Chapter Text
“Uuugh…”
“You alright there?”
“Na, my neck hurts. I must have rested bad or somethin’, I'm more tired now then I was yesterday.”
“Ah, Two Fingers over there said the same yesterday, maybe somethings going around. Well don't worry we are almost at the city, then we can stop by the Elfsong and get a real room.”
“You don't think that bitch is drinking from us in the night do you?”
“She'd had killed you if that was the case, vampires don't know how to control themselves. They are vicious, blood thirsty beasts.”
“I just don't like the way she eyes me whenever I walk past, like I'm a piece a meat or somethin’.”
“We can give her another dose of sedative if it makes ya feel better, but we don’t got much.”
“Yea do it, by the time it wears off we'll be in the city.”
An adult woman with pale skin and curly golden hair was being hauled between two men in a line, one holding a rope that bound her wrists, the other in the back held a rope wrapped around her neck. She had a thick makeshift muzzle on her face made of thick leather wrapped around her head.
She didn't resist her restraints, these men said they would forgive her for killing one of their own if she came with them willingly. She had been so overwhelmed with pain and hunger she had drained him dry, obviously killing him. She hadn't meant to do it, something in her made her feel awful for taking a life. She didn't remember much of who she was before this, only that she woke up in the dark, hungry beyond anything she had ever known and she had a taste for blood. She didn't have anything to say, so she didn't speak.
She had a healthy amount of caution about her, they mistook her calm demeanor as obedience. She might not have remembered much from the man that was dismembered in that room she woke up in, only things that he had told her.
‘Don't trust everyone you meet, the world is full of foul evil, you must learn to see it from afar and stay away when you can. Act calm and innocent until you have a proper grip on the situation… your going to be hungry… you are too docile my dearest creation…
Her thoughts faded as she was given something to make her woozy again. Her mind chugged along foggily as she was taken down into the ground beneath some big city she didn't recognize.
‘No… where's the grass… the trees… I dont like it down here…’
Her mind could only comprehend a few things being said when the men stopped to speak with others.
“...Auction… days… spawn…”
Then she was being touched, her clothing removed, but she was too tired to resist. Somehow she didn't feel embarrassed, the man did this also, a medical evaluation, she stood in the practiced stance, although her wrists were still bound. However as soon as they removed the leather from her face and the closeness of fresh blood running through their veins became irresistible. Her foggy senses suddenly sharpened leaving her mind behind in the fog as she bit down on an exposed arm, injecting something and she began to drink.
“Get it off! Get it off! FUCK IT HURTS!”
She felt them pry her mouth open to release her prey, she licked her sharp fangs as blood dripped down her chin.
“Put the muzzle back on! It's far too dangerous without it!”
“What the fuck did she do!? I can't- I can't feel my arm!”
“Shes a monster! Put her in a cage!”
She didn't feel like she was falling, she only saw a metal floor come up to her face very quickly. She laid there, with her eyes half closed, her mind still misty, mouth covered once again.
Eventually her thoughts began to clear, but she had no idea how long it had been. People walked past her occasionally, never looking at her twice, aside from one. A man with long black hair and glowing red eyes behind a golden mask. His eyes lingered, a piercing gaze that seemed to see into her very bones. She blinked up at him lazily.
“What is this one?” The mask wearing man asked.
“Werepire mixbreed of some sort, brought in a few hours ago for the auction tomorrow, evaluation showed she had vampirism and lycanthropy. Definitely the finest hellspawn I've ever seen, we are guessing she's half elf. She should fetch a high bid with her rarity, for someone who can handle her.” One of the men from before replied, she figured he ran this place.
“Werewolf and vampire? You're certain?”
“Very. She bit one of our guys during her evaluation, he was knocked out for hours.”
“Knocked out? She has paralyzing venom?”
“Yes, a damn strong one too. Never seen anything like it.”
“Stand her up, I wish to take a closer look at her.”
“Stand!” The man demanded as she felt a strong tug on her wrist bindings pulling her closer to the two men.
She got to her feet, swaying slightly but followed the pull on her wrists to the bars. They just about squished her face to the bars so he could pull down her muzzle to reveal her face. The man with the golden mask gripped her jaw and opened her mouth forcefully. She squirmed weakly in discomfort as he examined her teeth, pulling back her lips with his other hand. Something flashed in his eyes when he made contact with her skin, his touch was cold compared to hers. He pinched one of her fangs seemingly to encourage her venom to release. She felt it start to drip from her fangs and he collected it into his hand, bringing it to his nose to sniff. The scent seemed to make him flinch, taking him by surprise but he just as quickly composed himself.
“Is she mute?” The golden mask man asked in a snide voice.
“She hasn't made a single sound since getting here.”
He let her face go, almost throwing her backwards after slipping her muzzle back into place.
“Have you a name?” The masked man asked her.
She shook her head, she didn't have one not that she could remember. A sinister smile spread across the masked man's lips as she did. A shiver ran through her even with her mind being as foggy as it was, this was something evil. She stepped back from the bars, eyeing him wearily, but her behavior only seemed to make him smile wider, he was enjoying her caution and fear. Her tail twitched before she sat back down in her cage.
“She has these conditions and yet she is so calm, what sort of sedative has she been given?”
“One strong enough to knock out a gnoll for a tenday. We were told she never snapped at her captors when bringing her here, only drained one of their men then apparently apologized for it, as if she had guilt for having done something wrong.”
“Guilt? A mixed blooded beast with such conditions felt guilt? What an absurd notion.” The masked man sneered as if the word guilt was something foul.
She shifted further away from him specifically, his presence and attitude were something irksome, profoundly wrong as he leered at her. For the first time since she had been stripped of her clothing she felt exposed. She wrapped her arms around her knees the best she could in an attempt to cover herself, to hide from his violating stare.
The man's stare lingered for a bit longer before they decided to move on, apparently satisfied with the information. Once again she was alone, she could hear others around her, sobbing, begging, praying. If she had known this would happen she would have run when she had the chance, her heart sank with regret as she held herself. This world is just as unforgiving as she vaguely remembered being told.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
She wasn't sure how long it had been, the groans and moans around her started to die down, men occasionally walked past, one of them stopped and tossed something through the bars. Rats. Two of them, their heads had been bashed in and were barely alive.
“Food, eat or don't I don't give a shit. You're lucky you're getting anything considering what you did earlier.” The man snapped begrudgingly.
She said nothing, only picked up the rat with her bound hands, lowered her muzzle the best she could and bit into it. He walked away with a look of disgust. They hardly had any blood in them but an urge to bite into it and strip it apart overcame her, she devoured any edible parts on the rat before throwing the skeleton, fur and innards out the front of her cage. It didn't taste good, not at all but her body clearly needed it. She did the same with the other one before curling up in the back corner of the cage and closing her eyes to rest, she wasn't scared or tired, just loopy from the sedative. Was she supposed to be afraid? The others sounded like they were. Now that she looked, she was the only one in a cage that wasn't some scary looking creature. Maybe she was scary looking? She had a body like the others that were simply tied up. Was she dangerous? Was she a monster too?
After a while things were being pulled and taken, one by one never to come back. Eventually they started taking the people, one by one until the man from earlier walked to her cage.
“Your turn mixbreed, now be a good little beasty and stand up. Don't make trouble now, and we will have no reason to hurt you.” He narrowed his eyes as he glared down at her in disgust.
She stood on slightly shaky legs, she still felt weak despite her mind clearing up slowly. He unlocked the latch to her cage and refitted a new muzzle over her face, this one made of metal with the help of another man, who gripped her shoulders firmly to prevent her resisting.
“It's too bad she's being sold off so soon, wish we coulda had some fun with her. I've never had a vampire before.” The stronger man's voice practically dripped with greed and desire.
She felt a flair of repulsion and disgust of her own this time. Her tail swished in irritation as she slightly leaned away from him.
“Don't rile her up, you saw what she did to Emerson. Besides, she's making us a good amount of dosh today, don't spoil the goods!” The main man snapped.
“Fine fine, but only because that fancy bastard wanted her untouched.” The strong man grumbled.
She was towed to a room with a mirror and a bar lined with fancy, revealing clothing. She was given nothing more than a few scraps of fabric to cover her nipples and vulva. Her hair was brushed out and laid out nicely along her shoulders, her skin cleaned with a soap dish. It would have been nice if she wasn't confused and feeling a constant pit in her stomach.
Once she was sufficiently cleaned she was pulled forward to another room, up a set of stairs and behind a curtain where she could hear a loud voice speaking. Once a signal was given she was tugged through the curtains by the two men, a bright light shone on her as soon as she got to the other side. Her eyes quickly adjusted to see rows of seats full of people with masks on.
“And next we have a dangerous exotic beauty! Never been in the trade before, untouched but docile! A stray vampire spawn without a master, she seeks a new one tonight, someone to properly tame her! The bidding will start at a low five thousand!” The voice announced to the seated people.
The voice started listing off numbers going ever higher as the people with masks raised signs calmly. Once the number hit fifteen thousand it started to come down between two masked people, one of which was the man with the golden mask. Then once it hit twenty thousand the bidding stopped, the golden masked man was victorious.
“SOLD!”
The word echoed and reverberated in her mind as she was tugged off the stage. She was taken to yet another room through the other side of the stage, the masked man soon joined her along with some other men with pieces of parchment.
“Just sign here and she's all yours. Did you want to give her a name?”
The masked man gazed at her, not as piercing as before, just cold, assessing.
“Marigold. She is going to make such a lovely pet.”
“I'm sure she will, congratulations Lord Szarr.”