(Scars do not appear to be cause of death –shock ... - Bad Request

sacrifice in return for greater power. I would grant these powers to you
freely, but as you can see, I am bound."
"What is the sacrifice?" I asked, my voice a melange of eagerness and
annoyance that the book would dare hesitate.
"The second sacrifice is that you sell one of your companions into durance,
bondage, slavery. This will signify the binding between you and the power -
your companion represents the Power placed at your disposal. There are
those in the Clerk's Ward, I am given to understand, who will aid you in this
quest. Seek out Vrischika the importer."
Well, that's easy enough.
~~~~~
The air was sharp in Vrishika's curiosity shop, as if the smoke from the
incense had thorns. Beneath it all I could detect the faint smell of blood that
gave those thorns iron tips, and the slightest stench of sulfur-smoke that
lent them cruelty. There was a certain elegance in it that I didn't quite
appreciate before.
"Interested in purchasing a slave or servant, Vrischika?"
Vrishika's full, black lips curled into a smile. "I'm always interested in
acquiring more help. Standish - the lazy dullard - helps me around the store,
but I could use another body for my manor. Who were you offering? I'll pay
five thousand coins, if they're decent."
I had thought about it for a while, and the choice had been clear as of last
night. "Dak'kon, the githzerai."
Dak'kon was silent, his hands tightening until I could hear the knuckles
creak. Then his words come out like a blade, cold and firm and edged with
every fiber of his being. "It is not my will to be this woman's slave."
"You don't have much of a choice in the matter, do you, slave?" I said with a
raised eyebrow. His body tightened at the word, and his coal-black eyes
widened and dimmed as if he had taken a mortal blow, "Will you buy him,
Vrischika?"
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