Chapter 28: Hidden pleasures (2)

"... The jewels you were generous enough to give, such gorgeous little things they were. Trust my word, for in hidden pleasures, we strive to fulfill all our customer's tendencies and peculiar leanings." Fred took his wealthy guest for a tour around the massive bar. They marched shoulder to shoulder with the pretty maid from before guarding viciously from their rear. Nowadays, you can't give your safety up to fate. 

"such commitment and fidelity, I'm quite intrigued. The rich masters from above have a certain leaning. They like their puppets young and healthy, or so I've heard…" Matthew left Kayn to finish his dish and followed wherever the guide would take him in this place.

"oh? You see, I'm a strict believer of beauty and wealth, but a denier of many beliefs. Love is one of the things I despise." every so often, Fred's face painted a wide twisted, kind of sadistic smile that wore off seconds after. 

"and why is that…"

"Love cannot warm your bed on a cold night, nor buy you a ship with its cannons installed, nor can be served as food and beverage for the starving folk. Only money can accommodate such things" Fred spoke quietly enough for their conversation to not be heard by other third parties. 

"isn't love such a subjective thing to discuss? What about other optimistic desires and feelings?" Matthew caught sight of the candle holding woman, 'how ironic' he thought.

"Well, I find them too greasy for my taste. I prefer 'braised beef' to 'pulled pork'."

With that being said, the butler led Matthew towards a flight of stairs that had two giant bodyguards at the front. With a slight wave of hand, the two stepped away emptying the way for the owner of hidden pleasures and his rich guest. Many twisted individuals have gone up this pack of turbulent stairs before and even to this day, none came down unsatisfied. Fred was prideful of his bar, Hidden pleasures opened its warm legs in hospitality to rich spouses and their Vile unhinged desires, it was not an uncommon sight. 

Matthew considered the interior of the tower, it was deceptively simple and rough in texture. The wood weaver was truly professional in his work, removing the tree barks and leaving leaves only when necessary. The place was surprisingly full of life. '... A red lamp every three stairs, a blue one every nine' Matthew noted. Lanterns were arranged skillfully to further embellish the stairs. luxury was a must in such places, to make the customer feel like their money was well spent. 

All of these were showings of the absolute power and control that the owner held, for people respected it and paid their fees with no thoughts of causing trouble. The owner, Fred the butler or as Matthew liked to call him, lusts for wealth and power with every waking breath he takes… And the spear wielder could perfectly tell of that with his haki. 

"... That boy you brought with you, isn't he the infamous mute?" Fred had an uncanny interest in this particular guest he had for the night. None of those old bunch were as cunning, tricky and scheming. Many hanging thoughts brought him to speculate of the identity, but he kept them to his own old mind, appearing unnoticeable from the outside. 

" 'isn't he the mute?' haha! I didn't expect such a good sense of humor… it's as if you don't know the name of every Portelinian resident like the back of your hand" Matthew added fuel to the fire, His own signature touch of smart words. 

"ohh, you know me too well dear customer" Fred, with his whole teeth clenched, held every urge to laugh and druil in excitement.

 ' it's too interesting, too interesting…' this night will be an amusing one it seems. Another symbol of power is surrounding yourself with competent men and women. He'd had a string of maids and bodyguards, of varying ages and sex. And of those swaggering idiots, none of them had pleased him much, thus very few Lasted long enough in hidden pleasures. Little ambitious rats, all of them. Vapid, lustful creatures, ignorant of their own place and position. Only power and wealth mattered in Portelin, the same rule applied in this place. He'd known the lesson since he took over the building.

 

To a tower of gambling and fighting they were both conveyed. The screeches of the rich and their gullible tongues could be heard from the fancy entrance. Matthew's left eye wept blood and tears as he examined the fighting pit with full delegence. 

In the pale dawn light that adorned the place in its brilliancy. The rich masters of the game cheered loudly, excitement burned their hearts for the new fight to come. Most of them dressed well and lavish for the occasion. The pit they were watching attentively reeked of gore and blood. 

"They say the gamblers and bettors are a dubious bunch, tripping from one tragic idiocy to another, with nothing but deaf ears, mute tongues and blind eyes to back their decisions…" Matthew openly insulted the rich masters in an attempt of mockery. 

"... All desires and impulses are welcomed for a man with a packed wallet" Fred sounded quite offended at the tone "oh, and not many pits offer such services like ours: you get to choose your own slave, raise it to be strongly capable and then have it fight on your behalf. In other pits, men are made to bet on the winner of the match. A lame choice if you ask me. It's more exciting to witness the whole journey of your slave; the brutal foes it has to face, the hard choices it's inclined to make through its life… its all about the experience, the ups and downs… that's what makes us one of the three best fighting pits in Portelin" With a tone of content and joy, he ended his quiet speech. 

Matthew had hoped to see his predictions proving him wrong, but lady luck hasn't smiled upon him this day. His observation presented many twisted scenes. One of them was a fat master drinking from a polished mug of red wine and roaring his displeasure at the two slaves he just bought. "ahhh, m-master… mercy please… " one of the boys yelled, already drenched in salty tears of pain, as the whip lash carved a red line on his half naked body, the other was no better. 

" bloody sea, what will I do with both of you now that I spent all that cash?! Come on, you useless sacks of shit! Entertain your master!" the fat master fumbled the crop in his hands before lashing, again and again he struck the two boys… Some of the guests simply laughed in amusement, the others kept their eyes glued on the ongoing brawl.

Matthew only needed one glance to understand how fucked up this place was. 'the pit isn't gonna deliver a pretty sight, is it?'. Matthew heard applause, cheers, whistles, shocked grasps, angry yet excited gossip, and amidst all of that enthusiasm perched the silhouette of two young boys and a little girl the age of seven brawling to death. His mind blanked for a few seconds before he took note of their bodies. 

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The young girl looked as though she was starving for days. She had not been healthy, but signs of malnourishment had hardened her facial features. Coupled with the rough clothes she was given by her master, it made for a pitiful sight. The same pretty much could be said for the two boys. They were fighting for minutes now, exchanging fists and kicks all for the sake of survival. It brought Matthew to an uncomfortable fidgeting. 

" Hugo was master Lancelot's slave for four years now, a famous fighter of the arena" guests made way for Fred and his companions, he went on "he was auctioned in the bar below for the prize of 50k berries, to this day master lancelot regrets his choice and vents a lot of his anger in many creative ways. He made the young lad participate in a lot of brawls, as long as there is a big enough prize pool." 

"The guests find it thrilling, I take?" 

"oh they do. They enjoy his journey of suffering quite a bit. Only blood matters in the arena. Put on a show for the audience and you will be rewarded" only when Fred spoke did Matthew notice the bitter, vengeful expressions on the kids' faces." There is a tool for every task. These kids happen to be the perfect tool for our rise to power. Don't you agree, dear guest? People think ships and guns give you power, yet they overlook the wealth and the tools meant to use the said money… and you see, human desires, the kids… happen to be the perfect tool for our ambitions" Fred with fire in his eyes. His emotions getting unmasked right in front of the guest, yet none of them heard or cared as the brawl was too captivating. 

"What about my desire, sir Fred" Matthew suddenly brought, the conversation grew more intimate the longer the brawl in the arena continued. 

"Oh, speak of it, dear guest. I have long said all desires are better not to be held in, especially in a place like hidden pleasures" Fred flashed a handsome smile to his guest. This had been the best conversation Fred had for awhile, it's not every day you get engrossed in such moments. 

To a dark shaft where the screeches of the arena and its rich masters couldn't be heard, the group of two were led by Matthew this time, without the company of the pretty candle-holding maid. Fred was quite pleased this day, he couldn't wait to see what his guest had to offer. 

Matthew stopped walking and took out some of the cloak, showing his face for Fred to see. 

*gasp* Fred gulped down nervously. He couldn't tell, but a foreign inauspicious sense of ill-omen struck his stomach for a second. He analyzed the dim features of his guest in depth and detail. 

Deathly shades of paleness lost his guest the normal color of his skin, he could tell whatever took care of his skin was a foul one. A silky smooth mattress of brown curls made him appear in his early youth, or as Fred could tell. The thing that made his musings come to an end this day however, was that terrible left pupil that resembled some kind of bird monster. The other eye glistened with smiles and emotions while that one… made him stand at the edge of his toes. Never had he seen such a terrible alien thing before. 

"...!" Fred realized he couldn't move for a moment. Strange silence fell on their surroundings and the tunnel grew quiet as a church mouse. His sweat glands ran at their full speed wetting his back-skin and sending it colder than Portelinian nights. 

"Say Fred, you believed power resides in wealth, didn't you…" Matthew's cloying voice was gone, now his tone grew sharper than the sword the maid held. "you said there's a tool for every task, but what if I told you that for every tool there's also a task… I, for instance, don't have many tasks at hand but I could use a tool for my own pleasure, and just like those kids back then, you happen to be perfect" bloodlust intensified in the tunnel

Fred knew what the demon suggested, and he was stung in helplessness. Nothing could get his well trained body to move, not even the tricks he learned from the marines. "... You, who are you?!" He lashed out, bringing his anger to show. His old clean hair grew unkempt at his distress, the pressure from the demon was greater than ever. 

"Sir Fred. I could see you. I could see inside of you. I could see what you had for lunch and what your little mind is sewing in deceptive schemery… I saw that you had a particular fondness of fresh oysters and other seafood… oh and I have to say, the marathon you held this morning was quite the intriguing one, you chose to taste two women at the same time, what appetite you have, sir Fred…" with every word the demon uttered through smiling lips and teeth, Fred the victim of this hunt trembled in fear. It just lined with 'coincidence' that he enjoyed oysters and ran a threesome this morning in his bed chambers.

"We both know very well that I could carve lines on your old face with my spear, but why would you wound someone if you can just kill him…" with every word Fred's clothes drenched further in sweat and even tears. 

"... From the north of this forsaken city to the south, they sing songs of the devil and his many mysterious works. Death is such a beautiful thing, isn't it? We can't let such a gorgeous thing be unjustly hidden by the shadows right? You will do kind to tell him of his next stops. The performances can't be missed after all" with that being said, Matthew drifted away. Back into nothingness he went, just like he came… 

Fred was left there to writhe in pain. One thing he learned to make people loyal to him is to make them fear his power more than they do the enemy. And today he feared this rich guest, more than he dreaded his own demons. 

The night of that day: Lyssa, the pretty trained maid from before, died screaming in her chambers. Her room was left in shambles and utter disarray. Her body was butchered beyond recognition, leaving the guards to speculate the devil's involvement. It's said that involvement manifested in a twisted way of murdering his preys, and Lyssa happened to be one. Fred didn't get a wink of sleep that night, for he knew that the incident was but a mere warning to him and his bar, delivered by the devil's own hand. 

That day; hidden pleasures had been marked by the devil, for it had one of his 'favorite' types of victims. Driven by his own set of beliefs to prey upon those he perceives as 'sinners', he vowed to make them suffer from his attention. Slowly, he shall learn more of their weaknesses and strengths. and by toying with their underlings for the next days to come, he will make them face a painful end with the spear. 

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