The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Planet Acocpolsis)

(Unnamed Factory- Headquarters Of The Balren Gang)

Black fog darkened the skies above the factory and a heavy rain began to fall down on its poorly constructed roof.

Today was an important day.

Several Mendolesa warriors stood respectfully at attention as their fearsome boss strode into the room with a confident attitude.

This Mendolesa male was over eight feet in height with horrific scars littered across his muscular arms and chest.

On his back was an enormous broadsword made from a special material created from a mixture of steel and nano-carbonites.

No one knew his true name.

Two decades ago, this ferocious beast mysteriously appeared in the slum district and immediately slaughtered the heads of all the major crime families within the span of one night.

On that day it was said that the river that flowed through the slums turned red with blood.

Even years later one could find the occasional torn up corpse washed up along its shores.

Men called him the 'Butcher.'

This brutal man became the crime overlord of the slum district, but it was not just his strength alone that allowed him to hold onto his power but also his cunning.

He created an organisation known as the 'Balren Gang' and dabbled in the drug trade.

Angelic tears, snow crystals and hallucinogens were just some of the products that flooded the market.

The sale of these drugs proved to be a lucrative venture and a well-placed bribe or two was enough to get the security forces to turn a blind eye.

Planet Acocpolsis was just a backwater colony in the outer regions, so the internal policing of its population was not serious in the first place.

The Butcher's heavy footsteps echoed through the factory and caused his men to not even dare to breathe.

He would occasionally stop and examine the machinery with a strange glint in his eyes.

Robot droids and child workers were hard at work inspecting the drugs to make sure that the quality was up to standard.

Or at least good enough so that the customers would not notice any difference.

The Butcher felt no remorse for flooding the streets of the slums with poison and destroying hundreds of families in the process.

Those who turned to drugs were already weak.

If anything, he was doing the slums a favour by removing such filth from society.

The Mendolesa warrior bared his fangs and laughed darkly. Thick wriggling veins could be seen squirming along the length of his muscles.

The other members of his gang were not sure what to make of their boss' sudden happy attitude but dared not say a word.

"Give me the progress report," the Butcher hoarsely growled.

A thin frail human male peaked out from behind one of the Mendolesa warriors and ran forward while holding a tablet.

"Yes sir! The factory's output has increased by about four percent over the last two quarters and several new customers have reached out to us," the man spoke proudly.

"The equipment that was damaged from the fight with the Ocaren Guild has been repaired and the cost was only around one hundred thousand Enas after heavy negotiations."

The Butcher waited patiently until the man had finished talking and then nodded his head in approval.

Human were cunning creatures best suited for administrative work.

He could never trust one of the meatheads in his organisation to be in charge of the factory.

Lord knows the place would probably be burned down within a week.

"Now'¦ concerning the plan for expansion'¦" the Butcher spoke in a low tone. He was suddenly interrupted as the lights went out.

What was going on?

There was a back up generator inside the factory so the electricity should not have gone out.

Years of combat experience had sharpened his instincts, so the Butcher immediately reached for his sword.

"Stay alert men! This could potentially be an ambush!" the Butcher roared in fury.

His voice echoed through the dark factory, but he did not receive a response.

There was a complete silence.

The Butcher cautiously gripped his weapon and took a few steps forward while relying on his memory of the factory's layout.

Two steps to the right'¦ three steps forward'¦ then another step'¦

The Butcher travelled through the darkness with his ears fully pricked up in order to hear the slightest sound or movement.

Nothing.

It was like he was the only person in the world.

What had happened to his men? What the hell was going on?

For the first time in decades, the brutal Mendolesa warrior felt fear enter his heart despite his best efforts to put on a brave appearance.

The cold pressure of death loomed over his body.

The Butcher did not see anyone but somehow, he knew that someone was staring at him in the darkness.

A terrifying predator watching their struggling prey willingly fall closer and closer to their end.

"Come out! Don't hide like a little rat!" the Butcher hollered as he suddenly swung his sword in multiple directions.

Heavy waves of sword qi burst out from the tip of his blade and flew off into the darkness uninterrupted.

The Mendolesa warrior continued his frenzied assault as he was determined to force the unknown assailant to leave their hiding spot.

The lights inside the factory suddenly turned back on and the Butcher was horrified to see the corpses of his men.

Every single one of them had died with a neat cut across their throats.

No one had been spared.

But what was most terrifying was the surprised expressions on their faces. It appeared as though not one person had been able to react to the sudden attack.

Wait'¦ why didn't he hear them die?

Surely someone would have made a noise'¦

The Butcher wandered through the factory that had now turned to a hellish landscape. The heavy scent of blood lingered in the air.

He came across the destroyed metalloid bodies of the factory droids but mysteriously enough not a single corpse on the ground belonged to a child worker.

Where were the children that he hired?

The most terrifying fear was the fear of the unknown. The Butcher had never seen such methods before and it frightened him.

What kind of monster was hunting him down?

The lights in the factory blinked for a moment and then went out for a second time.

The only sound that could be heard was the Butcher's own heart as it frantically began to race.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Thump! Thump! Thump!

"Listen'¦ I can pay you!" the Butcher called out to the unknown assailant.

"Whoever hired you'¦ I can double'¦ no'¦ triple the money that they offered! Please let us just discuss this peacefully'¦"

What the butcher didn't notice was that a young woman stepped out from a dark corner of the factory and stared at him.

She was an eastern beauty but with a face that would not stand out when placed in a crowd.

Her body was slender and frail almost like a twig and at first glance she appeared to be an ordinary university student.

Thick framed glasses were placed over her eyes and heavy bangs covered the top of her forehead.

Qiana stepped forward with slow purposeful steps until she reached mere centimeters away from her target.

The darkness inside the factory seemed to respond to her movements and wrapped around her body as if it were alive.

Even now the Mendolesa warrior kept on calling out to the unknown attacker hoping for a response.

He would never receive one.

Qiana's arm flashed and a knife penetrated the Butcher's throat with an almost surgical- like precision.

The once fearsome crime boss who ruled over the slums of Planet Acocpolsis died without even making a whimper.