The Husk_Despots

The smell of food was in the air, the Plaza sells quite a variety of foods due to the despots importing a lot of different things, from food and water to guns and explosives... even people. This place is a big round platform where merchants come and try to make money trough a lot of different methods this includes gambling, selling beverages and fruits, trading or trough mercenary work,

One of the main persons around this place is Randy, he has a grip over the Plaza and a few other places and is considered the one in control of the city. Not even the despots made it to him, that was because he was very sly and had a lot of information, the only one he couldn't always avoid was the first despot, but who could, in terms of manpower and sheer force he was the one that was standing above everyone, only if Randy knew who he was, so he could avoid him better and who knows, maybe even kill him.

In the south part of the Plaza four persons were escorting Akari. They were strong people, tall, dressed in black suits, the ones you would want to avoid. She seemed pretty calm at that moment, but she knew that they did something to her so there was no fighting, her eyes were sad, if she was looking before like a fragile girl now she seemed to be the weakest person in the world.

"So where are you taking me, can you at least tell me that much?"

There was no response from the people that took her.

"As I thought..."

They walked to the north of the Plaza which took quite a bit as the platform has a diameter of around two kilometers. Akari was still wondering where are they going to take her, but there was no way to get an answer from these guys, so she kept walking in silence.

After the long walk they arrived at an old factory, this place used to be the factory where experimental weapons were produced for the 9th despot, but now it was all rundown the glass windows were dusty, the walls were rusted and everything seemed to be close to falling apart.

The front gates were guarded by other people in the same suits, only they had bigger weapons and seemed more powerful. Akari is led inside by the four there are footstep noises inside. On a platform is Randy, he had quite an annoying figure with a round head and a bushy mustache, the fat man was going left and right as he was waiting for the girl. Finally he saw her and started to grin.

"Ah.. You must be Akari, let me introduce myself. I am Randy, you see I run this town and the people here obey my rules but there were quite a few problems lately, do you know WHAT problems?"

"I suppose my father made a move on your turf, so yeah I guess I know what problem you mean."

"Oh but I wouldn't let my anger take over just for a small turf war, he put his people to stole something, something very important, data about the first despot."

Akari didn't really understand the situation, she came inside the city just a few months ago and didn't really know so much about these despots everyone was so afraid.

"So this data is pretty important right?"

Rand was angry, he usually is quite a reasonable man, but now he just stopped thinking rationally. He took the stairs from his right and walked down to take a closer look at the girl.

"So weak."

As he said those words he slapped Akari.

"I will get back the data even if i have to cut a few fingers and send them to your dad, maybe I will gauge out those pretty eyes as well."

For the first time Akari was scared, for the first time she couldn't use her powers, she had no weapon, and nobody was there with her, nobody just Randy and his people. Then a strong bashing sound came from outside, blood started to come from under the factory door.

"Hmmm... What is the meaning of this?"

After he said that the door opened and Lyall came trough it. There was something different though, he wasn't smiling and the eyes seemed blank. He started to walk toward Randy... slowly.

At that moment two masked women came from his sides and stabbed him.

"Mhm... you are the assassins I suppose."

The two females were masked, but Lyall could see their faces, they were scared, they stabbed him in the hearth and liver, he should be dead and so the two looked at the knifes, the blades were broken, what does this mean they asked themselves, but it did not matter. Before they could say something the heads fell, the floor began to be filled with blood.

A trully horrifying sight, the heads simply dissapeared and the blood kept flowing and flowing. He didn't show any kind of emotion even at this point... true he was strong, but others might thing that there had to be at least some sympathy... There wasn't.

Lyall kept walking until he reached Randy, the tension in the air was unebearable, when he started to look closer at the man before him it was like looking at a titan, something that was defying even the laws of this world, sure there were powers, he even accepted the existence of magic... What he saw was something he could never accept, even so he was frozen in fear.

"You. Stole. Akari. Didn't. You?"

"I...I-...uh..."

"You want information about the first despot, you want it so bad that you were ready to hurt this girl, this pure soul. I shall show you what it is like to wish to be dead..."

As he said that he gripped Randy by the neck, and with the other hand killed the four remaining people he had surrounding Akari. He slowly started to remove the fingers, one by one, then he gouged the eyes, then the tongue, and he kept removing everything till Randy was nothing but a pile of flesh. Akari stopped looking after he started to remove the fingers.

"Are you alright?"

After he heard that voice, Lyall seemed to return to his normal self.

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"I.. uh.. yeah I'm fine, sorry you had to see that, but if i have to say all the horrible things this man did you would have wished to do that yourself. Also he stole you, which i will not allow, not now, not ever."

Akari blushed for a second, but that blush was gone in a second after she saw everyone dead.

"Why did you come for me?"

Akari was a bit scared after she saw what he did to those people, it was the thought of her becoming like Randy.

"Get your jacket and your shirt down."

"W-..What?"

"Uh... just do as I say."

"Why would I remove my jacket, I mean, you don't just want to see me naked right?"

Lyall went silent for a few seconds and realized what he heard. And so he rushed to explain why she had to remove the jacket and the shirt.

"They used on you a prototype device to stop your powers, I really don't want to do anything to you, I swear!"

"Alright then, but can't I remove it."

"I am going to use my power to get it out, this device is an old prototype, it's put on your nape and enters trough the skin, I have something that is going to remove it but it will be painful,"

"I guess if I want my powers back there is no other option right?"

"There might be, but this one is the safest."

"Just do it as fast as you can please."

"Understood."

Lyall started to remove the device, it looked like a mechanical parasite and it left her with quite a scar. It did not really mater because the worst part was done. After he removed it Lyall waited for Akari to get dressed.

"Are you done?"

"Yeah."

After that he turned back to her and took her up in his arms. She started to look at him a bit befuddled, then snapped out of it and started to talk with Lyall.

"What are you doing?"

"After removing that thing you won't have enough strength to walk, so i am carrying you home."

"Oh..."

She didn't really understand, there was a strange feeling about Lyall, it was not love, she didn't even know him so well, but there was a strange feeling about this guy, the way he kills, the way he knows about stuff not even she knew and the way he is just pretending to be normal. "Who is Lyall?" she wondered, but could not ask him.

"You can leave me here/"

"Are you sure, you didn't recover yet."

"It's fine, I can walk at least."

"If you say so."

Lyall left Akari in front of a big house and started to walk away. Akari looked after him a bit, and then she entered the house. It was a pleasant feeling, everything seemed like a bad dream at this moment, but she knew it wasn't, what she had to do now is look on the info her father got from Randy. What she found was simply a file with a few individuals and nothing else, everything on the file was blank except some photos and the names of the people.

Gondo, a big man, bald with green eyes.

Kim, a beautiful woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes.

Now here was an odd one, the next was Jack, he is wearing a gas mask in the photo so there were not many things to recognize him by.

Luke, a big man with short hair and green eyes, he seemed like a good guy.

Dorothy, a small girl with twin tails, red eyes and a big smile, she didn't look like a good person.

"So in the end Randy would have gotten nothing, but even so if I find one of these people I might get a clue about what is happening around this city. Oh it's gotten so late, better going to sleep."

The merchants started to pack everything up, the ones that remain are those who sell slaves, the gamblers and the weapon traders. At a time like this there are of course only bad people roaming around, from the usual punks to despot soldiers. Even so it was a pleasant night, the plaza is especially beautiful at night when the lights are on and the people seem cheerful despite what they were doing.

The atmosphere changed once everyone saw the shock troops, these are considered elite soldiers among all of the other despot soldiers, they are some of the elite units of the Primordial Army meaning they belong to the first despot. Usually they don't come in the city so that means there is something happening, what is happening nobody knows, but one thing is clear those guys are cold-blooded.

The Shock Troops are wearing black helmets with gas masks and trench coats, their boots have spikes on boots, so they won't glide on ice or other surfaces, they have light machine guns and a set of grenades. They seem pretty intimidating, but there are sill people who like to get into trouble...

"So this are the shock troops"

"Yeah they look pretty scary."

"Can't wait to see the fool who will try to piss them off."

"I know, everyone wants to see how those guys fight."

As some despot soldiers were talking, a guy with his gang thought about showing the soldiers they are nothing in this city despite their reputation or the way everyone started to talk about them. He was a tall man, with medium long hair and a leather jacket, he wanted some fun...

"So you are the soldiers everyone is talking about, don't look so tough to me little guys."

Indeed, the man was taller than the soldiers, but it was a wrong move to start and annoy them.

"Why don't you answer me. Hey I'm talking with you!" As he went to grip the soldier something went wrong.

The man was put down and the soldier looked at him, he didn't understand what happened and then the soldier started to stomp on his face, again... and again... and again... and again... until he was dead, and returned to the business they had.

After that display the gang members simply ran away and everyone looked at them like monsters, but even monsters seemed better than them at this moment, after seeing something like that, at least a harpy would kill you in self defense, but they took pleasure in killing.

"Well now I saw that let's get back to work."

"Aye..."

"Lyall, every time, I see you, I see your sadness, I see your dark energy, but I can't see your motives. Why do you mock me, why do you always come and annoy me with your presence."

"Come on is just a game of cards."

"DAMN YOU LYALL!"

Lyall puts down five of a kind.

"I won, again."

The one he was playing with was not a human, or so it looked like, it was a being with very skinny hands and the face was covered by rags, it called himself a pilgrim.

"Well I am going for a stroll, wanna come with me?"

"I shall find your dark secrets."

"Sure..."

The two of them began to walk around the sector, this one in particular was a special sector, here are residing only non-humans.

The harpy, they look like beautiful women but they had claws instead of feet. wings and beaks even so if they wanted they could change the wings into hands and the beaks to a normal face, but the color was the same, they all had a deep blue color, they were such amazing creatures.

Medusa, they were pretty rare and they were very beautiful even if they had the skin of a snake.

There were also orcs, goblins, nagas, and many other but among them the harpies and the medusa were rarely found. Medusa could even fight one of the despots which nobody dared to cross so they were strong, but they also prefer peace and quiet, in this city they can live a simple life, in other sectors they are persecuted so here is like a paradise to them. Not even the despot soldiers were coming here.

"Oy Lyall! Oooooy!"

One of the harpies started to fly towards Lyall from a high building. As she reaches him she get's closer and kisses him on the forehead.

"I missed you Lyall!"

"Ah Jester... quite some time since i saw you."

"It was wasn't it, since you saved me from those guys and brought me here you didn't show yourself even once."

"Eh he he... I was quite busy."

She looks at him with a big smile.

"I'm happy you are alright."

"That shouldn't be a concern, you know how strong i am."

"Yeah, yeah you can boast as much as you want i know you can defeat weak humans, but how about medusa can you fight someone like her."

"I don't think I'm a match for her, heh..."

"Is it something wrong?"

Lyall was pale, he began to hear a voice inside his head and so he decided to leave.

"Leaving already?"

He didn't respond and vanished trough the people.

"What happened to him?"

The pilgrim looked at her, he was sad, but he couldn't let her like this.

"Lyall, he has a dark past, the shadows still hunt him, they left a mark on him, one that won't heal so fast. He needs time and a friend, someone he can rely on, someone that can understand and accept him."

"I can accept him!" She yelled at the pilgrim.

"Can you do it even if you know the horrors of his past?"

She didn't know what to say, he was her saviour, but if he didn't tell her it meant she wasn't the one that could meet the expectations.

"I understand..."

"For now... he is empty, he just looks happy, in reality he doesn't even know what he is doing...A husk, that should have died long ago." He seemed sad for a moment, then... "Let's eat something, all this cryptical nonsense is making me hungry,"

The Husk

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