Bloodstains covered the floors of the cave once again as Chase stumbled to his feet. Again, he rushed at Boss who responded with a simple backhand. Chase went limp as a loud crack could be heard from his neck. Immediately, Alexis was providing her blood. She was visibly annoyed and somewhat drained. He skin was turning paler as the blood was repeatedly sucked from her veins, "Again, once you've had your fill" was all Boss said but Marie stepped between them with an unusually stern glare in her eyes"That's enough for the day. Chase has lost a lot of blood and Alexis won't be able to keep up much longer," She warned"If he can't even beat me, what's he gonna do against Urien?""Like he said, we have plenty of time and Chase's answer gives us some wiggle room," She insisted, he glare only growing more and more firm. Eventually Boss backed off, returning to his computer as Marie went to Chase's side. She looked to Alexis with a tender, almost motherly expression, "I'll give him some of my blood. You take a break""I thought that wasn't allowed""Nobody said that but him," Marie assured, putting some sharp metal ring around her pointer finger. She then jabbed it into her wrist at the vein before dragging it along and offering the blood to him, "The blood won't be as sweet but it will be every bit as potent"Chase had no problem digging into her wrist, dragging every last bit of blood out of her body. Alexis sighed, glaring at Boss, "What's gotten into him? Sure he was distant but he's overcorrecting now""I don't know for sure but if I had to guess, New Wallachia scares him," She admitted, seemingly lost in thought. As she did so, she almost seemed sad before tugging her arm away from an angry Chase who shot up, "Don't even think about it?""What?""You want to give him a piece of your mind, right?" Marie assumed, much to Chase's own shock, "You two are more alike than I thought. Still though, you've really grown on me so I'd rather you not lose all that blood I just gave you. So leave him be. Don't you have anything else to do?"Chase grumbled, his eyes shifting before finally answering, "Well, there is one thing. But Boss wouldn't like it""If you want to do it, then do it," She insisted, "My lips are sealed"Chase looked to Alexis who nodded before looking back to Marie, "You're acting... weirdly nice""Well you've gone two months without trying to escape so I guess you're here for the long haul. Now go before Boss notices. He's too stuck in his computer to pay attention to us anyway" She insisted. Not wanting to press her, he nodded and rushed deeper into the caves. In the lowest floor was a makeshift garage. Cars, trucks and motorcycles from across the eras lined the floors. Picking out a GSX-13001, he put on the helmet sitting in the seat before driving out. The Jubokko reached out but couldn't keep up with the speed of the motorcycle as he drove past the veil towards the city. He had spent all day training so when he left, he could see the many lights of Atlanta shining in the night sky, blotting out the stars. After parking the bike a fair distance away, he sprouted his wings and flew to the top of the nearest skyscraper before using his iron hooks to just hang on the side and relax. Five minutes pass and a chuckle could be heard"You truly do know how to relax""You could learn a thing or two about that," Chase joked, forcing a smile as Elijah hooked himself beside him. It wasn't hard to tell he was faking. Lying comes natural to most Vampires so detecting a lie is top priority. He then sat there in silence, inspecting him before seeing a bruise that was still healing"Let me guess. Your master 'sparred' with you again?""Don't call him that. But yeah, he's getting more brutal. Went from just sitting at his computer all day to regularly beating on me. According to him if I can't beat him, I won't stand a chance against Urien""Well that won't be a problem if you take the deal," Elijah assured with a yawn. He was very open with his intentions. After all their deal was to show each other the way they lived. Why wouldn't he? They're brothers. It's doubtful they wish to fight each other. So the two picked themselves up off the sides of the skyscraper, looking down on the city below, "I wonder. How much went on in these skies and we never noticed? Vampires killing each other and nobody thinking twice about it. It says a lot about how much brutality humans can write off""Humans can be brutal...""Yet you still think they're worth protecting? Even worse, they should be in charge? We can stop this. Protect them from themselves but we need to be able to live free without fear of the Inquisitors or human governments trying to wipe us out" Elijah insisted, his tone calm but passionate. It would almost be convincing had Chase not seen the means they would use to reach that point"And how many humans do you have to kill to reach that?""Does it matter? Peace is more important than any number of mortal don't you agree?" He asked but Chase went silent, instead glaring at him. Able to tell how stubborn his brother was being, he just sighed before dropping off the side of the building, taking in the breeze as the ground inched ever closer before letting his wings out and flapping himself up. Chase had already jumped after him, scared for his brother who was simply laughing, "Were you really that scared?! Even if I did hit the ground, I just need some blood and I'll be fine""That doesn't mean I wanna see it! C'mon, give your big bro a break!" Chase argued, flying further down to his level "What the hell are you even thinking anyway?""Well, you care so much about humans right? Let's be superheroes then, a preview of what we can do if you help us""I doubt it but let's give it a shot" He said as they began flying around the city, their ears perked as if on the lookout for anything. As they flew, Elijah landed on top of the roof of the Atlanta police department, "What are we doing here?" Chase asked in a hushed whisper but was silenced by a hand over his mouth as the two instinctively used their camouflage to blend into the darkness"Be silent. Just watch" Elijah responded as they sat and waited. Soon enough, a cop came up followed by a man in a checkered suit with a cane"Look what do you want this time?" The officer asked, sweating bullets as he stood there. Even from a distance the brothers could feel the tension. Contrasted with the cool collected nature of the man in the suit, the scene was unsettling to say the least, "L-Look, I did what you wanted. You got your guys and-""And you did a good job, Mr. Carthage. However, my employer has another job that needs doing" the man spoke with the feint remnants of an Italian accents, "Your buddies are onto us about the product. I want you to destroy every shred of information""Do you know how much that is? I-I can't d-""You can. And you will" The man demanded, his voice firm but still calm, "That is, unless you want both your wife and the Chief to know about your...exchanges with our girls," he continued his threat before being snatched up by the leg and hung off the side of the roof"You see what I mean big brother? Even the 'good guys' are not so pure. This one may be blackmailed but some are simply greedy. Is that correct, mortal?" Elijah preached, making the man and the officer terrified. Shakily, he pulled out his pistol but Chase grabbed his hand"I wouldn't recommend that. It wouldn't work," he warned before slowly approaching him, "Ok, so what, Eli? Trying to prove a point?""If we were in charge, this would not be a problem. We could eliminate it, just like that" He said with a snap and went to drop him only to be immediately caught by Chase. He flew back up on his wings, scaring the officer back inside. Elijah was about to chase him but Chase grabbed him"Leave him be. He won't say anything. Besides, superheroes don't kill but nobody said anything about scaring into submission," Chase assured, turning to the man in the checkered suit with an unusually sadistic look, one that was matched by his brother, "Now who's your boss and what is he dong that's so bad he has to blackmail cops to keep them away?""I-I can't tell ya! He'll kill me!""There are fates worse than death, mortal," Elijah assured him, showing off his fangs to scare him into submission"O-Ok ok!! Antonio Agosti! That's his name!""Oh nice alliteration," Chase joked, "Anyway, what's this guy doing? Drug dealing? Prostitution?""All of the above! If it makes money, he's doing it! A-And he uses his studio to make it seem legit!""What studio?" Elijah asked, picking him up by the throat"W-Witching Hour Studios!! It's small, but enough to launder the money from our products!""Witching Hour?" Chase repeated in disbelief before letting out a groan, "Damn it I was really interested in working with those guys when I graduated!" he bemoaned before snatching the man away and slamming him into the ground. While concussed, he was far from death's door as Chase sat down on him and looked him dead in the face. With glowing red eyes, he commanded "Well since you ruined my mood. How about you help me out? You're going to destroy whatever blackmail material you have and send a list to the police of any officers you sent bribes to"Without much resistance, his weakened mind folded over. Once Chase stood up, he spoke only three words, "Yes, my lord," before leaving"You dominated him? Where did you learn that?" Elijah asked to which Chase just smiled"Books" was his only answer as he flew up into the sky, "So that's what this trip really is, showing me how bad humanity is and making promises about how you can fix it all, yada yada. But words are cheap, little bro!""True but that's why I wanted us to play superheroes, to show you what we can do" Elijah answered simply as he blasted past them, "Anyway, where too next? Shall we raid this 'Witching Hour Studios' he mentioned then call it a night? I would hate for your master to get into trouble with your master""He's not my master..." He grumbled as they flew flapped towards the studios. In the woods, a ways out from the city to avoid press, fans and likely police, "Remember, no killing" he insisted, causing Elijah to roll his eyes with a soft smile at his older brother's innocence as he lowered himself. Once they land, Elijah easily kicked open the gate, causing the alarm to go off. Security rushed in, surprisingly well armed with riot shotguns and high end assault rifles, "Well...shit""An accurate statement," Elijah said before dashing at one of the guards and grabbing him by the throat, slamming him into a wall. The guards tried to fire at him and Elijah was more than prepared to use the guard as a human shields if not for a wall of blood hardening before him and blocking the bullets. Looking behind the wall, he saw Chase, controlling the blood. The older brother then rushed in, lining up for a roundhouse kick that knocked out four guards in a row, "I'm really beginning to doubt you learned all of this from books""You'd be right! Your uncle taught me that!" Chase answered, knocking out the last one, "The books did teach me how though. Ever heard of diablerie? Turns out all it takes is a little blood""Oh? I'm impressed the old man let you learn that," Elijah said as they walked into the studio. Actors, producers and directors rushed out in terror but on the way out, Chase grabbed one, a man in a flashy gold and pink suit. Ah, Mr. Agosti. Nice to meet you""Who are you?! What do you want?!""Simple. You're going to turn yourself in""That's all? Really?" Agosti asked in disbelief. He then burst into laughter "That's really all ya want?! You broke into my studio, beat up my boys, all just so I could turn myself in?! I'll see you in a few weeks!""Yeah right? I already got one of your guys. He'll be telling everything to the cops?" Chase assured, a smug grin on his face. That grin quickly faded as Agosti's laughing only picked up"Yeah?! So what?! You got the cops but what about the lawyers? Government officials!? You handle them too?""This is fairly normal for criminals," Elijah said, "Removing a few corrupt cops will not be sufficient"Chase grit his teeth, visibly frustrated as he tossed Agosti aside who went to do as he was told without a care in the world "So that's what you wanted..."Elijah nodded, "Human societies are corrupted to the core. No matter how hard you try, there will always be something in the way of doing true good. But there is another way. If we can replace human society with our own, we can look at their failings and prevent them in ours. Do you understand?""Yeah but...is it worth the cost? A lot of people would die for this wouldn't they? Either as slave soldiers or resisting you guys...""I cannot speak for you but peace is worth any cost," Elijah answered before creating a crimson circle on the ground, "Forgive my preaching. Besides me wanting to teach you, it was just fun spending time with you brother,"Chase smiled, his shattered hard somewhat mended by his words, "Yeah. Same time tomorrow?""Correct. Meet me at the docks. Now that I've shown you this, I want to show you what we have accomplished in just a short week" Elijah explained before vanishing in a flash. Before leaving, he wandered the studio, eventually finding a stack of papers. Just looking at it, he could tell it was a script and certainly not for a film he knew"Well... Better to not let a good script go to waste," He said before pocketing the script. After that, he eagerly flew back to the bike and returned to the mansionThe next morning, he would get up, prepared to go straight to the docks. He got dressed and stepped out, only to be halted by by Phil, "Chase, Boss wishes to see you""Well, I don't want to see him. I've got somewhere to be and I'd rather be there than get my shit pushed in" Chase insisted, trying to move past him but he refused, shaking his head"It's important," He insisted. For good measure, Phil trapped him in wrappings before walking into the cave. As they walked down the steps, Chase got a sense of dread that came to a head when on the computer he saw the news report the team was looking at, 'Criminal Producer Goes Free After Vigilante Assault!'"Oh you have got to be kidding me," Chase grumbled"I take it this 'vigilante' they're talking about is you?" Boss asked, gritting his teeth as he tried to contain his anger and not blow up at his apprentice"So what if it is?""You do realize my family thinks you're dead, right?" Jason asked, "If you keep flapping around, causing trouble, they'll find out eventually. At least with Vampires, nobody's left alive to tell""Well, it was Eli's idea..""You saw him?" Boss asked, standing up with a glare in his eye as he approached. Instead of explaining though, Chase simply glared back at him"Yeah? So what if I did? You can keep secrets and beat the shit out of me but I can't so much as see my damn brother? Last I checked, I agreed to be your damn apprentice, not let you run my life" Chase argued, making a blood blade to slice through the wrappings, "So yeah. I did go see him, what are you gonna do about it?""Both of you, calm down," Marie spoke up but Boss's snarl swiftly silenced her"Chase, I understand your frustration. But you need to remember what Elijah is now," Phil said, trying to calm the situation as he placed a hand on his shoulder, "Urien has already made his intentions clear. It's likely Eli wants to..""I know what he wants and I know it's bullshit, but at least he's trying to convince me instead of just tugging me along like a dog on a leash" Chase argued, looking back to Boss, "You threaten to kill me? Sure, I was too caught up in how cool Vampires being real was. But then I figure out my brother was kidnapped and my parents are dead because of you!"Those words broke something in Boss who grabbed him by the throat, his sharpened nails digging into his skin, "People die in war, Chase. You and your family are no exception. I feel nothing but regret for that night but I will not let you hold it over me," he hissed into his ear, only for Chase to put his crossbow to his stomach. When he went to back up, he felt Jason's holy blade and could sense their Alexis's readiness to attack despite Marie ready to pounce on her if she even tried. Spot growled at them but Phil gently tried to calm him"Back away from him. Now," Jason ordered and Boss reluctantly complied. His grip slowly loosened, only for Chase to toss him into the cave's walls"Now look here. I've got a deal with my brother. I have no intent of betraying you but if you don't loosen your grip on my life, then I'm gone," He proclaimed and walked out. Boss wanted to stop him but Marie grabbed his shoulder, giving him a soft expression to which he could not resist. He then turned to the others. Their emotions were mixed to say the least, some bare a look of sorrow, some confusion. Jason on the other hand, looked angry as he asked the question that plagued his mind"Did you really kill the Dixons?"Back with Chase, he was leaving earlier than expected. While he did sleep until sundown, he initially planned to have some time to himself but the exchange with Boss ruined his mood. He flew out this time, not wanting to leave the bike unattended at the docks. Flapping his wings he could hear...barking? Not normal barking, an unnatural almost demonic bark. Looking around, he saw a familiar wolf-shaped figure, "Go away, Spot and tell Boss I don't need his buddies babysitting me,' Chase ordered but Spot simply barked at him in response. With a sigh, he landed on the roof that Spot had climbed up if the pawprints melted into the nearby walls was anything to go by, "Look, I don't know what Boss told you to do bu-" he started but was again interrupted by a bark. It was clear he wasn't backing down so instead of fighting him, he just continued along. When they landed onto the ground outside the dock gates, he looked to Spot who was still following him, "Alright look here, if you're gonna follow me then no attacking without my okay, got it?" He asked to which Spot sat down and nodded his head . With that, the two waited for Elijah's arrival. While they waited though, Spot perked up, growling as he got into a defensive position. In response, Chase drew his crossbows, "Who's there?" he commanded and after a few seconds, he was shocked to see who came out from hiding, "Sarah?"Sarah giggled nervously, as she kept her hands up, "Hey Chase...""The hell are you doing out here? It's dangerous to be out this close to night. Wait, do you even have a car?" Chase asked as he holstered his crossbows yet again, hoping his barrage of questions would draw her attention away from Spot. He quickly tried to turn her around, "Here, I'll walk with you back to the dorm," he insisted but she easily turned herself back as he wasn't using a full grip"N-No! Honestly, I've been coming here a lot" She admitted, avoiding eye contact as she played with her glasses, "I thought you and Jason would come back here and I could...I could finally get some damn answers! You two have been keeping something from me and I want to know what" she demanded. Chase was shocked and quickly tried signal Spot to leave but her eyes were already on him, "And what is that thing?!" she exclaimed, pointing at spot who barked at her"Look, I can't tell you""And why not!? Because where I'm standing, you Jason keep coming back beat up and don't even get me started on the fact that you have a girl living in a boys dorm!""I'm glad someone mentioned it," A familiar voice asked as Elijah appeared from seemingly nowhere, shocking the two , "Seriously brother, you must feed more. That's the point of a ghoul after all""Ghoul..?" Sarah asked"Eli, that's enough," Chase insists, "Me and Jason had a deal and frankly, I don't wanna lose the one sense of normalcy""Normalcy? I'm sorry big brother but you lost that the moment Lady Victoria turned you""Then how about you tell her because I promised not to tell her," Chase insisted and went to play with Spot while Eli explained everything. To say Sarah's mind was shattered would be an understatement. When she recovered, she had stars in her eyes at the possibilities, "Don't get too excited. Vampires are dickheads," Chase piped up, dashing any dreams she had, "Anyway, get going. Me and my brother are gonna hang out""Huh!? You're just gonna tell me Vampires are real and just leave? No proof or anything?" Sarah huffed, clearly annoyed, "Screw that, I'm coming too!""I don't mind. After all, all humans will know us soon," Elijah said simply, creating a crimson circle beneath them. Spot was a bit hesitant but stepped in and Sarah followed with a big grin. In a flash, the four were at the castle. Sarah stared in awe, looking up into the sky. She backed up to see the full view, almost falling off the balcony if Chase didn't catch him. "Yes, it is quite wonderful. Feel free to explore all you like. I will inform my father of our presence," Elijah told them before taking a bow and walking away"So formal. You sure he's your brother?" Sarah asked, to which Chase simply rolled his eyesElijah stepped into the throne room, taking a knee before Urien who seemed to just be...thinking. When he looked to Elijah, he simply motioned him to rise, "You do realize there's no need for that when it's just us""My apologies, father. It just feels natural. Now, my brother has arrived and...he brought friends""The Kin Slayer's party?""Only one, the Chupacabra, Spot. The other is a human who he seemed adamant about not telling of our existence. I believe her name is Sarah" "I see..." Urien muttered, seemingly pondering what to do. After all, with others around, they could pull Chase further from them, "Let them tag along but be sure to limit what they see""Understood," Elijah said simply before turning to leave. But as he went, towards the doors, a small syringe levitated towards him"Should he not comply, use this. We need the Kin Slayer's apprentice one way or another""I understand. Though personally, I would rather not use this," Elijah answered before going to meet with them. Like a kid in a candy store, Sarah was rushing down the halls and just taking in the beautiful gothic paintings and statues, "Appreciating the art? Father does have an appreciation for human art""It's amazing. This looks like stuff you'd see in museums""The art isn't the only thing that's beautiful. Let us go into the city. That was actually my intent from the start. Would you like to come?" Eli offered and sure enough, Chase and Sarah agreed so Spot was obligated to follow. Despite the seemingly ever constant night, things seemed rather calm. Walking down the streets, humans were just going about their lives. If anything, it seemed better as the streets were free of trash, everyone was smiling and life seemed overall unimpeded by the blood suckers among them. Still, something felt off to Chase, as if it was peace on a razor's edge and one wrong step would be that person's doom, "As you can plainly see, the humans can carry on with their lives under our rule. On top of that, petty crime is down and we've even established a system to handle our needs. If the donate their blood every month, it will be enough to sate us""And what about when you start going feral? Vampires can only go so long without blood""True but for now, the number of humans greatly outweighs the number of Vampires so we can afford it," Elijah answered before letting out a heavy sigh as they stopped by a nearby restaurant, "You are correct though. This may not last. That is why we must expand. But enough of that for now. Would you like something to eat?""A burger works fine," Chase said, evoking a hail of laughter from Elijah, "What?""Nothing, I am just now realizing how lucky I was to grow up outside the states," Elijah joked through his laughter as they stepped into the building. The laughter and cheering inside was quickly silenced at the sight of them. They stared as if expecting a bomb to go off at any second"Yeah, living their lives unimpeded huh?" Chase asked, barely hiding his sarcasm"If Russia invaded your home, would you not be scared even if everything improved?" Elijah asked, taking a seat in a booth far away from the humans to put their minds at ease, "It's natural. The fear will pass in time"As if done specifically to ruin the facade of peace, a familiar brute in black stepped in. While Chase never met him personally, Alexis had told him of her encounter with Godwyn Blackhart. Immediately, he sat down in the table closest to the center as if trying to ensure all eyes were on him before propping his feet on the table, "Beer! The strongest stuff you've got!" he demanded and as if at his beck and call, a waitress came, presenting him with mug full. In no time flat, he swallowed it down with some of it dripping down onto his shirt. Still not satisfied, he grabbed the woman by the waist, pulling her into his lap "Think I'm a bit thirsty in more ways than one," he growled, evoking two laughs in the distance"Wow that was bad! If that was Jason, I would've broken up with him on the spot," Sarah mocked, not at all seeming intimidated as the Vampire Lord turned red with rage"I know right! God, I'm terrible with women but even I'm not that cheesy!" Chase mocked, prompting Godwyn to stand up, throwing the poor women aside and approaching them"Something funny, fledgling?" He asked, puffing his chest out at an attempt at intimidation. The whole time, the two never stopped laughing despite Spot growing defensive. Enraged, Godwyn walked to the other side of building, picked up a table and threw it. After catching his breath, Chase quickly slit his own palm and held it out. The result was a fountain of blood firing out before hardening into a wall. Seeing this and immediately recognizing it, Godwyn burst into laughter, "You bastard!! Just a bit of my brother's blood and you know blood magic? Way to stomp all over his work!""Not much. I just know how to use it for walls, nothing fancy," Chase assured with a cocky expression. He could tell despite his laughter, he had annoyed the giant, "Besides, I don't need it for a punk like you""E-Excuse me! C-Can you please take this outside..." The store owner plead, hiding behind the counter. As if almost offended, Godwyn got ready to strike the human only for a rush of fear to run through him, providing Chase with a chance to rush and launch him out of the building with a roundhouse kick which really only damaged the doorframe. Elijah even seemed shocked, looking to Sarah who was simply holding out her phone and the wave of fear died down. Instead of questioning it, Elijah rushed out, holding the two Vampires back"Why are you stopping me, brat?" Godwyn asked with a low but very audible growl"I'm trying to convince him it's worth it to join us. Your frankly brutish behavior is making that unnecessarily difficult""Try impossible," Chase spoke up, "Take me and Sarah back""Brother, please...""Look, I'm sorry but even if you paint a pretty picture, Maero here showed me something I can't let happen," Chase said, his voice being very blunt and to the point. Elijah grit his teeth and reached into his pocket, clutching the syringe. But that grip slowly loosened as he created a circle that he, Spot and Sarah stepped into. Before he sent him back, Chase just smiled at him "Don't forget your end of the deal. You said you'd see what my life is like too""You're going too soft on him" Godwyn warned, calming down as the confrontation came to an end"It wasn't a total waste of time though. That girl had something we may want"Back with Chase, he looked around to find himself at the mansion. His eyes went wide at the implication. Chizuru knowing the location was one thing but the idea of Elijah knowing is something to be concerned about. Without a word, he rushed into house. Sarah was beyond confused and chased after him and Spot. Rushing down into the cellar and into the cave, he found everyone already there. Jason was helping Phil make stakes and even some holy water while Alexis was furthering her study of magic with Marie and Boss checked the computer for any more potential Vampire activity, "Guys, we've got a problem!""What the-?! Sarah? But I thought-" Jason started but Chase quickly cut him off"I'll explain later. Right now, we have an issue. Eli can get through the veil," he explained, clearly more concerned with the idea of a potential attack than the promise they made. Boss slowly stood up, not at all phased by this news"This was expected," He answered simply, "We need to talk"