[Chapter 256. Cultural Differences]

They reached the tower's atrium, a cavernous space of impossible dimensions. The ceiling stretched upward into shadows where violet energy pulsed like captured lightning within crystalline conduits. The polished black granite floor reflected their approach with mirror-like precision, each footstep echoing into the vast emptiness. As they entered through the towering archway, Kandora looked toward the middle of the room, her aristocratic features contorting with disbelief.

"It's not even protected," she mumbled to herself, the words barely audible but sharp with incredulity, dripping with disdain at what she perceived as amateurish negligence.

Searanox turned toward her, his armored plates shifting silently, his expression unreadable. "What is not protected?" he asked, following her gaze across the atrium to where the node's altar stone pulsed with a gentle blue light in the center.

"The node stone, it's out in the open," she said, looking from him to the stone, her voice rising to challenge his authority. "You could lose the entire city if someone takes it." Her hand gestured impatiently at the ring of stones surrounding the node, emphasizing the perceived vulnerability of his domain.

The entire atrium grew quiet as the six tall figures entered, their heavy armor making soft metallic sounds against the stone floor. The other citizens froze mid-motion, their conversations dying as they observed the tense exchange between the City Lord and the newcomers. The air grew thick with unspoken questions, the violet energy overhead seemingly pulsing more rapidly in response to the confrontation.

"Oh, really? I didn't know that," he said with theatrical surprise that dripped with condescension. "Please, tell me more as I show you where you will stay for the time being." His tone was deceptively pleasant as he walked closer to the center, his boots making no sound against the polished floor. Each step brought him nearer to the pulsing node stone, displaying a casual disregard for the danger Kandora had so helpfully pointed out.

To the side, near one of the counters, a team of Awakened vanished in a flash of violet light that left afterimages dancing on their retinas. The sudden disappearance made Quin jump back, his hand instinctively reaching for a weapon.

"What was that? Did they teleport?" Quin asked, his deep voice rough with confusion as he looked at the empty space where the team had stood moments before.

Searanox turned his head toward the dungeon spire desk, where a clerk was methodically recording a transaction. "That was a team that just got their gear to clear the dungeon spire." His voice remained calm and matter-of-fact, as if teleportation teams were a daily occurrence in his city.

"They got gear? You give them gear?" Quin asked, looking at the ones who were handing back loaned equipment. His massive frame leaned forward slightly as if trying to better understand this bizarre system of governance that rewarded citizens with equipment rather than demanding they provide their own.

Searanox halted and turned around again, his armored form silhouetted against the pulsing node stone behind him. "How else are they supposed to clear the dungeon to earn the points to grow the city further?" His voice cut through the silence, each word a cold statement of fact. His gaze swept over the six towering figures, his patience visibly wearing thin with their ignorant questions.

"That's not how it's supposed to be. They have to enter with their own strength. It's about overcoming, to grow with their own abilities," Vindala spoke from behind. Her voice was filled with the rigid conviction of Imperial doctrine, her gaze sweeping across the atrium as if searching for flaws in this alien system of governance. Her fingers traced absentminded patterns on the shaft of her staff, a nervous tic betraying her discomfort with a city where strength was handed out like coin.

"That makes no sense at all. How should someone without a class clear a dungeon if they don't even have gear?" Searanox asked, his voice tinged with genuine puzzlement as he turned his full attention to her. The violet light from the overhead conduits reflected off his armor, giving his features an otherworldly glow that emphasized the vast gulf between his worldview and theirs.

"They fight smaller beasts first and hone their skills before they enter a dungeon. If they die, they were not strong enough to enter," Gron said, taking in the space around him. His massive frame cast long shadows across the polished floor. His deep voice echoed slightly, carrying the weight of tradition passed down through generations of Imperial training. He gestured vaguely toward the entrance of the tower, as if pointing to the wilderness beyond where such trials would take place.

"That's stupid and inefficient. I don't have time to send my entire city into the woods to kill a few dozen wolves to gain levels so they can enter the dungeon," Searanox retorted, waving a gauntleted hand in a dismissive gesture. The armored plates shifted with the movement, producing a soft, mechanical sound that emphasized his artificial nature compared to their organic, traditional approach to power.

"You can't be serious. You send your entire city into the dungeon?" Kandora turned to him, her face a mask of disbelief, her aristocratic features contorting with horror at the thought of commoners gaining access to such resources. "Why are you giving them access to something so valuable?" Her eyes darted between Searanox and the node stone, calculating the implications of such an egalitarian system of power distribution.

"Are you saying in your glorious empire they keep the population away from the dungeons? Are they afraid that they'll become strong enough to start a revolt?" Searanox asked. His voice was laced with barely concealed contempt as he leaned closer to her, making her flinch despite herself. The question hung in the air like a challenge, daring her to defend her empire's rigid hierarchy.

"That's something I should ask you, not the other way around. You are only a few levels ahead at best. What if they overtake you?" She tried to steer the topic away from the empire, her eyes narrowing as she attempted to regain control of the conversation through subtle intimidation. Her hand rested on her hip in what she hoped was a confident pose, but the slight tremor in her fingers betrayed her unease.

"I welcome them to try," Searanox said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone that sent a chill through the atrium despite the warm violet glow. "Now get going, I don't have all night." He continued toward the center of the room, each step deliberate and measured. "You will go up to the second floor."

Searanox waited next to the node stone, its gentle blue light casting his armored form in ethereal hues, as one by one the six tall figures vanished in a violet flash of light. The air shimmered briefly with residual energy after each teleportation.

The moment he arrived on the second floor, the familiar scent of fur and the soft rustle of fabric announced Iris's approach before two arms wrapped around him from behind. He felt a bite in the crook of his neck, the sharp points of her fangs sinking through the thin membrane of his armor with practiced ease. It wasn't as soft a nibble as normal, but much more forceful—a territorial mark of ownership that left tingling sensations in its wake as her possessive grip tightened around his waist.

<Your scent is all over the small one. Am I not enough for you?>

Iris’s voice echoed in his mind; it carried a faint trace of jealousy, like the low growl of a wolf protecting its territory. Her claws pressed into his armor plates with just enough pressure to remind him of her presence.

<Honey, not now. You may cuddle, but let me finish my interrogation with them first before we get to bed.>

He felt her fangs withdraw slightly as she processed his response, though her body remained pressed against his back like a second layer of armor. She licked his neck, the rough texture of her tongue sending shivers down his spine, and looked over to Kylith as she dug her claws deeper into him.

"This is Iris; she will show you your rooms... Oh, and Kylith, I'm afraid I forgot to prepare a room for you, as well as food. I will give you some of my personal rations, and for a room, you may pick any that isn't currently occupied," Searanox said. He clicked his tongue as he tried to take food from his ring, only to notice he still wore the empty one. The Epic-tier storage ring felt cold against his finger, a reminder of the noble he had executed and the betrayal that fueled his rage.

Kylith snickered before answering, her amber eyes glinting with amusement as she watched his momentary confusion. "I will get something personal from you?" The question hung in the air, loaded with implications.

Searanox took off his gauntlet with practiced ease, the metallic plates separating silently as his fingers emerged from their armored cocoon. He twisted the empty Grand storage ring from his finger, replacing it with the minor one that held his meager supplies. The cold weight of the lesser ring felt like a failure against his skin. "What do you crave? Meats or veggies? Maybe something sweet," he asked, his voice flat as he mentally scanned the ring's contents.

"What I crave is what she wants from you." Kylith pointed a slender finger toward Iris. Her nail was painted a deep dark that matched her horns. Her amber eyes glowed with amusement as she watched the intimate exchange, her smile revealing just enough of her elongated canines to be unsettling. The way she stood suggested she was thoroughly enjoying this disruption of their domestic moment.

Searanox stopped his mental inventory and blinked slowly, processing her deliberate misinterpretation of his question. He looked over to Kylith, noticing how the violet light made her skin appear almost luminous. "I meant to eat. What do you want to eat?" His voice carried an edge of impatience now, his fingers tightening around the storage ring as he fought the urge to summon something to shut her up permanently.

Kylith's snickering intensified—a low, husky sound that resonated in her chest. "I just told you, and I told you before when you pinned me down." Her tongue darted out to wet her full lips, an unconscious gesture emphasizing the double meaning of her words. She shifted her weight slightly, drawing attention to the graceful lines of her body despite her modest attire, a posture designed to remind him of their earlier encounter in the field.

At her words, Iris's claws dug deeper, the sharp tips scratching against the interior surface of his armor with a sound like metal grinding on stone. <You pinned her down?> Her voice carried through their telepathic link, her ears drooping slightly. <You rarely pin me down anymore.> The hurt in her mental voice was palpable a rare vulnerability that made Searanox's chest tighten despite himself.

Searanox reached back with his free hand and stroked Iris behind her ear, his fingers tangling in the soft fur. "Stop," he murmured, both a command and an apology. The rhythmic motion of his hand seemed to calm her, though her claws remained pressed against his armor. He then turned his attention fully back to Kylith, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "And you tell me what you want to eat."

Kandora sighed, the sound thick with contempt and exhaustion. She leaned against the wall, her shoulders slumping as if the weight of their situation had finally settled upon her.

"This filthy half-breed feasts during sexual intercourse. Or, to be specific, on the act itself." Her voice dripped with the superiority of a pureblood, her gaze sweeping over Kylith with dismissive revulsion. "She's a Lilin-vampire hybrid. Her kind doesn't consume sustenance through normal means, but rather through life essence transferred during carnal acts."

The explanation was clinical yet charged with disgust, each word carefully chosen to emphasize Kylith's nature to their captor.