Ethan and Jas made their way toward the heart of the city. The mayor’s residence stood sowhere in the central district, a place Jas had visited many tis before, though never with such ominous purpose.
As they walked, Ethan’s enhanced senses caught sothing that made him pause internally. A sll drifted through the air, faint but unmistakable. It was a scent he recognized from the Different world he had visited, a race that now felt increasingly relevant to their current investigation.
Werewolf, he thought, the word forming clearly in his mind.
"So paranormal creatures are living here after all. That ans other races might have established themselves in this world as well.", Ethan mused.
He glanced sideways at Jas, but his companion continued walking without any visible reaction, completely unaware of what Ethan’s superior senses had detected.
Ethan’s brain and other organs functioned at a level far beyond anyone else in this world, which explained why he could perceive the scent from such a distance while Jas remained oblivious.
"Do you think the mayor might be behind the murders?" Ethan asked, breaking the silence that had settled between them.
Jas considered the question carefully. "There is a possibility, though he might have used so kind of ferocious animals to carry out the attacks, don’t you think?"
Ethan curled his lips slightly. "What if he is an animal himself?"
Jas halted mid-step, his shoes scraping against the stone pavent. The sudden stop spoke volus about how deeply Ethan’s words had affected him.
"What do you an by that?" Jas turned to face him, his expression shifting from curiosity to concern.
Ethan continued walking, his pace was unhurried. "Maybe there are other intelligent races living on this planet alongside humans. Races that can change their appearance to blend in with us."
Jas fell into step beside him again, though his movents had beco more hesitant. "Do you actually believe that? My family archives contain theories about such things, but they have always remained theories. No critical evidence has ever been found to support them."
"Perhaps we will find our evidence once we visit the mayor," Ethan replied. "Wouldn’t that be sothing?"
They had barely covered another block when Ethan noticed a group of people rushing past them, all moving in the sa direction with obvious purpose. His enhanced perception imdiately identified them for what they were, a pack of werewolves hurrying sowhere with urgent determination.
"Let’s follow them," Ethan said, already changing course to trail behind the group.
Jas followed without question, though his eyes kept darting toward the fleeing figures. "Who are those people? Why are they running?"
"You will see soon enough," Ethan replied quietly. "Just follow quietly and observe."
As they pursued the group through the winding streets, the werewolves spoke among themselves, their words carried back to Ethan’s sensitive ears.
"Why would a vampire lord co to visit our leader right now?" one of them asked, genuine confusion in his voice.
Another responded with equal uncertainty. "I do not know. But this is supposedly that lord’s territory, and our leader has been causing chaos for the past year. Perhaps that is the reason for the visit? Humans serve as the blood bank for vampires, after all."
Ethan smiled to himself. This was indeed the classic dynamic between vampires and werewolves, a relationship that seed to exist in those worlds he had visited. They were always enemies, always competing for territory and resources while humans remained caught in the middle. In this particular world, however, humans had grown powerful enough that both supernatural races were forced to operate from the shadows.
Soon they arrived before a massive manor that dominated the surrounding landscape. The building stood completely dark, not a single light flickering behind its many windows. No guards patrolled the gates, no servants moved about the grounds. The entire estate radiated an unsettling emptiness.
"The mayor certainly knows how to maintain an air of mystery," Jas whispered. "Now I truly want to know what he is hiding. Let us go inside and find out."
Ethan placed a restraining hand on his arm. "Wait. We will be noticed imdiately if we approach directly. Let us search for a back entrance instead."
They had just begun circling toward the rear of the manor when sothing descended from the sky. The new moon provided no light, leaving the heavens completely dark, but Ethan’s vision pierced through the blackness effortlessly. A humanoid creature with massive bat-like wings folded against its back landed silently on the rooftop.
Jas caught the movent as well, though only as a vague shape against the starlight. "Ethan, did you see that? Was that a human with wings? Is this so new technology I have never heard about?"
"We are going inside," Ethan declared.
He extended his ntal domain, letting it wash over the manor like an invisible tide. His consciousness touched upon thirteen werewolves scattered throughout the building and one vampire seated in what appeared to be the main hall. The vampire possessed roughly seven tonnes of physical strength, impressive compared to a level nine force master who might manage five tonnes, but utterly insignificant compared to Ethan’s own capabilities.
With a subtle exertion of will, Ethan rendered all but the vampire and the werewolf leader unconscious.
"Jas, remain here," Ethan instructed. "If anything approaches, attack directly. Do not hold back."
Before Jas could respond, Ethan slipped away into the shadows surrounding the manor.
---
Inside the main hall, candles flickered against the darkness, their flas casting dancing shadows across the walls. Two n sat facing each other, their postures rigid with tension.
The handso man with crimson pupils spoke first, his voice carrying the cold authority of one accustod to absolute obedience. "I permitted you to remain in this city for one year. That year has now passed. You will leave imdiately."
The mayor, a heavyset man with calculating eyes, did not flinch at the command. "The territory here holds significance for as well. The martial artists have beco rampant in the region where I originated. Why not allow to stay? I will ensure your minions remain safe from the werewolf packs that roam these streets."
A sudden pressure erupted from the vampire’s body, a wave of force that made the candle flas bend and dance wildly. "Are you actually threatening a vampire lord?" he asked calmly.
The werewolf before him was clearly no match for such power, yet he maintained his composure. "I did not intend it as a threat. I rely suggest there is no compelling reason to chase from this place. I will restrain my hunting activities, keep them within reasonable bounds."
"The conversation has concluded." The vampire rose from his seat, wings unfurling behind him. "This is my territory. I allowed you to stay this long only because you assisted in obtaining that item. But our contract has expired, and with it, your welco."
The mayor’s eyes hardened, all pretense of civility dropping away. "You have left with no alternative."
From his pocket, he produced a syringe filled with dark liquid and plunged it into his own flesh before the vampire could react.
The vampire sensed danger imdiately, rising to his full height as his canines elongated and his features shifted toward sothing more demonic.
But the mayor had already begun transforming. His body expanded, bones cracking and reforming, muscles bulging beneath stretching skin. Within seconds, a ten-foot werewolf stood where the mayor had been, its fur pure black instead of the typical grey.
"You injected alpha blood?" The vampire’s face paled, genuine horror entering his crimson eyes.
The werewolf offered no response. Its mind had already descended into berserk fury, rational thought consud by rage and power. A deafening roar erupted from its throat as it launched itself at the vampire.
Massive hands closed around the vampire’s throat, lifting him effortlessly from the ground. The vampire struggled, clawing at the iron grip, but the werewolf’s strength had multiplied beyond all reasonable asure. Just as death seed imminent, the vampire underwent his own transformation.
His body expanded to match the werewolf’s ten-foot height, features twisting into sothing demonic and terrible. Bat wings spread wide as fangs lengthened and claws extended. The two behemoths crashed together, exchanging blow after devastating blow.
Despite the vampire’s transformation, the werewolf continued overpowering him. Each strike drove the vampire backward, each roar sent tremors through the manor’s foundations.
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