Waiting never felt better, is what I felt as I stretched on the comfortable sofa in pleasure, much to the amusement of the Teacher who shook his head.

Not caring in the slightest about propriety, I made the couch my second home freely, all the way until the door to the private box opened, and a lady came through.

Shooting up, I sat straight and dignified, though the smile on the lady’s face suggested that she had already seen me sprawled across the sofa. How embarrassing!

With a smile still on her face, the lady introduced herself as our attendant for the auction, and handed us a pamphlet each on which the items for the auction were written in extremely beautiful script.

Marvelling at the person who wrote it, I said as much aloud, and the lady’s smile became wider; making me realize that she was probably the one who wrote it down.

Flashing a quick smile at her, I turned my attention back to the auction pamphlet and a few items down; my teeth were already chattering at the prices of the items that had already had a base price set.

Looking at the teacher, I found that he was unruffled and staring intently at one item, which he pointed out to the attendant, who quickly whispered something that made the teacher's brows furrow.

Curious, I tried to see what item it was, only to fail as the teacher rapped me on the head.

Rubbing my head, I turned my attention back to the pamphlet and searched for the flower of thorns.

Finding it being sold as one of the last items, my heart sank. It would probably be very expensive, was what my gut said.

Hesitantly, I pointed at the flower of thorns to the attendant, who pursed her lips, and said, “That’s a very popular item. It’s relatively cheap but you’ll have to bid at a good time.” Then, covering her mouth with her hand, she said, “You didn’t hear the last part from me,”.

Nodding with a smile, I scanned the list again, and was in awe at the items and objects being sold.

There was everything!

 

Just when I was about to ask the attendant about some of the other items, the attendant raised her voice and said, “The auction is about to start, distinguished Sirs.”

Turning my attention to outside the box where a window allowed us to see directly onto the stage where the auctioneer, an old man who was accompanied by a man and woman on either side - both stunningly attractive - walked up, and gently spoke; his voice filling the auction hall.

Introducing himself as Sir Kaamil, the auctioneer waved his right hand, and the woman stepped forward with a tray covered by a red cloth.

Sweeping the cloth away, the first item of the auction was revealed, and it was a dagger, shining lustrously while beside it lay a sheath of dull metal that reflected the light.

Raising his voice, Sir Kaamil began speaking eloquently on the gold rank dagger which could conduct warforce and slice through any inferior quality weapons and armor like a knife through butter.

Then he lifted the sheath, and said, “Along with this dagger, you get this silver rank sheath that can also be used as a pseudo shield since it’s capable of deflecting attacks one rank above for a total of three times if warforce is injected into it.”

Stunned, I pulled the teacher's shirt and asked, “three times? Doesn’t that give you an extra three lives?”

Nodding, the teacher mouthed, “Later,” and understanding, I fell silent and then my jaw dropped as the auctioneer announced, “Starting bid is at 50 gold!”

My jaw dropped further as the bidding ensued in a frenzy and in a short while, the dagger and sheath had been bought for the sum of 83 gold. 83 gold!

It was an astronomical sum in my eyes, but the furrowed expression on the teacher's face and the puzzlement I could see meant that the price was much lower than what he expected.

The auction continued as Sir Kaamil waved his left hand, and the man stepped forward with a small buckler on his tray, unveiled as Sir Kaamil lifted the red cloth covering it.

The buckler was black, with a single brutal spike protruding from the center dangerously.

It seemed ordinary in all other aspects, until Sir Kaamil injected his warforce into it, and the buckler shimmered with warforce before it became as large as a round shield, with the spike in the middle extending and shortening at will.

Eyes wide, I began imagining if Sia was able to wield it. Sia, who was still at the tailoring shop.

Salivating, I waited for the price and shook as the starting bid was 30 gold coins.

Within mere moments, a voice bellowed out a price of 60 gold coins - double of what the shield had started with - and the gavel of the auctioneer crashed down three times, and it was sold.

Suddenly, filled with a bad feeling regarding the flower of thorns… I looked anxiously at the teacher, who was intently looking at the auction.

As items came and went, all the way from intricately forged common rank weapons and armor to gold rank weapons and armor, I still failed to see even a single piece of epic equipment or higher.

That was when a pair of gauntlets, plain yellow with streaks of brown running up its backside, were brought out, and the auction hall fell silent.

Reverently falling silent, Sir Kaamil looked at the gauntlets for a long moment before he spoke in a soft voice that thundered across the hall, “I present to you the epic gauntlets, claws of fury.”

Taking in a deep breath, Sir Kaamil shouted out, “The starting bid is 150 gold. Every increment must be in terms of 10 gold each.”

With a roar, the auction house erupted, and bids started streaming in from all directions. I watched the teacher, who looked on dispassionately as the bids raised the price of the gauntlets ever upwards.

Then, Teacher rose and his auction paddle was up, and he softly said, “250 gold.”

The auction hall fell silent before another man gritted his teeth and said, “260 gold.”

Evenly, Teacher said, “300 gold.” and stared at the man who grimaced as he sat down.

Looking around at the auction hall imposingly, the teacher gave off an aura of someone above looking down, and the auction hall wilted underneath it.

Then the auctioneer's gavel sounded out once, twice, and thrice! The gauntlets now belonged to the teacher!

Jumping about in excitement, I congratulated the teacher, who waved his hands at me as if to say, “This is nothing. After all, I am your teacher!”.

Then, the auction continued, but nothing as good as the epic gauntlets came out. Though there were quite a few artifacts of rare rank quality, including a finite ring that sold for 200 gold. At that point, I had gulped and discreetly hidden my own finite ring, furtively glancing around to make sure that nobody had noticed.

Of course, the private box only had me, the teacher, and the attendant - so my actions were wasted, but it’s always good to be cautious!

Then it was time for the item that I came here for.

The flower of thorns.

Almost rising out of my seat, I waited as the auctioneer raised the cover off, to reveal three flowers kept sealed in a jar each.

The flowers were bright black, if black could be described as bright. Their stems were filled with malevolent looking thorns that exuded a fatal attraction, drawing one's sight in.

They were beautiful and they were essential to my warforce infusion potions. Clenching my fists, I swore that I would get them.

With bated breath, I waited as the auctioneer spoke, “Flower of thorns… Starting bid, 1 gold.”

Stunned, I looked at teacher to make sure I wasn’t hearing things.

1 gold? Are you baling playing with me? For a flower?

A moment later, I yelped as a bid sounded out that raised the price by 30 silver.

A few moments later, I yelped again as the bid was raised by another 40 silver.

Then, gritting my teeth, I rose and called out, “6 gold for all three of them.”

“6 gold, going once, going twice, goi-”, at that point a voice called out lazily, “7 gold!”.

Grinding my teeth, I raised the paddle once more, and shouted out, “9 gold!”

“9 gold, going once, going twice, going thri-” Pausing, Sir Kaamil looked around hopefully and I cursed at the man underneath my breath before he finished the bid and said, “Going thrice! Sold!”.

Sinking back into the couch, I thanked Aaron profusely in my mind before I sank into silence... flabbergasted by the value of gold.

Firming up my mind, I decided I too had to earn more gold somehow!

And I knew just the way to do it.