The next morning, the group were having breakfast and Elen was staring closely at both Polin and Bridget. What is this weird vibe I'm getting here?

Elen saw Polin playing with something on her finger and then her... neck.

Then suddenly turn to look at Bridget's neck!

SPOOT!

Elen spitted her drink out of her mouth and pointed her shaky finger at Polin.

"Wha, wha, wha- what is that on your finger Polin?" Elen was stuttering.

"It's my new wedding ring!"

Polin can't help but admire the ring all day and all night without rest.

Elen took at look at Bridget's fingers but no such ring, except she didn't have her collar as well.

Elen began looking at Kei like he was a strange animal.

"What is it Elen, something on my face?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm me and no one else."

Elen can't help but feel helpless in this situation. Is it possible that she will get a free pass if she hold out a bit more without bargaining? Kei and Bridget haven't even done it yet.

Elen went on to mumbling to herself.

Breakfast soon came to an end and daily life as usual but tonight will be a little different.

----------------------------------------

It's night and Kei and Elen arrived at the auction.

It was like a large auditorium with dim lights and a stage with bright, white lights shining upon it.

Everyone was wearing a mask that covers half or all of their face, like it was a masquerade ball.

There were several rows of seats, splitting into three sections. Unexpectingly, there was only a third of seats filled.

Kei and Elen took the furthest seats, far from the stage at the corner. Even if they had masks, demon wings and a hooded figure in dimmed lit room, would draw attention. They already did by a few Zuther Gents goons, but now they are eternally sleeping.

Elen came along due to her proclaim justice for elves. It's up to the authorities on the surface to prevent and free unjust means of getting elves into slavery, at least that was Elen's hope that it was enforced. But, criminal organizations of course would not follow the law. Elen would be extremely stressed.

It's will be a bit of time before anything happened so Elen striked up a conservation.

"So, you free slaves then buy some more. Ain't you worried it's gonna ruined your purse?"

"Don't worry your little head about it."

Elen didn't ask any further and looked around the area and saw the abundance of empty seats.

"So, anything special in buying slaves now? I'm starting to question if it's for pleasure or not."

"I... question that myself too. I want to buy a friend, maybe a couple of guards or maids."

"Guards and maids I could understand but purchasing a friend? Are you that desperate?"

"Not for me, who would want to be my friend? It's for Polin.

Do you think Polin would make friends through normal means? Life as a half-demon brought more hardship to her than me being a normal demon. Can she go to school normally? Can she join with other kids playing games normally? If not a friend then a sister or someone around her age. She only has her doting, handsome, rich husband, the stoic, mature Bridget, and ... you, to talk with. It must be difficult to follow along what we usually talk about.

As her big sister, you don't give a lot of sister love. I'm quite disappointed. You should give me your big sister badge."

"I'm already a good sister!"

Elen's yelling caused a few stares towards their way.

Elen whispered: "I understand where you're coming from but buying her a companion would do little. Think about it. Wouldn't it be false friendship be more damaging if found out? Wouldn't this friend just grow to hate her? To be Polin's forever playmate and putting out false smiles. What happen if this new companion is a demon or mix-breed hater?

I think Polin would be better if she stays away from public light as much as possible. While shopping as a group, she always felt uneasy without you around. There were scornful words thrown at her. Bridget and I can't do anything when she has a mental shutdown and we have to take her home."

Kei's tone became upset and cold.

"So, you saying she should lock herself up because a bunch of assholes just thrown some words at her? That's she is a sore eyes to the public and deserve not to go out? I sincerely don't want her to live like a hermit. Whoever I bought, I will make them understand their position.

I'm getting her a friend so she can develop confidents and have someone to talk to aound her age. Bridget and you doesn't have that likable charisma like me. As much as I'm okay for her to be dependent on me, I can't predict what will happen in the future and I want her to be a strong person."

"And you think all this will work out? That she can face her fears if she has someone be with her? How about you, ain't you gonna help her?"

"What do you think I'm doing now? If someone bad mouth my little wifey, they will disappear in the middle of the night. Do you think a person who solve most of his problems with his fists will help little wifey's inferiority complex?"

"Good point."

Kei and Elen continued talking to one another until a tall, black suited man without a mask came on stage.

"Welcome all to our monthly auction where we bring the finest and rarest of items.

There are variety of antiques, animals, and weapons that we present tonight from all corners of the world!

It's a pleasure for those who made it here tonight despite the unfortunate event the occurred this morning. 

Now, let's all begin our first item on the list.

We have captured a rare unicorn from the Takik Forest..."

The host continued his selling pitch of the unicorn. A few bids and the auction continues with paintings, a couple of exotic elves, and life saving elixirs.

Kei had to cover Elen's mouth when she saw those elves. Kei never saw tan elves before but Elen seemed to be very troubled by these particular elves. She hestitated to ask Kei to buy them but now she knows what she has to do later.

Then a particular person came on stage: a snow-like animal ears and twin tail girl in a kimono came out.

GASP

Elen gasped.

Kei whispered into her ears: "You know this person?"

Like on cue the host gave a some deatils on this person.

"Now, here is a rare sight! The princess of the snow fox clan from the Islands of Kitar. The war is still raging on between them and Cloq Dukedom. In the mix of battle and madness our organization manage to capture this little beauty!"

Kei scanned the girl, a couple of inches taller than Polin. When they mention snow fox, she was more like a snow fairy: white skin like snow, cotton fluffy ears and glimmering white hair, icy blue eyes, and a single canine tooth sticking out. She can match Elen's beauty. If Elen was like the sun, the fox girl was like the moon.

She was quite thin but she was scanning the room like a hungry predator until she met Elen's gaze.

Elen's whole body was tensing up.

"Kei, you have to buy her!"

"Yeah, she is the perfect companion." Kei nodded.

"No, you idiot! I know her!"

"Like a childhood friend?"

"Yes! Please, you have to save her!"

"Sister Ele! Sister Ele! Sister Ele!" The snow fox girl cried out.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

The girl tried to jump off stage but then suddenly she dropped to the ground and sparks are flying around her.

"Ahhh!"

The collar on her neck had just shock her.

"Where do you are going fox?" The host said.

"You bastard!" Elen yelled and tried to use magic, but a black tentacle came from the ground and tied to her seat and covered her mouth.

You idiot! She's a hostage!

"It looks like someone is a friend to our little fox, but how much are you willing to pay?"

The host gave a toothy grin.

"So, let's start the bidding.

5000 gold coins as the starting price!"

"5500!"

"7000!"

"8000!"

"10,000!"

The numbers are continuing to jump, even if it's a little. Whether she was that valuable or to infuriate Elen so that she wouldn't have enough to pay.

It was getting ridiculous then suddenly a young man in regal splendor stand straight and shout:

"50,000 gold!"

Then everyone stop bidding against one another and silence covered the room.

Whether it's because the young man came from a powerful background or they simply can't beat 50,000.

Kei stand up and bid as well.

"60,000!"

"70,000!"

"70,050!"

"70,800!"

The young man and Kei kept spewing out numbers even if it's a one coin diffference.

"100,000!" The young man yelled the top of his lung like he knew he will end this with this number.

Kei was getting tired and so he yelled: "100,001!"

The young man was about to speak but was stopped in his tracks.

Kei may or may not stunned him from the shadows but seriously. Kei may had robbed the majority of the nobles but he's not gonna waste the majority of his funds for one person!

The host was stunned for a moment but he need to resumed the auction.

"Are there any other bidders!?"

The host tried to rise the crowd to keep the number going or to force Kei to pay a higher price.

When one person tried, he was stopped in his tracks as well. Soon, everyone was stunned.

"Going once!

Going twice!

...

SOLD!"

...

...

Kei was annoyed by these other bidders trying to screw with him, so he discreetly injected a ticking time bomb of deadly poision in them through a thin needle from the shadows. The poison was spreading thorughout their body but couldn't feel due to being stunned. By tomorrow that will meet an excruciating pain and agony.

----------------------------------------

 In a reception room, Kei and Elen privately meet with the host and fox girl.

"Sister Ele!"

"Kirin!"

Both girls rushed into each others' embrace while Kei and the other man finalize the transaction and change the slave contract's owner.

"I would like to look at the other inventory if you please."

"Of course, please right this way." The other man replied.

"Hey, you two, let's go."

The two girls locked arm to arm with beaming smiles.

...

It was quite similar to Bagit's cell room but not that comforting for the captives and there was a bad odor.

Various animals and people are here and there was a headless body moving around, carrying a head.

The body was female. If you add the head, then she would be similar height to Elen. The body was wearing a tunic and black mist was coming out of the neck. Instead of white, it has black eyes with bright yellow irises. The skin was pale and the head has damp, long grey hair. You can't put a collar on a headless person, so there was a larger version of the collar that the body wears it like a belt.

"KYAAA!"

The fox girl, Kirin, freaked out. But Kei ignored her and ask a question.

"Hey, is this an undead or a cursed person?" Kei asked.

"Hehehe, this person is certainly an undead. There are two ways to become a dullahan. One way is dying with extreme hatred upon death, especially with the removal of the head. It happens more often than you think. People would commit suicide to become immortal, they only need the right amount of hatred and malice, and then off the head.

The second way was cursed armours, upon wearing it, it will transform you.

Either way, becoming a dullahan will give you power, wearing an amour even more so.

As you can see, it's the former. We found it roaming the forest killing everything that moves."

"And you never thought to kill her?"

"There are a few nobles and researchers having quite an interest in dullahans for various reasons."

"How much?"

"5,000 gold."

"Deal."

Transaction and switching ownership of the contracts are done on the spot.

Kei had summoned thousands of dullahans from the encyclopdia but they all look the same like clones. Seeing a dullahan from this world was different from the summoned one, a woman too.

"Are you seriously buying that thing?" Elen asked.

"How rude to call her a thing. If she is a thing then isn't that little girl hanging on to you a thing too?"

"Grrrr..." Elen fumed.

Kei ignored Elen and got close to the dullahan's cell.

"Hey, can you speak?"

The head just stared at Kei and not uttering a word. At least she isn't acting wild.

"Since you're acting calm then you can at least understand me. I'm your new master, serve me well and I will make your dreams come true."

"..."

Kei:  I guess I have to do it the hard way.

"Open the cell."

"Are you sure?" The host ask with caution.

"Yep."

The host quickly unlock the cell and ran a bit further down the hall.

The dullahan ran and tried to get a jump on Kei, but black tentacles came from the nearest shadows and hunged her in the air. Kei seperated the body and head and decided to do something despicable.

The tentacles began to tickle the body everywhere! The belly, the armpits, her sides, and the feet.

The head was puffing her cheeks and going red!

"Pft! Pppphh... Pfthaahahahahahahahahaha!"

The tickling continued until the head begged Kei to stop.

"Please! Pleae stop! Phahahah! I cannnnn't taaaaa....ke iiitt annnymooooreee! Phahhahahah!"

"Would you accept me as your master!"

"Yes! Yes! I accept! Just please stop!"

Kei stopped the tickling and lay the separated parts on the ground.

She was panting but her body quickly got up and grabbed the head.

"Are you gonna defy me?" Kei asked.

The body turned the head around and see that she wasn't in a favorable position.

"No, I'm not." She sulked.

"Are you sure? If you run once we leave. I'm make sure to kill you."

The dullahan's body felt a chill and the head sees that she really can't escape Kei, especially with her body having a slave collar. The head can go and do whatever she wants but...

"So, tell me your name."

"It's Jacklin... Master."

Kei nodded in approvement and introduces the other girls. The host snapped out of his daze and continued on showing off the other goods.

And again, something caught his eyes.

In a large cell there was webs everywhere. From the ceiling to the ground, it's like a nest.

A large figure was moving inside and with some light shining upon it.

It was a large person(?). The upper body of a woman and the lower half of that of a spider. Her human-like body was bigger than Bridget's upper body and her proportions are in the right places. She was standing at 9ft tall, if she stretched her legs maybe higher. She wasn't wearing a tunic like Jacklin but wrapped her large breasts with a fabric made of spider silk.

When you think of spiders, you think of colors like black and brown, but her spider's body was green. Her abdomen and  her 6 long, thin spider legs are bright green. The top of her head, her hair was white then quickly changed pink and the pink gets a bit darker the further it goes down. The hair was so long that reach down the floor and created a small pile.

There is a bush when the human-like body and spider body meets... If you look closer that's where her vagina is. The bush covers a large area, you think there's nothing but hair like a hairy armpit. But that's where her lower mouth are and the bush was pink as well.

She covered her breasts but goes full commando or is this considered half naked?

From her elbow to her finger tips aren't human but insect like with bright green exoskeleton and long ,thin fingers. Her arms look thin but the exoskeleton part looks hard as steel. She has 8 hexagon eyes, evenly apart, with the eyes at the center the largest. The eyes are all yellow, no pupils or irises, just all yellow. Her face was long, has a sharp chin, and her skin has white like the fox girl. There are twisting and spiraling patterns in pink and yellow on her body. Cover the lower half and she rivals Elen and Bridget in a different way.

If you place her at a pond, she was the lotus bathing in sunlight.

Everyone was awestruck except for the host.

She is so beautiful but... why is she still here?

The spider woman spitted poison in their direction.

The spider woman was then shocked by her collar and the poison was oozing on the ground dissolving the floor, except for the bars of the cell.

Ah. I see now.

"So, host anything about her I should know about?" Kei asked.

"She been here for quite a long time. Whenever someone bought her, she was brought back, due to unsatisfaction and attempted and successful murders. She is a very patient and sneaky arachne but I guess that's mostly what her race specializes in. Even when we try to subdue her, she fought back even when the shocking was maximum. Maybe it's her body or her magic resistance? We don't know and we can't kill her since it will be a waste.

I will give you a discount and the price would be 2000 gold to get it out of my hands."

"Deal."

Tranaction and slave contract obtained done.

Now, how to get this arachne to follow.

Again, the cell was opened and unlike Jacklin, she stood still and observe.

Kei stepped in the web covered cell and move closer to the arachne.

"Hello, my name is Kei. What's your name?"

The arachne was scanning Kei top to bottom and responded.

"Vetros."

"Do you want to leave this place?"

Vetros nodded her head.

"Do you have a home to return to?"

Vetros closed her eyes trying to remember but it been so long in captivity.

She slowly shook her head side to side.

"Do you want to find home?"

She nodded her head.

"Do you understand that you are a slave? What the collar does?"

She slowly nodded her head. Kei smiled.

"I'm a traveler of sorts. We will travel to different places and maybe find a clue to where your kind lives.

But I'm your master. Obey or die. Understand?"

She nodded her head.

Kei raised his hand expecting a shake. Vetros saw humans does this before but doesn't completely understand it, but she took his hand and shake.

Her hand was strange and felt like a slippery bones but her gripped was strong and sharp like knifes.

After a bit of introductions with everyone else, the host started to lead towards the exit.

Kei and Elen looked and nodded to each other.

Kei grabbed a short sword from his storage ring and tossed it towards Jacklin.

"Kill!" Kei yelled.

"What!" The host was shocked but it was too late for him.

Jacklin rushed towards the host and stabbed through his back. There were a few men witnessing this and came running with their weapons on hand. Vetros lifted one of her legs and pieced through one of the men's body, leaving a gaping hole. Elen used her earth spells and crush the others.

"Okay, let's go release the people and animals and rob this place clean!"

----------------------------------------

Kei and Elen walked back home with their new companions.

The slaves and rare animals were released from the collars, given money and escaped outside the city with Kei's help.

The hideout was filled with corpses and robbed of all valuables, Kei got his money back and then some.

While walking, Elen was wondering about something and ask Kei a question.

"Wait a minute, if we just kill the criminals and free the slaves, what's the point of going through the auction and just ransack the place from the get-go?"

"Because I love bidding."

"Huhhhh? That's it?"

"No. If we free the slaves before, do you think those two will follow me around willingly?"

Kei glanced back at Jacklin and Vetros.

Jacklin's head was just whistling along the way and Vetros was busy wrapping her long hair around her waist and body.

"Besides, you might miss the fox girl if we create an uproar, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. Also, can you release from her collar?"

"No."

"But...but..." Elen gripped Kirin's hand tightly.

"If you paid me 100,001 gold then I might considered. Hahaha!"

Elen and Kirin lament over the current predicament. Kirin got away from the slave trader and met her closest friend, but she got a bothersome master in exchanged! DAMN IT! What do I do? He got her under his thumb! What more can I offer?

"Little snow fox, don't be so sad. If you have something in exchanged for freedom, I'll be happy to take. So don't fret."

Kei was trying to be playful to calm her down but it made her even more anxious.

Kirin drooped her fox ears, thinking what can she offer for her freedom. She was a princess after all.

Then were a handful of elves with the group walking behind Elen like a posse. They are quite skeptical that the former princess was hanging around with the demon but were grateful to get out of there. They felt really assured with Elen and decided to follow her. The tan ones was very delighted to meet her and followed her closely like she was really a goddess walking on this mortal world.

While the group continue on their way home.

A certain young man from the auction was going back home. Back to the castle where he lives.