"What should I do now... Just die, you damn necromancer." She swung her brittle sword and took the necromancer's head.

  "How unlucky am I to stumble upon a necromancer in these mountains. I was here to find a skilled bcksmith who should be mining some ores in a mine in one of these mountains. And what do I find? A freaking undead army."

  She began to swing her sword around, and it snapped in two. "Damn it. I knew I shouldn't have used my sword here. It's been way too long since I st got it fixed."

  The woman spent some time resting before continuing her search for the bcksmith. "Damn it. They're not on this mountain. This is the second mountain. How unlucky. Well, one more to go." After spending a day's time, she finally heard a sound of clinking in a cave. "This must be the bcksmith," she murmured to no one.

  She walked deeper into the mine and saw a shadowy figure striking the cave wall with a pickaxe. A dwarf, a bit smaller than expected and slightly curvier? Oh, is he a she?

  "Hello there," she called out to the shadowy dwarf. The dwarf flinched and turned around, ready to strike with her pickaxe.

  "Easy now. My name is Era. I am here in search of a bcksmith named Tominian." The dwarf looked at her with a doubtful glint in her eyes and asked, "Why are you seeking this Tominian?"

  Era started smiling and showed the dwarf her broken sword. "I am in need of a new sword, and I was told in the vilge that a skilled bcksmith should be in the mountains mining for minerals."

  "I see," the dwarf murmured. "Yes," she then spoke, "I am Tominian, but just call me Tomi."

  Era bowed slightly and asked, "Master bcksmith, can you help me out? I need a new sword, as you can see. I have the materials needed for the new weapon; what I'm in need of now is a skilled bcksmith."

  Tomi's eyes shimmered as she looked Era over once more. "Hmmm, you are an interesting one, Era. Tell me more about yourself first, then I'll make my decision."

  Era smiled. "Me? I'm just a wanderer, an adventurer forgotten by time. I have lived in this world for 150 years by now, if not more. Time becomes blurry the longer one lives."

  Tomi looked at Era and spoke out. "I see, you are speaking the truth. Though it is somewhat hard to believe since you seem to be human, and they do not live more than 40-60 years, sometimes longer depending on the region, I guess. Are you some kind of elf, or demon?"

  Era smiled. "I am not a human, nor am I an elf or demon. I am just a wanderer."

  Tomi studied Era's face, the lines and scars telling stories of countless battles and journeys. "A wanderer, huh? Well, there's something about you that makes me believe your tale, strange as it may be."

  Era's smile widened. "Thank you for trusting me, Tomi. My sword has seen many battles, and I have faced many foes. But now, I need a weapon worthy of the challenges ahead."

  Tomi nodded thoughtfully. "Alright, Era. I'll help you. Show me the materials you have, and let's see what we can craft together."

  Era reached into her bag, pulling out a bundle of rare metals and enchanted stones. Tomi's eyes widened at the sight. "These are some of the finest materials I've ever seen. With these, I can forge a sword unlike any other."

  ...

  "Era, wake up! Wake up, Era!" Lilith yelled out in panic. Era's eyes opened wide. "What's wrong, Lilith? Are the hangovers getting you again? I told you not to drink that much."

  Lilith, with a trembling voice, said, "It's the neckce. It's gone. When I woke up," she expined, "the window was wide open. So I closed it, then I felt it. The neckce is not around my neck. I checked everywhere in this room, and I think a thief might have stolen it."

  El started to wake up too and asked about the noisy morning.

  Lilith began to tell the same story to El.

  "This is not good," Era said, thinking hard. "We should go to the tavern and look for clues, and maybe check some of the not-so-clean areas in the capital. But it could be anywhere."

  El nodded in agreement. "Yes, let's go to the tavern. After, if we don't find it there, I can scout around."

  The three women quickly got ready and made their way to the tavern, where the morning light was just beginning to filter through the windows. The tavern was still quiet, with only a few early risers and the innkeeper bustling about.

  Era approached the innkeeper, a burly man with a friendly face. "Good morning. We're looking for information about a thief who might have been around here st night."

  The innkeeper frowned, thinking. "A thief, you say? There were a couple of suspicious characters here st night, but that's not uncommon. What exactly are you looking for?"

  "A neckce," Lilith interjected. "It's very important to me. It was stolen from our room."

  The innkeeper nodded slowly. "I see. I did notice a man lurking around who didn't seem like he belonged. He left shortly after midnight. If he's the one you're after, you might find him in the slums or near the old docks."

  Era thanked the innkeeper, and the group headed towards the less reputable part of the capital. The streets were narrow and dirty, with shadows lurking around every corner.

  El took the lead, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. "I'll scout ahead," she said, disappearing into the maze of alleyways.

  Era and Lilith continued their search, asking anyone who would talk if they had seen the neckce or the suspicious man. As the morning wore on, their hope began to wane.

  Suddenly, El returned, a determined look on her face. "I found a lead. There's a man in a rundown building by the docks who matches the innkeeper's description. Let's go."

  They hurried to the location El had found. The building was decrepit, and the door hung loosely on its hinges. Era pushed it open cautiously. Inside, they found the man rifling through a small chest.

  "You there!" Era shouted. "Hand over the neckce, and no one gets hurt."

  The man spun around, eyes wide with fear. "I don't know what you're talking about!" he stammered.

  Lilith stepped forward, her voice steady despite her anger. "The neckce you stole from our room. Give it back."

  Realizing he was cornered, the man sighed and pulled out the neckce from his pocket. "I was going to sell it," he muttered.

  Era took the neckce and inspected it closely. "This is not the neckce," she said sternly. "What else are you hiding? Where did you steal it from?"

  The thief gulped and admitted, "I stole it from an inn near the merchant district."

  "The merchant district?" Era murmured. "So you were not in the Golden Acorn st night."

  "No, no way. It's known for housing adventurers there. I'm not that stupid to steal from adventurers. I'm just a low thief stealing for my needs," the thief confessed.

  "Lilith," Era spoke, "I guess we have to go back. Let's find some guards and hand him over to them."

  Lilith nodded sadly. "I don't know what to do, Era. I feel empty without Aurora."

  Era hugged Lilith after tying up the thief. "I understand, Lilith. We will find her, don't worry."

  "El, can you fly out and find some guards on patrol and clue them in about this thief? We will walk towards the inn."

  El nodded and took off. Era, with the thief in front of her, began to walk while holding Lilith's hand. After they left the docks, they met up with El again, who had found some guards. They handed the thief over to them and left.

  "It's getting te," Era said. "Let's go back to the inn. El, you can fly ahead. I know you are looking forward to meeting Emy again."

  El nodded and flew off. Era hugged Lilith again and said, "It's going to be okay. Let's go back and get some food and think about who else could have taken it."

  As the duo entered the inn, they heard giggles and ughter from the counter. It was El and Emy chatting and ughing, and around Emy's neck was a familiar neckce.

  Lilith, who saw that, rushed over. "Emy, where did you get this neckce?"

  Emy, a little shocked, spoke up, "I found it upstairs in a corner, and... and El told me," she stammered, "that it was yours and you would be very happy to see it again."

  Lilith nodded, her tension easing. "Thanks, Emy. I am indeed very happy."

  "Oh, Lilith, you fool," Era remarked, shaking her head. "You dropped the neckce when you tripped on the stairs st night! You need to be better at handling yourself and your belongings," she scolded.

  Lilith nodded with a sad smile. "I guess I do."

  Era started ughing. "Oh well, as long as you learned something from this."

  Then they all ughed, the tension of the day melting away in the warmth of their shared relief and camaraderie.