Maya stood across an army of bullets firing her way, the view from behind Cassius looked impossible to defeat, deflect or even avoid. Despite knowing harm was coming to her, she couldn't close or avert her eyes from the ammunition's slow airborne march. Although the other three weren't anywhere near as panicked as Maya, if anything Vesper looked unfazed, and Ashin's grin widened as the bullets edged closer with his stance ready. However, right as the attack was to collide with Cassius a wall of his dark aura rose and shielded the entire group. The attack that seemed so fatal seconds ago, now stood as line of dust in front of Cassius, a remnant of what it once was. The areas, walls, and ground surrounding the group, however, were pummelled with a barrage of shots that decimated anything in its way.
*Click clack*
The sound of the guards reloading their weapons signalled this was long from over, as they began another round of relentless fire.
Cassius sighed, brushing his hand through his hair as he always did when his patience was drawing thin. 'Let us not waste any more time or energy.' He looked to Vesper, before confirming with Ashin.
To Maya they seemed to be speaking a language she could not yet understand, but the three all knew the plan without saying a word. Again, as the bullets drew close, Cassius's aura blocked them all. Although this time, whilst shielded, Vesper and Cassius leaped up and traversed the ceiling under the cover of his dark mist. Half of the attackers' shots followed them up and across the room, till the pair ran through any walls in their way. Cassius' aura dissolved any obstacle, making their path as clear as day.
'Tch! FOLLOW THEM!' A guard shouted, his fear and frustration were apparent. 'What's the ETA on the agents? WE AREN'T EQUIPPED FOR THIS KIND OF ATTACK!' The man shouted again into what seemed to be a communication device on his wrist, as he continued to shoot in Ashin's direction.
*Static*
[Inbound in 17 minutes.] The voice spoke through the device.
This was purely a research facility in a relatively peaceful area, all supernatural's were known and accounted for with no past occurrences. There was no need to have agents stationed, let alone ones strong enough to deal with such adversaries.
Ashin continued to dodge and deflect bullets, while only harming the guards. His focus was to incapacitate them, but slowly. He wanted to draw their attention to him for two reasons, the first was to aid Vesper and Cassius' mission. The more he rampaged, the quicker the others could complete their task. The second was purely selfish, his time at the university was a quiet one, and the chaos of a fight was in his blood. Ashin enjoyed dragging out the pleasure.
He leaped from one banister to the next, hurling their own bullets back at them. When he charged in close, he would take cover using one the guards while knocking the other out. Never in one place, to the weak guards he seemed to be teleporting around them from one end of the room to the next. They were facing a ferocious beast; the fear began to make their shots less accurate.
Maya was ready to take a few hits before joining Ashin, but as her body sturdied for the bullets Cassius' aura erupted from her shadow blocking any attack.
'When did he even- never mind?' She was simply grateful for the free pass she had been given; she could now reign free without the worry of the bullets. Before she took a step, Ashin passed by her with a smile.
'Remember, no killing.' He teased, while delivering a light punch to a guard's throat who was nearing her vicinity.
'Tsk.' Maya pouted but quickly caught herself. Did she just sulk? Did she want to kill? However, the thoughts couldn't linger given the situation at hand. She settled on copying Ashin; picking up any stray bullets around her, she lightly threw them at the guards as though playing catch with a child. Aiming for the guard's arm, she wasn't expecting the bullet to even reach. Yet the sound of the bullet leaving her hand surprised her. Maya looked up to see a clean and precise whole through the guard's arm followed by his scream.
'Nice!' Ashin's head poked up as kicked off a guard's face, using the guards as stepping stool he somersaulted over them to join Maya in the back for a high five.
____________________
Vesper and Cassius continued forward and upwards, following the scent, till the guards chasing them could no longer keep up. Although they were each chasing different scents, Vesper focused on the only other Crimson blood in the distance. Imagining all he had been through and how he was going to extract his vengeance. Growing up without his family, living for another hundred years as a child, the mocking of everyone, the weakness he felt. All his emotions were rising, ready to burst. Vesper wasn't sure what would happen, all he knew was he could feel everything so intensely, too intensely even. He continued to speed up in response. Cassius noticed this and was impressed with his growth; if he wasn't as anxious, fixating on Camilla's scent, he would have praised Vesper as a future Crimson Lord.
They eventually reached the laboratory, the scent emitting behind the steel doors was strong, strong enough to make Vesper hesitate. Cassius noticed. He took this chance to invest in the future, in Vesper who he began to see as something of a son.
'Vesper.' Cassius placed his hand on the young lord's shoulder. 'This is simply your first.' His words confused Vesper, but Cassius continued to reassure him. 'In our lives as Vampires we will experience many events. And this is simply your first. That is all.' Cassius tightened his grip on Vesper's shoulder. 'No matter what transpires when we pass through these doors, you will continue to be the young Crimson Lord.'
Vesper's hesitation was overshadowed with pride, the title Cassius- the Crimson Lord himself had anointed him with, was not to be taken lightly.
Cassius turned to lead him through the cold steel doors, in to his fated destiny. 'And thus, you should not see this as the pinnacle of your story. This man does not deserve to hold such value with you.' Cassius continued through the doors enveloped in his midnight purple aura as he spoke his final words of reassurance. 'This is simply your first.'
Vesper held everything Cassius said with tenderness, inevitably he began to see Cassius as the father figure he wished for. Hence, Cassius' words today had not only calmed Vesper but helped him focus on more than just Zeleti.
The focus was the Crimson family legacy.
Vesper's eyes deepened in colour as he readied his aura armour and followed Cassius into the darkness.
'WELCOME!' Zeleti greeted the pair with open arms. 'Oh, I see… two of you, I did wonder if my senses were playing tricks on me.' Zeleti pointed to the pair back and forth.
'I woULd NevErrr.' Iggi hissed.
'Khahaha. Of course, I simply couldn't believe I was messy enough to leave two of you alive.' Zeleti cackled to himself.
Vesper didn't wait around for the rest of the introductions. The fact that he was staring at his father's killer, who looked almost identical to the portrait he grew up admiring vexed him dearly. Without delay he hardened his heart and flung himself at Zeleti, quick stepping round to his back hoping to catch him off guard.
'Well, aren't you a feisty one.' Zeleti snickered as he slapped Vesper's punch away without looking. His aura coated palm sucked in some of Vesper's attack.
Upon contact Vesper immediately backed away.
Cassius quick stepped to Camilla, relieved to see her alive and unharmed. She embraced him deeply, the tears she had held back for so long, came crashing down as she felt safe in his arms. Cassius stroked her hair softly, his expression giving her peace.
Until he sniffed her blood in the air.
Looking down, he saw the graze where her blood was extracted. Camilla noticed and could see his mind racing.
'No one hurt me, I promise.' She grabbed his hands tightly, hoping to shake the doubt out of him.
His eyes narrowed, the wound was from a syringe and not fangs, that was clear, but his fury was slowly boiling ready to overflow.
'Harden your aura more, Vesper!' Cassius' neck snapped towards Vesper as he spoke from the side-lines, still holding onto Camilla- his past made him fear letting go.
Vesper knew exactly what to do. He condensed his aura till it slowly turned into a dark trench blue, the reptilian scales grew all over his body as the aura wrapped itself around him like a snake. As soon as his pupils morphed from round to vertically slit, Vesper catapulted into action, faster than before. He laid platforms of aura around Zeleti as he quick stepped his way around him, finding the right timing he leaped in for a punch. This time as Zeleti blocked with his own aura, he couldn't devour the attack. The sounds of them clashing echoed in the laboratory as everyone watched with tension and amazement.
All apart from Kai, who continued to watch in fear, underlined with a mixture of admiration and jealousy. He was witnessing power beyond his comprehension, and in turn felt weak. However, the weakness he felt wasn't only towards himself, he began to see all humans as weak compared to the supernatural strength displayed in front of him. He began questioning many things; how did we manage to win against them? Why did they even agree to peace? Was it all really because of this lunatic Zeleti? Was he why humans began to win? Or was everything we learnt complete shit?