Vasili felt the weight of every gaze in the room as they turned and assessed him, sizing him up and determining whether he posed a threat.
After a few tense seconds, the tangled group of people began to disassemble themselves, standing up hesitantly, still clearly nervous about confronting whoever intruded into their business.
Meanwhile, Elias had taken off in a sprint, using his supernatural speed to navigate the club's maze-like layout. His staff had frozen, some sort of fear magic woven into Vasili's voice, which he shouldn't have known how to do.
Rounding the last corner, Elias found his club divided into two distinct factions. On one side stood Vasili, while the other side was occupied by the creatures Vasili had interrupted.
Elias hurried over to Vasili, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder and asking, "What's wrong?"
Vasili, easily matching the superhuman speed of the vampires, nodded and explained, "These idiots were brawling in your club." He gestured towards each group.
Elias nodded, patting Vasili on the back. "Well done for handling it. I had my staff pull back for a meeting."
After giving Vasili one last pat, Elias smiled and requested, "May I see your amulet?"
Vasili wasn't worried about Elias not returning it, he could always take it back, or so the Dragon 'thought.' The Ram seemed fine with the idea because Elias wasn't angry at all. Plus, this was an opportunity to introduce him as his Blood Brother, while the Lion was still plotting to deal with those who had stared him down.
Handing over the amulet, Vasili couldn't help but think that he might have overreacted slightly. Now that he had a moment to think, he realized he might not have witnessed enough violence to react that way. Torn flesh? Healable. Broken skull? Sleep it off.
Considering what Vasili knew about Elias's durability- being staked in the heart and nearly decapitated before fighting and defeating two Werewolves- he began to wonder if he had indeed overreacted.
Internally cringing, Vasili listened as Elias spoke to the crowd, "I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce someone special to me, someone who saved my life! My Brother, Vasili."
A small round of applause came from the returning staff, but many in the crowd remained still, uncertain or uncaring about the implications.
Elias continued, "Now. It seems you two wished to have a quarrel in MY establishment. Do you have any idea what happened tonight?"
The leader of the 'biker' gang stepped forward, "We heard you had a run-in with a couple of dogs, is that true?" His expression remained neutral, and he showed no sign of backing down.
Elias nodded, "That's correct. So, if you wish to fight, do it elsewhere." He smiled, taking a deep breath before commanding, "NOW, LEAVE!"
The two groups hesitated, seemingly reluctant to leave but not eager to start a war with the Dragos family. Their moods shifted when the 'biker' leader said something that made the 'colorful' leader scratch his chin in thought. Eventually, reaching an agreement, they sealed it with a handshake.
As the 'biker' leader began to make demands, Elias abruptly stepped forward and grabbed his throat, with Maranda instantly appearing by his side.
The bikers were initially shocked, but their leather jackets, adorned with unusual patches, began to glow faintly as they changed, sprouting wings on their backs.
Maranda spared no movement, spinning her empty hands at a nearby Sprite, cleaving its head off in an instant with her invisible daggers.
Maranda acted swiftly, her empty hands moving in a blur as she killed a nearby Sprite, severing its head with invisible daggers. Her movements were so precise that she cleaved a second Sprite in half in the same motion, splattering glowing blue blood over everyone nearby. A faint red aura surrounded her as she chanted, "SANGUIS AD SANGUINEM. Mortem ad mortem." The droplets of blood then transformed into projectiles, seeking and impaling the remaining Sprites in the room.
The 'colorful' group, now confronted by this terrifying display, retreated, leaving behind the bodies of their kin.
Vasili watched as the corpses underwent further transformations, revealing their true forms. 'What the hell? Those aren't Vampires at all...' he thought.
Elias held the struggling Sprite in the air by the neck, watching as the blood spell worked its magic on the Fairies in front of him.
Elias spoke to the 'colorful' leader who was off to the side, returning his gaze to the living corpse in his grip. "Malzahar, you will leave and inform your faction of what transpired here. If the Fairies desire war, House Dragos will teach them how to wage it."
Elias tightened his grip on the struggling Sprite's throat, and then he turned to Vasili, instructing, "Come here."
Vasili approached, a look of apprehension on his face. Elias continued, "This is the price of ignorance. These were Fairies, specifically Sprites. They are small-time, feral, and love debauchery. This is a Fairy Prince, one of many thousand. You have to deal with him, if you don't nobody will respect you.
All eyes in the room were trained on this pivotal moment. It seemed that supernatural creatures were far more prone to violence than Vasili had initially thought, but now he realized it was likely a matter of upholding a code, sort of like prison.
Vasili locked eyes with the squirming Sprite, asking, "What should I do?"
Elias met Vasili's gaze and explained, "You could simply kill him, but that wouldn't send the message you need to convey."
Vasili appeared confused. "Why do I need to send a message? Aren't you protecting me?"
Elias nodded. "Yes, of course, Brother. But they don't respect me either. They respect my Father's power. For nearly thirty years, I've been partying and drinking at my clubs. They don't know what I'm truly capable of."
Vasili could see the determination in Elias's eyes, realizing that this had to be done.
With guidance from his instincts, Vasili tapped into the Dragon's desire to assert dominance. Then he consulted the Ram, receiving an affirmation.
Allowing the Lion to guide his actions, Vasili dropped to all fours, feeling his talons click against the epoxy floor. He felt something otherworldly enter his mind, it was present, yet he remained in control.
The Dragon, taking a moment to savor the fear he saw in the Sprite's eyes, spoke in a gravelly, "Release him."
Elias appeared shocked by the transformation and had expected Vasili to kill the Sprite, but now it seemed like Vasili was about to hunt him.
Releasing his grip, the Sprite's sweaty neck slipped free, and he landed on his feet. Gasping for breath, the Sprite remained still, his eyes locked onto the now feral Chimera that was stalking him.
Backing away slowly, the Sprite noticed no immediate reaction from the beast and turned to flee.
The Lion had gotten his scent, and the outcome was inevitable.
Vasili moved forward as the Sprite exited the building, silently stalking past the stunned crowd. He moved across tables and over chairs with eerie silence for a creature of his size.
Vasili's vision tinted red, and he could sense the quickening heartbeat of each person he passed, except for one person-a beautiful woman who met his gaze with a calm and steady expression.
Stalking by her, Vasili noted that his target had turned left upon exiting the building.
Breaking into a light trot as he stepped outside, he could smell the Sprite's fear as if it were a beacon in the night. The scent led him upward, the Sprite assuming he couldn't climb with such a form.
Vasili stalked towards the building the Sprite had likely ascended with his wings, his instincts alert. The Ram warned him that the sprite might be calling for backup with his much time, and as the Lion heard this, he leaped into the air, effortlessly clearing the forty-foot-tall structure in a single bound.
The Sprite, who had been desperately trying to use his phone, let out a terrified scream and wet himself as Vasili landed with a horrible crash
The Dragon spoke through Vasili, "You were so confident with your 'gang.' What happened?"
His talons raked across the roof's asphalt coating as he closed in.
The Sprite, clearly out of breath from fleeing as hard as inhumanly capable, collapsed in terror.
Although disappointed by the Sprite's lack of resistance, the Dragon within Vasili didn't hesitate. He grabbed the Sprite by the throat, his talons clenching around the supple flesh. In one swift, brutal motion, Vasili tore the Sprite's throat out, ripping the esophagus free in a single, gruesome act.
Vasili couldn't help but be shocked by his own brutality, but it was easy to be merciless. It was easy to rend flesh like it was tofu and have no qualms with himself. At that moment, he realized that this could be his new norm. He would have to be carefully wielding this much strength around regular humans and even supernatural creatures.
However, the Dragon wasn't finished. Clutching the lifeless corpse by the sternum, his talons hooking around the ribs, giving him a secure grip. He lifted the corpse into the air, leaving behind a pool of blue, and then, without hesitation, he jumped off the edge of the building.
As Vasili landed, his powerful body smashed the rocky asphalt the alleyway was paved with, sending a spray of powder in all directions.
He turned toward the door they had come out of, finding a group of onlookers shocked by his physical prowess.
Vasili looked over the group for anyone willing to fight and threw the esophagus against the ground in a silent offering.
As he approached the club's door, the crowd of creatures dispersed as if their lives depended on it, his display clearly having worked, the Dragon within stood in pride as it finally achieved one of its main goals, being feared.