Chapter 11

“It’s inside my skin!” he screamed, writhing in agony. One of the blindfolded servants moved toward the vessel and latched it shut again as the thug wailed and then curled into a fetal position. He ranted about insects for nearly a minute before his words became useless babble.

“A single glance of a piece of the creature can damage you permanently.” The auctioneer spoke quietly as security came and removed the thug. “There’s a rumor that a single drop of this creature’s blood contains more power than all the magical artifacts we’ve ever sold. For the man or woman who can figure out how to actually collect such a thing, you may be looking at immortality, or possibly more. This is a one-of-a-kind deal that is unlikely to ever come again. I will now start the bidding at fifty billion dollars.”

“Fifty billion,” said the proxy bidder who had first spoken up.

“Fifty five,” said a different proxy bidder. The room remained quiet as the bids continued to climb between three