Valley of Villains

Author: Kelly Pater

Chapter 1: Valley of Villains

Words : 2129 Updated : Oct 17th, 2025

The Valley of Villains. Out in the world, just hearing the names of the top ten villains was enough to make people tremble. But the outside world had no idea that, inside the Valley of Villains, those so-called top ten were actually at the bottom of the pecking order. The real villains took pride in staying in the valley. That day happened to be the valley's annual trial. Pass, and you stayed. Fail, and you got booted out. Chief examiner Otto Nicholson eyed the shivering group before him and sighed. "Look at you all. Pathetic. You might as well just get lost." Standing closest was the deadliest killer alive, the Shadow Demon. No one knew how many people he'd taken out; everyone just knew that most who saw his face didn't live to tell about it. Just then, the Shadow Demon kept a straight face and said, dead serious, "I can't go. If I leave, who's going to bring you tea? Who'll wash your clothes and scrub the floors?" "I can't go either. Did you forget that new dish I invented? You polished off three bowls of rice with it." Adler, the Butcher with Bloodied Hands, argued forcefully. Like the Shadow Demon, Adler killed without batting an eye. He'd once cut down a thousand men in a single night. "And me. If I leave, Adler won't have fresh pork to experiment with. Nobody raises pigs better than I do." Ryder, the Mad Lion, hurried to chime in. Ryder had suffered brain damage long ago. He often flew into manic fits so wild that even the Shadow Demon and Adler kept their distance. But whenever he faced Otto Nicholson, he sobered right up. "I…" "I…" "I…" The rest of the line started tripping over themselves to explain how indispensable they were. Otto frowned. "You call yourselves villains. Could you actually do something villainous for once? Running errands, cooking meals, raising pigs-does any of that have anything to do with being evil?" You think we want this? they grumbled to themselves. Ever since the valley master had left and never returned, every big and small task had fallen on his only son, Otto Nicholson. Otto's way of running the valley was even simpler and rougher than his father's. His approach boiled down to one thing: beating people up. If you could hit hard and take a beating, you were golden. But there was a problem. Otto, trained by his father, fought like a force of nature. Getting his approval-that you could hit hard and take a beating-was almost impossible. So everyone looked for other angles-through everyday chores and creature comforts-to win him over, hoping he'd go easy on them at trial time. "Young master, a letter from the valley master!" Just when the villains were biting their nails over how to pass this round, a minion sprinted up to Otto, out of breath. "Seven years. Finally, a letter." Otto nearly burst into tears. He tore it open, read it, then stared, dumbfounded. The message was simple. In essence: When I, your father, was down and out, someone saved me. I survived thanks to that person. I had no way to repay them, so I promised you to my benefactor as a son-in-law. The time to honor that promise has come. You will immediately go and marry my benefactor's daughter. If I don't get to hold a grandson within a year, you'll face the consequences. At the end were the woman's name, address, and half a jade pendant for identification. "Damn it. Repay kindness all you want, but why sacrifice me? Don't you know women only slow me down?" Otto flipped the letter over three more times, griping. But once he finished complaining, he accepted it. He knew all too well the ways his father could make someone wish they were dead. Those four words-face the consequences-were enough to send a chill down his spine. "The trial is canceled for now. I'm going to get married." He stuffed the letter into his pocket, didn't bother packing, and walked out of the Valley of Villains. Only when he was completely out of sight did the crowd realize what had just happened. They cheered, then started worrying for the so-called big shots out in the world. A powerhouse had just entered the fray-some people were about to have a very bad day. The next morning, dusty and travel-worn, Otto Nicholson showed up at the gates of the Jameson Group in Nykomar. He pulled out the letter and checked the address. Yep, that's the place. He was about to step inside when he felt a chill on his toes. Looking down, he saw his shoes were full of holes. Without an ID, he couldn't board a plane or a train. He'd run from the Valley of Villains in the Northern Land all the way to Nykomar. Sure, he could have hijacked a plane for convenience, but that would have made too much noise. Besides, running was actually a little faster than flying. The only downside was, it destroyed his shoes. Otto considered whether he should buy a new pair before knocking on the door, just to show some respect. Just then, an Audi A8 rolled to a stop nearby. The door opened, and a pair of long, shapely legs in sheer black stockings stepped out first, catching Otto's eye. "Legs that long ought to be training the Twelve-Form Tan Tui, a northern kicking set," he remarked, totally oblivious to romance. His gaze traveled upward, and then he saw her face. It was stunning-more breathtaking than the valley's own femme fatale, the one who ruined tens of thousands of men. Even a dyed-in-the-wool straight guy like Otto found himself momentarily speechless. Vroom, vroom, vroom! A thunderous roar snapped him out of it. A second later, a Porsche 911 drifted sideways and blocked the Audi A8. The driver's window slid down. A man in sunglasses leaned out. "Ms. Jameson, what do you think of the proposal I sent? Miss this window and it's gone." "Bryson Lawson!" The woman who'd stepped out of the Audi flinched. When she saw who it was, her expression turned icy. "Sorry. That proposal doesn't suit the Jameson Group. I've already rejected it." "Rejected?" Bryson Lawson shoved his door open and sprang out, face dark. "Nala Jameson, it's your lucky break that I like you. Don't be blind to your own good fortune. I'll give you one more chance. Think carefully, then answer." "I have. No way." Nala Jameson's voice was steady. Yes, her situation was dire, but no matter how hard things got, she would never sell her body. That line couldn't be crossed. "Fine. Very well. Three days. In at most three days I'll shut your Jameson Group down. By then, even if you strip and wait for me in bed, I won't even look at you." He threw down the threat, turned to his car, and was about to drive off when he saw a dirt-smeared man with shoes full of holes standing in front of his bumper. "You filthy beggar, are you blind?" Bryson snapped, furious. "You're the blind one." Otto's voice went cold. The "beggar" Bryson saw was, of course, Otto Nicholson. At first, Otto hadn't planned to get involved. Bullying backed by power was as common as dirt in the Valley of Villains; step in every time and even an immortal would drop dead from exhaustion. Then he heard the woman's name: Nala Jameson. She was the one his father had arranged for him to marry. The letter spelled it out, and here they were at the gates of the Jameson Group. Her identity was clear as day. Strangers' wives getting bullied was someone else's problem. His own wife getting bullied was his business. He had to step in. "Still talking back? You really don't know fear." Bryson, clueless about who Otto was, jumped out again and jabbed a finger in his face. "You filthy beggar, get on your knees and kowtow to my car three times. Then get out of the way. Otherwise, I'll make sure you beg for scraps for the rest of your life." "Kowtow to a car? That's too much." A passerby shook his head at the scene. "That's the point." "That's the heir of the Lawson Group, Bryson Lawson." "The Lawson Group has assets in the billions, and rumor has it the Glory Gang backs them." "The Lawson heir is known for being arrogant and vicious. He's quick to have people's arms and legs broken." "Bad luck for this beggar. He stood in the wrong place and crossed the wrong guy." Onlookers who recognized Bryson started whispering among themselves. "Looks like you really love your car," Otto said, as sympathetic onlookers watched. "Obviously," Bryson sniffed. "It's a limited edition Porsche 911. Only one in all Nykomar." "In that case, you should kowtow to it yourself." Otto grabbed Bryson by the back of the neck, dragged him like a dead dog to the prized Porsche, then shoved his head down and banged it against the hood three times. Bang, bang, bang!

Valley of Villains

Chapter 1: Valley of Villains

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