"Mana naturally sinks, concentrating in deep underground caverns creating powerful monsters but in rare and horrifying instances, truly unique "monsters" are created. The dungeon cores or their rarer and more powerful cousins dungeon masters are monsters created by an immense amount of mana and an unknown variable, able to create their own dominions called dungeons.

In their domain, they are almost godlike, able to create elaborate dungeons filled with other powerful monsters. It is unknown why but dungeon cores and their kin don't use their powers to their limits rather they use their power to create dungeons with a theme and a story. They are one of the most dangerous monsters known to live in Niuran often launching raids against all who live close seemingly desiring for people to take revenge and venture inside their domain. It is also known that upon being defeated and dragged out of their domain their power is diminished to only a minuscule fragment of their full power."

 

-Extract from a diary of a professor teaching at Oriripol Academy.

 

---

 

The chirp of sea birds permeated the dock district accompanied by the gentle song of the sea until a singular powerful ring rumbled throughout Marinya, announcing the arrival of dawn, domineering above the ambient sound of a slumbering city. In a dark room on the second floor of the Adventurer Guild building, Iris lay beside Kia watching her doll-like body resting peacefully after their incident. The elf noticed the skin on the left side of the girl's body become slightly translucent right after their sudden cuddling session, mere thoughts of yesterday's events caused the stoic undead to begin to flush.

The sleeping girl's face grimaced as the sound of the bell reached her round ears causing her to further disappear as she snuggled deeper into the cushions. Bells later Kia surfaced with half-closed eyes as the city around them came to life.

 

"Hello, sleep well?" Iris could only grin at the adorable girl in front of her.

 

"Mwmhat?" The girl turned on her side and rubbed both of her eyes as her mind slowly caught up. Her eyelids opened with annoyance finding the noise from the street to be too loud.

 

Kia's eyes focused on Iris with an expression of trying to remember something before covering her face with her hands. From in between her slim finger her golden colour eye bashfully flickered its gaze between Iris and the bed. The two stayed still until Iris moved her head closer to Kia until their forehead meet.

 

"What happened?" The elf asked concerned as she ran her fingers across the silky black hair. She felt all shame disappear as she watched the poor girl struggle with her own emotions.

 

"Y-you know."

 

"No I don't, you would have to tell me~?" The grin on Iris's face appeared again as she saw Kia's cheeks flush with red even more from between the fingers.

 

"...not funny." The girl muttered a quiet response to the elven teasing.

 

"I will not stop, until.." The grinning elf said as she gently peeled Kia's fingers from her face. "..you had showed me your face~." The elf said as the last finger covering the bashful girl with rosy cheeks was slowly moved aside.

 

"Bully." The girl tried to fend off Iris's teasing but managed to cause the elf's teasing smile to grow wider.

 

"For you, I could be anything." Kia heard before receiving a quick kiss on the forehead causing Kia to completely hide her embarrassed face in her hands.

 

Seeing the state of the undead mage beside her elf sat up on the edge of the bed putting her feet firmly on the ground and stretching, before standing up and walking up to her scattered clothes.

Iris grabbed the soft black dress from the ground and neatly placed it on the bed.

 

"Are you going to stay here?" The elf asked upon seeing Kia covering herself with the greyish blanket.

 

"M¡#m‽m." Came a grumpy sound from under the blanket where the cat like girl made her nest.

 

"Well, I think that's better, more food for me that way~" The dressed undead slowly turned towards the door glancing at the bed and particularly focusing on a small ball hiding under the blanket.

 

"Wha-!" The elf yelped as the blanket went flying across the room in a blink of an eye as a short pale and most important naked figure jumped out of the bed, dashing towards the closed doors

 

"Nononono, where do you think you going dressed like that?" Iris rushed to grab Kia as she went past, The elf grabbed the girl under her arms and lifted the almost weightless girl, with one quick turn placing the girl on the bed.

 

The unaware girl frowned at the elf until noticing her lack of any articles of clothing. She scrambled to find her black dress which lay beside her, Iris pointed to where she had neatly placed the apparel. With one elegant move, the dress slid down along Kia's body covering her from ankles to neck leaving only feet, arms and her head to be left visible.

 

"May I go?" The girl made the biggest puppy eyes she could manage at the moment and begged the elf.

 

"Of we go then." Iris step back and followed the eager Kia, who dashed towards the door.

 

*Thump* *Thump* *Thump*

 

As Iris closed the door behind them, locking their bags in their room she heard the loud hollow noise of Kia's feet running on the wooden staircase. She walked down the corridor before she heard another set of the same sound followed by Kia appearing a moment later.

 

"What happened?"

 

"My cloak, I forgot about it." The girl whispered while nervously looking around her.

 

The two went back to their room taking the woolly cloak and their necklaces after which they slowly made their way downstairs, Kia slowly following Iris.

 

"Hello! Was that you who came downstairs a minute ago?" A brown hair elf wearing a dark blue uniform with a white shirt underneath waved, she jogged to a far corner of the room and swung part of the desk up allowing her to approach. " You must have been blessed by Inish herself, no wonder you are hiding under this cloak. Men would swarm around you like flies if you ever show yourself, oh that's why your team up with an elf noble..." Mira leaned towards Kia and started to wave her hands around with frantic speed.

 

"What!" Iris yelled, shocked by the chestnut hair elf's eccentric logic.

 

"What other reason would an elf not gain a level in their class but has stats like yours." Mira flashed a knowing smile.

 

"Wha... that does not...look, I am not a noble of any kind, understood?" The undead elf pinched the spine of her nose and close her eyes trying to comprehend what was even said.

 

"Aye aye, I understand what you mean." Mira winked as her tone changed to one of a soldier receiving an order. "What you are going to do anyway?" She asked another question.

 

Iris opened her eyes and let go of her nose not knowing what she had missed. "Grab some food, after that no clue."

 

"Anything particular you going to eat?"

 

"Don't know, first time eating here." Iris glanced at the fidgeting Kia who stared back at her with impatient eyes.

 

"Get steamed fish its far best in here, I will not bother you any longer. I am there if you need me." Mira shook her head towards the reception and walked away from the hungry undead and her follower.

 

Iris and Kia walked over to the restaurant part of the guild which was empty and went over to the empty counter behind which they found a cook was prepering dough. The cook wore a white buttoned uniform with the same colour apron tied at his waist with grey pants.

 

"Hello, what would you like?" The cook turned around, his clean shaved face flashing a small welcoming smile.

 

"What is there?" Iris said it was both hers and Kia's first time in a restaurant, as a free person at least.

 

"A new adventurer I see, there is the menu, sorry for the lacks in it." The cook pointed at the wall behind them with a board full of writing.

 

Many of the dishes were crossed out but there were almost three dozen of things still available.

 

"What do you pick?" The elf asked Kia who stared at the board with open eyes not discouraged or not understanding the number of things she couldn't taste.

 

"Everything." The girl whispered the answer making a big circle with her hands.

 

"How about three being a limit for now?"

 

The hooded girl turned towards Iris with a frown but nodded with irritation carved into her face.

 

"Would you like me to pick?" Iris asked as Kia scratched her head probably not knowing what chicken was. "How does steamed fish with earthfruit and gravy, fried chicken and vegetable soup sound?" The elf tried to avoid the words that Kia might not know as the name of the fish or Cuna style. The girl nodded eagerly.

 

"Decided?" Cook stopped his work once again.

 

"Yea, could we get number seven, eighteen and number twenty-seven twice, please."

 

"Did not hear such a nice way of ordering food for a long time and that would take about thirty minutes but I can get you the soup in less than five if you like." A small genuine smile appeared on the man's face.

 

The elf nodded and lead the other undead to a table, as they waited Kia pulled a piece of string from nowhere and started to play with it causing Iris to smile while shaking her head at the helpless girl struggling to tie the string. After precisely five minutes the cook waved at Iris with a bowl of steaming soup on the counter. She stood up and brought their hot bowls.

Kia greedily devoured her bowl of soup as the elf slowly blew on the spoon filled with steaming liquid, she did not know why was she doing it but old habits must be hard to unlearn she guest. Upon finishing, Kia watched as Iris slowly consumed her soup.

 

"At least you are eating your veggies." The elf murmured receiving a questionable look from the girl.

 

The second meal finished ten minutes later, the girl ate her two meals with the sounds of delight between each bite. Iris tried to see if the food was that good but upon trying to steal a small portion of the earthfruit the blissful girl hissed at her with the deepest scowl she saw. The meals did not last long leaving Kia with nothing in front of her except the empty plates which she stared at with a dejected face.

 

"Finished?"

 

"More?" The girl looked at Iris with her puppy eyes she learned from aspect knows where.

 

"We are going to later, eating too much will cause you to have stomachaches."

 

"That's impossible, right?" Kia cast both questionable and horrified glace at the elf who raised her eyebrow.

 

The duo left the guild's restaurant after paying eleven silver after which they approached the reception.