Siren’s Cry [A LITRPG Adventure]-Ch. 25

Siren’s Cry [A LITRPG Adventure]-Ch. 25

A/N: This is the single longest chapter I have written to date, so enjoy! I tried to post earlier, but I got locked out of the house and had to wait for my roommate to get home :)
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I shift in my seat, trying to find a comfortable spot for my wings and tail before giving up and just turning it sideways. The inside of the auction house is just as grand as I expected, with three rows of semicircular seating rising away from a large stage with an ornately carved podium at the center. Above the normal seating, there are also several small balconies for those who wish to avoid sitting with everyone else, for a small fee of course.
Three silver per person is worth not having to sit beside a bunch of strangers.
Naturally, I forked over the six silver for better seating, which is where we find ourselves as the auction begins. Keira watches my awkward struggles with normal furniture with a grin, only to refocus on the podium as the auctions host steps forward. A small runic circle lights up on the floor beneath him, and suddenly his voice is filling the room while somehow not being deafening, quieting all conversation.
“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Bleakcrest Auction House. I am Jacque, and will be your host for today. Today's auction will be split into three parts; the first being normal items such as difficult to obtain alchemical reagents, materials, or up to Uncommon rarity magic items. The second tier of items are the rare finds, being up to Epic rarity items, specialized elixirs, a select few tamed beasts, and other such items. However, it is the final level of merchandise that you are all here to see! Through fortuitous deals and great effort, we have acquired not one, not two, but THREE Unique items!”
The gathered crowd of rich people jump to their feet, voices overlapping in shock at the revelation, several adventurer-looking men in shiny armor sharing a look before quickly returning to Jacque as he continues, the crowd falling silent once more.
“That's right folks, three unbound Unique items will be up for grabs at the end of the auction! In addition to this, the patriarch of the Bleakcrest family has decided to add an item from his personal vault: a Dungeon Key of unknown rarity.”
The reaction to this was much more subdued compared to the Unique items, only a ripple of murmurs spreading through the crowd.
I wonder what a Unique item is? Is it like Nesuskape? Probably, right?
Everyone settled after a moment, the host standing there calmly in an impeccably tailored suit and waiting for the whispers to subside.
“Now then! Let us begin today's auction with a simple item.”
A young woman in a black suit wheels a small cart out from somewhere behind the stage, a familiar wooden box sitting on top.
“Our first item of the day is a bundle of alchemical reagents, brought in just today by a Silver ranked adventurer. Here we have three one-pound pouches of ancient bone dust, recovered from dungeon skeletons via a looting skill, along with two vials of blighted marrow obtained the same way. In addition to these, there are also three vials of corrupted blood, obtained from zombies in the same fashion. The bidding will begin at five gold!”
Several wooden paddles flip up almost instantly, and a rapid bidding war begins. Just like Rick said earlier during the appraisal, the bidding ends fast at ten gold, double the original price. The pale man in purple robes was obviously not an alchemist, but I wasn't about to start arguing against necromancy here. The cart is wheeled back out of view, and the next item is brought out.
“Next up, we have a case of eight stat enhancement potions! These wonderful little drinks allow the imbiber to temporarily increase one of their stats by up to five! The bidding will begin at five gold!”
—
This goes on for a while, several other varieties of potions or ingredients selling for ten gold or less, a few monster parts scattered in there from rare monsters. I only bid on one of them when I feel Nesuskape hum in response to it. It's a large ball of flesh-like crystal that is continuously shifting, supposedly the core of a greater mimic found inside the upper layers of Azerath's Labyrinth. A whispered question to Keira gets me a weird look and a quick explanation that it's one of the most dangerous and deepest permanent dungeons found to date. She shushes me quickly and goes back to watching each of the items go past.
I actually win the core for only six gold, which I guess isn't really surprising considering it's a big morphing meatball with likely little purpose beyond making very specialized gear. Other than the core, I also bid for a movement skill book which I don't win and a different skill book which I do for ten gold this time due to what it is.
-==÷==-
Common Upgrade Tome (Consumable, Upgrade)
A skill tome allowing the reader to upgrade a single low-rarity skill to the next higher variant. Read to use. 3 uses.
-==÷==-
Apparently, these aren't that uncommon to find in mid-range dungeons which is why I got it for so cheap. However, what the auctioneer didn't mention is the multiple uses available, so I can only assume that part is only shown due to my blessing being the highest type of identify skill.
Which means I just basically scammed them out of two more books.
I chuckle softly to myself as the next tier of items start to roll out, the auctioneer rambling on in that stupidly fast way that only they can.
—
By the time the final item is sold, I'm falling asleep in my seat, only kept awake by the occasional prod from Keira. When the auctioneer begins introducing the final level of items, I straighten up and refocus on the proceedings.
“Alright ladies and gentlemen, these are the final four items to be sold tonight! To begin with, we have our first Unique item of the day; a spear called Sigwar, which has numerous powerful abilities! The first of which is-”
I tune out his overly flowery spiel, pulling up an Identify and sharing it with Keira, as I have for all interesting items.
-==÷==-
Sigwar (Legendary, Piercing)
A collapsible spear forged from lumicin-adamantine alloy and an elemental heart, this spear will never dull, has incredible durability and self-repair capabilities.
[Memory of Flame]- Any attack made with Sigwar will be mirrored by a copy made of flame, and if provided mana can create extra copies for the next attack.
[Flicker of Flame]- Each attack against an opponent will increase the wielder's Dexterity and Speed by 1 point, resetting when an attack has not landed within thirty seconds.
[Hellfire]- Any burns inflicted by Sigwar heal significantly slower and have resistance to magical healing.
[Lifebound]- Sigwar can bind to a wielder, allowing it to always return or repair so long as the wielder remains alive.
-==÷==-
I can't help a soft whistle as I read the page.
Holy shit, that's a really good spear! Even if Memory of Flame takes a lot of mana per copy, which let's be honest it probably does, that's still double the damage per hit, not to mention the magic flames.
The spear itself is shockingly plain, but still ornate compared to a normal spear. The spear tip is made from a single flawless red crystal, pulsing with an orange glow and putting off visible waves of heat that distort the air around it. The shaft is made up of three interlocking segments of a gleaming red-gold metal with simple patterns etched into it. The tip actually appears to have been melted onto the shaft, with veins of crystal weaving into the top segment like roots.
I want it. I really fucking want it. But… I don't use spears, and it's probably going to be absurdly expensive.
Already, the price has risen to over a hundred gold from the starting fifty, and it's only climbing higher from there. Slowly but surely, people stop bidding until only two are left, the price now well over three hundred. A tall, heavily armored man and a toned, shorter woman glare at each other while flipping up their paddles. Once the cost passes four hundred, the man scoffs and gives up, leaving the smirking woman to her newfound weapon. While she celebrates, the host moves onto the next of the three items.
“Sigwar goes to Lady Asmer for four hundred and ten gold! Please remain after the auction to collect your item. Now! This second item is a unique dagger named Fenrith discovered in the lowest reaches of the Selari Abyss dungeon, with a high affinity for dark and shadow aspected mana. Its abilities are unique, powerful, and perfectly suited to any assassin or stealth specialist under the sun! Or moon, as the case may be-”
Shaking my head in annoyance at him hyping up the dagger so much, I go ahead and repeat what I did before.
-==÷==-
Fenrith (Legendary, Slashing)
A dagger forged from the broken fang of an Abyssal Direwolven Lord, this blade is enchanted to be nearly indestructible and to never dull.
[Swallow the Sun]- Fenrith consumes all light within a 30 meter radius, plunging the area into an eternal night. Only the wielder and designated allies may see through this space, as even those able to see in darkness find no reprieve.
[Eternal Hunger]- Allows the wielder to consume the magic of slain foes, minutely improving the blade and having a minute chance to grant extra experience. The blade may also consume great sources of aspected mana to gain minor magical effects.
[Abyssal Core]- Any dark-aligned skills used by the wielder will be converted into abyss-aligned variants.
[Unbound]- Fenrith will only bind with a wielder it finds worthy. Any attempts to force a bond will result in severe consequences.
-==÷==-
“-and now to the reason this particular item is so special! You see, it is a ‘selective’ item, meaning it will only bind to someone it finds ‘worthy’ of wielding it. As such, we will be doing something unique for this one to make it as fair as possible. Everyone interested in obtaining Fenrith, please stand and make your way to the stage. If the dagger does not react to your presence, you will return to your seat. If it does, you may claim it if no one else is able. If multiple people get reactions, then the bidding begins!”
A wisp of shadowy smoke drifts away from where Keira was beside me, and I can only chuckle as she rises from the floor right next to the auctioneer. Of course, ever the professional, Jacque doesn't react in the slightest to her sudden appearance as the other interested parties step up onto the stage one by one. A grand total of eleven people try their luck, one by one stepping up to the pitch-black dagger in hopes of it responding. The first three are sent away in disappointment, but the fourth refuses to accept that the dagger won't bond with him.
“I am a level fifty gold ranked adventurer! I am worthy enough to wield a damn dagger of all things!”
He reaches out to grab Fenrith from its cushion, but the moment his fingers close around the hilt a blinding wave of mana pulses from within the blade. A ripple of not-quite-shadow mana floods the room, a visible pulse of darkness ripping towards the man. He doesn't even have time to scream before he hits the floor, twitching weakly beneath his armor and visibly paler and thinner than before. Basic Diagnosis stutters to life, and I wince at what I see.
-==÷==-
Diagnosis (Erian Timberfell): Level Drain, Mana Shock, Abyssal Toxicity, Mortuus Solis Curum
—
Level Drain: User will lose a level every 2 minutes for 10 minutes. Can be cured with a sufficiently powerful curse removal.
Mana Shock: User is suffering from a complete lack of mana. Can cause extreme pain, unconsciousness, or damage their mana pathways.
Abyssal Toxicity: User has been flooded with abyss-aligned mana, which is eating away slowly at both their life force and mana pathways.
Mortuus Solis Curum: A powerful curse employed by Fenriris the Suneater, it blocks all access to non-dark aligned skills, prevents experience gain, and halves all stats until cured. Can be cured with a divine-channeled anti-curse.
—
Skill Evolved: Basic Diagnosis —> Diagnosis
-==÷==-
It upgraded? Eh, that's not important right now. What IS is the fact that this dude is so completely and utterly FUCKED.
The auctioneer snaps, and three mages in black and gold robes walk onto the stage and begin healing the man. I watch as Abyssal Toxicity and Level Drain vanish, but try as they might the curse and shock remains. After stabilizing the man, they unceremoniously drag him out of the auction house and toss him into the street. Clearing his throat to draw everyone's attention back to the auction itself, Jacque waves for the next person to step forward.
It's Keira, and just as I expected the blade reacts. A low rumble fills the air around Fenrith, as though the blade itself is growling at her. When she doesn't flinch or back away, it stops and a strip of runes begin to shine on the flat of the blade. Keira quickly steps away, and the blade calms once more. The next two people don't get any response, but the last four get small hums of approval from the blade, though nothing as dramatic as what Keira got. The final person thought that the hum meant that they could take the blade, and were very rapidly disabused of that notion when another blast of curses and mana slams into them. The scene from before repeats, and the man joins the other unconscious idiot outside on the ground. Jacque claps theatrically, making everyone jump as he announces the winner.
“It would appear there is only one obvious candidate! Madam, please step forward and claim your prize. Payment shall be discussed at the end, but rest assured it will be significantly cheaper than if the bidding had started.”
Keira nods nervously, reaching towards Fenrith and jumping a bit when it launches into her grip. I chuckle as she teleports back up to me in a swirl of darkness. Scratching her ears for a moment, I get my first good look at the dagger. The blade itself appears to be made of ivory, a gleaming off-white blending seamlessly into the pitch black hilt and guard that seem perfectly sized to Keira's grip. Silver inlay gives the impression of fur, and the pommel itself is shaped into a snarling wolf.
“Nice.” I whisper to her, once again getting shushed with a quick smile. Remembering what the host said about payment being discussed later, I don't bid on the final unique despite really wanting it. This time it was a unique staff called Ebburn, with all four of its abilities dedicated solely to enhancing any magic cast with it as the catalyst. In total it cuts all cast times by 75%, halves the mana cost, grants the ability to multicast up to ten spells, and gives a 50% boost to the power of all spells. All this with the self-repair and durability enhancements typical of unique items. All in all, this sells for the single highest amount yet at 500 gold, which from what I've heard is almost enough to enchant an entire house to clean itself and be near-indestructible. Albeit a small house, but still!
And then, finally, we got to the main event.

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Ch. 25