Kojo and Dona strolled through the bustling streets of Ekron, scanning for the perfect spot to start their joint venture. The sun shone bright, casting a warm glow over the city. They had been to the office and a bespectacled clerk had been tasked with showing them around prospective sites for the place.
Kojo whistled as they walked , a very optimistic look on his face.
(You're too excited. It's just a building.)Sysia snorted.
Their search began with a series of lackluster showings. Each building seemed more unimpressive than the last. Dona's boredom grew, while Kojo's enthusiasm began to wane.
Just when they were about to give up, their bespectacled clerk, Mr. Jenkins, led them to a quaint, two-story building not far from the market.
"Ah, now this one has potential," Dona said, her eyes sparkling.
Kojo nodded, inspecting the structure. It was old and a bit run down but some cleaning and a few touches here and there and the building would be brand new. Kojo also considered it because it was closer to the market and the main road he'd be able to easily get ingredients as well as customers. But most of all,the run down nature of the place. The other buildings were relatively well kept and maintained. If Kojo stood firm about purchasing this building,her be able to get it for a lower price
(But you have the money though. Why are you being so hard handed?)
" It's a habit to haggle over priced. I feel like I'll be cheated if I just accept whatever price is mentioned" he replied with his thoughts.
( You're just being stingy.)
" What's the price?" Kojo asked Jenkins.
Mr. Jenkins nervously cleared his throat. "We're looking at 6000 credits."
" 6000? Isn't that a bit much?" Kojo asked.
Dona looked from the clerk to Kojo and back again while stifling a yawn. She didn't have a problem with money. She essentially got whatever she wanted and if she needed it from a foreign nation then the treasury could cover that. She didn't even bother with how much was spent and she assumed that stand even now that she had reawakened.
She did however understand that unlike her, Kojo wasn't a royal and was still bound by financial constraints.
Dona's face twisted into a sly grin. "
Let me handle this."
She took a step forward but Kojo swiftly intervened, grasping Dona's arm and pulling her back
. "No, no, no. We'll negotiate civilly."
Dona pouted, her lower lip jutting out. "Spoilsport."
Undeterred, she attempted to use her allure to brainwash Mr. Jenkins. Her eyes locked onto his, and her voice took on a sultry tone.
"You want to give us a discount, don't you, Mr. Jenkins?"
Kojo swiftly interrupted, noticing she was trying to manipulate his thoughts.
"Dona, money isn't a problem. "
( Then why are you being stingy.)
"But it's 5000 credits! We can get it for cheaper." Dona said, pretending she was bothered by the price. Kojo saw through the act and knew Dona just wanted to cause trouble.He turned to Jenkins.
"We'll be using our own money to renovate and refurbish as well as purchase all the necessary things. Kindly consider that and reduce the price."
After some haggling, they settled on 4500 credits. Kojo agreed to pay part upfront and the rest when he returned for the papers.
They left and Dona began nagging Kojo about how he didn't let her have some fun. Kojo blocked her talk and played some music from the playlist in Sysia's database. They met up with the others at the town square. Saleem, Eden, and Rey approached from one side, while Sharone, Koniko, Lin, Sasha, and Adriana arrived from the other.
"Hey, guys!" Kojo called out, waving.
The group merged, exchanging stories of their day as they walked home.
Malcolm Marconni, a stout and repulsive man, sat bare chested on a chair in a room in the house he'd purchased just outside of Ekron.His pig-like eyes gleaming with malevolence as he looked down in the figure who was on all fours acting as a sort of tabke for him. He poured some of the alcohol on the person then took a jug of his back to refill then took another long swig. He had two huge rings in each finger.
His balding head reflected the dim light of the room, and his thick, greasy beard was sleek as the alcohol he was drinking leaked down the sides of his mouth. His potbelly jiggled as he shifted, exuding an aura of discomfort and unease.
The air around him seemed to thicken, heavy with the stench of corruption and depravity.
He had his foot on Felix, the demihuman feline boy he'd sent out to tail Dona and Kojo earlier. Marconni kicked out ,his foot connected with Felix's head, sending him crashing to the floor.
"Worthless!" Marconni spat, his voice dripping with venom.
"You had one job, Felix. One simple job and you failed."
Felix whimpered, his eyes welling up with tears as Marconni grasped his hair, dragging him across the floor.
"Come, let me show you what happens to failures," Marconni sneered, pulling Felix toward a room filled with slaves.
The room was a nightmarish dungeon, filled with gnomes, centaurs, sharplings, harpies, and even a few Merfolk. Most were from Ekron, captured and enslaved under Marconni's orders.
"Slaves are hard to come by in this modern era," Marconni complained, his voice laced with frustration.
"Those Maajin are especially dangerous now acting up here and there. I lost a full caravan of little girls last month to those rabid things. They were torn apart and now I'm at a loss. So far I've found ways to avoid them by dealing with the Dark Apostles, and now I have this wonderful collection to make up for that loss. Now I'm here in this land where I can harvest all sorts of rare specimen to sell. My buyers would mindlessly dance to my tune if I sold a female for a million credits. Yet the biggest obstacle to this runs around." Marconni spat then raised the huge mug he was carrying and took a sip.
Felix's gaze fell upon his twin sisters, Finn and Fiona, chained in a cage, their eyes wide with terror.
"Ah, yes, your precious siblings," Marconni cooed, reaching through the bars and stroking Finn's hair she bit him. He pulled her by the collar causing her face to be pressed against the bars
"I've been saving them for special occasions. You see, Felix, you and your sisters were sold to me, which means I can do whatever I please with you."
Marconni's eyes gleamed with perversion as he whispered, "And I've been waiting for the perfect moment to break you all in." He said licking her cheek.
Felix's face contorted in rage and hatred, but Marconni just laughed.
"Oh, how I like that look in your face." He kicked him again.
"Hate me all you want, Felix. It won't save you."
Marconni's eyes gleamed with sadistic pleasure as he grasped Felix's hair, dragging him across the floor.
"You had one job, Felix. One simple job. Assassinate a single teenager, and you failed!" He sneered, the back of his hand connecting with Felix's temple, sending him crashing to the floor. Felix's gaze fell upon his twin sisters, chained in a cage, their eyes wide with terror. Marconni's gaze followed Felix's, and a cruel smile spread across his face.
"Come here," Marconni cooed, pulling Finn from the cage. Fiona reached out, crying, "Finn! No!" but Marconni's lash struck her face, sending her crashing back into the cell, her upper right eye bleeding. "Ah, three days, Felix," Marconni said, his breath hot against Finn's cheek.
"You have three days to eliminate Kojo. Fail, or I'll break this lovely girl, sell her to men far worse than me."
Felix's eyes burned with determination, his voice barely above a whisper. "Finn..." Marconni chuckled, licking Finn's cheek, as Felix's face twisted in disgust, she but his tongue. With a yell, Marconni threw her against a cell. Fiona's cries echoed through the cell, "Finn! Finn!"
Marconni's fingers snapped once and the brand of servitude slightly below her collar bone sent a jolt if electricity through her body. Felix managed to grab Marconni's leg but he kicked him away and snapped causing the one on the side of his neck to glow , sending a jolt of electricity coursing through his body. The room illuminated, and Felix's screams echoed through the chamber.
Marconni cackled, his eyes shining with sadistic pleasure. "Keep screaming, boy! It's music to my ears!"
The lightning ceased, leaving Felix's limp, smoking body crumpled on the floor.