Chapter 13: Ch 12 “Secret Weapon”

“ The dwarfs of Edor are a vestige of an ancient pact between the humans and the dwarfs.
When the Holy Human Empire was still in infancy, full of bravado and confidence it tried to do what does “knife ears” could not. Conquer the underground halls of the venerable dwarves which are filled with wealth no man has dreamed of. Dwarfs which in their long and troubled history created impenetrable holds in the rock able to withstand the greatest of armies.
During the year 147 of the human era, the human empire declared war against the dwarfs who hid behind their stone gates. The war lasted for 33 years of long and bloody clashes between both sides in the shadows of the mountains or dark tunnels. But the dwarven master engineers of long past did not account for the dwarfs to increase in numbers to such an extent to where their monumental halls which held their food to be drained in a measly 32 and 10 months. For the last two months of the war dwarven king looked for peace with his opponents who in their short lifespan viewed the war as a waste of their time. Both empires negotiated a peace seeing more benefits in trade and commerce than continuing the war.
But the dwarves paid a heavy price for their apparent weakness, their unity. Now each of the holds views themselves as the rightful heir of their legacy which is worth any price.”
                                                                                                       -Exert from History of Niuran by Professor Potr of Grand University of Oriripol

 

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The mysterious black creature which was in front of Kia and Iris lower itself to the ground and stopped all of its movements when the duo approached close enough to detect them. When they were close enough to take a good look at the creature Iris realised that it was an insectoid looking monster. It was clad in black armour which clad its entire body from which 6 long and skinny legs resemble long sticks. On its head was a pair of similar appendages but somehow even longer than its legs.

 

[Inspect]

 

[Verome Level 17]

[ Insectoid monster who feasts on the dead]

 

They had approached the verome until every detail could be seen of the motionless creature. Its front pair of legs were actually a pair of claws and in the middle of its head were two razor-sharp fangs which slightly shined with purple greenish hue. Besides the creature was a dug up hole in which laid many mutilated and torn corpses of many different origins some of which were still twitching their mummified limbs or at least attempting to.

 

"Kia, is this some kinda undead?" Elf asked perplexed.

 

"No, but I do detect some death magic coming from it. Mm, I wonder..." Kia answered Iris's question after which she placed her hand in the familiar position and muttered something.

 

"Thought about something interesting Kia?" Iris asked.

 

The verome who must have been getting impatient with the two, straighten itself showing how large he was. It approached Iris's midriff in height, who was already slightly taller than an average human.

 

"Just wondering about its lifespan and if it just has highly resistant to death mana or possesses some kind of regen." She answered with no hint of her joyful and merry tone.

 

"And that is because?"

 

"Death mana kills off anything which lives, that's why they stopped visiting ... you did not know this?" The girl again started to trail off but quickly turned the exchange back on track.

 

"No, we were..."

 

*Crack*

Girls turned their attention towards the sound finding the verome rudely interrupted elf by cracking the femur bone and then consuming it bite after bite.

 

"...just thought not to spend a lot of time in areas where the undead are, that's it. Not why."

 

"Well, now you know."

 

The girls left the verome to his business and continued their track along the ancient road. The small stream which ran along the road carved a deeper and wider channel into the rock which slowly meander its way west. Going farther from the once parallel road to slowly disappear beneath the horizon.
As the sun was slowly beginning to set basking the girls with its dying light and painting the sky in red and purple, Kia rested her head on Iris's arm and wrapped her hand around it.
Somehow the cold touch of her smooth skin brought the elf comfort and a fuzzy feeling which spread across her body in a soothing wave which washed over Iris.
They walk like this until Iris hears a barely a whisper loaded with exhaustion.

 

"Ttiirreedd. Can we stop?"

 

"Are you alright?! Is everything good?! You need something?!" Iris moved to administer whatever need Kia might have, remembering about Kia's last time she wanted to sleep and what ensues afterwards.

 

"I'm fiiine. I just need some re*yawn*est, I promise." She manages to reply and before Iris could try to resist Kia's eyes lid closed leaving the elf alone to deal with the possible consequences.

 

She slumps over and Iris catches the sleeping girl. She drags both of them to the side of the road and sits on her knees. She puts the sleeping beauty's head on her makeshift pillow.
Kia shifted around on the elven plump thighs until finally set in, closely resembling a cat while doing so.
Iris gently stroked the sleeping girl's silk-like hair. Remain vigilant against whatever might try to disturb or try to wake her up if something unusual happens. The sleeping undead chest rose and fell as if imitating breathing which Kia rarely did, unlike Iris who still could not get used to some of her race's new feathers one could call it.
The endless grasslands overtook the forest long before they even met the strange living creature in the land of the dead. Its grass swayed in the wind which swept the surrounding area. Iris noticed the dozen shambling undead in the sea of grass around them. Her thoughts began to drift until focusing back on one thought which garnered her interest.
Why were the undead on this land and why? Even with her lack of magical knowledge, she understood that there were two types of undead, first were the resurrected undead who possessed the body of an actual dead person and second were spawned undead who manifested because of surrounding mana and were usually more monstrous or not fitted its circumstances too well. She wondered what might have caused such a situation where the undead of the first type was outnumbered by the second which never happened when she travelled with Brad.

The darkness of the night slowly gave way to the first shy light of the day. Kia stretched her arms and legs but never lifting her head from Iris's thighs.

 

"Hello, slept well?"

 

"Mmymems~" Kia turned herself and warped her arms around the elf's hips.

 

"Great that you found them comfortable~"

 

"Comfy." She turned again and buried her head in her comfy headrest.

 

"Wakey wakey. We still have some things to do." Iris shook Kia's shoulders but only felt her arms tighten around her hips.

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"No. I don't want to." A muffled refusal came from Kia.

 

"Wake up or else~"

 

"No."

 

"Fine, you left me no choice then..."

 

Iris loomed her hands over Kia giving her one last chance but seeing no reaction from her, she lunged. Kia exposed neck and armpit were assaulted by elf's fingers causing the girl to shoot upwards with laughter falling onto the grass with a dull sound.

"Stop! HAHAHA! Stop!" Kia tried to beg for mercy in between the laughs but the elven attack did not stop. "I'm sorry! HAHA! Just too comfy! HAHA!" Iris tickled Kia until she stopped and shoot upwards onto her legs.
"Oooo!" A sound of disappointment left the now pouting girl, who realized that her warm and soft headrest escaped.
Iris offered Kia her hand who then grabbed the offered hand with great "displeasure".

 

"What was that?"

 

"Tickles?" Iris move her fingers in the same way she tickled Kia which caused the girl to step back fearing the elf's power.

 

"Y-yes. What was that?"

 

"It's just something that people have when you touch them." She tried to explain.

 

"Can I try it?"

 

"Sure." The elf leaned toward Kia and exposed her neck.

 

Kia lifted her hand towards her neck and mimicked what Iris has done, or at least tried. Kia's touch felt more comforting with its coldness rather than a tickle but it still made Iris smile.

 

"Oow. It doesn't work." Kia retracted her hand with great displeasure for Iris and looked at her hand with a sad face.

 

"I liked it~" The sad face from Kia disappeared replaced with a face filled with pride and delight. "Now fix your hair and we will resume our little adventure."

 

In front of Kia appeared a glass shard with purple mist forming behind it. It was a huge piece of glass which looked like it was a piece of a much larger mirror with its uneven and gaged edge. She looked herself over in the mirror while Iris fixed her sleeveless dress which got a bit dusted.
She combed her hair which got a bit messy with a bone white comb which appeared in a similar fashion to the glass shard.
Kia looked at Iris who watched the small porcelain white fingers skillfully working the ebony black hair. Upon finishing her handiwork the mirror floated towards Iris.

 

"Can I?" She pointed at the elf's hair.

 

Elf ran her fingertips along with her long hair and received a hesitant nod from her, Kia quickly sat the taller girl on a boulder and began her work.
While she looked at what will Kia do with her hair, she did not worry about the end result after all the girl who was behind her was better at fashion and clothes than she but she did feel like one of the dolls that are played with by little girls.
When Kia finished elf's hair was braided in such a way which allowed her hair to flow on her back while a portion of it was braided to look like a circlet.

 

"Wow."

 

"Thanks." On receiving a prize for her work Kia turned around with pinkish cheeks.

 

The two resumed their journey along the road. A sudden thought invaded the elf's mind.

 

"Kia?" She asked the humming girl beside her.

 

"Yes."

 

"Do you find our travel boring?"

 

"No. Why you asked?"

 

"Just asking."

 

The duo walk up what looks like another hill but when they reach the summit awed both by them a shimmering sea which fills the horizon in front of them.