"It is not unknown to find ancient structures of the bygone eras in the wilderness between the major settlements. From humble remains of homes still standing against all odds to massive temple complexes covered in powerful wards and anything in between, you could think of. Many had spent their entire lives trying to find an unplundered building from the forgotten past, housing powerful artefacts which could change the course of history.
Unfortunately for them, most ruins are not secret vaults housing incredible wealth or even remain untouched in the centries or millennials that the structures stood."

Extract from "Adventurers and Others"

 

 

---

 

The two undead followed the overgrown patch through the forest of white and red trees. The sound of woodeater pecking on a white trunk in hopes of feeding itself, echoed throughout the woods accompanied by a subtle rustling of the leaves swaying in the breeze.
As Iris felt bells go past as she and Kia walked on the neglected road, she stared at the girl to her right whose lips moved silently singing something probably.

  The fascinated elf felt the wind suddenly change, hitting her skin from her right. The wind gradually got colder for the elf. She stared stumped at her hands covered by black gloves, as long she remembered her new body always severely dampened or nullified the feeling of the temperature of her surroundings. The feeling of the cold brought by the unexpected wind was welcomed by Iris at first. After three hours of the ever colder wind assaulting her right side, the feeling started to irritate the tall elf. She was about to speak about the phenomena to the unaffected girl.
A painful blast of cold assaulted Iris as it seeped into her body, she slowed down letting the girl walk in front of her trying to figure out what had happened.
Kia suddenly began to wobble on her legs as she walked in front of Iris. The ground under her feet instantly iced over, instantly freezing everything close to her. Her slender form heavily tilted to one side, falling over.

 

"Are you alright!?" The vigilant elf quickly snatched the undead mage before she fell, the cold wind hitting her in the face. "Tell me what to do if you need something!" She quickly demanded as the cold retreated.

 

"I'm fine," The girl's already pale complexion became even paler almost translucent. Under her skin, Iris saw blue, golded and purple mist swirl just below the surface before the girl regain her previous complexion. "My excess mana must have been finally depleted." Kia calmly answered holding her hand to her forehead.

 

"Kia! I swear you gave me a heart attack!" Iris yelled at the too-calm undead.

 

"That's physically impossible, I removed your heart." The girl retorted.

 

"Very funny. Why did you not tell me you were about to explode?!"

 

"I planned to, but the consumption of so much mana remaining after the ritual fluctuated by quite a lot, so I thought would complete either tomorrow or the day after." Kia tried to explain herself, still being held by Iris's hands. "I planned to use it up slowly but I must have slipped while doing so."

 

"Why didn't tell me when you started this?"

 

"I...I did not want you to worry about me." The neutral tone Kia used slowly transformed. Iris stared at the undead girl before putting her gently on the frozen ground. The girl wobbled slightly as she attempted to take a step.

 

"Do you want to rest?" The concerned elf said, trying desperately to muffle emotions boiling inside her. "Be honest with me."

 

"No," Kia looked at Iris before hugging her. "Believe me." The girl's glowing eyes flashed the other undead with a begging look, which temporarily stifled the brewing emotions inside the elf.

 

  Iris sighed, motioning to Kia to resume their journey through the dense forest. She silently followed the mysterious undead, inside her head battle raged on. Iris wanted to stop Kia and demand she tell her what other secrets she is hiding but the elf felt wrong about questioning the girl. Whenever Iris gathered enough courage to ask, the girl would turn and gaze at her with jewel-like eyes penetrating her soul and cause the elf to lose want to ask further.

  The land in front of them formed a gentle slope becoming ever steeper the closer they got to their destination. The forest suddenly ended as the land beneath them turned to stone.

 

"Wow." Astonished Iris said as she gazed at the sight in front of her.

 

From where Iris and Kia stood, they overlooked a truly massive quarry. Iris estimated that the entirety of Marinya's lower district could fit at the bottom of the quarry where a small collection of houses stood.

 

"I expected something more humble to be called a simple mining village." The elf commented.

 

"What is a reason humans dug such a big hole?" Kia asked.

 

"Mining a certain stone for generations, rare minerals excavation or something else I can't come up with right now." Iris explained.

 

The road spiralled around the quarry's wall. The risen noticed that a relatively thick layer of soil rested on top of the stony ground. The two undead reached the bottom and slowly approached the village.

 

"Could you repeat the reason why you were so excited to get here?" The elf asked.

 

"There is something not allowing the dead near here to earn their deserved slumber," Kia answered, her eyes staring ahead of her with a serious expression. "Did you not listen?"

 

"Ehh... I was staring at a stunning wonder of the world?" The tall elf phrased her answer as a question. "Are you not a necromancer? Your class is primarily about resurrecting the dead the last time I checked." Iris retorted. The girl beside her stopped and rested her chin in her hand before silently resuming walking without answering the elf's question.

 

  The two reached the first building which resembled a typical village house, its once thatched roof was long gone. Iris pushed open an old wooden door, on its surface, the elf noticed many marks left by weapon strikes. She explored the ruined house for a couple of moments before leaving, finding completely empty rooms with only dust to welcome her.
The tall elf accompanied by the still contemplating necromancer entered a few more of the houses in the small village, finding them emptied of everything not nailed into the structure.

 

"Whatever happened here," Iris said. "Is not a work of mindless monsters."

 

"What do we do now?" Kia asked.

 

"I think I saw an entry to a mine or something similar on the other side." The tall undead responded, leaving the house.

 

"Can you tell how far this something is?"

 

"No, but I feel magic emanating from somewhere," The undead mage responded. "But it does not feel right.

 

"Should I be worried?" Iris asked.

 

"I don't think so," The girl answered, her face twisting in disgust. "I can't tell why but being here feels disgusting."

 

Iris worryingly looked at the necromancer walking next to her.
She noticed in Kia's blue and golden eyes a small spark of hatred, causing the elf to feel fear towards the hooded girl and fury at whatever garnered her anger.
They eventually reached what looked like an entrance to a mine. The two look at each other before venturing inside.