first party is pausing to think…maybe not…and thrice. Sold for a whopping six gold. Congratulations on your purchase.”

I did it. I actually won…and there goes my money.

“The house will take a short break before moving on to the special items for tonight. Catering is available for all parties, just alert your guard in the meantime.”

I didn’t have any money left to spend, so I got up and knocked on my door. The guard opened it and I explained that I was ready to pick up my purchase and leave.

“Congratulations, sir,” he said. “Follow me.”

I was brought to an inconspicuous door. From the outside it looked the same as all the others. Inside was a man sitting at a table dressed similarly to the auctioneer.

He looked up with a smile when I walked in. The guard remained in the room and there were two more guards in the back with swords drawn, tips angled to the floor.

“Greetings party seventeen. Please place 3150G on the table and I will collect your winning item.” He said.

I honestly felt like I was being robbed, but I figured I could flee using my skills before they could stop me. With care, I did as he asked. There was a lot of silver mixed in, so I counted them out in stacks of five.

That done, the man left through the opposite side of the room and reappeared while carrying a box no larger than a cubic foot. Such a small thing better be worth what I was paying.

“There you are sir,” said the man. He put the box down on his side of the table.

We did a little do-si-do as he gestured around the table to collect my item.

“Your guard will escort you outside and unlock your mask. The house looks forward to your future patronage.”

The man, money collected, immediately escaped the room. Outside, through a different exit than the way I entered the building, the guard held up a very familiar white mask to mine. An ominous flash of light later, I felt my mask loosen around my forehead.

Before going back inside, the guard spoke one last time. “The mask will alert the next upcoming event. Update the curse at the shops in the meantime; your party will be refused if the mask is not stuck to your face.”

 

[~2600wds]