Lukas wasn't sure what to expect, but it was one of the Vampires from the front row earlier. A Vampire who looked a bit older than Lukas, but was still in his early to mid twenties.
He was suited with some kind leather-like armor, which was visible since his cloak was pulled back. He also wore some shades over his eyes and might have looked zany because of it.
"My name's Anthony, though my friends call me Tony." Anthony introduced with a slightly eager expression. "But ah, continuing with the story? What's dangerous about the Veiled Forest?"
ƥαṇdαηθνε| "There's a group of beastkin living there." Lukas said slowly.
"Oh yes, that. But I've heard that they're solitary and keep to themselves—you just need to stay clear of the woods themselves, but the road is safe. Anyone can pass, at least that's what my father told me. He's a merchant by trade and brings good all over Vampire settlements."
"Sounds more like a businessman." Lukas replied and nodded to the man's clothing.
"He doesn't actually like being called that." Anthony chuckled. "He thinks it's a bit too modern, especially when our family has a long-standing generation of being merchants and traders, or so he says. But yeah, he isn't allowing me to go anywhere with him, so I came and join this workshop as an excuse to finally go out myself."
Lukas knew it was a little judgmental of him, but it seemed like Anthony was a lot more interested in talking about himself than actually listening to the story—but then Lukas didn't want to divulge the full details anyway.
Giant Dryads and little Water Nymphs were nature beings that only formed because of a great passage of time, and informing anyone of their existence seemed and was most likely a bad decision.
'There was that Treant body thing during my Strength test. Who's to say that they won't see them as resources to be collected either? Best to keep these folks safe.' Lukas decided.
"But yeah, I just hear that Veiled Forest is hard to navigate in, but otherwise safe compared to the Dark Forest and other locations we might be visiting. Um, Miss Durand, we're not going atop the Ilstad Mountains are we?"
"No. We're not going there at all." Iolathane replied in a far more modulated voice than last time.
To Lukas, either it seemed like she hated his guts that much or Anthony was from a well-off family. Lukas realized that he didn't even mention his last name unlike Matthew which made him a bit interested, if slightly on what his family probably was.
"What's up there on Ilstad Mountains, Miss Durand?" Lukas tried to ask, and got a withering glare as a result.
Iolathane glared, but eventually answered. "We don't scale up there, it also has its own dangerous wildlife like Wailing Goats, Wyverns and other host of creatures too difficult for an ordinary group of Vampires to handle by themselves."
"Wyverns you say?" Lukas blinked a little shocked. He heard about dragons from Alexei and he mentioned them being extinct and whatnot, so the mention of something related to them was outstanding.
"A distant relative of dragons, quite distant that they're not really intelligent and act more like beasts. They tend to pick off Wailing Goats as their prey, but there are others probably more dangerous than them—we just haven't fully scaled it all up." Iolathane said, an almost wistful look on her face.
Lukas wondered if she was wanting to be holed up in a volcano or something.
"Um, what about mining and all that good stuff?"
"There are caves, but we really don't mine there—the current reservoir of our kind is more than enough to last us for ages and we have ways to get materials if necessary." Iolathane firmly said.
"I see." Lukas didn't think that was helpful, but he figured it meant that they traded with other folks. Lycans maybe? Or there were other safer places to mine and collect minerals, ores and gems from. "But getting stuff like I don't know, scales of a wyvern or its claws is probably worth something right? Other Vampires have dealt with the Direlands, stuff like Ancient Dark Serpents so I'm sure that if you had a good and prepared team, you could successfully bring back something."
"Please do not get any funny ideas and try to go there by yourself. It's not the responsibility of the Bureau of Defense to chase after idiots who have a death wish." Iolathane said.
It earned a couple of laughs, sniggers and chuckles from some of the Vampires—but it didn't bother Lukas. On the contrary, it really just steeled his nerves, and also Iolathane really didn't pay attention to what he said.
Lukas mentioned a team, nothing about going solo.
'But yeah, who knows what's up there? I have to figure out—actually, nah. I'm not stupid. She made a point, I'm not going there for no reason at all.' Lukas relaxed in his seat, having learned from his insistence to search for the Heart of the Forest before. 'But between giant spiders and wyverns, I'd really have wanted to deal with wyverns—and well, goats actually sound delicious over those icky fungi parasite.'
"You have no interest in really getting stronger do you?" Drusilla quipped.
'Ack—didn't think you'd pop up. Aren't you supposed to be like super silent?' Lukas thought and glanced at the blue-haired Vampire, but fortunately, she wasn't looking back.
"What I do is none of your business." Drusilla said.
'Okay, just kinda looking out for you—but yeah, difference between getting stronger and pushing myself to the brink of death.' Lukas said.
"Those sound like the same thing to me." Drusilla said.
'To you probably, but things are different now. Got to use your wits too.' Lukas said. 'Speaking of which, I feel something or someone.'
When he glanced back the van, he saw a figure flying towards him.
It was none other than Rhea.
'Perfect timing.'
"Oh, of course." Drusilla said.
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