Vampire Nightlife

"But yes, if you already have in your hands a possession of an artifact—something that clearly does not belong to you—which I will ignore due to the fact that it has been given by one of the nobility in your city… what is it that you wish to request?" Iolathane asked.

Lukas raised a brow at the sudden change of primary speakers. He glanced towards Idris, but once again, he was content to let his daughter speak for him.

Almost similar to as to how Idris was here, but the Overlord was not?

'Actually, I don't even know who the Overlord of the Durand is. So it could actually be Idris for all I know and he's merely not saying anything… though it doesn't seem like the case.' Lukas thought.

"Well, I have heard…" Lukas slowly spoke, hesitating, but then decided to go with it. "Is it true that the Durand House used to do something completely different besides imposing justice?"

"What the Vampire Houses do in the past is naturally much more different from what we do now." Idris replied. "Times were different before, so what a Vampire House did in the past is not really relevant to current times. Of course, some will try to follow certain traditions, but not everyone will do that. Roles change overtime."

"Hah… I was hoping you wouldn't say that." Lukas allowed the dagger to disappear. "I was hoping to let one of you handle this dagger to check it for me. I thought I heard someone mention that you guys were once better at building and creating things."

"And where did you get that piece of information from?"

"Not sure, maybe from the pamphlets given to visitors here in the city? Have you read them? They're actually quite informative," Lukas said.

"I have and they do not provide anything of that note." Iolathane said. "You've gathered information elsewhere."

Lukas fought back the urge to grin and shake his head. He didn't expect that there would be someone as scrupulous as she was, but he was mistaken.

"Well, I do have people who are supporting me, that much you already know, Iolathane. I've revealed Miss Cadis already, and well there's…"

"This expedition that you are in is funded by the city of Lux then?" Idris asked. "They could have done better than simply sending such young people, but it simply means that there's a lack of resources."

"Or they didn't want to invest resources and saw it as a waste." Lukas frowned at the memory of the Guildmaster's words. "Either way, I have heard that blacksmithing is something that House Durand once did, and I was hoping for someone to inspect this. I have reason to believe that this was crafted by some of your ancestors."

"Not any other species?" Idris raised a brow.

"I think your people know the story way better than I do, but as strange as it sounds, I do not find it entirely impossible that the Durand House, a Vampire bloodline wanted to do something like see if they could produce swords, shields and other weapons. It is within our nature to compete and strive for the better."

Lukas knew the story, having heard it from Drusilla herself, and now he wanted to… free her?

"What exactly do you wish to accomplish from out of this?" Drusilla and Iolathane spoke at the same time.

Lukas winced and tried to shut his mind away from Drusilla's interference. He had done it before, the [Bound Communication] skill could be turned off he so desired and this time, he wanted to be alone with his thoughts.

'Back when Drusilla was around, I was searching for her and now that she's here, I want her gone. Incredible how feelings can fluctuate easily. Either way, what did I hope to get from this? Drusilla's favor and trust? Is that really worth it? Better to have them sealed in this dagger for all eternity… for the safety of everyone else here, it's better that an ancient Vampire remained sealed.'

Lukas took a deep breath and then glanced away.

"Well, I just wanted to see if I could unlock better features. Who knows?"

"Some people who try to wield artifacts and do not know what they're dealing with end up with grave injuries and sometimes death. I caution that you do not try anything else beyond what Lady Cadis has stated to you. She must have already given you all the precautions beforehand, but I repeat it again for your sake," Idris said.

"I am already at your disposal and yet you seek more? What a greedy brat." Drusilla said, but there was no edge or bite in her tone. "You… you are better off with how things are, Lukas. Do not seek for more."

"Odd." Lukas muttered, but then shook his head, much to the curious looks from the Durand Vampires. "Perhaps we'll circle back to request two at another time, but my third request is perhaps… related to the first one, or goes in the opposite direction. Presumably, this will be something more possible to accomplish with your current resources."

"What is it?"

"The Blood Wilderness is where the Blood Gourd's supposed to be found. The House of Carmilla already offered their aid, but I wish to secure more. If possible, I would like to be able to get seeds and be able to propagate it elsewhere and not just the Blood Wilderness. Can your men do it for me?"

"Obtaining one from others will require Nyx Credits and, depending on its rarity, the price will further increase. I'm afraid we do not have that in our disposal… but wait, shouldn't the Lux City already have tried to obtain it before if it's only a matter of money?" Iolathane frowned and turned to her father. "I think House Weisse has more wealth at their hands, even though they come from Lux. Why did they not insist on simply assigning some people from Nox or Sanguise to acquire the Blood Gourd and deliver it? Is this to maintain their secrecy again?"

"Perhaps?" Idris frowned.

But even the old man was starting to notice that there was something almost amiss.