Red Fang II

Chapter 25 (M/G Arc): Good Night, Garson

We last read Chapter 24, in which Chef Cedric witnesses the spread of the OVX virus from the safety of the outdoor area of the newly-rebuilt Nuka Bistro, watching as hapless victims are turned into sick, pitiful, crawling messes. Some complain of chest and stomach pains, some are afflicted with pained blisters, and even others are coughing up blood and turning the scene into a rather unpleasant one indeed. One of Cedric's colleagues briefly drops by, sits at the same table as him, and expresses the desire to go out and help, but Cedric instead suggests that they call the vampires for assistance since 1) the humans still aren't sure how the OVX virus spreads, and 2) the vampires aren't particularly weak to anything besides stakes, so the OVX virus won't harm them. Cedric's colleague points out how "good" of an idea that is, then leaves to go find a business phone to get ahold of his contact.....completely unaware that Cedric is only using the OVX pandemic as a way to "bait" the vampires out of their Enclave so he can get his revenge on them in return for Mavis Ladair a.k.a. Red Fang and co. burning down his restaurant the first time.

Meanwhile, back at the Vermillion Enclave, Lord Balfort Ladair and his confidant Agnes succeed in making a partial "cure" for the vampires' decaying visages after one of Balfort's scouts recovers some flecks of the Bloodstone's magic from the Focus where it had been stolen. The tablet restores its consumer's personality and energy, but fails at actually restoring their visages or bringing life back to their glassy eyes. Still, after the tablet's effects are checked by having them successfully "cure" Agnes's steward, Lady Amber Ladair congratulates her husband Balfort for his success, at which point Balfort resolves that everything is going to be just fine following their "victory".

This time, after Boripedes shows Mavis and Garson around his underground island base of operations, the trio have one final chat before settling down for the night.....

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-Prince Boripedes's Island, Romanian Coast-

After Boripedes successfully unlocked the downward-spiraling staircase down to his base—back when Lily Ladair and Theo Ladair were secretly following him, Mavis Ladair a.k.a. Red Fang, and her husband Garson, the three of them headed all the way down the steps to the hidden vampire prince's hideout, while Lily and Theo constantly put in incorrect combinations which would eventually lead them to the beginning of the gauntlet to obtain Boripedes's riches.

To Mavis and Garson's amazement, they were met at the bottom of the stairs by a wide circular cavern perfectly split into a "work" half and a "casual" or "leisure" half, with a complex lab setup, numerous work benches, glassware, and handheld instruments on the "work" half and a bed, storage units resembling treasure chests, some bookshelves lined with books, beanbags, a picture of Lady Amber Ladair, and other precious possessions on the "casual" half. On the ceiling were mesmerizing and dripping stalactites, as well as a full-scale model of the solar system itself hanging perfectly in the center of the area, with 50% of it on the "casual" half and the other 50% of it on the "work" half.

The Bloodstone, of course, was out of sight, since Boripedes had tasked the strange blood creature Virulis with concealing it prior to his, Mavis, and Garson's arrival. Furthermore, though Virulis itself was also present in the base, its ability to meld itself into a pool of liquid fit to suit any container allowed it to blend in perfectly; it was flawlessly disguised as a random chemical substance inside one of Boripedes's beakers, making sure to keep its perfectly-circular, tooth-lined mouth closed.

Boripedes had effectively allowed Mavis and Garson to have free rein over his workshop for a while, letting them enjoy all the entertainment he had to offer. Then, he suggested that they get a quick nap after they had spent most of the early part of the day investigating the Bloodstone's theft, an offer which they gladly accepted.