Rekka's POV
I was overwhelmed with joy.
A holographic auction screen refreshed every few seconds.
28,000,000
30,000,000
40,000,000
45,000,000
...
With every second that passed, the number only grew, and my joy along with it. This girl was a treasure trove, and better yet, with the kind of dragon she was, the chances of anyone coming to find her were relatively low. I was taken out of my thoughts when I heard a voice come from the other side of my door.
"Excuse me, my lady. The captain is here to see you." The voice said.
"Let him in."
In response, the door opened, and the captain of this place nervously walked in and stood in front of my desk.
"M-madam, it's a pleasure to see you again after all this ti-"
"Quiet."
The blubbering fool quickly shut his mouth and stood still, awaiting my address.
"Captain. I'm sure you're well aware as to why I'm here and why I called you here?"
"Y-yes, Madam. Y-you're referring to the dragon girl, right? Don't worry, I made sure to let all my men know not to touch or go near her!"
"Good. If any of you touched and damaged or tainted her in any way before she was sold off, I would have made examples out of you all.
The man shivered in fear at my promise and bowed deeply. "No, of course not, Madam! None of us would dare to go against your orders!"
"Good. Now, as for my second reason for calling you here. How is our other special product doing?"
"T-the wolf, Madam?"
"Is there another?"
"No, Madam! The Wolf is secured and has not shown any signs of resisting or attempting to attack anyone! We've put him to work in the mines and have had no problems as of yet!"
"Mmm."
"M-madam?"
"Captain. Just because it's a child does not mean it doesn't have ideas of escape in its head, nor that it has no intention of hurting someone, especially if they're desperate."
"Y-you think he may try to escape?"
"Captain, you and I know what his kind is capable of, and if given an opportunity, he WILL try to escape and could end up dooming us all, regardless of the shackles or how many of us there."
"Then wouldn't it be better to kill it?"
"No. With the right buyer, it could make what we earn with this girl look like nothing. All we have to do is find the maniac willing to buy it.
"W-what do you suggest we do then, Madam?"
"Once we sell the girl, I will return here to transport the wolf to our main base. My men have prepared a special cell for the wolf that will ensure he cannot escape, nor that he would be able to use any of his power until we can sell him off."
" Of course, Madam! When do you plan on moving him?"
As he asked me this, I glanced back at my screen, and after seeing a number pop up, I smiled.
"Two days."
The number was 500,000,000.
----------------------------------------------------------
Gales POV
A few hours after coming up with a plan with the group, the day was ending, and we were all being sent back to our cells. As we were being led back into our cells and the slavers were going to get the next batch of enslaved people to take our place, I made eye contact with Lucas, who was thankfully in the cell across from mine, along with the other two. We silently waited for the slavers to be out of earshot to begin speaking.
Once we were in the clear, I asked Lucas, "So where's this dragon girl you spoke of?"
"She's over there in the back of our cell, crouched in the corner," he said as he turned his head.
Looking in the direction his head had turned, I saw Clover and Max talking to a young girl with long, black, somewhat bushy hair, who looked slightly taller than I was, crouched in the corner, holding her knees to her chest, her face tear-stained. I could also see the two small jagged horns on her head, as well as the long tail adorned in pitch-black scales wrapped around her. While they spoke with her, I focused my hearing toward their general direction to listen to them.
"Hi there, it's nice to meet you! My name is Clover. What's yours?
At Clover's introduction, the small girl looked up at her, and, with a croak in her voice, she softly said,"... Ashes."
"That's a nice name; it's a pleasure to meet you, Ashes!"
Once Clover finished speaking, the girl known as Ashes began to shiver and cry. "I'm scared. I don't want to be here anymore. I wanna go home."
Clover then knelt near Ashes, gently pulled her into a hug, and soothed the crying girl until she calmed down a little.
"I know, honey. It's a scary place to be in, and I know you want to go home. That's why we need your help."
Hearing this, Ashes looked at Clover with a bit of confusion on her face. "My help? You mean we can get out of here?"
"Yup, we have a plan to get out of here and head back home!" Exclaimed Max with a toothy grin.
Hearing this, Ashes smiled, a look of pure hope on her face, and said, "O-OK!" What do I do?"
"We're gonna need one of your scales."
Ashes flinched for a moment, clutched her tail to her chest, and asked, " My scales? But they won't come off unless new ones start to grow."
Taking a deep breath, Clover began to speak, "I know, honey, and this is a big ask of you, but we would have to rip off one of your scales for our plan to work "
Ashes' face paled instantly, and she pulled away from Clover's embrace and shuffled as far away as possible until her back hit another wall.
After seeing her reaction, I asked Lucas, "Is everything ok? Is it bad for them to take a scale from her?"
At my question, Lucas paused and responded, "From what I know, a dragon demihuman doesn't lose scales unless they begin to grow new and stronger ones in place of them. If they were to have a scale forcefully removed, it would expose the flesh underneath until a new one took its place."
It almost reminded me of having a fingernail removed, exposing the sensitive flesh beneath. It was an uncomfortable thing for me to learn, and I didn't want this small girl to experience that pain.
"Please, I promise that we will make it as quick as possible, and we'll cover up the wound to make it less painful afterward," Clover responded.
Ashes shivered as she was terrified at having one of her scales forcibly removed. The other slaves in her cell, who had all listened to Clover and Max's supposed plan to escape, began to stare at Ashes, upset that the young girl was making it difficult for their plan to succeed.
"Come on, it's just one scale." Spoke one of the enslaved people.
"I'll pull it out myself if you don't." Spoke another.
They all began to crowd around Ashes, leaving me with an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I knew we needed her scale for Max to stop the effects of these shackles, but I still felt bad for putting her in this position.
Eventually, Lucas, with a resolute expression on his face, let out a sigh and said, "Alright, we don't have much time. Hold her down." As soon as he said this, all the Slaves grabbed Ashes and held her face down and restrained her arms, legs, and tail. Before she could let out any scream for them to stop, her mouth was gagged with a rag, and then Max went to her tail and began to pull on one of her scales.
Ashes began to cry and yell into the rag out of fear and pain as Clover attempted to comfort the young girl to no avail, as Max and, soon after, Lucas continued to pull on her scale. I grit my teeth as I watched. I knew it had to be done, but the guilt didn't stop, and eventually it reached the point where I called out to the girl.
"Ashes!"
At hearing her name being called from a distance, the girl opened an eye and looked towards me, and had a look of panic upon spotting me, and began to shed more tears. I expected that response, but I continued to speak to her.
"I promise that you'll get out of here. No matter what happens, I'll make sure you get to go home. I swear."
Through watery eyes, the girl showed a small look of confusion and shock that was quickly replaced by a look of pain as she shut her eyes and grit her teeth as Max, with one last yank, eventually ripped off Ashes scale.
"Got it!" Exclaimed Max as he held a small, bloody scale.
The other enslaved people smiled, and as Lucas and Clover wrapped Ashes' tail in a small rag, the enslaved people let her go, causing Ashes to let out a whimper and crawl back to her corner, shivering after what had happened. Clover and Lucas attempted to talk to Ashes, but she looked away and refused to listen to anything that they had to say. The two looked guilty for putting the girl through the ordeal, but Lucas quickly shifted his focus back to Max.
"Is the scale right for the job, Max?"
"Hmmmm... It's not an adult's scale, but..." he quickly scratched the bars of the cell and, with very little effort, left a notable scratch on the metal. "It should get the job done!"
"Perfect. As soon as you know where to start, carve the new rune and let us know when you finish. In the meantime, we'll talk with everyone here about the plan and what they're expected to do. Clover, could you come over here and help me explain?"
Upon hearing her name called, she gave Ashes one last look and eventually made her way to where Lucas and the rest had begun to gather and talk about their escape.
As they spoke, Ashes soon peeked out towards the cell and looked at me. As I made quick eye contact, she quickly looked away and stared back at the group.
Why did I promise that?. I let myself be taken by guilt and made a promise I couldn't guarantee. I needed to prioritize my survival; I couldn't focus on someone else before me.
As I thought about my decision, I glanced back at Ashes, who now and then snuck a look back at me. I let out a sigh. I'll do what I can to help, but I can't guarantee her survival. Whatever happens will happen, but I will survive.
----------------------------------------------------------
30 Minutes later
While I sat in my cell waiting for Max to complete his plan, the other enslaved people in his cell also began to wait for him anxiously. Lucas and Clover also took the opportunity to speak with the enslaved people in my cell and let them know about the plan, and for the first time in a while, I saw in them a look other than defeat and despair... hope. This was probably the first time in a long time that anyone had given them such hope, and they were filled with renewed energy.
"....Alright, I think I have it planned out. When I start, no one distracts me. I have to do this as quickly as possible to get the runes on my wrists and my ankles. To do this, I also have to carve a slight delay into one of the runes along with the changes, and I can't make a single wrong move."
At this, everyone's attention was directed to Max in this moment, and all watched as Max took a deep breath and began to carve into the metal of the shackle and into the rune. It only took a few minutes, but it felt like hours just watching Max carve into the shackle. Every scratch he made gave me nausea as I was partially prepared to see the sickening red glow activate and watch the boy's limbs explode.
He then directed his attention away from his wrists and toward his ankles, and began to scratch at those next, much faster this time, but just as carefully. Max's forehead was glistening with sweat, and his breath had quickened, but he remained focused. I then saw a glow. I felt my blood freeze when I saw Max's shackles begin to glow, and I prepared myself for the horrible scene. But it wasn't the same red glow; it was a soft blue emanating from his shackles as both the shackles on his wrists and ankles came off.
Max let out a sigh of relief once he completed his task, and before anyone could celebrate, Lucas quickly motioned for them to be quiet so as not to draw any attention from the slavers. Lucas then told Max to take a quick break, then do the same with another person. At this, a look of hesitation appeared on the other enslaved people's faces as they were clearly afraid of putting themselves on the line. When she saw this, Clover quickly stepped up and volunteered herself to be next. Everyone quickly accepted this, and although he looked slightly panicked upon hearing that his friend would be next, Max agreed, and once he took his break, he got to work on Clover's shackles.
In less time than it took him to do his own, he quickly completed the runes on Clover's shackles, and she, too, was then freed. At this, everyone's faces changed, and soon everyone began to crowd around Max, asking him to take their shackles off next, but they were quickly calmed down by Lucas, who then told them to form a line and wait their turn.
One by one, the group of new arrivals lined up and awaited their turn as Max quickly got to work, and with each completed rune, his work became faster and smoother. Upon seeing him quickly free his fellow captives, all the enslaved people in my cell began to talk amongst themselves and became ecstatic at the notion of being freed and eagerly awaited their turn.
Eventually, Max completed his task and called over Ashes to have her shackles removed. Startled by the call, Ashes stayed in place for a while before making her way over to Max and nervously waited as the young boy quickly and efficiently removed her shackles. She wore a look of relief before nervously moving away from the group and returning to her corner.
"Me next!"
" No, me next!"
"I've been here longer than any of you!"
Once they saw Max free his fellow cellmates, all of the enslaved people in my cell began to call out to Max and demand that he free them. I understood where they were coming from, but they were making far too much noise.
"If you all want to get out of here in one piece, then I suggest you all shut your mouths before you all get us killed."
The clamoring enslaved people quickly silenced themselves and retreated away from both the bars and me. I looked back at the cell ahead of us and saw the rest of the group take a closer look at me and begin to panic, backing away from their bars.
"Oh my gods, is that what I think it is?!"
" P-please don't hurt us; we just want to go home."
Lucas, Clover, and Max all calmed the group down and told them there was no reason to be scared and that I was an ally.
"I know you're all scared, but he doesn't mean us any harm, and he even promised to help us leave this place," Lucas told the group.
"How can you trust what he says?! He might be trying to trick you into freeing him, and then he'll kill us all!
"That's right! You know his kind are killers! You've heard the stories."
What was it that scared them so badly, and what exactly would be waiting for me in the outside world?
Lucas let out a sigh and said, "Alright, how about I show you that he means us no harm?" He then looked at a teenage silver-haired girl who shared the same cell as him and said, "Sasha, you can manipulate metal, right? Can you open the bars for both cells and let Max work on Gale's shackles?"
The girl known as Sasha became shocked as Lucas's request seemed as though he had lost his mind. "What?! You can't expect me to bring him in here!"
"Please, Sasha, I swear he means no harm. Without him, we can't possibly expect to leave this place."
As he said this, Lucas stared back at me, and at his gaze, I responded, " I promise that I won't hurt any of you. All I want is to leave this place and to survive." Although I still wasn't sure of the reason behind their fear, I promised them nonetheless.
At my promise, Sasha hesitated for a moment. After checking around for any signs of the slavers, she approached the bars and, putting her hands on two of the metal bars, a dull gray glow emitted from her hands, and the two bars she touched quickly shrank in size, allowing her to step through. After she stepped through, she approached our cell, repeated the same process, and looked at me, saying, "You and only you step out of the cell and follow me." I did as she said and followed her to the other cell.
When I stepped inside, I could feel the tension in the air as nearly everyone looked at me with a hint of fear on their faces. I then sat down in front of Max, offered my hands and ankles to him, and waited for him to carve the runes. Max swallowed nervously and started working on my shackles. I could see everyone on edge, waiting to see what I would do with Lucas and Clover, cautiously watching, and Ashes sat in her corner, silently staring at me.
Max then completed his task, and after many long months, I was finally freed from these awful shackles and could freely move my wrists and ankles again. I slowly stood up, and as I did, I could see the group clearly preparing themselves, but before they did anything, Lucas approached me and held out his hand as if to shake hands. I cautiously looked at his hand and grabbed it.
"Pleasure to be working with you."
"Same here."
At this exchange, some in the group let out gasps and a few sighs of relief, with both Clover and Max looking relaxed, and Ashes stared in amazement. As I looked towards my cell, I saw the same reactions from my cellmates.
"So... how can you help us leave?" Asked one of the enslaved people, or I guess it's just captives now.
"
"I know where all the paths of the mine system take us and the different paths all of the patrols take, as well as where the central keep is."
The group stared at me in surprise. All these months I've been in here, I kept track of every detail that could help me escape and took time to focus on those details in particular. In the first two weeks, I took time to adjust to my surroundings, especially my new senses; only after I got used to both did I begin to detail what I could.
"So you could lead us out?" Asked a captive
"It's possible. Thanks to our shackles being taken off and having magic, we have a better chance. We just need to cause a distraction that will lure the slavers into the mines, including Rekka, and take her airship for ourselves."
"Rekka's airship?! That's how we're getting out of this place?! Said a captive
"Yes. It's our best chance to get away quickly and safely before they catch us. That's why we need to work together; if Rekka leaves, we probably won't get this chance again for a long time. The first thing we need is information. We need a way to find out where Rekka is and what we can do to lure her away."
"Umm..."
After hearing the small voice, I looked towards one of the captives in my cell. A young, malnourished demihuman rabbit man spoke up and said, " I know sensory magic. I can raise my hearing by several levels, and if I concentrate, I can locate and listen in on her as long as she's here."
I was pleasantly surprised, and we had the man come by so Max could take his shackles off. Once the job was done, the man activated his magic, and I saw him lift his ear, and I could see a dull green glow as he closed his eyes and listened.
"Alright, while he finds Rekka, Max will continue to free the others, and we should decide on a plan of action, and how we plan on moving, and the type of distraction we plan on using to lure them away. " I said to the group.
As we discussed, a potential distraction, Max continued to free the others one by one, with Sasha escorting each to and from their cells to ensure that any passing patrol didn't catch on to what we were doing. During our discussion, the rabbit demihuman let out a gasp, broke his concentration on his magic, and looked back at us.
"I think I found her."
"Where is she?"
"She's on a much higher level than down here, probably on the top-most floor, but..."
"But what?"
"She's planning on moving out tonight."
My heart dropped. I wasn't expecting her to leave today. I then asked what else he heard.
"She's said she plans on taking the dragon girl with her to a buyer within seven hours, and by the next day, she plans on coming back and transporting you to a more secure location."
I felt a lump in my throat as I heard this, and in the corner of my eye, I could see Ashes pale in terror in response to this news. I had a feeling I would be moved one of these days, but I didn't think it'd be today. As I thought about what I could do, Lucas's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Then we escape today before she leaves. The plan doesn't change."
"....yeah, you're right. We should all get some rest and get ready to leave in a few hours. We go back to our respective cells and rest a bit to prepare ourselves for the escape."
At this, all the captives silently nodded. Each lay down facing the opposite direction from the bars to avoid anyone noticing the missing shackles, and each mentally prepared for the struggle that awaited them.
As I lay down, I tried to prevent my mind from racing and thinking of every worst-case scenario. I'm going to survive no matter what. I then closed my eyes and tried my best to rest.
----------------------------------------------------------
Elsewhere in the world
3rd person POV
A man wearing a white uniform reminiscent of a Templar uniform walked quickly through a facility filled with various mechanical equipment, and with various employees ranging from humans, demihumans, elves, dwarves, goblins, and fairies running around the facility, panicked.
The man walks down a corridor into a large oval hub area filled with various sensors, each manned by a different person.
"Have you charted its course? Is it heading to a major city?!"
"No, sir, it's not on course towards any major civilization nor any land with multiple villages!"
"As soon as you can pinpoint any significant area, no matter how large or small, let me know immediately! We need to find out where it's heading!"
"Sir, I have informed all commercial flights and ships, as well as any merchants on all frequencies, to avoid the Opulent Ocean until further notice!"
As the man in the Templar uniform listened, he approached the one giving out orders.
"Commander."
The older man wearing a uniform similar to that of a navy officer turned at the voice and stood upright, placed his fist on his chest, and greeted the man.
"General, it's good to see you!"
"At ease. Have you determined where it's heading?
"No, sir, not since it left its territory. We've been tracking its movement, but we have no idea where it's heading."
"Did you track anything that could have caused this? An invader in its territory? An idiotic adventurer who decided to pick a fight with it? A severe change in its ecosystem?"
"No, sir, none of the sort. A few days ago, as it was moving around in its normal pattern within its territory, it suddenly began to move outside of the area we determined its territory to be in and moved far into the middle of the ocean."
"What about the others? Are they moving out of their territories as well?"
"No, sir, the rest haven't made any moves and are acting normal."
After hearing the commander's report, the general approached the largest screen in the hub and stared as it displayed a map with a moving red dot and a model of a monstrous creature swimming through the murky depths of the ocean.
"Where are you heading?"
As the general pondered this, the map showed the creature swimming towards a seemingly unimportant part of the ocean and towards a very small island.