Wart inspected the shackles on her hands, wondering idly how much money had been wasted on purchasing so many. As mal nourished as the goblins in the asylum had been, it would only have taken a bit of twine to subdue the lot of them. Frankly, for the most part the threat of death was enough to make them compliant.
They were slowly being led up a rough stone staircase to what Wart could only assume to be an amphitheater. Based on how the goblins were being hoarded up the stairs, there was no doubt they were being lead to a slave auction, whatever it was presented on. She was almost curious to see how much money the patrons would waste on each goblin, as well as how they assessed prices.
"Wart, I'm scared!" Remy whimpered, huddled as close as she could be. Wart wasn't sure how the girl could find it in anyway comforting. There was no possible way for Wart to fend off an oversized rat, let alone a Drow slave trader. She wasn't stupid enough to attempt it either.
"You have good reason to be," Wart replied with a shrug.
"How are you so calm?" Remy questioned.
Wart shrugged again. She couldn't exactly explain to the girl that life as a slave would really not be any different than life with Grog. She supposed she could draw the short straw and wind up in the clutches of some depraved pedophile with a taste for goblin boys, but she had her doubts about that possibility. She couldn't see the appeal.
"Faster!" one of the Drow snapped as someone ahead of them tripped. "Get a move on!"
When the goblin failed to respond fast enough for the drow's liking, the brute produced a fail and started whipping the poor guy with a vengeance. Wart felt like she should have felt something, but she could only watch the scene impassively. She noted it would be in her best interests to watch her step.
"How could they do that?" Remy gasped, quaking in what seemed a potent combination of both fear and rage. Clearly she was upset by the perceived injustice, but Wart simply couldn't find it in herself to care. That's just what a goblin's lot was in life.
"We're livestock, why would they care?" Wart responded. To her frustration, Remy started crying again.
"Quiet down!" another Drow snapped, as expected. "I said shut up!"
"She's a little girl," Wart stated flatly, knowing she would regret speaking up. "She scared. Give her a minute."
Wart bite her lip to keep herself from crying out as the Drow smacked her sharply across the face. That would definitely leave a mark.
"You want to say that again boy?" The Drow snapped. Wart glared at the pitiful bully with pure contempt. He was nothing but a coward. If only she had her beautiful claws...
"Give her a minute, idiot," Wart replied as clearly as he could. "Or are you so pathetic you have to beat chained, half-starved children who can't fight back to make yourself feel better?"
Wart had really done it now. There was murder in that man's eyes, but nevertheless she could only smirk.
"You're dead, you little rat!" His lips curled as he snarled. "You hear me? Dead!"
"If you are going to make a threat, at least make it believable," Wart replied stoically.
It was hard, but she managed to keep a straight face even as the Drow drew a dagger and lunged at her. Remy screamed and coward behind Wart. She stood her ground for several reasons. One of which, death was probably better than having to continue living as a goblin though it wasn't necessarily her first choice. She would prefer to find a way to go back to her old life.
"Just what the fuck do you think you're doing?!" The second reason Wart was sure she wouldn't be killed emerged, the band leader who was brandishing a blade of her own. When the male blatantly ignored her, she lopped his dagger hand off with a swift stroke of her blade.
Wart dropped her gaze and forcefully turned Remy to keep her from screaming and recapturing any attention. At present, their captor's rage was still directed at the dagger welding moron, and Wart preferred it that way.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to kill my product?!" The Drow woman snapped. She didn't seem to care one bit about the fact she had just removed her underling's arm, or that he was bleeding out and writhing in agony.
"That little brat deserves it! You hear what it called me?" The male shouted back.
"Oh, is the filthy goblin child calling you mean names?" The female questioned mockingly. "Were your feelings hurt little baby? Should I paddle your ass, stick a diaper on it, swaddle you up and ship you back to your mommy?"
As funny as her words sounded, nobody, not even Wart laughed. There was a murderous edge to her tone that dripped with violence. When the male neglected to respond, she seized his stump and conjured a vicious looking purple flame in the palm of her hand.
"Nothing to say for yourself little baby?" She thrust the stump into her fire, then shouted to be heard over his screams. "You've been warned time and time again not to kill my haul! clearly you aren't getting it, so let me enlighten you in a way even your dumbass will understand. You kill my product, I can't sell it. If I can't sell it, I loose money! I loose money, I get angry! I get angry, you die!"
With each statement, she caused the flame in her hand to grow, engulfing a little more of his arm each time. Soon, everything up to the male's elbow was swollen and discolored. At least the poor sap had one thing going for him as she finally released him and threw him aside... The bleeding had stopped.
Wart felt the female's gaze turn to her. She resisted the urge to peak at her. Unlike the male, the female absolutely terrified her. She was the type to cut out tongues, put a red hot poker through the eye, or any number of insidious action that caused pain or disfigurement that was frankly worse than death.
"Inferior or not, at least your friend here is smart enough to tell who's in charge," The female chuckled darkly. "Now get your useless hide away from me. I got an auction to run, and you're in my way."