The mercenary Raven continued to release a rapid flurry of punches, knocking the massive vampire Markus back against the rough stone wall. Raven scoffed as he watched his target absorb the devastating damage. "Why are you so weak, Markus?"
The big vampire felt the deep, radiating pain through his cold bones, but this relentless beating was precisely what he secretly desired. "Shut up, you fucking cunt," he growled back, his voice thick with suppressed power. The vampire, his normally pale skin now bruised and mottled, had acted as a literal punching bag. He allowed Raven to expend his energy and confidence with every strike. But as Raven wound up for yet another punishing blow, a flicker of cold, vicious light ignited deep in the recesses of the eyes of Markus.
With a low, guttural growl that was more of a hiss than a human sound, the vampire suddenly rose to his feet. His battered form coiled with an unexpected surge of energy. A slow, evil grin stretched across his blood-smeared lips, revealing glinting fangs. The mercenary, too consumed by his own sadistic rhythm, threw his punch; it was a wild, wide haymaker aimed directly at the head of the vampire.
In a blinding flash of speed, the vampire was no longer where he had been standing. He ducked clean under the wild haymaker and shot forward low to the ground. He drove both of his heavy shoulders into the legs of Raven, executing a lightning-fast double leg takedown. The feet of the mercenary left the floor entirely, and he crashed onto his back with a sickening, audible thud that echoed through the chamber.
Before Raven could even gasp for breath, the vampire was already on top of him, straddling his torso. The evil grin remained fixed and chilling as he began to rain down brutal, piston like blows onto the face and head of the mercenary. It was a relentless ground and pound that promised to pay back every ounce of pain received, and then some.
Markus laughed, the sound ragged and raw, as he pounded the mercenary into the floor. He alternated relentless punches with brutal, driving elbows, each blow a measured cruelty. The mercenary could only raise frantic arms to parry the onslaught, breath ragged and defences crumbling. "Glad you let the demon help you, human," Markus snarled between strikes. "Now I can prolong the fun."
Raven frantically guarded himself as he received the constant barrage of strikes from the enraged vampire. In a moment of desperation, Raven quickly reached out his open palm and fired a burst of dark energy. The blast sent the vampire flying through the air. Markus hit the ceiling with a loud, sickening impact before descending heavily to the floor with a thud. Markus spat out a mouthful of blood, but he even chuckled as he slowly stood up. "That was a nice one, human."
Raven quickly got to his feet, a renewed, malicious energy pulsing through his frame. His arm suddenly shifted, the skin darkening until it was a deep, oily black that seemed to absorb the dim light of the room. "Let me show you the power of a demon."
"Twisted Fantasy!" Raven snarled. His transformed arm coiled like a serpent before instantly whipping out into a massive, fleshy tentacle that pulsated with a cold, dark energy. As he swung the appendage toward the vampire, it arced through the air with incredible speed, creating a menacing, oppressive aura that felt like a physical weight. The twisted, sinewy form extended, ready to strike with overwhelming force. Markus, caught slightly off guard by the sheer reach of the transformation, attempted to evade, but the size of the tentacle made escape impossible. The speed and force of the attack were so vicious that they blew the vampire completely through the remaining stone wall, sending him crashing into the debris.
The monstrous arm of the mercenary gradually returned to its normal size and coloration as the transformation ended. He looked at his arm, feeling a huge amount of energy coursing through his veins. "I can feel my power increasing. It won't be long before my power surpasses that of Markus. The vampire who slayed thousands is going to become my plaything, hehehe."
He walked through the massive hole he had created in the stone wall, his feet touching the wet floor outside as the rain began to soak his clothes. His confidence was soaring, a smirk lingering on his face. "Wake up, sleeping beauty."
Markus slowly got to his feet, dusting off the debris. "Hehe, you are just a lowly human who got a little bit of power. Now you think of yourself as some kind of hotshot, huh?" The vampire stretched his body and, as he looked around, he saw that the entire room was now thoroughly tarnished and ruined.
"Human, I will give you credit. You have gotten strong. Way stronger, and in just a short amount of time. Demons are truly powerful, but I have a proposal to make."
Raven started to chuckle lightly, his dark energy still flickering around his black shaded arm. "You are not thinking of backing out of this fight right now. This is war, and our fight is to the death."
"Oh no, I would never dare to back out of this fight," Markus scoffed, shaking his massive shoulder to loosen the tension from the recent impact. "I wanted us to relocate to another location, if you do not mind."
"And why would I do that when I can just attack you right now, huh?"
Markus shrugged, his expression unbothered by the mercenary's newfound confidence. "If that is what you want to do, then do it. But it is at least what you can do since I spared your life in our first battle."
The mercenary held his chin and looked up at the broken, rain soaked ceiling, seemingly contemplating what to do next. It did not take long for him to make his final decision. "Fine, fine. Lead me to the place where your grave will ultimately be."
"Good, good. You will not be disappointed. Follow me."
The intention of Markus was clear. He wanted to lead them to the training room of the castle, which was a secure area with walls durable and strong enough to withstand huge amounts of explosive force. It was the only place left where he could truly unleash his vampire strength without bringing the entire mountain down on their heads.
====
John did not know what to say to Elena. "Thank you, I promise to keep it safe." Elena laughingly smiled and hugged him again, her warmth a sharp contrast to the cold air. "Now, what are you doing here? I heard you and the lord died."
"It is a long story. I thought that you died," John said while he was still in her embrace. He looked over her shoulder and saw Haven and the kids standing in the shadows. They slowly pulled apart, smiles lingering on their faces despite the grim surroundings. "So, what are you doing with them? Are you not escaping?"
"Me and Haven are here to rescue the children and bring them to safety. You should come with us," Elena urged, her voice filled with deep concern.
John turned his body and head to look behind him, his gaze lingering on the dark corridors of the castle. When he turned back, he lightly shook his head. "I cannot. I have to see this through. I must help Leonidas."
"How may I ask, Young Master, are you going to help the Lord?" Haven asked. Her voice was respectful, but it carried a clear note of doubt as she looked at his tattered clothes.
"Well, not to brag or anything, but I am partially the reason we are still alive. Not gonna lie, I almost died a couple of times, but that is life, right?" John replied, attempting to inject some dark humor into the situation.
"This is no time for jokes, Young Master John. Can you not hear the chaos that is happening on this mountain?" Elena pleaded. She reached out her hand, hoping he would choose safety. The sounds of distant explosions and the relentless rain echoed through the halls. "Come with us, let us leave this place. I promise I will protect you."
"I would really love to go with you and the others, but I really cannot," John repeated, his resolve hardening as he stood his ground.
"Why?" Elena asked, her eyes searching his face for an answer.
"Because..." There was a moment of silence as John struggled to voice the deeper truth. He looked at his hands, which were still stained with the dust of the mountain. "Because..."
"John, where the hell did you run off to?"
Leonidas and Porto then arrived. Their forms were slightly staggered but they moved with purpose through the dim hallway. Three more people followed closely behind them. They were vampire knights, and one of the three was a familiar figure. It was Dante.
Dante had successfully helped his family escape after the vampire Richard aided them against the mercenary lizard. However, he had chosen to come back and help his brethren where he could. He had managed to kill several of the enemy mercenaries before meeting two other vampire knights. Together, the three of them had worked to save the maids and butlers who were not trained for combat by guiding them through the chaotic corridors. They were later recruited by Leonidas and Porto, who had found the knights in a dark corner drinking from a human mercenary they had captured to replenish their strength. Leonidas had briefly explained the plan to save the castle, and they were now ready to execute it.
Elena looked at the group of battle-worn vampires with a mix of awe and fear. The presence of the Lord himself changed the energy of the room instantly.
When Haven noticed that their lord was coming their way, she immediately walked toward where John and Elena were standing while holding the kids close to her. John, seeing his chance, immediately shouted the disrespectful greeting that was unique to him.
"Hey old man, look who I found," John immediately retorted, pointing toward Elena.
"Young Master, we have work to do," Porto reminded him, eager to keep moving.
Leonidas, who was carried on the back of Porto, came closer with the three vampire knights. Elena and Haven immediately bowed and greeted their lord.
"My lord, it is a privilege to see you again," Haven said while feeling some kind of hope inside.
"Welcome home, my lord. We feared for your safety," Elena said as she also bowed.
Leonidas looked at the two kids and his subjects and he could not help but feel a tinge of pain inside his heart. "I would like to thank you for being strong and helping where you can in my absence. You have my word. We will be victorious!"
Leonidas looked at the two maids. "Lead the children to safety, we will go and complete our objective."
Elena was shocked and started to panic. She knelt on the ground. "My lord, please let me join you on this mission."
"Elena," John said sadly.
Leonidas stared at the vampire maid's eyes for a few seconds; its as if those eyes are begging him to take her along. He could see that she wants to be closer to John. He then shut his eyes for a few seconds before nodding his head. "Very well, then. I will allow you to accompany us."
Leonidas looked back at the two vampire knights. "You two will accompany the maid and the children and lead them to the escape tunnel."
The two vampire children was really happy to see their lord, they felt safe in Leonidas's presence. "Thank you my lord," Carla said, feeling internally happy.
Elena turned to speak with Haven but she was cut off. "Are you sure you want to go, Elena? Why don't you come with us?"
"Haven, thank you for being my friend. It was really nice to spend time with you. But you know that I have to go with the young master. If all this is finished and done. I will come and find you, okay," Elena replied.
Haven had tears in her eyes as she looked at her friend. "You are right, we are here to serve the Crimsons, but please look after yourself. We do not know how much longer the potion will stay in effect, so do not go overboard."
"I am still brimming with power, and the blood we drank earlier fully charged me up. But I will do as you say. Please look after the kids for me."
The two maids gave each other a final, strong hug. After a few seconds, they released their embrace, both knowing this might be the last time they saw one another. "See you soon."
Haven, the two vampire knights, and the children slipped through the door toward the nearby stairwell. The route led downward, then out into the open where the escape tunnel waited. Leonidas was certain they would reach it safely. He left Dante behind for a moment and instructed him to give Elena a quick briefing on their deceptively simple plan.
Just as they were about to move, Adam, one of the children Haven escorted, called up, "My lord!"
Leonidas turned his head to the small boy. "What is it?"
"Beat them, my lord."
A cold grin crossed Leonidas's face, the promise in his voice sharpening the air. "They will be destroyed. I promise you."
The boy beamed at the reassurance.
Leonidas, mounted on Porto, rode with John, Porto, Elena, and Dante through the doorway to begin their mission. He looked back at the others with hard resolve. "Let us continue."
After almost twenty minutes of relentless running through the dark, winding corridors, the party reached their destination; it was the teleportation room. They were incredibly lucky not to have picked up any problems or engaged any mercenaries as they headed this way. All they witnessed was the destroyed and cracked infrastructure, a grim testament to the ongoing siege. The air was thick with the scent of copper and dust. There was a distressing amount of dead bodies littering the halls, from the loyal Crimson knights to the Storm Hornet mercenary group. They also passed the fallen bodies of other vampires who had worked for Decker, their forms cold and still in the dim light.
Elena was secretly concerned for John; this level of carnage was not something a young man should have to witness. John was from another world, a place of peace and order where people lived in quiet neighborhoods. He had never seen so much death before. Usually, this was the kind of thing only seen in horror or war movies. Now, it was his reality. Dead or severed bodies were scattered all around the castle, both inside and outside, their cold forms a grim reminder of the cost of Decker's ambition.
Luckily, John kept a cool head. He did not panic physically, but deep inside, he was full of fear. They headed down the dark stairs, receiving only a tiny bit of light from the scattered light crystals embedded in the stone. When they reached the bottom, they were met by a figure who was the last person they wanted to see.
The expansive chamber within the Crimson castle radiated an eerie grandeur. Its high ceiling loomed overhead like a dark cloud. Eight formidable pillars, four on each side, rose like sentinels with their dark stone intricately carved. At the back of the room stood a teleportation gate. Its once vibrant glow was now dimmed and offline, exuding an unsettling stillness that filled the room with a sense of dread.
The vampire stood before the huge, inert teleportation gate. "Well, well. Who do we have here?"
"Decker, you snake!" Leonidas cried out. His voice was sharp with venomous hatred. But he was also deeply startled when he first gazed at the vampire, recognizing the deep changes that had occurred since he left them to die by the hands of the troll.
The skin of Decker had darkened from its natural white to a deeper, richer tone. His face had aged, now possessing the weary, lined look of a man in his sixties. Leonidas could not comprehend how this transformation was possible, especially as he could sense the vampire was significantly stronger than before. Little streams of thick black liquid moved down from the eyes of Decker to his cheeks. His clothes were in tatters, a likely result of his earlier fight with the wife of Leonidas, Anna Crimson.
"Leonidas, welcome back. Do you like what I have done with the place?" Decker said. He stretched out his arms and smiled, revealing black-inked teeth that looked like they were stained by charcoal.
"Decker, you have made the biggest mistake of your life. This feud between us ends today," Leonidas declared, his voice echoing off the stone pillars.
"I know it does, Leonidas. I have dreamed about this moment since the day my daughter died at your hands."
"Your daughter had a fucking demon in her, you stupid cunt!" Leonidas roared, his voice echoing through the vast chamber. He was desperate to pierce the delusion of Decker, but the words seemed to bounce off the stone pillars.
"Enough! Nothing you say will change my mind about slaughtering your whole family."
Decker turned around then, looking at the teleportation portal that seemed to be completely offline. "I know that you came here to call for reinforcements. But unfortunately, no one will be able to help you today, Leonidas. No one."
He smirked, and his two arms began to transform before their eyes. They quickly extended and recoiled into two dark, writhing tentacles. He drove them directly into the huge, fragile teleportation portal with a violent force.
"No, what the hell are you doing?" Dante screamed. He knew that if the teleportation gate fell, so did their final hope of reinforcements or an immediate escape.
"Stop this, Decker!" John screamed, his voice strained with a mixture of urgency and raw fear.
"Never!" The tentacles of Decker continued to extend like thick, oily ropes. They coiled around the infrastructure of the teleportation gate like a massive snake. This time, he began to apply immense, crushing pressure. The sound of stone grinding against stone filled the room.
Dante immediately ran toward Decker, his face a mask of desperation as he tried to stop the vampire from ruining their plan. "I have to stop you!"
"You cannot," Decker replied dismissively. He stood with his monstrous, tentacle extended arms rigidly focused on the portal.
Dante came closer to attack the vampire from the back. He unsheathed his sword and picked up speed, his boots skidding slightly on the stone floor. As he came into striking range, he lifted his sword high and readied himself for a lethal downward slash. However, a dark shadow copy of Decker instantly stepped out of the back of Decker. It punched Dante, who was caught completely off guard, squarely in his chest. The force sent the knight flying backward with a sickening crunch as his ribs gave way under the impact.
Porto then eyed Leonidas, who was still mounted on his back. "Master, should I go help Knight Dante?"
"I am afraid it is too late," Leonidas said, his voice a tight whisper of finality as he watched the portal begin to shatter.
The huge teleportation portal then instantly began to crumble under the immense pressure Decker was putting it through. Cracks erupted across the stone infrastructure, spiderwebbing outward in a frantic display of destruction. Before anyone could react, the whole giant device started to tumble down like a house of cards. The collapse echoed throughout the chamber, deafening and final, sending a thick cloud of ancient dust into the air.
Leonidas was utterly shocked, cold sweat protruding from his forehead. He did not know what to do at this point. His hands gripped the shoulders of Porto with a strength born of pure panic. With the teleportation gate destroyed, how were they supposed to end this war without reinforcements? The path to salvation had been reduced to a pile of useless rubble.
Decker looked at the horrified faces of the strike team, his own expression one of ultimate triumph. The black liquid continued to leak from his eyes as he savored the moment. "Let me see your despair."
The whole team had shocked expressions on their faces. Even though Leonidas did not die in the cave as planned, this was the next best thing for Decker. "Seeing all your faces with despair fills me with joy. It almost makes me want to dance."