Auction

"For everyone here today" the merchant began "my sales have an interesting addition."

The crowd began murmuring, and Lisa noticed more than a few curious gazes directed her way. All the males in the crowd were attractive in one way or another: some muscular, others lean, with clean-shaven faces or beards. It seemed there were males to suit every taste, as though they had evolved to appear as appealing as possible to the females.

But they weren't strong. Lisa observed that most had only one stripe, a few had two, and only two individuals, Rufus, the leader of the guards who had brought her, and the merchant, had three stripes.

"First, let me tell you, I have some excellent beasts for sale."

He presented the other captured creatures, starting with a kangaroo caged nearby.

"Here we have a two-legged mammal from a distant land, a kangaroo" he said, pointing at the male, who kicked the bars fiercely. "Kangaroo meat is a rare delicacy. I'm sure whoever buys him would impress the females..."

Lisa froze, horror twisting her features as a chilling realization struck her. Ever since she arrived in this village, she'd been questioning the purpose of selling males. She knew that females, being rare, were often traded to males from other villages or towns in exchange for provisions.

But what about the males? In a world without large-scale agriculture, what sense did it make to have workers when each male would only labor for his own subsistence and that of a female?

Why would males be sold?

The merchant had just answered her question. Meat. They sold beastmen for others to eat.

Her stomach churned. She knew the world of the books was brutal, but since the story had focused mainly on the romance between the protagonist and her many male partners, the only dangers present were those that brought the couples closer together. The world was perilous, which was why females couldn't rely on a single male. The entire setting seemed designed solely to justify the protagonist abandoning monogamy and accepting her harem.

The merchant moved on to another cage, the lion's. Moments ago, the lion had been writhing in fury.

"Here we have a rare item, a one-striped lion."

Excited murmurs rose from the crowd of beastmen.

"I know more than one of you is eager to absorb his soul strength. Who here wouldn't want to gain another stripe?"

Lisa couldn't hide her astonishment. As far as she knew, there was only one way for males to grow stronger: through battles. They absorbed the soul strength of other living beings, such as the colossal beasts, giant creatures akin to ancient dinosaurs, or monsters.

The sole exception was the ferals. These were males without villages, who abducted females and grew stronger solely by killing other males and absorbing their soul strength.

That's when Lisa realized.

She was in a village of ferals, likely about to be sold to one. With this new understanding, she examined the crowd more closely and noticed how diverse the species were. This wasn't a place with a clan or family, there didn't appear to be a leader or any hierarchy among them.

The tiger clan was discarding her to the equivalent of criminals in this world.

The merchant passed by her cage, and the crowd grew excited. But he merely continued to the next one.

"The next item is a top-notch stud. A swift, two-striped male ready to be absorbed. Let me present to you, the rabbit..."

The merchant stopped, cutting himself off mid-sentence.

Lisa shifted her gaze away from the excited beastmen and looked around.

The cage next to hers, where a rabbit, and then a man, had been, was now empty.

"Wait a second!" The merchant frowned, approaching the cage to open it. "Where is that ra..."

He choked on his words, blood spilling from his throat before he could finish. Where there had been nothing moments ago, a red-haired man emerged, wiping blood from his claws.

"Looks like today's harvest will be valuable, boys" he announced to a confused crowd.

Lisa felt his eyes land on her, red and gleaming, just as they were in his rabbit form.

Chaos ensued. The males around her began shouting, people ran, and wooden cages were thrown aside as all the captured beastmen were set free.

That's when she noticed, invisible among the tall men, several rabbits hopping around, creating havoc and killing indiscriminately with their claws.

She had never thought of rabbits as dangerous before this.

Lisa's cage rattled.

"Well..." The red-haired man who had been talking to her unlocked her cage with a strong motion of his arm. "Looks like we have a deal to fulfill between us."

Well... Lisa supposed she now had an escape route.