“Is there anything we need to do? I feel useless just sitting in this room all day while you are out doing all the work” Annabelle protests after Casper finishes explaining his goals for tomorrow.
Casper had explained only a fraction of his plans for tomorrow's auction in order to ensure that, if any of them were questioned, they would only have enough real information to send anyone who could possibly interfere in the wrong direction.
In short, he had explained that he would be using their money to purchase fine clothes and buy a seat at the auction house. He told them that he needed information from there, and that they would recoup the losses soon. The portion of his plan that was a lie, explained that he would use the opportunity to shake hands with important people to get close to his goal of more information.
The way the party had left Insmouth was of course well known to them all, Alex and Elisayra namely, had watched Casper kill Alex’s uncle. While it was very likely they had some ideas about the nature of these meetings and why Casper needed to get close it was better not to confirm anything for the sake of plausible deniability. Mages were rare, and magical items in similar fashion were hard to come by, but still it was possible that with them being considered high value targets, a noble would pull out all the stops to figure out their plans.
“There are a few parts I'd like you to help with,” Casper explained, looking at his group of traveling companions.
Elisayra looked on with deep intent, her eyes wide and body poised, leaning forward ready to accept her orders. Annabelle stood tall, with her arms crossed over her chest and smiled wide, looking forward to doing something other than sitting inside. Alex was much more timid, standing nearer the back of the room with Nephinae at her side. Both women looked worried, though Nephinae less so, disguised by her usual mask of maidly duty.
“I have slightly different plans in mind for each of you, I know that I won't be able to give you alot of details but id ask you to trust me on this.” Casper explains, as he grabs some spare parchment from the desk drawer in the room, and dips a quill in some ink to outline the plan for the gathered women.
“Annabelle, I'd like for you to accompany me to the Auction, each attendant is allowed up to two servants to accompany them, though you won’t have a seat and will need to stay near the back of the auction house. We will get you some clothes to look the part as best as possible. Once we are inside I will try and make some friends and maybe even make some bids, but most importantly I need you to keep an eye on who is bidding for what item and keep a mental note of it. I will need to be focusing on a lot of other things so please keep track of who makes what purchases and tell me afterwards”
“Understood” Annabelle seemed more than a little disappointed at the secretarial nature of the event, and while Casper didn't want to reveal too much too early, in order to get her into better spirits decided to divulge a little more
“Things will very likely get…heated at the event, trust me, if some fights start or people get a little unruly, I want you to make an effort to keep those people responsible for purchases inside.”
Annabelle's expression widened at that. “Of course” She said with much more enthusiasm at the prospect of being allowed to rough up some noblemen.
“Elisayra, there is a boat docked outside the back of the Auction House, on that boat will be some important documentation with a thorough accounting of monies and items. I need you to steal it for me. Think you can do that?”
“Absolutely!” She beamed a smile, “I won't let you down!” She offered a sincere bow that made Casper a little uncomfortable.
Shaking off the strange sentiment, he turned his attention to Alex and Nephinae. “You two…you’re faces are a bit more known I'm afraid, not by everyone but the last thing I’d want is for someone to recognize you and cause trouble. Because of that you’re tasks will be a little less involved directly but still important”
Alex and Nephinae look to one another before returning their gaze back to Casper.
“After all my necessary purchases we will have about 100 marks left to work with, I'd like for you two to use that money to buy provisions for travel, let's call it two weeks worth and ready it for us to leave quickly, I also need you two to look for and purchase a slave who is proficient in wilderness travel, namely tracking and hunting in the surrounding area. Someone local to this part of the coast.”
“A slave…” Alex says more confused than anything. “Of course…do you have any preference for appearance or-”
“No, nothing like that, I don't care who they are really so long as they are skilled at moving around the surrounding area quickly and efficiently” Casper cuts her off.
“I will make sure we pick an adequate slave for you” Alex says with a bow.
Casper knew already that this would likely cause some issue, however he needed someone who knew the area to help them make a quick escape. They couldn’t afford even a second of wasted time making decisions by themselves once Casper was done with the auction house.
“Are we going to be run out of another city?” Annabelle asked, as if reading Casper’s mind.
“If I do my job correctly, possible.” Casper admits.
“Well, if there is any city that I wouldn't mind being run out of it’s this one” Annabelle continues. Looking out the window. “This place disgusts even me”
“Agreed” Alex nods.
“I promise we won't be run out of every city we go to, mostly. The next stop, depending on the information I manage to get, will be longer than a week. I don’t like all this cross country travel either but…”
“It's alright” Nephinae says softly from the back of the room. “We will not presume to know the depth of your reasons, but you have so far been good to us, better than any other man would have in your position. Each and every person here owes you their life. It is not our place to question you”
The other girls nod their heads in agreement. And while that notion alone made Casper uncomfortable, it was best to accept now and explain later to avoid any issues cropping up so close to the day of his plans for this city. So he nodded his own understanding “Good. The Auction isn’t till tomorrow at noon, so we have all morning to prepare. Lets try and get a good night's sleep so we can be ready to run in the morning” He said jokingly.
The girls smiled in their own varying degrees of amusement.
The cool morning air and marine layer rolling in from the coast did well to hide Casper and Annabelle as they made their way through the city streets to one of the many dozen clothing stores in the city.
It wasn’t particularly difficult for Casper to shop for himself, being of muscular, though average height and weight, if only a little on the taller side. By the second store Casper had purchased a long tailed coat with a high collar in the current fashion, which was unbearably hot in the Crimson Coasts weather, as well as a simple deep forest green tunic and darker vest over top, with black pants and a very nice pair of boots, that both looked the part of noble fashion, while also being rather comfortable for travel. He also purchased a simple tricorn hat to match the more nautical fashion he had seen nearer the docks. He kept his black leather gloves to hide the markings on his hands, as well as his scarf, though he tied it more tightly around his neck to mimic the look of a nobleman's kerchief.
Casper wasn’t one for fashion, and instead always opted to wear what he found to be the most comfortable regardless of its appearance, however given the fact that he needed to look the part of a nobleman, it was a good excuse to spend some of their money on nicer things.
Annabelle was much harder to shop for. Nearly every store in the area selling women's clothing had sizes tailored more to the slender and petite. Annabelle was neither of these things.
It took several stores before they found one specializing in the sale of servant cloths for the likes of orcs primarily, though they ran a little big it was much easier to size the clothing down, than it would be to size the smaller articles up.
Annabelle and Casper both looked around the store's stock to find articles approximately in Annabelle's size, eventually finding a few articles. Annabelle made her way behind the changing curtain, while Casper continued to glance over the selection.
“Casper?” Annabelle asked suddenly.
“Yes?”
“I understand you need to keep secrets from us, in fact I think out of everyone I'd understand it the most. So much of my time on the road was spent following orders I never knew the specifics of, and while I trust you much more than I trusted any of my other leaders, I find myself somehow ever more in the dark somehow…” She trails off.
Casper takes in a breath as he realizes that he will have to explain a little more than he would like. He of course could always tell her to drop the subject, but out of all of his traveling companions Annabelle had actually been with him the longest, though not by much. Still, that counted for something in his eyes.
“Sorry about that, I know it must be frustrating for you. I promise it's not because I don't trust you all, but because I need to make sure we all stay safe” Casper tried.
“I understand, if you don’t want me to talk any more on the subject i can-” Annabelle started, but was cut off.
“No no, its alright. I can explain a little more but, it has to stay between us. Much like you being the one who would understand secrecy being necessary the most, I trust you to keep this confidential alright?”
“Of course” Annabelle's voice took on a more surprised tone, clearly anticipating some answers finally.
Casper looked back to the curtain Annabelle was behind, and passively massaged his gloved hand. His mind mulled over the facts of his journey and settled on what would be just enough to say, for now.
“I come from a small village near the border, and it was… attacked” He offered, pausing for a moment as the force of the memories made him grind his teeth. “They were under order from Duke Regalt I guess. I only learned that after following their trail down from my village and past a small town. The town had mentioned that they marched from the east, which meant the army had passed through Insmouth, which is why I made that my first stop. Now, the trail has led me here.”
“And I take it you are after revenge? Trying to do that against such a powerful force is a death wish Casper, perhaps I can ask you to reconsider?”
“That isn’t an option for me I'm afraid” Casper lowered his voice. “They took everything from me. My father and his friends built that village, I was born there, raised there, with my friends and family. The things they did to my cousins, my aunts and uncles… this isn’t the kind of mission I can reconsider, besides. I'm in too deep. You heard the bells at Insmouth, the fights we got to on the road. The soldiers they sent after all. You all said you owed me a life debt, and ill respect your culture for that, but I'm not beholden to it. If you want to leave, then leave. I'd rather you dishonor yourself and be alive than honor your life debt and die on my revenge quest” Casper let the words fall out of his mouth in a drone. It had been a long time since he had spoken out loud about it all, and now as the words were heard by another person it made it all feel so much more real.
“Casper, I cannot do that. You might not be from the more local areas, but a life debt isn’t something so easily squandered. You saved my life, that is a life owed. Whether I want it or not is irrelevant to the fact that if I do not uphold my debt to you, my afterlife will only be suffering. That is what I believe”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“I really don’t know how I feel about this round about indentured servitude, it feels wrong” Casper scowls as he thumbs through some hats on a shelf.
“It also matters not what you feel. Though, if it eases your conscience, even if I did not owe you a life debt, I would still choose to follow you” Annabelle said in a much softer voice.
“Follow me? Why? You barely know me. Sure we fought side by side once, and we have shared a number of meals together and spent time in proximity but I don’t think I know you. I know the stories you’ve told me, and you know the stories I've shared but that's honestly not nearly enough to follow me to the grave” Casper says with a half laugh in disbelief. Maybe this was another cultural matter he didn’t understand. It felt too extreme. Sure they had spent alot of time on the road together and they had spent time talking at camp on the road but honestly he couldn’t say he knew Annabelle at all.
“Quite the contrary, I do know you, and I find you worth following” Annabelle replied matter-o- factly, much to Casper's surprise.
“I have followed only a few men, I have seen enough and been around enough to understand the nature of people in this world.” Annabelle said, her voice filled with resolve. “There are 4 categories a man can fall into, strong, weak, cruel, and kind. Of those categories, the strong and cruel, and the weak and kind make up the most of men. Of those two the strong and cruel will always win. You said you do not know me but you have heard my stories. The things I have done on the road I am not proud of. The things I had to endure at the hands of others molded me into the woman I am today. I used to be weak, and kind, and now I am strong, and while I wouldn't consider myself cruel, I am far from kind. At least the same “kind” I used to be” Annabelle continued.
Casper thought on that for a moment, sifting through the people he had met on his travels up until this point, and silently resigning that the world outside his fringe village was very much how she described, even in his own short experience with it.
“This world is not pleasant for the kind, and it is not gentle with the weak. Horrors happen all around us all the time, just look at this city.” Annabelle says in disbelief. “For many years I thought I knew the world, until you came along. You see. When I saw you fight I knew you were strong. After all, you did what me and my crew could not, and not a one of us was an amateur at combat. But…despite your strength you were kind. You saved us, you saved me, a complete stranger. You spilled blood for me, nearly dead for me. You are one of the very very few people left on this earth both strong and kind. Do you know how rare that is?” She asks genuinely
Despite its rhetorical nature Casper still replied “I would assume nearly none?”
“Exactly.” She quickly snapped out a confirmation. “In my years of being on the road and encountering hundreds upon hundreds of people from nearly all walks of life, it was you who was the first to be both strong and kind in equal measure. Besides that, you are no fool, you are intelligent, you are thoughtful, you are…at times very socially inept but in a charming way” She adds with a laugh.
“Hey, I grew up in my small village, not like we had alot of outsiders to talk to, or women owing me life debts.” Casper adds with a chuckle.
“True,” she returned the laugh. “Still, my point is that while yes, we haven’t had much time to get to know each other incredibly well, but you are so…unique, so uniquely strong and capable and in the same breath understanding, generous, and much more. How could I not follow you? You are strength, you are, in my opinion, what a man should strive to be.” She trails off, and Casper can practically hear her cheeks turning red from here.
As cute of a thought as it was to let her remain embarrassed, Casper couldn’t let her spill her heart out and then not say anything, or say something insincere.
“Well… thank you for that Annabelle, I really do appreciate it” Casper says genuinely, and with as much sincerity as he can muster.
There is a brief pause that hangs in the air between them, before Annabelle speaks again.
“Can I be honest with you Casper?” Annabelle asks.
“Of course, please, I'd ask you to be always honest with me,” Casper replied casually as he examined a collection of strange pieces of garments he was trying to figure out the purpose of.
“I know we just spoke of life debts, and it's true that I owe you my very life, I am yours to use as you see fit. I am in no position to deny you anything…”
“But?” Casper asked with a raised eyebrow as he anticipated some addendum to the statement.
“But I would rather die in battle at your command than be seen in public wearing this” She said with a quivering voice.
“It can’t be that bad,” Casper sighed, turning to look at the curtain currently hiding the woman, returning to the task at hand.
“It truly is” she insists
“Come on, let's see it. There are only two other things in your size here, let's take a look at this one, and then you can get out of it and try the other two” Casper explains, now somewhat amused.
“Do you need to see it?” She asks.
“I suppose I don’t, if you really don't like it that much then just move to the next one”
There is a brief pause, before eventually the curtain is pulled back revealing a very uncomfortable looking Annabelle.
Her long black hair fell in loose curls over one shoulder, disguised mostly by a large floppy hat that rested at a harsh angle. The outfit was… restrictive, Casper thought, as he examined the heavy fabric cinched tightly to her body. A multi layered skirt dragged nearly to the ground with an even heavier looking apron on top. The sleeves extended past her hands with far too much extra fabric at the bottom to give them a very “flowy'' look when she moved. The top half of the dress rose up to a tall collar that was tight around her neck all the way up to her jawline.
Casper had to admit he was impressed by how much “fuller” her already impressively full figure looked with all that extra fabric layered on top, however he quickly understood the issue at hand.
“I see the problem,” Casper noted.
“I told you!” Annabelle huffed as she violently slammed the curtain closed. “It's too much! It makes me look huge!”
“Well, you are bigger than most men, but you’re right, that was alot of fabric” Casper had to admit.
“Let's see. This one is a bit lighter, it might allow for some more movement” Casper grabbed the second dress and handed it to Annabelle through the curtain.
Casper had to admit that out of all of his traveling companions, Annabelle had his gaze the most.
What he wouldn't give to see her change in there...
Casper wasn't typically the kind of man to be so infatuated with a woman, it just wasn't the kind of person he was, however something about Annabelle affected him differently.
Nephinae was beautiful, graceful, and definitely a pleasant sight at the camp. Alex, despite her boyish short hair, she had an incredible body he had realized. She was soft and supple In all the right places. Elisayra was petite, and while he definitely enjoyed the figure of Alex and Annabelle more, Elisayra had a wild hunger in her eyes and in that little body that Casper couldn’t help but get a little carried away in. If anything she was more on the “cute” side as opposed to a descriptor like beautiful.
Annabelle however, she was just simply impressive. Taller than him by just enough, she was a proper woman in his eyes. Her curves were divine. Her bust and rear end large enough to get lost in, all of accentuated by powerful muscle hidden just underneath. Casper hadn't thought he was into that kind of thing really. At the very least the thought never particularly crossed his mind until he caught a glimpse of her well defined back as she was bathing in the stream near camp on one of their first nights.
She by no means looked masculine, she just looked like the most woman He had ever seen.
Once again the curtain opened and Annabelle looked on the brink of death from embarrassment.
“Bold” Casper Says, as it was the only way he could quickly describe the outfit before him.
A puffy-armed tunic shirt sat underneath a tight vest that looked nearly ready to burst apart at Annabelle's chest. A high waisted skirt rose to about her navel and came down in a nearly straight line to just above the ankle. She looked more the part of a rural handmaid than any noble servant, made doubly unconvincing and borderline ridiculous due to her sheer size.
“Definitely not,” Annabelle sighs. “Perhaps you should have gotten one of the others to play this role, Casper. I'm afraid I don't quite have the proportions for the part” Annabelle sighs again with a thick tinge of sadness in her tone.
“Are you kidding? Not a chance, you're perfect for the part, trust me” Casper tried to reassure her, but her lack of response for a time didn't give him much confidence that he had succeeded.
“Alex has the body of a proper lady, not too short nor too tall, not too Skinny nor too large…” Annabelle starts. “Nephinae is simply beautiful, plus she knows how to he a servant. I’m nothing more than a brute and a bandit,” her tone picks up a frustrated edge to it as the sounds of shifting and moving clothes come from behind the curtain.
Casper tried to think of what he could say. Sifting through the possibilities to put Annabelle's mind at ease, he settled on some words of praise to give to her. She seemed to respond well to praise from what he had seen, and that didn’t apply just to after a fight.
Just as he started to speak, the thoughts left his mind as Annabelle pulled back the curtain to reveal the 3rd and final outfit.
It was a two piece dress that rose to her chest, just barely covering her bust. The form of it hugged her curves all the way down to her hips where it split down either side of her thighs. Strappy sandal Like shoes lace the length of her legs up to just below the knee. Meanwhile, the top part of the dress acted almost like a collar, resting just on her shoulder providing a window to her cleavage, before coming down and hugging her arms. It was less of a servants dress And more of a high class courtesan’s attire if Casper was being honest, but dammit if he didn’t mind one bit.
“As bad as the others then?” Annabelle asked, crossing her arms in embarrassment.
“No…no quite the opposite really, it's great,” Casper found himself gulping down a flurry of other descriptors in an instant as she turned to examine herself In the mirror, revealing the dress's lace, open back.
“It's definitely the most mobile of the options. I suppose we spent enough time already. It's comfortable to wear so it will have to do. If you don't mind it?” Annabelle asked, turning back to Casper.
“No other dresses needed, that's the one” Casper confirmed, hoping his reddening cheeks weren't too obvious
After paying for the dress, the sun had already risen enough to bake off the majority of the lingering morning fog.
By the time they reached the steps to the auction house It was already filling quickly. The wait in line to purchase a seat was quick, and Casper was grateful for it. The heat was already getting to him under the heavy clothes he wore, and he couldn't help but be envious of Annabelle's much more revealing attire, if only for the breeze it would provide.
Looking around after being permitted entry past the posted Guards, it looked as though Casper had made the right decision. Leaving Annabelle at the top where the other servants were to remain during the auction's durations, many were dressed rather provocatively. It appeared this event was just as much an opportunity for the rich and powerful to show off their servants and clothes and accessories as it was to buy items for sale.
Casper settled Into his seat among the hundreds of others. Each seat was large, with more than enough space around him to be undisturbed, though close enough to lean over and engage in banter if it was needed. Small tables were set to his left and right. One containing a pamphlet of the items on auction and in what order they will arrive. The other table possessed wine and small cakes.
There didn't appear to be too many curious observers, in fact most everyone present was dressed nearly as horrifically as Captain Dumont had been, with their servants dressed in equal high fashion though showing much more skin. Casper scanned the box seats and private booths set higher into the building, noting the faces of the men and women present, even going so far as to offer a slight nod to Captain Dumont as he spotted him in one of the above private seats. Maybe if he was lucky the man would invite him up.
It took the better part of an hour before everyone had settled in, and the doors were closed. The natural light streaming In from the glass domed ceiling high above illuminated everyone almost equally at noon, though the central stage was the most prominent.
As a woman came out onto the stage, the passive murmur of conversation died down to silence to allow her to speak.
She was a tall, elegant figure, a full elf Casper realized. Her perfect Ashen hair flowed down in loose curls all the way to her exposed navel from her deep V cut dress that left little to the imagination. She was adorned in delicate silver jewelry around her long neck and narrow waist, and her voice was musical, almost sing-songy as she spoke.
“Welcome one and all, lords, ladies, counts, countess, dukes and duchesses,” she intones “those of you returning, we thank you for your incredible patronage.” She bows deeply and sweeps her open hand out to the crowd. “Those of you joining us for the first time, you have much to look forward to. The Crimson Harbor Auction House Is the most reputable of its kind in the kingdom of Getha, to across the crimson sea.” a few cheers and claps go up at that. And the elven woman smiles at the applause.
“I am your humble proprietor Aleas'shie And your auctioneer For this evening. As always, to those here for the first time I will go over the rules of our auction house” she starts, looking over everyone In the crowd.
“Each of you has paid good money this evening just to be here, and while I know there are those who simply wish to observe, I would ask you all to only bid on items you have the coin to pay for. While we do offer payment plans courtesy of our joint operations with the Crimson Coast banking house, a minimum down-payment of %50 is required at time of final bid. If you do not have the marks, or marked bank note for at least a %50 down-payment, you will lose your bid and you will be banned from our auction house for the period of one year.”
A few jeers erupt, as well as some laughs and taunts to anyone who would try and stiff this auction house.
“Additionally, Due to the nature of the auction this evening we have extra guards positioned at all exits and through ways. Furthermore once the auction has begun, the doors will be closed and we will not be permitting further entry, nor exit. We will be offering a brief intermission at the halfway point of this evening. Latrines are located to the left and right of the building.”
Some murmurs of excitement come up this time as those around Casper not so silently discuss the thrill of dangerous slaves being auctioned today.
“Lastly, as bidding continues this Evening we will have our auction house staff patrolling the venue to ensure your bid is recorded, as the bidding gets more intense there are hand signs you must be aware of. Raising your hand fully above your head is a bid increase of 10,000 marks. Raising your hand half way is a bid of 5,000 marks. Clenching your first next to your face is an indication to myself and venue staff that you are out and will not place any further bids on this particular item. I will state the price of a bid three times, giving everyone three opportunities to place a new bid. I will indicate a final chance on the third statement of its current bid value by raising my hand. If you fail to place a new bid by the time my hand is lowered, it will not be counted.” The elf claps her hands together and smiles wide
“Now, enough of me, you will hear my voice enough in the coming bids, without further ado, Action Item number 1!” She announces loudly. “This island is located….”