The Sound Of Despair

The last thing Lapi saw before falling unconscious was the robed man standing in front of him. All the other guards had simultaneously collapsed in front of him. Six fourth-step and three fifth-step commoners were taken out in a split second. Only because the figure seemed to hesitate did the shield scribe get a good look at the figure.

Unlike before, the robed man was not shrouded in darkness but was instead a beacon of light, with blue lightning coiling around his body. Around his hands were metallic blue gauntlets, whose intricate patterns were as mesmerizing as they were scary. It was like the shield scribe was confronted with his deepest fears.

<<This is no human. It is a beast in human form.>>

Just like the other guards, Lapi entered an involuntary sleep as electricity coursed through his body.

…

Alejandro was a simple construction worker. Ever since the fire incident, he had been busy reconstructing the warehouses which had been burned down. It was hard work, but Alejandro was willing to do anything as long as he could provide his family with food. Today was just another day of hard work, and like so many other days, Alejandro decided to stop by a tavern and get a cold beer before going home.

The tavern was close to the city entrance so that mercenaries did not have to walk through the whole town when they got back late from their hunt. Unfortunately, today was a dark, cloudy day, and the drizzle already got him soaking wet.

<<I really need my beer now. I am glad it's raining, or all that thunder could cause another fire.>>

*BOOM*

Multiple claps of thunder sounded in the distance, in rather quick succession. The last one almost sounded like it struck somewhere inside the town. Storms were a common occurrence in the Seven Seas. The brutal force of nature frequently sunk ships and destroyed coastal villages, but Alejandro had never experienced something quite like this. 

There was only a minute of walking left until he'd arrive at his favorite tavern. Around the next corner was the main street, which led from the eastern city gate straight to the town lord's residence. 

After turning around the corner, Alejandro suddenly saw men sprinting towards him; their eyes opened in shock as if they had seen a demon. Some of those men were well-known mercenaries, and even though Alejandro wasn't really friends with them, they could be considered occasional drinking buddies.

"Hey, what is happening? Did something happen at the tavern?" Alejandro asked.

To his surprise, his acquaintances did not stop for even a second. Instead, they kept running away, almost tumbling over each other. Only one of them was considerate enough to at least give out a warning.

"RUN! A demon is attacking the town!" The man exclaimed while still fleeing with all his might.

Alejandro had always had a good gut feeling. One time, just before a poorly constructed building collapsed, he experienced a faint premonition and managed to get out and prevent being buried under rubble. His instincts weren't warning him this time, so he decided to check out the tavern for himself.

While walking over the muddied street, Alejandro saw other people running as well. Maybe it was time to listen to logic instead and get back to his family, but the tavern was just a little ahead. It was the only place that let him relax and recover from his fatigue; he had to know if it was alright. 

<<Just a quick look, then I'm gone.>>

The storm was carrying away the smell, or else Alejandro would have turned around far sooner. Just in front of the tavern were multiple lumps of burned flesh. If it wasn't for the half-melted shields and swords lying around, it would be impossible to recognize the black-colored mess as the city guard. 

A second after Alejandro realized what he was looking at, he dropped to the ground, vomiting onto the street while on his knees. The tavern was intact as if nothing ever happened, but the construction worker couldn't care less at this moment.

Those mercenaries were right. Not even the fiercest local storm had ever left behind an entire squad of town guards in the form of charred corpses.

<<I have to get to my family! A demon, a demon is attacking!>>

*BOOM*

Another thunderclap made Alejandro flinch. It sounded like it came from the docks. 

…

This was a disaster. Why did there have to be a storm now? Miguel had been relaxing over the last few days, as his recent hauls had been quite successful. The weather seemed fine as well, so he decided to take it easy until he ran out of money in his laziness. He knew it was not the most brilliant way to live, but he had only himself to take care of anyways. 

Ever since Miguel inherited the small fishing boat from his father, the sea was his only companion. No matter how ugly he was, the ocean would treat everyone the same. It gave him food and income, and out on the water, there was no one insulting or making fun of him.

The tempest would cause him to hunger for a few days yet again. If it did not quiet down in a few days, he might even have to resort to begging. Well, it was what it was. Miguel had already secured his small boat and double-checked the strength of all the knots tying it to the pier. He was already soaking wet, but as a man of the seas, that was almost his natural state.

Right next to the dock were the local merchants' warehouses, and right behind them were most of the dock workers' and fishers' residencies. So, soon he would make a warm little fire and pray that mother nature calmed down soon. 

Right as he was passing through the alley behind the Siren Song Merchant Group's warehouse, lightning seemed to have struck on the other side of the building. Miguel's ears started ringing, and he thanked the heavens that there was concrete between him and the lightning strike. This was the fifth or so thunderclap he heard in the last hour. Hopefully, they would not hit his little shack.

As one of the wealthiest merchant organizations in Dagger's Rock Town, the Siren Song merchants owned multiple warehouses. So walking past them was not a matter of seconds but minutes. 

Miguel was increasing his pace, as he was still mentally shocked when one of the warehouse walls next to him suddenly exploded into debris. A small stone hit his temple, throwing him to the brink of unconsciousness. Dust was rising up, and rain pouring down. In a dizzy state, Miguel tried to understand what had happened. 

He squeezed his eyes when a figure clad in lightning walked out of the building's hole. Its face was unrecognizable, but the despair on the two worker's faces it was dragging along were clear to see. The lightning coiling around the cloaked man kept flowing into the two men's bodies. 

They had no control over their bodies, and there was no escape from the torture but death. So when one of the men spotted Miguel sitting inside the debris with blood flowing down from his temple, his eyes did practically begged for mercy. He was no telepath, but the meaning was clear.

<<Kill me.>>

As if the man carrying the two heard their pleas, he let go of them. The… being seemed to be punishing them for something, but apparently, it was merciful enough to not kill them. Miguel thought hard if he had offended someone during the last years, desperately trying to find out if he would get targeted as well. 

While the two Siren Song workers were utterly motionless, the rain started washing away their tears. Finally, the torture was over, and they were even let go. They would live and leave this damned organization. That noble was a top client of theirs inspecting some goods and had forced them to attack the intruder looting the warehouse. 

If they disregarded a VIP client's orders, their superiors would punish, kill or torture them depending on the heaviness of their crimes. No one sane in their mind would attack a mage or beast controlling lightning otherwise.

Alejandro could not find someone he had offended, no matter how much he thought about it. He spent most of his time on the seas anyways. 

<<I will be fine. I will be fine. I will be fine… wait, where is he walking to?>>

Only then did Alejandro spot a well-dressed man stuck inside the wall of the building on the opposite side of the alley. Had the fearsome figure thrown the rich guy with such force that he penetrated one wall and got stuck in another? 

"I'm a noble from the Empire! I have power, money. I can give you everything, let me go, please. I beg you!" The man stuck inside the wall pleaded. Even though he was a seventh-step noble, all his limbs had been shattered, causing him to be unable to move.

<<A noble! Killing a noble from the Empire outside a recognized dispute is an eternal sin. Not even the other two great powers have the balls to do so without making sure to leave no traces. Fuck! Am I a witness he needs to get rid of?>>

*BOOM*

Instead of replying to the noble, the humanoid demon lifted his right gauntlet, which seemed to gather the essence of lightning as it shone brightly. Then, he punched him in the face, causing the wall around him to collapse yet again. Simultaneous with the gauntlet's impact, an ear-rupturing thunderclap echoed through the alley.

The first strike had already shattered all of the noble's bones, so a second strike was enough to obliterate him. After mercilessly killing the Empire's noble, the killer turned around and looked back at the warehouse.

<<No. No. Don't come! But wait, he spared those two siren song workers, right? They are witnesses, too. So that means I am sa…>>

Before Alejandro could finish the thought, two silhouettes the size of big hunting dogs pounced on the workers lying in front of him. Not even a second later, blood was flying everywhere as the beasts ravaged the bodies. 

The sight was simply too much, and the fisher lost all hope, fainting on the spot.