The three walked into the inn in a triumphant mood. Having received some measure of pay from the bounty on Khajit from the adventurer's guild, they had been recommended this inn by Gazef. Neph could see that it was a fairly old building. With stains here and there. Honestly it felt to him like an old college more than an inn.
There were the same stares from the inhabitants like in the Adventurer's Guild earlier today. Men stared with lecherous and lustful eyes at Verdandi and Diyandi. Others looked to Neph with envy and fear. As anyone would when it was near night time and someone walked into a building with a mask. A mouthless, demonic lion.
Neph quickly walked over to the counter with the twins in tow, and asked the owner politely for a room of three.
"One room for three please." Neph said. The owner was still wiping a glass, and seemingly had his eyes closed, as if concentrating. Neph decided to give it a few more moments.
"Very well. That will be nine silvers, due to a large room for three." The owner responded, counting the people that were at the counter. Neph pulled out a gold coin and handed it to the owner.
He had been taught the exchange rate by Gazef via a quick conversation as he received the bounty. That was how Neph knew that the change would be-
"The change is one silver. There are drinks here, and you will be provided the most basic food, such as bread." The owner spoke.
Perfect. Not that math is anything hard to learn. But it seems we're gonna have to handle food... Bread, Seriously? I guess it means this country is poor or something. Enri's staying at Nferia's place to take care of him after what happened... I wonder if we should've stayed there as well, to see if we get better food than here. Though, it's not a major problem.
"Your room will be two floors up, to the left. It's pretty much the only room on that floor."
"Thank you sir." Neph did a quick bow, and started for the room with the twins in tow.
They walked in a fair pace. However, as Neph passed, one of the tavern drinkers extended a leg, causing Diyandi to stumble.
"Hey, that hurt! I'm gonna be in pain for tomorrow! Unless... you treat me..." The drunkard spoke with a sinister smile.
Oh? Trouble? I kind of want to see how they'll handle it.
With this in mind, Neph kept quiet and simply approached the stairs.
Diyandi merely regained her balance after stumbling, and ignored the man, walking towards her Lord. This caused the troublemaker to be agitated.
"Hey! Don't ignore me when you've caused trouble for me!" He got up and put a hand on Diyandi's shoulder.
Insolent. Diyandi thought. As she turned around, ready to give the man a piece of her mind, she saw her little sister Verdandi holding the man by the neck, lifting his entire body off the ground.
Everyone was stunned. They all asked themselves how a woman could be so strong as to lift a man up with one hand over a fair bit of height.
"[Julhwen]" Verdandi whispered. Her sword began to manifest in her free hand in the form of gathering ice crystals, resembling a katana. Every onlooker watched in awe and in fear. Awe because this was magic unlike anything they've seen. Fear because this man was about to be slaughtered. The very proof is in the fact that the man's breath was now visible, as if it was extremely cold in the tavern. This is part of Verdandi's powers, but the tavern's patrons did not know that.
"Verdandi, stop." Neph ordered. He was watching from the top of the stairs. Immediately, Verdandi dropped the man. He hit the floor with a loud thud, followed by sounds of crashing as the glass he was drinking fell on his face.
"Let's go, sister." Diyandi whispered to Verdandi. The two left the patrons bewildered.
Interesting. Well I did design Verdandi to be more impulsive. Maybe I should forbid her manifesting the sword in civilian situations.
The three made it to their room moments later and stepped in. It was a large room, judging by the owner's words it was probably the largest here. That is, still not saying a lot. This building was smaller than other buildings that Neph had seen.
"Well. Let's relax for a bit." Neph took off the mask and set [Dying Empress] on a nearby bed. There were three beds laid out in such a way that their formation resembled the roman III. Neph took the one on the left.
This left a bit of a small problem. Verdandi and Diyandi were fighting silently and passive aggressively as to who gets the bed closest to Neph. Eventually, Neph just sighed and moved to the middle bed. The problem solved, Verdandi took the bed on the left, Diyandi on the right. They both took off their vests and set them on their respective beds. Their weapons were stored in their inventory.
"Oh yeah. We should eat."
"Do you guys want to go get the food provided?" Neph asked.
The twins both looked at one another.
"Well, if we must. But we prefer not to. Something about it just doesn't seem like it will be good." Diyandi spoke.
"Hm." Neph thought. Then a good idea suddenly came to him.
"Oh! We can have a hot pot!." He exclaimed. He walked towards the door and placed a spell on it.
"[Null Sound]" He whispered. This would cancel out all noise going through the door, preventing spies, or the occasional cooking fail, for a while.
He had Diyandi conjure up a makeshift table by manipulating some of the wood of the floorboards. It came up to about knee height, so there were no need for chairs. Next, he gave her a low level sword he had picked up from one of the skeletons in the cemetery, and she manipulated it into a pot.
"This should do!" Neph was excited. He hadn't had hot pot in a while, he thought has he pulled out [Simple Kitchen] from his inventory. In the peripheral of his eye, Neph saw Verdandi conjure a ice block out of mana, and melted it into the pot, as to get the stew going. Likewise, Diyandi did the same by igniting a controlled fire underneath the pot. Neph pulled out slices of beef, fish, vegetables, and other small ingredients and set them on separate plates on the table.
He dropped a large chunk of catfish into the pot first, and seasoned it with some salts and spices from [Simple Kitchen]. It was looking to be a great meal.
While he was cooking, he watched the two angels he and Viqtoria had created. They were having small talks as Verdandi made drinks for three. It warmed Neph up inside. This feeling. It was a family.
He felt at home.
After they enjoyed a family's dinner, the three took to their beds and attempted to sleep. They laid there in silence. Neph looked to the ceiling, then tossed and turned because he couldn't find the right "image" to think with.
He got up and slept the opposite way he had laid in bed, that is, he reoriented himself so his head was now where his foot would have been. This gave him a perfect view of the window in this room.
How beautiful. There are so many stars. Come to think of it, back in my world, everything was too polluted to see this many. I wonder if the stars are different? Is Alpha Centauri there? Phecda? Maybe one day, when I have better understanding of this world, I can explore out there.
He glanced to the left side. Verdandi was sound asleep. She was sprawled all about the bed as if she was a guy. Highly unladylike.
I should lecture her about this. Jeez I'm becoming more of a dad everyday.
He stared at her a bit longer. Her flowing white hair spilled over the bed. It looked like some sort of liquid clouds in the way it shimmered under the candlelight. She was still in her sleeveless turtleneck, but she had rolled the collar down. His eyes dropping to her chest, he looked away, and turned to the right side.
It was where Diyandi was, and as his eyes turned over he saw her eyes met his. It startled him a bit, but he held in the jitters.
"Can't sleep?" He asked.
She nodded her head.
"I feel the same. Something just feels, off." He added.
"Hey. I've been meaning to ask... Do you resent me? For telling the truth about your creator?" His voice got a bit quieter near the end. They both stared at the window with the stars in canvas. It was a long silence, but she did respond.
"I, as the creation of you and Lady Alekszara, I can not be mad at you. You two gave us the gift of life, and we can never repay you for that. But..." She stuttered. Neph could see that she was teary eyed.
"I can't help but feel it's unfair. To think that Supreme Beings like you are so vulnerable in the higher realms to simple machinations of life... It's unthinkable." She sat up in bed. Her legs on the side facing Neph. He sat up as well. He had no idea what to say. He was in her position once, feeling the weight of the world.
And in her position he simply did not know how to deal.
He sat up as well, and walked over the very short distance to her bed, and hugged her.
"I... I guess, at the end of it all, what I'm really mad about is that there is no face. If it were a simple matter of someone had killed her, then I could devote my life to vengeance. If it were a simple matter of an illness, I could devote my life to making sure no one else suffers the same. If there was a cause, I'd have a purpose." She choked out. He held her head. He agreed with everything she said. He was happy she got to vent all this out.
I guess I really do need to stop thinking of them as programs. I really did, by miracle of coming to this world, create two lives.
He kissed her on the forehead, and returned to his bed. She did the same, but now she laid like him, with toes to the window, staring at the stars.
"Say... Lord Neph." Diyandi asked.
"Yes?"
"Do you think she's out there?" She added. Her voice was a bit more bright now.
"I... I don't know. But in my heart, I do dare to hope. Because I want to keep dreaming like this." He responded.
"Mm." Diyandi made a noise.
She was the first to fall asleep, after who knows how long staring at the stars.
Neph fell asleep afterwards, the insomnia of sleeplessness reminding him of the times he spent with Her.
The morning came like a rising tide. Neph opened his eyes to see the sun's rays beaming directly onto him, causing him to wince and cover his eyes with his arms.
Ah. The downside to sleeping like this.
He slowly got up and saw that both of the Twins were still asleep. They weren't forced to work much, but Neph let them continue sleeping for a bit more.
Come to think of it, we all have Rings Of Sustenance. I guess we can use those when we need to go without food or sleep. Living without enjoying food is just... miserable.
He walked more towards the window and saw that it was around early noon. Most of the street vendors were starting to set up their shops. The city guards were out and patrolling about.
Seems like a lively place. I wouldn't mind living here.
Then a knock came from the door. Neph was a bit suspicious, but he had no reason to be scared. His fight with Clementine yesterday practically cemented the fact that he was invincible, even if he got pushed around, it was a slaughter on Clementine's part. With this in mind he walked towards the door confidently.
He stopped for a moment to wonder if he should get his mask. He had taken it off to sleep.
Well. I'm not me without it.
"I'll be there in a moment." He said loud enough that the visitor outside the door can hear. He grabbed the mask and put it on, then opened the door.
"Hello- Woah!" The woman at the door exclaimed. She was a bit startled.
"Ah. Forgive me." Neph did a slight bow. He opened the door looking out, as such he was practically inches away from her face, of course she would be startled.
"Ahh. Uhm." The girl was startled. Feeling it was his fault he sought to introdu-
"Who is it, Lord Neph?" Diyandi awoke. She was groggy and looked a bit messy, having slept in her [Gorgonic Tongues] outfits.
"She's-"
"I'm Brita. I am an Iron ranked adventurer." She bowed.
"Oh?"
"Do you need help or something?" Neph asked, getting to the point.
"I uh. I want to ask you a few questions. You're... You're all unlike any people I've seen before." Brita responded.
"Verdandi, wake up!" Diyandi said, and pushed her sister in bed until she showed signs of life.
"Uwaaahh~" Verdandi finally got up.
"Uhm. Who are they?" Brita asked, staring at the twins, curious.
"They are... Well, my companions." Neph wasn't quite sure how to describe their relationship. For starters, saying that he was their father would seem... Awkward to him.
"So. What did you want to ask?" Neph said, he too was looking at the twins. Diyandi shook Verdandi a bit more, and Verdandi conjured up a floating ice basin. The water in the basin was cool, not frostbitingly cold. As such, they both partook of it as a way to freshen up.
"About that. How can they do that? It's unlike any magic I've ever seen before. I saw her create a sword out of thin air last night in the lower tavern halls." Brita answered.
"It's... Uhm... It's a special type of magic..."
Crap. How do I explain this. Elementalism isn't particularly a high tier of magic but it requires special training. It's not even a tier it's a category. I'm a fool for assuming it would be known here. It's a dead giveaway that we are not from this world. And I can't be sure I am the only YGGDRASIL player here.
Neph pondered all of this in a flash. The twins behind him put on their vests and came to the door as well. Just as they were about to introduce themselves to Brita, Brita was surprised by the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.
He stuck his head out of the doorway. It was Enri. Her eyes lit up in surprise as she recognized the mask.
"Neph-sama!" She rushed over.
"Gazef asked me to come get you. He says that your adventurer tags are ready at the Guild."
"Oh! Sweet. We'll head there right now." Neph was a bit relieved. He went and pick up [Dying Empress] off the side of the bed it was leaning against. Brita took one look at the blade and was frightened, but she was a bit calm because the girl that just arrived seemed to trust this man.
"Sorry Brita. It seems I have to head out. If we meet again, I will answer your questions more faithfully." He shook her hand, and rushed off, grabbing Enri with him. The twins did the same.
Alone in the hallway, all that was left in Brita's mind was:
Who are these people?!
Neph walked into the adventurer guild with a steady pace, followed by the twins. They moved to smoothly it was almost as if they floated over to the receptionist. The only person lagging behind was Enri.
There were whispers abound in the guild. Some of them spoke of the three in awe. Some in fear. The city guards had conversed about the cemetery incident. The rising of the undead. The birth of skeletal dragons which could have burned the town to cinders. They knew very well who was responsible. Zuranon. And the Adventurer Hunter. These two names alone shook the beings of those who knew about them to the core.
And then there were three new names to be known. The spreading of rumors and fantasies from overhearing Gazef's men and the Guards near the cemetery built a reputation for Neph and the Twins like a pyramid overnight.
After the battle, the rumors of what they did in the cemetery got around. Many people interested in adventurers, or were adventurers themselves came to the gate of the cemetery to peer through. They found proof. Remains of two large skeletal beings. Skeletal dragons.
After seeing that, the entire guild watched as Neph and the Twins received their adventurer tags.
"Huh? What is this?" Neph looked at the plate he was given. It doesn't look anything like silver. In fact, it was more greenish in hue.
"Ahh. About that. Me and Theo talked it over. We believe Silver would be a class too low for your abilities. So we went ahead and gave you Mythril plates off the bat." Pluton spoke. It shocked the entire guild into silence.
"Oh! Congratulations Neph-sama!" Enri clapped.
"Ah. Well. I, thank you?" Neph was a bit confused. He didn't mind climbing through the ranks, the rationale being that it would give him more time to explore before he would need more knowledge of the world.
As confused as he is, he bowed, and the Twins followed suit. They then exit the guild, and head towards the gate where Enri's friend Nferia was, and set off for Carne Village.