Belly of the Beast

Night had fallen once again on a small town near the Acrean Forest. Like any other town, this one held its fair share of problems.

Although it seemed bustling during the day, as merchants peddled their wares in the town centre before hitting the road again, the town took on an entirely different form once night fell.

Officially, the governor appointed by the crown should rule the town, and this was true enough during the day. However, several gangs ruled the nightlife.

Not so different from merchants, the gangs were driven mainly by profit. The only difference lay in their methods. Their activities ranged from brothels and casinos, which are frowned upon but entirely legal, to more extreme means, such as theft and extortion.

Not so long ago, the town was primarily ruled by three major gangs, while smaller ones could only reap the scrap that the bigger ones didn't bother caring about. The three gangs were active primarily in the capital, making this town only one of their smaller branches. As such, they barely paid attention to this place as their market share was almost insignificant.

That is when the Raging Beasts gang entered the fray. They took advantage of the three gangs' apathy to swiftly take control of their competitor's businesses. Most gangs, especially the big three, would deal with other gangs cautiously, but the Raging Beasts used the most simple strategy: violence, which proved quite effective.

In less than a year, the gang had taken control of ninety percent of the town, almost uprooting all others from the city altogether, making them the de facto leaders of the town's criminal underground. However, such rapid expansion came with some evident drawbacks. For one, the town's governor noticed them quite early and tried to quell their ambition somewhat by raiding some of their safe houses and increasing the taxes on their most open businesses. Though the "Beasts" had no problems fighting other gangs, they seemed to still have some reservations about making an enemy of the country.

After another year of tension, the government and the gangs finally reached an accord. As long as the gangs' activities didn't involve the government's bottom line, the government would turn a blind eye to the gangs' business. Such an agreement seemed to be a win-win situation for both parties, except for the citizen caught in the middle. That agreement still holds true to this day.

On a hill not far from town stood a stronghold. This stronghold was a relic of a war so long ago that most records had been erased over time. As such, the stronghold was surrounded by the Acrean Forest, making it relatively hidden.

This stronghold is now the Raging Beasts headquarters.

Although that place had seen better days, it was still quite functional as the gang had poured a lot of funds into its restoration. Despite being nighttime, the place was still bustling with activity as guards patrolled the wooden walls, looking towards the sea of trees.

However, the patrol was relatively lax, as the gang members were mere criminals and not trained soldiers. Besides, who besides the town's knight order would be brave enough to assault this fortress? Since they had already agreed with the governor, most gang members thought patrolling was a waste of time. As such, the walls were mostly just a place to kick back and drink.

Deep inside the stronghold stood a man over two meters tall. The man's strong muscles stood out even beneath a deep layer of fat, making for quite an intimidating sight.

The man was currently in his bedroom, amusing himself with his newest catch. Indeed, in addition to his love of food and alcohol, the man also had an insatiable lust. He lived only to fulfill his desires.

The man had a despicable habit. Every week, he would go into town to look for new prey. Once he found a woman or two who struck his fancy, he would bring them back forcefully into the stronghold to enjoy them until they broke. Even worse, the man was mainly interested in young married women.

While he took them away, he would also order his men to abduct their husbands. He would then force them to watch as he violated them. Sometimes, when he took back more than one, he would force the men to fight each other to the death while their wives watched, promising to free the victor. Of course, he never kept those promises.

The guard outside his door entered as he was toying with his newest prey. As he stared with envy at the naked woman on the bed, the guard spoke.

"Boss! Sofia has come back. Should I let her in?"

The boss frowned at the interruption but stood motionless over the woman's body, thinking. He was quite fond of Sofia. She had been a great help in the negotiations with the government as her charm gave them an edge, but more than that, he had always wanted to bed her but wasn't brave enough. He was all too aware of the power of her charm and wouldn't take the chance to fall under her control. As his desires for Sofia mounted, the man resumed his activity even while the guard was still watching.

"Let her in," he said to the guard.

The guard paused and gulp as he watched the show. It wasn't until the boss turned and glared at him that the guard finally turned around and left the room.

Less than a minute later, Sofia entered the room. Unperturbed, she looked at the almost lifeless woman under the boss. Unfortunately, such a scene was all too common with that man, and she had gotten used to it.

She recalled the first time she witnessed this scene, four years ago. At the time, she was inexperienced and had hidden behind her brother. It took her almost a week to recover. As she recalled her brother, a look of sorrow flashed on her face.

Seeing that the boss was too busy at the moment, Sofia was the first to speak. "Boss, have you received the item?" she asked.

Reaching climax, the man finally lets the limp woman go. He sat on the bed, still naked, and stared at her. Sofia looked away as she had no interest in the thing between his legs.

"I did... quite interesting for an artifact. Before that, however, only one of the men I sent to you has returned. What happened to the other two?"

His stare seemed to be burning a hole in her. Trying to maintain her calm, Sofia muttered the word "dead."

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

A chill ran through her spine as cold sweat poured out of her pores. It took every ounce of courage for her to meet his gaze. The man before her was a beast in every sense of the word. He was a predator that wouldn't feel anything, simply crushing her where she stood. She chooses her following words carefully.

"They are both dead. The target killed them both."

The man stared into her eyes. Although the boss may seem to be a brute, strength alone wasn't enough to lead a gang like the Raging Beasts, especially considering the number of enemies they had made. Cunning was also necessary. With years of experience under his belt and sharp instincts, the boss could mostly tell when someone was lying. As such, Sofia mainly told the truth. The man still had more questions, however.

"Then, why are you still alive?"

Sofia swallowed nervously. This was the decisive moment.

"He took a liking to me. You know about my charm. He simply couldn't bring himself to hurt me."

Everything she said was true, although some of the details were omitted. The boss also seemed to buy it.

"I see," he said, reflecting. "In that case, I have another mission for you. I want you to find out where he got that sword. It shouldn't be too difficult for you."

Sofia finally let out a breath of relief. Everything seemed to be going well.

"Boss!" Sofia said. You promised to let me see my brother if I ever got hold of an artifact. I've fulfilled my part of the deal, and now it's time for you to do the same."

The boss' expression grew cold.

"Don't get ahead of yourself!" he said. The aura of an apex predator permeated the room as terror washed over her.

"I may favour you a little, but that doesn't mean I owe you anything. Be grateful that I haven't done the same to you as that woman over there." he continued as he pointed to the unconscious woman on the bed.

Sofia's expression sunk as despair overwhelmed her. She fell limply on her knees as she thought that she wouldn't ever see her brother again. Ever since they left their home, her brother was all she could rely on, and now she had lost him. She felt truly alone.

She lay unmoving on the floor until she heard a voice coming from the other side of the door.

"Time for Plan B, it seems."