"The continent of Edor, once dominated by humans thoroughly that in height of Empire's power it was common to say the there was no longer a need for the services of Exterminators, now know as Adventurers. The renewed need for their services was aroused when the Holy Human Empire disintegrated and fractured into progressively smaller and smaller petty kingdoms and city-states after a series of terrible catastrophes. The Empire's collapse caused the once safe tracks of land to turn into monster infested territories in which the average human is a mere prey. In addition in the wake of the human collapse the strange race of Demi-Humans appeared in the east putting another nail into the coffin humanity would need to share with all the other empires of the past. The Exterminator's objectives was always to protect humanity from monsters in in today's tumultuous times those brave men and woman prevent the hammer from striking the last nail."

-Extract from "On History of Edor"

 

---

 

Iris's opened her eyes and saw that she had woken up inside large room with dark red walls with small black patterns adorning them. Many marble white columns stuck out of the walls held the high ceiling which mimicked a star-filled night to a ridiculous level of realism. Her gaze lazily drifted across the room lingering on a painting of a comet with a twin tail trailing behind it before she tried to recollected how she managed to enter such a place but the memories from the previous night were slowly trickling in, answering any of her questions. Her eyes dashed to her right side after something had brushed against her arm. She found a girl a little shorter than herself with ebony black hair lying peacefully on the right side of the bed. Her body clad in the thin black dress rose and fell rhythmically while her left arm was extended toward Iris, holding her right arm.

 

Iris's mind tried to protect her recovering psyche and flooded with questions she knew the answers to, making sure that she didn't do something stupid. Firstly, there was the fact of her new existence as one of the undead. Race or rather a state that should hate all life, seeing its demise as pleasurable duty. Undead supposed to only wear twisted masks of life while having no similarities with the living but as Iris looked down on her body and gingerly ran her finger down her thigh it appeared that her new body tried its best to masquerade itself as its previous self. Mutely she could feel warmth radiating off her body and as she unfortunately learned she retained the ability to shed tears, laying her hand on her chest she could feel her heart pulsing in her chest although her heartbeat felt odd.

 

Regardless of the oddities of her body, there was a more impotent question of where she now founded herself and with whom. She only saw the great and majestic palace-like complex overlooking an expansive underground lake and the silent city build which surrounded the lake in a crescent moon shape but nothing else. She suspected she was on the lowest layers of the tomb she had taken her last breath as an elf but if that was the case the undead elf feared to think how far the down the tomb was as only the cavern the city was in was the size of the mountain above.

 

Too trouble Iris further the ruler of Necropolis wasn't a cruel and easily hate-able undead but rather a small girl who had cried into her shoulder yesterday. How was it possible that that innocently precious girl who was the sole truly intelligent and sentient of the lonely city who appeared to have a desire to converse with someone, anyone really. She didn't know why Kia would not go outside after being so desperate to resurrect a worthless slave like herself instead of resurrecting the strongest human who had died on the same level as her or any other high ranking member of the crusade she could have chosen from.

 

*Purr*

 

Iris's thoughts instantly scattered after hearing Kia made a noise reminding her of a small cat. Feeling that it would end badly she tried to stand up from the bed but her right hand would not even budge as it was held by the delicate arm of the girl still sleeping peacefully as if nothing had happened. Iris then pondered why would she even need to leave the bed, she did not feel thirsty or any other urge for that matter, it must have been her routine that she developed, it would have ended badly if she had been seen lazily enjoy the rare amenity of proper sleep in a proper bed.

 

"Hello? Would you like to wake up?" She gently pushed Kia's shoulder unable to shake of her instincts.

 

She attempted to wake up Kia a couple more times, and just when she was about to give up trying, her two coloured eyes flared up alongside the soft purple glow from under her dress coming to life like a flame in a furnace. Their eyes met each other with a confused look on them, Kia murmured something and sat up on the bed.

 

"Hello."

 

"Hi, Ir*yawn*s," Kia said while rubbing her eyes with her free hand.

 

"What is the plan for today, my lady."

 

"W-wwhat !?" Her sleepy looked vanished in an instance

 

"...mH..."Iris quickly covered her mouth with a hand.

 

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" A frown accompanied by a pout appeared on the face of the teased girl.

 

So cute. The elf though but of course she wouldn't say it aloud. Eventually Kia's pout was replaced by a shy blush as she became aware of the elf's gaze.

 

"W-well I don't really have a plan, I never really did have one. Would you like to do something?" Kia put a finger on her chin freeing Iris from her iron grip.

 

Iris mirrored Kia's posture and after a short thought she came up with the answer.

 

"Why don't we go for a walk around the city."

 

"That's a great idea!" The shorter of the girls threw her hand up in the air, eagerly adopting the idea.

 

They both stood up from the bed. Kia went over towards the grand mirror tucked at the back corner of the room. She picked up a comb and started to comb her ebony hair. She did that until her hair was nice and straight like that of a doll. Iris never took care of her hair, taking care of them was something that nobles did so she watched focused on the graceful motions that Kia's hands performed.

 

"Oh, I forgot, here have it," She pulled a new comb out of thin air and offered it to Iris. Iris took the comb with a bit of hesitation and confusion about what is she supposed to do with it. "Do you not know what to do with this?" Kia said while she watched Iris's attempt on replicating her asked. "Oh, m-may I help you?"

 

After a hesitant nod from the elf, she was seated in front of the mirror with golden frame and stared at her own reflection as porcelain white hands began to work on her similarly black hair. After Kia was done with the comb she started to braid Iris's long black hair seemingly more out of habit then conscious thought. After a short while Iris turned her head around to examine Kia's handiwork.

 

"Wow." That was the only word that came to the elf's mind. "Where have you learned that?"

 

"Well, I have a lot of time to waste so I was just experimenting with my hair. She said holding one hand to her ear. "Now since we now both look good we are going out... I think that's what you suppose to do."

 

They exited the room and Iris followed Kia through long and winding corridors until both of them found themselves outside and they took the paved path flaked from both sides with gardens.

 

"Kia, how is it possible, that there are plants growing here?" Iris asked unable to resist after touching the green leaf growing in a cavern.

 

Kia stopped and stroked her chin and had a face of trying to recollect a distant memory. "I think there is a preserve spell of some kind on this area so they do not grow per se."

 

Iris nodded and the two resumed their walk. They started to descend down a giant staircase which got even wider the lower it was and ended at a small empty plaza. Kia started to walk silently toward the direction of the lake occasionally stealing a nervous glance at the elf like she was fearing that the new undead would disappear if she didn't look at it for a while.

 

"Why is your house, how should I put it? Your size while here the building are gigantic?"

 

"Oh, I know that one! Well, my house was built last because they were building this as a giant tomb but after I was found they changed their vision from a tomb to a City of the Dead and that I should rule over."

 

"And where are they now?"

 

"I don't understand?" Kia stopped in front of the lake which reflected the light that the rock ceiling produced reminiscent of a starry night.

 

"The Cyclops?"

 

"One day I was interested in why they did not come for so long and walked up there and saw that they were all dead, I think some new species that look a lot like yours rebelled or something. While the others are either in there or there" She pointed towards a far away portion of the city and then pointed at the only exit that Iris could spot from Kia's room.

 

"Oh...you never tried to look what happen outside of the city?"

 

"N-no the o-outside world is scary."

 

"Why do you think that?" Iris asked not knowing how a person of apparent high level could be scared of outside.

 

"I was once curious about the outside and I tried to see what was out there but when I opened the front door the Cyclops started to beg me to stay and that the outside is dangerous and horrible filled with BAD things." At some point, Kia covered herself with a blanket and hid behind it. "Oh, I forgot to ask but... never mind."

 

"Kia?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"How did you arrive here?"

 

"I don't really remember. Sorry."

 

"That's alright but were you always stuck here."

 

"From my earliest memory, I was here so sort off? I wouldn't say I was stuck here though."

 

Iris felt sad for Kiayicu, only Aspects knew for how long the girl was stuck here and she felt a tear welling up inside her. If their myth about her was true, she could understand Cyclops's position to use any trick to keep their "gift from gods" with them but that didn't change how the girl must have suffered here in total loneliness stuck with the same walls for millennia. Iris bit her lip and gazed at the waves lazily washing over the cold sandy beach knowing that if she steps on Kia's heels her new life would end here.

 

"Kiayicu, would you like to explore the outside world?"