Red Fang II

Chapter 8 (I-Arc): Let Them Have It

We last read Chapter 7, in which the royal family struggles to maintain order and balance within the Vermillion Enclave the evening following the Bloodstone's theft. In the scuffle, Theo is physically injured by another vampire, Lily plays a hypnotic tune on her flute to momentarily pacify the attendees, and a vampire scout points out the trail of oxygenated blood which Virulis left behind when it made its getaway back during the daytime. Another vampire reveals that his sibling has already been affected by the lack of the Bloodstone's magic, with his visage turning into an emotionless, featureless face with glassy eyes and a miserable frown. Mavis then calmly gives out orders; she will attempt to investigate the theft of the Bloodstone with Garson, Lily, and Theo's help, while Balfort, Amber, Agnes, and Agnes's steward remain behind at the Vermillion Enclave to reassure the rest of the vampires and try to find a way to reverse the transformation without the Bloodstone.

However, just when they are about to head out, a short, portly, heavily-accented man named Chef Cedric rushes into the Vermillion Enclave begging for help from the royal family with a chronic rat infestation that has afflicted his restaurant for the past few days. He states that since animal control has not been helping him due to insufficient funds, he has no choice but to turn to the vampires for help. Initially torn between prioritizing the vampires or furthering the vampires' relationships with the humans, Mavis eventually chooses to help Cedric first after some counseling from Lily, ordering him to take her and her allies to his restaurant swiftly.

This time, en route to Chef Cedric's restaurant, Garson and Cedric have a talk, while Mavis gives Lily and Theo a much-needed scolding......

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-En Route to the Nuka Bistro, Cluj-Napoca, Romania-

The band of five walked down the sidewalks of Cluj-Napoca, with Mavis, Garson, Lily, and Theo following Chef Cedric's lead towards his restaurant. However, the group was a little staggered; Garson and Cedric were slightly ahead while Mavis, Lily, and Theo were a tad bit behind.

"You look familiar to me....." Cedric stated to Garson upon getting a closer look. "Aha! Eet eez all coming back to me now! You were part of, ehhh.....ze Dark Stake before, were you not?"

Garson shifted slightly, uncomfortable at his past—and his father Frank Vargas's negative influence on him—being brought up.

"That obvious?" Garson responded softly. "It might surprise you to hear this, but I've been trying to leave that life behind. They were just—"

"Xenophobes?" the chef completed for Garson. "Ahhh.....zis is quite true."

"You hated them, too?"

"Of course! Zey were just as much of a blight on ze restaurant as ze rats! Zey would always burst in and demand information on ze vampires from both me and ze rest of ze vorkers! Vas very bad for ze business, it was."

"Well, I got good news for you. They're gone now. And.....my dad is, too."

"He vas.....misguided," Cedric advised. "Eet eez a tragedy, for sure. But ze principles which he stood for vere not good ones.....I assure you that. Alas.....it only seems I have traded ze old rats for ze new ones."

"The Dark Stake for the rats which currently plague you," Garson realized. "Good to see you're still accepting, though."

"Zat is an understatement!" the chef informed with a smile. "Ze vampires make ze capital interesting, no? Both during ze day and ze night! Help me clear out my pests, and I shall ensure zat zey will receive all of ze luxuries! More patronage equals more publicity!"