God is a Game Designer

Deep below the streets of West Senoa, the old sewage system that connected the many different areas of the city still in use by a diverse group. While most of the west side had never received maintenance to maintain the areas another group had taken the mantle correctly. While the sewer near the central road still worked all the other outer regions ceased to work after a particular black market group started to work out of the system.

Getting into the Blackmarket was an ordeal in itself. Usually, only trusted vendors accessed the area and sold out in the streets. While the prices in the Blackmarket were more different depending on the item, the most popular items recently tended to be slaves who sold directly to East Senoa. Mana stones which continued to sell to mages who could not afford the outlandish prices of the priests and finally a new venture set up between a few brothers which were cheap meat.

Sitting in the backroom, one of the brothers pulled the cleaver down as he sliced up another bit of the red meat, around the room hung many portions of meat, the flesh he was working with already had mould, decay and was falling apart to the touch. The meat looked like beef with its texture and vision in the light as the man carved up the product.

The scent of burning flesh in the background as skin in a separate room continued to become charred and destroyed. The process repeated many times as they took the skin away before destroying it and then cutting the fine looking cuts. While most of the cuts they got either had rotted or became impossible to consume. It was thanks to the contact in the church they were able to make many easy to eat cuts of meat.

Pulling out of the bag a small shard, the power shining inside as the shard moved with care with thick leather gloves. This item was dangerous, but for this small amount, they still made a right amount of money. Each cut of flesh selling roughly half the regular price and since beef was a rare commodity in this area the price was still enough to line the pockets of the brothers.

Pressing the shard into the meat, the dark energy flowing into the meat as the damage done over time slowly reversed. The rotten, damaged or even decayed parts became normal. The cut was looking like a perfectly tasty cut that would sell to the highest clients. Sadly under the agreement with the church, they were not allowed to sell this to the east side and had to solely stick to the west side. This situation was exceptional for the brothers as they still made gold hand over fist.

The door was opening as another similar man came inside holding a wrapped cadaver, clearly human as the body was placed out on a bloody table nearby. The man was letting out a small laugh as he unbound the body to show a young woman, decay set in now as she had died several days prior. The material had perished due to blunt force trauma after being thrown from the bridge.

"Hey, Peet. How is the latest batch going?"

The man who had carried in the corpse asked with little interest as the knife started to carve along the skin, cutting off the outer layer. The skill of the blade slightly concerning to how many human bodies he had sculpted in the background.

"We are doing excellent. It's already all paid for thanks to the popularity. We need to ship it, and we can continue to make money over and over again. We should maybe raise the price to compensate."

He said pressing a few more small shards into the selection of meat, his eyes looking over the bag as they were almost out again of the shards.

"Seer we are almost out of shards again. Thousand gold per bag is costly and with restrictions. Can we get any reductions?"

Peet responded as the tearing of skin echoed out in the back, the sick sensation of skin getting pulled from the meat at each moment would turn an ordinary man's stomach.

"I doubt it. They are sticking on the price, rather lucky they don't increase it. Let's be honest we make enough money anyway and trying to stitch up the church is not a good plan."

Both brothers were chuckling, both looking to each other as the sound of water rushed into the room next door as a scream in the distant put both men on alert. Inside the black market, a few souls tried to do stupid or terrible things which generally led to death or slavery. Both men had a keen sense even in a safe environment like this as they were both proud founding members of the market.

"Hey Seer check that out. If a person is dead, then we can get a fresh corpse, and we won't need to use these fragments to keep the corpse fresh."

Seer let out a small laugh at his brother's greed, pulling off his gloves as he walked over to the metal gate, sliding the door backwards as he opened it up. His face turning ashen white as he stepped to the side to let his brother see.

"Holy fucking father. Who did this!"

The entire black market area from floor to ceiling filled with water, call the people inside floating in the water almost frozen in time with faces of horror as it was clear they died almost instantly due to the water filling the body.

The water fit the frame of the door correctly and seemed closer to jelly than actual water as it did not rush into the smaller side room.

Looking though the water, a single man walked through the water without any issue, his eyes leaking pure white energy as his head slowly turned to the brothers, the smile coming to his face as his words echoed into the chamber.

"I've finally found you."