Red Fang II

Chapter 15 (M/G Arc): The Origin Of Blood Magic

We last read Chapter 14, in which Mavis Ladair, a.k.a. Red Fang, and her husband Garson run into an explorer named Cristian Dumitru.....who just so happens to be the exact same suicidal jumper whom Red Fang saved the life of during the previous night. Red Fang officially introduces Garson to Cristian, and together, they conclude that the blood trail has been tainted with a secondary element; after Garson suggests that it might be magic, Cristian offers to teach them more about the concept. When the vampiric superheroine reinforces her belief in the usefulness of Cristian's occupation, she also proposes a brief partnership between the two parties, seeing Cristian's love of history and archaeology as being useful to her and Garson's investigation into the Bloodstone's theft. All too eager to accept, loads Garson and Red Fang into his nearby Jeep and drives them to his shed within the capital city of Cluj-Napoca.

However, en route to Cristian's shed, Red Fang catches a glimpse of the Nuka Bistro seemingly in the process of reassembling itself with the aid of numerous red-colored streaks of magic surrounding its dilapidated husk.....but is forced to put the thought aside for the time being when she starts to run low on blood as a result of the vampires' blood curse. Instructing Garson to stay with Cristian inside the Jeep, Red Fang opens the door on her side, leaps out, and flies towards a purse thief dashing down a nearby paved sidewalk, eventually tackling him into an alley and nearly draining him of all of his blood before leaving triumphantly.....while also inadvertently leaving the purse in a safe spot where it could be retrieved. Having been refueled, Red Fang then later rejoins Garson and Cristian outside the latter's shed, and the eager explorer cheerfully invites the human-vampire couple inside his shed, poised to help them get to the bottom of the blood trail's "contamination".

This time, Red Fang and Garson learn of the origins of the magic behind the blood trail, the stolen Bloodstone, and the strange blood creature Virulis, before deciding on what exactly they should do next......

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Almost as soon as Cristian, Red Fang, and Garson entered the former's shed, Cristian immediately disengaged to the left and began making a beeline for the nearest rolling ladder, needing its aid to reach some dusty books that were located on the higher shelves lining all of the outer walls. The abode was an undeniable treasure trove of artifacts, thick tomes, and long-dirtied folders containing important papers and snapshots.....and the sheer amount of dust would effectively be an asthmatic's worst nightmare.

Garson wandered over to a hanging solar system model to the left of the main entrance, reached out tentatively towards it, and lightly nudged the piece representing Saturn, causing the entire model to slightly sway.

"Haven't seen one of these in a long time....." he reminisced. "Not since I was brought to this country....."

"The outside world is a wonder, is it not?" Red Fang agreed, walking over to him. "There is so much more out there than just this humble blue ball.....and for us vampires, we have been even further from it than the humans." She beamed. "Not anymore, thankfully. Let us hope this is just one of many steps."

"Hey, umm.....did you take care of your, uhh.....blood problem?"

"Correct."

"Who, uhhh.....who was it?" Garson asked in a slightly uncomfortable tone, hoping that Red Fang had at least targeted someone who had it coming to them.

Thankfully, she had.

"An uraçiune—that is to say, an abomination—who tried to make off with a commoner's prized possessions," the vampiric superheroine elegantly informed. "Apparently, that seems to be our signature word this time around.....though I must admit I am not exactly sure why."