Haven was nearing the last flight of stairs, the final descent to the lower floor. She ran through the sprawling, wide corridor with Carla clutched tightly in her arms while Adam clung to her back. The corridor, once a testament to grandeur, was now a canvas of recent conflict. Cracks like jagged veins snaked along the white painted walls. They were the scars of powerful blows and fierce battles.
The floor was strewn with scattered debris. Fragments of shattered chandeliers glittered amidst the remnants of what was once splendid decor. The polished marble tiles beneath their feet were now chipped and stained, marked by dark splotches and deep fissures that silently screamed of the violence that had erupted there.
As she and the vampire children dashed down the corridor, they spotted a man looking at a damaged painting. The canvas hung crooked, with only one corner still clinging to the wall. The man in the green armor seemed to admire the picture. He stared at it intensely until he sensed the vampires nearing him.
When Haven spotted the mercenary, she immediately came to a stop. The man she was currently looking at was the same warrior who had breached the wall with Raven and their leader Kilo, though she did not know his history.
"You know, miss vampire, I did not want to come here to fight against this legendary family."
The man let out a heavy sigh.
"The Storm Hornets did so well. We were earning a decent amount of wealth until our great leader Kilo became greedy. He even allied himself with a goddamn vampire who is apparently possessed by some kind of demon, and now we are paying for it."
He finally tore his attention from the crooked painting and met the gaze of Haven.
"Our men were dropping like flies. Just a few minutes earlier, some demon creature offered me power. This is madness! I told that thing it can go fuck itself!"
Adam, trembling slightly, whispered softly from the back of Haven. "Miss Haven, this man is scaring me."
Haven kept her gaze unwavering. She did not respond to Adam, choosing instead to keep her focus entirely on the mercenary.
"Then leave," she stated, her voice firm and echoing in the ruined hall. "Don't come back."
The mercenary shook his head, a weary gesture that seemed out of place with his imposing green armor. "When the boss, Raven, and Decker started fighting your people, I took that opportunity to flee. But I got lost. This damned castle is so huge."
"Then let us pass," Haven urged, her voice steady. "We mean you no harm."
Carla, wide eyed and trembling slightly in the arms of Haven, gazed at the man in green armor with undisguised fear.
"Tsk," Rubin Canon scoffed, a sound of reluctant resignation. "I am afraid I cannot let you pass. Even though I do not want to be here, I have to fulfill my mission, and that is to kill you vampires."
"What about the kids?" Haven asked, her gaze hardening. "Will you let them go?"
He looked at the female vampire, his expression grim and unwavering. "I swear on my name, Rubin Canon, I will make it quick."
The face of Haven hardened, mirroring his serious resolve. Gently, she lowered Carla and Adam to the floor. She then knelt before them, her voice dropping to a low, earnest tone.
"Listen, kids, I have to fight the bad man over there. I want you both to keep your distance from us when we fight. If I get the chance to distract him, then I want you two to run through that door."
She pointed to a heavy, ornate door further down the corridor.
"If you find the stairs, then head down. And if you spot a Vampire Knight, go to him. He will know what to do. Is that understood?"
"No, Miss Haven, do not leave us," Adam whimpered, his eyes already glistening with unshed tears.
Carla, her voice small and trembling, asked, "Miss Haven, are we going to die?"
"Not if I can help it," Haven replied. Her voice remained firm despite the pain visible in her eyes. "Now go stand over there. Make sure you are far away from our fight."
Adam slowly reached out, his small hand finding the hand of Carla. They gazed at each other for a silent moment, a shared understanding passing between them, before both looked back at Haven and nodded their heads in unison.
"Please do not lose, Miss Haven," Adam whispered, his voice barely audible.
Haven offered them a determined, if strained, smile. "Do not worry," she promised. "I will not."
Haven drew her sword, the blade a dark gleam in the dim castle light, and advanced toward the man in green armor. Her expression was a mask of grim determination. Rubin Canon, conversely, sported a wide, confident grin. He wasted no time, drawing his own blade with a flourish and rushing toward the female vampire.
Their first clash was deafening: a resounding clang that vibrated through the very stone of the corridor, followed by a palpable shockwave that rippled through the air.
Both combatants recoiled for a split second before lunging back into the fray. Rubin lunged low, attempting to cut her legs, but Haven, anticipating the move, deftly blocked his blade with her own. He then tried to seize her with his left hand, but she swiftly sidestepped and delivered a sharp side kick to his head, staggering the mercenary momentarily.
Rubin quickly regained his composure, shaking off the blow, and unleashed a horizontal slash. Haven managed to duck cleanly under the attack. Yet, no sooner had she lifted her head than Rubin delivered a barrage of multiple slashes. Haven, however, met each blow with a precise parry, deflecting his attacks with practiced ease.
She began to retreat, but Rubin pressed his advantage, unwilling to give her a moment of respite. The runic inscriptions on his green armor began to pulse with a faint inner light, providing him with a surge of power that clearly gave him the edge.
As the mercenary closed the distance, Haven saw her chance. She delivered a swift upward slash. But at the exact same moment, Rubin brought his sword down in a powerful downward strike, cleaving effortlessly through her already damaged blade.
Her eyes widened in horror as the broken half of her sword clattered uselessly to the ground.
"No!" Adam screamed, his voice thin with terror.
"Miss Haven!" Carla cried out, her small voice filled with anguish.
The mercenary, seizing the advantage of her shock, slashed again. The blade bit deep, carving a jagged gash across the face of Haven. She recoiled sharply, her hand flying to her bleeding cheek. She stared at her right hand, now stained crimson. Her own blood was a stark contrast against her pale skin.
The armor, truly a boon to Rubin, amplified his speed. He closed the distance between them in an instant. With newfound strength, he grabbed her face roughly and slammed it into the solid stone wall with a brutal impact. Then, with a contemptuous flick of his wrist, he threw her violently to the side, sending her sprawling onto the debris strewn floor.
Rubin approached the vampire as she lay among the wreckage. He moved with cold precision, intending to end the battle by plunging his sword through her heart. But Haven, despite her injuries, managed to roll out of the way with surprising agility. She used her right hand to swiftly push herself upward, simultaneously delivering a sharp kick to the stomach of the man.
Haven scrambled back to her feet, but no sooner had she stood upright than she felt something razor sharp penetrate her stomach.
"Got you," Rubin said, a cruel smile spreading across his face.
Rubin did not withdraw the blade. Instead, he pushed her with the sword still impaled in her stomach, forcing her backward until her spine slammed against the cold stone wall. He seized this opportunity, pinning her against the unforgiving surface by driving the sword tip deeper, anchoring it into the masonry itself.
With Haven trapped and utterly helpless, the inscriptions on his armored arm began to glow intensely. He unleashed a devastating punch directly to her face. Her nose exploded with a sickening crunch. Blood sprayed from her mouth and nose, a crimson mist against the dim light. The bones in her face suffered multiple fractures, yet Haven was still holding on to the fragment of her broken sword in her left hand.
The vampire children watched the horrifying scene unfold. Their small faces were contorted with pure terror. They clutched each other, trembling with a fear that threatened to consume them.
"Do not worry, kids. I will be right there. Just give me a minute," Haven choked out. Her voice was raspy and broken, but it remained entirely defiant.
Using this brief moment of distraction, Haven retaliated. She launched a desperate palm strike directly to the unprotected nose of Rubin with her right hand. A fresh gush of blood immediately leaked from the nostrils of the mercenary. He staggered back, his hand flying to his face as he lightly touched the injury.
"You bitch, you broke my fucking nose!" he roared. His voice was laced with sharp pain and disbelief.
Seizing his momentary disorientation, Haven acted with a surge of amazing, almost superhuman strength. She managed to pull the sword clean out of her own stomach with ease. Without hesitation, she swung the retrieved weapon in a powerful downward cut, but Rubin, recovering with alarming speed, caught the blade with his gauntlet.
With his free left hand, he punched the vampire directly in the stomach. The blow stole her breath and knocked the wind clean out of her. The deep sword wound she had just received in her abdomen had already begun to visibly heal, closing rapidly, but it mattered little.
Rubin, having reclaimed his sword, moved with brutal efficiency. He swung it again, severing her left arm with a swift, clean cut. Haven screamed, a raw, piercing sound of agony that echoed through the corridor.
Only moments after her arm hit the floor, the mercenary delivered a powerful kick that sent her crashing through the wall, leaving a gaping hole in the stone. He advanced, intent on finishing her once and for all, but at that crucial moment, Carla was fueled by a desperate, childish courage. She grabbed a loose rock from the debris. With all her tiny might, she hurled it directly into the side of the head of Rubin.
He spun, his head snapping to look at the little vampire girl. She stood defiantly amidst the chaos, her eyes wide with fear, but her small voice rang out with surprising clarity.
"Leave Miss Haven... alone!"
Rubin let out a heavy sigh, a sound of weary exasperation that seemed entirely at odds with the violence he had just committed. "I hate that it has to come to this." His gaze drifted over to Haven, who was still sprawled amidst the debris of the shattered wall. "I will be back to finish you off. Let me first quickly dispose of these little ticks. It is best to rip out the roots early before they grow into a tree."
"Leave them alone," Haven muttered softly. Her voice was barely a breath, lost in the settling dust.
The two children bolted, tearing down the corridor with the mercenary hot on their heels. Adam, being smaller and slower, could not keep pace with Carla. He tripped and tumbled to the ground with a sharp cry of pain. Rubin did not slow down; he strode purposefully toward the terrified young vampire boy.
"Carla, run!" Adam screamed. His voice was laced with pure, unfiltered terror.
Rubin extended his hand, reaching down to grab the little boy, until a cold and clear voice cut through the air like a blade.
"Leave the child, unless you want to lose your hand."
The head of Rubin snapped up. There, standing tall at the end of the corridor, was the maid vampire, Elena. Her eyes glowed a furious, vibrant red. The knuckles of her clenched fists were bone white from squeezing her hilt too hard, as she visibly fought to control the exploding rage within her.
"Where is Haven?" she demanded. Her voice was tight with suppressed fury. "What did you do to her?"
"Mr. Bad Guy punched Miss Haven through that wall, Miss Elena!" Carla cried out. Her small hand pointed accusingly at the gaping hole in the stone. She fought back the tears that welled in her eyes, threatening to spill over.
Adam, seizing the moment of distraction, quickly scrambled away from the reach of the mercenary. "This bad human even chopped Miss Haven's arm off!" he added. His voice was a sad, choked whimper. He sniffed back the snot running from his nose, but the tears poured down his face as he barely completed his sentence.
Rubin scoffed, a sneer twisting his lips. "So, what, vampire? What are you going to do about it? This is war. What did you expect?"
"Is she dead?"
The question from Elena cut through the air. Her voice was dangerously quiet, echoing through the damaged corridor with a chilling resonance.
"Not yet. I was about to finish her off, but this damned child pissed me off," he growled, jabbing a finger toward Carla. "Let us not waste each other's time. Come at me."
Elena bolted toward Rubin while unsheathing her sword. The effects of the warrior's rage potion were still pulsing through her veins. The eyes of Rubin widened in genuine shock.
"She is fast," he thought, genuinely staggered by the unexpected and almost unnatural speed of the female vampire.
Elena appeared almost instantly at his side and tried to cleave his body in half with a singular, brutal strike. Mercifully for Rubin, his armor was incredibly sturdy. The blade did not manage to split the man, but the force of her swing was like a heavy club connecting at full speed. The impact knocked him back, sending him flying across the corridor as her sword slammed into his armored stomach.
Blood spewed from the mouth of Rubin as he was flung through the air, landing on the ground with a sickening thud. It took him a few precious seconds, but he scrambled to his feet while breathing heavily. His hand instinctively clutched his stomach as he held out his sword, the lingering agony of the blow still vibrating through his frame.
Adam, wiping his tears with a snot stained hand, could not help but feel a little surge of triumph as Elena gained the upper hand. For Carla, Elena was nothing short of a superhero. She gazed at the vampire maid with wide eyed admiration, her hope finally returning.
Elena advanced toward the mercenary. Pure rage burned in her heart and raw strength coursed through her body. As she walked, her eyes fell upon the sword of Haven on the ground, cut cleanly in half by the blade of Rubin. Her gaze then snapped back to the man in green armor, and she broke into a run, charging toward him with lethal intent.
Rubin, sensing the renewed threat, activated his armor once more. The inscriptions flared to life, pulsing with a bright internal glow. Just like Elena, he dashed forward, meeting her charge head on. Their swords met with a furious clash of steel, sparks of flame erupting with each continuous and brutal impact.
They both stepped back, a brief pause in the whirlwind of blows, before simultaneously jabbing their swords toward each other. The tips of their blades met, and the enchanted weapon of Rubin sheared through the ordinary sword of Elena in a single and powerful stroke. The metal snapped in a clean and diagonal line, leaving her holding a short, angled remnant that now looked more like a heavy dagger than a sword.
Seeing her sword fail, Elena made a swift decision to abandon it. With a burst of speed, she utilized her Blood Step ability, appearing instantly to grab the hand in which the mercenary held his sword. She swiftly lifted his arm high, exposing his ribs, and unleashed a powerful punch into his side.
The strike caused the mercenary to cry out and drop his weapon. As the sword clattered to the ground, she followed up with a quick right footed kick, sending the blade skittering away across the marble floor. The move left both combatants completely disarmed.