Chapter 8 - The Auction

The sound of music, the sparkling light of torches stuck along the road, the shadows of objects and people following the reflection of the fire and the laughter of the vampires. I haven't felt this atmosphere in a long time.

Vampires didn't really need sleep. We weaken during the day. At night, it felt like a waste if we only slept. Therefore, when the humans were asleep, most vampires were still awake and active.

Not too far from the village, there was a small town inhabited by vampires. It was neutral territory, and both Florentia and Avalon used to stop there. The city was ruled by a Marquis who supported Avalon.

We took off our Florentia uniforms and behaved like civilian vampires. Kyle was the only human among us. Raphael had asked why I insisted on bringing him, I just assured him that he was more useful than any human knight.

Kyle was a human, so he needs some sleep. He's now sitting on the bar sofa with his head leaning against the table. Then he started snoring.

"So, sir Valor, we've wasted our time here. Are we really stopping at a bar now?" Raphael snapped a little fiercely at me.

"You've agreed to follow me, sir. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

"Trust you? Sir Valor, I even just know your name now. And I was starting to regret it. I should have started moving to the Tavern."

"There's still time to get there, sir. The battle hasn't started yet," I nodded confidently.

"Sir Valor, you better not play with us. We are elite knights. If you sabotage anything, I will make sure you are severely punished," Damian, a Jaguar team member who had a scar on his right cheek, reminded.

"Sir, I am a pureblood,"

"So do we,"

"But I'm a little different,"

"What do you mean?"

"I also have the ability to see the future," I said seriously. They responded with a smile, even a big laugh.

"I thought this was bullshit. Raphael! You have to take responsibility for this too. We're wasting time. Let's go!"

"Wait!"

"At least give me a chance to prove it."

"Okay, you have two hours left."

"You don't need that long,"

"What does it mean?" Raphael asked.

"Soon the show will start," I said excitedly.

In my old life, I was a neglected lazy knight. They let me do anything. I spent my time hanging out and listening to stories from the knights returning to the barracks.

Those who had just done great things were going home with stories and needed someone to listen to them. I spent more than three years of my service in the Florentia knighthood as a good listener.

I know what the enemy was doing. I know our defeats and victories. Even though I was just listening at the time, I remember everything. The war at the Tavern later, would be a victory for Florentia. But we could still have taken another state were it not for Lord Rutherford's intervention.

The music stopped, and the bar owner walked into the center of the room. He was a gentleman dressed in a suit but with a thin mustache on his face. He rubbed his palms as if they were cold.

"Vampires! Welcome!" He spread his arms to greet us.

This was a vampire bar. But in this city, blood was not served in crystal glasses like the Florentia bars.

The door of a room opened and I saw half a dozen human women enter with trembling steps. They wore skimpy clothes that exposed their necks and wrists. They were the dish for tonight.

"We have an imported human! She washed up on the beach three days ago, isn't her skin exotic?" The bar owner went on a pitch, showing a frightened girl with a tan we rarely see.

"We also have this young girl, even though her skin is pale, I guarantee the taste of her blood is amazing," said the bar owner again.

"To the ladies! We also have this handsome human! If not enough women come, let's just save it for another day," I gulped. The poor man was only wearing shorts. And he looked delicious. Gosh, I haven't drank human blood in a long time so I'm really hungry. My fangs were elongated but I had to hide them. They didn't know that I was a girl.

"Well! Who wants to bid?!"

The action begins, the vampires scramble to raise their hands to participate in the auction. Every vampire didn't need to drink their blood all the way through. The auction was just to determine who was entitled to the first bite. The rest will be rotated to other fellow vampires at a lower price.

We, the Florentia vampire, hadn't drunk the blood straight from their skin in a long time. So the current scene was really very tempting. I could see the members of the Jaguar team trying to avert their faces and suppress their desire to prey. I was the same.

The vampires of Florentia had vowed to live in peace with humans. We were also currently fighting together with humans so I felt a little sorry for the victims. Then I thought of Kyle.

Damn, I forgot to keep an eye on him!

A female vampire, now seen sniffing his hair.

"Hey!" I said while protecting him.

Kyle woke up looking terrified, he immediately saw a scene that traumatized him.

"Do you want to sell this human to me? He's handsome, I'll drink his blood little by little," said the female vampire while looking at Kyle excitedly.

"No! He's mine! You find your prey yourself!" I asserted.

"Oh, I thought you were a man," she said doubtfully.

"I will bring this human for my mother and girlfriend," I said again.

The woman looked annoyed before finally giving up and leaving.

"I'm sorry Kyle, she almost ate you,"

"Good grief sir Valor, this place is terrible!" Kyle trembled.

"Kyle, wake up! You're a knight. You'll see things worse than this!" I whispered firmly to him and asked him to stand up.

"Sorry sir, it's forbidden to bring food from outside here," a waiter spoke sternly to me.

"Does he look like my food? I'm a man!" I'm overreacting.

"Valor, then what are your plans?" Damian whispered to me.

"We'll just watch, until our target is seen," I whisper back to them.

"In order not to be suspicious, you must join the auction,"

"What? All right—three hundred coins!" Damian raised his hand.

"Wow! The gentleman over there is bidding this foreign girl a high price! Anything else?"

"Three hundred and ten coins!"

"Four hundred coins!" Raphael raised his hand.

"Wow, do we have young masters today? Impressive! It's going to be very hot tonight!"

I glanced at the Florentia knights who were still bidding. They were purebloods. Usually pure blood comes from a noble and wealthy family. Of course they didn't enter this auction with their soldiers' salaries.

When it reached the price of four hundred and twenty coins, the auction stopped. Raphael wins. Wait, I didn't think he could win. He bid too high!

"Congratulations young master! Please enjoy your first bite!" The owner of the bar looked excited and passed the chain that snared the victim's waist into Raphael's hand.

"Drink! Drink! Drink!" The cheers of the vampires sounded encouraging.

Raphael looked at the girl sharply with an even expression. He opened his mouth and exposed his fangs. The girl screamed loudly even though her mouth was covered with a cloth.

"I'm a little full, can I save it for tomorrow? I'll take it home," Raphael said.

"A full purchase costs twice as much, my Lord," he said with a sly grin.

"That's will be fine,"

The vampires looked disappointed. They wished they could taste the rest. But Raphael took her home instead.

"Let's move on to the next auction! Next is this pale girl. Who wants to start bidding for fifty coins?"

The atmosphere of the bar which had been gloomy was back to being exciting. The dark-skinned girl was still shaking when Raphael brought her to his table.

"Look, sir!" I whispered to him.

A group of vampires wearing Avalon's knight emblem on their clothes looked like they just emerged from a dungeon. Long blonde hair that reaches to the waist, and a slightly protruding forehead. He was Daniel Rutherford, the target we're after.

"Now what? We attack him?" Damian asked.

"No sir! Investigation, that's what we're here for. Rutherford is their scientist . . we're here to destroy the lab," I whisper.

"What? You mean the lab is in this vampire bar?"

"I guarantee that, sir," I said confidently.

Before the war at the Tavern broke out, many weapons of mass destruction were shipped there. I know it was from this bar because I heard from several knights. Just as the weapon was delivered to the Tavern, this Bar was closed and destroyed. The weapon came from this town and I strongly suspect that Rutherford's secret lab was in this Bar.

I'm not one hundred percent sure, I bet a little on that. Luckily we saw Rutherford earlier so Raphael and Damian would trust me more.

"Waiter, we're going out for a bit. Don't let anyone touch my food..or I'll sue you guys," Raphael spoke to a female vampire maid who was a little unfocused seeing Kyle while occasionally swallowing her saliva.

"All right, sir,"

"Kyle and I will be distracting them sir . . you and sir Damian should try to get into the dungeon and find out what is inside," Raphael nodded at me.

"Kyle, don't panic because of this. There are only male vampires here, they won't eat you," I looked into Kyle's blue eyes to reassure him. He wondered what I was going to do.

When no one was looking—I took his hand and made an incision in his arm. A little away from the veins.

"Who? Who dares to touch my prey?! Where is the manager of this place! I demand someone to pay back!! This human is a birthday present for my mother!" I shouted. The vampires now looked at me and began to surround me.

Kyle looked confused for a moment.

"What are you doing? You have to pretend you're scared!" I whispered to Kyle. He was currently looking many times more delicious to me than before, due to being injured.

This was embarrassing. But let it be.. I won't see them again after this.