Chapter 2 - Elora: Day 15

Today was an absolute nightmare.

We finally arrived at our destination, but I had no idea we were going to the demon capital, Dis. I've heard terrible stories about this place, but none of them prepared me for the horrifying demons we'd see there. I saw something that looked like it was just a brain with wings sprouting from its head. I also saw a dog, but it was unlike any dog I've ever seen. It had three heads and glowing, terrifying red eyes; I think it was an ogre's pet because I saw it holding the creature's leash.

My mother held me so close as our carriage rode was wheeled through the streets. I could only cower so far from the bars as all those monster howled, leered, and laughed at us, calling us all kinds of words I'd never heard before. Some demons I think were speaking an entirely different language all together.

After a while we came to a stop, and I heard the carriage drive jump off. It looked as if we'd come to some sort of market, and I'd soon find out that my guess was right when we were all ushered out of our cages. "Get out!" The man with the whip screamed at us, snapping it at the air. His minions grabbed us by the arm or leg and pulled anybody out forcefully that didn't immediately obey the orders. Almost as soon as our feet were on the ground they clamped these cold metal collars around our necks.

They lead us like dogs with our own leashes, only our leashes were made of chains.

"Looks like I was right," said Ciri. She was being lead right next to me as we were all shepherded to stand next to a large wooden platform. She was normally so brave, but I could see tears welling up in her eyes. "We're going to be worked to death, or worse."

"Y-You don't know that," I said, trying to provide some amount of comfort; even though I didn't believe it myself. "Maybe... someone will rescue us." But I knew that that was unlikely being that we were all in Dis----the capital of all demon kind.

A fat demon with plump cheeks and purple skin walked up onto the wooden platform and yelled out to those gathering in the market. He had so much jewelery that I almost thought he was made of gold. His rings though could barely fit onto his pudgy fingers, I wondered how he could possibly ever get them off.

"Fellow Demons and Demonesses!" yelled the Slave Master with a theatrical flourish. "We gather before you a wealth of Elvs, each worth their weight in a fortune of gold alone. Prepare your coin purposes as we bring them out, and don't be shy to peruse at your own leisure. Just keep in mind that if you don't by them first, someone else may come along and snatch them up."

Instantly there was a gaggle of excitement among the demons as they crowded around us. I was placed between Ciri and my mom, and I was trembling as all those monsterous creature came up close to me without even a wall of bars to separate us.

"These two are quite young~" gurgled what looked like a pink creature made of slime with floating eyeballs, his tentacles grabbing both me and my friend by the chin as he turned our faces to get a better look. "I wonder how'd they taste in my special soup. How much are they."

"Ah, I see you have quite the eye for quality," said the slave master, wringing his hands as he came over. "As you can see these two elvs are very youthful and highly desirable. For a starting prices I was thinking they'd be about..."

The slave master pulled out a slip of paper and wrote a number on it that I couldn't see, then showed it to the slime demon. Immediately the slime demon screeched in terror and released our faces.

"There's no way I could ever afford that! No way! This has to be some kind of scam!" He ran away as fast as his... (feet?) his feet could take him. My skin were he touched burned lightly but soon faded away, but I remember being frozen in terror.

That thing was planning on eating me, I realized. There was absolutely no telling what any of these creatures may want to do with us after they purchased us. None at all. They could kill us; torture us; anything they wanted for their own amusement. As if sensing the bile coming up my throat the Slave master gripped me hard by the arm and scowled at me.

"You better choke that down. Not in front of customers. If you vomit I'll take you away and skin you alive myself."

For the next several hours demons of every kind examined us. Not just us either, but dozens upon dozens of other elves that were captured along with us were placed with a price tag and forced to stand so they could be looked at like merchandise. Some demons were not as scary as others, while others were so frightening in appearance that I can't even bare to write a description. However, the price of me and my friend scared off most of them.

"She's quite steep," said a Demon that looked like a red dragon and a man mixed together, scratching the scales of his chin as he pondered over me. "I don't know if it's really worth it. What about this one though?" He asked, pointing his claw at my mother.

"Ah, I see you have an eye for quality~!" The Slave master wringed his hands as he came over. "While not quite as young as these other two, she's still beautiful beyond words, and has quite a lot of meat on her bones to boot. Whatever you intentions are with her I'm sure that she'd be able to accommodate them~"

"But what's the price?"

"Well... how about..." The slave master gestured for the customer to lean in, then whispered something into his ear. After a bit the dragon creature's eyes closed as he nodded.

"That seems a reasonable price. I think I'll take her."

"No!"

Both the customer and the slave master jolted as I screamed. A cold fear gripped my body as I ran over to my mother and held onto her with all the strength I had.

"Don't take her away, please! I beg you!"

This made the slave master's purple face turn red with rage as he stormed over and tried pulling me away by the arm. His hand squeezed so hard it left a bruise well after the event.

"Listen here you brat. You're just a slave, you hear me! That means if you don't do what I say I'll punish you worse than you could possibly imagine. Nobody cares what you want!"

But I didn't listen. It wasn't just me that was holding on for dear life either. My mommy, Gweyr, was holding onto me a well, begging for some kind of mercy. "Please," she said, tears streaming down her face. "Whatever you do, don't hurt her!"

While this was taking place the dragon demon watched with amusement as he leaned against his golden gilded staff.

"I'll buy the both of them~"

This silenced everyone at once, including the dragon demon, who seemed stunned as he slowly turned around to face the place the voice came from. A woman, no, a demon that looked like a woman strutted slowly through the crowd of perusers that had gathered around the market. Everyone in her path quickly scuttered out of the way out of what seemed like fear to me. She was gorgeous, at least, in my eyes at that moment; her attire both scant and provocative in such a way it accentuated her female form, but the horns on her head gave her away as the demon she was. If it wasn't for those and her oddly colored skin I would not believe that she was one of these monsters for a moment.

"E-Excuse me, Madam, but did you say you'd purchase them both?" asked the slave master, his grip on my arm releasing.

"That is correct," she said, with a smirk adorning her face as she brushed her fingers under it. "I'd like the two of these elves together, as a pair. After all, it doesn't seem that they wish to part. How cruel would I have to be to split them from each other."

"Now hold on!" said the dragon demon, slamming his staff down. "I had already purchased this one." He pointed at my mother. "You can't just take her!"

"Oh?" She didn't even look at him as she walked over, each step echoing ominously with her tail slithering on the ground behind her. "Not even if I were to make another offer?"

"A-Another offer?!" The slave master's expression instantly shifted, greed painted all over his face. "Well now, how could I possibly refuse. But, um, exactly how much are you talking?"

She tilted her head an examined me with her glowing eyes, exposing her teeth a she grinned. "How much would you say they're worth?"

"Worth?" The Slave Master gulped anxious, obviously pulling some outrageous number from his head at random. "T-Ten thousand gold. N-No less!"

For a moment it was quite clear that even he didn't believe such a steep price could be met. That's why it came to a shock to everyone that this demoness nodded. "Fine," was all that she said before snapping her fingers, which summoned a humungous bag of gold that dropped at the slave master's feet. He squealed in delight as he bent over to open the bag, needing to see the gold for himself. "Count it if you want, but it's all there. I'll be taking these two with me."

Was it really possible this was happening, I wondered? I felt one of the demon's grabbing the collar around my neck as they pushed they key into its lock. Then the collar fell to the ground with a clatter. Soon my mother's collar joined it, and we stood next to each other staring at this demon with suspicion and disbelief.

"W-Wait! Take me with you too!"

Ciri had stepped forward and was looking at the demoness with pleading in her eyes.

"Hmm? And who might you be?" she asked. It was then I realized that I had to make a request, even if it might get turned down. And, if this demon had something awful planned for us, at least we'd be together no matter what.

"She's my friend!" I yelled, feeling my throat dry as the words left my mouth. "C-Could you please... please buy her as well?"

"Hold on just one moment~" The Slave Master had stood back up having heard an opportunity to gain even more money. "This one is quite expensive too, so I don't know if you can-"

The demoness gave an exhaustive sigh and shook her head. "Yes. Yes. Fine. I don't care really. Whatever you want you can have. But this one will be my final purchase for the evening."

After gold exchanged hands Ciri was freed of her collar as well. Then side by side the three of us were lead away while the dragon demon shook with a silent fury, having had his prize taken away right in front of him.