Ace observed the eyes that fell on him when he walked into the theater. Some regarded him curiosity, while others showed thinly veiled praise, but most held sinister motives.
With an internal chuckle, Ace moved to one of the seats at the back which had no one else sitting by it. He wasn't stupid enough to take a seat between two people ready to stab him at any moment.
The stranger followed closely behind him, his face still held an amused expression. He was genuinely curious to see how the well-known Ace would escape from a situation in which the odds are stacked against him.
"Aren't you afraid of making yourself a target by sticking this close to me" Ace asked as the man took a seat by him.
"I can handle myself" The man answered, and Ace ignored him, going back to waiting for the auction to start.
Walking to the center of the stage was Mistress Noctra, the very well known auctioneer. She wore a high-collared coat of midnight silk, feathered epaulets draping over her shoulders like the wings of a raven.
Her silver hair cascades in loose waves and her sharp violet eyes scanning the crowd with a smirk of knowing amusement.
She raised her gloved hand, and the murmurs from the crowd die instantly.
"Welcome, esteemed guests, to the black market auction theater, place where fortune, folly, and fate are bought and sold in equal measure. I trust you all understand the rules: bid wisely, pay promptly, and should you lack coin—well…" She chuckles softly. "We accept other forms of payment."
A literal skeleton, dressed in a black tuxedo and gloves that covered its bony hands walked to her side, its hollow eyes emitting a red glow as it briefly scanned the crowd.
Seeing the bony undead standing by her side on the stage reminded Ace of the rumors about her that floated around.
It was believed that she was a former champion of the god of the underworld, Hades, but for reasons unknown, she was cast out but as a last act of mercy, she was allowed to keep her abilities.
But Ace knew this was nothing but bullshit. Firstly, the gods were no fools. He knew that if they were casting someone out, he/she would be stripped of all the abilities they gained as a champion.
This was done by the gods to ensure that people who potentially resented them would not be freely walking around with a power that would rival them if given time.
Secondly, the gods were not known for mercy and they proved as much on the day of they descended on Eldoria. This was boldly written in even historical text.
Apparently, a brave or foolish soul dared to question the reason behind their sudden arrival.
And his end?
His body was incinerated with just the snap of the 'sun god's' fingers and his soul was dammed to eternal torment.
So the idea of any of the gods being merciful or benevolent seemed like nothing but a joke.
His theory was that, just like him, she had stolen the shard. After all, plenty of humans were running around with stolen shards, doing their best to avoid the champions.
Especially the ones who called themselves The Resistance. They werea group that claimed to be fighting for humanity's freedom from the gods.
They were the biggest shard thieves of all, desperate for the kind of power needed to stand against the superpowered beings they face.
But he wasn't here today to find out how or where she gained her abilities from, he was simply here to test out his own and avoid getting caught by the mercenaries and bounty hunters that currently surrounded him.
A cart was wheeled to the stage by another bony being. On it was a tray covered with cloth which was promptly removed by the skeleton in tuxedo.
What lay on the tray was an ordinary looking box, kept locked with a seal on the top.
Mistress Noctra ran her gloved finger over the top, and with a click, the seals unravel.
Within it lay a simple, almost unremarkable dagger—save for the faint whispers that rose from its blade like smoke. The moment the box is opened, a cold shudder runs through the room.
"This," Noctra started, "is the Dagger of Echoed Death. A weapon for the patient assassin. Strike once… and your enemy will suffer twice—once now, and again at an unexpected hour, when they least suspect it."
"It deals damage directly to the soul that no amount of healing spell by any champion can fix, except by an S ranked champion."
She snaps the box shut.
"I expect this will find a fine home among you. 300,000 Gold to begin."
With her words, the bidding war officially started.
"400,000" a man at the front raised his bid paddle, he was dressed in clothing that screamed rich, definitely a noble but the mask on his face protected his identity.
"450,000," another voice called out, this one from a figure covered almost entirely in shadows, even with the light from the theater being cast on him.
"500,000" the first bidder said again. From their looks, anyone could discern who needed the dagger more but the rich man felt the need to make a statement.
And so, the bidding war continued.
"Are you not interested in bidding?" Ace turned to the stranger and asked.
From the way the man was dressed, Ace knew there was barely any item in the theater he couldn't afford to bid on, so he was curious about the reason why the man was not.
"As I said before, I'm only here for the entertainment " the man said with a chuckle "there's no item here that would be more interesting than that".
Ace turned silent and turned back to the stage where a new item was rolled in. The previous one being sold to the rich man at a million gold.
As the skeleton carefully removed the silk covering, a silver ring was revealed, set with a single black gem.
Mistress Noctra let the silence stretch for a while before speaking.
"Our next item—The Evernight Ring. Forged by the same material used to make the helmet of the god of the underworld, Hades, this ring grants its wearer the ability to move completely unseen, muffling all sound produced by them. Once again, a perfect tool for an assassin ."
The crowd reacted instantly.
"300,000 gold!" someone called out before Noctra even announced the starting price.
She chuckled. "Eager, are we? Very well—300,000 gold to begin."
"350,000," a deep voice from the upper balcony added.
"400,000," the masked noble who won the dagger bid again, clearly intent on expanding his collection of deadly tools or maybe just showing off his wealth.
"500,000" the shadowy figure placed his bid again.
The bidding war went on for a long while before it ended with the masked noble's win, at the price of one million gold yet again.
A couple more items were auctioned off, with most of them being bought by the masked noble.
"He definitely is going to be attacked on his way back" Ace muttered with a chuckle.
Making this much enemies just to prove how rich you were was a stupid decision but Ace didn't care what happened to the man later, because the exact item he was here for was about to be brought out.
As if on cue, the feminine looking skeleton wheeled another item on the stage.
"And now ladies and gentlemen" Mistress Noctra started "for the item you've all been waiting for."
The murmurs in the room hushed to a near silence as the latest item was rolled onto the stage.
The skeleton in a tuxedo reached out with gloved hands and, with a slow, deliberate motion, removed the cloth covering the tray.
Beneath it lay a crystal and everyone here knew exactly what it was.
'Bingo' Ace thought with a grin which was hidden beneath his mask.