The two men were shocked. Cory gritted his teeth. "How?"
The man with the big nose was sweating heavily. "Boss, I think we should retreat."
"Nonsense, can't you see the boy is tired? We could take him if we work together." Cory then started to walk in the direction where John was standing.
However, Nose did not have the courage to fight the boy after seeing what happened to Bam Bam, who was arguably considered to be the strongest among their group.
He walked a little behind Cory, but seeing his two friends lying unconscious on the ground, he decided that he could not proceed any further.
"I am sorry, boss." Nose turned around and ran in the direction of where their camp is located. Cory turned his head and saw Nose running away, and anger started to swell inside him. "Nose, you fucking coward! You are dead, I promise you!"
Cory then turned his attention to John. He then started to clap his hands. "Bravo, kid, you surprised me. But I don't think that you can do that move anymore; you played all of your cards."
John was standing in a slumping position, tired to the brim. He was panting heavily as he quickly yanked the arrow out of his right shoulder with his left hand. He then dropped the elemental lighting stone from his left hand. "You're right" he then grinned "or maybe I might have something else up my sleeve.".
Cory saw Leonidas defenseless behind John. lying on his stomach on the ground. Cory smiled evilly as he thought of a plan on how to beat the young boy. He dashed towards John; however, John was grinning the whole time, trying to bluff that he had something on his sleeve.
Cory then ran past John, straight to where Leonidas were located on the ground. John was shocked when he noticed that he was not the target.
"No!".
John tried to run after Cory, but he did not have enough strength in his legs. All he could do was watch how Cory ran past him to where Leonidas was situated.
Leonidas did not expect Cory to come for him, but what could he do. Cory then arrived near Leonidas and kicked him straight in the face. He then patted Leonidas and found a knife in his pocket. "And what is a knife doing here? No, no, no."
Cory then threw the knife to the side and thereafter kicked the old vampire on top of his head.
"No, leave the old man alone"
Cory was a little surprised. "Why do you call him old man? He doesn't even look that old, or maybe he is a vampire too hehehe".
John then turned his body around, forcing his body to walk towards them.
"Don't come any closer, or this handsome man gets it," Cory said as he dragged Leonidas by his long red hair. "You fucking coward, if I wasn't powerless, I would rip you limb from limb," Leonidas said as he struggled against Cory.
Cory then took out a knife and stabbed it deep inside Leonidas's back. "You fucker, don't you ever talk that shit to me."
Leonidas did not make a sound. He was still in great pain, but he decided not to show weakness to the enemy. Cory noticed that Leonidas did not make any sound and he stabbed the old vampire multiple times in the back. With every stab he would twist the knife while looking John straight in the eyes.
John could not take it any longer. "Please stop; I surrender." John fell to his knees, with his arms slumping to the ground.
Cory ignored John's pleas and noticed that Leonidas had not uttered a single sound of pain. "Oh, so you are a tough guy. I wonder what would happen if I stuck this knife through your heart."
John was in a state of shock. "Please, please! ....I beg of you, spare my grandfather and kill me."
"Oh, you're right, you humiliated my men in front of me; that cannot be tolerated," Cory replied.
Cory wanted to let go of Leonidas's hair, but he then felt a hand grip him and say, "Don't you dare lay a hand on him, you fucking cunt.".
Cory smiled, then, after a few seconds, his smile turned to anger. "You don't make the rules, pretty boy." He then punched Leonidas in the face.
He stood over Leonidas. "I just had a thought about who would get hurt the most in this situation. And I have come to the conclusion that if the boy dies, then you will be hurt the most. Am I right, pretty boy? because what parent would like to see their child die first? So I decided that the boy would die first."
Leonidas gritted his teeth. "Listen to me, bandit, and listen well. If you lay one finger on that boy, then you will die in the worst way possible. Walk away, and I will forget everything that just happened today."
"Shut! Up!" Cory shouted as he kicked Leonidas two times in the stomach.
Leonidas did not utter a sound as he was kicked, but he did cough a mouthful of blood. "You call that a kick; my granddaughter kicks harder."
"I told you to shut up!" Cory then repeatedly stomped on Leonidas's head
Tears began to run down John's cheeks. "Stop!". He then spreads his arms apart and says, "Here I am.".
Cory grinned. He walked to where John was sitting on his knees. John's head was hanging down; he looked at the ground, waiting for his death. Multiple tear droplets fell to the ground. "Do it," John said in a low tone of voice.
"Don't be in a hurry, boy." Cory then took the knife and stabbed John in the ribs. As the knife was buried inside John's rib cage, Cory then looked at Leonidas, who was filled with anger. "I don't like that look in your eyes, pretty boy."
Cory then decided to twist the knife inside John's ribs. "Aaaah.". Blood gushed from John's mouth. The pain he felt in that moment were very excruciating that he almost wanted to pass out.
After a few seconds, Cory took the knife out and gripped John by the neck.
"I warned you, bandit," Leonidas said as he lay powerless on the ground.
"Why are you doing this? We did nothing to you." John asked
Cory gave a light chuckle. "Because I can... And do you think I didn't notice how you laughed when you fried my friend?
John had a hard time speaking about how tightly Cory gripped his neck. "I did not find any pleasure in shocking your friend... I… I did it to scare you. I … And it did work on your friend."
*Tsk*
"Well, he is dead after I deal with you two"
"I am going to take my time killing you, bandit, and after I kill you, I will then find out if you have a family, and I will kill them too hehehe"
Anger and fury rose inside of Cory. "Changed my mind; a pretty boy dies."
Just as Cory wanted to let go of John's neck, John gripped Cory by his wrist and said, "You ain't doing shit."
"Let go, you fucking brat" Cory then repeatedly punched John in the face, but John did not let go of his right arms wrist. He then picked up the knife and stabbed John in the ribcage again, expecting him to let go. However, John did not let go "Aaaaah it hurts". Blood leaked from his mouth and ribs.
"Hehehe, I am going to find out who your grandfather is, then I am going to cut off his head and send it to his family members hahahaha"
John then imagined everything happening just as Cory said and something unexpected happened.
Leonidas noticed something was off: "Is the boy's wolf side going to come out again? He can't control that power; if the wolf side comes out, then we are all probably going to die.".
Cory can also sense something is amiss. He looked into John's eyes and saw electricity flickering.
"No, it's not possible…" Cory's eyes widened from shock and disbelief, and he began to panic. He tried to escape from John's clutches, but to no avail. John's fingers dug into Cory's flesh.
"Let go of me, you fucking freak" Cory continued to struggle. He tried to stab John in the heart, ready to deliver the lethal blow that would end John's life, but it was too late.
A sudden surge of electricity erupted from John's hand.
Leonidas's eyes widened as he was greatly surprised and amazed by what he was witnessing. "How is this possible?"
Sparks crackled and danced on John's fingertips. The jolt of power surged into Cory's body; veins popped out from his neck as the bandit started to convulse involuntarily.
John released more electrical power, and Cory screamed with agony. His body convulsed and contorted as the electrical power rendered him helpless.
"Yes, boy, kill him…kill him"
John heard Leonidas's words, and he immediately snapped back to reality, causing the electrical surge to also come to an end. John let go of Cory, causing him to fall to the ground. John stood up and observed Cory for a moment. John had a stern expression on his face as he looked at his hand, but secretly, he was happy inside. "I have electric powers, so cool," he thought.
He smiled, as he was also happy that the bandit was still alive. He took out a bottle of blood and drank the bottle, half empty.
John then searched through Cory's unconscious body and found the magical map.
"Old man, are you okay?". With moderate difficulty, he ran to where Leonidas was lying, and a pool of blood could be seen on the ground beneath him.
"Here, drink up," he said, giving Leonidas the half-bottle of blood. Leonidas looked at John for a moment before taking the bottle.
"Brat, why did you not say that you have lighting powers? what else are you hiding from me brat?".
John had a big smile on his face. "Well, I myself didn't even know that I had that kind of power; I'm really him if you think about it.".
Leonidas quickly got annoyed and said, "You ain't shit." John smiled, vanished, and gave Leonidas a serious look, but the old vampire did the same, and they both stared at each other. As John and Leonidas looked at one another, John decided to deliberately blink his eyes. The old vampire notices John intentionally blinking his eyes, and so he does the same. The young man then took notice of how the old vampire was also blinking his eyes while having a serious expression on his face. He then blinks his eyes twice, but Leonidas mimics him again.
After a few seconds, John couldn't hold his serious expression, and a light smile started to form on his face "I see what you did there, old man. You really funny did you know that?"
Leonidas lightly grinned "I have my moments".
"Come, old man, we can waste much time" John manages to pick Leonidas up, but with great difficulty. John felt extremely tired, his body felt numb, yet he forced himself to carry Leonidas on his back.
As John was standing, he slightly turned his head "Old man, I don't have the energy to run anymore"
Leonidas was silent for a few seconds as he was thinking. He then thought of something they could do "Boy, go to their camp"
John was confused "Why?"
Leonidas grinned "We are going to take their horse".
John and Leonidas arrived at the camp, where one of the horses was missing. They quickly came to the conclusion that it was probably the man with the big nose who came to the camp and fled with his horse.
Leonidas then smacked his hand against his forehead. "Fuck, I forgot you don't know how to ride a horse." Leonidas knew that the people from earth do not usually ride horses, so he assumed that John also did not know. He was partly right; John did not know how to ride a horse when he first came to the Crimson's castle. How could he know how to ride a horse when they had vehicles that were much better? However, John had partially learned how to ride a horse when he spent time with Carmilla and Thomas.
With his limited experience, John was untrusted with the task of guiding their only steed on this treacherous journey. "We have to hurry." Leonidas was really worried that he would not arrive on time to warn his family of the surprise attack or be there to lend some moral support.
"I know," John said as he first helped his grandfather mount the horse, then mounted the horse himself. As John was holding on to the reins of the horse, his hands were trembling with uncertainty. "Shit, why are my hands shaking like this?" Sweat stared to form on John's forehead. If they arrive late, Decker could possibly win; they did not know what other plans Decker could have up his sleeve to slide this battle into his favour.
John's heart was pounding with a mixture of determination and trepidation. Further, Leonidas could hear John's heart beating loudly within his chest; he could sense the boy's nervousness. John knew that his grandfather was now depending on him, as he was paralyzed from the waist down and also in a weakened state from all the stabbing and beatings he took earlier against Cory.
"Calm down, boy, I am here to guide you."
John closed his eyes and took a breath. He held it in for 5 seconds before blowing the air out. Leonidas could hear how John's heartbeat was slowly decreasing. Leonidas knew that the burden of riding the horse fell upon his grandson, for he was the only one with the necessary equestrian skills, albeit very limited.
"Now let's go; there's no time to waste."
John did not say anything and merely nodded his head. He still felt unsure if he had the ability to control this powerful creature that was beneath him. They first crossed the bridge and traveled a little further until they came across a broad. expanse of flatland.
All John saw was greenery, as far as the eye could see. The grassy plains, lush and fertile, swayed gently in the breeze. John's eyes were taking in everything: "Wow, I didn't know that this world looked so beautiful. Oh my god." He saw slender streams of crystal-clear water weaving their way through the land like soft, delicate ribbons. He also noticed that here and there were small trees that were scattered like precious gems.
"Enough, we have to go"
John quickly snapped back to reality. He then took out a small cube and pressed the button. A magical holograph-like map appeared, showing their location.
"Old man, where should we go?"
"Give me the map"
John handed Leonidas the cube.
"Directions to the Crimson Castle." The magical map then showed them the location of the Crimson Castle, and Leonidas knew exactly where to go. He then gave John the cube so he could store it in his storage ring.
"We have to go that way." Leonidas pointed in the direction they had to go. As they set across the plains, John's inexperience riding a horse became evident. His body would keep swaying awkwardly, making him struggle in the process of finding his balance. Also, John's communication with the horse was flawed.
However, Leonidas, who was wise and resilient, would always offer his guidance to the boy. "Focus boy"
"I am trying you, old geezer.". Leonidas wanted to smack the boy with his foul mouth.
With each stride, Leonidas would share his knowledge of horsemanship, teaching John how to keep his balance, for instance, the subtle commands and the bond between horse and rider. John would use this opportunity to try to absorb all the advice his grandfather is trying to impart to him. John would become better at riding a horse as time went by. Furthermore, as the two travelled across the vast expanse, they would get ever closer to their destination.
However, something occurred that Leonidas had already predicted might happen. As the journey wore on, the horse's strength waned and it lost its energy to gallop any further. "No, don't give up on us now." John was getting nervous; he did not expect that this might happen. After several minutes, the horse started to stumble, and it collapsed to the ground.
*Thud*
The horse was unable to carry them any further, and John's heart sank like an anchor to the bottom of the sea. John took out the magic device cube to see how far they were from their destination, and he noticed that they were still a great distance away from their objective.
"Shoot, what do we do now, old geezer?"
"Stop calling me an old geezer, you brat"
*Sigh*
"Guess we have no choice. Boy, we have to run"
"You mean I have to run!" John said it loudly. His shoulders dropped. He knew that running with Leonidas on his back was going to be hard, and he did not know how long he would hold out, but what other choice did they have? They have to keep moving forward. Arguing is not going to help them achieve their goal.
John looked at the tired horse that was lying on the ground. He crouched down and rubbed the horse on his head. "Thank you for carrying us thus far, Mr. Horse."
Leonidas became irritated. "What the hell are you doing, boy, thanking a horse? It's just an animal."
John then gave Leonidas an angry gaze. "You ungrateful old fart, if you talk anymore crap, then I'm gonna punch your face in."
"Ugh, I can't be bothered to argue with a dumb child, hurry up so we can leave".
After saying goodbye to the horse, John with Leonidas's guidance, hoisted the paralyzed vampire onto his back.
John, straining against the weight and fatigue, the young vampire boy and his grandfather then embarked on a desperate run through the plains. He already lost hope that they would make it in time, but he had no choice but to move forward.
A few hours had passed, and John had not taken one moment to rest. His legs were aching and his breath was ragged, yet he kept moving with sheer determination. There were still mountains that they had to cross, and as John was about to give up, he saw something flying through the sky.
"Help, Help!!". John screamed as someone was driving a flying boat.
The person was a middle-aged man driving the flying boat; he had a bald head and was wearing black short pants and a white vest. He was a man who delivered goods. He was in a good mood because tomorrow he will be going on a small vacation to visit his family. While the man was humming to himself as he felt a cool breeze touching against his skin and as he looked down at the beautiful view below, He noticed a boy carrying a man on his back.
"What the hell are these people doing here? Are they lost?"
He saw the boy waving, and he already figured out that the boy and the man needed help. "I am coming."
As the flying boat touched down on the ground, the middle-aged man opened the door and asked, "Do you two need some help?"
When the man saw the boy, he was shocked. "Wait, little boy, I know you."
John pointed at himself, "Me? Really?"
Leonidas was confused as he looked at the man.