Vilpamolan Coast, a city swirling with excitement and danger. An adventure lurks within every tavern, and in every dark alley a secret. The pirate lords rule, while the street rats prowl for anything they can find. Dark shopping smell like rotten food, taverns smell like cheap booze, and many fights can leave a metallic smell in the air will small drops of red staining the floor or walls. Its a cold and lawless place, yet it thrives to everyone surprise. Yet deep inside the dark alleys and beyond the smell of rotten food lies something darker and more sinister by far.
The Black Market. Known more famously for its rare artifacts and dangerous spells, the Black Market thrives in the city, with people coming from all over to sell the rare items they've obtained, or to get a glimpse of the items it has to offer. But the main reason it's known for, is for all the rare beasts it's known to sell. Poaching of such rare and beautiful creatures is illegal, and sometimes punished by death in some cities. From Hydra's to the rarest elemental animals, from the skulls of a Hari to a unicorn's horn ripped right from its head, the Black Market has it all.
Deep within the heart of the city, noble men and women, pirates, assassins, and thieves entered a dark and abandoned looking auction house. The doors were draped with a dark red curtain, and the windows were boarded and covered. As they entered through the door, a stage appeared. Rows of chairs sat in neat lines in front of the stage, and a podium was centered neatly in the center stage. A man dressed in black stood at the podium.
"Ladies and Gentleman, Thieves and Pirates, please take your seats. The Auction will begin shortly."
The man stated plainly, while the crowd hurried to the front, the seats filling up quickly. The middle seats began to fill, and a small and disappointed crowd began to slowly fill the back seats.
"Alright! We will begin our bidding! The first item we have here today… is a Demon Elixir!"The man called out, as numbers began to get thrown into the air.
"100 Silver!"
"150!"
"300 Silver!"
"300 Silver! Do I hear a 400? 350? Going once? Twice? Sold!" The auctioneer called, as the elixir was carried off the stage. Many more items were sold, some reaching into the thousands.
"Ladies and gentleman, this is the moment that you've all been waiting for. The rarest piece of merchandise the WORLD has to offer, and the first appearance it has made in the Black Market. Today, we have… a real live merman!"
Wheeled onto the stage, was a glass container lined with metal. It was full to the brim with water, and inside, sat a beautiful shining creature, with the upper-half of a young human man, and the lower half of a beautiful fish. His skin was soft, and pale and warm, his hair wavy and messy, a deep navy blue fading to sky blue. He was positioned awkwardly, so that his upper half and part of his tail was inside the water, while the rest of his tail hung outside of the container. He arms were tied behind his back, and his tail pierced with a sharp metal harpoon, and bound tighter with ropes.
The crowd gasped, as the creature opened his eyes, revealing beautiful sea-foam green orbs.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! This is the first merman the black market has ever gotten their hands on! So, of course the price is going to be high! And the starting price…is 500 silver!!!!"
Almost instantly, hands shot up.
"550!"
"600 Silver!"
"620!"
As soon as numbers were called, higher numbers were placed. "700 SILVER, FOLKS! Do I hear 800? 750? 720? Going once! Going Twice!!!' At this, the merman was full awake, and struggled against his restraints. He looked out into the crowd slowly, trying to see the person he would soon be sold to.
