'What's taking Gustavo so long? Didn't he say they were just a bunch of wannabe robbers?' Blackthorn wondered, sitting impatiently in his cart.
'He should have finished them off or scared them away by now. Why is this taking so long?' Blackthorn's impatience was growing.
"What's happening out there?" he called out to the driver who was watching from outside.
"Uh, I can't see clearly through the darkness Sir, but I can still make out their figures lunging at each other," the driver replied, his voice tinged with fear.
Blackthorn sighed and settled back into his seat. 'You'd better get things done fast, Gustavo.'
Outside, Gustavo's vision blurred as he endured numerous blows from the youths.
He could taste the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth, but that didn't bother him as much as the pain from within. This sickness had weakened him more than he'd imagined.
'Where's my blade?' he wondered, realizing his hand was empty. He reached out, but all he could feel were more blows raining down on him.
He tried to focus his mind to telepathically summon his blade, but his concentration faltered with each strike he received.
This was the first time he'd felt overpowered, all thanks to Doctor Mensah's poison.
The sickness coursing through his body had left him vulnerable, and now he was at the mercy of his attackers.
He that once felt seemingly invincible, now struggled to defend himself against the onslaught of blows from the young assailants he had earlier dismissed as mere "wannabe robbers."
As he remembered Doctor Mensah's face, anger surged within him. 'Even if I meet that brat in hell, I'll kill him and spill his guts out!' he thought.
With that rage, Gustavo propelled himself up forcefully, sending some of the boys to the ground. "Fuck you all!" he shouted as he stood up.
"I will... I will... kill you all!" He staggered, trying to maintain his footing. His left eye was almost blinded as blood trickled into it, making it red and bloodshot.
The youths quickly regained their stance, gripping their weapons tightly, ready for whatever Gustavo might do next. He had wasted three of them already so there was no backing out now. Their plan initially was to weaken jim or at the very least scare him and whoever was in the cart into submission so that they'd hand over their belongings and money.
Now though, it seemed that dream of theirs was a waking nightmare.
His eyes darted across the ground, frantically searching for his blade. With one eye nearly blinded and his brain struggling to maintain focus, the task seemed difficult.
"What is he doing?" one of them whispered, fear lacing his voice.
"Should we attack or not?" another chimed in.
"We've badly wounded him. I think he has magic, it's the only way he is still alive and standing. We can't waste time, let's just kill him and hide the body where no one will find it!" Taki said with optimism.
"I'll shove this blade through his skull. That should finish him off!" another declared.
Suddenly, Gustavo's eyes fell on his blade lying on the ground, barely visible as it was slightly buried in the sand. He bent over and picked it up. A sinister smile crept across his face as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.
"You're all dead!" he growled. "None of you is leaving here alive!" As he spoke, he turned his gaze to his blade and started mumbling some words.
"What's he saying?"
"What's he mumbling?" another asked as they watched him seemingly talking to himself or to the blade.
With resolve, Gustavo swung the blade forcefully to the side, in an empty direction.
The gang was surprised by Gustavo's action. Instead of throwing the blade at them, he had swung it to the to where none of them stood.
"Is he crazy? I think the injury to his head has driven him mad! Let's make our move while we can!" Taki said.
Before he could take another step, a swishing sound cut through the air, coming forcefully towards their direction. Their heads turned towards the sound, trying to discern its source in the darkness, but that was the last thing they would ever do.
Gustavo's blade found its mark on their necks, some breaking through skulls and spilling brain matter onto the ground. In an instant, they were all sprawled lifeless on the ground, except for Taki, who stood there terrified at the sudden turn of events.
'By the gods, what was that? Did he just controll the blade with his mind? Is that...his magic?''
His mouth hung open at what he had just witnessed. All his friends, guys he had called and promised them abundant wealth, plenty Thalens that they could use to marry as many wives as they wanted, all of them laid beside him, headless like turkeys in Thanksgiving day.
His eyes darted between the lifeless forms of his comrades swimming in their pools of blood and Gustavo's intimidating figure, who stood there relishing the carnage.
The swishing blade returned to Gustavo's outstretched hand. "I spared you because you don't deserve a quick death," he said coldly.
Those words were less shocking to Taki than what he had just witnessed. "It... it wasn't supposed to be like this!" His words trailed off, more like a whisper.
"This was supposed to be a regular... normal robbery and not... this!" he continued as his knees weakened, and he fell to the ground.
"This guy didn't strike me as someone with powers.... Why? How? This..." He could barely string his words together, tears welling up in his eyes.
Gustavo, unfazed, approached Taki's kneeling figure. His fingers glided along the surface of his blade, cleaning off the blood that had coated it.
"It's too late for regrets now, boy. Your stupidity has sealed your fate!" Gustavo said, towering over Taki.
Without warning, he plunged his blade into Taki's chest and twisted it, eliciting an agonized scream.
"Arghhhh!!!"
He pulled it up forcefully, the blade cutting through Taki's ribs before he yanked it out. Blood spilled from Taki's mouth and chest as his eyes darted wildly.
In that moment, he could see Hell on Earth, with the devil himself standing right before him, smiling.
"I hate it when they scream!" Gustavo shouted. He thrust his hands between Taki's teeth, gripping the upper and lower jaw and pulling them in opposite directions until the bones snapped free. He then shoved the body to the ground.
"Piece of shit!"
Turning to the driver, Gustavo called out, "We're all clear..." Another violent cough overtook him; it was becoming too much.
Despite his condition, he dragged all the bodies off the road before returning to the cart to meet Blackthorn.
"What took you so long?" Blackthorn asked, his face etched with slight frustration.
"Ah... I was just having some fun. Sorry about that," Gustavo apologized as he climbed into the cart.
"Let's go!" Blackthorn ordered the driver, and the cart lurched forward. It was already late, and they still had a long road ahead. They needed to hurry and at least leave the village outskirts to avoid any further problems.
Blackthorn gazed at Gustavo, observing the blood on him and wounds with no physical reaction. He wasn't even moved at all. This was like every other day for his bodyguard. When they got home, he should have healed by then was Blackthorn's thought
As they moved down the road, Gustavo's mind raced. 'This poison or whatever that doctor gave me is getting worse. I'm weaker than I expected. They could have just killed me.'
His eyes darted to Blackthorn. 'I need to get my men from the Brotherhood and claim this bounty before my condition worsens and Blackthorn finds out I'm sick.'
Their cart trundled along the narrow road through the tall grass until they reached the city limits.