Chapter 11 Formed A Bond With–
"Good day, you must be Lukas–welcome to the city's council building." A warm voice greeted him when he stepped inside of the building.
Lukas blinked and stared at the young woman in front of him. She had light hazel hair and the typical red eyes that belonged to the Vampires, but her voice was sweet and had a quality different to that of others that he encountered.
Everyone he had met had that cool, cold quality–and yet only she had that warm quality.
"Um, is there something on my face? Did I say it wrong?" Lily tilted her head as a blush blossomed on her face. She slapped her cheeks and shook her head. "No, I got it right–you must be the shy type instead. This is your first time trying to work, yes?"
"How did you figure it out?" Lukas blinked. "I tried applying–"
"Well, we don't usually share this, but your records state that you were an orphan during the Great War and have been relying on the monthly Nyx Credits sent to you. But now that you've turned of age, I guess you wanted to start working, right?"
"Uh, yeah." Lukas scratched his head and nodded.
It was hard to argue with her, and it was starting to become clear to him that there was something amiss.
The truth was that his own life was practically the same–he was an orphan who didn't get a chance to connect with other people. The fact that his 'Vampire' self also experienced an equivalent thing was not missed by him.
'I can't logout out of the game and I'm also an orphan here… this is way too freaky and yet like an actual Vampire, my chest feels cold and I'm not panicking as much as I thought I would.'
"We don't have many important roles right now, but we tend to have a lot of errands and tasks given to us. It'll be easy to do, and I'll help you out every step of the way, Lukas." Lily interrupted his train of thoughts with her voice.
"Yeah?" he said.
"Yeah?" Lily copied him with a sheepish smile on her face.
"Ah, sorry–I was a little lost in my thoughts." Lukas faked a laugh and ran his fingers through his hair. "When do I start? I'm pretty lucky that I'll be working with someone as pretty and kind as you."
"You… you don't have to flatter me." Lily's face turned red. "We'll be sorting records and it's a bit of a mind numbing activity but at least we can talk with each other right?"
And so it happened.
[ You Have Finally Achieved Your First Profession! ]
Rewards will be given later at the end of the working day.
Lukas took note of the notification which was an odd thing to receive–especially that it was obvious to him that this was much more than a game now, but for now, he spent the rest of the day with Lily.
Or as much as the 'day' as it could be.
"Thank you for your hard work, today." Lily walked him to the door and the two of them stepped outside.
"Yeah, day." Lukas chuckled as he jerked his chin and motioned to the night sky above them. "I don't think it applies much here in Lux City."
Lily's face brightened and she clasped her hands together excitedly. "So does that mean that you also find it a little confusing that we're always night?"
"Er, aren't we supposed to prefer the night because we're Vampires?" Lukas said, a little surprised at her sudden reaction. "And like… the founders of this city or something made it so to protect us?"
He was guessing with the lore, but Lily's affirmative nod made him sigh in relief.
"It's true that the Originators designed it to bathe us all in eternal light, but they said that there was a time where our kind also had to deal with the sun. And though it's a little scary… it also sounds a little wonderful to um, see it?" Lily blushed. "Maybe it's because I've never seen the sun before that's why I'm being a bit silly."
Lukas chuckled and he crossed his arms together. He gave her a sidelong glance. "They say that fear is one thing that protects us, but our own body can't tell the difference between excitement and fear."
"O-oh." Lily's face was still red and she nodded quickly. "I'm glad that we managed to talk then, even though it was a little scary at first. I'll see you tomorrow, Lukas!"
Before Lukas could say anything else, Lily quickly went inside of the building and disappeared into the hallways. He tilted his head in confusion, before he chuckled.
"I didn't think I was intimidating–she's cute."
It almost made Lukas want to eat her alive, and as Lukas glanced to the side–he thought he heard a rustle in the nearby bushes but got distracted with a new notification.
[ You Have Formed a Bond With Lily Tenebris! ]
Lily Tenebris is now aware of your presence and looks at you favorably as one of her colleagues. Continue to befriend her and get to know her better to deepen your relationship and bond!
"That's cool."
And yet there was something else that needed to occur. Lukas glanced at the corner as the notification shifted into something else.
[ Civil Servant - Bottom Ranked ]
One of the rank and file members of the city, you are given menial tasks to perform that help the operation of the Lux City. Due to it being your first job, your Intelligence will improve as you sort and organize various documents, discovering secrets that are hidden in the surface
"Oh. I almost expected more–"
[ Choose Your First Vampire Skill ]
Physical Manipulation
Charm
"Now that's more like it." Lukas grinned but then hesitated as he pondered on the two choices. Which one was better?
He could improve his appearance with physical manipulation, but there was also probably a learning curve associated with it.
The idea of having Charm was also great–but he was in a city filled with Vampires, so the effects of it were no doubt also diminished.