The next few hours was the most stressful and horrifying time of Toni’s life. The women beside her in their invisible cells did nothing but cry in a foreign language which Toni didn’t know. Judging by the skin she guessed it was Arabic while on the other side of her a man of age with her kept trying to punch his way out of the cell. It got so bad that the four-armed women had to put a magical restrain on his arm from hurting himself any more. He also kept speaking in a foreign language but one she had heard before. He was speaking Korean but aside from a few curse words she learned from one of her study buddies knew nothing. Even so she tried to talk to him, maybe he knew English…he didn’t and when she said American he began to curse at her and saying something about the leader or the like. She didn’t know.
Across the hall was no better, a woman of age with her with striking blue eyes and blonde hair that put Toni’s own to shame was of all things practicing ballet moves in her cell. The other two women from across the hall, one on either side of dancing girl kept trying to hide in the bathroom. They did manage to speak a little with the crying Arabic women that and their looks hinted that they may be from the same area of the world. Still none of this helped her.
All of them had had their cloths magically changed as they prepared. Then the doors opened and a mass of well-dressed magical creatures entered the hallways. Some of them walked past some people only to stop and talk with a person or so. When they stopped in front of a cell, they would speak in the language of those inside the cell, must be magic.
“So Toni is it?” said a male Elf in what looked to be 19th century coat and tails with a top hat under his arm. He was looking at a sheet of paper which had been placed out on a small table in front of her cell.
“Yes, sir.” Said Toni, not sure what else to say.
“What skills to you have?” inquired the Male Elf
“I am studying education and literature in university.” Stated Toni as she decided her best bet to find out what was happening was talking to these “people” “I am a real book worm as people call it, I am just happy reading books and learning.”
“I said skills.” Said the elf with some small annoyance. “Do you cook, can you clean? I am shopping for a wife for my son what can you provide him?”
“Depends on what he wants.” Countered Toni “I am not a great cook, just the basics and I am not the clean freak but I am educated and smart.”
“I see.” Said the elf as he turned and headed away.
Across the hall from her the dancing girl drew a large crowd and multiple questions between shows, some paid her attention when they couldn’t get the dancing girl’s attention. Some asked if she could dance, she couldn’t at least not like that. She began to learn some things, this world it was highly prized to have a former human in the family, also that the cloths didn’t mean the amount of money a person had. A green goblin dressed in furs sometimes had huge bags to gold while their where poor and rich people in each race. There where many races, some she knew Elves, dwarfs, a frog man who said he was there to buy humans for some merpeople since they couldn't walk on land. Others she had no idea who or what they were.
Either way she put on a false front and tried to figure out what was going on. She was clearly not the most popular person in the room, that went to the dancing girl followed by a young man who spent his time doing pushups and showing his strength and body off.
Some of those who talked to her where nice, some asked about what books she read and her work with children. Others where just rude, asking if she had mated with anyone before or wanting to see her breasts. Some asked her just to turn around to see all of her and then they would walk off.
Finally after what had to be three to four hours all of which Toni has spent talking with all these buyers. The hallway was cleared. As the demon walked down the hall with a huge smile on his red skinned face.
“Now for the auction part.” Announced the demon as he walked down to the far end and picked up a crying girl who couldn’t have been more then 16 years old. He then lead her down the hall, after a few minutes a load voice filled the air as if coming through multiple speakers.
“Now…in lot 1 we have Melody from a frozen place in the Human world called Alaska. Lets start the bidding at 500 gold.” Started the voice… “600 I have 600 do I have 700…”
It was horrifying to hear as the demon sold people, the average seamed to be around 1000 gold pieces. Finally, the dancer was led out and the price started at almost 2,000 gold and went all the way to 5,251 gold before she sold. In contrast the crying girl beside her was sold for only 900 while the boy who kept fighting went for only 600. Finally, she was led out passing by dozens of other people waiting for their turn before being shoved out onto a stage, the bright lights where almost blinding and she could hardly hear her introduction as she walked across the stage. Already she could hear people bidding after her like she was a piece of meat.
“I will act all nice to get somewhere good and the moment I can…I will escape from this place and get home.” Thought Toni as she smiled and waved to the crowd as these people kept bidding after her.
“Do I hear 1600?” inquired a voice
“Do I hear 1650.” Said the same voice
“Highest bid is now 1700…do I have anyone else…any other takers…ok 1700 pieces of gold going once…going twice…sold!” said the voice as Toni tried to hide a wince, she had just been sold like a piece of meat. She was led off the stage and into a different room. There she saw the boy which had been fighting all the time midway through a transformation into a Minotaur while the dancing girl who had been sold for over 5,000 gold was looking down in horror at a Goblin who had bought her, behind him with collars around their necks where what looked to be sex slaves of different species.
“Ah…Toni allow me to introduce your buyers.” Said the four armed woman as Toni looked at the magical creature which had bought her for some reason.