The sun was barely visible above the surrounding buildings when Syn noticed the number of people in the market had drastically decreased. Their crowd had stayed, but soon their attention would also wane as the sounds of the festivities began.

Few things remained in the blanket, and Syn stopped for a quick recount. By her calculations, they had earned around 6 Silvers and 30 Coppers, which, added to the materials sale, should make for about 9 Silver, 70ish Copper and a few dozen Zincs.

It was still far from the Gold coins that were paid for Green cards, but almost 10 Silvers to their stash would almost double their savings. The day was already a success.

They had sold almost everything, but Syn knew they needed to switch up their strategy if they wanted to end with a big bang. It was time for their all-or-nothing auction. Everything except Nana's Flag and a bag to carry their purchases would have to go.

She patted Nyk's shoulder and addressed the audience. "Friends, it's time for the last auction." The sounds of disappointment at the event coming to an end echoed throughout the crowd.

"But we haven't even learned about the giant knife and fork!..." someone said in the back, and a group on the right side erupted in laughter.

Syn seized the opportunity, "That story and everything except our flag and an empty bag will go to whoever wins the next bid. We'll even include a premium item we've been saving for the end!"

The crowd chuckled and murmured in anticipation.

Syn pulled out the mana stone and raised her hand in the sky for everyone to see. "I'm sure all of you know what this is. The value of a Mana Stone and its use for powering up cards is well known. But this, my friends, is no mere Mana Stone."

The audience merrily murmured as they awaited another story.

"This stone is deeply connected to the beast that has ravaged my village for years. I'm talking about Gorgath, the Talorin Crag Tyrant." At the mention of its name, talk erupted all through.

The voices from the crowd brought a smile to Syn's face. Clearly, most had heard about it.

"I heard it sank three ships this winter," discussed woman's voice at the back.

One of the sailors turned to a young adult, "It has the strength of twenty men."

Someone argued with another voice. "No, not scales, rocks!"

"As cunning as a viper," whispered someone in the front.

The hook was in.

"You have all heard of the Tyrant," said Syn, her face serious. "It dominates the southern coast and has damaged and sunk ships, killing many men. With its lair in Talorin's Crag, approaching it is nearly impossible. It's a clever beast, and despite the best efforts of our fishermen, any traps laid are useless. No beasts dare to enter its territory anymore, and everyone knows that when you see its fin, it's time to run."

Curses and agreement came from the audience, and Syn tried to calm down. Speaking in front of such a crowd was a terrifying experience, but she had practiced this over and over for the last few days.

"A-After years of asking for help, the ruling houses have ignored us. They don't care about coastal villages like ours, and without any Cardslingers to fight it, our only option has been to run from it." A few voices angrily agreed with her, chatter complaining at the ruling houses' indisposition to help, everyone aware of the increasing dangers at sea.

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"The other day, I went to explore loud noises that were reaching our village. When I arrived, I saw rocks break and shamble. And among the waves, I saw the Tyrant of the south fighting a beast half its size."

"The scaly creature wasn't only fighting it... it was winning!" Gasps and sighs of surprise could be heard coming from some in the crowd. "Darting from rock to rock, attacking it from a distance and evading its attacks while hiding behind jagged rifts. I witnessed an epic struggle for hours, as the beast evaded the tyrant's attacks that destroyed most of the landscape trying to reach it." The burly sailor cheered, accompanied by his friends.

"But suddenly, the Tyrant moved the fight to the coast, and the tides receded. The beast speed reduced drastically, forced to move in the ground." The wind blew strong, and the lizard flag flapped harshly as the crowd remained silent.

"One of Gorgath's attacks finally reached the challenger, ending its aspirations with a savage attack that split the beast in half. Pinned down against the Dragon's Talon rock, the tyrant moved to devour its remains," Syn said adding a touch of dramatism to the story and turning her head down. Chatter and a booing sound erupted from the crowd.

"But for some miracle, it decided to retreat carrying only half of the beast's remains. And so, I descended and touched the remaining, scatered bits of the challenger, and the Island provided me with this," she said, opening her hand and showing the Mana Stone. "This is all that remained of the poor challenger who dared fight back against the tyrant of the south. The highest bidder will rights to get everything in our stall at discounted price, plus the stone. The stone of a beast strong enough to challenge the Tyrant. A remembrance of a beast that fought when no one else would."

Syn stopped talking, and not a soul spoke. The crowd remained utterly silent.

After a few more moments, Syn began to bite her lip nervously. She scanned the crowd. Everyone was lost in thoughts. Had she bored them with her tale? Was it too much of a downer compared to Nyk's lighthearted stories? Maybe she wasn't as good a storyteller as her friend.

A few voices hushedly commented something, but most of the crowd remained quiet. Her worries grew, and she couldn't help the feeling that she had just messed everything up. What if she had ruined the festive mood with her somber tale? She took a deep breath and tried to shake off her self-doubt, hoping her story would resonate with at least a few audience members.

"D-does no one want to bid?" said Nyk, breaking the silence.

The pensive looks of the crowd broke, and everyone gazed intensely at Syn, who looked away, self-aware.

"I'll bid 5 Coppers for that stone and 5 for the rights," a voice from behind yelled. Syn's eyes furrowed, her eyes widening as she scanned the crowd, trying to find the source of the bid.

"That's quite a low offer. A Grey stone is worth at least 20, and this one must be at least of White quality, if not Green," she said, quietly cursing the closed card shop. She had hoped to have it appropriately valued there.

She looked around to see if anyone else would counter-bid. A man in the front raised his hand, "Have you verified it?" he shouted.

Syn's shoulders dropped slightly. "We... have not..."

"But it fought Garoth for hours! It couldn't be a normal beast!" Nyk interjected.

"Sorry, kiddo," the man answered, "But without proof, the most I can give you is 6 Coppers for it!" he shouted.

The two parents whose kid Nyk had earlier healed chimed in, "We'll bid 20 Coppers!" Syn's heart began to race.

"How do we know this is even a real mana stone?" repeated the voice, causing murmurs to spread throughout the group.

Syn furrowed her brow in frustration. "What do you mean? Of course it's mana stone!"

"Even if it were, how do we know it belongs to this... challenger? It could just be the random remains from any other beast, you could've bought it earlier." said the voice.

Syn opened her mouth to respond, but the voice interrupted her, "I mean, without any proof that it belongs to this challenger, who probably doesn't even exist, who'd be crazy enough to offer more than a few Coppers for it?" the voice confidently spoke.

Syn felt like throwing up—their efforts to gather such a crowd for this bid rapidly dissolving into thin air. "T-the stone is real, you can see it glow up close!" she said, moving her raised hand. Among the growing darkness, the stone emitted a weak light, confirming its authenticity.

"I'm feeling generous," the voice said as the crowd stepped aside. "For a stone of unknown quality, supposedly found in the middle of a troglodyte village and a few more useless gizmos, I'm willing to bid 50 Coppers. I'll give you 25 for the stone, and 25 more because you seem to need them."

The crowd slowly spread away from the bidder, and an uncomfortable silence fell over the auction.

Syn's jaw hardened, and her fists clasped when her gaze met a smiling boy with purple glasses.