The auction was to be held in in a large docking area. The ships Noah could faintly see over the throngs of men and warehouses plenty enough to tell him that. The venue was seperated into two main parts, the auction area, which was simple enough, that's where the auctionier and everyone would gather to fight in a brutal war of deep pockets. The second portion was the viewing area, this was by far also the largest section as all the cages filled with monsters were set up neatly in lines with the current owners of the monsters staying near in an effort to grease up some potential bidders for their products.
When Meira had told him the auction was mostly going to revolve around farmyard monsters, he was expecting one, maybe two types of each species of monster. How wrong he was. Just for the holstaurs there were at least seven different breeds of holstaur wach with different skin, fur, even horn colour. Though the most prevalent from the looks of it was the species Noah associated with the generic dairy cow, white hide with black splotching.
Still no matter how much he tried to reason it, he was still struggling to accept these humanoid creatures were on auction. It knocked up some sick feeling in his stomach, made it churn as if ready to empty into a bucket.
As they passed by a cage Meira came to a pause and leaned closer to the iron grating to inspect the creature inside. It was the basic dairy cow breed though unlike normal cows it stood on two legs the ended in two large black toes. The black blotches rose with the fur and ended around her hips like waist high panty hose. The fur wasn't even that long though around her crotch it was much thicker. Fur also rose slightly up her spine in a small pyramid stopping not two centimeters above the long flicking tail topped with a bulbous and brush like tip.
From her waist up it was clean white skin up until her arms and shoulder, from there her fur returned turning into some form of long sleeved bolero jacket that ran down to her wrists, coating only a small portion of her upper palms and dripping no further than the sides of her ribs. This left of course her large breasts fully open to see. Noah did his beast not to look like he was ogling but when faced with breasts of horrifying size, that proved to be an impossibility. Especially when the nipples were inverted in little slits that made them perfectly round and almost doll like in nature.
Further up and finally, was the holstaurs face and head. The lips were plump and red and the eyes cool and brown. It's dark brown, almost black hair framed a face of narrow proportions and mature expressions. All topped off with two large cows ears flicking about as if they were radars.
The most surprising thing to him—ignoring her human shape—was it's cleanliness. The fur was pristine not mucked up by dirt, grime, or worse. Her skin shone with a healthy gloss and her eyes were bright and full of life.
If it weren't for the bars seperating them he wouldn't have even known she was up for auction. It made a sickening amount of sense all things considered. Why would you waste money buying one slave only to beat it and end up needing to buy a second? There was of course the abusive sides of things, those were the most 'popularized' accounts, sadistic people being given too much control over a weaker persons life. To Noah it just made sense that if slaves, if monsters were even considered slaves, well and healthy then you didn't have to worry about resistance or worse, having to buy more.
Story's he'd read also enjoyed telling tales of the slave traders being abusive, whipping and nigh torturing their 'product.' Arguably removing their worth by injuring them severely enough that they couldn't walk or were scarred so heavily in the mind that teaching them was like kicking a brick wall expecting it to suddenly grow a door.
They looked, happy, if that was even the right word for it. They held themselves with pride pushing out their accentuated assets and making strange humanoid mooing noises whenever someone passed by.
Meira leaned closer to the cage and peered through the rungs. The two holstaurs, one older and taller while the other was younger by a few years, kept still, happily mooing a mewling as Meira inspected them.
"Lot twelve," Meira murmured looking to the little wood plackard hanging from the monkey bar ceiling. "These two would make for an easy start to building up a milking ranch." She turned to Noah and said. "Not massively valuable but a stable enough source of income until I can find more worthwhile assets."
"Right," Noah was stumped for words. He doubted he'd ever be so calm as she was in this situation. "Does it say how much?"
"It's an auction. It depends more on how much your willing to spend but for these two I would say fifty, maybe a hundred buckles would be about the starting bid and I would expect these ones to run up to five hundred, perhaps seven hundred total."
He nodded and asked, "any reason why?" Liora stood by his side, eyes trailing with interest across the other cages of holstaurs of varying colours and breast size.
"These are Fraerian's, one of the more common species of holstaur but their milk is also one of the most versatile usable in both soap making, food, even as a good base for potions and medicines." Turning she moved towards another cage, one with only a single brown skinned and furred holstaur inside, "this one is a palisade holstaur, it's milk is much thicker and less delicate to the tongue. Better for ointments and inedibles but because it produces much more than the fraerian's it makes for a perfect alchemical base. In these parts this one would run two hundred to at most four hundred."
"Which is less than the Fraerians."
Meira shook her head, "not quite. If you notice this lot only has this single Palisade while that one has two fraerians. On their own fraerians would mark up to at most two hundred but if you'll follow me." She pulled them back to lot twelve and pointed towards the placard, indicating towards the two circles just beneath the lot number. The first was a simple hollow circle while the second was filled in. "You see these markings? They tell us about the state of the holstaurs. The first circle, the hollow one tells me that one of these holstaurs is breedable while the filled in circle tells me that one of them is pregnant."
Noah blinked profusely then glanced to the two not seeing any sign of a bulging belly.
"There's a few more icons, one with a cross would mean its infertile and worth only at producing milk. A diamond would be elderly and a square sickly. If there was a star that would be a prized monster. Those are the most expensive. I've yet to see any here in Tallmire. A few show up in Haverstead but if you want prized monsters your better off heading to Estalder for the big spender auctions. That's where the treasures really show up."
Meira went quiet, looking to Noah for understanding only to see him gaping her way. She laughed lightly in response, "you'll start understanding them in time. There's a few more markings that I haven't told you about but I'll tell you about them when they show up."
Meira looked away, peering deeper across the throngs of cages and what not before making way to another. Sheepkin this time. They looked much like that of the Holstaurs though their thick and curly fur covered all their backs and had a light, almost yellowish tinge to the curls and in general were smaller than the holstaurs in roundabout ever aspect. Smaller stature, smaller muscles, smaller breasts.
"Ariesian sheep, most common of the sheepkin. Good all rounder wool and the milk is edible by those sickened by holstaur milk. Three to a lot, about hundred, max five hundred."
She moved to another, this time a younger sheepkin who looked newly shaven from how thin its fleece was revealing an unusual black and white striping. Meira whistled and her eyes sparkled, "my, wasn't expecting to find one of these here."
"What is it?" Liora questioned just as confused as Noah.
"It's an ariesian sheep, just a little special. The striping happens every now and then in newborn ariesians, changes little in the fleece but its said to be a sign of goodluck and prosperity when one is born." Meira eyed up the placard frowning at the little star, "also means this one is particularly expensive. Upwards of one, possibly even at the highest ten thousand."
Noah winced, "that's a lot. For superstition."
"Superstition or not, having a lucky clover is always of benefit." Meira swept back a lock of golden hair and grew a constipated expression, "just, it's curious that this one's on auction. It's not elderly from the looks of it, nor newly born. Prime of its life if anything."
As Meira feel into whispered contemplation, Noah's attention was drawn away by Liora, she looked out of place. Jumpy whenever someone stumbled or spoke to close to her. Every time they did she'd rocket to her arm and tug it tighter to her body. Nervous that someone would notice the scarring hidden beneath her sleeve.
He was about to say something when Meira went first, "shall we head off to another. I hear there is a few harpies hidden somewhere in this mix."
Noah strained his mind but nodded nonetheless and let Liora take the lead. Joining by her side as Meira continued to trail all throughout the caging area, pausing here and there to mutter words to herself and memorize lot numbers.
"It'll be fine Liora." As they passed some chattering ranchers arguing about prebidding, Noah spoke.
"I know it's just… I'm still not comfortable like this. All the eyes are making my arm hurt."
"I'm pretty sure that's a normal thing isn't it?"
She glared spitefully at him.
"Sorry," he squirmed and lowered his head, "wrong place, wrong time to be making a joke."
Liora sighed, suddenly pausing as Meira stopped and began to explain a new breed of Holstaur. "It's alright Noah. Your denseness is nice, if not a little out of place."
He fumbled with his fingers and awkwardly chuckled.
When his head turned and inspected the surroundings at a sudden squaking, his gaze suddenly paused. There, peering through thin metal bars was a girl, a monster with wings in place of arms and feathers coloured a ligh brown shade. It held tight its wings and covered its body hiding beneath the thick down its legs of talons and claws and scaled lower legs.
"A common harpy." Meira muttered following his gaze. "Lays decently sized eggs one ever two to three days with a clutch of three, at most five, but hard to keep under control."
He'd guessed so from the fiery attitude it held in its eyes.
"Good starting harpy, especially if you can get it fertilized and raise up a few chicks."
Noah had lost his focus on Meira, there was something off with this harpy. It just didn't feel as 'common' as she was saying.
He eyed it up and down scanning every inch of feather and skin her could before latching onto its eyes. They were brown, a deep, dark brown but there was something off about them. He stepped close, squinted and focused. The harpy met his gaze and chirped its disapproval at his presence.
That's when he noticed it, small red lines circling its pupil.
"This is-"
The bell tolled loudly and the people went silent. Meira stepped to his side and said.
"The auction is starting, we should head off, I've asked a colleague to keep us some good spots at the front."
Noah mulled and kept his eyes focused on those red lines. Eventually pulling away and nodded, about to leave but not before focusing his attention to the lot number.
Number forty two.