The Slave Auction (1)

Viscount Hoffman, and his aide, Johannes, were in awe upon seeing Brielle. Their eyes went round, staring without blinking to the creature in front of them, and mouths dropped open of amazement. It was a natural reaction to someone who was standing in front of a mythical creature.

"Are you serious?! Is this a real mermaid?"

"You're not mistaken, Your Excellency. As I promised, I brought you a precious item- a mermaid," Elias bragged.

"Hahaha...Hahaha...This is magnificent! Bravo, bravo! You exceeded my expectation, Elias," Viscount Hoffman exclaimed with great joy. Infused with delight, he sat down on a chair, smoked his tobacco, and asked, "So, how much do you want? 100 golds? 200? Name your price."

Elias grinned as he heard what the Viscount said because it was a clear indication that he would agree on whatever his price would be. He then said, "25000 gold, Your Excellency. Would that be okay with you?"

"Johannes," he called. The aide hurriedly came forward and waited for the Viscount command. "Prepare 25000 gold."

"This humble servant expresses his gratitude to His Excellency, Viscount Hoffman. May the glory be upon you," Elias spoke as he lowered his head.

The deal between the mermaid abductor and the Slave Auction owner reached an agreement.

***

The crackles of the dead leaves and crunches of the snow cut through the silence as Max ran in the forest. Though the cold wind chilled his skin, he didn't stop rushing to his destination. It was almost impossible for a child to be able to not get lost in the dark woods but like a miracle, Max successfully passed the forest. It was like the moon, using his light, made a path for him to follow. After he got past the forest, he hurriedly moved to the entrance of the cave where he saw an extraordinary sight. A beautiful wolf was lying down on an icy seat in a deep sleep. He couldn't believe that the wolf before his eyes was Brielle's father.

"Mi-Mister, Mister! Can you hear me?" Max shouted as he approached the wolf.

"You need to wake-up. Bri-Brielle is in danger! Mister, please." His voice was quavering. He started to shake the wolf, hoping it would wake up.

"Mister, please open your eyes. We might not see Brielle anymore if you don't wake up, right now," he pleaded, sobbing.

Crack!

Something shattered.

"Mi-Mister?"

The wolf, who was deeply asleep, regained consciousness. Slowly, it opened his purple eyes, and rose from its throne. Max was terrified, but enthralled by the fierce beauty emanating from the white wolf.

The gentle sound of the waves; the wind whooshing. And the serenity of the night. It was winter; full moon. Beneath the moonlight, the moon beast had awoken.

***

Square Theater at 3:25 a.m.

Chatter, Chatter, Chatter.

Backstage, everyone was busy preparing for the slave auction, which was set to begin in five minutes. Running here from there; placing jewels in every slave; strengthening the garments; and placing a restriction chain in their necks to restrain them from escaping. More like a carnival. Little by little, all the seats inside the theater were being occupied by the various high-ranking bidders from different empires. All of them were wearing a mask to disclose their identity. Viscount Hoffman, who was the owner and would be hosting the event, went backstage to check the situation of the slaves and items to be bid.

"Are all the preparations done?"

"Yes, Your Excellency. All the magic weapons were already inside the glass box, and the slaves were properly groomed. Also, they would not cause any trouble, restriction chains were attached to their necks," Johannes reported.

"Very well," the Viscount replied. "How about the mermaid?''

"All her injuries were treated, and after that, we injected a sleeping drug to the child because she kept resisting while we dressed her. As of now, she is inside the aquarium, and even though she is sleeping, her beauty is beyond praise."

"Great! So, shall we begin the Slave Auction?" Viscount Hoffman smiled happily as he assured that everything was in order. All of the Viscount's employees were stationed to where they were in charge; some were beside the slaves they would escort, while others were at the corners of the theater to guide the visitors.

3:30 AM.

The red stage curtains were opened, and the spotlight was focused on the stage. As the auction began, the theater fell silent. Viscount Hoffman stood in the center of the stage, wearing a half-mask that covered the top half of his face. He then tucked the microphone he was holding beneath his chin.

"Greetings, my dear Patrons! I gladly welcomed you all to our Slave Auction, where you can purchase the finest weapons, beautiful and skilled slaves, and a creature you had no idea existed. I know you're all excited! Let us begin the Square Theater Auction!"