“He’s still alive, yea?”

A voice asked. Loud whacks breaking the surface of some wood woke him up to consciousness. The man’s eyes squinted as he was greeted by the harsh sunlight. He aimed to cover his eyes with his hands but noticed he was bound to something tight. His body felt sore and groaned to the excruciating pain on his head. “It hurts.”

“What the hell’s happening?” He cried. Only that his voice were not loud enough compared to the shouting and cheering around him. His eyes slowly adjusted to the light and soon he realized where he is.

“He’s awaaake!” A large woman shouted. Instantly followed by two quick hits on the man’s head with her blunt wood of cylinder. It appears she’s been doing that for quite a while now since he can feel that his head is dripping with blood and the red smears affects his line of vision. She pulled him out of what appears to be a large wooden crate and threw him on the bloody, dirt riddled stage floor as if his weight didn’t matter. The scourging heat stung his skin all over. He realized his clothes were gone. His hands are tied behind him. He was too engrossed with his pain to be scared. The humiliation didn’t matter to him anymore, he wanted to get this over with.

“People of Tianquiztli, I present to you our next commodity!” The decorated man beside the stage announced, smiling widely. “We have here an able-bodied outcast from the remains of the ship’s ruins!”, The crowd murmured in curiosity.

“Two coppers!” shouted by a man from a distance.

“and there's finally a bid for you.” The large woman growled against his ear.

The man gave all his strength to look up and make sense of what’s around him. The tan skinned people clamoring and chanting. They're all dressed in feathers and linen. Their bodies, including their faces, painted in vivid colors of blue, red, and yellow. “Where am I?” he thought.

“Make that three for me!” another said. “I'm only buying him so i could beat him just like that.” the voice chuckled.

“Four coppers!” another one cried.

“I bid a silver and eight coppers, if he can scrub shit in the sweating room!” says a woman, laughing. The angry mob went on and placed bets for the poor man.

“Ten silvers!” a voice from the back exclaimed. “I'll buy him for ten silvers!”

The angry mob broke in silence, everyone turned and there they found and middle-aged man with a shiny face, dressed in silk blue robes. “Another one of those snooty men from Grecia, hmpf!”, a woman mumbled.

“Stop beating him with that stick, we're all aware that he's tenacious enough.” The foreigner slowly walked forward, bumping shoulders with the feathered tribesmen around him. Excusing himself each time.

“Judging by his skin, and his eyes, it seems that he's not from the other tribes around here.” The foreigner pulled his silk sleeves, raised his left arm and gently placed an open pouch of ten silvers on the wooden stage floor. He then placed another silver in the large woman’s hands.

“Tell me, Askatl…” The foreigner leaned towards the large woman. “What’s his story?”

“We took him as our prisoner back when the ships clashed somewhere there.” The woman answered pointing to the direction of the coastal line.

“and?” The foreigner said raising his eyebrows, clearly curious for more, but the woman just stared blankly at him, not blinking an eye.

“Untie the man for me, will ya?” The foreigner requested, his face painted with regret over wasting his silver coin.

The large woman did what she's told and pushed the wobbling captive towards the man. “Ah! There he is.” said the blue-robed aristocrat, looking up to his naked slave. “One good bath and I'm sure the fine men of Grecia will enjoy you!”

“Do you have a name?” The man asked smiling slyly.

The captive tried to look past his red smeared vision to see his new owner. He could taste the blood flowing through his face. With trembling lips he tried to speak, voice shaking. “G~Grey.”

He quickly stomped his foot onto the foreigner’s face and jumped towards the clearing. He tumbled and jerked, giving all of his strength to move his legs and run. If only he could run faster. A lot of gasps and screams came onto the crowd and paved way for him, as if fate was letting him escape. Until one more step and suddenly a slinged rope caught his legs, slamming him to the dirt head first. The crowd cheered and laughed at the small show they're having.

“He actually thought he can escape!” A woman cackled. All the other bystanders followed laughing. Grey rolled on the dirt. His feet got caught by the slingshot the large woman threw him. There is no chance of getting out of here, he thought.

“You ungrateful scum!” the foreigner snarled as he get back up, still in disbelief that his hands are touching the ground.

“Ten gold coins for that butt-naked man.” said a voice from the side. In one second everyone fell dead silent, never did a slave cost a gold. Everyone turned trying to find the bidder.

“Thirty.. Forty.. Fifty.. Ten gold coins, how much silver is that brother?” a curious local boy mumbled.

“More than you can count, stupid.” the larger boy beside him hissed.

“But who's giving the gold coins?” the boy asked.

“Just shut up, will you.” the larger boy elbowed his brother.

The foreigner grabbed the naked man by the hair and shouted back at the large woman, “Askatl! Come here and put this shit back in his crate!” Grey spat blood straight to the man’s silk garbs.

Askatl turned to the decorated man, her eyes inquiring. The decorated man gestured towards the agitated foreigner.

“Sorry, the bid is not done.” Askatl walked towards the foreigner, looking at him straight in the eyes.

“On whose authority?” the foreigner angrily asked, throwing Grey’s head straight back to the dirt.

“Mine.” A woman stood up and walked forward. Behind her is a bandwagon filled with men and women in tattered linens bound in chains. All of them are slaves she bought from the earlier hours of bidding.

The foreigner’s eyes lit up and smiled, “Era! By dear chance, its the Lord of the Pirates! Forgive my intrusion, please go on and I shall take my leave.” a sudden shift in the aristocrat’s mood. Using his silk sleeves, he wiped the blood and dirt off his face.

“Nope! That won't work. The boy's mine.” the lady walked past the foreigner, waving her hand towards the decorated man at the stage. “Hey buddy, Cuatl, pack the lad up and I'll be leaving shortly, yeah?” to which the decorated man nodded.

“But you already bought too many for your own good!”, the foreigner contested.

She scoffed. “I'm a pirate for a reason, remember?” Era said turning to the foreigner, throwing a small pouch to her side, the large woman catches it by surprise.

“You're quite taller up close.” The pirate smiled looking up to Grey. She kicked his legs and Grey fell on his knees, wincing in pain. “There, not that tall now, are ya? ha ha ha!”

“Bring them to my ship before night fall, ye?”

The large woman nodded.

“It's been a good day doing business with you people.” Era said as she started walking away, “Maybe I'll come back for more.”

“And we shall wait till then!” The decorated man smiled, walking towards the large woman.

“Aye!”