The door opens, and Tara can sense them entering the building. The air inside feels different—heavier, more magical. The sounds change too, becoming muffled, as if the walls are absorbing noise.

  "Welcome to Master Thorne's," a voice says—older, male, probably the shopkeeper or an assistant. "How may I help you today?"

  "We have some items we'd like appraised," Elena says. "Artifacts from a dungeon run."

  "Ah, adventurers," the voice replies. "Master Thorne will see you. This way, please."

  They move deeper into the building. Tara can sense the space opening up, can feel magical wards and barriers around them. The air is thick with the scent of old magic, of artifacts and enchantments.

  "Master Thorne," the assistant says. "Visitors for an appraisal."

  "Send them in," another voice replies—deeper, more authoritative. This must be Master Thorne himself.

  Tara feels the bag being set down on something—a table, probably. He can sense the surface beneath him, smooth and polished.

  "Please, have a seat," Master Thorne says. "What have you brought me today?"

  Tara hears the sound of items being placed on the table. The amulet and dagger, he assumes. Then the bag is opened, and for the first time since being stuffed into it, Tara can see clearly.

  Well, "see" isn't quite right. But his perception expands dramatically. He is in a room—a workshop, really. Shelves line the walls, filled with artifacts, books, and magical components. A large table dominates the center, and behind it sits an older man with a long beard and spectacles that glow faintly with magic.

  Master Thorne. He looks exactly like what Tara would expect an artifact appraiser to look like—scholarly, careful, with an air of authority.

  Elena and Kira sit across from him, and on the table between them are the three items: the glowing amulet, the enchanted dagger, and Tara himself.

  "Interesting," Master Thorne says, picking up the amulet first. "Let me examine this."

  He holds it up, and Tara can see magical energy flowing from the man's hands into the amulet, testing it, probing it. The amulet glows brighter in response.

  "Health regeneration amulet," Master Thorne says after a moment. "Moderate quality. It'll heal minor wounds over time. Worth about... fifty gold pieces, maybe sixty if you find the right buyer."

  "Fifty gold?" Tara thinks. "That's it? I'm worth way more than some stupid amulet. At least I'm useful. What does an amulet do? Heal minor wounds? Big deal. I generate energy constantly. I'm basically a walking power plant. Well, not walking. But you know what I mean."

  He sets it down and picks up the dagger.

  "This one's more interesting," he says, examining it. "Enchanted for poison damage. Good craftsmanship. I'd say... eighty gold pieces. Possibly ninety."

  "Eighty gold?" Tara thinks indignantly. "Seriously? A dagger? That's just a pointy stick with sparkles. I'm a geometric masterpiece of energy generation. Do you know how many physics laws I'm casually breaking by existing? I'm a thermodynamics nightmare! And I store energy too! I'm premium merchandise!"

  He sets the dagger down and turns to Tara.

  "And this," Master Thorne says, picking up the pyramid. "Now this is intriguing."

  Tara feels the man's hands on him—warm, careful, examining every face, every rune. Magical energy flows from Master Thorne's hands, probing, testing, analyzing.

  "Fascinating," Master Thorne murmurs. "The runes are ancient, but the structure is... unusual. And it's generating energy. Constantly."

  He holds Tara up to the light, turning him this way and that. Tara feels like a piece of jewelry being examined, which, he supposes, he is.

  "The energy generation is impressive," Master Thorne continues. "One unit per second, by my estimation. That's... significant. And there's something else. Storage capacity, perhaps? Yes, I can sense it. It's storing energy internally."

  Tara feels a spike of anxiety. The appraiser is discovering his abilities, one by one. Will he discover that Tara is conscious? That he has thoughts, memories, a personality?

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  "The material is unusual too," Master Thorne says. "Dark stone, but not any I recognize. And the energy signature... it's unique. Very unique."

  He sets Tara down on the table and looks at Elena and Kira.

  "This is a valuable artifact," Master Thorne says. "Energy-generating artifacts are rare, and one that also stores energy is even rarer. I'd estimate its value at... three hundred gold pieces."

  "Three hundred?" Tara thought, outrage building. "THREE HUNDRED? I generate infinite energy! I'm a perpetual motion machine that works! I'm geometrically perfect! I have glowing runes! That dagger is just pointy metal with sparkles, and I'm worth less than four of them? The audacity! The disrespect! I am insulted on a fundamental, geometric level!"

  Elena's expression doesn't change, but Tara can sense something—disagreement, perhaps? Or suspicion?

  "Three hundred?" Elena says. "That seems... low, for such a unique artifact."

  "Exactly!" Tara thinks. "She gets it. Three hundred is way too low. I'm worth way more than that. At least five hundred. Probably more. I'm a one-of-a-kind energy-generating pyramid. That's got to be worth something."

  Master Thorne smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "It's a fair price. Energy-generating artifacts are valuable, yes, but they're also common enough."

  "Still," Elena says, "three hundred seems low. We were thinking it might be worth more."

  "I could go to three-fifty," Master Thorne says. "But that's my final offer. Take it or leave it."

  Elena and Kira exchange a look. Tara can sense the unspoken communication between them—they aren't satisfied with the offer.

  "I think we'll pass," Elena says. "Thank you for the appraisal, Master Thorne. We'll consider our options."

  Master Thorne's expression tightens slightly, but he nods. "As you wish. If you change your mind, my offer stands."

  They gather the items—the amulet, the dagger, and Tara—and put them back in the bag. Tara finds himself in darkness again, but he can still hear what is happening.

  "Three-fifty?" Kira says, once they are outside. "That's way too low, right?"

  "Way too low," Elena agrees. "Master Thorne was trying to lowball us. An energy-generating artifact that also stores energy? That's worth at least five hundred, probably more. He was hoping we didn't know its true value."

  "See?" Tara thinks. "She knows what I'm worth. Five hundred gold, at least. Probably more. I'm way better than that stupid dagger and that useless amulet. I'm a premium artifact. A deluxe model. The top of the line. Three hundred? Please. I'm worth way more than that."

  "So what do we do?" Kira asks.

  "We take it to an auction house," Elena says. "The Grand Auction House in Valdris. They'll get us a fair price, and we won't have to deal with appraisers trying to cheat us."

  "Good plan," Kira says. "When's the next auction?"

  "Tomorrow, I think. We'll need to register the items today. Let's head there now."

  Tara feels the bag move as they walk. An auction house. So he is going to be sold at auction, like a piece of art or a rare collectible.

  "Great," Tara thinks. "I'm going to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. That's exciting? Or terrifying? I'm not sure which."

  A hooded figure watches them leave.

  ---

  Master Thorne watches the two adventurers leave, their footsteps fading as they exit his shop. He sits back in his chair, his spectacles still glowing faintly with magical energy, and stares at the empty space where the pyramid had been.

  There was something peculiar about that artifact. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

  The energy generation was impressive, yes. The storage capacity was unusual. The runes were ancient, the material was unique. But there was something else. Something more.

  This couldn't be a souled artifact, right? In the hands of these adventurers, and moreover so weak. He shakes his head, dismissing the thought.