Dorian and Seraphine walked towards the shop entrance arm in arm, trying to project exactly what they needed to appear as.

A happy couple of wealthy clients. Relaxed. Curious. Not particularly burdened by morality.

Perfectly unpleasant.

The door opened with a soft creak, and both stepped inside the establishment.

The first thing they noticed was the size. It was enormous. Far larger inside than it had looked from the outside.

Dark stone walls stretched several metres upwards, reinforced with thick pillars and decorated with strange carved symbols. The lighting came from multiple magical seals embedded into the walls, columns, and ceiling.

Runic circles glowed in warm orange hues, feeding small floating flames suspended in the air.

Others emitted a gentle cool breeze. Some warmed specific sections of the room.

The entire place had an artificially comfortable atmosphere. Almost luxurious.

Which was deeply unsettling, considering what they actually sold here.

The main hall was crowded.

Huge orcs. Goblins dressed in absurdly elegant clothing. Suspicious-looking elves. Hooded devils. All moving through the room while examining display cases, reinforced cages, and small private areas hidden behind dark curtains.

As if they were shopping for furniture. Or livestock.

Seraphine scanned the room while maintaining a calm expression.

"There’s magic everywhere," she murmured quietly.

Dorian kept observing the ceiling.

"Yeah," he replied.

He leaned slightly closer to her.

"As far as I know, they’re practically the only ones in the black market who use magic to decorate their shops."

Seraphine arched an eyebrow.

"Only them?"

Dorian nodded.

"They’re the ones who banned the rest of the merchants from using it."

Seraphine frowned faintly.

"I don’t understand why."

Dorian smiled slightly.

"Probably simple marketing."

He discreetly gestured around them.

"Magic draws a lot of attention in this area. Makes this place stand out above the rest."

His smile softened a little.

"And besides..."

He looked at another magical seal on a nearby column.

"If they control who gets to use magic in here, they make sure no one can use it against them."

Seraphine let out a quiet nasal laugh.

"So. Monopoly and security."

"Exactly."

"I can’t decide whether that’s brilliant or ridiculous."

"Both."

Before they could continue, a soft female voice interrupted them.

"Good evening."

Both turned at the same time.

An orc woman stood before them.

Tall. Strongly built, though elegant. She wore a fitted black dress with a pronounced neckline. Between it, clearly visible above her chest, was the tattoo of a seven-pointed star.

Her smile was professional.

"My name is Vasha. I work here. What may I offer you tonight?" she asked smoothly.

Her eyes quickly scanned both of them.

"What exactly are you looking for?"

Dorian opened his mouth to answer. Then froze completely.

His eyes slowly lowered.

And stopped there.

Seraphine glanced at him sideways.

Then followed his line of sight.

And let out a small amused laugh.

The orc raised an eyebrow, equally entertained.

She looked at Seraphine.

"Is he your husband?" she asked, clearly amused.

"Somehow, yes," Seraphine replied with perfect calm.

Then smiled.

"And no, I don’t mind."

She gave a small shrug.

"I met him like this."

The orc woman let out a genuine laugh.

Dorian finally reacted. Barely.

"I— apologies," he muttered.

But did not look away. At all.

Seraphine had to tug lightly on his arm.

Dorian blinked several times and finally looked back up.

"Yes. Sorry."

He coughed lightly.

"Professionalism."

Seraphine shook her head faintly, amused, then took over the conversation before Dorian completely destroyed their credibility.

"We’re looking for new slaves for our estate," she said naturally.

Her expression was calm. Almost bored.

"We’ve travelled from very, very far away."

A brief dramatic pause.

"The northern lands."

The orc woman smiled with apparent interest.

"Oh?"

Seraphine continued.

"We heard this place sold exceptionally high-quality slaves."

The orc’s smile remained. But something in her gaze shifted slightly. Very subtle.

"I see," she said slowly.

She tilted her head slightly.

"You can tell you’ve come from far away."

Dorian felt an invisible drop of tension run down his spine.

Seraphine remained composed.

"Oh?" she asked.

The woman smiled a little more.

"By the way you talk about the merchandise."

Dorian and Seraphine exchanged the briefest glance.

Of course. Beginner mistake.

They had spoken about slaves as purchasable people. Not as ordinary merchandise. Not with the casual repulsiveness of regular clients.

Too formal. Not unpleasant enough. Excellent.

Both remained still. Waiting.

One second.

Far too much silence. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Seraphine was already mentally calculating how many spells she could cast before destroying half the shop.

Dorian forced a deeply unconvincing smile.

And then, the orc woman clasped her hands together enthusiastically.

"Perfect!"

Both blinked.

"We have plenty of interesting merchandise to show you."

She smiled broadly.

"If you’d like to follow me."

Dorian took half a second to process that.

"...Of course," he replied immediately.

Seraphine smiled elegantly.

"It would be our pleasure."

The woman turned and began walking towards a more secluded section of the hall. Behind thick black curtains.

Dorian and Seraphine followed in silence.

They crossed through the main section, then descended a narrow stone staircase. Gradually, the sounds of the upper hall faded behind them.

Until they entered another chamber. One far colder. Far less elegant.

Vasha walked calmly through the new underground hall.

She stopped in front of a large dark curtain.

Smiled.

"Allow me to show you our more affordable merchandise."

She grabbed the fabric with both hands and pulled it aside in one swift motion.

Seraphine immediately felt something inside her tense.

Behind the curtain was a long row of metal cages.

Large cages. Reinforced. Separated from one another by thick chains anchored to the floor.

Inside them... were children.

Children and youths of various races. Or rather, strange hybrids between them.

A small dwarf with pointed ears similar to an elf’s.

A goblin with furry legs and small antlers, clearly mixed with some type of faun.

A young harpy with dark hair, chained by one leg, one of her wings visibly damaged.

A teenage orc with small curved horns protruding from his forehead, as if mixed with a devil.

And many more. All clearly selected for how unusual their features were.

They wore only light clothing. Just enough to maintain some sense of presentation while leaving visible their physiques, musculature, wings, horns, scales, or whatever other "exotic" traits might increase their value.

Like animals on display.

All wore chains. Some on their ankles. Others on their wrists.

But there was something else.

Something Seraphine recognised immediately.

Her eyes automatically focused on their necks.

They all bore the same mark. A scarred seal burned into their skin.

Seraphine subtly clenched her jaw.

’...An obedience seal.’

She would recognise it anywhere. A cruel form of ancient magic. Exceptionally painful. Designed to punish through verbal activation.

A keyword. An order. And then fire.

Fire directly beneath the skin.

Enough to make resistance highly inadvisable.

Seraphine was about to speak.

But Dorian stepped in first. He folded his arms and examined the marks with casual curiosity.

"What are those marks?"

He pointed at one of the necks.

"The ones all your products have."

Vasha smiled approvingly.

"It seems you’re already adapting to how we speak here."

Dorian forced a light smile.

"I learn quickly."

Vasha slowly walked past the cages.

"They’re obedience seals."

She said it with complete naturalness.

"Very useful."

She stopped beside one of the cages.

"If the product refuses a direct order, the owner may use a keyword."

She lightly touched her own neck.

"And the seal activates."

She smiled.

"That usually resolves any behavioural issues."

Dorian felt a chill run down his spine.

His hand moved almost instinctively towards the back of his neck. His fingers barely brushed the skin.

Unpleasant memories flashed through his mind too quickly.

Cold stone. Darkness. Agonising pain. Orders.

His jaw tightened faintly.

"I see."

His voice remained steady. Barely.

Seraphine noticed immediately.

And decided to continue before that topic lingered too long.

"Do you have higher quality merchandise?"

Vasha turned towards her.

Seraphine looked back at the cages, feigning mild disappointment.

"These specimens are interesting."

She crossed her arms.

"But they don’t seem quite like what was promised when this place was recommended to us."

Her tone was calculated. Like a demanding client. Not someone desperately searching for a missing royal pet.

Vasha tilted her head slightly.

"And what exactly are you looking for?"

Dorian immediately felt alarm bells going off.

’We’ve been discovered.’

Surely. This was the end.

But Seraphine didn’t even flinch.

"Rare creatures."

She answered with total calm.

"Something truly unusual."

Her gaze swept across the room.

"Uncommon slaves. Something worth displaying."

A brief pause.

"Something interesting to show my guests."

Vasha smiled and nodded.

"Then you are in the right place."

Dorian subtly relaxed his shoulders.

Vasha clasped her hands behind her back.

"That type of merchandise is not usually displayed during the day."

She began walking again.

"It is reserved for night auctions."

She turned her face slightly towards them.

"If you decide to stay a few more hours..."

Her smile widened.

"You may get to see our newest exotic products."

Seraphine felt a small wave of internal relief.

’So it’s true.’

The king’s pet was almost certainly being auctioned that very night.

Perfect.

They had arrived in time.

Or so she hoped.

Dorian smiled with apparent interest.

"That sounds rather promising."

"It is."

Seraphine stepped forwards.

"Still..."

She looked around analytically.

"We’d like to continue browsing."

She smiled faintly.

"Such attentive service deserves a generous tip."

That seemed to please Vasha immensely. Her eyes lit up.

"I like your attitude."

She made a graceful gesture with one hand.

"Then follow me."

She turned once more.

"I’ll show you more interesting merchandise."

Dorian and Seraphine exchanged a quick glance.

Both understood exactly the same thing.

They were getting closer.

They followed Vasha deeper into the hall.