The heavy darkness of the underground city was still there when we stepped out of the hotel the next morning. It felt like no time had passed at all because the sky was always the same pitch black, lit only by the flickering magical lamps and the glowing signs of the shops. My body still felt a bit heavy from the sleep, but the rest had done wonders for my energy. Elphyete was walking right next to me, her hand resting on my arm just like it always did. Her long ears gave a small, rhythmic twitch every time a loud noise echoed from a nearby alleyway. They weren't pink right now, but they were very active, searching the dark air for any signs of the danger Hanashighi had warned us about. We met the rest of the group in the small lobby, and everyone looked ready to continue the search for the king. Hanashighi was already bouncing on her feet, checking a small map she had drawn on a piece of old parchment.
As we started walking through the streets, the atmosphere felt even more tense than it had the night before. This was a single dungeon floor that had been turned into a city, and you could really feel the weight of the earth above you. The buildings were tall and jagged, made of dark stone that seemed to swallow the light. We followed Hanashighi as she led us deeper into the heart of the city, toward the area she called the district of entertainment. She had mentioned that this was where the illegal stuff happened and where the portal back to the surface was located. The crowds were thicker here, and the people looked even more dangerous. I saw men with large scars on their faces and women carrying wicked-looking daggers on their belts. Everyone seemed to be moving with a purpose, and no one was smiling.
We turned a corner and suddenly found ourselves in a large, open square. In the center of the square, there was a raised wooden platform surrounded by a massive crowd of people. The air here was thick with the smell of sweat, cheap ale, and something metallic. There were loud voices shouting prices and a man standing on the platform with a heavy whip in his hand. It didn't take me long to realize what was happening. We had walked right into the middle of a slave auction. The sight made my stomach turn. There were people of all kinds standing in iron cages behind the platform, looking tired and broken. I felt Elphyete's grip on my arm tighten until it was almost painful. I looked at her and saw that her face had gone completely pale, her silver hair shimmering in the dim light of the square.
While we were looking around, Elphyete's gaze suddenly locked onto one specific cage near the front of the line. I followed her eyes and saw a small child. She was a dark elf girl, and even in the dirty, dark cage, she was beautiful. She had long, black hair that fell over her shoulders like silk and skin the color of smooth grey stone. But it was her eyes that really stood out. They were a stunning silver, wide and full of a deep, silent sadness. She looked so small and fragile compared to the rough men standing around her. Elphyete was staring at her with an expression I had never seen before. It wasn't just sadness; it was a deep, burning anger. As an elf herself and the princess of the elf kingdom, seeing one of her kind treated like an animal was clearly something she could not stand.
Her long ears weren't just twitching anymore; they were pinned back against her head, and the tips were starting to turn a very dark, angry shade of pink. She didn't say a word to the rest of the group. She simply grabbed my hand and started pulling me through the crowd. She'll pull Sogha with her, and she moved with such force that people were knocked out of the way before they could even complain. She didn't stop until we were right at the very front of the platform, just as the man with the whip pointed toward the dark elf girl.
"Next up, we have a rare prize!" the man shouted, his voice echoing across the square. "A dark elf youngling! Healthy, high mana potential, and perfect for whatever service you require! We start the bidding at one million gold coins!"
The crowd started murmuring, and a few people raised their hands to bid small amounts, increasing the price by a few thousand at a time. It was a disgusting sight, watching people treat a child like a piece of meat. Elphyete was shaking with rage next to me. She didn't wait for the price to climb slowly. She didn't care about the money or the fact that we were in a city full of criminals. They joined the bidding, and the bidding was mostly done by Elphyete. She stepped forward, her voice ringing out clear and loud over the noise of the crowd.
"Five hundred million gold!" she shouted.
The entire square went silent. The man on the platform dropped his whip, his mouth hanging open in shock. Even the tough-looking guards around the cages froze. One million was a lot of money, but five hundred million was a fortune that most people in this city would never see in ten lifetimes. I looked at Elphyete, and I realized she wasn't joking. She had the money, and she was going to spend every bit of it to get that girl out of there. The auctioneer looked at her, then at me, then back at the girl. He realized that no one else in the square was going to come even close to that number.
"Five hundred million gold... going once... going twice... sold!" he stammered, pointing his finger at us.
The crowd began to whisper frantically as we were led toward the back of the platform to finalize the deal. Elphyete didn't look at anyone. Her eyes were fixed solely on the dark elf girl. The slave owner, a greasy man with yellow teeth, walked over to us, holding the girl by a heavy iron chain. The girl was shaking, her silver eyes darting between us and the man with the chain. Around her neck was a thick, black metal collar that hummed with a faint, sickly light.
"Here is your prize," the owner said, his voice full of a fake politeness now that he knew how much money Elphyete had. He handed the end of the chain to me, but Elphyete reached out and took the girl's hand instead. The owner pointed at the black collar. "That's the slave necklace. It's specially made to restrain the kid's mana so she can't use any magic against you. It's very delicate. Whatever you do, do not touch the necklace. If you try to force it open without the key, it will cause a backlash that could be very dangerous. Just use the key I'm about to give you."
Elphyete didn't listen to him. She didn't even wait for the key. She knelt down in the dirt so she was at eye level with the little girl. Her ears were still a deep, vibrating pink, and her eyes were full of tears. She reached out with both hands and grabbed the black metal collar. The slave owner shouted for her to stop, but it was too late. Elphyete didn't use a key; she used her own strength and a burst of her own mana. There was a loud, sharp crack that sounded like a bone breaking, and the slave necklace shattered into a dozen pieces, falling into the dirt.
The slave owner scrambled backward, covering his face as if he expected an explosion. But there was no explosion. Instead, a wave of cool, fresh air seemed to spread out from the girl as her mana was finally released from the restraint. The little girl stood there for a second, looking down at the broken pieces of metal at her feet. She looked up at Elphyete, her silver eyes wide and shimmering with tears. She didn't look scared anymore. She looked like she had finally found something she had been searching for.
Instead of running away or doing anything else, the kid lunged forward and threw her arms around Elphyete's neck. She held on as tight as she could, burying her face in Elphyete's shoulder. Elphyete wrapped her arms around the small girl, holding her close and stroking her long black hair. The silence in the area was absolute. Even the greasy slave owner was too stunned to speak. The little girl pulled back just enough to look at Elphyete's face, and in a tiny, shaking voice, she spoke.
"Mommy?" she whispered.
The word echoed through the silent square, hitting Elphyete harder than any physical blow. She didn't pull away; she just held the small girl tighter, her silver hair mixing with the child's black locks. I stood there, my hand still halfway reached out, watching the scene. Elphyete's ears were a pulsing, brilliant pink, twitching with every sob the girl let out. The slave owner started to say something about the broken necklace, but a single look from Ishighi made him shut his mouth. We had come here for a king, but we just found something much more important right now.