Note: With the year coming to an end, that means that this story has yet to be completed. Hopefully, if possible, it will be finished by October 2024. One of my New Year's resolutions is to finish certain things in my life. That, of course, includes this story. Before we move on, I have something to say to a reviewer.
Big Bossk Man 92: That really all depends on what happens during the battle. Fox might destroy Leon before he has a chance to use his chains. If not him, then maybe Krystal will be the one to land the killing blow. Then again, Leon is known for being a torturer, so he might use dirty tricks and toy with them. Stay tuned for what happens next. I hope that you're ready for it.
Now that I've said that, it's time for chapter twenty-two.
Chapter 22: Lovers in Combat
Once they had stepped out of the dungeon, Fox and Krystal agreed to keep an eye out for Leon. As he was a vampire like them, there was no doubt that he had sensed their presence. In fact, Krystal's telepathy picked up the chameleon from afar, apparently not noticing the Cerinian vampire and the Papetoonian vampiric wraith appearing on the first floor of the castle. However, that turned out to not be the case, as he stopped in his tracks. Krystal braced herself, having Fox stand by her. She had her sword out, and planned to use it in the incoming battle.
Feeling Leon's essence, Fox's eyes glowed brighter. He didn't doubt that Krystal had already sensed for the space pirate-turned-vampire with her telepathy, but something allowed him to pick up those around him by their aura. Leon's aura was dark and vicious, reflecting his role as Star Wolf's torturer and assassin. As he sensed it, Fox could feel something growing inside of him. Whether it was the desire to end the chameleon or feast on the blood of someone was unclear to the maroon tod. To Krystal, however, it was something she hoped that he would be able to control.
There was the sound of laughter in the distance. Knowing what this meant, Fox and Krystal got back-to-back, agreeing to be each other's eyes. An ethereal glow appeared next to them, as if something was teleporting to them. Soon after, there was an explosion of smoke following the glow, being powerful enough to shake the ground itself. The glow dissipated entirely, revealing a silhouetted form of a familiar figure. Fox and Krystal kept their guard up, not willing to let him beat them in combat.
"Well," a voice spoke, "if it isn't Wolf's traitorous fledgling and the McCloud boy! I half-expected to see the two of you back!"
Stepping out of the smoke, Leon made his way towards Fox and Krystal. While he wasn't exactly pleased to see either of them, he was a little surprised to see how Fox looked now. The orange tod had been changed substantially after Death made him a creature of the undead, but it was enough for Leon to look at him quizzically. As he came near the maroon tod, the chameleon noticed that certain features of his had been altered. Krystal only glared at the space pirate-turned-vampire, daring him to make the first move. Her eyes briefly glowed yellow, before going back to their natural green color.
"Fox, you look different." Leon said. "It's not a bad look, though. In fact, I can say that it's rather good. Festive!"
"Save your pseudo-gentlemen act for later, Powalski!" Fox spoke. "Krystal and I are intent on facing off against Volk, so get out of our way!"
"Believe me, I don't want this encounter to end in violence!" Krystal said. "Of course, that changed when you started forcing people into your undead army!"
"I was only doing my job." Leon said. "Volk was the one who wanted to form an army."
"It doesn't matter." The cobalt vixen coldly said. "All of you are equally guilty."
"And since you won't move aside, it appears that we'll have to fight you!" Fox said.
"Do you really think that you can beat me?" Leon asked. "You two alone?"
"With our new powers, we should be able to annihilate you!" The maroon tod said.
"Very well," the chameleon said, "show me what you're capable of!"
Nodding at each other, Fox and Krystal agreed to fight Leon with everything they had. They approached the chameleon and got in defensive stances. He was the first to act, launching a fireball at Fox. In response, the Papetoonian vampiric wraith, swiped forward, sending it back to his enemy and hurting his own hand at the same time. Despite being undead, both of them were able to feel pain, as they fell to the floor after that brief exchange. However, Leon got up before Fox did, intent on creating another fireball and reducing the maroon tod to ash.
Before he could attack again, Leon found himself being blindsided by a quick kick. Krystal was the one who made the attack, allowing Fox to get up. After that, the two stood firm, ready to strike again. Once Leon got back on his feet, he glared at them, then got out the chains he used to torment the prisoners inside the dungeon. Krystal kept her sword out, wordlessly telling Fox to get behind her. He did so, having no weapons to help counter against the space pirate-turned-vampire.
Swinging his chains forward, Leon intended on striking Krystal down. However, the cobalt vixen dodged and had Fox jump away. After doing that, the maroon tod rushed towards his enemy, delivering an uppercut to the abdomen. He then followed with a scissor kick, nearly knocking the chameleon down. Once that happened, the undead Papetoonian took a step back. It wasn't because he wanted Leon to recover, but rather because he wanted Krystal to fight him next.
As it was her turn, Krystal walked towards Leon with her sword. The chameleon swung his chains at the cobalt vixen, only for her to parry. Eventually, they began to swing their respective weapons at each other, trying their hardest to take their opponent down. Leon kicked Krystal in the side, causing her to let out a grunt of pain. Despite that, the Cerinian vampire continued on with the fight, going so far as to knock her enemy's weapon out of his hands. She then grabbed the Venomian vampire by the neck and threw him back, causing him to land on his back.
Thinking that he would be able to finish Leon off, Fox carefully approached him. However, the chameleon leapt to his feet and wrapped his chains around the maroon tod. Pulling the chains tight, he prevented his enemy from escaping. Krystal saw this, then glared at the space pirate-turned-vampire.
"One move," Leon spoke, "and I will incinerate McCloud! That is, of course, if you are willing to join Lord Volk's army!"
"I will not!" Krystal said. "Let Fox go at once!"
"Then I guess your former leader will have to die!" The chameleon said. "He was always incapable of putting our team down for good!"
"That was before now." Fox coldly said.
Becoming intangible, Fox escaped from Leon's chains. After that, he leapt at the chameleon, throwing several punches. From there, the maroon tod regained the advantage in the fight. He even went so far as to wrap the chains around the undead Venomian's throat, strangling him. The Papetoonian signaled for Krystal to come over, so that she could impale the space pirate-turned-vampire. However, that didn't mean that their opponent was completely subdued.
Forming a fireball in his hand, Leon got ready to throw it at Krystal. Once he did, however, Krystal knocked it out of her way. The chameleon continued throwing fireballs at her, with all of them being knocked aside. When the cobalt vixen was finally close to Fox, she raised her sword, aiming for the space pirate-turned-vampire's heart. He stopped struggling after a little bit, the maroon tod having strangled him long enough to take some of the fight out of him. With the blade of her sword pressed on the Venomian's chest, Krystal was ready to finish him.
"See you in Hell!" She shouted.
Thrusting her arms forward, Krystal staked Leon in the heart. He died screaming in agony, his body bursting into flames and breaking into pieces, with a key dropping to the floor. Once that was over, a bright green light was shown to be floating in the middle of the corridor. Fox and Krystal were ready to strike it, until Fox's eyes started to glow brighter. It was clear that what was in front of them was Leon's essence. With him finally dead, his soul (or what remained of it) could be consumed.
"Well, that's that." Fox spoke.
"Might as well take it, Fox." Krystal said. "We cannot just stand here and let it get away."
Taking off the scarf around his face, Fox opened his mouth and began to suck Leon's soul. It was unable to escape from him, slowly disappearing into his throat. After eating the essence, the maroon tod felt his energy change. His powers seemed to be growing, and it was rather overwhelming, to the point where he couldn't stand up. Despite that, the undead Papetoonian stomped his foot on the ground, not letting Leon's soul overpower him. He faced Krystal, slowly putting the scarf back around his mouth.
"He's gone now." Fox said.
"In that case, I will let the others know that they can come out." Krystal stated.
Inside the dungeon, Fara and the Helsings were just talking to their imprisoned friends. They were only waiting for Krystal to contact them with her telepathy, but that was only if she and Fox had managed to defeat Leon. If they hadn't, then Volk would have been able to carry out his plan. Such a plan would render species extinct, and lead to untold amounts of destruction. With that in mind, everyone only hoped that their vampiric allies were able to put an end to Leon. Dealing with the chameleon was bad enough when he was still mortal, but it was worse now that he was a vampire.
Fara, Mr. Helsing, we defeated him! Krystal's voice echoed through the heads of both Fara and Orlando.
Really? Fara thought to herself. That's great!
Not only that, but we got a key! The cobalt vixen transmitted her thoughts. You can come on out now! But, before we close up the dungeon again, get the key and hand it to the others! We can only hope that it's the key for the dungeon cells!
The dungeon came open, allowing Fara, Orlando, and Owen to step out. As soon as they were in the corridor again, Krystal handed the key to Orlando, allowing him to give it to their imprisoned comrades. From there, it was up to them to try and use it on each cell. If it wasn't the right key, then the heroic vampires and the vampire hunters would have to keep looking until they found it. Not only that, but they needed to get to Lucy before Volk did something to her. Even though Leon was out of the way, the group had a long way to go.
Note: Quite an exciting chapter, wasn't it? What other monsters could the castle contain? What will the group have to face next? Will they face it together, or will they split up? Can they take on anything while they're apart, or will it be too difficult? How will the imprisoned characters get out of the dungeon?
Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!