Where Majestic Man was, he squirmed, regaining consciousness. Lifting his right hand, he placed it on the back of his head and rolled onto his side. Struggling to his knees, he took his hand away from his head, and his eyes caught Despereaux still defending him. He asked in a feeble voice, “Despereaux?” and tried to stand, but fell back down on his front. It took him a few minutes to recover from the fall, but when he did, he decided that Despereaux had done enough for him.
Straining, Majestic Man stood and sprinted toward his horse; however, he stopped and reached for his left arm. His sleeve was torn and bloodstained, but he remained strong.
Dropping his hand from his arm, Majestic Man dove behind a tree and whistled for his horse.
Hearing him, Despereaux whirled around and whinnied happily at the sight of his rider, now conscious.
He trotted to him, leaving Clayton to yell from the lake, “Majestic Man!”
Majestic Man saw that Despereaux’s abuse weakened him, allowing him to steal back the Ax’s Chest.
Clayton crawled toward the lakefront and shook his head. He hurried out of the lake and untied his horse, whispering in the animal’s ear. He then reached into a pouch that was tied to his English saddle and pulled out a lasso.
Majestic Man reached for the chest, but Clayton snapped the lasso forward, and it caught Majestic Man by the wrists. The marauder pulled to ensure he really had him and said, “All right, I think I caught something! Let’s go, Undercity!” He jumped onto his horse’s back and cantered forward, dragging Majestic Man from behind. He took him toward the lake.
Seeing his plan, Majestic Man shifted his legs so that they were now before him. The bottom of his boots hit a tree stump and stopped him.
The force of the sudden stop pulled Clayton off his horse, and he shouted as he crashed to the ground, landing in a puddle of mud.
Majestic Man quickly took the noose off his wrists and drew his sword.
Clayton stood, covered from head to toe in mud.
Snorting, Majestic Man placed a fist to his lips and approached the man, saying, “Hey, Clayton”—he pointed to his face—“you have a little mud on your face. Go ahead and wipe it off.”
Rolling his eyes, Clayton followed his orders and wiped his face. Afterward, he checked his hand and said, “There’s no mud on my face, hero.”
“I know,” Majestic Man responded, “but thank you for cooperating.” He lifted his fist and punched Clayton in the nose, knocking him down. “Ooh, that hurt.”
While Clayton recovered, he hurried to Undercity and patted his rump, yelling, “Go, go, go!”
Obeying, Undercity took off, and Majestic Man waved goodbye.
Clayton sat, his hand over his nose. He yelled, “Undercity!” and jumped up, drawing his own sword. He sprinted toward Majestic Man, who wasn’t paying attention.
Despereaux whinnied at his master, and Majestic Man quickly turned, meeting blades with Clayton. He jumped back, and another sword duel started between the two.
During it, Despereaux tiptoed to the Ax’s Chest and pushed it with his hoof, hiding it behind a bush. He hurried to a tree and tried to hide behind it, but only managed to cover his head.
Majestic Man held the hilt of the sword in both hands and disarmed Clayton. Smirking, he pointed the tip of the sword at his chin. “Are you ready to surrender the Ax’s Chest, Clayton?”
“Never!” Clayton knocked Majestic Man’s blade back. He headed for his sword, and Majestic Man tailed him.
He put his sword away and did a few cartwheels over to Clayton, front-flipping over him. He stopped before Clayton’s sword and punched him three times, shaking out his fist. He then gathered up the enemy’s sword and readied himself to stab him. Just before he could, the sword’s blade became caught in the chain of a necklace he wore. Instead of stabbing Clayton, it ripped the necklace off, and the accessory landed on the ground. The necklace was a chain necklace, and two Ms stood out as its pendant.
Clayton saw he had lost the necklace and prepared to steal it, but Majestic Man grabbed him by the arm and twisted it until… Snap! Clayton’s arm snapped, and Majestic Man kicked him in the groin, sending him to his knees.
He painfully held his broken arm out to the hero, but he stomped on it with his boot. “No one touches my necklace, Clayton. That’s what you get for trying to steal it.” He removed his boot, and Despereaux peeked out from the tree.
All right, this was Majestic Man’s perfect chance to kill Clayton. He had lost, and Majestic Man and his horse had won. The hero drew his sword and held it in both hands. The sword hovered over his head, shaking in his hands. He stared at Clayton, and he returned it.
There was silence between them. Then, Clayton spoke: “You can kill me, Majestic Man, but understand that this is not the end. We will return, and we will steal the Ax’s Chest back. Team Pinta will succeed. We will succeed.” He raised his voice. “We will succeed!”
Majestic Man screamed and lunged forward with the sword. It stabbed Clayton and went right through his heart.
He fell to the ground, lifeless. Dead. It was over. His reign had ended.
Ripping his sword out of Clayton’s flesh, Majestic Man said, “You may return in the future, Team Pinta, but when you do, I’ll be ready. Just wait and see.” He cleaned his sword and placed it in its case, reaching for his own arm. He limped away from Clayton’s inanimate body and whistled for Despereaux.
His horse trotted out from behind the tree trunk and joined his rider, standing beside him.
The two exchanged glances, and Majestic Man said, “Well, Despereaux,” rubbing his arm. “It’s over. Clayton is no more. I have to admit that that was one of the most intimidating fights I’ve ever experienced as Majestic Man. I want to thank you for defending me when I was unconscious. What do you say we return the Ax’s Chest to Mayor Felix?”
Despereaux bobbed his head, and Majestic Man patted his neck. He dropped his hand, and Despereaux led him toward the bush where he had buried the chest.
Majestic Man rubbed his arm some more, and Despereaux examined him.
Majestic Man pulled his hand away and shook out his upper limbs. On the way to the bush, he retrieved his necklace and slipped it over his neck, the two Ms soon hovering over his chest. Before long, Majestic Man hovered over the bush, and Despereaux pushed the chest out with his muzzle. He stepped back and watched as his rider picked it up, saying, “What do you know, Despereaux? You found a unique hiding place. Come on.” He mounted his horse and held the reins in one hand, the chest in the other, and placed his hat back on his head. Yawning, he said, “Whew, I could really go for a nap, Despereaux. How about you?”
Despereaux gestured yes with his head, and Majestic Man chuckled. He squeezed his horse’s sides, yelling, “Hyah!”
Despereaux jumped into a gallop and galloped forward, leaving Clayton behind.
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and then Add to home screen.