FROM EARTH TO RONOKI

As I looked at him, I could feel an evil aura around him. His arrogant expression made me want to wipe it away, erasing every pride. From the moment our eyes met, I felt uncomfortable, as if I could sense his bad intentions towards me. It was clear he had a sinister plan involving me.

"Ten thousand zen for that one," the slave master remarked casually, directing his attention to the woman standing next to me. She was a striking figure, tall and beautiful, just like me. Neither of us wanted to be in this degrading situation, but here we were, on display for these elderly men, as they shamelessly examined our naked bodies and haggled over prices.

His eyes roved over the woman beside me, thoroughly assessing her before shifting his gaze to me. As our eyes met, I quickly lowered my head, nervously biting my lip, knowing that my fate was hanging in the balance.

* please, don't get too interested in me*I pleaded in my head *Don't even think about staring at me* I couldn't help but bite my lip harder, wondering why he had noticed me in the first place.

"Raise your head" he ordered. Reluctantly, I raised my head to meet the man's gaze, and I watched as he bit his own lip while sizing me up. "Well, this one's a real beauty," he commented, his eyes focused on me. His hand slid down my face, cupping my exposed breast, and I couldn't hide my disgust and irritation. My body felt like an object for this disgusting old man's inspection. "That hair color is something," he mused as his fingers toyed with my red locks, his desire written all over his face. "So, how much for this one?" he finally asked, abruptly withdrawing his touch.

"That one's quite a price tag," observed the slave master, his gaze lingering on me casually. "A real beauty, isn't she? Unique, almost otherworldly," he continued, studying me with interest. "Three hundred thousand zen," he declared.

"Three hundred thousand!" exclaimed the man, his eyes locked onto me. "That's a bit steep for a whore," he mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he continued to stare at me. "I'll offer you fifty thousand zen. That's the best you'll get for her," he proposed.

"Fifty thousand is a bit on the low side," the slave master countered. "How about one fifty thousand zen, and I'll hand the woman over to you right away?" he suggested, still maintaining a casual tone.

After some consideration, the man finally agreed, saying, "Alright, I'll pay one hundred and fifty thousand zen." His eyes roamed over my form, and he added with a lecherous grin, "I'll certainly make the most of every single zen I'm spending on her," licking his lips suggestively.

I struggled to hold back the urge to vomit at that moment. The idea of enduring the advances of this distasteful old man filled me with dread. I couldn't bear to imagine it, and the mere thought alone made me want to find a hidden corner and disappear from existence.

Death?

I did die, but oddly enough, I ended up here in an entirely unfamiliar universe called Ronoki immediately after that accident I assume took my life. It was a chilly place with peculiar people and a culture that seemed far from modern - more like something out of the 13th century, but in this strange world known as Ronoki.

I kept pondering if perhaps my body back on Earth was in a coma, which might explain why I found myself in this strange realm, maybe everything was a dream and nothing was real.

I knew I didn't belong here, and the burning question was how to get back home. It had been a week since my arrival on this planet, and from the moment I landed, I was shuffled from one slave master to another, sold to the highest bidder with no say in the matter.

The guys around here seemed to have a soft spot for me, probably because I stood out with my vibrant red hair - a real rarity in Ronoki. On Earth, I was no stranger to compliments either; I had long, flowing red locks that reached my waist, tanned skin, and striking emerald green eyes that often got noticed.

Now, out of all the men who'd been trying to buy me, this old-timer finally sealed the deal. So, here I was, facing the prospect of sharing my body with him. I didn't want any part of this; all I really craved was a way back to Earth. But it seemed like that wish was nothing but a dream. As for how I ended up in this bizarre world, your guess is as good as mine. The only memory I had was of that accident, and now, here I am, stuck in this stupid place.

They promptly escorted me back to the dark, cramped room where they kept the rest of the girls. We sat huddled on the floor, waiting patiently in the dimnes. Inside, I was boiling with frustration, but I held back my screams and tears, choosing instead to bury my head in my hands and let out quiet sobs.

I couldn't help but think, "If this is a nightmare, then please, someone wake me up from it." The idea of being sold to that disgusting old man as his plaything was beyond horrifying. What kind of twisted situation had I landed in, and how on earth could I find my way out of it? I had no desire to remain in this strange, alien world or place. Escaping from here was my deepest, most fervent wish.

Lost in my thoughts, the door to the dark room suddenly swung open once more. The slave master came in, dragging us to our feet and urging us to follow him. We were a group of ten, tied together, and the youngest among us appeared to be around seventeen years old. It was an utterly unpleasant experience.

The slave master only brought us out when there was a potential buyer, and this time, it was different. The buyer wasn't a man but a woman in her forties. She had long hair that reached her waist, a fair complexion, and was adorned with heavy jewelry. Her attire was beautiful, shimmering with gold.

I couldn't help but wonder why a woman would be interested in us. Was she perhaps a lesbian or something? Her eyes roved over all of us, carefully studying our appearances.

"You have some beautiful women today," she commented as her gaze lingered on us. "I'll be purchasing five of them. The brothel needs new girls to entertain our men, especially today, with the king paying us a visit."

"Brothel?" The word hung in the air, making me realize with a jolt of understanding.

She ran a brothel.

Now it all started to make a lot more sense.

"So, what's the price for each of them?" she asked casually, her interest clear as she looked over our group.

"Well, they're going for ten thousand zen each," he replied with a grin, clearly pleased at the prospect of selling half of his stock to her, which promised a hefty sum.

"Hmm," she hummed thoughtfully, her eyes sweeping over the women before landing on me. She walked toward me, her fingers running through my fiery red hair. "And how much for this one with the captivating hair? I've never seen such a unique color before; it's rather intriguing."

"That one's already spoken for, Mistress Eleanor, but feel free to check out the other lovely ladies we've got," he suggested, trying to shift her attention. However, she stayed focused on me.

"The king's men will definitely fancy this one; she'll be there to entertain them, and if she is extremely lucky then maybe the king might just be interested in her too" she commented, examining me closely as I fought to hide my disgust. "How much did you sell her for?"

"Sorry?" the slave master pretended not to understand.

"How much did you sell her for?"

"Two hundred thousand zen," he lied, and I didn't dare correct him. She took a deep breath, her gaze penetrating me before making her decision. "I'll offer you 500 thousand zen. Send her to the brothel with four other girls immediately," she declared and walked away.

"Y-yes, Mistress," the slave master stammered, his voice trembling, and he hastily released me from the robe that bound me. Even though I had no idea how the currency in Ronoki worked, five hundred thousand zen sounded like an astronomical sum, far beyond what anyone should ever spend on a slave.

The slave master proceeded to untie four other girls beside me. We were then handed over to the maids, who wasted no time in washing us clean and adorning us in different outfits. I was dressed in a long, elegant green gown that covered every inch of my body. The color matched my eyes perfectly, and my hair was adorned with delicate green flowers to complement my attire.

It had been quite some time since I'd last been cleaned up and dressed in something other than rags, and I couldn't deny the relief that washed over me, even though I was aware of the unsettling job that awaited me - a brothel.

A brothel!

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I was about to be a sex worker, sharing my body with a multitude of men, and it seemed that since my arrival in Ronoki, men here couldn't keep their eyes off me.

Soon, I was escorted to a luxurious carriage, with the other girls just as beautiful, if not more so than me. Realization hit me as it seems the sole aspect that seemed to draw their attention is my fiery red hair.

My fiery red hair was the only thing that seemed to catch anyone's eye. It appeared that men in Ronoki had a fascination with it, perhaps because the women here all had black hair.

As the carriage rolled past charming cottages with thatched roofs and flourishing farms that stretched for miles, the grim reality of my impending work in the brothel weighed heavily on my mind. The thought of trading my body for the pleasure of numerous men left me profoundly uneasy.

I couldn't help but wonder how I'd ended up in this dire predicament and whether there was any way out. The desire to return to Earth gnawed at me relentlessly, like an ache I couldn't escape. At that moment, I just wanted to go back home

But how?