Leeway

The guard shoved him through a doorway, and Nuri fell to his knees, his head spinning. He looked up, trying to focus on the figure looming over him, but his vision was hazy. The man's lips moved, but Nuri couldn't make out what he was saying. The ringing in his ears was like a siren, drowning out all other sound.

Nuri's mind raced, trying to process what had happened. The Nyxian, the bite, the guard, the gunshot... it was all a jumbled mess in his head. He tried to speak, but his voice was barely a whisper, lost in the din of his own ears. The man's face came closer, his eyes narrowed in concern, but Nuri couldn't hear what he was saying.

The man's face came closer, his eyes narrowed in concern. "Damn, boy, you look like hell," he muttered, his voice low and gravelly. "Are you sick? Oh, man, that would be bad. Very bad."

He took slow steps closer to Nuri, his eyes scanning his face and body. "You're supposed to be auctioned off, and if you're sick... that's not going to happen." He shook his head, his expression grim. "You need to snap out of it, kid. You need to be worth something to someone."

Nuri tried to focus on the man's words, but his ears were still ringing, and his mind was foggy. He tried to speak, but his voice was barely a whisper. The man's words seemed to come from far away, and Nuri's vision began to blur again. He felt himself falling, and the man's arms came out to catch him, holding him upright.

The man shook Nuri's body, trying to rouse him. "Hey, kid, you alive?" he muttered, his voice laced with impatience. Nuri's eyes fluttered open, and the man nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Good, good. You're alive."

He reached for something behind him and produced a collar, which he fastened around Nuri's neck. "What's with you beasts, anyway?" he wondered aloud, eyeing Nuri's bite marks. "You'd think you'd be immune to each other's venom. But no, you go and get bitten by another one of your kind."

He shook his head, his expression puzzled. "Rico, take him back to the cage," he called out, his voice echoing through the room. "We'll have to keep an eye on him. Don't want him dying on us before the auction." The guard appeared, and the man handed Nuri over to him. "Be careful, he's been bitten. Don't want you getting infected too."

Nuri struggled against the guard's grip, but his body was weak and uncoordinated. He stumbled and fell to the ground, his vision blurring. The guard yelled at him, his face red with anger, and slapped Nuri across the face. Nuri's pale skin swelled and bled, and he cried out in pain.

The sound of Nuri's cry seemed to echo through the room, and the Nyxian's eyes flickered open. He gazed around, his mind drowsy and disoriented. He saw Nuri, his face bloody and bruised, being shoved back into his cage. The Nyxian's eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on the guard.

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