Anastasius dis Vardoken's House

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[Replica of the Blood Arts Grimoire]

The ancient grimoire originally inscribed by the Great Overlords contains the secrets of the long-lost practice of blood arts. This is not the original issue containing every forgotten technique, but is instead a fraction of the original text inscribed by the late Anastasius dis Vardoken.

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If there was anything that would have tugged a Vampire's heart–in Lukas' opinion, it would be the grimoire. Its dark hardbound cover had red sigils at the edges which just screamed true Vampire Overlord.

"Is it magic?" Lukas asked himself, drawing closer to the display and passed by the rest of the weapons in his path.

A mock copy of a sword with a skull was promptly ignored, a huge hatchet that seemed ready to devour its next victim was nothing. The full set of dark armor with a bat-like design? Pass.

Lukas luckily didn't seem to have any other competitors when it came to the display of the grimoire–it was literally left in the dust.

"Odd. I almost expected it to have more folks interested in this considering what this book has." Lukas frowned.

"Appreciators of this traitor's work?" A familiar voice whispered in his ear, a touch of coldness in the speaker's voice that almost seemed shadowy. In one quick slide, Theodore stood beside him.

"What the fuc–!"

"Shh, we're at Blood Works, show a little more decorum." Theodore placed his hands behind his back. He glanced pointedly at the other Vampires in the hall and gave him a smile. "We can't have you screaming your lungs out."

"You appeared out of nowhere!" Lukas hissed, suddenly realized that it was probably related to the Vampire's personal skill, then decided to change the subject. "What did you say about the book's author?"

"Ah, the people who do not know their history are bound to repeat the mistakes of their past." Theodore shook his head, but then cleared his throat. "The author of this book was a traitor to our kind, a sympathizer with the humans."

"Oh." Lukas blinked. "Still, it doesn't mean that we can't use their technique, right? Especially if it's useful? An assassin like you would probably agree that any kind of edge in combat is worth the cost of learning in spite of hatred."

"Not if it's been outlawed." Theodore chuckled.

"Wait, seriously?"

"Oh, that is not the case with this book–but with all the copies burned after the First War, this is the sole copy and the owner of Blood Works, Miss Cadis, is unwilling to part with the last remaining copy in fear of losing a valuable part of history."

"I see." Lukas considered his next line of thought, begrudgingly looking at Theodore and realizing how much of an asset it was to talk with the guy. "... What about descendants of the author? Do you not think they would know a thing or two about their ancestor's studies?"

"Pfft… if there's any living relative left today, they would be in hiding. Why would they come out in the open? That wouldn't make any sense would it? A shame though, the Vardoken House used to be an asset."

"I see." Lukas' attention shifted back to the grimoire on display. If there was anything that was as close to magic–it was probably this.

Theodore frowned slightly and cleared his throat. "The chance of learning that may be quite slim–a difficult endeavor if it is not suited to your bloodline, even if by chance you were able to get your hands on it."

"I see."

"Is that really all you're going to say?" Theodore's voice was a touch exasperated. "Most wouldn't even deign themselves to explain such things out of fear of repercussions."

"For an assassin, you do talk a lot huh?" Lukas glanced at him with a grin.

"Hah. Perhaps." Theodore relented. "And you are quite secretive."

"Secretive?" Lukas chuckled. "I told you the first time what I wanted–a peaceful life, nothing more and nothing less. Sure, I'm a bit interested in the exhibit and what weapons of mass destruction are available here, but it's a curiosity, you know?"

"Then would you care to tell me more about Miss Emerys?"

"Wouldn't you know more about her than me? The two of you are colleagues in a sense."

"Ah, well, you could quite call it that–but our posts are completely different, so we don't get much of a chance to meet."

"Do you go through the back door or secret channels or something?" Lukas raised a brow. Emerys was the receptionist, so an assassin probably skipped the main path?

"...Well, there are indeed hidden pathways–but that's not… you know what, keep it to yourself. It's none of my business anyway. I'm off to restock on my weapons now."

"So how much are weapons here?" Lukas asked.

"You couldn't even buy them if you wanted to."

"That doesn't matter–I just wanted to know."

"Well, the Hunters Association you could say… gives a subsidy to purchasing weapons." Theodore lightly said. "A normal average salary wouldn't get you anything well-crafted. You're better off buying a kitchen knife."

"Huh. Well, there's always raw strength." Lukas nodded to himself. "Thanks for answering my questions, Theodore. I appreciate it."

"Y-you do?" Theodore blinked.

"Yeah, wouldn't be able to get in here in the first place." Lukas grinned. "I won't take up too much of your time now. I also gotta get going now since I have an early day tomorrow at work."

"Ah, I see. Well, the exit is the same way." Theodore nodded.

"Thanks again. See you around, or not." Lukas took his leave and made his way back towards his apartment.

When he arrived, he caught a glimpse of a door at the far end of the hallway suddenly closing–another tenant?

Lukas shook his head and stepped back into his room. He stored his purchased blood in the fridge and then plopped down at his bed. He was now satiated and no longer hungry as before.

"A new life… I should start getting used to this." Lukas told himself, then turned on his bracer to open a version of a notepad.

He almost didn't expect it to be available–but for now, Lukas jotted down his main goals.

—

Work. Get the money.

Talk. Get the girls.

Investigate. Get the magic. (optional?)

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