The following night, all Hell broke loose on the northern border of the Steel Fangs territory and Howard had a front-row seat. The Necromancer was on the ground with his new allies and he was there to witness the clash between the clans. 

'This is going to be a literal bloodbath,' he thought as the night began and they amassed along the border. 

Shannon, the leader of the Rising Moon gang, had quickly agreed to Howard's terms the night before once she learned what he had up his sleeve. After all, it was a mutually beneficial deal that she wouldn't likely see again as long as her group were small fries in the DMZ. Howard would get pints of vampire blood every month for five years in exchange for his help in invading the Steel Fangs' area of influence. It was one hell of a deal for parties.

Having a steady supply of blood for his elixirs would be a great help to Howard. While he had enough Thinblood connections to meet his normal needs, this would allow him steady access to blood from a number of Fledglings and even a Young Adult. This would allow him to stockpile his potions for years to come.

Having a Mage on their side also gave the Rising Moon a huge advantage over their rivals, an advantage similar to that enjoyed by the Steel Fangs thirty years ago when Nathan joined them. 'It is only fitting that the Steel Fangs get a taste of their own medicine,' Howard had thought as he was dressing to go into battle.

To be honest, Rising Moon did not have that many members, and most of those were Thinbloods. However, scrying had told him that Steel Fang wasn't that much larger and had a similar makeup.

'Only bottom feeders would make so many Thinbloods,' Howard thought as he walked next to the red-haired Shannon. The major clans had rules about making Thinbloods, and the highest revered clans like Sanguineae Umbrae and Sanguineae Penumbrae forbid their creation altogether. After all, Thinbloods had to exist for at least a century to reach the strength of a Fledgeling. The other difference being that any vampire could make as many Thinbloods as they wanted simply by limiting the blood given to the newborn vampire. Thus, Thinbloods were usually seen as little more than cannon fodder.

'There are always exceptions, of course,' he thought with a smile.

As their small group of fifteen approached the border between the territories, the Necromancer could sense the Steel Fang sentries panic and flee within moments. "They aren't even going to make a stand?" Howard asked.

Shannon took this as a genuine question. "Not with our numbers. They would be fools to try and stop us. And they are not fools." Then she continued, "When are you going to use your magic to strengthen our side?"

"Patience. The spells won't last very long, so they have to be cast just before or during battle. Then I will follow up with spells to reduce the enemies' abilities. They expire even more quickly than the buffs."

"I thought magic was more powerful than that."

"Oh, it can be. However, I want this defeat to be at the hands of the Rising Moon faction. After all, the Steel Fang used my friend to win a lot of battles and it cost him his life."

"All of this over the death of a human over thirty years ago."

"Are you complaining?" the Necromancer asked, his ire clear in his tone.

"No," Shannon responded, and she did not speak again for a while.

---

The first response that they received was when they were roughly a half of a mile into the Steel Fangs' territory. Five vampires stood before them, all of whom had glowing orange and yellow eyes.

"Halt!" one of the two Young Adults called out. "What are you doing, Shannon? I can't believe that you are directly challenging us after the beating we gave you two weeks ago."

"Shut up Franklin! Things have changed in those two weeks. We are here to challenge you for your territory," Shannon replied.

The blonde-haired male, apparently named Franklin, sighed. "How much land are you looking to claim?"

"All of it."

"Are you insane Shannon? Either that or you are joking?"

"No joke Franklin. I am dead serious," Shannon retorted.

"In that case, how much land are you wagering in return?"

"None."

"You are joking. You know the only reason we let you have your territory is because we can't expand any more right now. If, on the other hand, you were to become Victor's lover, then we could merge the territories, under the name Steel Fang, of course."

"I'd rather sleep with a pig," was Shannon's response.

While the two had been speaking, Howard had sensed the presence of fifteen Thinbloods slowly encircling their group. While they were doing their best to hide their approach, the Necromancer could sense them as if they were stomping around. 'You have to love magic,' he thought as he prepared to cast the buffing spell on his allies. In his mind, he cast the entire incantation, leaving only the very last syllable to be uttered before it took effect.

Franklin sighed again. "Look, we will fight you, but we won't put any of our territory on the line. You also won't lose any territory, but we will teach you one Hell of a lesson while we torture you for a few weeks."

This time it was Shannon's turn to sigh. "And in those weeks, other clans would move into our territories, leaving us nowhere to go during the day, right?"

"Victor always said you were sharp," Franklin said with a nasty smile. "Besides, it will be nice to have those rival clans owe us a favor."

"Well then, all I can say is this is a fight to the second death. Let's go!" Shannon roared as she lept into action.

Franklin looked nonplussed to have his warning ignored for a moment before he jumped into the fray.

"Est!" the Necromancer uttered, completing his spell. His spell suddenly bathed all of his allies in light, and their eyes began to glow one class brighter. The Thinbloods' eyes changed from red to orange, the Fledglings' from orange to yellow, and Shannon's from the yellow of a Young Adult to the green of a full Adult.

Then the Necromancer cast his next spell after chanting the incantation. Suddenly, the enemies were shrouded in darkness. Then, as the darkness cleared, the Young Adults and the Fledglings' eyes went down one class. The Young Adults from yellow to orange and the Fledglings from orange to Thinblood red.

The battle lasted for an unexpectedly long time and some of it happened faster than the Necromancer could perceive despite having taken a Fledgeling level elixir. Shannon had been right. This was a battle to the second death. The raging constituents of Rising Moon reduced the members of Steel Fangs to dust one by one as the winners ripped the hearts out of the losers.

In the end, Franklin was all that was left of the Steel Fangs. Shannon had been playing with her prey the entire battle. Using her temporary Adult powers, she literally wiped the floor with him, leaving streaks of blood and dust scattered all over the ground.

The Necromancer called out. "Shannon that is enough! Remember the agreed-upon plan."

Shannon laughed and said, "Necromancer, why should I listen to you when I have this power?"

"Because I can remove the power I gave you with a thought and harming me in any way would bring down the wrath of an Elder. An Elder who would take out your entire clan, including the Duke to whom you ultimately owe allegiance."

Shannon stopped. "You are right. I got carried away for a moment. Forgive me."

"You are forgiven," the Necromancer answered. "Now, continue with the plan."

"Franklin, I want you to tell Victor that we are coming," Shannon urged the bleeding vampire. "Now go before I change my mind."

Franklin limped off away before turning and hissing his hatred towards Shannon. Baring his teeth at the vampire who had played with him, he bared his fangs like a cat would at a dog. Then he disappeared in a blur.

"Now, for the final act of the night," Howard commented as they turned to follow the wounded beast.

---