Bound and Broken: An Isekai Adventure Dark Fantasy (Melas Book 1) by V.A. Lewis (autobiographies to read .TXT) 📕

"Is that true?" the rich man asked, cocking his head.

Julian ran forward and waved his hand placatingly. "Of course not! This is just a children’s prank— you know how naughty kids can get? We have all the legal documents—"

"It’s true," a voice interrupted the slaver.

Theodore stepped forward, glancing once at me and nodding his head slightly. I could see desperation in his eyes, and I was not even sure if he thought this ploy would work, but he took the risk just as I did.

"It is as she said. I am from a town in Elios. I was a farmer," he said, showing his calloused hands. "None of us are from the Free Lands. We were tricked or outright stolen from our families. Please, help us go home."

Julian looked like he wanted to say something in protest, but the moment Theodore stood up to defend me, another man spoke. Then another. They were voicing murmurs of agreement; it was nothing quite as loud as me or Theodore.

The Bolerian officials saw this, and they looked… uncomfortable. One of them— the brown haired woman from earlier— stepped up, glancing between us and the slavers. "Mr Mancis, I’m sure you have all the documentation necessary to prove this. However, these allegations are serious, and we’ll have to conduct an investigation if—"

"Terrible," the rich man from earlier cut her off. He walked in front of the Bolerian official, pretending as if she wasn’t even there. "This is… quite the amusing prank, is it not?"

I narrowed my eyes, while the Bolerian officials backed up, unsure of what to do; this man was trying to claim I was lying, and it would be less problematic for them if what he was saying was true. Julian caught on to this, quickly sauntering up to him with a smile.

"Of course, my good Sir. Our premium products"— he gestured at something on my face— "are well trained in entertainment as well as obedience. And now, she will stop with her little act, right?"

Julian Mancis shot me a glare, trying to intimidate me into quieting down. I met his gaze, unafraid. I opened my mouth to speak, but again, the rich man spoke loudly into the room.

"Truly remarkable," he said, smiling. He looked at me with his predatory eyes, licking his lips as he did. "I want her."

"Excuse me?" Julian asked, blinking.

"I want her," the man repeated himself, turning back to the owner of the Mancis Company. "A hundred gold. Or one platinum. That’s all I’ll offer."

"You can’t be serious?" the older man sputtered. "That’s half of the base price we’ve estimated for her. I won’t be surprised if someone is willing to pay double, or even triple that amount!"

"Oh, so she’s telling the truth then?" the rich man said, voice flat. "Because if she is, I find that I’ll be forced to report you and your company’s activities to the appropriate authorities. You and your employees will be forced to pay a rather significant fine, and serve some jail time here in Boleria. We don’t tolerate lawbreakers after all, right?" he asked, turning to the woman from earlier.

The Bolerian official swallowed, and nervously replied. "Uh, yes. But if these—"

"Very good," he once again spoke over her. "And don’t worry about this… transaction, if you choose to accept my offer. I will ensure word does not leave this room. So what say you, Julian Mancis?"

The owner of the Mancis Company grunted. "Do I have a choice? I’ll get the paperwork."

"I knew you would be amenable to a deal. You do that, and I’ll… inspect the goods." The man strutted over to me, the arrogant smile plastered on his face. He reached out towards me, grabbing for my chin. "You know, I can’t wait—"

I did not wait to hear what he had to say. I bit. Hard.

The man screamed; his index finger interlocked between my teeth. I held on, as he tried to back up, pulling me along with him. I knew a single bite— especially from a kid— would not be enough to sever his finger.

So I grabbed onto his wrist, holding onto the man as he flailed around in pain. I opened my mouth, momentarily releasing his finger from my jaw. Then I bit down again. And again. And again. And—

Finally, there was a crunch. I felt something come loose, still in between my canines, as the rich man let out a final guttural scream. The man kicked me, knocking me back a foot, as he panted.

"My...fingers…" The man held up his hand. Blood was pouring down from it, dripping onto the ground. He turned to me and screamed.

I ignored him, smirking triumphantly as I spat out the half of man’s index finger still in my mouth. I stared at it for a second, realizing the blood covering my lip and the ground below me. I felt woozy for a moment, fighting back against the urge to puke.

Then I was struck across the face. The rich man was looming over me. His eyes were bloodshot— his smug grin had twisted into a face of pure anger.

"You… I’ll make you suffer!"

He brought his leg down on me, pinning my head down on the floor. I squirmed on the ground, trying to get up, but he pressed his entire body weight down on me. My cheeks were being squished against the cold stone floor, and all I could see was the terrified looks on all the slaves as they watched.

Theodore seemed like he wanted to come help me, but was stopped by the rich man’s bodyguards. I felt the pressure on me release for just a brief moment— before I found my body limply being kicked aside. I rolled on the floor for a moment, before something went wrong.

My right foot