Library of Rain

Returning to the Start

Five days had gone by since Rain had promised Lucus to show him where she went, and he hadn’t brought it up since. Rain hadn’t been idle during that time. She spent most of the days watching the Rothford Auction House from the vantage of a tall spire nearby. Her ‘Path of Wealth’ skill made getting to the top of the ordinarily inaccessible spire easy.

Sitting on a ledge by the top of the spire with nothing better to do also gave her plenty of time to practice her ‘Path of Wealth’ skill. However, it wasn’t until the second day that she made any progress and managed to create a third bonded coin. Mr. Purple even celebrated with her by giving her a message telling her all about what she had just done. It was a little redundant, but Rain was glad he was excited for her.

On the third day, she finally saw them open an auction. Masked and hooded figures had come flooding in. Some had skulked in, clearly not wanting to be recognized. Others had arrived in hand-pulled carts and wearing disguises that disguised nothing. But no matter who they were, it seemed to be bad etiquette to show with your face uncovered.

Rain was glad for that. She didn’t want her former owners to recognize their runaway merchandise.

Rain had descended to the ground after the auction ended and eavesdropped on the departing crown to find the time of the next auction. It didn't take long before she heard a fat man muttering to his friend about having better luck in two days.

With that done, she made a quick rendezvous with Mr. Mirage. She still needed to fulfill her promise to Ms. River.

That meeting had been swift. Rain had arrived at the new headquarters of Mr. Mirage’s organization - a much nicer building than where he had been living - and snuck into his office to wait for him.

She was a little disappointed not to get a bigger reaction out of him when he walked in to see her sitting in his chair, but she had better things to do than sulk about a failed bit of drama. They had talked briefly before going to where River was being kept. Mr. Mirage had eaten a bit of the ooze escaping from her skinless body, and Rain had gathered a bottle of the stuff for personal use later. Then she had left.

Rain was preparing to infiltrate the auction when she realized that if she showed up to the auction by herself, she would stand out. There hadn’t been any lone children entering or leaving the last one. Rain had briefly considered asking Mr. Mirage or Mr. Markson to accompany her but dismissed the idea. She didn’t want there to be any connection between them and her next victim.

Instead, Rain had found a desperate man in the Low Ring and offered him a deal. She would feed him and clothe him, and if he did a good job, she would even give him an old. All he would have to do is come with her to the auction and not speak. The man, Ome, had been ecstatic at the opportunity. An old coin was probably more than he saw in half a year.

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All that preparation had led to this point as Rain approached the auction house beside Ome. She wore a dark cloak with a deep hood to hide her face and, more importantly, her hair. Ome beside her was dressed more fashionably, with fur showing at his collar and a plain, wooden mask that was blank except for the eye holes. Rain hadn’t wanted any part of his face to be seen.

A burly man by the door held out a hand to stop them from entering.

“Five vers a person to enter.”

Rain paid the man ten vers. He showed no surprise at being paid by the child instead of the silent man and simply let them in. Rain smiled at the small success.

It was odd strolling into a building that Rain had been escaping from not long ago. Walking through the double doors into the showroom brought back the memories of that night. It had been the first time she had entered the library. Now, she was the daughter of a lord.

Despite her nostalgia, the room wasn’t exactly as she remembered. Now it had people in it. Masked and hooded men and women walked around talking with each other. Others sat at tables drinking while the staff of the house plied the patrons with more alcohol.

Rain recognized some of the staff, like Itch, one of the keepers who taught Rain and the other slaves. She was currently directing the other staff.

Most of the patrons looked like they came from the higher rings of the city, so why are they at an auction in the Low Ring?

Rain guided Oam to a seat at a partially empty table with a good view of the others in the room. The only other occupants of the table were a couple who were already pretty drunk and noisily flirting with each other. They kept calling out for the ‘nightly entertainment’ to start. There was also a slightly overweight man in clothes that had once been fine but were starting to look rough with age.

One of the staff approached them to ask if they wanted anything to drink. Rain had to bite her tongue when she saw him. It was Tard, a junior member of the staff. He had always enjoyed tormenting anyone in his power. Whenever it was his turn to feed the children, he had taken endless delight in spitting - or worse - on their food while they watched before sliding it through the bars for them to eat. It hadn’t bothered her nearly as much then as it did now. Probably because she now knew better.

It took monumental control for Rain to regulate her voice as she answered that her master would like a glass of something strong and red.

Tard nodded and left to retrieve the drink. When he returned, Rain was forced to pay the vile man. It hurt more for her to part with the three vers the drink cost than all the old she had paid to the Stars. Still, she did it, letting her tormenter take the money. He wasn’t her target. Tonight.

The drink naturally sat on the table untouched. Oam wasn’t allowed to lift his mask to drink, and Rain had no interest in the stuff.

As the auction drew closer, the room filled and settled. Eventually, a richly dressed man with no mask and a warm smile walked onto the stage, illuminated by the light from the chandeliers overhead.

“Welcome, Lords and Ladies! Tonight, we have a fine lineup of merchandise guaranteed to be a perfect addition to any berit or bedroom!

To start off the night, we have three men in the prime of their life well muscled and ready to work, an excellent fit for any berit requiring strenuous labor.”

As the man spoke, three naked men were led out, chained at their wrists. They all displayed bulky muscles, but what truly grabbed Rain's attention was their eyes. They were shattered, not a drop of hope left. Their manacles were attached to rings on the stage floor as the smiling man continued.

“These boys are truly disciplined; they won't complain no matter what you do to them. Watch.”

As the man motioned to the chained men, another man that Rain recognized, Sher, approached with a whip and started flogging the slaves.

“As you can see, these boys won’t try to fight back or resist.”

He was right. The men were so broken that they did nothing as their backs were covered in thick red welts.

The room around them was full of appreciative words and, in some cases, laughter and catcalling. The couple next to Rain was particularly loud, cheering and drunkenly calling for the men to be hit harder. Rain looked away. She didn't need to see this. She wasn’t here for the auction.

Already, she had gained a lot. Back at the Orom Manor, she had heard the word berit, but she hadn’t been sure what it meant. Given what she had already heard and seen tonight, she had a better idea. It seemed that the people of the Isles did slavery differently than the mainland. They didn’t just occasionally raise slaves in isolated pits; they kept them in pits for most of their lives.

Rain could understand the logic behind it. Keep your workforce in an easily guarded place and have them labor crafting or refining out of sight. That way, the people above don't have to see the suffering. Thinking about it made her shudder.

Now that Rain had seen the sky, the thought of being trapped underground for the rest of her life terrified her. She would never let it happen.

With one goal of the night complete, Rain studied the other patrons. Who could she easily manipulate?