Reina was standing next to her son Caden. He was sitting on a brown wooden chair with a small table on the side. The table held two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. Reina was grinning. She was clearly enjoying the grim sight of the two fighters staring each other down.
Caden lightly tapped on his mother's arm. "Should I pour you some whiskey, Mother?"
"No, I am fine," she replied.
The young boy then made his move. He rushed toward Russell and started his attack with a diagonal swing of the metal staff. Russell did not have enough time to dodge. He decided to block the attack with his forearm.
Bam!
"Argh! That hurts, you cunt!" Russell roared in pain.
The prisoner wanted to strike back by moving closer. He was ready to stab the young boy, but the vampire boy had already guessed what he would do. He thrust the staff forward, aiming straight for the chest.
Bang!
A little bit of blood came out of Russell's mouth as he was knocked back. He slowly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth as he watched the boy. "That was a good hit, kid. I am really angry now."
John did not respond. He started to spin the staff rapidly in his hands. He then made a gesture with his right hand for Russell to come at him.
"Raaaaaaaah!" Russell started to run toward the hybrid boy.
As he came into striking distance, the young vampire swung the staff. He aimed for the head, trying to knock Russell out in one blow. But Russell ducked and rolled quickly on the ground. He got up instantly while the boy was still trying to adjust his staff for the next move. It was too late. The Mad Prisoner was already right in front of him.
Blood began to leak instantly from John's mouth. Russell's dagger was already stuck deep inside the right side of the young vampire's neck. Tears began to flow from the boy's eyes because the pain was excruciating. It was a stark reminder that vampire healing was not instant.
The Mad Prisoner grabbed his target by the back of his hair while slowly twisting the dagger in his neck. "You fucking cunt. Do you think this is some kind of game? If you were not a Crimson, you would have already been dead."
The hybrid boy could only make a gargling sound. Russell chuckled. "What did you say, boy?"
John was drowning in his own blood. The dark warmth was filling his throat. As his enemy moved closer and tightened the grip on the blade, the young vampire did the unexpected. He spat the blood from his mouth directly into Russell's eyes. At the same time, he slammed the heavy end of the metal staff down onto the man's foot with all his strength. The crushing blow made the prisoner howl and lose his grip instantly.
The young boy quickly pulled the dagger out of his neck and threw it away. He tried to hit Russell with a front kick, but the veteran fighter recovered instantly and caught John's right foot.
"Hehehehe. You are done for, boy," Russell sneered. He held the leg, thinking he had the hybrid boy trapped.
John gritted his teeth. "You just activated my trap card, bitch," he declared.
The young vampire used Russell's grip as a brace. He launched himself into a backflip, throwing his body into the air. As he rotated, he whipped his left leg up in a powerful arc. His foot caught Russell square on the chin with the full force of the flip. The man's brain rattled from the impact before he crashed to the floor, completely unconscious.
John landed messily and collapsed on the ground. Blood was still leaking from his neck as he began to cough violently. Reina saw that Russell was not getting up from the backflip kick and declared John the winner. However, the young vampire had already fallen unconscious by the time she announced his victory.
Caden appeared next to the boy and gently picked him up. "Guard!"
A vampire guard appeared before Caden immediately. "Take the boy to his room to rest. Have one of the maids look after him. Tell the maid to bring him back here as soon as he wakes up."
"As you command, My Lord," the guard replied.
Reina then ordered two other guards to take Russell back to his cell. "When the prisoner wakes up, give him a healing potion and a nice meal for his services. Also, I want you to bring me three other prisoners."
"Yes, My Lord."
A couple of hours later, John woke up. He slowly opened his eyes and turned his head to the left. He saw that one of the vampire maids was sitting next to his bed.
"Good day, Young Master," she said softly. "I was instructed to look after you. I must also let you know that you are to return to the training area as soon as you wake up."
"What! I thought I was done for the day. Damn Aunt Reina is trying to kill me!" The young vampire groaned. He ran a hand through his hair.
He then looked at the maid. She had beautiful fair skin, just like the many other maids he had seen in the Crimson Castle. Her hair was light blonde. It was styled in a double Dutch braid with a low bun.
The maid handed him a large glass filled with blood. "Here, Young Master John."
The hybrid boy looked at the glass of blood and sighed. He took it from her hand and drank the dark liquid slowly. He was in no rush to return to the arena. "This is the first time I am seeing you. What is your name?"
"My name is Haven, Young Master."
"You have a beautiful name, Haven."
She gave him a light bow. "Thank you, Young Master John."
John drank a little more blood from the glass. He could feel his energy returning little by little. "Haven, can you please order me some meat? I feel a little bit hungry."
Haven was confused for a moment by the request for human food, but she did not question him. "Of course, Young Master. I will let the chef know and bring the meat as soon as it is ready."
After about thirty minutes, Haven returned through the door. She carried a big T-bone steak on a silver plate and placed it on the table. John took a seat by the table and began cutting the meat in half. Haven remained standing. She was ordered to bring the young master to the training area when he was finished recovering.
"Come, sit and join me, Haven," John said.
Haven was hesitant, nervous, and confused. She did not know why this boy, who was far above her in status, was inviting her to eat at the same table.
"Young Master John, I can leave and come back when the Young Master is finished eating."
The young vampire felt a little irritated by her answer. "Haven, I am ordering you to come sit and eat this steak with me."
She slowly moved to the table and sat down. John took his piece of meat and slid the other piece, still on the silver plate, over to her. The hybrid boy prayed silently and began eating without any manners. Haven watched him. She then picked up her knife and fork, cut her meat, and ate in small, refined bites.
"Here, drink," John said. He pushed the glass, now half-full of blood, toward her.
"No, Young Master John," she protested softly.
"Drink, please."
She picked up the glass and took a small sip. For a brief moment, the young vampire saw her iris turn red before the color vanished in a flash. "You like it?" the boy asked.
She looked at him with wide eyes. "Please forgive me, Young Master." She then drank the rest of the blood in the glass like someone who had not had water for days. Haven picked up her meat and began eating it with the same wild urgency as John.
"So, do you maybe know a vampire maid named Elena?" he asked.
"Yes, Young Master. Almost everyone in the castle knows who Elena is because of the Young Master."
"Can I ask you for a favor?" the young boy asked while chewing his steak.
"I will do as you command, Young Master."
"No, I want you to do it of your own free will. If you do not want to, then you do not have to do it." John sighed heavily. "Can you please look after her? I noticed that she is not very close to the other maids in the castle, even though she has maybe worked here for hundreds of years."
Haven finished eating her food and gave him a subtle smile. It was a rare break from her strict servant behavior. "Yes, Young Master. I will look after Elena."
John also finished eating. He wiped his mouth and stood up. "Good. Now take me to the underground training area. I am ready."