Arat couldn't think straight as he collapsed to his knees, desperately trying to cover the arrow wound in his chest with his hands. He began vomiting a black liquid.
Grandpa where are you? I can't breathe. Help me! Help me grandpa!
trying to plea for help noticing that his voice being trapped in his throat not reaching his mouth. Panic set in, his increasing blood pressure put his entire body on heat. his throat burning as he struggled to breathe. breathing had never been this hard, each shallow gasp was a battle one that was dimming his vision as he struggled to remain conscious.
Ganz taken a back remembered what he had to do, he shouted
"Arat lie down!"
In a flash, Ganz dashed toward Arat like a bolt of lightning, reaching out to catch a black flying stick in midair. He immediately discarded the arrow and moved behind Arat, lifting him off the ground with one hand as if he were a mere toy. In one swift motion, he turned his torso and shielded his face with his arm, two arrows embedding themselves into his flesh, as if he had eyes behind his head knowing exactly where the arrows were aiming for.
Once inside, Ganz slammed the door shut and gently laid Arat on the floor, positioning him on his left side to avoid putting pressure on the arrow lodged in his back, which had pierced through to his chest.
"Arat, don't close your eyes, you must stay awake."
The only response he could hear were Arat's labored breathing as the child was desperately trying to suck air into his lungs while his own blood was flowing out of his mouth suffocating him.
Seeing this, Ganz darted toward the bedrooms, yanking the arrows from his arm without a hint of pain. As he tossed the bloodied shafts to the ground, he rushed to the study room and stopped in front of the massive black iron chest with silver patterns.
Ganz bent down, grasping the iron lock in his hands, and pulled with all his strength. A sharp sound echoed through the room.
Tling!
The sturdy iron lock snapped open under the force of his bare hands. Inside the chest, various items were strewn about, but one object commanded attention, a massive two-handed mace entirely made of black iron, it was as thick as a tree trunk. The weapon's handle tapered from its base, growing thicker toward the top, where a heavy iron sphere crowned its head. The mace was almost about Ganz's height and it surely weighed more than four grown men combined. A weapon that wielding it was impossible for any man.
Ganz lifted the gigantic mace from the chest with only one hand, revealing a leather pouch underneath. He quickly grabbed the pouch with his free hand and rushed back to Arat, who lay on the ground, drenched in his own blood, his clothes and the floor, stained pitch black. He let go of the mace as it fell on the floor breaking the wooden planks underneath it.
Opening the leather pouch, Ganz frantically searched its contents in front of his dying grandchild. After turning everything upside down, he pulled out a small cylinder glass filled with yellow liquid. Without hesitation, he forced Arat to sit upright to prevent it from getting stuck in his throat and poured the liquid into his mouth.
"Come on, don't die on me."
Said Ganz looking at Arat's fainting face with his eyes becoming more and more lifeless as the time went on.
"Keep your eyes open!"
Ganz shouted, desperation lacing his voice.
Arat regained consciousness, his pupils first constricting into tiny dots before dilating rapidly, the black of his pupils nearly engulfing his green irises. It was as if he had been resurrected from the dead. Arat's senses sharpened as he found himself in his grandfather's arms, the burning pain in his chest overwhelming him. His gaze fell upon the arrowhead lodged in his torso.
"There is, there is an arrow in my chest. Aghhhh, it hurts, I can't, I can't…"
His words were abruptly cut off as white foam began to spill from his mouth. Arat entered a seizure, his body convulsing uncontrollably.
Ganz looked at the poor child, he was like his own son, he held him since he was an infant and raised him up to this day and now he was dying in-front of his own very eyes.
"Those fucking bitches, they have poisoned it"
Ganz put Arat down and searched the potion bottles once again, this time he found what he needed much faster, he then poured it on the arrow wound. White liquid turned gray as it hardened blocking the flowing blood After a few seconds. Arat's body went completely still, his eyes remaining unnaturally dilated. The sudden cessation of his shaking made it seem as if he had drawn his last breath.
Cradling Arat's head in his arms, Ganz spoke softly
"it's okay now, I gave you a blood thinner potion and with this you will be fine. Now, Arat, can you talk to me?"
Arat said in a faint voice
"I'm burning. It's too warm here like I'm on fire."
Ganz's face, once resolute, softened, replaced by the raw emotions of fear and despair. With a warm, comforting voice, he urged the boy.
"I know, I know. But you're strong, Arat. I need you to be as strong as you can be. If you can't do it for yourself, then do it for me. Just keep breathing"
"It hurts but I will ughhhh…"
Arat groaned, spitting out droplets of blood as he coughed
"I will hang on."
Ganz felt a momentary relief as he saw Arat's breathing stabilize. He stood up, grabbed a rag from the table, and handed it to Arat.
"Arat, listen to what I have to say, because your very life depends on it, there are a group of people outside, they are from the church of the humanity."
Arat interrupted
"The church of humanity you mentioned once? those who fought demons?"
Ganz sighed
"Yes, they are here for us, if they can capture us, we are as good as dead."
"Is it because of me? Because I'm like this?"
Ganz took a deep breath and calmed his mind overrun with racing thoughts.
"They're outside, likely surrounding the entire area. We need to find a way to escape. I'll stall them for as long as I can. When the time comes, I'll give you a sign.
Arat exactly knew what was going on so he said:
"You want me to leave you here? But this is"
Ganz said:
"Yes, with your condition you are only dead weight if you stay, I know it may seem impossible with that thing stuck in your chest but the potions I just gave you will show their true effects as the time goes on, you will be able to stand and walk, however, it will be temporally.
A loud voice boomed from outside, filled with menace.
"Ganz! That little monster is already dead! Come out!"
Arat's green eyes locked onto his grandfather's face filled with dozen questions.
They know grandpa? What's going on? if they know him, this means that he know them too.
Ganz's furrowed brows and narrowed eyes revealed the stress he was under. He carefully removed his hands from Arat and bent down, grasping the arrow embedded in Arat's back. With a slight tightening of his fist, he snapped the wooden shaft.
Arat shocked by this moaned in unbearable pain
"Aghhhh"
He could neither talk nor complain at his grandfather, Instinctively, he tried to cover the wound with his hands, but the moment the leather fingertip of his gloves with black blood all over them brushed against it, the pain intensified, forcing him to pull back his hands.
"When I give the signal, head into the forest,"
Ganz instructed.
"You remember the waterfall and the lake we used to wash up at? Hide in the cave behind the waterfall. I'll come for you when I'm done with these guys here."
Ganz's demeanor had shifted; he was now resolute and focused. The stern look in his eyes and the commanding aura around him had returned. He rose from the ground, standing tall and unyielding like an ancient tree. Arat noticed a small glass bottle containing a scarlet liquid in his grandfather's hand.
Ganz turned, grabbing the enormous two-handed mace. He uncorked the bottle with his teeth, spitting the cork onto the ground, and drank the scarlet fluid in one gulp. His face contorted in disgust; his eyes squeezed shut as he fought against the bitter taste making the wrinkles in his aged face stand out.
"Ahhh, it never gets better."
After straightening his throat Ganz moved toward the door.
Straightening himself, Ganz moved toward the door. He hesitated for a moment, then took the handle in his firm grip and opened the door. On the other side stood seven women. Ganz glanced around, seeing one woman and ten men on either side of him.
Gil said they were ten women and thirty men; the remaining devil bride and her ten soldiers must be behind the house. How troublesome.
Ganz once again looked at the warriors opposite him, women in various armor some having white, red or black capes silver steel or majestic golden armor each carried their own weapons.
Arat who had dragged his body near the window tried his best to look outside from the window. Luckily no one had seen him yet
Ganz's attention was drawn to one particular figure among the warriors. A woman with white skin clad in golden armor, her pauldrons, couters, and gauntlets gleaming in the dim light. Her cuisse, fauld, poleyn, greaves, and sabatons matched in splendor. A sigil of two entwined daggers, pointing in opposite directions, was carved into her plackart. She wore scale armor on her gorget, rerebrace, and tasset, with black cloth underneath. A long white skirt was attached to her fauld, and a leather belt hung two sheathed rapier swords at her side.
"You look like you've got one foot in the grave, Ganz," said the woman with a malicious smile on her crimson lips.
Ganz glared at her, fury in his eyes. "Get the hell out of here before I crush all your bones, Gabriella."
The aged woman pushed a lock of hair away from her right eye and chuckled.
"Stubborn as always I see, just like in the old days. Speaking of which, those days were the best, weren't they? Slaying demons together, just like that little one back there."
Ganz's death stare hardened at her as he replied
"Did you bring all these people here to reminisce about the past? we can talk about Taron all day if you want"
Gabriella's expression darkened.
"Don't you see you're trapped here like a mouse?"
Ganz tilted his head to the side, a series of cracks echoing from his neck. "Enough. Show me your true twisted natures and drop this disgusting act. We both know you won't leave this place until you've got the boy's head in a bag."
At that moment, the old woman, Gabriella, spotted Arat peeking through the window.
"I see that little cub ain't dead yet."
After their eyes caught sight of the child with an Iron mask behind the window the archers both men and women took aim, their arrows ready to fly.
Gabriella rose her hand as a sign to halt.
"Don't shoot he is as good as dead. However, he didn't die, you treated him, right?"
Said the lady with curious eyes locked on Ganz.
Ganz shouted with a commanding tone, not turning his sight from the enemy
"Get down Arat, these bastards know no honor."
One of the women with red hair who carried a war axe yelled
"Silence you heathen"
The old woman Gabriella her face giving off a slightly sadistic feel due to the corners of her red lips curled up spoke with a mocking tone
"Honor? Says the one hiding an unholy half-blood demon. Did you tell him about his parents? About his mother?"
Her eyes shifted to the child wearing an Iron mask
"Listen, you wrecked demon cub, this man you may see as your family is not what he pretends to be. Fourteen years ago, he had impregnated your mother forcefully Vanessa Kendrick, his own daughter of his own flesh and blood. This is the man you have lived all your life with."
Ganz shouted
"Enough of this nonsense".
Arat was shocked by what he had just heard, momentarily forgetting the searing pain in his chest as the revelation left him reeling.
Ganz's eyes reddened, blood vessels darkening to an ominous black as he exhaled a crimson mist. His skin flushed, reddened by the surge in blood pressure. With a roar, he swung his massive mace with one hand, taking a step forward.
A young, woman with black hair wielding a spear shouted,
Giant blood! Be careful of hi..."
Ganz inhaled deeply, his now crimson eyes glowing even brighter. Like a bolt of lightning, he darted forward, moving so fast that he was barely visible. In one brutal swing, he struck down one of the Demon brides, shattering her head and upper body into a bloody mess. Her blood sprayed across the grass, splattering the women beside her and soaking Ganz in it as well.
her sentence ended there, leaving all of them confused, the sound of metal objects clashing mixed with flesh being squished and torn apart filled the grass field, red blood splattered all over the air.
She felt the warm droplets touching her face one by one until a single one landed into her eye, the Gabriella dashed backwards retreating for her life.
Arat couldn't believe what he had just seen, his grandfather vanished and then appeared near one of the women, he swung his mace so fast that he couldn't even see it, the next thing he witnessed was the lower body of the woman falling onto the ground torn apart from her hips up, and blood all over his grandfather.
"What is this, I couldn't even see it, grandpa did it… the same old man that always took his steps slowly, he was always calm and acted matured… how is this possible?
Arat watched in shock, unable to find words for what he was witnessing. Gabriella, with a small bloodstain on her face, simply smiled. She drew her twin rapiers, her eyes wide with a twisted sense of joy and excitement.
What the hell? His fighting skills hasn't weakened… well this only means that we will have more casualties than we expected
"You crafty bastard, you kept yourself prepared for this day, huh?"
"Seems like you are the one with a foot in the grave now Gabriella, with that shacking voice, I bet your little twigs have all wetted their pants"
The red-haired woman held her war axe ready to charge and spoke
"Do you think we will just stay still like that?"
"Enough talking, let's get to the killing part."
Gabriella chuckled
"So confident as always, you have not gone senile, Iron pillar Ganz."