After Haven wiped the grease and blood from her lips and hands, she stood up and first took the plate and glass to the kitchen before escorting John to the underground training area.
When the young vampire and Haven arrived, there were already three unfamiliar figures standing in the middle of the ring.
Reina then appeared next to John and lightly smacked him on the side of the head.
"Ouch, Aunt Reina, what was that for?"
Reina folded her arms and gave him an angry look. "What took you so long? You took your own sweet time getting here, but do not worry, I brought you some presents."
John smiled and scratched the back of his head. He looked at the three men. All of them had an evil look on their faces, and the young vampire noticed that one of the men had a missing eye. For some reason, John was not afraid this time.
"Aunt Reina, if I beat these guys, can I take the rest of the day off?"
Reina looked at him for a moment. She had thought the sight of three prisoners would finally put some fear in the boy, but she was surprised that he didn't complain. "Sure thing, kid, but you know that you have to fight all three of them."
John sighed. "Figures." He looked at all three men and cracked his fist. "Let's get it."
Caden then walked to the three men. "Don't think of the boy as weak. We are training him, so I expect all three of you to give it your all."
The man with the missing eye gave Caden a light bow. "As your command, My Lord." Caden smiled, then walked up to John. "Are you ready?" John did not say anything and just nodded his head.
Caden then screamed, "FIGHT!"
All three prisoners knew not to underestimate the young boy standing before them. They looked at each other and nodded their heads together before beginning to surround John.
"Come on, guys, take it easy, would ya," John joked, but he was already moving.
One of the prisoners quickly came from behind and grabbed John by the neck, trying to choke him out. However, John grabbed the man by the arm, pulled his own chin down to prevent the choke, and threw the guy over his head. Before the prisoner realized what had happened, John quickly foot-stomped the man on the head while he was on the ground.
Caden whistled from the sidelines. "That was splendid, where did you learn that?"
The second prisoner, seeing his partner stomped into unconsciousness, instantly retaliated with a straight punch.
Pow!
The punch staggered John for a moment, and it was just enough time for the prisoner with the missing eye to deliver a sharp attack to the stomach. If John were an ordinary fourteen-year-old boy, this combination would have ended the fight. But the young vampire quickly pushed the man with the missing eye away and scrambled to a safe spot to catch his breath.
Huff, huff.
"Okay, that was good, but I am gonna give you two a good ass-whippin' now."
John then began his assault, heading first for the prisoner with the visual impairment, aiming a straight punch toward his good eye. The prisoner, however, saw through John's intention and caught his arm before it could reach his face. John smirked at the failed feint and, without hesitation, flicked his fingers into the prisoner's remaining one eye.
Next, John used the man's pain and distraction as an opportunity to kick the man sharply between the legs, following up immediately with an axe kick to the head, knocking the prisoner with one eye unconscious.
Reina was thoroughly impressed by the young vampire, yet she showed no emotion on her face. Caden, on the other hand, could not help but clap his hands at John's fighting skills. "What has happened to this child? Where is he getting this fighting knowledge?"
Haven, who was also standing on the side, was mind-blown by the skills this fourteen-year-old was displaying. Even though she was far stronger than the boy, she was deeply impressed by how quickly and efficiently he was taking out his opponents with barely the strength she possessed.
John looked at the one prisoner who was still standing on the side. The man was visibly afraid after seeing how the young vampire had quickly defeated his two partners. "Come," John gestured for him to attack.
The prisoner was hesitant and looked frantically at Caden, who was standing outside the ring. "Fight or die," Caden commanded, his smile gone.
The prisoner then attacked John, coming with a looping, wide punch. John, however, caught the man's forearm, inserted his arm underneath the prisoner's armpit, and turned his body 180 degrees, pulling the man onto his back and throwing him hard onto the ground. Afterward, John landed a final, precise punch to the prisoner's face, knocking him out.
John walked up to Reina. "How was that, Aunt Reina? Are you impressed? Tell me you were impressed."
Reina looked at the young vampire with a stern expression. "That was average."
"Wait, what! You buggin', Aunt Reina, I went crazy out there!" John protested, gesturing wildly.
Caden then appeared next to the boy. "What do you mean, crazy, John? You are not mentally ill."
"No, going crazy can mean many things, but in this case, it means to do something at a high level, putting in great effort or something like that."
Caden nodded his head in understanding. "Mother, he did go crazy."
"Shut up," Reina snapped at her son.
"Can I go now, Aunt Reina?"
"Go, get out of my sight." John smiled, knowing that was the closest thing he'd get to praise. He then looked at Haven. "Come."
"Yes, Young Master."
Haven and John walked together through the castle, looking for a specific person. They went to the library area and saw a beautiful, slender female using a duster to clean the shelves.
"Elena!"
Elena turned around, and the moment she made eye contact with John, a lovely smile blossomed on her face. "Young Master John."
John walked to Elena and wrapped his arms around her body, giving her a tender hug. Elena was caught off guard and she shuddered for a moment, but she returned the affection by putting her arms around his neck. After they separated from each other, John introduced Elena to Haven.
"Elena, I want you to come with us to town."
"It would have been nice, Young Master John, but unfortunately, this one is busy at the moment."
"Oh, come on, Elena," John begged. He genuinely wanted to hang out with her, as he hadn't seen her for a long period of time due to being busy with training. Elena also wanted to go, but she knew that she had duties to fulfill.
John didn't want to force Elena to come with him, as he knew how serious the vampires in the castle were about their work, especially their duties. "Okay, but will I see you tonight?"
Elena smiled, her expression warm. "Yes, Young Master John."
John was very happy. "Okay then, let's go, Haven." John then ran out of the library room with Haven shortly behind him.
When John and Haven came outside, the young vampire ordered one of the guards to bring the carriage to take him to town; he was bored being cooped up in the castle and training all the time. While John was waiting for the carriage to come pick them up, another, much grander carriage arrived, and it was none other than Carlos Decker that stepped out.