Chapter 2: Eric The Slave
"Ladies and gentlemen, the next slave we have to offer is..."
"50 silver going once, going twice, three times, and sold to #143"
"And the next slave up for sale is..."
"1 gold, 20 silver going once, going twice, going three times and sold to #1992"
Eventually all of the older slaves were sold, the last one selling for a price of 3 gold.
"The next few slaves up for grabs are all young. The prices will be lower considering their inexperience. However, they all have potential, potential that might exceed your own."
Almost everybody scoffed at this thought. These measly slaves having better potential than them? Unthinkable.
As the auctioneer announced his message, there were 10 new slaves in shackles walking up to the stage. They were all very skinny, and seemed malnourished. The sight was terrible.
The first slave was introduced. He was a young boy with the name Gregory, and sold for 75 silver, 90 copper. Jones the farmer did not bid. The last time Jones came here, he was so anxious to get a slave as a helper that he bid first for the slave he could afford. He managed to buy an old farmer for 1 gold, 50 silver. This was the first sale of the auction, and also one of the worst in terms of quality. Therefore he was biased against the first slave brought up by the auctioneer. He thought that they were of worse quality and to fully exploit their potential, the auctioneer sold them first.
After 8 more slaves were sold, Jones' interest was finally provoked. The next slave up for sale was the 9th slave, and most likely the best slave he could currently afford.
"The next slave up for sale is a young boy named Eric. From a young age Eric was brought up to be sold. His mother died of an illness when he was just 5 years old. His father was in debt, and being unable to pay, he sold Eric. He is 16 years old, and is appraised by the Aeropose Auction House to have great potential. The starting price is 5 gold, and each bid must be an increase of 5 silver."
"6 gold." The person who enthusiastically yelled this out was not Jones.
"5 gold, 50 silver" was yelled out by Jones right after. There was a moment of silence in the auction house. Jones was surprised, he hadn't thought that anyone would bid 6 gold at the start. Not willing to be outdone, he bid, "6 gold, 50 silver."
A fierce bidding war was invoked.
"7 gold."
"7 gold, 50 silver."
"8 gold."
"8 gold, 50 silver."
"9 gold."
"9 gold, 25 silver."
"9 gold, 75 silver."
"10 gold!!" This was the highest bid yet. This was also all of his budget, he hoped that the unknown bidder would back down or 9 gold, 75 silver was his limit.
After sensing the enthusiasm in Jones' bids, the man stopped. "Perhaps this will be for the best..." He mumbled under his breath.
"10 gold going once, going twice, going three times, and SOLD to #1139. Thank you for your patronage, please pick up the slave on your way out."
Finally the last slave was introduced. "The last slave from the second batch is a young boy named Ty. He is 17 years of age with an interest in magic. Unfortunately, he was caught as a slave and here he is now. The starting price will be 10 gold and each bid must be increased by 1 gold."
The audience was silence. Majority of the audience were average citizens, they weren't rich, but they weren't poor. In fact, about 500 of them were at the auction to witness the grandeur of the renowned Aeropose Auction House. So when Ty's price was named at 10 gold, they were surprised. This price was contradictory. Weren't the younger slaves supposed to be cheaper?
Forget cheaper, the starting price was the same as the final bid of the last slave. But how would these ignorant people know the value of a young magic apprentice.
A fierce bidding war was invoked among the upper echelon.
"20 gold!!"
"25 gold!!!" The auction house was silent. Even the auctioneer didn't expect this.
Regaining his composure once again, he said, "25 gold, going once, going twice, going three times, and sold to #1." The person that bid was the same old man who bid for Eric.
The auction continued. However, Jones wasn't interested in the ranked slaves. Firstly he couldn't afford them, and secondly, he was thinking of how to control Eric. He already had multiple ideas in mind, and they would depend on Eric's character. In the end he chose the torture method. Regardless of Eric's character, he would subject him to torture, until his spirit was broken. This was his plan. He had thought of attempting to be kind, but then he began to realize his naivety. How would he raise a sword by using kindness. He would have to exert dominance, and use power. If he used kindness or soft tactics, he would raise a helper, not a slave. Therefore he was already prepared to be cruel. After determining what his next actions were going to be, he came back to reality. Just in time in fact. Although he had missed the ranked slaves, he was not worried.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to the Aeropose Auction House. Please follow me if you wish to collect what you have bought. If you would like to leave, then please exit through the door from which you entered from. Follow the red carpet, and please exit quietly." The Auctioneer started moving towards the back of the stage. About 50 people followed suit. Jones quietly followed as well.
The auctioneer called out a number. A person went to the auctioneer, paid got his slave and left the auction house. After about what seemed like an eternity to only Jones, he was finally called. He walked up to the auctioneer, and paid him 25 gold. The auctioneer smiled at him and said, "Thank you for your participation in the auction. Please come back again another time." Jones smiled back at him, and exchanged words of pleasantry. Jones held Eric by a chain, and left. Unknown to everyone there, an old man was staring at Eric the whole time.
Eric was dragged along to Jones' cheap carriage. Eric was nervous and anxious, but his face had a cold expression.
Looking at Eric's expression, Jones was intimidated. However, he steeled his heart and cursed at Eric. "HOW DARE YOU LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!!! IT SEEMS YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TAUGHT WHAT DISCIPLINE IS."
Eric was disturbed. He had done absolutely nothing. Was he supposed to be happy that he was a slave? He looked at Jones as if Jones was an ignorant fool. He took the insult, and didn't rebel.
Surprised at Eric's silence, Jones mistook it for submission. He grinned to himself, and dreamt about his future. After an hour or so, the carriage finally stopped in front of a manor.
Eric stared at the manor, and felt a strong desire for money.
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