Amber shivered, feeling Michael’s cold breath on her face. She tried to look away, but he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. His eyes were dark and cruel, his smile was twisted and wicked. He stroked her hair, her cheek, her neck, making her flinch and whimper.
She felt his fingers tighten around her throat, cutting off her air. She gasped, struggling to breathe. She felt tears streaming down her face, burning her skin. She felt helpless, hopeless, terrified. She wished John would come and save her. She wished she could see him one last time. She wished she could tell him how grateful she really was.
As if her prayers were answered, the sound of glass shattering reached her ears and her heart leapt as a tall man with black hair and weathered skin rushed in and grabbed Michael by the back of his neck.
Amber recognized his scent and couldn’t help smiling. She had no idea he’d be here. Her eyes widened as John drew Michael in.
"I’ve been looking for you, Michael."
Before the taller man could speak, the man kicked the chair away, grabbed Amber’s wrists, untying the rope binding her and pushed her aside, so she was shielded from Michael’s retaliatory blow.
Before she could think about what happened, John sent an aura-empowered kick to Michael’s chest, sending him flying. He had done it instinctively, but once again, he was bending the usage of his skills, making creative use of the power granted by the system.
Michael stood up amidst the cloud of dust and started laughing maniacally, "I’m impressed, John. I truly am. Your power is no joke."
As the dust settled, John’s eyes widened in surprise at the scene of a chuckling Michael. His torso was a bloody mess, his white shirt dyed crimson, but his smile didn’t budge as he pulled out a health potion from his ring.
"Ha, you’re wondering what this is?" Michael chuckled, pointing at his ring.
"This is a little gift from our invader friends. It’s small, but somehow, you can store so much in this bad boy."
"So, you sold out to the Luminars, huh?" John scoffed and Amber hid behind his broad frame.
"Oh, no, no, no, my dear. They offered me nothing but an early death."
John’s eyes narrowed, ’death?’ That sounds absurd, but it was also the only thing that made sense. Michael’s strange complexion, the stitches in his chest and his newfound power. All clues were pointing him to this conclusion.
"How is that possible, Michael?"
"You will soon find out, John," the taller man chuckled while chugging down his health potion, "I will enjoy tearing you apart."
Michael rushed at John, and punched his solar plexus with an aura-charged fist. John ignored the sharp pain and raised his right arm and punched him. Michael blocked with his elbow and sent a swift knee to his groin, then delivered two consecutive hooks to his cheeks and a powerful uppercut, sending him reeling.
John fell flat on his back and stared at the blurry image of Michael rushing towards Amber. His vision was hazy, and he struggled to move.
"Nice try, fucker," John muttered and reached out with a large Shadow Claw, slashing Michael’s arm and forcing him back.
"Boss!" Shouted a group of henchmen as they arrived at the scene.
John clicked his tongue and swiped Amber off her feet, using his Haze Veil to disappear from everyone’s sight.
"It’s no use, John!" Michael yelled, "my bloodhounds will sniff you out like the dog you are."
With those words, John had no choice but to head for the door with Amber in his hands.
As he arrived, he heard the growling of infernal dogs. It was a sound made of hell, made of nightmares it was the barking of bloodthirsty infernal dogs.
The dogs surrounded John and Amber, encircling them. Their ruby-red eyes glowed with an unearthly glow and their white-hot breath filled the air.
As one hellish dog lunged forward, John pointed his palm towards the dog and activated his Shockwave skill, sending a powerful blast of energy that threw the dog away.
The impact blew a hole in the wall, revealing a glimpse of what lay beyond as more and more dogs rushed at them. John clicked his tongue, he wouldn’t be able to kill all the dogs and protect Amber.
John felt a sudden surge of adrenaline, he knew he had only seconds to act. He scanned the darkened room, looking around for anything that could help him escape, but there was nothing and the dogs were closing in.
He quickly weighed his options. There were too many dogs. A Shockwave in all directions would hurt Amber. He wouldn’t be able to activate his Quiet Steps passive skill with all those eyes watching him. There was nowhere to run.
As the dogs closed in, John knew the time for thinking was over. With a swift movement of his arm, he sliced the air, sending a wave of energy from his dagger that knocked back the advancing dogs in front, but then they came from all sides.
He could protect Amber from right or left, there was no other choice. She would get hurt.
John gritted his and his muscles bulged, but as dogs closed in, Amber’s desperate cry pierced the air.
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"Ahhh!" She shrieked and metal spikes emerged from the ground, surrounding John and Amber, tearing through the dogs like a sharpened blade, cutting through their flesh.
John stood there in utter silence, feeling as if someone had sucked all the breath out of him. His gaze darted around aimlessly, scanning the mutilated dogs, the pools of blood and the splintered metal fragments embedded in the walls and the floor, then focused on the trembling girl, who was looking down in horror and shock.
He took a deep breath and tightened his jaw. It didn’t matter. There was still plenty of space to escape from. He just needed to keep pushing on.