In the dimly lit basement, two floors below the entrance to the slave trader's store, a young man sat patiently within his cell. Hands hugging his legs, his gaze is pointed towards the floor of the path between his cage, and the one opposite him. Near the very edge of his vision, he is watching a scene play out for what may had been the thousandth time within the past few days. The sickly beast girl's mouth opens. Her upper body rises for a brief moment. A small purple glow then envelops her throat, after which she closes her mouth. The whole act is over within less than a second, and is completed in silence. The girl's expression was a mix of resignation, and fear. Though it was not all that unique within the room.

That is what the man figured, anyway. From his position, the only other person he could see was this girl. When he had first arrived here, the owner dragged him all the way towards this cage, furthest from the entrance. Past all the other cells, which had been full of merchandise same as this girl before him. For all the control the owners had over them, forcing smiles seemed to be either beyond their ability, or not a concern.

The room was a series of cages and walls, with a narrow passageway in the middle to allow access to the next area. His section was the smallest. Only two cages could fit over here. His first neighbor had been a man, likely similar to his age. After he had been purchased, the spot lay vacant for a while before this beast girl's arrival. The owner had brought many customers before her cage, mainly men, yet none had ever purchased her. After spending a while with her here, she had recently begun this ritual of hers. Her mouth opens. The purple glow. Her mouth closes. Her mouth opens. The purple glow. Her mouth closes. Her mou-.

Briefly, he does the same. As his chest rises and mouth opens, a painful, burning sensation envelops him. The magical effect was like an impenetrable shield. The air attempting to leave his body, compelled by his natural reaction to the dusty air, what he imagined like an unstoppable spear. The two fought with each other for a while, before finally, his chest falls, his mouth closes, and the painful sensation disappears, him having not uttered a single sound.

Now he was was starting to be affected as well. Instinctively, he cursed the beast girl's existence. If only you hadn't come here. He thought. If only they commanded you to get better. He imagined himself chuckling. What a ridiculous thought. Of course, after calming down, he knew it was not her fault. SHE fell sick only after SHE was brought here. HE only became sick because HE was brought here. And HE was brought here because-.

In such a quiet place, the slightest sound can be easily heard. The faint noise of muffled voices approaching. The man focuses for a moment, trying to predict who and how many. It was the only thing that could serve as entertainment here. His own personal guessing game. Three men... no, two men. No. A man and a woman. Soon, the unmistakable noise of hinges squeaking as the muffled voices become clearer.

“...well you are one of my largest customers, after all.” A man's voice spoke.

“Largest, dear?” A woman said.

“Ah no, I meant, uh, my most valued customer, of course! Although some parts of you are quite large, however, he-he-he..”

The boy feels a slight sense of satisfaction as his prediction appeared to be true.

“Mmm, perhaps you would like to offer yourself up as my slave?” She asked, in a seductive tone.

“Ho-ho-ho... despite knowing you well, Elsa, that still remains a tempting offer.”

The woman lets out a light chuckle. As the sound of their footsteps continues, a faint light begins to appear. Finally, the steps stop.

“I have yet to restock my inventory... I have a few more coming in a couple of weeks, but for now I can show you what's left.”

“Yes... a few weeks is quite some time. Much development can be made.”

“How about this one?

“Mmm... much to young.”

“How about this one over here?” The light grows a little brighter. “She's around the age you're normally looking for.”

“And am I normally looking for women?”

The man clears his throat. “Alright, alright. Can't blame a merchant for trying.” The last part spoken under his breath. The sound of the two walking starts once more. The light within the room grows larger. And larger. Until finally, a man carrying a lantern and a woman step into the room where the beast girl and the young man sat in their cages.

“This one's the closest to what you need, then.” he growled.

The young man sitting in the cage blinked a few times, his eyes unused to the presence of light. Before him stood the owner of the store, and presumably his customer. Her outfit and appearance were, frankly, erotic.

She stood slightly taller than the owner, the gap furthered by her tall pointed hat, typically worn by female magicians. The owner's comment regarding parts 'quite large' suddenly made sense, as her purplish robe revealed a sizable amount of cleavage.

“Mmm,” she hummed with an enchanting smile.

“Stand, boy.” The owner commanded. The young man pushed himself up from off the floor and stood towards the center of his cage. He avoided the woman's gaze and stared directly at the owner, who continued to take glances at the woman next to him.

The woman bent down slightly and grabbed the bars. “Are you... afraid of me?” She asked with an innocent tone.

The owner turned towards the boy and scowled.

He turned to face her. “No.”

She smiled. “How about...” and she turned towards the owner, “..him?”

The owner seemed to grow more and more impatient. Finally, the young man swallowed, before calmly answering. “I am not afraid.”

For the briefest moment, her face contorted into a wicked grin, before returning to her normal smile. “I am looking for a strong man, such as yourself... to protect me. My previous companion has since... taken on a different role..” Each pause she took sent the ears into a frenzy, eagerly waiting to hear the next words which left her lips. “How would you feel... about that?”

The young man thought for a moment. A faint purple glow briefly flickered, and he nodded his head. “That sounds fine.”

“Ufufu.” The woman laughed as she turned to the man beside her. “You sure keep them on a leash. How much?”

“Fifty silver.”

“My, my....” She placed one arm on his chest as she used the other to pull him towards her. “The last one was fourty, was he not?”

Sweat began to drip from his forehead as he began to stammer. “W-well, t-to sell at such a price...”

She pressed her chest up against his. “And he appears to be ill as well...” Elsa's hand moved down, reaching his stomach. “Have you been taking proper care...?”

The man's breathing became ragged. “F-f-fine. Thirty-five silver t-then.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Elsa detached herself from him. “Excellent. Lets complete the transaction, then.”

The man groaned as he watched Elsa's figure walk away. He pulled a key out from his pocket and unlocked the cell. “Come on, you..” He muttered. The young man stepped out of his cage and followed him out of the underground. He took one last glimpse at the people sitting within their cages. No sign of her...

Arriving on the second floor, the owner instructed the man to wait. The room was large, yet felt barren. It seemed the owner's previous comment on inventory was an open secret. All the cages here were empty. They couldn't have moved us up here? He wondered, slightly annoyed. The young man turned his attention back to the owner, who had returned with a piece of paper and a large knife. “Hold still.” The owner seized his wrist and held his arm up, then used the knife to slice through his palm.

“Mm.” The young man let out a small yelp, tears forming as he endured the pain. The owner grabbed the paper and placed it over the bloody palm. The warm red liquid spread across quickly. Upon a closer examination, it appeared as though it had some symbol written on it, and the blood was actually filling it out as it spread. The owner placed the knife down and called Elsa over to a nearby table. She sat down atop a stool. “Annnnd what are you going to be calling him?” The owner asked, sounding bored.

She turned and looked towards the young man. “Since this brave man is going to be protecting me... I will call him... 'Tank'.”

The owner's expression did not change. He watched as Elsa traced something with her finger on the piece of paper. “You!” The owner called out to a man standing nearby. “Take him upstairs and get him ready to leave.” As he was shuffled toward another set of steps, he briefly glanced back towards the owner, who had lifted up the back of Elsa's robe. Her front facing towards Tank, she gave a pleasant smile. As Tank began to climb the steps, pushed forward by the owner's assistant, he could faintly hear the owner speaking. “Where am I supposed to place the mark?”

“Anywhere is fine.”

Up on the first floor, the assistant wrapped Tank's hand with some cloth to stem the bleeding. Satisfied with his work, he then began to strip him of his clothing. The plain and dirty tunic he had on was replaced with... another plain tunic. Although this one was cleaner. He received a new set of underwear and pants to put on, and to his surprise, was given some very cheap shoes to wear. The feeling of having a layer between skin and floor was certainly nostalgic.

After helping put his clothes on and taking the old ones away, the assistant stepped away to write some things down. Tank, who had been standing silently, felt a chill and shivered. The assistant looked up from his work, and then smiled. “Ah, looks like they're done.” He chuckled. “Your new master is quite the fine lady. You'll have to bear a lot of envious gazes as you walk through the town. If only-” The knocking sound of climbing steps interrupted the assistant. He looked at Tank, placed a finger briefly before his lips, and smiled. He turned his attention back to his work as Elsa and the owner stepped in the room. Elsa walked up to Tank with a pleasant expression.

“Kneel.” Tank collapsed onto the floor, his body upright. “Stand.” Tank stood up. “As I said before, I need someone strong to defend me. You are going to protect me from harm.” The owner suddenly began to run with his hand raised. Tank dashed behind Elsa and tried to stop his fist. To his surprise, the owner's fist plowed through his defense and smashed into Tank's face. As Tank was about to retaliate, Elsa put a hand on his shoulder. “That's enough.” He froze. Tank had not realized how weak he had gotten since he was captured. No food or training does that to you, I suppose. The owner stretched out his hand. Elsa dug within the depths of her cleavage before producing some silver coins. As she trickled them down into the owner's hand, she said, “Thirty-four silver coins, minus one for harming my poor Tank.”

The owner rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. You have the reputation of a woman who drains a man of everything.”

Elsa laughed. “Who wouldn't take what is presented to them? Come along, Tank.” Elsa turned and began to leave the store. As Elsa led the way, a thought occurred to Tank. The cage has only gotten bigger.