Chapter 27. Auction

Rey lay there frozen. His left hand tied with an arrray to one side of the bed and the right hand on the other. The same for the legs. Above him floated an inscription. What made him curse was because he knew how difficult it was said to be to create one and how powerful they could be. They had been here for three years and a half but his friend had grasped the inscriptions. The second reason was because he knew just how lightning worked. He could see the core of the inscription was pointing directly at his forehead.

"Please..." He immediately began to plead. From the looks of Alaric, he knew he was not showing off. If he came back one day before the deadline, it meant he had accomplished his first mission.

"I was yet to test it on a human. You are going to be a good test subject," Alaric said menacingly with a grin. Rey swallowed hard.

Rey saw Alaric raise his hand and the inscription which was about 30 centimeters diameter started glowing at its core and vibrated slightly.

"I promise to do anything you ask me please spare me! We are friends, right?!" Rey started again. He was not going to take it laying down. Even if he could not move, he was going to use his mouth.

"You will do everything I want whether I do this or not," Alaric replied with the same tone.

" Pleeaase..." Rey almost cried. Never had he been this helpless. He gave up and started cursing. " You heartless idiot! You think that I can't break from these mediocre arrays?" Rey spoke as he broke all arrays and rolled from the bed.

He headed to the door and tried to open it but it was locked. He fell on his knees and started begging again.

"Aah,I said am going to enjoy this,'' Alaric said licking his lips maniacally and the inscription appeared above Rey. He snapped his fingers and silver lightning struck at Rey's head. A scream filled the room and he fell on his side. His hair had become messy and his face sooty. He looked at Alaric and started chattering.

"I am gonna make you pay. Hope that I never get the chance for you will beg me to release you!" But all Alaric did was laugh as he helped his friend up.

" That went well..." Alaric said but he was met by an angry look from Rey.

"I will make you pay," was all that came from Rey's mouth.

" Well if you had followed me, you wouldn't have missed a great adventure. It was great fun," Alaric said as he took the backpack and emptied it on the floor. Then they sat on the floor. Their legs crossing the arrays

Rey's eyes almost popped out. His eyes seemed to be praying tricks on him every now and then. Beast cores. It was not one but several. Around a hundred or more. He looked at his friend and only one word came out of his mouth ' monster'. In just six days? If Rey heard that Alaric was out for two days and hunted for only two he would not beleive it.

"So how do you think about sharing with a friend?" Rey asked almost in a whisper trying to befriend his friend again. His hands grabbing several and putting them between his legs.

"As a friend, I am willing to give you a discount of buy one get two free. These core are for sale. One bloodstones for a first stage, two for second stage and three for third stage," Alaric spoke. Rey almost choked as he coughed.

"Did you just say third stage?" He asked being shocked more than he was seconds ago. He also realized something else, Alaric was like a person without cultivation. How could that be?

"So you agree with my offer? What a good friend I have," Alaric spoke and Rey almost started begging him to give him for free.

"You just promised ten cores, right?" Rey asked after noticing Alaric was absent minded.

Alaric nodded when he heard Rey speak but before he even processed what Rey said, Rey had already taken ten third stage cores. Alaric felt cheated. How did he just lose?

"You said 'we' are selling them using bloodstones right, we should get to the crossroads and put up a stall early before everyone wakes up. With that, we will have almost 100%success sales." Rey spoke. Alaric just nodded. His friend was already lost and there was no saving him.

" I will be selling at the male road and you at the female," Rey continued. Alaric gave him a look that asked why. " Because am more manly than you are," Rey continued. That was a point many always noted. Alaric could also be described as beautiful than some beautiful girls. Alaric snorted but he agreed. And they casually slept on the floor.

***

Early the next morning. One could see two stalls at the junction that led to the separate dorms. On each stall was a guy each sixteen and both of the same height. It was very early and one could see the dew on the grass. On the stalls were beast cores. Before one could wonder where they had gotten these beast cores, they would first wonder where they got these stalls. Nobody was awake yet apart from them but soon it was going to be daybreak.

It was almost one hour later that the first person came from the dorms. It was a girl of height about 5'4. She passed and saw the two. One with jet black hair was the one in the path that led to the female dorms. On the stall were beast cores. All of different sizes and colors. The small ones were labelled with a price tag saying one blood stone. The medium ones said two blood stones and the larger ones said three bloodstones. What left her wondering was where they had gotten all those beast cores. The offer of buying a beast core for one bloodstone was tempting.

"Young lady, you should know that few hours from now these beast cores will be worth more price than they are now. You should not miss this chance," Alaric spoke to the girl.

"I really wish I could but the point is..." She spoke but was cut off by Alaric.

"Do you know that the beast core of the first stage is worth one hundred points in the mission hall if you accomplish it? Are you sure you are not going to need it?" Alaric spoke.

The lady stopped and looked at the first stage core. It seemed that she did not know about the mission hall before. She hesitantly reached her bag and removed a bloodstone giving it to Alaric. The lady's face beamed with joy as she rushed to her dorm to inform her friends. Just as the lady was leaving, a guy saw what they were selling and he immediately bought one. He then went to his dorm to inform the others. After a few minutes, a crowd had formed. They all surrounded the stalls trying to get one. Everyone scrambling for one. Both Alaric and Rey each had 35 cores. The rest were in their custody. With everyone scrambling, it was getting hard to decide who to sell to.

It was then that a lady appeared. She had violet hair and eyes. Aurora. She spoke and immediately everything quietened.

"Could you all ensure a fair exchange? I have a better idea," the students stepped from the stalls and let her make her way forward. What actually made them do so was the respect they had for this beauty. She actually ranked top ten of the beautiful ladies so her influence spanned far. She looked at both Alaric and Rey and smiled. She then took the backpack Alaric brought them with and put them back. Everyone watched wide eyed thinking that she would buy all of them. She also came a powerful background.

"Here is my proposal, what do you all think about an auction?" She asked.

Everyone was silent and after a while they nodded. There were only seventy beast cores which meant only seventy would benefit.

"Here are the rules I state the minimum price and you may go ahead and state the price you want to buy it at," Aurora spoke. Everyone here was in the early stages of Cryptic Plane. Everyone agreed and waited for her to start. Even Alaric watched with dropped jaws. What a fool he was. He should have thought of that before...

Aurora picked a first stage blue core and lifted it in the air. Everyone held their breath waiting for the minimum price to be mentioned.

"I start with two bloodstones!" Her voiced echoed around and everyone heaved. At least she was not heartless.

"I go three," a voice came from the crowd.

"So any objections to..." She spoke but was cut off.

"I have five," a male voice spoke.

"Five in the count of three. One..." Aurora said but was cut off.

" Ten,"a female voice spoke.

" Ten on the count of three, one... Two... Three... Its been sold for ten bloodstones. Come get it and offer your payment.

A girl came forward and picked the beast core and paid to Alaric who was all smiles. Who knew that he could gain the amount he had set for ten with one? The heavens really loved him.

" I start with three bloodstones for this core of a wind affiliated beast..." Aurora spoke raising a yellow beast core.

"I have ten," a male voice spoke. Everyone looked around and saw the guy standing at 6'1.

"Ten in the count of three, one..." Aurora was cut off.

"I have fifteen," a female voice came. With that no one was ready to go higher. It was then that Aurora decided that all cores of the first stage were going to be worth fifteen bloodstones. All the thirty first stage cores sold off in few minutes.

" I have a second stage core here. Minimum price is twenty blood stones," everyone gasped. But they were cut off by a male voice that spoke up.

"I have twenty five," he said.

"Twenty five in the count of three..." She was cut off again. Everyone knew that one second stage core was worth 400 point to those of the first stage and 200 for those of the second stage.

"Thirty," that was all that voice said .

"Thirty one," the first voice spoke.

"Thirty five," the second said. There was silence and then Aurora spoke.

" Thirty five on the count of three, one... Two... Three... The core has been sold at thirty five bloodstones, come forward and get your core and offer payment," Aurora said and a guy stepped forward and handed his payment to Alaric. Rey was continously counting the bloodstones and kissing them. At the moment they had 435 bloodstones. These new coming ones would lead to a total of 470. They were about to get rich!