"The Kingdom of Anglas is ruled by the once Imperial dynasty of Einzbern or at least they claim to be in direct descent to the Imperial family. King Dietrich II Einzbern is the son of Dietrich I who centralized the kingdom upon his coronation by purging his opposition, creating a cult of the Imperial family and duty to the Empire but his action ended not without consequences. His own brother, Linuis killed him leaving the young Dietrich II and his siblings to fight their kin slaying uncle. After killing pretender king Linuis the kingdom fell once again into chaos as the old king's children began to claim to be the only rightful heir to their father's iron throne. The realm was split again and only after ten years of brutal civil war two claimants were left. Given that their conquest had left them with roughly the same forces the Einzbern family had to find a solution to not drown the kingdom in its own blood.
The marriage between Dietrich II and Rikissa ended the Anglas civil war. Now in the year 1436 with his throne secured can Dietrich lead Anglas into the golden age? Especially after Dietrich solution had turned many foreign courts against his unholy rule."
-Extract from Diary of an Oriri traveler and scholar.
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"I think we found those ghouls the 'Gor was speaking about," Iris said pulling her unbraided wet hair behind her shoulders.
"What is 'G-o-r?" Kia spoke slowly speaking each letter of the unknown word.
"Oh, you would not know it, it is just a common insult." The elf explained, forgetting that the puzzled girl in front of her spoke an ancient language of some kind.
"That's 'Gor." The shorter girl spoke with hesitation while lightly kicking the dead ghoul with her leather boot.
"That's not *sigh* Kia you shouldn't even say words like that so don't try." The elf shook her head dismissively at Kia's actions feeling a phantom needle prick her soul upon hearing such words from the innocent girl.
"But you-" The girl tried to express her disapproval, but an elven finger stoped her from speaking.
"No but. Just don't do it, please." The elf started to become weirdly emotional about Kia using such language. The elf questioned her emotions, Kia was an adult by all standards she knew, additionally the girl was accustomed to death and killing after all and Iris was not the girl's parent to scold her for speaking however she chose to but the elf felt wrong with letting Kia curse. Do undead even...The elf's head shook as if trying to get rid herself of the messy thoughts plaguing her mind. Her finger tipped with a small pointy nail was still placed on the small lips of the girl. Kia's blue and golden eyes casting a humbled stare onto the ground below.
"Could you do it for me? Please." Iris said receiving a nod from Kia. "Soo, what you want to do with those ghouls?" The still-wet undead said trying to change the subject.
"What do you mean?" The shorter but dry undead stepped back and asked.
"We could go destroy their nest as that human asked or leave," Iris explained. "Also I will have to buy couple more things I noticed we lack but we would have to earn more money to do that." She crouched beside the dead ghoul struggling to cut his ear with her spear.
"You should be able to use your nail for that," The girl said before sinking into a thoughtful state. "I think... we should go destroy these monsters." She answered, her eyes sparkling the way Iris saw them do when eating.
"Thanks but I don't want to touch this thing more than I have to."
The two went in the direction where the ghouls came from, Iris giving Kia the cut-off ears to hide in her inventory. The forest swayed gently with an ambient sound of leaves rustling filling the air around the girls as they made their way through the dense forest. They eventually come across a clearing with a small mound of dirt placed at the far end of the clearing. The elf saw three ghouls walking around the mound. The monsters were in a process of chewing on old bones, fighting and ripping the yellowish bones from each other. One of the monsters collapsed as a dark magical projectile hit him in the torso. His pack mates stop their fight over the bone of an unfortunate creature and started to try locating the caster.
"Hey!" Iris taunted the remaining monsters, her spear held tight in her hands.
The two ghouls upon noticing Iris rushed at her with great leaps turning up the ground with their claws. They closed the distance with terrible ferocity reaching the elf faster than she anticipated. Iris rolled under a horizontal swipe aimed at her by the leading ghoul, instantly after she trusted her spear at the second ghoul but her strike fell short missing its target leaving a gash on its flank. The leading ghoul dug its claws in the dirt, circling back into the fight but in a show of their intelligence, the ghouls don't charge mindlessly at the prepared elf but start to circle around her looking for weakness growling and snapping their jaws at her. Iris tried to keep the two ghouls in her vision trying to leave their trap.
The elf was about to readjust her position again but one of the ghouls turned his body on a dime and charged at her. The monster dug his limbs into the soil as hard as it could while the elf steped forward, her silvery spear aimed at the aggressor.
Iris's eyes widen in shock, realising what is about to happen she scrambled to turn. "Mana Shockwave!" She shouted but her arm was rammed out of the way by the second ghoul slamming Iris to the ground. The sharp teeth of the ghoul fill the elf's sight as the beast opens its maw. The pinned undead saw the human-like eyes of the monster filling with fear and the fearsome ghoul jumped off the elf and started to whimper like a beaten dog.
"Thanks and sorry I guess." The elf stood up and said to Kia who still frowned in the direction of the fleeing monsters as she walked up to her. The elf didn't know what the necromancer did to cause them to run away but what ever it wasn't something physical.
"Sorry?" The girl relaxed her frown. She turned to face Iris, tilting her head puzzled.
"Yes, for having to intervene and for my fail-."
"But you learned something?" Kia interrupted Iris in her explanation. "Then I don't mind. You either win or learn." She spoke after receiving an awkward nod from the elf, she started to walk to the dirt mound where the ghouls hang around, the air of authority hanging above her.
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Iris hesitantly joined Kia on the ridge of the dirt mound which had a hole inside of it. The inside was lined with sticks, leaves, bones and rotting bodies. In this pile of garbage were small brown hair creatures moving. The elf saw ropes tied to the arms of the dead humans but she paid it no mind.
"Why do they build these?" Kia asked.
"I don't understand what do you mean?"
"They are monsters, what are these for?"
"Marking their territory and protection I would assume."
"What do we do now?" The girl turned after a moment of doing nothing.
"Burn it." The elf answered in a monotonous voice lacking sympathy for the monsters.
A black and white spark came from Kia's hand causing an magic inferno engulfing the pit. The smell of burned meat filled the air but no smoke rose towards the sky only a haze of hot air created by the inferno. The elf searched the surroundings for any valuables, only finding two curled-up ghouls lifeless under a tree root. They appeared sevearly inflicted by fear but Iris had never saw a person never mind a monster perishing from fear and terror alone.
The women walked back to where they stepped off the path and continued their journey back to Gradya. The peaceful walk was only sparsely interrupted by Kia asking more questions about what came to her curious mind.
The distance sound of the blacksmith rolled over the plain as the two got near their destination.
"Kia, where is your cloak?" The elf asked.
"Here." The girl touched the side of the backpack on Iris's shoulder.
The elf stopped and rummaged through her backpack pulling a dark colour cloak. She offered the cloak to Kia who put it on with a small grimace. The two walked to the gate meeting the same guards as before.
"Hello, you finished with them?" The older guards said the sun reflected from his new metal pauldron. "Great, eh you still hadn't pinned your badges." He spoke after the elf has nodded pointing his finger towards elf's chest.
"Forgot, better things to do," The elf spoke, wanting to end the subject and be done with the town.
"Right, Ros get them to the mayor."
When they followed the human through the door beside the gate they were met with the same sight as before as if not even a day had passed. The trio approached the mayor's house beside which the armored humans playing the cards avoided the elf's absent gaze.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
Ros knock on the door from which emerged the mayor after some moment.
"What you...Oh, hello what I do to get such a visit?" Gion said with a nervous laugh, upon seeing the two his hand massaged his forearm where Iris had grabbed him.
"I think you know," Iris pulled a paper sheet with the details of the request. "Also we destroyed the ghoul lair."
"Gion took the paper with a shaking hand. "Where is proof of those achievements you claim?"
Iris looked at Kia beside her, somehow understanding elf's silent pleas from under her hood taking off her backpack settling it on the ground and pulling the still bloody ears of ghouls from the "backpack".
"Disgusting at least clean them or something before showing them to me, fine I pay you the same reward as for the goblins but if they are still there my father will inform the right people." He cowered his mouth with his hand and frowned as a drop of ghoul's blood splattered on the stone stairs, Gion then disappeared inside the mansion, coming with a pouch in his hand and their paper in the other. "For the ghouls and show this to the guild and take the bloody deposit." He said while pulling four golden coins from the pouch. "Now get lost." The door slammed shut with a loud noise.
The elf looked at the paper scroll seeing it was a sign at the bottom left corner. She turned to leave followed by Kia upon seeing how Ros's brown eyes were wide open and eyeing the golden coins as they disappeared in Iris's satchel.
"Wow, maybe I should become an adventurer, that much for just goblins?" Ros whispered under his nose.
"It's not worth it," Iris said remembering a literal deluge of hairy creatures attacking her not that long ago. Ros's eyes became bigger as the elf answered his whisper.
The two exited the village and Iris estimated they have three more bells of sunlight left.
"Kia, would you rather go to the city but we are going to arrive late or camp, like usual?" The elf said after going far enough from the guards.
"What's the difference?" Kia lifted her head to see elf's face from under the hood.
"If you choose to camp we are going to arrive in Marinya tomorrow and if you choose the city we are going to arrive earlier and we can buy stuff quicker and rest in proper beds. Nothing really changes except what we sleep in and where." The elf pulled Kia's hood off with her hand while explaining.
"Can we buy the sticks when we arrive?" The girl flashed elf with a hopeful gaze filled with expectations.
"Maybe not shashliks but I saw a restaurant in the guild," Iris spoke to Kia but her gaze turned puzzled upon hearing a new word. "Place where you can buy food." Upon hearing the elf's explanation the smaller girl's face lit up. Her open mouth started to drool slightly.
"Kia, hello."
"Y-yes?" The girl quickly wiped the drool with both of her hands.
On Iris's face, a small smile appeared making Kia pout a little. "What I was trying to ask is how do you attach this." She showed the adventurers guild badges which needles struggle to go pass the enchanted clothing.
"Oh, no you can't do that." The girl shook her head understanding what Iris had in mind.
"Kia, would you show me your backpack?" The elf said looking for a specific thing, overcome with a sudden idea. Eventually, after searching in both backpacks she found a small rope used for tying parts of the tent together. She used her nail to cut a part of the rope and used the pin on the badge to secure it in place.
"Could I?" The two colour-eye girl beside the elf asked stretching her hands towards the quickly converted badge. She makes a half-circle on the top of the skull using her normal-looking nail and rips the pin used to secure it in place. "Like this?" she shows a makeshift necklace.
"Yea just what I imagined." The elf tied a rope through the newly made hole.
The two had created themselves necklaces but Kia's eyes tracked the pale elven hand which tied the rope diligently. Iris gave her the rest of the string making the blue and golden eyes sparkle with excitement. The rest of the way to Marinya Kia was trying to replicate Iris but only managed to make a couple of knots on the string.
The sun had set under the horizon giving the moon the chance to dominate the heavens, illuminating the night with its silvery glow.
Kia started to yawn as the night progressed but she stayed awake with the promise of food coupled with her new objective of tieing a string around her finger. Far, far into the distance, Iris could see the dark silhouette of the Marinya's walls.
"Who is there!" A guard shouts in low voice.
"Adventures!" The elf shouts back.
"Show your badges." The same guard asked when the girls approach closer.
Iris showed her "badge" getting a perplexed look from the guard who takes it from Iris. "Looks legit." He says waving the elf to go, shortly later joined by Kia.
The duo headed towards the adventurers guild walking through empty streets with the hollow sound of their boots hitting the cobblestone, occasionally passing a guard patrolling with a torch in his hand. When they pass through the door they noticed almost no adventures were present, Iris led Kia to the reception which was staffed by a tired-looking young human female with slightly purplish straight hair.
"Hello, how can I help?" The receptionist asked.
"We would like to return a quest, sell monster ears and get a room." Iris put the signed paper onto the counter.
"Goblin Extermination requested by Mayor Gion Korenst of Gradya." The human took the paper and disappeared behind the door behind her coming back with a pouch. "Now that was in a deposit box, remember the guild takes a portion of the revenue made by adventures. This I believe is three gold and twelve silver. The rooms are ten silver and eight copper and for the sale of monster parts go there." She points at the station to her left after giving Iris her key.
The person inside the station were Mark the antiquarian and another man with grey hair appearing within in his neatly trimmed black hair.
"Hello, my name is Vincent." The man said quietly pointing at Mark appearing to be sleeping beside disassembled machinery.
"Selling monster parts." Iris mimicked not wanting to wake the old man.
"What you got?" As Vincent was speaking Kia pulled the ears from the "backpack" and showed them to him. " Five ghouls that will be two silver each." Iris did her best trying to hide her surprise as she was handed five weeks worth of good wages like it was nothing.
"Could I ask, Is the restaurant still operational?" The elf looked worriedly at the dimly lighted room as she received the silver.
"Usually, yes but today some big merchant employed a big chunk of the free adventures for his caravan with addition to some mercenary contractor so the cooks went home." Vincent made an apologetic face while explaining.
"Thanks." The elf said, walking with disappointed Kia upstairs.
The old door squeaked as Iris turned the key and pushed it open. Kia took off her cloak and backpack threw them onto the ground and fell on the bed. The elf closed the door and picked up the thrown items neatly putting them onto the chair beside her jacket and backpack. She sat beside Kia who moved and leaned her head against the elf's shoulders.
Iris placed her hand on the other undead leg going back and forward trying to console her.
"Tomorrow we can get what you want." The elf said receiving a small hum of agreement from beside her.
The cool feeling coming from the girl's skin touching Iris's own skin fought the heat slowly appearing throughout her body. She closes her eyes trying to concentrate on something different. As the moonlight coming from the single window sluggishly moved across the room, Iris began to hear ragged breaths from where Kia sat. She too felt short of breath recently, her mind accustomed to living body figured she could wait it out but if the girl also felt it there had to be a reason. She turned to see what caused the undead beside her to breathe in such a way.