Chapter 9: Genie
Vaughn's surprise grew as he carefully removed the little girl's shirt, revealing her small frame and pale, pristine skin. However, his attention was immediately drawn to the fresh wounds that marred her back.
'Why was she whipped?' Vaughn thought, his voice filled with disbelief. As he began to gently pour water onto her back, he felt a strange sensation, almost like a mosquito bite, on his own back.
He absentmindedly scratched the area, only to find the itchiness intensifying.
"Damn, it's so itchy," he muttered, succumbing to the urge to scratch for a few seconds.
"Ah... I need a dry cloth to clean her wounds," Vaughn thought to himself, realizing the absence of one nearby and the potential uselessness of the system in this situation.
'Perhaps I can use those leaves,' he thought, spotting a climber nearby.
Supporting his body with one hand on the ground, he stood up, but to his surprise, mud stick to his palm. Upon glancing his palm, he found it stained red - covered in blood.
'My back?' he was surprised, placing his hand on his back once more, only to confirm that he, too, was bleeding.
'Damn!' Vaughn cursed, realizing that he hadn't felt any pain until now.
'I was whipped as well?' he questioned in disbelief, his mind reeling with the realization of his own injuries.
Setting his own injuries aside for the moment, Vaughn approached the little girl and gently used the washed leaves to clean her wounds. Despite his efforts, she remained fast asleep. He carefully dressed her again, with the leaves serving as makeshift undergarments.
Looking around, Vaughn noticed several other children around his age, all of them shackled like himself. He had observed this earlier as well. Each of them wore an iron collar with a small symbol or crest engraved on it, which Vaughn recognized from his knowledge of the world to be slave crests.
'So, all of us here are slaves...' Vaughn remarked, stating the obvious.
[Yes, that's right], the system confirmed.
Deep in thought, Vaughn walked towards the bars that confined them, creating a prison-like room that resembled a cage.
In the dimly lit surroundings, both inside and outside the cage, small lanterns provided the only source of light. Vaughn could see the glow emanating from various other rooms, indicating that this room was not the only one within the facility.
Remaining on his feet, Vaughn's attention was drawn to the arrival of two men. Reacting quickly, he jumped to the side and pretended to be asleep, hoping to avoid their notice. One of the men was fat and burly, with keys jangling around his waist. His unkempt hair resembled a bush, and his protruding belly gave him a panda-like appearance. The other man, in contrast, was thin and lean, with an elongated neck that seemed twice as long as the burly man's.
"The haul is great this time," the burly man commented, his voice filled with satisfaction.
"Indeed. We will make a significant profit at the auction this time," the other man responded, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
Coincidentally, the burly man's gaze fell upon Cage No. 4, where Vaughn was located. Vaughn, attempting to steal a glance, found himself making eye contact with the burly man, and he quickly shut his eyes tightly, feigning sleep.
Curiosity piqued, the burly man stopped in his tracks and pointed his finger at Vaughn. "You there, boy," he called out, his voice commanding attention.
Despite the burly man's calling, Vaughn continued to feign sleep, keeping his eyes tightly shut. The man's voice grew husky and heavy, echoing through the cell and rousing everyone, including the little girl who was supposedly Vaughn's sister. She slowly rubbed her eyes and felt a strange coolness around her body, which brought her a sense of comfort.
"You!" the man shouted, causing the little girl to flinch. Her gaze turned toward the man as he pointed at Vaughn, directing his anger towards him.
"Brother!", the little girl mustered her strength, stood up, and began running towards Vaughn.
However, before she could reach him, the burly man unlocked the cage door, forcefully pushing it open and storming inside, his intentions unclear.
The imposing figure in front of her caused the little girl to pause. The man, who had initially looked at Vaughn, now noticed the presence of the cute little girl standing right next to him on his right.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" the man exclaimed, a twisted grin spreading across his face. He twirled his tongue around his lips, moistening them as if he were savoring the moment.
The little girl felt a surge of fear and took a step or two back, instinctively sensing the danger that emanated from the man's predatory gaze.
"Do you want to have some fun?" he asked, his voice laced with malice. His gigantic hands slowly reached forward, poised to capture the defenseless little girl.
Reacting swiftly upon hearing this, Vaughn sprang to his feet and lunged forward, determined to protect the girl from harm. But before he could intervene, the second man, who had observed Vaughn's movement, swiftly delivered a powerful kick to his abdomen.
The force of the kick sent Vaughn staggering backward, his body wracked with pain. He struggled to regain his balance, momentarily incapacitated by the blow.
This caught the man's attention and gave enough time for Genie, another girl who was 18, to run and stand in between the little girl and the burly man.
"Master Foan, she is but a small girl."
"Why go after her when you have me?", the girl said, putting up a fake smile.
She had large breasts, extremely good, plum, and round. Purple hairs hung till her waist. Her curvy body was visible as the clothes she wore was extremely short, only till her thigh region.
Adding to that, she had a pretty face and really good skin.
"Genie, you know very well how to please your master!", the man grabbed her wrist and pulled her with him.
Vaughn, confused, after taking the kick merely raised his gaze, only to find Genie look at Vaughn with a sad gaze as a few drops of tears drizzled down her eyes and she was taken away.
As Vaughn didn't exactly have any memory regarding her, he acted as if it was nothing, but a weird… throbbing pain remained in his heart.
'Who is she?'