START:HOPING
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Preamble
START:A BOOK is a tale of betrayal and treachery, with random releases of ~400-600 word chapters it keeps you on your toes with subverted expectations, alternative perspectives, and general craziness. While it may not be the most conventional medium for storytelling, I hope this new medium genuinely sparks your interest with its provocative way of writing.

Chapter 3
She sat silently in her cage in the market, her new prison cold and unforgiving as no one who passed by had given her a second glance. A slave, only a slave, that’s all she is now. Worthless, not a person, but property. That is, until she felt a gaze upon her, looking up slightly from her stupor, to a man, no, not just a man – an adventurer.

The slave master, the same astute man from the subterranean chamber, scuttled over to the adventurer, his dirty hands and ugly face a stark contrast to the comically handsome adventurer. He muttered something under his breath I can’t quite make out. Then speaks to the adventurer “Looking for a slave? We have the best quality in all of venterwarf”, his focus solely on the potential customer, not paying a tad of attention to the slaves.

He stared. I didn’t care. Nothing mattered. The slave master follows his gaze towards me and his eyes light up “Oh that one? Fresh in, a beaut’ if I do say so myself”. The adventurer still stands firm in his gaze, I shivered slightly in the cage as he just looked. After a suffocating moment he simply asked “How much?”. The slave master’s eyes light up further yet, “100 Gold, But not trained yet, so I can let her go for 80”. The adventurer stays firm “50”, the slaver counters “60, and I’ll throw in a pact”.

The adventurer continued his calculating stare and relented “Fine”. Then confirmed by pulling out a pouch of gold and counting out 60, handing it over to the greedy trader with a slip of the hand. The trader counts the coins with greedy fingers. Each clink felt like another nail in her coffin.

The key scraped against the cage lock — I flinched at the sound. My stomach knotted tighter than the chains around my wrists. The grubby man roughly grabbed her chains and pulled her out, quickly stamping a pact on her chest binding her to the adventurer. Then quickly shoves her towards him with a stiff push before completely losing interest and storing his spoils.

She steadied herself, her eyes filled with a mix of shock and cold detachment. The adventurer tentatively grabbed the chains, his previously brave demeanor turned rigid as he led her out through the market.

She continued alongside him down the busy marketplace, her chains clinking together, her body violently flinching at every sudden sound around her. She steals her confidence, quivering slightly as she asks in a hushed tone, her voice rough from disuse “Ar- Are you my Master?” She says the last word with a mix of fear and confusion.

The adventurer looked back at her with a confused look. Then he spoke awkwardly “I… Guess so”, before continuing down the street. Eventually leading her to the main street where he stopped outside the adventurer's guild, tightened his grip on her chains, and led her inside.

She surveyed the room, gruff men with wartorn expressions and scars scattered across their faces sitting drunkenly at nearby tables, while other new adventurers crowd around the job boards towards the back of the room looking for a quick job. Two receptionists booths stand in front of them, one empty, but in the other, a smiling young lady glances over at her as the door shuts behind them, her expression souring at the chains and slave collar around her neck.