"Adventurers Guild is not the only organisation offering services of monster slaying or protection. Many such groups are offering their services for less than the Adventurers Guild but the problem with these unofficial adventurers is their reliability. Unlike the Guild, which recruits hundreds if not thousands of new members each year and has a large pool of powerful adventurers to send where others failed, the mercenary companies are not able to replace their ranks at such a fast pace but they are not bound by rules like in the Adventurers Guild imposes on itself. One of the most important rules is that adventurers of the Guild could not serve as pioneers nor be able to be paid in land. Such rules caused the Adventurers Guild to be less popular in the border countries with vast wilderness to settle and colonize."

-Extract from "On Borders of Edor"

 

 

---

 

"Are we there yet...not...sleepy" Kia quietly muttered, curled up peacefully beside Iris, watching over her.

 

"That's new." The elf whispered, her eyebrow rising in interest as a hand of the sleeptalking girl reached to her shirt, gently pinching its hem.

 

"Tree...in front..." Kia muttered, turning her body over. She nuzzled into Iris's breast as she inhaled. "Nice..."

 

  Iris's eyes snapped away from the adorable girl as she heard a sound of footsteps behind the door. The door slowly opened creaking terribly, causing Kia to shift. The elf frowned as the door opened, but to her increasing concern, she could not see anyone behind the door. 

 

"oh." A whisper sounded from behind the door, so quiet it was Iris almost missed it.

 

  The elf straighten her back and saw a human child with long blond hair in the doorway. The small human's blue eyes opened wide as she realised the elf's gaze before quickly running away.

 

"Mmm?" Kia groaned as she stretched her body. Her outstretched hand searched for the other undead.

 

"Rest some more." Iris said, closing the door and walking to sit back on the bed.

 

"Huh!?" The undead girl opened her eyes, she froze as she noticed the roof above her. "I just got really tired and ummm-" Kia swiftly sat up and began to explain herself.

 

Iris leaned over the bed, her face mere centimetres from Kia. Their lips met as she silenced the girl with a long passionate kiss.

The tall elf explored Kia's mouth, enjoying each second that passed to its fullest. "I quite enjoyed carrying my little kitty~." She said as her hand cupped the stunned girl's cheeks , showing her perfectly white fangs as a wide smile formed on her face.

 

  The shocked necromancer stared at the Risen in front of her, seemingly bewitched by elf's smile. A bashful smile slowly crept on her face as she shifted, making her way onto the edge of the bed, her slim legs dangling freely above the wooden floor.

 

"I have to clean your cloak so stay here until I come back." Iris said, walking out of the room with the bloodied cloak folded under her arm.

 

"I will." Kia answered with a hint of sadness in her tone.

 

  Iris closed the door behind her. A strange smell hung in the air as she looked for Lamia. Following a sound of stirring. The elf walked downstairs to the basement, *Cough* *Cough* "Divines!" She suddenly went into a coughing fit opening the only door she saw.

 

"Oh, our guest is up," Lamia turned to the elf behind her was a series of tubes, mortars and glass bottles slowly filling with a greenish liquid. "It's really early in the day. I did not expect tired travellers to wake up so quickly. Did I wake you up with my little experiment?"

 

"No, not you at least," Iris said."But I have some questions that I did not have an opportunity to ask yesterday."

 

"You saw Sally? I thought she was also asleep. Hopefully, she did not do anything weird to you." The woman wearing a leather apron said. 

 

"Nothing worth mentioning," Iris answered. "Could I ask what is the name of this village?"

 

"You are currently in a grand village of Norten, northeast of Firmusa and located on the western bank of the river Neur." Lamia dramatically gesticulated as she spoke, ending her sentence with a little bow.

 

"OH." 

 

"Something happened?"

 

"Nothing just... never mind," Iris continued. "Where can I wash this?" She showed the bloodied cloak to the woman.

 

"Just follow me. Going to show you the village in the meanwhile as we walk." Lamia motioned to the tall elf to follow her.

 

---

 

POV change

 

  The door closed behind the Teacher leading the scary lady with a pretty face out of our house. I quickly stood up and headed toward my siblings' room, for some reason they can't leave their room. I very, very carefully put my ear to the door, listening quietly for any noise. I excitedly twisted the door handle upon not hearing anything, the scary lady who does not sleep did not leave anyone to guard the room. I quickly flung the door open.

 

"Brother!" I happily squeal, as I ran towards him. "Huh?" I stop as my he puts his slightly blue finger in front of his lips. "Why?" I angrily sat down on the floor with my arms and legs crossed and stare at him but instead of him coming to me and trying to brush my hair and me giggling happily afterwards, his frown deepened.

I followed his eyes finding a girl laying in the bed with her back towards us. "Oh." I said finding why Brother was so frustrated. I quickly stand up and ran towards the bed. "Get out of the bed, Brother is angry!" I push the girl sleeping in Brother's bed.

 

"Ŵ̶̲͒h̴̝̅ą̷͊̈́͜ẗ̵̲́!?" A strange string of words came from the girl.

 

"Get out of the bed!" I tried to grab the girl's arm, I stopped when I saw Brother franticly moving his hands in front of me. For some reason, his and the other siblings' hands can go through stuff. "But she is sleeping in your bed?" I asked, Brother, seemed shaken as the girl turned towards us, her face was very, very, very pretty more than Teacher or the scary lady but for some reason it was pink as she held a pillow in her hand. Oh, maybe she is similar to my siblings. 

 

The pretty girl covered her pretty pink face with her hands before trying to cover herself with a blanket. "Are you like Brother and other?" I easily turned the blanket from the girl's weak grasp.

 

The older than me girl did not answer rather she hid the pillow behind her back, I wonder why she likes it so much? 

 

  I try to tap the girl on the shoulder but multiple familiar hands reached for my outstretched hand.

 

"Oh! You made them come back!" I happily yelled as I saw all my siblings standing behind me. There were some who I did not see for a long time.

 

 

"Sister, why have you stopped visiting me after those people in robes came to the house?" I tried to ask but Sister just stared at me blankly.

"Sister, hello?"

"I̷̥͋'̷̪͆m̴͙̓ ̷̹̚š̵̻o̵̯̐r̷̯̈́r̵̲͆y̸̱͐."The girl behind me said something but I could not understand it. *Cough* "I disturbed them." She said followed by a bow.

 

"Wow," I turned to see the girl's face turned very pale as she spoke in. a beautiful voice. "Do it again, pleeeease." I pleaded to hear her again but instead of hearing her voice she just stared at me. "You kinda look like my siblings when they come to see the Teacher, you know? Are you my new sibling? That will be great if you were, we could play together and tell stories to each other, the other ones can't speak but they seem to like you...

 

---

 

POV change

 

"...and that's it I think." Lamia finally finished her lecture as she closed the door behind Iris.

 

"I thank you very much for answering my questions," The tall elf said. "Must have been a pain to answer them all."

 

"Actually I quite enjoyed our little chat," The woman said. "People in Norten treat me like an executioner, they try to avoid me as much as possible until something happens."

 

"You are not from Firmusa are you?" 

 

"What made you say that?" Lamia pretended to be shocked by Iris's question. "My name, my profession, my humour or that my skin saw more sun than they will ever see?" 

 

"From where are you?" The elf ignored the playful alchemist.

 

"I am from a village between Mensana and Oriripol," Lamia answered. 

 

Loud giggling reached the two women's ears, they both looked at each other and headed towards the source of the giggling. They reached the door where Iris left Kia, she opened the door and saw a human girl playing with a clockwork sphere as her undead girl sat on the bed, curiously observing the little human child.