John's Story (Part 3)

This is the third and final Part of "John's Story" which describes what happens to John and his family after the camp which they found is attacked by members of the "Darkness of Duskwood" gang.
== Plot ==
It's time for John and his family to travel with their new friends and find a new place to hide. A (hopefully) safe haven where they will be able to establish a new temporary base of operations and defend it from the incoming bandits.
Their defense is successful. However, someone very important to John is lost in the process.
The end is here, but it won't be a happy one.
== Story ==
We managed to evade the rest of the incoming bandits (which searched the abandoned campsite, found nothing and left the area) and went into the mountains.
Their temporary retreat gave us a small chance to prepare our defenses.
We managed to set up a small camp at the top of a small hill and set up our weapons.
Looks like some of the people who are with the man who saved us have mechanical weapons to use against the bandits!
Ballistas, explosive traps and even incinerators. Those things were actually going to turn the tides.
It's time for the hunter to become the hunted!
As we installed our temporary defenses, we noticed that there were some wild animals on the hill with us. And not the small, cute and fluffy rabbits that we saw in the forest. No, far from it.
There was a small pack of wolves, hungry for blood.
"We must do something!"- The man who saved us said.
I unsheathed my sword and approached the beasts as they tried to attack one of the folks.
"Let me handle them."- I said.
"But John!"- My father said- "You aren't that experienced in... "
"Don't worry, dad."- I interrupted him- "I'll be fine. Besides, I've learned some swordplay, so I can handle them."
My father nodded, albeit still unconviced that I won't get hurt at all.
I charged at one of the wolves. It tried to pounce at me, but a quick swing from my sword brought it down with ease.
The other wolves surrounded me. As they were about to attack me simultaneously, one of the engineers prepared one of the incinerators and shouted "Step back!"
I listened to him and managed to escape the fiery clutches of the weapon's blast which managed to completely incinerate the wolves.
Serves them right! As I looked at them, one of them (who was only bones at this point) tried to stand up and attack me, but was finished off with a stab in the head by my father.
"Looks like there's some weird magic around here. This is not an ordinary hill!"- He mumbled.
"This is the Hill of the Sacred Dead."- One of the priests of the group said- "Here are buried most of the sacred people of the village of Duskwood. Unfortunately, there seems to be some weird magic here. Anyone who dies on this cursed land- human or not has a chance to reanimate and continue attacking until they're slain again."
"Oooh! Spooky!"- Matty exclaimed.
I shushed him.
"Be quiet, Matty. This is very important and we must concentrate if we want to know what to do!"
Matty nodded and continued looking at the priest.
"So, what do we have to do to put those undead beings down?"- I asked the priest.
"Well, you see, there is only one way. Undead beings can take all sorts of damage- on any part of the body, but die when they receive damage to the head. So a good stab should do the work."
"I see."- I said and looked ahead.
I saw a sizeable amount of bandits coming our way with the intent to kill us for what we did to their fallen comrades.
I warned the engineers that the bandits were approaching us. Fortunately, the mechanical devices were ready.
"We're ready whenever you are! Should we fire those bad boys at 'em?"- One of the engineers asked me.
"Kill all of them and have no mercy!"- I yelled.
The engineers nodded.
"Then it's clear what we have to do. Alright, boys, it's time to slay some bandits in the name of Duskwood. Fire!"
The mercenaries fired the weapons at the unsuspecting bandits.
A large amount of them were killed by the incinerator and the ballista. The explosive traps took care of those who were trying to sneak on us.
Unfortunately, some of the bandits who died on the hill reanimated and attacked their former allies.
As the still living ones screamed for mercy, I tried to shoot the undead bandits. However, I was stopped by my father.
"Let them die, son."- He said- "What they have done to your mother is unforgivable. It's time to show them the magnitude of their mistake."
I nodded and watched as the bandits were quickly killed by their former allies, now undead and ready to kill whoever was around them.
As they finished off the last one, the reanimated bandits turned around and looked at us. Then they approached us.
"Remember, aim for the heads!"- One of the engineers reminded me.
"Got it."- I said and aimed my bow at the undead beings.
I managed to shoot five of them in the head. Dad and Matty shot down four while the rest of the merenaries managed to take down the rest.
The area became much quieter. No sounds of undead. No screaming of bandits. The only audible sounds were the grasshoppers's quiet *krr* *krr*-s.
"Well, that's done."- I sighed and picked up my backpack.
"Don't calm down yet, son. There's still danger around us."- My father warned me.
As I wiped some sweat off my forehead, I heard a quiet "Ahh!" sound behind me.
I turned around only to see my little brother, Matty falling down the hill with an undead bandit falling down after him. It seems like the wicked creature managed to sneak behind us and attack Matty while we were distracted by our small victory.
I tried to grab by brother's arm, but failed to do so in time. We all watched him fall down into forest below.
"Matthew!"- My father yelled- "Are you okay, my boy?"
We heard a *swish* sound coming from below.
"I'm okay, daddy!"- Matty yelled back- "I'm gonna find you soon. I'll go to Duskwood, it's safer there."
"Okay, son! Make sure to follow the road to Duskwood. It's not that far away from there!"
Matty nodded and fled into the woods, out of sight for both us and the bandits who were trying to kill him.
Fortunately, I managed to whistle at them, getting their attention. Long enough for the mercenaries to shoot them down with the ballistas.
"Headshot!"- One of the mercenaries said.
As we looked at the forest, we noticed a small opening coming from the top of it. Maybe it would help Matty find his way home!
"You see that opening, John? That's why I told him to find the road. From there he'll be able to see Duskwood and follow the road to it."- My father explained.
"Well, then it's time for us to get there!"- I exclaimed- "Because there's another party of at least 30 bandits coming our way from the other side!"
My father nodded.
"Okay, mercenaries, we have to get to Duskwood. Unearth the devices and flee! Move it! Move it!"- he commanded the people to abandon their positions.
"Are you sure if it's a good idea?"- The man who saved us earlier asked me- "We might not be able to come back later!"
"Trust me, we will. But for now, it's best for us to go back to Duskwood. The captain and his men will help us establish a better defense. Plus, we will be safer there than here- in the wilds."
"Acceptable reason. Let's go."
We managed to run away just as the bandits went on top of the hill and looked around.
We hid in the forest. They looked around for a few minutes and left the area to the west.
It seems like we managed to escape them. For now. But we shouldn't let that chance to live pass! We have to fight for it!
With that in mind, we left the area as well and found ourselves on the road to Duskwood.
We followed it and found Duskwood in no time.
After arriving, we were welcomed by the captain and his men.
"Welcome back!"- He said- "Are those crazy weirdos still out there?"
I nodded.
"Indeed they are. They almost killed us at the forest. We managed to kill a lot of them, but I lost my brother in the process."
"Do you know where my son is, Captain? Do you know where Matty is?"- My father asked the captain frantically.
He shaked his head.
"Haven't seen him."- He said- "He would be here if he was. But it looks like he's still out there."
"John, your brother is almost unable to defend himself. We must go out and look for him!"- Dad told me, but I told him that everything will be okay.
"Look, Dad. Matty will return. He is able to defend himself, he knows the ways in and around Duskwood and he doesn't fear anything. He will be fine."
Dad sighed.
"I hope so. But we must still send a search party to help him find the way to Duskwood."
"We're on it, old buddy."- The captain said and dispatched five soldiers.
"Alright, soldiers, you know what to do. Try to find John's little brother, and fast!"
The soldiers left Duskwood and started searching for signs of Matty.
I looked at Duskwood and smiled.
"I know that it's a dangerous place, but I did miss it. My hometown, I am back."- I said.
Dad wiped a tear of his face.
"I'm glad that we're back as well. I hope that Matty will be back soon, too."
"He will, Dad. He will."- I reassured him and we left to rest in our house as the mercenaries talked to the captain about what to do next.
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Five days passed. Still no news about Matty.
We asked the captain. And asked. And asked.
The search party looked for him almost 24/7. But to no avail.
It seems like Matty was still lost. Or dead.
When I brought up the topic to my father, he hit his head on a nearby wall and started crying.
"This is what I get for being so careless."- He mumbled- "I'm sorry, Maria. I'm sorry, Matty. I'm so sorry!"
He fell limp and landed on the ground, unconscious. Looks like the recent events took quite a toll on my poor father.
I picked him up and laid him on his bed. He started snoring gently- a sign that he was alright. For now.
It seems like our adventure has come to an abrupt end. An event which happened and ended so suddenly, yet changed our lives so much.
Yes. Our lives would never be the same after what happened. Mom was no longer among the living. My brother was absent. It was just me and my father, two desperate souls.
We didn't know what to do to defend ourselves from the bandits of the "Darkness of Duskwood" gang, but we knew one thing for sure. The bandits were the least of our worries, with all the bad things that were happening around us.
Two days later, we buried Mom in Duskwood's graveyard. We also tried to find Matty ourselves, but again to no avail.
My father gave up hope that Matty is still okay and moved on, but I didn't. I still believe that my little brother is out there, struggling against the world and trying to find us.
I know that my brother is still alive and I won't stop looking for him until the day I die!
Matty. Little Bro. If you're still out there, please, come back to us. It's not the same without you!
(The End/Finis)
== Trivia ==
* Fun Fact: This Part was released before the final Parts of "Miracula Luxia: The Prequel".
* This is the final Part of "John's Story", thus concluding John and his family's adventures for good. John's whereabouts and the whereabouts of the rest of his family will be revealed in the "Miracula Luxia" series.