It was nice to rest and recover strength while embracing each other, but eventually we had to get up and check the tomb, mostly to get rid of notes that necromancer made and to check if there weren’t more undeads wandering around. We separated, Gisele stayed in main hall while I was investigating smaller rooms around.

Why I took more annoying work? For I was looking for his more private notes. If there is something I know about mad scientist, is that even as they make chaotic notes while experimenting, then after they are done they would rewrite the process into more esthetic form. Like for example labor journal. Or that was something that I used to do until I notice that I simply CAN’T forget once tried receipt. Neat.

So I strolled from one room filled with emptied coffins to another, making new friends of dust, spiders, and even more dust. Until I noticed path without dust on floor. Someone was walking this way, and as we haven’t meet here too many walking individuals but necromancer and his creation, I followed the trial. The trail that leaded me to the wall. I begun knocking into every single one of brick with my knuckles listening to the sound it made.

Aha! A loose brick, who would have thought? … Everyone?

I pulled it away uncovering a narrow hollow, where three books were put one near another. [Arcana of Death] advanced textbook for necromancer… oh my, written by our necromancer… together with letter from Academy of Neira. The letter in polite way declined Mr. Godrick offer of making his work a canon of art studying, telling that necromancy is being taught is Academy only on basic level and none of students would have any benefits from reading such a complex book, and that few solutions offered by Mr. Godrick are bit too… hardcore. No, it wasn’t saying [hardcore] but that’s definitely what they had on mind while writing the letter.

Another book I could name only as hit box, for it was filled with names from first page to the last, here and there with red markings near the name. So, our researcher had few enemies that he was killing in his spare time? Ha, quite hardworking individual… should I make such a book myself? Fortunately I don’t have these many people I want to see dead, thus for now my mind is more than enough.

And last book was exactly what I was looking for.

Day 1

Today I have started my researched in order to create a new form of vessel that could store a soul of necromancer. I simply find body of lich lack too many basic features. I should be happy that league has approved my labors and gave me moneys for most necessary equipment. For now, I will travel from one graveyard to another looking for fresh corpse. I will focus mostly on revering the process of necrosis and prevent it from happening, then I shall proceed into enchanting magical properties of…

“Zari!? Are you there?!” I shut the journal. “Yeah! I am fine! I am coming right away!”

I came back from the separate room. Gisele already managed to all papers into one pile

“And? You found something?” “Yeah, nothing serious thought. Only a list of his enemies… or so I thought.” I said putting it at the top of the pile “You done?” “A-ha. Was waiting just for you.” “Ok. So come, I want to leave this hellhole” I said snapping my fingers.

A sparkle appeared on the pile, within a moment a huge fire started devouring work of dark mage. Fret not, brother in science. Your greatest achievements are safe with me. Maybe one day your job will be needed, but for now, instead of being source of admiration, it is source of fear. Ah, we – the one not understood by society. I feel your pain. Farewell.

For the last time I turned around looking at inferno that started dancing in the hall and left the catacombs.

We entered the barracks of city guards.

“For the mercy of goddess! You came back alive! Found something?” “Yes. Necromancer turned your mausoleum into his house and experiment ground. He was creating new kind of monsters. This was a creature that attacked you in the nights…” Gisele was the one talking. “And daughter of merchant? Or my boys?” “…I am sorry, no one was alive. Only partly eaten corpses… Your guards were there, but I doubt that you want to hear what he made with them…” “Yes… I don’t. Poor bastards. They were good men. Foolish, but brave… we will drink in their name. I will inform a major. He will send your reward to the guild.”

We only nodded back and left the barracks. It was already nigh and we dreamed about nothing but warm bath and warm bed.

In the next day morning Jericho awaken us bit earlier, just before sunrise. Apparently he finished the paperwork in the night and we could start heading back. So we started packing ourselves. Twins went earlier to bring the cart, Rus, as punishment for all her sins, was sent to bring food supplies. One petite Rus carrying three bag packs, while each of them was almost same sized as girl.

Jericho only grabbed our rewards, telling us that he will deal with them in our guild, just so he wouldn’t have to deal with any more paperwork in Agrah. Well, I was pretty sure that few silver coins were about to vanish from our prizes, but as I wasn’t poor one, I didn’t say a thing. Ha! Only I know how much I owe Jericho, so averting my gaze when he was dealing with his debts wasn’t really enough to repay it.

… On the other hand I could tease and mock him asking were my coins go… No, maybe later. I have other plans for nearest future.

Eventually, after few days of travel, we get back home. Sweet home. Tsh, at least Gisele wasn’t the one driving a cart. I wouldn’t survive another such journey. We took our bags and headed into the guild.

Gisele opened the door with a kick and walked inside yelling [Guess who’s back!?], in answer few cheerful [Welcome back!] could be heard, and far more [Already?!] or [And it was so peaceful here…]

“WHAT? Are you not happy we came back!? You are breaking my heart!... And if you break my heart, I will break your legs…” “HURAY! OUR IDOL GISELE IS BACK! REJOICE FOOLS!... no honestly, rejoice…” “That’s better, isn’t it?” Dragoness chuckled looking back at us “Crap, they love me here. It’s hard being that famous.”

Everything was about to turn back into old ways. Jeremy quickly disappeared on stairs leading to his office… with our moneys.

“Hey! Master! Don’t you think you could slowly pay us back?”

I called after him in joking tone

“I am tired after this long journey… I am getting too old for this shit, my bones are cracking… I will deal with it tomorrow morning…” and he vanished for good “Yeah, till tomorrow he will manage to lose half of our salary on gambles and whiskey.” Gisele only said quietly to herself. The problem was that she didn’t say that quiet enough and we all heard it “He is a gambler? I just thought that he like spending more that he can earn… Oh my, oh my… maybe I know someone who would persuade him to stop spending moneys in such foolish matter…” “RUS! Come to us! Tell us how your adventure went! Jericho was mad, was he? Come on!”

Someone cheered from inn section. Rus got red all over her face remembering all humiliating jobs that Jericho forced her to do.

In same time, I bowed slightly in direction of Gisele and offered her my arm

“Milady, would you do me this honor and be my company for rest of this night? I am sure that we could spent some time drinking some decent vine…” I said in tone of highest aristocrat

In response playful sparkles appeared in her eyes. She courtsided slightly. It was bit harder task as she was wearing traveling trousers and not a dress.

“That would be a pleasuhe, milord.” She said missing [r] in her speech. She grabbed my arm and I start slowly leading her after Rus. “Barman, bottle of finest wine!” I called from afar. Poor bastard that was currently behind the counter seem to be lost after hearing my order “Sorry… but we don’t have wine… I mean, adventurers are more fines or other drinks so…” “Tis’ most unfortunate!” I looked back on dragoness “Beer is fine?” “Fine.” She nodded still smiling.

And we enjoyed our company for rest of the day, mentioning stories from other adventures we had. We were never out of topic, simply one was leading to another, as we were talking about the quest, we proceed into describing some battle styles, then we would mention somebody we know who is good with that style, just to mention on which quest we met that person.

Gisele was also talking about countries she visited, food she ate there, what kind of people are living there and how they react toward those who are different. It was so nice to listen to her clumsy description! Over and over again she was forgetting what she just said, so continued her story from completely different place. But, the time has come for the main event of this night.

“Gis, mind coming with me?” “Where?” “To my room. There is something I had to show you.”

She title her head in curiosity

“Sure thing. Lead the way.”

So we went there. I opened door to my room calling from doorstep

“Sorry for mess…” “Mess?! What mess?! Boy! You should see my room! This one is completely clean for me!” “Ok, I have to ask you to look away. We don’t want to spoil surprise, do we?”

She just rolled her eyes and turn her face toward the wall. In same time I start looking for object I took from Zanes the other day. She was trying to be… let’s just say playful from the morning. Have you ever woke up with succubi sitting on your chest? Trust me, it was much worse than one could have guessed.

Aha! Gotcha!

“Min putting your hands on the wall as well?” I asked in innocent manner as I unrolled whip “Why? What could you possibly…” And she looked back. “You have just ruin your fun…” “Zari.. THE FUCK ARE YOU HOLDING?!” “Do you remember? I am pretty sure that in catacombs I have said that I will bring inferno upon you for rushing into hellhole unprepared! I got hurt, you know?! Anyway, you have been judged and found guilty, this in your punishment. Justice shall rain upon you, you better accept it kindly…” “YOU MUST BE FUCKING SHITTING ME! No way! No. No and no! I disagree!” “Sunshine, I am afraid that this is not an object for negotiation so…”

But she already rushed at me grabbing my hand. We started struggling, but as she was much stronger she eventually pinned me to the ground… and then… and then… oh my… then the best possibly thing happened…

“Zari, have you seen Gisele? Aloizy is asking if… Oh my…” Marika entered the room “Is that… guys, is that a whip? Ew, that’s simply to kinky. Sorry, not my stuff… Oh, but I disturbed you, sorry, sorry, I am sorry… I am leaving…” “W..w…w…wait! This is not what you think it is! Zari! Tell her!”

.. really? How could I possibly not use such situation?!

“THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING AT MARIKA?! HELP ME!? CAN’T YOU SEE? Gisele turn mad!” “Exactly! See…” Gisele first agreed and then… “WAIT?! WHAT?! NO! That’s simply not true!” “T…To think that our beloved Gisele would be such a pervert… I am… I am speechless…” Marika have seen my playful gaze and decided to play along “N…NO! I tell you!” “I… I better leave… I am sorry Zari, I will call help right away…!” “Please… be fast…” “NOOO!”

Ouch, I think I crossed the line. Or so I deducted by her [Rp] increasing in abnormal speed.

“Ok, Marika. That’s enough teasing for today.” “Hee? Already? Tsh, I am pretty sure you had your fun already, and you are simply depriving it everybody else! Meany! We also want to see troubled Gisele from time to time!”

Fairy said leaving the room.

“Sorry Gis, I couldn’t stop myself from… Hey, Gis? Gis, are you ok?” “Why are all of you teasing me so much?!” She was almost crying from anger and frustration. Oh my, oh my.. “Maybe because you are cute why you blush and…” rest of my sentence was disturbed by punch in my guts “SEE?! You are mocking me again! I hate it!”

Crap! It wasn’t semi-serious punch! I was fighting for air!

“You want to know why?” I finally managed to catch a breath “It’s because this is the only way we can influence you. Sorry Gis, but you are not… the brightest dragon that ever walked on this ground. You are strong. Stronger than most of adventurers could ever dream to be, but in same time you lack common sense. You are pushing your methods on other people… and they may not be necessarily good decisions. In same time you are not listening orders from anyone you consider weaker… Gis, most of us can’t beat you, so we try revealing our frustration in the only way we can. Now, don’t be sad princess, there, there….” I said patting her head “… just, remember, that some of us can’t follow you using same path as you do… We can’t just push onward like you do, sometime, we have to stop and think, find other way, prepare ourselves… Please, stop crying, it’s breaking my heart… there, there…”

I embraced her tightly.

Uh, that story I just said made my almost got dizzy. I have no idea what other’s reasons could be, but I am mocking her or sole purpose of fun.

“So, you feel better?” I asked with concerned tone. She nodded in response “… so, we stop in moment when I was about to whip you, mind if we continued?” She chuckled “… I have no idea why you are laughing thought… I am dead serious here…” A playful punch. “Stop it. These are not effective, it is simply not possible that hits from such beauty like yourself could ever hurt…” a serious punch “DAMN IT WOMAN! That hurts!” “But you just said that hits from beautiful women don’t hurt… so now you are implying that I am not beautiful, are you? My, my, this is a heresy… I think that in the end that whip of your will be used…” “… it was the beauty of yours that actually strike me down…”

She burst into almost hysteric laugh.

“Ha! Good one, I have never heard this line! This time I shall show you mercy… despite… Zari.. May I ask you something?” “You just did…” “I mean… if I can ask you yet another question…” “You won’t believe me, but you have just asked once again…” she raised her hand and prepare for another punch “… For fuck sake! Just ask woman!” “That whip… where you took it from and for what purpose?”

… now… how do I answer this? Help?