Jess cried out in terror as the large man barreled into her father, who barely avoided the collision. He cut in a horizontal strike towards the man's mid section, but the man blocked the blow with his club, and Frank's weapon dug into the wood of the weapon, getting stuck.
The large man threw a simple punch into Frank's face, dizzying him causing him to collapse onto the ground. Will wasn't idle, but the blow he delivered to the back of the man's head may as well have been a mosquito bite, because he barely reacted. The man swung his club, catching Will in the side of the head and causing him to fall as well, blood leaking from his nose and right ear. He wasn't dead, but he was surely out of the fight, and the larger man didn't even look like he was winded. The grin never left his face.
Jess was frozen in equal parts shock and fear. Nothing like this had ever happened to them before, and not only was it happening now, but the situation was escalated beyond anything she could have imagined. Who are these people, and why was this happening? Her father was a bloody mess, clutching his face as blood poured from his nose in torrents, and Mr. Saunders was not much better.
A growl ripped itself from Renna's throat as she beheld her fathers poor state and she pounced. The man smirked as she came rushing at him, and both he and Jess were a little surprised as her nails elongated into claws, and she slashed at the man's face.
"I like it when they are fiesty." The man said, grabbing Renna's wrist.
She continued to growl indignantly, kicking and thrashing as she tried to harm the man who dared to hurt her father. He smacked her in the face, causing her to see stars. She stumbled backwards, and was restrained by another man who came to see what the commotion was about.
"I hope you plan on sharing." The man said to his larger cohort, and the large man just snorted.
"You can have your turn when I'm done." He replied, and the small man just nodded and grinned.
Suddenly, the large man yelped in pain and surprise as a teeth bit into his hand.
"LEAVE MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY ALONE!" Henry screamed, biting even harder.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" The roared, rearing back and smacking Henry in the face so hard that the sound could be heard across the entire town.
Henry fell back onto his butt, tears steaming down his face.
"HENRY!" Jess shouted, kneeling at his side.
The large man rubbed at his hand, the teeth marks red, and a little blood leaked from a puncture. He was just a kid, but he had some strong jaws. He will make a perfect work horse as he got older for sure. Unknown to him, Jess reached under her shirt, and her hand rested on a small dagger in the waistline of her pants. She drew it, and in one swift motion, lunged for the man while he was distracted. Her act of defiance was rewarded with the dagger sinking into the man's leg, and he howled in pain. A kick to the chest sent her flying back onto the ground, and the man swore as he ripped the dagger out of his leg.
"You sneaky little bitch." The man hissed, pulling out a red vial, uncorked it, and poured it on his leg.
The wound closed instantly, and Jess's face fell. Then, the man strode over to her, reached down, and grabbed her by the hair. She screamed, as did Henry and Renna, telling and begging them to stop.
"Oh, I'm gonna be rough with you." He said, grabbing her face.
"Stop... please." Frank pleaded weakly, barely able to move.
The man grinned.
"You can watch if you want. A fitting punishment for such a failure of a man." The man taunted, unable to contain his excitement.
A pretty young girl like this was bound to kick and scream the whole time, but that was fine. It satisfied him to take what he wanted. This was the perfect job for him, and the boss didn't even seem to care. Although, he had to show her who was in charge, and he raised his fist. His actions, and thoughts, however, were interrupted as a feeling of dread settled over not just him, but everyone in the town.
Sweat involuntarily beaded on his forehead, as did his companions, and one and all, townsfolk and thugs alike were drawn to the source of this feeling. The man let go of Jess, fear gripping him as he stared. Jess also felt this feeling, and as she turned her head to look in the direction everyone's gazes were drawn to, her eyes went wide.
Dex stood in front of Maria's shop, a visage of pure rage and anger on his face, but that wasn't just for show. His eyes glowed red, and a black flame like aura encased his entire body as he took in the situation. His eyes landed on Jess, Henry, and Frank, and then, just as suddenly, he was gone.
A moment before:
Dex had just opened the door to Maria's shop, and what awaited him caused his blood to boil. Screams and cries filled the air as people were pulled, beaten, and shackled right in the middle of town. Medium sized to larger thuggish men carried out these atrocities, and he saw red.
Not again. His world was just shattered not too long ago, and now, people came to ruin his peace once again. The lives of others truly meant nothing to disgusting people like this. That's when his gaze focused on a familiar group of people.
Frank lay on the ground, alive but not fairing very well, and Will was much in the same boat. A man hooted at Renna as he held her tight, not allowing her to move even an inch. Henry sobbed as he rubbed at his face where a large bruise had already taken shape. And then, when he saw Jess, and the rough treatment at the hands of the asshole that held her by the hair, he couldn't hold back any longer, and his killing intent filled the air. They would pay, in the name.of Dextros Shadowheart, they would pay. It was short lived, but his time for hiding his strength was already over, consequences be damned.
Back to the present:
There was a rush of air, and then, without warning, he was there, staring the larger man in the eyes.
"What??" Jess said, her eyes betraying what she thought was real.
She didn't even see him move, and yet, here he was, mere inches from her. His anger wasn't directed at her, yet she still felt it, as it had a physical weight to it. The air around him shuttered, and the world seemed to tremble before him.
The large brute's judgement was compromised, and in a situation between fight or flight, the man, unfortunately for him, chose to fight. He quickly grabbed his club, and swung it at Dextros in a vertical attack. Dextros caught the blow easily with his hand, not budging even a centimeter.
The man stared in fear and disbelief, and then, his mind went black. This was due to the fact that Dextros punched him in the chest hard enough to cause his heart to burst, killing him nearly instantly. Force was a hell of a concept however, as his limp body flew through the town, smashing through multiple buildings, as well as the town's wall, and still kept going. No one actually seen his body land anywhere, as it continued to sail through the air until he could not be visually seen anymore.
People just stared, not able to comprehend what just happened. Jess had no words for what she just witnessed, Frank thought the blow to his head caused him to hallucinate, and Will had similar thoughts. Henry just looked at him like he was the coolest guy he'd ever seen.
"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF MY BABY!" Maria shouted, not seeing what Dextros just did, and her eyes only focused on the man still holding Renna.
In a flash, Dextros was next to them. This startled both the man and Renna, but Renna had nothing to fear from him. This other man though, he had all reason to be afraid.
Dextros grabbed the man's wrists, and forcefully pried them apart, allowing Renna to free herself. He didn't stop there however, as he continued to pry and squeeze. Bones cracked and shattered, and eventually, Dextros's hands dug into his skin until he could feel the man's shattered bones.
The man screamed and begged for his life, but it was not to be. These people hurt his friends, and were seemingly trying to kidnap these people for a reason yet unknown to him. He would try his best to leave at least one of them alive so he could question them later. For now, he would show these would be thugs the reason why he was called, 'The Demonic Horror.'
Suddenly, black fire engulfed the man, and his screams elevated to a pitch that most women would be hard pressed to replicate. Dextros didn't let the man go, and he stared directly into the man's frightened eyes as he burned to death. Dextros's grip only ceased once the man's body turned to ashes, and then he turned with cold, burning eyes to stare at the rest of the thugs who were now cowering, but they couldn't slink away. Dextros's aura made it hard for most people to think, let alone move their body. It did give some credence to the strength of the first man, yet in the end, he nothing more than a weak and disgusting coward.
Renna stared at him in awe, and a little bit of fear, and that honestly make Dextros slightly upset, although his face didn't show it. He regarded her with as much compassion as he could at the moment.
"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice deeper than it was previously.
"Y...yes. Thank you, Dex." She said, her mouth struggling to say the words.
Dextros then turned back to the would be thugs, and began to walk towards them. Every step he took shook the very ground beneath them, and many of the thugs fell over screaminf in terror. The noise was very annoying.
He was in front of a man who had been shackling people up before the man could blink. With his fingers extended, he drove his hand through the man's chest, and it erupted out the other side in a display of blood and viscera. The next man didn't even get a chance to scream before Dextros ripped his throat out with his bare hands.
The carnage continued, and with speed faster than anyone could comprehend, he darted through the men, killing them with quick and precise motions. Heads fell from their shoulders, necks snapped, many burned alive, and many were just eviscerated from existence. There were 39 men in total, and within 14 and a half seconds, all but one of them were dead.
Eric pissed his pants as the monster that killed all of his companions stood before him, glaring at him with a killing intent he'd never experienced before. His very being hurt just from his gaze alone, and the air itself was heavy, suffocating even, just from this man's presence alone.
"P...please... don't kill me!" Eric yelled, tears pouring from his eyes.
Dextros reached down, grabbing him by the scruff of the shirt and hoisting him into the air.
"HOW MANY OF THESE PEOPLE BEGGED LIKE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW?" Dextros roared, his very words distorting the air around them.
If Eric also had to empty his bowels, he definitely would have by now. He had never felt so afraid in his entire life. He didn't hurt any of the people here, nor was he trying to force himself onto any of the women, so that had to count for something, right?
Dextros's pupils became a black, burning ember that threatened to tear Eric's very soul apart. Eric lost consciousness. Dextros dropped the limp man, but didn't kill him. Who's to say more people wouldn't come? No, he would handle this problem for good one way or another. The people of this town didn't deserve this.
Dextros felt his anger lessen, although it was still quite prevalent. Still, the townsfolk didn't deserve to feel his bloodlust anymore than they already had, so with some effort, he reigned in his anger enough to retract his aura completely. He scanned the town, and when he saw Frank, Henry and Jess, among some of the others, he took in their injured appearances and neared them in an effort to help them. He would understand if they didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore, as what he just did would cause anyone to be wary of him, but as long as they were alive, then so be it.
As he neared his friends, murmers went through the town as many eyes were focused on him. Not all of them were though, as many people were helping people up, and removing the shackles placed on their friends and family. The keys that most of the thugs had on their persons thankfully fit all of the keyholes, so it was an easy enough task.
Dextros reached his friends, and no longer hiding his abilities from them, he used an area heal on them, and once it was complete, everyone breathed a sigh of relief as their pain disappeared. Jess and Henry flung themselves at Frank, who just got to his feet, while Renna and Maria embraced will in a group hug of their own, and many tears were shed amongst them all.
Any anger Dextros had felt was long gone now, and it was replaced by a warmth in his chest he didn't think he'd ever feel again. He was so glad they were alright, but he also felt afraid at the same time. Afraid that they would be afraid of him, afraid that they would shun him now, afraid...
His thoughts were abruptly cut off Jess slammed into him, sobbing as she hugged him tight.
"Huh?" Dex thought, confused, yet he didn't pull away, nor did he want to.
She stopped hugging him, gripped his shoulders, and stared directly into his eyes. Her tear stricken face made his heart ache, but the relief in them was also a comfort to him.
"Dex... how?" She asked, seemingly unable to find the right words.
Another body slammed into his side, and he looked down to find Henry, staring at him with wide, awestruck eyes.
"That was the coolest thing I've ever seen!" He exclaimed, not even seeming bothered by the bloodshed he no doubt witnessed.
Dex felt terrible about that. There were plenty of children here, and no doubt, that would be ingrained in their minds almost as much, if not more than the actual attack itself.
A hand rested on Dex's shoulder, and he turned to look at Frank who had approached them.
"Dex, thank you for saving the people here... for saving my children." He told him.
"You saved my baby. You are our savior. Thank you." Maria said as she approached with Will and Renna, tears in her eyes.
"I could tell you were a good kid. Thank you." Will said.
"That was... something." Renna said, her cheeks flushed.
This was not the reaction that Dex anticipated. He expect rejection, fear, and reluctance. Instead, he was getting comfort, gratitude, and acceptance. Dex wasn't sure what to say, so it took him a while before he eventually spoke.
"I... have lost people before. I will not lose anyone again. When I saw what they were doing... I lost my cool. I'm sorry you all had to see that."
No one answered him for a moment, taking in what he said. His phrasing would probably make their own questions about him deepen, but at this point, did it really matter? These people still trusted him, and treated him like a true part of this community despite what he just did. A part of him felt it was foolish, especially since these people still barely knew him, but they didn't see it that way. He had only done good things, was respectful, and now, saved them all, despite barely knowing them. He felt relieved if he was being honest. He didn't want to run again. To start over, again. So, that's what he heard next didn't surprise him.
"We are all grateful, Dex. There is no need to regret what is already done, especially since you actions may have very well saved us all. That being said, you know we all have questions. I have for a while, but I held back out of respect for you. Now, however, I'm not sure those questions can be put off any longer. And, besides all of this, the town leader no doubt will want to speak with you now. I planned on having you meet her soon, but now, I think that meeting will be pushed up even sooner." Frank said, and Dex could only nod.
He had wondered if someone was overall in charge of this town, and now, he had confirmation. Surprisingly, his qualms about keeping everything to himself was lessened to the point where it didn't even really matter anymore. In his mind, that would be the ultimate test to see if these people still looked at him the same way after this.
Amid all of this, Dex realized something. Henry had retreated back to his father, yet a soft body was still firmly against his body. When Dex looked down, he was met with a very red in the face Jess. It just felt so natural to hold her to him that he stopped paying attention. He wasn't sure if he blushed, but regardless, he let go of her and she meekly backed away, but he could swear he caught a small smirk on her face.
"I knew it." Renna whispered under her breath.
"What was that, honey?" Will asked.
"Nothing!" She replied.
"Young man." A commanding female voice said, getting the attention of the entire group.
"Told you." Frank said.
An older woman was walking towards them with a confident stride. She wasn't so old that she couldn't carry herself well, because she absolutely did. She had an unremarkable face with brown eyes and dark brown hair with a few streaks of gray that went down a little past her shoulders. This must be the town leader.
She stopped until was a close but respectful distance from Dex. She looked him up and down, and she stared an overly long time at the blood stains that marred his brand new clothes. He had to admit, he was prettt irritated about that too.
She was confident, however, and had no problem addressing Dex directly.
"I didn't see what happened, but I've heard the same thing from multiple people here. You have my thanks for protecting my people, but you're still an unknown to me. Would you be willing to speak with me?" She asked, and her respectful and polite tone was actually not what he expected.
Dex looked at her, and then over at the people that he now considered his friends. He still had to spend more time around Renna, but she seemed like a nice girl. Dex turned back to the woman.
"Yes. I am fine with that, but I want them to be there too." Dex said, pointing at them.
The woman nodded.
"Thank you. My name is Helen Somber." She said.
Dex pondered what his answer should be for a moment, but he had already made up his mind earlier, so he answered.
"I am Dextros Shadowheart."
Helen's eyes widened and she gasped.