Of Sinners & Saints

HANS (EDITED)

There was a pleasant fragrance that filled the air of the great hall, Jasmine he thought. A pianist was playing on a grand black piano in the corner of the room. Myrich hummed along with the tune, he had forgotten this Erwin Van Saar piece. Beautiful so it was. He shut his eyes and remembered hearing it when he was a boy. Music calmed him down immensely.

Everyone had taken their seats now around circular tables and the auction was about to commence. Bright lights from up above shone on a stage and Miss. Singrave walked up the steps to a thunderous round of applause. The pianist ceased playing at her behest. It would be Miss. Singrave who would act as the auctioneer for this evening, just like last time. She stood at the lectern ready to speak.

"Welcome-welcome, ladies and gentlemen to my twenty-third annual auction," she said in that reedy tone. "We have a great selection for you all tonight including one very, rare item. I implore you all to stay until the very end, there is a surprise not listed in the catalogue." Miss. Singrave raised a brow as did many of her esteemed guests. Myrich's curiosity peaked, he liked surprises, but he was here for one item and one item only. "And now my darlings, without further ado let us begin tonight's auction." She ceased talking for now, curse her grating voice.

Miss. Singrave appeared fine considering her big night had been delayed. For Myrich that meant getting into bed later, but the conversation he had with Sultan Ramzeez was worth it. He had recived more than he had hoped for. For now, Hans Myrich was going to keep his cards close to his chest.

Again Miss. Singrave received a warm round of applause. Myrich clapped as if he didn't care a slow sardonic clap. All the guests had their paddles near at hand ready to bid for the lots on offer. Myrich sat near the front along with Cain. He had a great view of what was on offer. Miss. Singrave gesticulated for the clapping to cease with a stylish wave of her flat hand up and down. Slowly everyone pipped down at her behest.

"The first lot darlings is a rare Soul Absorbing Sword," Miss. Singrave said. A helper, who was as bald as an egg and was hunched over with a noticeable hump on his back held out the sword for all to see. "Believed to belong to an Enlighted, when they once roamed Talamh. This sword is precious would you not agree? We start the bidding at ten thousand?" Miss. Singrave said. "Do I have ten thousand?" She looked around the hall, "Mr. Madou, opens the bidding, for ten thousand, I thank you, Mr. Madou." Miss. Singrave though annoying is rather good at this. "Do I have twenty thousand?" She asked looking around the great cavernous room. "Twenty thousand?" She said again.

Myrich had little use for a sword, his days of being at the front line of a war were all but over. He preferred to let others do the fighting for him, as he sat cosily in a war room with some young wench on his lap (or cock). And a cabinet full of booze, enough to see him through the war.

Swords, he remembered, when he asked Cain why he carried a sword instead of a gun. Cain replied, quite causally; "when a thousand bullets fail to kill one that is soulless, one with no remorse, only severing the head from the shoulders will put one of these vile foes down. That, Doctor, is why I carry a sword." It was a plausible excuse.

The bidding reached six figures and it was between Abbasi, Del the Governor, and Umarah Ishtar. Umarah stood to his feet, with a little struggle and a lot of help, why if he got any fatter, he would need a crane to get to his feet. Stupidly, young Umarah blurted out, "a quarter of a million," Del and Abbasi shrunk in their seats and wisely declined to up their bid.

"Sold," said Miss. Singrave, banging her gavel. "To the good Prince, Umarah Ishtar." Umarah celebrated by giving fist bumps to his entourage. Myrich never got that, it was a young person thing, a modern version of the respectable handshake. The young fat Prince was clearly happy he had outbid Abbasi and Del, but he paid over and above the asking price. Yes, Soul Absorbing Swords are very rare and highly sought after. Only one in a hundred thousand had one. Umarah's father, the good Sultan Ramzeez, had given his son a blank check book for his first auction. Myrich should have asked Ramzeez for a blank cheque during their closed-door conversation, but he already had more than what he wanted from the Sultan.