Vampire Nightlife

It wasn't everyday that the person you'd seen practically going against the law would show himself in the very building where rules and regulations was enforced. Iolathane Durand also remembered vividly last night when Lukas and other people he accompanied with him caused a wreck in Carmilla House.

That was another thing that caused issues, and now he was showing himself again. The gall of the man irked her. It took every effort for Iolathane's face not to twitch, and so she did her best to concentrate in doing her task.

"The city of Nyx is mostly safe from outside forces unlike the cities of Sanguis, Lux, Nox and Umbra however it does not mean that we're completely free from any dangerous creatures. This is where hunters come in from time to time and are able to capture these ones and are rewarded by the city. Think of it as regular culling to prevent the population of monsters from overflowing."

Lukas raised a brow at that, not quite remembering anything that needed culling in Lux—until he realized that they might have meant humans. Either way, he wasn't going to cause any problems, unless he wanted to learn more.

Other than that, Iolathane's explanation was mostly easy to understand.

"For the city of Nyx, there are creatures in the forest that can be considered as dangerous monsters. Giant spiders and other insects take their habitat in the woods above us and while they might not attempt to attack Nyx, they do possess a danger for travelers coming from above, hence why the necessity to cull them. There are also dangerous plants, though not necessarily comparable to the ones in Blood Wilderness or Direlands."

"So you mean to say they're mostly easy!" one of the Vampires in front said.

"To say they are easy is to believe that spiders will not swarm and tear you from limb to limb if given the chance." Iolathane smiled and caused the Vampire to pale lightly.

"That sounds scary…" the young boy behind Lukas said.

"It should be something easy to avoid." Lukas said. He might have not seen Rhea, but it wasn't like the Dream Eater could avoid him forever. So when the time comes, he could easily use Rhea to scout ahead.

Unless she was like extremely vengeful against him.

But that was unlikely… right?

"There's a lot of armor that you can buy though." Another one commented, receiving nods from the other Vampires in the front row.

"Well… that is a possible way to mitigate the damage." Iolathane said, nodding with not exactly disgust but understanding that there were people who actually went to hunt for the purpose of it being an enjoyable activity as opposed to actually earning anything.

"Great! All we need to do is purchase something from Nox Chambers. Nothing too difficult then."

Lukas knew that there was no way that he could probably afford armor at his Nyx Credits, and unfortunately for the young man behind him, also shared the same concerns.

"Um, excuse me, miss! There's still provided armor for those participating right?" the meek boy called out from behind Lukas.

Iolathane's expression winced slightly. Out of all the four noble houses, the Durand House was actually the least wealthy—they mostly funneled their budget into helping their area along with the fact that they've held some debt to say the Argenti House.

"We mostly provide protection against the sun, not necessarily against enemies." Iolathane cleared her throat. "Which is why we actually have a certain level for those who wish to participate in hunting. Not everyone who is here today will be allowed to join us outside."

There were a couple of groans from the Vampires in front, and Lukas slightly sighed, but knew that he was probably allowed to participate.

"If you're an outsider, it does not necessarily mean that you're automatically allowed to participate either if anyone's being curious." Iolathane said calmly, almost as if she had actually read Lukas' mind.

Lukas' brows shot up at those and he wondered if that had been some kind of chance. This was someone from the Durand House and the bloodline purity and all that kind of things tended to spell out like that.

Either way, Lukas knew that with Drusilla as his dagger, he could no doubt eliminate enemies with ease. He had pierced through sandworm's thick armor, and if the giant spiders were anywhere close to that then he'd manage.

However, all of a sudden, Lukas glanced behind him and felt a wave of responsibility.

'Am I trying out to be some kind of hero or something now?' Lukas wondered.

"You're asking that truly, now?" Drusilla spoke with a sense of haughtiness. "You're quite deliberate in showing that you are a mixture of traits. Well, mostly self-seeking but not immune to altruism from time to time."

'It's not like you'd want a Vampire kid to die because he's weak or anything. He's probably doing this to survive… so of course, I feel a little responsible. Although, maybe I can still talk him out so I won't have to worry about him.' Lukas thought.

"Like I said, self-seeking. But you've shown a bit of altruism during the time at that forest haven't you?"

'More like me being insistent that there was someone who could save the others. It was Chaerin's insistence that led me into trying though. She's the good one, really. Like Lily too.'

"You're not really making some sense." Drusilla said.

"Can the people who are talking at the back quiet down please?" Iolathane said, vexed and then glanced in Lukas' direction.

Lukas blinked. His lips were completely closed and he was sure that nobody else was speaking. Did that mean that Iolathane heard Drusilla?

What was the meaning of that?

Iolathane searched through the crowd, and was sure that she had heard some kind of woman speaking but didn't see anyone else. Was she hearing things? Was she that tired after last night?

"That woman… from what House is she?" Drusilla suddenly asked.