The Black Pearl Auction House enforced three unbreakable rules:
No violence
No refunds
Never question the Shadow Patron's bids
Lianna sipped her poisoned wine (delightfully tangy) while watching the Alchemist Guild's representative turn purple with rage.
"You can't possibly have ten million gold!" the man spluttered.
She set down her goblet. The resulting crack of porcelain against wood silenced the room.
"Correct." Lianna rose, letting her hood fall. "I have twenty."
Gasps erupted as she tossed a black token onto the auction stage. The auctioneer's hands shook as he lifted the engraved onyx - the mark of the Shadow Patron, the mysterious underworld figure who'd bankrupted three kingdoms.
From his private balcony, the Ghost Emperor leaned forward. His masked face gave nothing away, but Lianna saw the way his knuckles whitened around his chair's armrests.
The alchemist guildmaster made his fatal mistake then. "Guards! Arrest this thief!"
Lianna sighed. "And here I was being civil."
When the first guard reached for her, his armor suddenly turned to molten lead.
As the screaming began, Lianna strolled toward the Moonbloom Herb display case. She paused just long enough to meet the emperor's hidden gaze through the chaos.
"Your Majesty," she purred, smashing the glass with her bare hand. "Do remind your dogs about Rule No.1."
Blood dripped onto the herb's silver leaves as the entire auction house held its breath