With his hands raised, Matt stood still, looking at the two men.
"What do you want?" He shouted with a slight tremble. "I am a mere apprentice; my pouch is not full of coin for you to steal."
The four people laughed aloud while they continued to approach Luna and Matt.
"You aren't the one we are after, boy." The fat man said loudly. "Hand over the girl, and you'll be spared."
Matt hesitated and looked behind him at the young white-haired girl. She couldn't be any older than 17... Looking at her, he saw how her red eyes blazed. It was as if she were not even afraid. What could these thugs want with Luna?
"Why do you want her?" Matt pressed.
"Look at her, she would be an amazing slave. And I heard she doesn't have a home, so no one will come looking for her. Isn't that right?" The muscular man bellowed. "She's quite a catch. Do you know if she's a virgin as well?"
Matt's fists clenched, and his jaw tightened as the two men continued to spout their threats. God damn it, these bastards, their traffickers! His mind raced as he tried to figure out what to do. I'm outnumbered; I need to find help as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, Matt began mumbling under his breath. Speaking quietly with his eyes closed. Damn it, I've never done something like this... Ok, concentrate, absorb the mana, and imagine what you want it to do...And bring it to life! With a sigh, he opened his eyes, let go of Luna and took a massive leap forward.
"Not so fast, kid!" The fat man screamed while reaching for him.
To his surprise, a massive wave of heat hit his face, causing him to take a few steps back. Above him, Matt flew above the two thugs' heads, propelled by a raging flame that attached itself to his feet, burning through the soles of his leather shoes.
"What the hell, he is a mage!?" The muscular man yelled.
Landing with a roll, Matt dashed away from the thugs, leaving them awestruck.
"Luna! I'll find help! Don't worry, I'll find you, I promise!" Matt yelled back while running as fast as possible. Multiple rough coughs escaped his mouth as he spoke. After a few seconds, Matt disappeared around a corner, leaving the four thugs alone with Luna.
"Shit, he's going to get the guards; we don't have any time to waste." The red-haired woman yelled. "Quickly get her!"
Standing there, Luna was struggling to understand what was happening. Just a moment ago, she was laughing as she ate delicious fruit, and now she is surrounded by four dangerous humans. What the fuck?I understand why Matt ran; it was actually super cool! But what am I supposed to do?
The fat man pocketed his knife, rushing at her with both arms outstretched. Luna reacted as fast as she could, her feet exploding off the ground and launching her to the side, avoiding the bigger man's tackle, to then hit him in the waist with a quick punch. I still don't know what's natural here so that I won't use any of my standout skills. I'll stick to basic movements and attacks powered up with my less obvious skills.
"That packed more of a punch than I thought. You're surprisingly strong, but you're not special!" The man yelled, charging at Luna again. "You'll fetch a good price, you brat!"
Trying to dodge again, Luna pushed to the side, only to be struck by a large shield, sending her tumbling. While she lost her balance, the fat man scooped her up into his arms, holding her in a tight bear hug.
"You idiot, if you damage her, her value will decrease!" The large man scolded the muscular one while holding Luna tightly.
"Sorry, just habit." The strong man yawned while scratching his head.
"We need to go now!" The woman shouted at the two.
"Yeah, the guards could show up at any moment!" The skinny guy added.
"Alright, alright, lead the way, Leia," The fat man said.
Dashing through the empty street, the four thugs laughed while talking about how much they would make once they turned in Luna. On the other hand, Luna's mind raced, thinking of what she should do. If I use my skills and seriously injure this man, they may just kill me, and even if I don't die, I'd have no excuse for how I took them down. If even a single person thought that I was a demon, I would be killed most definitely. Luna, making up her mind, began to kick and scream as loud as possible.
"Fuck shut her up," Leia told the man.
"That hurts you bitch!" The fat man shouted while shoving some gag into her mouth, causing saliva to drip, silently sizzling the man's shirt and the gag itself. "Hold on a little longer, you brat, you're almost there."
The four of them ran, turned suddenly, and entered a dark back alley. Quickly, they made it to the end and began hammering on a door.
"Hey! It's us, we got one, let us in!" The fat man shouted.
With multiple loud turns and the sounds of hatches moving, the door swung open to reveal a man stronger than the muscular one and bigger than the fat one.
"We got a good one, take us to the boss." The woman demanded, a small bead of sweat dripping down her face.
The gigantic man grunted, peeking outside to make sure they weren't followed. Quickly, he looked upon Luna, examining her thoroughly. The man wore steel-plated armour that concealed most of his body, and as he stared at Luna through the slit in his helm, shivers crept up her spine, her realizing that he was not someone she could deal with, not even if she went all out.
Suddenly, the man stepped forward, signalling for the group to enter, and with the gesture, they let out a breath they had all been subconsciously holding. While being carried past the hulking man, Luna saw a massive sword on his back, almost two meters long, towering over her.
With a loud "Bang," the door slammed shut, cutting them off from the outside world. Slowly, they walked through a dimly lit stone hallway. The walls were cracked with multiple chunks missing from them, and upon the roof seemed to be an array of webs, woven together by a cacophony of spiders.
"This place always gives me the creeps..." The skinny spearman said aloud.
"I know, right, but it'll all be worth it once we hand this girl in. I'll have enough money to hire someone to teach my little boy how to read." The muscular man said. "How about you, Greg? What are you to do once we get paid?"
The fat man, now holding Luna over his shoulder with one hand, rubbed his chin while thinking aloud. "I think I'll take the misses shopping, and buy her whatever she wants." He said with a big smile plastered across his face. "Leia, how about you?"
"I have no one to spend it on other than myself. I'll buy myself a new whip, maybe even some jewelry. Isn't that what money is for, self-pleasure?"
"Yo-you're as selfish as ever, Leia. I'm going to use the money to pay for my father's medicine; that's the only reason I do this job." The skinny man sulked.
Leia huffed at the comment. "Shut it, Port," she snarled while turning away from the man.
"Hahahaha, just get along with you too, we are in this together, drinks on me once we get paid!" Greg said.
Luna, listening to the conversation, couldn't help but wonder if these people were actually bad. After a few more steps, they reached a staircase and descended quickly. At the end was a rotten wooden door, which they pushed open. On the other side was a massive room filled with dozens of cages.
Luna's eyes widened as she saw what was trapped within each cage. Inside each one were girls of all shapes and sizes. Some younger, some older than herself. Each one was dishevelled; many wore ruined clothes, while others had nothing on at all. Her eyes met with one of the captured girls; she looked young, much younger than Luna did. Black hair fell in front of her face, concealing her puffy green eyes. Her nose ran slightly, and she shivered, her ripped clothes not protecting her golden skin from the cold air.
The girl looked away, but Luna did not. Her eyes stayed focused on her until she was dropped onto the ground. She landed with a thud, her head level with the armoured man's boots. After looking up, the fat man spun her around to face a chair. On that chair sat an older man with light skin, grey hair, and a slight stubble. He wore a fancy purple robe with golden patterns etched in its seams. Next to the man was a girl on a leash, who seemed to be drinking water out of a bowl.
"I thought I told all of you that we were full... Why'd you let them in, Marcus?" The robbed man spoke elegantly.
"Sir, take a look." The towering man spoke in a deep voice.
"Yes, look at her! She won't disappoint!" The group of thugs all shouted in unison.
Thinking, the man signalled for Luna to come towards her. As he did, Luna hesitated for a moment before she was kicked slightly by the woman.
"Move!" She mumbled under her breath so that only Luna could hear her.
Slowly, Luna stood up and began taking slow and precise steps towards the man. As she did, she could feel that all eyes were upon her. The massive stone room seemed to get darker with each step, the lanterns flickering ever so slightly.
"Come here, girl, quickly, no need to be afraid." The robed man spoke, and as he did, Luna began walking even quicker to get to him, as if she had lost control of her body.
Why did I feel the urge to reach him? My body basically moved on its own. Reaching the chair, the man reached out towards Luna, placing his hand upon her cheek. He caressed her skin, moving his hand to her eye, opening it wide.
"Beautiful..." He pronounced.
"Isn't she?" The muscular man spoke.
"Shut it, Merl," Leia elbowed him.
The robed man continued touching Luna, bringing his hands down to her arms. Lifting her sleeves and tracing his hands across her arms, his eyes widened for a moment. The physical touch did not disturb Luna, but the man's reaction was confusing.
"Let me hear your voice, say hello." He spoke.
From behind the armoured man, Marcus removed Luna's gag, and almost instantly she spoke.
"Hello." She said. Why was that all I could say?
"What an angelic voice, paired with her body... She's... exquisite." The older man said.
"Question for you, my dear, are you a virgin?"
Without a warning, Luna's mouth opened before closing once again.
"Strange, it didn't work... No matter, I will say she is."
He reached out, grabbing her hair and smelling it for a moment before giving her a wicked smile. "You will be the star of my auction! I have never seen a girl like you before!" He screamed out, laughing manically.
He looked at Greg with an evil glare. "Tell me about her, where'd you get her?"
"We saw her early this morning travelling door to door with a man. We know you said you were full, but we thought you'd make an exception for her." He spoke, "Also, they met with that wretch Loraia, so we got some information out of her after they left, and apparently they are looking for someone to take her in, since she has no home or family."
"Is that so?" The robbed man asked aloud, but more for his own sake. "Hahaha, no one to look for you, god really has sent me a brilliant gift!" The man chuckled.
"But what happened to the man?" He questioned Greg.
"He ran off, but I swear no one followed us. She's all yours, for the right price, of course..." Greg hesitated slightly as the armoured knight seemed to glare at him through his helmet.
"How much are you looking for?" The man asked.
The four thugs got together and whispered to each other for a few momments before agreeing on something. "50 silver each." They spoke.
The man burst out laughing, smacking the girl on the leash next to him multiple times, causing her to yelp in pain. "50 each? For this one? Hahahah, deal."
His hand reached out and gripped Luna's chin tightly, causing her to flinch. Looking in her eyes, the man whispered. "I can sell you to the right noble for one hundred times that amount." His eyes were full of greed, his tongue circling his lips.
"Marcus, take them to get paid." He said, waving them away. "Oh, and Marcus, give them a little extra, for old times' sake." The giant man nodded before leading the group towards a different room.
"Shit, I knew we should have asked for more!" Leia grumbled.
"Don't worry, 50 silver is enough to feed a whole family for a year, maybe even two!" Merl yelled, patting her back
"Shut it, Merl, you're just going to blow it all on that dumb kid of yours," Leia responded.
"You know it!" He smiled.
"Hey, but first, let's get hammered!" Greg bellowed.
"I guess my father can wait..." Port said silently,
With a thud, the group disappeared behind a door, leaving Luna alone with the man.
"You are an angel wearing human skin, and I will make the most of you for as long as I have you." The man spoke as he caressed Luna's hair. "But my collection is full, I need to make space for my star..."
'Oh, I know!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small knife. With an evil grin, he looked at the girl next to him. The girl looked slightly older than Luna and had deep brown hair. Her skin had slight blemishes, and her face seemed slightly off.
He stared at the girl, her naked body shuddering. He tugged on the leash that was connected to a collar around her neck and dragged her closer to him. Yelping, her face was slammed into the ground, causing her nose to bleed and one of her front teeth to chip. With his knife, he cut small gashes into her body, laughing like a manic while he did.
Her screams snapped Luna out of her fright. "Stop hurting her!" she screamed at the man.
The man stared at her, looking actually distraught. "My jewel, I'm so sorry, I got carried away, and now she is ruined." He looked at the girl's damaged body, sobbing uncontrollably. He looked back at Luna while pulling her into a close embrace, patting her head slowly while smelling her hair.
"I'm so sorry, so, so sorry!" The man repeated himself, squeezing Luna tighter. Pushing away from him, Luna fell back, landing on her butt.
"Enough!" She yelled.
Taking a deep breath, the man smiled at her, "Yes, I'm sorry, but now she's broken, and broken merchandise does not sell." He looked at the injured girl, dropping his knife in front of her face." Pick it up."
Through her cries, the girl reached out, grabbing the knife. As her hands wrapped around the blade, her instincts kicked in. Quickly, through all her pain, she jumped at the man, attempting to drive the weapon through his chest.
"Stop, bad girl." The man said calmly, still seated comfortably in his chair.
With the words, the girl froze instantly, shaking violently as she tried to move her body. Tears flowed from her eyes, her body shivered, and sobs echoed through the room. For a moment, Luna and the girl met each other's gaze. But then the girl's face was forcibly turned back towards the man.
Holding roughly onto her chin, the man yelled, smitten, falling upon the girl's face. "Don't look away from me!" He said while slapping her, Watch then as her head whipped back around to look at him.
Looking at Luna, the man spoke. "Stay, and just watch." With the command, Luna's body froze; the only things able to move were above her shoulders.
He turned back towards the leashed girl, who was still clinging to the knife as her life depended on it. He smiled a violent smile, caressing her broken face. "You were never good enough, just a filler to make the others look better, and now that this angel is here, you are meaningless." He spoke coldly, and the girl began to cry. He pushed her face away.
"Kill yourself."
Luna's eyes opened wide, and her body tried to move, but it was stuck in place. "No!" She yelled.
The girl looked terrified, but her hands began moving slowly. "No... No, no! I don't want to! Stop it, please! I'll do anything!" Her pleas fell on deaf ears, the room filled with her cries as the knife got closer to her face. Tears flowed down Luna's face as she watched helplessly.
Watching the girl's arms move, she saw as the knife approached her left eye. The girl screamed as it collided, the sound of flesh separating mixed with her wails. Blood ran down her cheek, her screams making Luna's ears ring.
"Die in silence, " the man said. With it, the girl's screams halted.
Her mouth fell closed, and her shouts were trapped inside. The knife drove deeper, her arms shook, trying to fight the control. Flesh fell from the wound, blood adding more colour to her skin. With a final muffled scream and a deafening splat, her body crumpled, her face plunging into the ground, driving the half-impaled knife deeper into her skull. Crimson Blood pooled on the floor, leaking from the poor girl's corpse.
Luna turned away, unable to bear to witness the carnage; flashes of her brothers and sisters sent shockwaves through her mind.
"Look at her." The man spoke.
With his command, Luna's head slowly turned, causing her to see the body fully. The guilt of not being able to save her ate away at her, causing more tears to flow down her pale face. As Luna's delicate tears fell, they silently melted away the stone ground. Reaching down to the corpse, the man turned her body over, revealing her fear-etched face. The Knife was almost completely in her head, blood spraying from the wound.
The sight made Luna's stomache drop. With a click, he removed the collar, holding it out, and he signalled Luna to move.
"Come put it on." The man demanded
You bastard, you're disgusting. I want to kill you, insult you, make you suffer, but I can't control my fucking body!"
With no choice, her body moved on its own, her hands fumbling with the collar before bringing it to her neck, where it clicked into place with a satisfying "snap."
"Good girl, now sit and stay still.' The man spoke calmly.
Falling to the ground, Luna looked up at the man with disdain. He grabbed her chin, bringing her face closer to his. His hot breath clouded her senses, making her want to vomit. The man leaned in closer before a loud boom caused him to look away.
From the other room, the fat thug flew through the door that he had entered earlier, shattering the wood and ripping its frame off its hinges. Looking up at the robbed man, Greg screamed out. "You bastard!"
Looking at Greg, he laughed before looking back at Luna. "What a terrible situation we have found ourselves in."