(Morcster Chef Book 2) Chapter 9 (Patreon)

The room sloped sharply downwards like a sinkhole. Thousands of wooden chairs arranged in neat circular rows surrounded a huge, extravagant stage. Statues of golden dragons twirled around the edges of the stage, prostrating them before it. 

Four large braziers floated in air above the stage, lighting it with a warm glow. The rest of the room was dimly lit with faint torches that made it difficult to see the surroundings. For some reason, not a single speck of light from outside had seeped in past the doorway. The ceiling was far above them, shrouded in so much darkness that Arek couldn’t even make it out. There were at least two floors above them that the orc could spot, and he suspected there were even more beyond that. 

“Follow me, please,” A smarmy man’s voice whispered in Arek’s ear. He spun, barely keeping himself from smacking the shadowy figure standing beside him. “I am here to guide you to your seats. Please move quickly.”

Unable to even exchange a glance in the syrupy blackness surrounding them, the Happy Sunflowers opted to trail behind the employee. They were led away from the crowd and the little remaining light coming from the doors. The man led them down several flights of stairs and walked several steps into a row before gesturing to a group of empty seats. 

“You may sit here for the duration of your stay at the Dragon’s Dance Auction House,” the man said, inclining his head in what might have been a bow. “Have you attended an auction with us before?”

“Once,” Malissa said. “It was a long time ago, though.”

“It is a pleasure to have you back. I presume you do not have an account with us, then?”

“I’m afraid not,” Malissa said. 

“No problem at all. However, I will need to verify the amount of gold you have on you. We need to ensure that you can afford to back up your bids. If you set up an account, this process can be expedited in the future,” the man said. 

Arek didn’t have to see Belmont to know the man was frowning. He hid a chuckle and pulled his sack of coins out of his travel pack. He handed it to the employee. 

“I know how much I’ve got in there,” Arek warned. 

“Of course, sir. I wouldn’t think of it,” the man said. Arek’s gaze narrowed and he watched the employee like a hawk as the man shuffled through his bag. Once he finished, Arek took the bag back and counted through it himself. It was practically impossible to tell what the coins actually were, but it weighed about the same. Arek resolved to count his money before he entered the auction house in the future. 

The employee scanned through all of the money the group offered him. When he got to Belmont, the man woodenly placed a single coin in the man’s hand. 

“Is one gold all you’ve got today? I’m afraid you won’t be able to buy anything with a single gold,” the employee said with mock disappointment. 

Belmont wordlessly took his coin back from the man, placed it on the armrest of the chair beside him, and placed a second coin in the man’s hand. 

“You can’t be serious. Do you really think I’d be foolish enough to steal from a customer in the middle of the auction house?” the shadow cloaked man asked. 

“Yes,” Belmont said, removing the coin and placing yet another one in his hand. “That’s three, by the way. Just in case you lost count.”

He repeated the process until he’d gone through fifty coins. The man huffed and complained the entire time, but Arek noticed he didn’t actually leave. Once Belmont had finished, the man threw up his hands and threw a disgusted gesture towards their chairs. 

“Just sit here and wait for the auction to start. It should be about half an hour,” he said before storming back towards the door. 

Belmont swept his coins back into his bag and sat down on a chair. He sent an uncomfortable glance over his shoulder and placed his hand on his travel pouch. 

“I do not like this new darkness spell they’re using,” Belmont said. “It makes it far too easy for a thief to make away with our belongings. Keep a close eye on your bags, everyone.”

“For once, I don’t think you’re being paranoid,” Malissa agreed. “This wasn’t here the last time we visited. They’ve clearly made a few upgrades, if we can call it that.”

Ming harrumphed and crossed her arms. 

“They better have something worth eating,” the small mage grumbled. “How did that guy even know how much money we had? I can barely tell the difference between a silver and a gold with this light.”

“He was probably using some sort of spell that let him see in the dark,” Arek suggested. “Maybe an enchanted item. Who knows, maybe the auction house is selling dark vision pendants and is trying to show how useful they’d be by making it impossible for everyone to see anything.”

They chuckled as they sat down. At the very least, nobody would be looking too closely at Arek’s illusion. The orc hugged his travel pack to his chest and turned to peer back at the entrance. He could still see the crowd pouring into the building, but it was difficult to track where they were going. The moment they stepped away from the door, they seemed to blend in with the rest of the room.

He turned back and sat normally, trying to get comfortable on the hard wooden chair. There was a strange box poking out of the armrest that made it difficult to rest his hands properly. Arek frowned and leaned down so he could get a better look at it. 

“It’s the bidding button,” Malissa said, noticing Arek’s interest. “It doesn’t work yet, but when you see something you want to bid on, you press that button and say how much gold you’re willing to spend.”

“Are you telling me that every chair in this room is an enchanted item?” the orc asked, his eyebrows raising in shock. Even in his travels on the other side of the kingdom, a show of wealth in this proportion was ridiculous. 

“I - huh. I guess I am,” Malissa said with a frown. “How do they have so much money?”

“Probably from mugging stupid tourists who let their employees shuffle through their money in the dark,” Belmont grumbled.