V1CE: Online

The Ugly Side

"Milord, should I make this quick?" Merrik asked, wiping the blood off his intricate blade.

"Not yet. I want to know what's happening here; though I have my suspicions."

The pair of women were shaking in fear. Their trio had quickly been reduced to a duo in a quick strike. Alan walked around them, inspecting both women along with the gentleman that lay dead on the table. Pieces of him had been sliced off, mostly in areas of dense muscle, such as the calves, upper arms, and either side of his abdomen.

"I would like you both to explain what is going on, and I might be inclined to overlook the foolish actions of that woman over there. If I believe for a moment you're lying, your fate will be far worse than hers."

"Fuck y..." the older woman's voice vanished as Alan's dagger cleaved through her throat.

The slash was so fast, nearly three seconds passed before a waterfall of crimson flowed from neck. She gripped the wound with both hands, trying to contain what she could through wrinkled fingers. She was still alive as the small swarm of rats that hid within his coat scurried out, gnawing on the soft parts of her body as she struggled. Most attacked her nose and ears, since they were devoid of bones, and easily accessible. Her legs kicked weakly as she was forced to choose between maintaining her life for a few more precious moments, or releasing her hold to escape the pain. Foolishly, she chose the former.

Alan ignored her struggles as he bent over and cleaned the dagger off with her cotton blouse. Standing straight, he looked to the final woman. Her blonde hair had small speckles of red, which had escaped into the air as the older woman fell.

"P...p..please, don't kill me," she whimpered, shivering as if she were a dog left out in a winter storm. "W...we...we..."

She paused trying to catch her breath. Her eyes were watching the dagger. At any moment an unseen flash could end her, the same as her sister and mother.

"Take your time. First, tell me your name," Alan softly demanded. "I'll begin. I'm All-In."

"E...Emily, sir."

He got closer to her, flicking the edge of his dagger with his gloved hands. It made a small, nearly inaudible twang.

"Emily, thank you. Now, tell me what is going on here. Just be calm."

"My fa...family is selling m...meat from bodies," she replied, slowly regaining her composure. "We're out of money."

"And where did you procure these bodies?" Alan asked, gesturing toward the unfortunate soul on the table. "They seem fresh."

She started to cry, as the emotional dam that her fear was holding back finally wavered. Alan gave her a few moments to collect herself.

"Homeless," she said, bluntly. "My sister works for...worked for, the morgue. I also work there."

"So, people who won't be missed," Merrik chimed in. "That's actually efficient for the city. Less funeral costs placed upon the citizens unknowingly."

"Still, the people are trading one ignorance for another. I doubt people would be excited to learn that they've been purchasing human meat from this vendor. I'm all for new ventures, but this one is a slippery slope."

Alan walked around and placed a hand on the dead man's chin, inspecting him. You wouldn't know just by looking at him that he was homeless, and he looked somewhat familiar. Alan figured he was most likely a downtrotten man who had lost everything at his casino, or possibly a user of Black Grass.

"Milord, there is another use we could find with this...venture, as you described it," Merrik interrupted. "Those lizardmen you have moving here, perhaps this could supply them with a steady flow of cheap meat. They wouldn't have any qualms about eating human flesh, and in fact, might relish such a deal."