Attrokka

     The city, Attrokka, was closer to what Van thought an ancient city should look like. The streets were cobbled. The walls were dyed stone, Mostly browns and greens with splashes of red, and some other colors. Many of them had decorative borders of a sort of knot work, and those without windows often had murals. Quite a few of them, Van would find out later, were adds for local businesses. 

     As they were led through the streets by their ropes, Van couldn't help but notice that in the busy streets were even more races he was not familiar with. However, what caught his attention was that the majority of the people here were human. This was a human city! At least that was his original impression... These humans though, were very near giants. The shortest men he saw were around 6'2. he was very near as tall as he was going to get, he knew. It was only natural, of course, when he was put in a sturdy wooden cage with human children. He was well muscled and 145 pounds. He felt humiliated. He sulked in the corner.

     His original captors had led them all into a common holding yard where they left them. Perhaps they sold them outright, for Van and the rest would not see them again. They were upgraded to metal chains and separated into more specific cells, and for Van it was the aforementioned children's cell. He imagined the disappointment of his future purchaser when he failed to grow taller. Other then worse food and better sleeping arrangements (actual beds in an interior warmed by iron stove), little of consequence had changed. The following morning they were scrubbed by guards and put into slightly less itchy clothing. They had modified the blankets in the Elfen village into crude clothing. His was a poncho and a waist wrap combo. Now it was a simple tunic with a thin cord belt. Occasionally a person or group of people would come by and the boys were all called outside and weren't allowed inside until they left. Sometimes some of them were called to line up for closer inspections. Then they'd move on, either to leave or to another containment yard.

     He went inside the long shanty, one of the few wooden buildings in town, and lay down on one of the cots. He wondered if he should try befriending some of these kids, some of which were taller then himself. He decided to sulk, and wondered if there were a way to get some wine, His thoughts always wondering back to the woman he would never see again. He did find himself thinking of her less, and that made him feel worse when he did, out of a kind of guilt. Still the excitement of being in a new world was engaging his mind, as well as youthful curiosity and vigor. He also thought frequently of the magic item that fate was moving in his direction. Oloss had explained that much to him, at least. Even if he stayed in place, it would 'find' him eventually. That's when he realized he might be alone. Sitting up and looking around, only one other person was here, and that person, a boy about his own age looked to be asleep. Trying to look natural he rolled over on his side, searching about the dirt floor. What he sought was easy to find. He picked up the pebble and closed it in his fist. He concentrated the way Oloss had described. His fist lit up. Slowly opening his fist he gazed at the bright pebble for a few seconds before ending the effect. Olosses ability, the one he seemed so ashamed of, was making things glow. Van thought it was the coolest, he loved it. He wanted desperately to use it on things, and with this strange new quirk of his eyes, they didn't ever seem to need to adjust to changing light conditions, and he saw as easily at night as in day. This actually made him feel a little dejected, as though it detracted from being able to make things glow (which it kind of did). Still, he couldn't wait to cast it on a sword. Oloss had warned him against experimenting too near other people, but he wondered if he'd ever be alone again. 

     The other kids, for the most part, left him alone. Occasionally they'd look at him and whisper to one another. Strangely enough, despite the size difference, they had similarities. Dark hair, light eyes, and  medium light skin tone. However, this seemed to highlight the vast difference in facial features. Where Van was objectively unattractive, these people were beautiful. Every one of them could have been a model in his former world.

     As Van left, he pondered these things and as he was walking out, he noticed a faint smell when he walked past the bunk with the sleeper. Quickly he whipped back the blanket and beheld a moving sea of fleas on red skin. He thought he was too late, but as he studied the horrid scene in front of him, he thought he saw a very slight movement of the chest, as though trying to breath. He heard a gasp from the door, then shouting. He scooped the boy up into his arms and carried him outside, shouting orders nobody could understand. setting the boy down on the ground he started literally tearing his clothes from him noticing in passing that unlike the other boys, this one had blonde hair. He was was terribly anemic and without water and soap to try and bathe the fleas off him, all he could think of doing was brushing the fleas off him. After just a few moments he was pulled away by the guards, who carried the boy off. He sat dazed for a few moments before hastily getting up and storming into the bunkhouse, where he started tearing the cloth and hay from the bed and feeding it into the furnace. He didn't know how much of it would be contaminated, and didn't stop until the whole bed was gone, all the while crawling with fleas. Meanwhile, others had joined him. Finished they walked back into the yard, a few of the others that had helped him clapping his back and saying something in their strange language. The others outside seemed to look at him curiously, a few even with open animosity. A guard approached them, after having seemed to be waiting for them to finish. He attached a lead chain to his, as well as the others that had been destroying the bed, and led them away, back to the crude bath hole they used for the slaves. This time a solution was added to the water, smelling strongly of cedar and mint. Whatever it was, the fleas hated it. Afterwards they were given new clothes. 

     The next morning some of the boys, including Van, were taken to cages in a wide open area of the market. These cages were narrow, almost forcing the occupants to line up. They contained all races of both male and females, but the guards seemed very serious about disallowing any but casual interaction with one another. Crowds of people moved by, as a low wagon was moved in and steps installed. Anticipation was palpable as the auction approached. About noon it began.  It went very similar to how Van expected. As his fellow prisoners found new 'families', their wrist irons were marked.

     Finally Van was led up to the auctioneer, who started his rapid fire speech, using a rod to tap Van in various places while extolling his virtues, whatever they were. Bidding began.