"P-Please, let us go… This is illegal, you can't enslave us just because we are demi-humans…!"
"We'll tell authorities, this isn't right!"
"Mama… Where's my mama?"
"You bastards…! Your men destroyed my tribe! We were living in harmony with nature, you slaughtered my family! YOU MONSTER!"
The cries of many slaves caged resonated within the underground hideout, as Jack sat down over a large seat decorated with monster pelt and demo horns he had cut himself from their heads. His gaze was merciless even against the children. Immediately because they were not humans, they were simply deemed as merchandise in his mind. There was no room inside of his mind to think that demons and beast-kin, or any other intelligent race similar to them could even be considered people at all.
"Hmph, do you all truly believe you have some sort of right? Do you truly believe you're people here? After all what your kin has done to us humans, you truly believe we owe you some sort of good treatment? That we should treat you as if you were the same as us? Even after all the atrocities you've committed, you fully think you don't deserve any of this?" Jack spoke.
Jack was a gigantic man. He was abnormally large, with long and spiky brown hair and a beard that reached his chest. His fingers wore different types of colorful rings, emanating magical essence. His clothes were also made of the pelt, leather, and scales of powerful monsters… some even from demons and beast-kin themselves, which he had killed and used their bodies as trophies. He considered himself a hunter.
"W-What kind of nonsense are you talking about…?"
"This little girl doesn't have anything to do! I-I participated in the war but I only killed soldiers that came to kill me too, this is war, that's… what we do! Punish me if you want, torture me all you want but free these kids here, you sick bastard!"
"My tribe never participated in any war! You're talking complete nonsense, attributing the sins of other people to our kin! You're a delusional bastard!"
"All of you are the same at the end, savages, monstrous, too powerful… Your strength is uncontrollable. You'll go in a rampage and kill dozens. You think I can even consider such beings as "people"… You're the insane ones! Now get them out of my sight… I've already checked, bring those slaves to their respective ceilings. In a few days there'll be another slave market event, we'll make some good money out of these savages. They can only behave if they're wrapped in chains. Giving them freedom and allowing to live with us is the insanity here! That damn Duke made them too privileged, thinking they have rights like us… Well, that's why he got killed by his own son. At least his kid had some sense inside of his head." Sighed Jack, drinking from a large bottle of wine. "Don't you agree?!"
Jack looked at his subordinates nearby moving merchandise and other things from one side to the other, or transporting the slaves to their ceilings.
"Yeah boss, you're right."
"Well, that's a thing of the past, calm down a bit."
"Things haven't been this better in a while…"
"We'll rack up a lot of money! I'm gonna buy a house so I can live with my family…"
"Hahaha! I guess… I am happy for you, Pedro. Your little kids are an adorable bunch too!" Laughed Jack, completely changing his personality of a ruthless hunter to a gentlehearted man who acted with his subordinates as equals.
"You can come visit us at any time you want, boss, feel free!"
"Well, I'll think about it, but I am way too tall, kids get scared when I show in the orphanage sometimes, wahahaha!" Jack had a large laugh, filling his subordinates with cheerfulness despite their shady job. "Hmm, come to think of it, what's up with those guys I sent? Is the job done already? should had been easy with the knife ears' tech we got…" Jack said while being slightly drunk after his second bottle of wine.
"Right… they had yet to come here, huh?"
"Maybe they're running away from the scene."
"I heard from someone nearby that there was a big explosion where the demon orphanage was, so they probably did it, boss."
"Ahh~ That's nice, now that really puts a smile on my face. I couldn't really concentrate each day knowing there was such a big nest of monsters there… I guess the Adventurers seen going to that place didn't stayed in, huh? That's good, they better not get involved with us… Those demons are gone from the picture now, I guess we can tell our kids they can sleep better knowing there won't be any little gremlin coming to bite them at night! Hahaha!"
As Jack and his subordinates laughed, the faint sounds of people being beaten down slowly began to enter the room from outside. The cries of pain and fists flying around quickly grew louder, as Jack quickly noticed something odd was going on, but it was too late.
Suddenly, a man suddenly broke through the door, falling in front of Jack, his entire body was covered in burns and fist marks, he seemed half-dead already. Jack's eyes opened wide as he saw two figures enter the room where he and his subordinates were organizing everything. One had bright red hair, with his fists blazing with flames, and the other had short white hair, darkness emanating from every inch of his body, both looked like the embodiment of fire and shadows.
Jack couldn't help but feel frightened by their very presence, jacking back on his seat as his eyebrows raised in utter disbelief… their whole auras gave out a threatening and very dangerous vibe. They were certainly not here to just make some business… Still, Jack tried to act friendly, knowing well their strength already.
"You can knock the door, you know?" He asked. "What business do you two require in my humble hideout?" Jack asked, beginning to sweat nervously.