After buying the clothes, Dean went to buy some weapons for the group. He knew they would need them on their journey, and he wanted to make sure they were prepared.
As he was walking, Dean noticed that a large crowd of people was heading towards the center of the marketplace. They seemed excited about something, and he was curious to find out what it was.
Dean was curious about what the crowd was so excited about, so he started following them to see where they were going.
After walking with them for a few minutes, Dean stopped when he saw that the crowd had gathered around something he couldn't see. They were all clapping and cheering, and he was curious to find out what was going on.
Dean tried to jump up to see what was going on, but the crowd was too thick. He couldn't see anything, even when he stood on his tiptoes.
Dean pushed his way through the crowd, determined to see what was going on. Soon, he saw a stage appear before him, but he was still unable to see clearly because of the large number of people gathered around.
He was eager to find out what was happening that had attracted so many people to the stage.
Dean finally reached the front of the crowd, his jaw hanging open in surprise. He couldn't believe his eyes. One of the beautiful demihumans he had seen earlier that day was standing on the stage.
"10 gold coins for Mr. Hammond!" The auctioneer's voice rang out, and Dean felt his stomach drop. The girl was standing on the stage, chained to a post. She looked terrified, and Dean knew that she didn't want to be there.
"10 gold coins going once, twice, sold to Mr. Hammond!" The crowd cheered, and Dean felt sick to his stomach. This was wrong. These girls didn't deserve to be sold like animals. Another one was brought to the stage, and the auction continued.
The auctioneer brought out a man with wolf ears, and Dean was immediately impressed. He was even more muscular than Jasem, and Dean could tell that he was a powerful demihuman.
"Last but not least, we have a warrior from the Half Moon Tribe. He is an outstanding fighter and a hard worker. Starting bid is 8 gold coins." The auctioneer's words were barely out of his mouth before the crowd started bidding. It was clear that this was the demihuman that everyone had been waiting for.
"10 gold coins right here"
"I got 15"
"20..."
The price kept rising, until one person shouted out a number that made everyone else's bids look like chump change. The crowd fell silent, and everyone looked at the person in shock.
"100 gold coins!" The auctioneer's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. He looked around the crowd, trying to find the person who had made the bid. He finally saw a young man in the back, wearing expensive clothing. The young man was holding his hand up, and he had a look of determination on his face.
"I'll give you 100 gold coins right now, and that's my final offer." The auctioneer didn't even bother to look around for other bids. He knew that no one else would be willing to pay that much for the warrior. He banged his hammer down on his podium, and the auction was over.
"Sold to the young master of House Duranie!" The crowd cheered, and everyone turned to look at the young nobleman. He stood there, his face expressionless, as his guards unchained the warrior and led him off the stage. The young nobleman followed them, not even glancing at the crowd.
Dean, who had always felt a kinship with demihumans, was appalled by what he saw happening at the auction. He couldn't believe that people could be so heartless and uncaring as to treat them like nothing more than commodities.
He was about to turn around and leave, but then he saw someone get dragged to the stage. He stopped in his tracks, his heart racing. He knew that he couldn't just walk away and leave this person to their fate.
"This is the final product of the day. You know the drill, so get ready to enjoy the show. Starting bid is 1 gold coin." The crowd laughed and jeered as they looked at the girl who was standing on the stage. She was covered in bruises and cuts, and her skin was scarred from the lashes she had been given.
Dean looked at the girl on the stage, and for the first time in a long time, his reaction to a beautiful girl was not lust but compassion. He couldn't withstand the sight of her, wounded and broken.
The auctioneer looked around the crowd, but no one made a bid. The crowd started shouting and throwing things at the girl, calling her names and laughing at her wounds.
"Hang her up, Hang he upr, Hang her up" The crowd chants was getting louder.
Dean was confused as he didn't know what was happening, before he started seeing a few Demihumans dragging a gallows behind them and he understood immediately what would happen to this girl.
"Going once, twice..." The auctioneer raised his small hammer, but before he could bang it on his podium, Dean shouted, "2 gold coins!"
The crowd stopped shouting and turned to look at Dean. He was standing there, his chest heaving, and his eyes were filled with determination. The auctioneer looked at him, his eyebrows raised.
"Are you sure you want to buy this broken thing, young man?" Dean nodded, his face pale. The auctioneer looked around the crowd, but no one else made a sound. The crowd started booing Dean, their faces twisted with hatred.
"Get this Monsters lover out of here."
"You should be ashamed to call yourself human."
Dean didn't let the crowd's hatred get to him. He waited until the auctioneer banged his hammer, then he walked to the back, his head held high. He knew that he had done the right thing, and he wasn't going to let anyone make him feel bad about it.
*****
"Where is that idiot?!" Adam stood up and started pacing back and forth, his hands clenched into fists. He had been waiting for Dean for too long, and he was starting to get angry.
He was more than frustrated and mad, as the things that Dean needed to bring weren't complicated at all. All they needed was food, clothes, and weapons, if he could bring some.
It's not like he asked Dean to bring back something impossible, like the essence of darkness or a dragon horn.
Adam started walking away from Jasem, who was sitting silently beside Zachary, who was still unconscious from the punch he had received a few hours earlier.
Adam walked until the village came into view. He stopped and looked at it, hoping that Dean would show up soon. If he didn't, Adam would go there to look for him himself.
He waited, his eyes fixed on the sun as it sank below the horizon. He clicked his tongue in irritation. They had been waiting here for too long, and he was starting to get scared. The kingdom men could be right around the corner.
Adam went back to Jasem and looked at him. He sighed, seeing the worry on his friend's face. "I'm going to go look for Dean," he said. "He's been gone for too long."
Jasem didn't look at Adam and only waved his hand at him, signaling that he would be fine. This made Adam grab his shirt, which was covered in Zachary's saliva and wore it.
After putting on his dirty shirt, Adam looked back at the village and started walking towards it. He planned to find his friend, who couldn't seem to buy simple things that any normal person could find in a few minutes.
Adam's face was flushed with anger as he descended from the hill. He arrived at the entrance of the village and looked around. The streets were empty, and some of the stores were shuttered.
He kept walking into the village, his eyes searching for any sign of Dean. He was starting to get worried, but he was also trying to stay calm.
He was afraid that the worst had happened to Dean. He could only imagine what the kingdom would do to him if they caught him.
His concerns were quickly put aside when he saw Dean heading towards him, dragging a cage behind him. He stopped in his tracks, his jaw agape.
Dean spotted Adam in front of him and waved enthusiastically. He was smiling brightly and shouted, "Adam! Over here! I need your help with this cage!"
Adam was curious about what was in the cage, but he couldn't see because Dean was blocking his view. He slowly walked towards Dean, hoping that he would move out of the way.
"What have you got there?" Adam asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Dean just smiled and kept dragging the cage behind him.
The cage was not immense. It was about 1.5 meters tall and 1 meter long, and had small wheels beneath it, so it was not difficult for Dean to move it.
Adam was carefully walking towards Dean when he saw white animal ears poking out of the cage. He knew what they were, and he stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening in fear.
"What the hell is that?!" Adam asked, his voice rising in fear as he stepped back. Dean kept smiling as he walked towards him.
"It's something I bought," Dean said to Adam. "Don't worry, we'll be safe from now on." Adam got an idea of what it was and started to get to the side of the road to get a clearer look. Dean kept heading forward.
Adam stopped in his tracks when he got a clear look at the cage. His idea of what was inside was completely wrong, and he was more shocked than he could have imagined.
"Are you actually serious?!" Adam yelled, his eyes wide with disbelief. Dean stopped dragging the cage and looked at him, his expression puzzled.
"Tsk... What did I do to deserve this?"Dean said. Adam looked at Dean, his face a picture of disbelief. He then looked back at the cage, his mouth hanging open.
Adam initially thought Dean had purchased a pet or something that would assist them in hunting and alerting them to the presence of nearby adversaries.
Adam's eyes widened in surprise when he saw what was inside the cage. He had been expecting a pet or some kind of animal, but instead, he found a girl with white lion ears and long white hair that reached down to her waist.
She seemed weak and afraid, curled up and shaking. Her whole body was covered in wounds, and she looked at them with fear in her eyes. Chains and shackles were wrapped around her hands and legs, and she had an iron collar around her neck.
Adam stepped up to Dean, who was still staring at him. He grabbed Dean's collar and started yelling at him.
"Are you insane?! You bought a slave?! Have you lost your morals already?!" Adam was furious with Dean, who looked at him silently for a few moments before slapping away his hands and starting shouting back at him.
"What do you want me to do?, leave her there to die by these monsters?" Dean said to Adam. "If I didn't buy her, they would've killed her on top of that stage and laughed at her while doing it."
Adam was stunned when he heard that. He looked at the girl, who was still shaking in the cage, after he turned away from Dean.
He could see where Dean was coming from, but he still couldn't get his head around the concept of owning a slave.
"Tsk... I shouldn't have let an idiot like you come here alone." Adam said as he started dragging the cage. Dean didn't stay silent when he heard that.
"Don't call me an idiot, idiot!" Dean said
Dean and Adam were irritated by each other's company as they dragged the cage together without saying a word after. They were on their way back to Jasem, who was waiting for them with their punching bag, which was still unconscious.