Garush's auction

"Welcome to the 34th Garush Slave Auction!" Said a man standing on a dais in the center of the shopping plaza, dressed in a bright and colorful robe.

The murmurs of the crowd were swift, after all, this was the most interesting event in the city for those who stay close to its walls all year long.

"This year, you will be surprised by the number of people on sale, a record number! Of course, as in every auction, there are not only slaves, but lots of items that will amaze you and as a special occasion ... An unique object right at the end of the auction! "

Hundreds of people gathered in the plaza for the event, from the humble spectators dressed in little more than rags, whose presence on site was merely to combat boredom, to the merchants and traffickers who continually traveled the continent to attend to auctions like this, looking to seize any opportunity to profit.

As usual, security in the plaza was tightened for the event, but never before have justice officials offered so many men for this task. Such precautions were a sign that the lord of the city anticipated something more than the typical brawl of the event. And this was sensed by the astute merchants present, making preparations for a quick escape if necessary.

None of those present suspected that such problems would not erupt in said auction, but in another place, taking advantage of the little surveillance caused in other areas due to such concentration.

But who did know it was Argent, who accompanied by Ryuuji, Ren and his Argent guard -except for the captain, who together with the ex-mercenaries were guarding Zera and Veran- which gaze rested in the distance, in the opposite direction to the square.

The AS Monocle had proven to be capable of analyzing people overcoming any obstacle, as long as they were within its visual field.

But how vast can a person's field of vision be if he sees past all obstacles? If you've ever been on the top of a mountain or on the roof of the tallest building in a city, you will know that it is more than you suspect.

Thanks to this, Argent was able to scan the surroundings as if using a radar, and it didn't take long for him to spot three different groups of soldiers, one of them made up of men whose condition showed "Poisoning", and near them a much larger one made up almost entirely of ordinary people.

Regardless of which option he took, whether to favor the rebels or Garonte, he had to decide quickly, since both groups were about to meet.

"So that's what it's all about" he thought to himself after checking the situation. And after a few moments, he decided to get going.

◆◇◆◇

As they searched the assigned area, Iren's soldiers felt as if their armor, or rather, their entire body weighed on them. Their vision wasn't blurry, but it wasn't entirely clear either. Earlier they had put their condition down to a hangover, and each kept it to themselves, but now all six showed the same signs of weakness that were evident to the others.

Something was wrong.

It is true that at night they had drunk much more than usual, after all the bartender had invited them, but their condition could not be due to drinking too much. So deteriorated was their condition that they had not sensed the presence of several dozen people approaching them from different directions. By the time they noticed it they were already surrounded.

"Who dares to block Iren!"

"You have no need to know, your lives end here."

"Do you think that by outnumbering us you can kill us so easily?"

"They say Iren's soldiers are worth three each. If you 6 can take on 20 men, I think we brought more than enough."

"These people don't know what they're talking about."

"You are not soldiers or are you? We are more than enough to kill 50, 60 or 100 ragged civilians with no military training."

When the soldiers stood guard in a circle, in order to watch each other's backs, they could see the doubt in some of the men who had ambushed them.

It was correct to say that these people were not soldiers.

Fewer than two dozen even belonged to the group they called the 'slave heroes'. Most were volunteers who were recruited for the purpose of helping at this very moment. Of the more than 50 rebels, only 14 actually possessed weapons, half of which were rusted, the rest carried wooden sticks that were nothing more than broken chair or table legs, others carried farm tools or torches.

Normally a mob of malnourished and poorly armed people would not dare to resist trained soldiers, equipped with armor, swords and spears. In fact, this is the reason that opposing the lord and his bailiffs themselves was not an option.

Although in another situation the Irenites would have no problem facing such weak opponents, right now, for reasons they still did not understand, they were weakened and facing death in the face of such pathetic adversaries would be a shame. Because of this, the soldiers tried to resort to intimidation, but it did not work for them.

"Our goal is now closer than ever. TO THEM !!"

The mighty cry that one of their own gave as he took the first step filled the rebels with confidence. This brave man was Laru, one of the leaders of the resistance.

The men immediately attacked the soldiers mercilessly, who soon began their counterattack.

The first to charge were impaled by the spears of three soldiers and their bodies were used as a wall that would impede the advance of the rest, while a set of precise sword cuts brought down the front rank on the opposite side, effectively blocking the rebel advance. . Iren's soldiers were capable of this.

But despite this initial superiority, Iren's soldiers could not stop all attacks, some blows came through a blind spot, others while they still did not regain their posture after an attack. Slowly but surely, Iren's soldiers were cornered more and more.

It wasn't just the fatigue of facing a larger enemy, or the wounds and bruises from attacks they couldn't block. Something else weakened their bodies with each passing second, until finally none of the soldiers could stand firmly. Two of them were already on their knees and those who were not used their weapons as a staff.

"It seems that they finally reached the limit ..." Said an exhausted Laru, who survived the initial charge, thanks to the fact that he was one of the few who did carry a real sword with which to defend himself.

"They really gave us trouble," Sallo said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

After several minutes of combat, less than half the resistance could continue fighting. This combat had left dozens of dead and wounded.

"Only 6 soldiers ..." Sallo said as he contemplated the feat of the soldiers who had come to assassinate and who alone had faced more than 50 men while being poisoned.

"It is difficult to hurt someone wearing armor, especially without a proper weapon and training." Laru said to reassure Sallo and the others.

After a great effort and many sacrifices, only one last push was needed to complete the plan. After experiencing combat with the soldiers of Iren for themselves, the members of the resistance were certain that the lord of Garush would have no chance against such an army.

"It seems we arrived just in time."

"Who's there!?"

Arriving after crossing a corner located about 50 meters from them, a group of people with faces that were familiar to Sallo and Laru were present.

◆◇◆◇

"But what a surprise! That's another item the young child of Ashma wins!"

The auction had proceeded smoothly and normally. The only striking thing about the event turned out to be a green-haired young woman who had won the auction of more than 100 items, almost all of them slaves brought from Galatea.

This was Zera, whom Argent had tasked with recovering everyone who had been taken prisoner at Galatea, no matter the cost. Of course the money Argent left in her hands was limited, but if it proved insufficient, the instructions were to win the auction and wait for him.

Fortunately, in the few days they had been in Garush, Argent had made himself known to the merchants of the city, so with the advance that Zera would give them, they would have no problem waiting for him to receive the full payment.

In addition to the people of Galatea, Zera was also required to purchase any items that seemed unique or might be useful to her lord. And so far only a few had met that criteria, until ...

"The time has come, dear public, to present the special item for this year's auction!"

Suddenly, a group of men in chains and necklaces began to beat drums and a cage was carried to the stage by another similar group. Inside it, was what looked like a kind of Half, with an iron mask covering its head. It was too thin and covered in strange bright red clothing, the little skin that was visible between the clothing was pale blue, and in their hands was a glass container with what looked like a shiny piece of metal inside.

"The final article is about a very special slave, accompanied by a unique piece of metal that the Garush smiths claim was made with a forging technique never seen before!"