Chapter 68 The Wilderness (1)

"Each Vampire city is separated by a great distance–mostly to ensure that even if one settlement fell, the rest would survive. The place we are trying to find is the Blood Wilderness I presume?" Theodore glanced at the rearview mirror.

Stacy looked up in surprise and nodded her head. "Y-yes, how did you–"

"The Hunter Association has their own ways to gain vital information." Theodore said. "As reluctant they may be to share it with others, if the Weisse House and one of the councilmen is pressuring them–of course, they'll cave in."

Lukas looked up at those words and wondered if Emerys di Verdant also helped. He was actually surprised that she agreed in the end, but didn't show herself or even say goodbye… at least wished them luck.

He eventually shook his head and asked. "What threats and dangers might we encounter along the way?"

"This wasteland seems more or less deserted, but there are a lot of dangerous creatures, like this–"

Theodore suddenly swerved the vehicle, all of the Vampires inside of the van suddenly jerking to the right as their driver hurried and rushed through the wasteland.

"As much as I would have preferred to be on foot and gather less attention–with this vehicle's vibrations awakening some creatures, not all of us can outrun those scorpions, and we'll just waste our time if we tried to clear their nests."

Lukas glanced out of the window and true to Theodore's words, a black sea appeared before them–until he realized that it wasn't actually a sea but a huddled group of scorpions all chasing after them.

"W-well, hurry up!" Lukas said.

He thought he saw that their stingers were dripping with purple venom and some of them were even crawling on the back of other scorpions to just draw closer to the van.

"What the actual fuckin–" Alexei glanced out the window and cursed underneath his breath. "Why are there so many of these buggers? And why are they only showing themselves now–"

"Do we really need a quick history lesson?" Theodore grunted as he sped their van away.

The scorpions almost seemed tireless, like a horde of zombies that were relentless. And yet it soon became clear that they were going to be free from them as long as they continued their pace.

However, all of a sudden, as Theodore drove forward, something started to erupt from the sand in front of them. A tremendous figure began to rise and move like a train–Theodore cursed as well.

"Is that a giant sand worm?" Chaerin asked.

"Go in another direction idiot!" Alexei said.

"As you can see, I can't do that even if I wanted to." Theodore shouted as he tried to slow down to prevent their van from crashing into the giant thing.

The worm was covered in brown-like plates, crusty as if the sun had dried up sand over its skin.

It was such an enormous thing and in Lukas' eyes could have been as long as a skyscraper or even longer, its body was wriggling and shifting in the sand almost as if it was blocking their path.

"It's probably trying to avoid the scorpions as well, isn't it?" Lukas realized.

"Maybe–but so what?" Theodore grumbled. "We'll end up dead before that thing actually even dies from the poison."

"How'd you survive something like this before?" Lukas asked.

"We usually don't have giant worms blocking the path–nor did we awaken herds of scorpions. All of you are bad luck it seems." Theodore started slowing down the van.

Lukas glanced at the scorpions approaching behind them and clenched his fist. If there was only a way to stop the herd of scorpions or get the worm moving.

"Is there any chance that we'll be safe as long as we just stay in the van?" Stacy said. "The scorpions will sting the car but eventually realize that there's nothing much compared to what's actually in front of us. Choose the bigger and fleshier target, you know?"

"Great plan. If the herd doesn't overturn this car over or actually break down the door, Vardoken." Theodore snapped.

"Well, maybe we can survive until the worm is gone? Or maybe redirect the attention to it…" Chaerin bit down on her lip. "Blood would attract the scorpions right?"

Lukas' eyes widened. "T-that's brilliant. Maybe we can drive over close to the sandworm and cut it open–"

"Do any of you know how thick it actually is?" Theodore grunted. "It would even take me some time to do it, and I'd have to–"

"Let me do it." Lukas offered.

"What?"

"Lukas!"

"That's a terrible idea!"

"We need you to drive us over there Theodore, and I'm confident in my strength too." Lukas said. He stood up and scavenged through their supplies and eventually found the spear that Viktoria or Katarina probably packed for them.

"This plan might not even work," Theodore pointed out.

"Unless we have any other good ideas, this is the best we've got." Lukas said.

There was supposed to be fear in his chest and a part of Lukas just wanted to drive the van to the right and maybe hope that changing directions could work in escaping the scorpions and yet his blood burned and thrummed within him.

Lukas went for the car door and turned it open–seeing a couple of scorpions at the side of the van.

"Speed up a little and give me time to jump." Lukas said.

"I don't think you'll make it."

"That's why go as fast as you can." Lukas instructed as he slowly climbed his way up to the top of the van, closing the door behind him.

The bright rays of the sun shone on him, beating down on his back was the rays of the sun and though it felt like it would sting his skin and hurt him–he focused more on balancing and not falling.

Lukas was going to do this.

Spear in hand, he saw the sand worm's huge self encroaching closer. Lukas bent his knees and prepared himself for the jump—!