"Ancient" is a term given often to beings from the previous cycles who gather unimaginable knowledge and raw power to earn this infamous title. The two most well-known examples are the Cyclops who possessed greatest of minds and constructed many of the wondrous structures and magical relics scattered across the world today. They are the possible cause of why many of the intelligent life look so similar either through their own degradation or one of their subject races, Vetarii becoming the progenitor of all "Fairer races".

The second example are dragons who were told to be able to crush mountains. Fortunately, all of the known ancient dragons were consumed by the aeons passing by, either killed by the heroes of old or trapped beneath the earth stuck in their eternal slumber."

-Extract from a burn diary of a heretic.

 

---

 

"Ehhh!" Kia yelp in surprise.

 

"Is there something wrong, wouldn't you want to see the world?"

 

"No...I mean yes...I-I mean, I don't know." She looked down with uncertainty at the black sand which formed the lake's shore.

 

"If you decide to change your man tell me." The elf felt dirty for allowing her spirit to crumble under the overwhelming aura leaking out of the girl.

 

Iris looked on as Kia sat down with her head hidden between her knees. Both of the girls sat upon the lake shore on which the small waves rhythmically washed upon it, listing keenly to the almost perfect silents that befell them.

 

"Fine! B-but you will come with m-me!" A sudden outburst shattered the tranquil silence that surrounded them.

 

"With pleasure."

 

"What are you waiting for?! We have to prepare!" Kia somehow managed to effortlessly stand up while the elf felt her knees struggle to move after an unknown amount of time had caused her joints to cease up.

 

Iris watched as Kia suddenly dashed toward the complex with much enthusiasm, hurrying Iris every once in a while to speed up. She wondered how such a quick turn of an attitude was possible while she climb the grand set of ceremonial stairs having lost the ancient in the palace only deserved by mightiest of rulers. She walked through the majestic hallways of the central building which still felt like her eyes were understanding of witnessing them before she arrived in front of Kia's room. Upon entering the room she saw Kia sitting on her bed with hands covering her eyes.

 

*Sniff*

 

"Ahh! Iris I-I don't know what to do. " She looked up to the elf with watery eyes.

 

"Now, now, everything is alright I told you I will help you. Didn't I?" The elf said as she sat down beside the porcelain doll-like girl, feeling strangely fitted comforting her. After seeing the girl nod she continued. "How about you tell me what you need help with?"

 

"I don't even know what to bring with me. I never left this place remember? Maybe I should just stay...?"

 

"Now seeing that we are undead we don't need food, do we?" Iris patted Kia on the head and tried to change the topic of the conversation seeing that continuing would not help the situation.

 

"N-no *Sniff* We don't."

 

"Great, so that's taken care of, see that was easy. Now, where do you store your clothes, Kia?"

 

"Most of it is there and also some are in my inventory." She pointed at the massive wardrobe in the corner of the room.

 

Iris went over and opened the dark wood wardrobe. It was filled with priceless and master-crafted dresses, jackets, cloaks and many more different types of clothing, more than half of which Iris could not even name and trying to guess the worth of everything inside made the slave dizzy.

 

"We have to pick our clothes for the j..."

 

"Hello?" The girl asked with worry entering her voice, Iris cursed herself in her mind, she must have spaced out.

 

"I didn't think about it."

 

"About what?"

 

"Ehh...two things. First, I don't have any clothes except those that you gave me. Second, do we even take damage from the cold?"

 

"I think you do not take damage from environmental effects given your race and you can borrow a few of my dresses." Kia's attitude changed to a very passionate one then showed a bright smile as she randomly picked a jacket from the wardrobe and handed it to the elf.

 

"I couldn't accept it Kiayicu you already did so much for me." The elf could imagine herself from shame if she would touch the folded jacket in front of her.

 

"K-I-A, I told you to call me Kia and you can have some of the clothes. After all, you will help me to go outside." She said while pouting a bit.

 

"Aren't they, your size anyway?"

 

"Technically yes but there all have [Resize] enchantment so it's fine, how else would this fit on you." She pointed at the elf's current clothes.

 

"Right... Now could you think about where you want to visit?" The elf gingerly touched the jacket offered to her. How could I pay for all of this? Is Kia trying to enslave me by making me go into debt?"

 

"Aaaaa...Ah! I guess I want to go where you use to live!" She threw her hands up high into the air, clearly feeling accomplished about her choice.

 

"Y-you sure?" Iris asked not sure knowing if she liked the answer.

 

"Mmmhhh!" The girl nodded enthusiastically.

 

"W-well, then we are going to need some armour, weapons and spare clothing..." Iris started listing things that she thought they will need it.

 

Both of the girls started to sort things they would need on Kia's bed. For the armour, Kia explained to Iris that what she currently was wearing had properties of full adamantine mail armour. Iris was shocked and looked at her long snow-white sleeveless dress that looked almost identically to Kia's. She did not feel very comfortable about fighting in such attire and she was more worried about such a priceless item will attract too much attention.

 

"If that's not enough we can go to the vault building outside for better items," Kia said not batting an eye after saying such a ridiculous and logic-defying sentence. Even Brad who was the hero could only afford one complete set of adamantite armour which was not even pure adamantite but only a weaker alloy of it.

 

"I think we should not go too flashy we don't want to attract too much attention, do we?"

 

"But the outside world is scary!" The smaller girl protested

 

"Trust me nothing will happen to you outside, how else do you think I lived up there." She pointed her finger to the ceiling. "Its better for you to blend it rather then stand out."

 

She choose a much more humble-looking grey padded leather shirt and grey leather pants which Kia told her were slightly worst than the sleeveless white dress, "only" mithril mail level equivalent. Kia stayed in her current clothes of ebony black dress only changing her footwear from sandals to actual shoes.

 

"Iris?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"What weapon does class use?"

 

"Oh..."

 

"Is everything working properly? Is the enchantment failing?" Kia muttered with even more worry in her voice than the last time, she began to shuffle closest as if fearing a simple breeze will knock the elf down.

 

"I did not inspected myself after your ritual."

 

"Oh, can you check for me?" For some reason, Kia's eyes seem to beg her to answer the question.

 

"Sure but my class was not very got one..." Iris paused remembering her class but she got distracted upon gazing at the screen that appeared.

 

Status

Iris

Race: Risen {Undead}

Age: 12.5 days

Title: [Defiant]

Classes: [Risen*Level 1 ] [ ]

Talents: [Masterful Translator] [Pure Mana Manipulation(awaken)]

HP* 300/300

Strength 45

Constitution 41

Dexterity 51

Wisdom 43

Intelligence 43

Charisma 40

MP 398/400

{New attributes detected}

[Risen]* A "new" variant of Undead created to be unable to be dominated by a more powerful entity.

It masquerades itself as best as it can, as whatever race it previously existed by. It is a unique race able to produce most bodily fluids, not subjected to emotional suppression and able to partially resist cleansing forms of magic.

However, signs of its Undead status are still noticeable. Examples include a never-ageing body which had become paler, regeneration level {E} and no need for sustenance or air.

 

[Risen] is a monster class taking and splitting the experience of the owner between the class and race levels.

{Receveid bonus for becoming first Risen}

Bonus to all stats.

 

[HP]"Health Points" Are renamed to "Hit Points" as an undead because of the difference between damage being taken.

 

"What?! H-how?!" Iris could not believe her eyes.

 

"Show me! Show me! Pleeaasee."

 

Iris enabled the vision of her status sheet. Kia's eyes went wide and a wider smile appeared similar to the smile that she had when they first met.

 

"I don't understand. What does it mean."

 

"Mean what?" Kia tilted her head to the side with a curious look.

 

"Everything?"

 

"My experiment worked and you were revived, so yay me!" She pumped her small fist in the air.

 

*Sigh*

 

Iris sat down on the bed trying to collect her thoughts. She knew that she was undead but for some reason seeing that on her status was different than just talking about it.

 

"Why am I 12 days old?" Was the elf first question.

 

Kia sat beside Iris. " It must have been 12 and half days since your resurrection."

 

"But I am here like 2 or 3 days at most."

 

"You were unconscious?" Kia shrugged.

 

"...What does that even mean?" The elf pointed at the last sentence on the magical tablet which mention her Health Points changing into Hit Points, but to her wasn't it all the same.

 

"Oh, that's easy you are undead. So let us say you have 100 Hitpoints and I have a sword that deals 10 damage. If I attacked a vital area like a heart it would result in a critical strike unless someone is there to heal it or you have damage resistance to physical attacks. While stabbing an undead in the heart would result in 10 damage unless you are a certain race." Kia waited until Iris nods and continues. "But there is a downside every single scratch results in the 10 damage being taken while living beings can ignore some trivial wounds in addition a living being's part like a foot can only take a certain amount of damage before it would be classified as neutralized, after which preceding attacks would deal no damage while an undead will take full 10 damage no matter the limb's condition. Silly is in it?" Kia spoke.

 

"It is strange but given this logic should hair cut result in damage?"

 

"No, because there is no death mana in them so no damage is dealt but that must be boring to listen to..." She spoke like an enthusiastic person explaining their favourite hobby but her face made a frown.

 

"Oh no that was very fascinating, Thank you." The elf never thought about damage like Kia, but it did make sense to Iris especially after watching humans destroy an undead by repeatedly stabbing it with spears or arrows.

 

"Soo, what weapon will you use seeing that you don't have any combat classes unlocked?" The girl's cheeks blushed a bit, looking exited for some reason.

 

"I don't know maybe I will become a mage? After all, I have pure mana manipulation." Iris said jokingly.

 

"I would not recommend that better to go with something else given your stats."

 

"You don't say anything about me being able to manipulate pure mana?" She said, watching intently at the girl sitting beside her who did not seem to react to her comment.

 

"No why should I? I can do it too. It's good at buffing your body and smiting stuff I guess." A shining ball appeared in Kia's porcelain white hands washing the surrounding area with a brilliant light.

 

Kia caught the orb between her closed hands and the bright light slowly lost its shine, eventually, she opened her hands with no trace of the orb left.

 

"Let's go back to work. I will think about the weapon alright?"

 

"Sure." The girl stud up

 

The both of them talked about what to bring outside. Fueling each other's ideas. Eventually, Kia offered Iris to try different weapons in the training room until she got her second class. She led Iris to a big empty room with a sand floor in the centre and weapon racks surrounding it. She stepped down onto the training arena. She grabbed a couple of weapons and swung at the training dummy finding that spear was her favourite currently.

 

"Would you like some moving targets?" Kia, who was sitting quietly at the edge of the room content with watching, finally spoke.

 

"Sure." The elf shrugged.

 

Kia raised her arm and a blue and yellow mist shot out of her palm landing in front of Iris. The black sand shifted and started to create a figure of a skeleton. Iris found it strange that an Kia raised a construct rather then a proper undead but rather then lingering on it she Inspected the construct.

 

[Inspect]

[Skeletal Construct Level 5]

{A death magic given form by its master.}

 

The construct stood there motionless until the sand started to create a curved sword and a round shield. Without hesitation swung it was curved only to be met by Iris's spear who tilled her weapon right allowing the sword to glance off the weapon. Iris punished the mindless construct with a stab from her training spear. The defeated sand construct disintegrated back into the black sand.

Kia started to create a stronger and stronger version of the Skeletal Construct keenly watching every moment with a serious face, unlike her usual bashful or happy face.

After level 30 where Iris could not win against the skeleton, Kia offered to stop and rest a bit but Iris refused to, being constantly defeated by it.

 

The black skeleton which had a straight sword and a shield charged Iris who tried to dodge the horizontal slash. She attempted to keep the enemy at the distance but the construct's relentless advance caused the tactic to become futile. It raised its sword high up and lowered it with incredible speed. Without stopping the downwards chop halted before it reached the ground and was trusted forward. Iris unexpectedly prepared to trust her spear. The blade impaled Iris which got Kia to yelp with surprise. Iris felt the pain but her mind felt disconnected from her body making the experience otherworldly. She did not panic as would a normal person would but calmly she trusted her spear into the sandy torso making it disintegrate.

 

Class gained

[Hoplite Level 1]

 

Both of the girls exited the training area and Kia threw the prepared items from her bed into her inventory. They started to walk towards the exit, towards adventure.