Everyone slowly got up from the table and left, all except for Vasili and Maranda. She kept staring at him, making him feel slightly uncomfortable.
He gave up and asked, "What?"
She sighed and said, "Follow me, boy."
She stood up and sauntered away with attitude. Vasili wasn't exactly sure what he had done wrong, but he followed the Knight.
She led him to a giant room that seemed entirely out of place. It was a mismatched medieval-styled room, with pillars and marble along the walls. The center of the room held a sand pit and a wall of training weapons.
Vasili shook his head as he looked at all the gear-maces, halberds, brass knuckles, a jug of water with a cross on it, and dozens of training dummies in organized spots across the room.
"YOU are lucky, Vasili. You were born an Alpha. It's decently common in certain species, but nobody has heard of a Chimera reaching Alpha status in at least 5 centuries. If ever." She spoke as she stepped into the sand pit and gestured for him to join.
"I don't really want to train right now. I'm caught up with having a Beta and stuff." He groaned as he stretched, "I'll work out though."
He reached as high as he could and leaned back to get that spot in his back to pop, it was always important to warm up.
As he stretched, Maranda walked towards him silently, making the hairs in Vasili's mane stand up.
His instincts kicked in and he leaned back out of the way, looking up at her from the ground as her blade dripped blood.
Blood pounded in his ears, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
She smirked at him and gestured for him to get in the pit.
Vasili felt the cut in his new shirt and decided to take it off, revealing the already healed wound on his abdomen.
He looked up at her as she whistled, "This dagger is enchanted with every sharpening magic we have, and it barely cut you." Her eyes went dark as she explained, "You are an Alpha now. Elias cannot protect you the way he thinks. You must be strong enough to defend yourself against anyone who would challenge you."
Vasili stepped into the pit, realizing that he was definitely going to get cut again anyway. She spoke, "There are rules befitting leaders, you understand. I was turned into Beta, but I was elevated when I hunted and slew an Alpha, on my own."
She flew forward and checked Vasili with a roundhouse kick, but he blocked it by flailing his arm out at it. Then she dropped to the ground and used one hand to slide between his legs as he jumped over and fell to his knees.
Two slashes to his legs disabled him.
She shook her head and snorted a laugh, "You should have turned me into a paste. Where's the Vasili from last night?"
He shook his head as he explained, "I don't want to hurt-" A knife flew by his eye as she said, "Didn't want to what??"
Vasili took a step back and nodded. She was a badass Vampire Knight. He was being arrogant for thinking he could kill her accidentally.
He asked, "I'll avoid the brain and heart, right?"
She shrugged and nodded.
Vasili realized wasn't going to become Jason Bourne for a LONG time, so he'd need assistance from the peanut gallery.
'It is just training, sparring if you would. What do you think Dragon? Ram? Lion?'
The Dragon wanted to go to sleep, and the Ram was all for it, getting used to his instincts was an excellent defense situation. But the Lion was confused, what is sparring? Why waste energy?
'Sparring is like..uh…OH! It is what dad lions do with cubs. Play fight to teach to kill.'
That explanation clearly worked as the Lion gave instructions…to teach Maranda?
He stepped forward and threw a jab, she dodged entirely, and then Vasili instantly pounced and grabbed her neck with his talons.
Her eyes went wide as he playfully squeezed and caused blood vessels to burst before she exploded into red mist and appeared behind Vasili with her invisible dagger.
The Lion pretended to get injured by not using the hand she sliced and then he lept onto the ceiling, using the talons on the left hand.
He dangled from the ceiling like a chandelier, causing a stunned look to appear on her face as she jumped up and sliced at his paws-when Vasili swung up and planted his feet on the ceiling, posing like a draconic Spiderman-then tackled Maranda with his shoulder. Sending her into the sand pit in a crumpled heap.
Vasili was semiconscious last night, but just now, he felt the collarbone and ribs crack as she left his tackle. Her eyes were red as she stood, making Vasili nervous.
She popped her shoulder into place as she spoke, "Are you playing around with me?!"
She stepped forward, "Do you know what they call me? Do you know what I have done? I'm the Blood Witch and I will not be played with by a toddler."
She said that and Vasili felt HEAVY. Instantly, all of the blood in his body came to a standstill, he had minutes to live and seconds of consciousness….if he was human.
Vasili felt the Dragon uncurl from its nap, a pounding from his heart filled the room. Slowly, the sludge inside his veins began to move as the Dragon took over.
Vasili spoke softly as his eyes went wide and his vision shifted red, "Oh shit. You have their attention now."
Her brows furrowed and Vasili's mouth spoke, "Ah, a Parasite. Shall I burn it?"
The Dragon asked him…using his body as Vasili felt flames tumble out of his gullet.
The Dragon's Fire made Maranda's eyes go wide as she raised her hands, "Calm down, Vasili, fire is too dangerous."
He tried to pull back the reigns of his body and felt slight resistance before Ram knocked the Dragon on the head.
Vasili took a deep breath in relief, saying, "Sorry. Dragon was upset you woke him up. And yeah, Lion was trying to teach you like he would teach a baby cub."
His explanation gave her pause, as she waved him forward and said, "I think it is time we spoke more in-depth about these 'instincts' of yours."