The wind howled as a figure stood amidst rubble, their white cloak still as the night sky even as dust and sand whipped around in a storm, parting before the figure as chaos consumed everything. People's screams echoed amidst debris covered streets, figures dashed about in the cloud of chaos, yet the cloaked figure remained still and silent. A hint of green reached out from the back of their cloak like vines. I tried to reach the figure, but my legs gave out, as if drained of all strength and seemed to be made of wet clay as I struggled and called out to the figure through the sand and dust that scratched its way down my throat. The hood lifted, two glints of ahen gold shined in the hood, darkness shrouding all other features.

Consciousness came in disjointed waves of sensation and color. Distant voices reaching my ears as barely comprehensible as an iching seemed to settle into my skin

"He doesn’t strike me as a criminal, boss," a voice remarked.

"His papers say otherwise. Wake him up and prepare him," a stern response followed.

I sat up spluttering and shakeing as cold water dripped from my hair. The world around me slowly took shape along with that sensation of itching taking up a permanent place on the edge of my awareness.

Facing me now was a towering orc in patched pants and what looked like a dirty chef's hat perched on his head, holding a bucket recently emptied of water. Stepping aside the orc revealed a tall crostrixan woman in elegant attire. Her flowing green robes bore the empire's signet on her shoulder, her slender figure an odd contrast to her crocodile-like head and draconic features.

"Good morning, Liam Solus. I am the master of trade here, and I am to inform you that you’ve arrived in the city of Huābàn, in the fief of Liánhuā, under Imperial General Tiánliào. According to the laws of the Si Xiang Empire, you will be sold today as a permanent indentured servant, destined to spend the rest of your days paying for your crimes against the Emperor and Dúlóng," the crostrixan woman announced with regal authority.

Her words hung in the air and before I could even understand what the heck she was talking about, the orc chimed in happily "And I’m 'ere to clean ya up and put some grub in ya before today’s market," he grinned, eyes beaming with pride.

This was followed by the woman glaring at the orc as she proceeded to open a scroll with a flourish. "You are charged with theft, assault, and attempted assault," she stated, her expression quizzical her reptilan eyes seeming to search the scroll for something.

"How do ya attempt to bash someone? Either ya does it or ya doesn’t," the orc interjected, looking utterly perplexed.

"Kreg, it does not matter how, only that he has done it."

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As they continued their discussion, I finally managed to sit up, feeling the weight of a thick iron band around my waist. Examining it closely, I noticed intricate runic marks carved into its rough surface and an odd diamond-like clasp held it closed I was also no longer wearing my pants, shirt or servants vest that my last master had provided in there place was a pair of basic paints and shirt both made of what i guessed was burlap from its rough texture and light brown color wich explaind the iching sensation that covered me, on my feet however where a very familiar pair Turnshoes the single piece of leather that made up the sheo had faded to the same color of my new burlap clothes and the stitches near my heels had just the right amount of give from years of usage and one the soul that once rose slightly higher than the other was now level.

My holding cell if you could even call it that was little more than a stall it was a small five-foot by five-foot space, its walls reaching up to a roughly ten-foot ceiling. Glowing metal strips lined the doorway, hay strewn across the floor, and a forgotten bucket in the corner that i would rather not think about emitted an unpleasant acrid odor.

"How’d ya do it, eh?" the orc’s voice pulled me from my thoughts and observations.

"How did I do what?"

"How does ya try to bash someone?"

"Either ya does or ya doesn’t."

The orc stood there patiently, genuinely curious, while the master of trade lingered in the doorway, appearing uninterested yet perhaps slightly intrigued.

"I’m not sure. I tried to hit the salver who brought me here, but his avatar bit me. That is probably where the charge came from," I explained, still trying to make sense of it all.

With a nod, the orc—Kreg, if I recall correctly—stood up. "I see ya tried to bash someone, but ya got bashed instead."

"I gue—"

"Kreg," the crostrixan interjected with finality in her tone. "We have other livestock to prepare before today’s market. Please, hurry and do your job. I shall retire to my office; we have no other indentures today, so there is no need for further readings. The market will open in two hours precisely.``

With that, she left, empyreal pride exuding from every movement until she vanished from sight.

"Ya names liam right?" the orc’s voice bringing me back to the present and realizing he was no longer in my line of sight how the heck did he move without me noticing he had to be at least two hundred pounds

"My name?" I said with confusion in my voice as i tried to figure out how he had moved so quietly

"Yeah, ya name, what others call ya."

"My name’s Liam."

"Liam, huh? Good name. I’m Kreg, named after me dad, Kreger. A right good cook he was. I ain’t as good as him, but hopefully, this meal helps put some meat on ya, Liam. You’re too scrawny for the work ahead,"

"What are you making?" I asked, attempting to lighten the mood and give my mind a minute to figure out what was happening.

"Is me dad’s signature rabbit’s foot soup,"

"Rabbit’s foot soup?"

"Yeah, ya know how rabbit’s feet are supposed to be lucky? Well, me dad figured it ain’t very lucky for the rabbit that was wearing ‘em. But it was a good day for the thing that’s eaten it, so rabbit’s feet ain’t luck for the rabbits. It must be lucky for whatever eats the rabbits."

"I don’t know if your father is brilliant or just very confusing," I said honestly.

This was met with bellowing, raucous laughter from Kreg, his large form shaking with mirth outside my stall. The bucket in the corner rattled and the hay jumped as though the ground itself was shaking.

Calming down, the walking earthquake stepped in front of my stall and handed me a bowl filled with brown broth and seared chunks of what i assumed was rabbit “Well eat up now Liam gots to get you some meat on those bones before the auction” he stated heading out of sight “and when your finished just slide the bowl out the door but keep your waist away from those glyphs on the door they don't like each other very much.”