He refrained from asking any more questions after that, letting the weight of the revelation settle in his mind.
"We are here," Trunk finally announced.
They hovered before a flat world, roughly the sa surface area as Earth.
Its grey surface stretched out endlessly beneath them, cold and featureless at first glance.
"Where is this?" Nightfla asked.
Trunk gave no reply.
Instead, he waited silently, as if expecting soone.
It didn’t take long.
A group of well-ard n stepped forward from the surface, their weapons gleaming dully in the colorless light.
Their leader’s eyes imdiately locked onto Nightfla with sharp suspicion.
"Trunk. You are here again," the leader said, never taking his gaze off the newcor.
"Yeah. I am," Trunk nodded calmly.
"Who is he?"
"A friend," Trunk replied without hesitation.
"Very well. Let’s go inside," the man said, nodding in acceptance.
"You will be safe now," Trunk smiled at Nightfla, reaching over to tap his shoulder reassuringly.
Nightfla simply nodded and followed closely behind.
The group descended onto the flat planet.
As they moved across its surface, Nightfla noticed structures built everywhere, dense clusters of buildings covering the grey ground like tallic scars.
One thing stood out clearly in his sharp eyes.
Huge antennas rose at every corner and edge of the planet, towering and ominous.
"Those are space storm diffusers," Trunk explained as they walked.
"They prevent this planet from being hit by space storms and randomly changing location.
They’re very expensive, you know. Not many planets or organizations can afford them."
Nightfla nodded in understanding, taking in every detail.
The group passed through the main gate of the facility, moving through layer after layer of strict protocols and security checkpoints.
Ard guards watched them with cold, calculating eyes at every turn.
Finally, they boarded a space vehicle, an ugly, bulky shuttle that looked crude and patched together.
Yet its functionality was clearly all that mattered in this broken universe.
"Space shuttle," Trunk continued as they settled in. "Another rare product that only the wealthy can have.
It was built by the Mad One and distributed only to those who offered sothing of equal value in return."
Trunk had quickly beco a willing guide, quietly informing Nightfla about everything they encountered.
"We are here," the leader of the guard team announced as the shuttle ca to a stop.
They stepped down and once again passed through another round of heavy protocols.
This ti, a strange-looking band was fastened tightly around Nightfla’s wrist.
"Security reasons," Trunk smiled, raising his own hand to show an identical band.
The group finally entered a heavily guarded room.
The security here was on another level. Guards stood everywhere, weapons ready, eyes sharp.
Compared to the previous checkpoints, those earlier ones now felt like child’s play, re protocols for toddlers.
The atmosphere inside the room was thick with tension and watchful silence.
"My lord," Trunk said, bowing his head low in deep respect.
A huge man sat upon a massive throne at the far end of the hall.
He was half man, half gorilla, broad-shouldered and towering, with thick, powerful arms and a barrel chest covered in coarse dark fur.
His face was brutally ugly, twisted by scars and raw power.
A long, jagged scar ran across his entire chest, pale and raised like a permanent warning.
"Hmm. Trunk. You are here," the gorilla-man rumbled, his voice deep and impatient.
"I hope it is worth it this ti. The last chick you brought died far too quickly."
He pointed lazily toward a corner of the room.
There lay the body of a woman, still fresh.
She had large white wings like a chicken’s and a sharp beak where her mouth should have been.
Her lifeless eyes stared blankly at the grey ceiling.
"I’m sorry, my lord," Trunk replied quickly, his voice trembling with nervousness.
"She was the best I could find on short notice. I truly believed she would satisfy you for a while, my lord."
"Indeed," Scar said, waving the matter aside. "Now let us talk business. What do you have for this ti?"
"I presu that will be ," Nightfla answered calmly, stepping forward without hesitation.
The mont his foot moved, guards surged from every shadow and corner.
They surrounded him instantly, weapons raised, eyes cold and ready.
"You brought here to sell , right?" Nightfla asked Trunk, his tone flat.
"Kikik. You are right," Trunk laughed, the sound echoing sharply through the hall.
"You finally realized, huh? Never expected to et such a fool. To not even suspect for so long. Hahahahah!"
His laughter rang loud and mocking, filled with cruel delight.
"You must be Scar," Nightfla said, turning his gaze to the half-gorilla man on the throne.
Scar refused to answer.
He simply stared down at Nightfla with bored contempt. It would be beneath him to speak directly to a soon-to-be slave.
"How much do you want?" Scar asked Trunk instead.
"Protection for a decade and enough resources to last that long," Trunk began, his voice growing bolder as he bargained.
"Don’t you dare get greedy with ," Scar growled angrily. "I don’t want to kill you."
"My lord, it is a fair bargain," Trunk said in a rush, fear flashing across his face.
"Look at him. He is perfect. Not like the others. He barely has any defects. I’m sure HE will be pleased."
"Hmm. You had better not be tricking this ti," Scar replied, eyes narrowing. "He had better have a low defect level."
"I promise you, my lord."
"Very well. It is a deal. You may leave."
"I’m sorry, my friend," Trunk said, turning to Nightfla with a wide, satisfied smile.
"But I just have to survive. It is a cruel universe we live in. We have to protect ourselves."
Nightfla ignored him completely.
"So when you say protection," he asked Scar directly, "do you an you protect his life? What happens when I kill him?"
"Hah! Kill ?" Trunk burst out laughing again. "That’s impossible. Do you know what is on your wrist? It is a limiter. It prevents you from using even a single ounce of your strength!"
A single cold side glance from Nightfla was enough to silence him instantly.
Scar said nothing. He simply watched the entire exchange with open amusent, leaning back on his throne.
"I have a proposition for you instead," Nightfla said calmly, his voice steady and low. "I will spare your life. In return, you obey ."
"What nonsense do you think—" Trunk started, anger rising in his throat.
"You talk too much," Nightfla cut in coldly. "Shut up."
In that sa instant, a dark being slipped out from Nightfla’s shadow.
It moved with blinding speed and tore straight into Trunk’s throat with a single, decisive strike.
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