DYCLAND SEBASTIAN

Chapter 4. Caged Beast

The ride to the back of the capital was tedious. The bandits were cautious as they maneuvered the big caravan to the dark alley streets of Camellia City. The blinding lights of the buildings and lively people of the city keeps the place alive even in the middle of the night. Camellia City is also known as the entertainment district of the Flower Valley. This is where humans and werebeasts come to have fun and gamble and gamble all night long. One of its famous must-go-to places is the House of Eden. 

The wide and three storey building of the House of Eden is located at the back of the Capital where it shines the brightest with the dark woods behind it every night.  It offers legal entertainment like gambling and theatrical acts on its first floor. Behind the fancy and brightly colored entertainment house, what happens behind the big double doors at the second and third floor were all kept in secret. For there happens big events such as auctions and private meetings of big personalities in the Flower Valley. 

Tonight, an auction that is exclusive only to those members of the House of Eden is happening on the third floor. One of the spectators, Fritz Gullivan, is a doctor looking for a product fit for his experiment. He was told that here in Eden, he can find the perfect test product he was looking for, and out of whim, he attended the said event. He arrived much earlier than the scheduled start of the function and he couldn't stay still on his seat. Bored to death, Fritz got up from his seat and whispered his excuse to his colleague who accompanied him. 

"You're going where?" Asked Elvin in a quiet voice. 

"Smoke. It's stuffy here. Don't worry, I'll be quick," whispered Fritz back to him.

Before Elvin could say more Fritz whirled around and walked briskly to the exit door. He could feel Elvin's eyes on him as he exited the auditorium. He shook his head in amusement. Such a fine loyal dog he found. Truly, a diamond in the rough. 

He walked straight down the three flights of stairs while rummaging through his coat pockets for his lighter and cigarettes. He got a hold of his pack of cigs first, put one stick in his mouth as he fought with his other pocket for his lighter. He reached the back door, one of the many here on the first floor, cursing as he lit the stick on his mouth. As he steps outside, he puffs a smoke. 

He stayed there for a minute just inhaling and puffing out smoke in the air with nothing on his mind until his peace was interrupted by hushed voices coming around the corner. Curious, he walked to the corner where the voices were coming from only to press his back against the wall to hide. The smoke from his cigarette may have clouded his vision but Fritz knew what he saw. He puffed out a smoke in excitement and realized that it may give him away so he instantly waved his hand through it, thinning out the white smoke in the air. He removed the stick in his mouth and pressed the burning end on the wall, extinguishing it. 

“C’mon man!” said a ruff voice in frustration.

“Quiet down!” shush another.

“No deal if that’s not the price you’ll take,” said the third. Must be the broker.

“This one's rare! You’re offering a low price on something that is rare,” the ruff voiced.

“From what I’m seeing, this caravan belongs to the palace guards, and this one’s probably a prisoner you snuck from them to sell here. We can not buy goods at a high price if it’s from the government body, that’s the rule. It’s either you take the money or you leave with that ‘rare species’ in tow,” said the broker.

‘Rare species. . .?’ is what Fritz thought. Itching to see and confirm what he saw through the cigarett’s smoke is real, Fritz took a peek from his hideout.