“Thank you for your assistance,” an elderly man said as he bowed to Erebus, Vyne, and Tear.

The trio had finished guarding the coming-of-age party for a young lady named Rosaline.

“It was no problem.” Tear put on her best ‘proper lady’ smile ignoring the fact that her outfit screamed of promiscuous. Even though, she covered up her exposed (non-existent) cleavage with a black bra at Vyne’s request.

If she bent at certain angles, you would be able to see her ‘goodies’. Which was undoubtedly a ploy to get Erebus’ attention, as she... enjoyed a certain ‘freedom’.

However, Erebus had absolutely no interest in her whatsoever, so she only drew lecherous gazes of married and single men.

They left after many more thanks from the old man. Their destination was the Quester’s Guild, as they had to turn in the completed Quest Form to gain their rewards.

It was another safety measure installed by the Guild so that Questers couldn’t get more than they deserved. That being said, clients could still ‘drop’ a few extra coins on the ground.

By the way, two weeks had passed and they were now Tier 3 Questers. Getting out of Tier 2 proved to be more troublesome, as the Quest there took a day or two to complete. Such as escorting merchants to nearby towns and then heading back to the Guild to turn it in. The amount required to get to Tier 2 to 3 was 600 Rank, and with each Quest giving at minimum 30, it was an a meddlesome task. Even though they leveled 3x faster, you could only accept one Quest at a time.

When they entered the Guild, Heather, and co. greeted them cheerfully (save for Mur who still had a suspicious expression) and congratulated them on completing their job with no issues.

“So this is the other one you were talking about?” Heather asked in reference to Tear.

“Yes,” Vyne answered, wondering why in the world this woman was still here. And why she felt the need to talk to them.

He quickly turned in their Quest Form to the receptionist, her name was Miranda, and she gave them their 100 silver reward. Rank was added to their cards when she swiped it through a strange metallic stone with a grove thin enough for the card to pass through it.

“Here you go,” she said, blushing slightly as she handed the card to Vyne. His smile from the other day still lingered in her mind.

“Thank you.” Vyne was too annoyed to give her another dazzling, pretty-boy smile.

Erebus said goodbye to Heather and co. and followed Vyne out like a lost puppy. If you didn’t know any better, you would think that Erebus was Vyne’s subordinate, not the other way around. Tear, also, followed Vyne out like a puppy.

Heather and co. laughed at the funny sight.

Erebus’ and Heather’s relationship had grown into a strange friendship if it could be called one. For Erebus, he saw her as a child. And for Heather, well, she saw Erebus as a child.

They were correct by their own view-points. To Heather, a forty-something-year-old woman, Erebus, who looked to be around twenty-two, was a child. And for Erebus who was... old, Heather was a child.

Their relationship was something like that. It was strange, to say it simply.

Erebus was currently walking with Tear glued to his side, his arm pressed against her chest as she clung to it like a lifeline. Vyne, who couldn’t bear to see his master put through such a thing, berated Tear for her indecent behavior.

Erebus found himself smiling slightly, he was seeing the two in a different light. To him, they were like young children bickering. It was a sight where you couldn’t help but smile at their close relationship, no matter how much they proclaimed to ‘hate’ each other.

“Honestly, to cling to our master like that! You’re like a leech,” Vyne was currently saying.

“Huh? What’s with that, you sexual sadist? Quit bitching about it. Lord Erebus doesn’t have a problem with me!”

To say that they were like ‘children bickering’ was a bit of an understatement. The terms exchanged were rated M.

“Who’s the bitch? You lower-life form, don’t get ahead of yourself! Just because you’re dubbed a ‘High’ Human doesn’t change the fact you’re just a variant of a species no better than a piece of shit.”

“Now, now,” Erebus cooed, like the mature(?) adult he was. “No need to fight. Tear isn’t bothering me, Vyne. You may calm down.”

“I-I see, I apologize.” If Vyne was given the opportunity, he would have dropped to the ground and licked his master’s shoes.

The three arrived at the inn that they had been staying at for 5 gold a night. The receptionist was rather surprised by the wealth they had. For the amount, the average lower Tier Quester made, 70 gold coins was enough to put them in debt for a year or even more with living expenses..

For Erebus, however, 70 gold did not even create an indent in the wealth he still had in his castle.

Each of them had left with a sack of about 200 gold, and the amount increased the amount of jobs they did.

The average Tier 3 job gave around 100 silver. And 1,000 silver was worth 1 gold coin. 1,000 copper was worth 1 silver.

Basically, metals were very much sought after. Which is why Questers often went to subjugate Demon Lords because they always had immense wealth. And the riches Dragon ranks had was out of this world.

Even though he didn’t act like it, Erebus, like all dragons, enjoyed wealth. Whenever he’d see a rare jewel, he had to have it. Of course, it wasn’t just wealth dragons enjoyed. They also like knowledge, so they were known to be the wisest of the species, only coming second to the elven races.

So, even though he rarely, if ever showed it, Erebus was also rather intelligent. He was known for his ability to see through things easily. Meaning that, Tear’s intentions towards him were all too clear. And he simply didn’t care because he held no romantic interest for her, or for anyone.

Dragons were also known for being self-centered, they honestly cared for themselves and no one else. Though he wasn’t heartless, Erebus was the same.

He was arrogant, and had every right to be so. Who wouldn’t be? When they had enough power to put the world in ruins. This wasn’t bovarism, no, this was the pure and simple truth. He, as a member of the dragon race, was above the others.

For Erebus, things like Questing were done for fun. For his own self-enjoyment. If anyone got in the way of that, he would cut them down without a second-thought.

Perhaps the other Questers knew this, even though it was unconsciously.

Normally, there would be a hazing for the new Questers but Erebus and his subordinates experienced no such thing. They were welcomed with open arms.

It was truly an interesting thing to see, to say the least. The subconscious submissive behavior the humans had adapted to those more powerful than they.

Or, maybe I’m just assuming things.

Currently, Erebus and co. were laying on their beds, asleep. Even though none of them were particularly tired, it was just their way of passing time until morning came. Though, some nights, Vyne would sneak out to go ‘play’. And some nights, Tear would attempt to grope her sleeping master, only to be kicked in the face and sent flying.

This type of play didn’t deter her, if anything, it excited her even more. A truly fearsome opponent. One where if you tried to beat them down, they would just get more rowdy.

A moment of silence for Erebus’ struggle.

Moving on, the morning came silently. It came in the form of warm, golden rays filtering their way through the expensive curtains of their room. Tear who had, once again, curled up in the same bed as Erebus, was the first to awaken. Erebus then awoke, then Vyne. They got ready in a comfortable silence.

Erebus adjusted the heavy jacket he wore, Tear miraculously ‘forgot’ some important pieces to put on, and Vyne cleaned his dirtied knife, which he had yet again, found some blood on it.

A new widow’s weeping could be heard not too far from their inn.

Vyne, who seemed unusually relieved, headed down the stairs first. Then followed by Tear, who had attached herself to Erebus.

They each ate a miniscule breakfast. Mostly because they did not survive on food like humans did. They only ate because it would be strange if they didn’t.

Humans had to eat food because they couldn’t ‘use’ mana, so to speak. Since they couldn’t properly use mana, they were incapable of transforming its energy into sustenance to survive on.

Since Tear was a High Human, however, she was capable of this task. Even though her version of it was not as natural as breathing, like it was for Vyne and Erebus. Races that were created with an invisible ‘organ’ that processed the mana into their energy.

This was also why they were naturally stronger than the humans.

Another example of how mana is transformed, is magic. Magic is essentially funneling mana and changing its form into something different. Such as water. Even though it wasn’t really water, it gained the properties of it.

Humans, if they drank the magical water, would die instantly. Vyne found this out through his experiments.

This is also why humans needed to cast magic circles, they were incapable of sending large amounts of mana through their bodies. If they were to do so, they would die.

Another experiment by Vyne.

Even though he had heard of these things, he really had to test it out on his own.

Like, he really, really had to see it.

Perhaps he could conduct another experiment to see what happens when a magic circle is placed directly on a human body and the mana is channeled through that and then into their body. Would it still kill them instantly? Would the death be slower? Would it not kill them at all?

Would a person who is a mage have a different reaction than your average joe?

Vyne rubbed his chin in deep thought. He had a lot of material to research.

Erebus, on the other hand, was day-dreaming, as always. While ignoring the jealous stares he received from the other men in the inn. All of them because of the beauty dangling off of him like an extra limb.

Tear was currently rubbing her face against his arm affectionately. If you were an outsider looking in, you’d instantly assume that they were a couple. But to Erebus, it was more ‘commensalism’, he didn’t really care that she was touching him, and Tear was able to be close to her master.

After their breakfast, they instantly headed to the Quester’s Guild. The reason why they had become Questers seemed to be working, as Erebus stopped complaining of being bored. And, there was no call from Lilian, meaning that everything was going well, or close to it, on their end.

Today, they accepted their first fighting Quest. The rewards were 200 Silver and 90 Rank.

“Hooh...” Erebus, Vyne, and Tear all let out the same sound. This was the highest reaping Quest they’ve ever seen (that wasn’t above their rank).

It was truly a sight to behold. This would be their debut.

“Let’s do it!” Erebus said excitedly. He, obviously, wasn’t daunted by the fact that they needed to fight Thornback Wolves and gather their metallic fur. Thornback Wolves were weak individually, but they came in packs of at least twenty. They were called Thornback due to their fur, which was actually a pretty durable metal, that stuck straight up on their back like thorns. They were the lowest rank by themselves, but when gathered together, could be considered Terror rank.

Vyne snatched the Quest off the Board and smiled, it was a real one this time. His master was truly entertained. “They’re located in the Lower Mountain. About half a times travel from here if we walk.”

Erebus, like a child, bolted out of the Quester’s Guild, full of excitement. This was fun! When was the last time he got to have fun?

Tear eagerly followed her master out of the Guild. If her master was happy, then she was happy.

The crew headed out towards the Lower Mountain, which was south of the Capital. The land was on the outside of a vast mountain range, which had lead to it being undiscovered for thousands of years. The mountain range stretched from the bottom of the Main Continent, all the way to the Northeast. In the area that was blocked off by the range, lay Milon.

Even though the area Erebus and the others were headed towards was called the ‘Lower Mountain’ it was because it was was at the lower edge of the Kingdom. No more than that.

Erebus smiled broadly as they exited the large capital. This was the true beginning of his adventure.

I'll try to release as many chapters as I can in a day while still keeping the same quality. Thank you for your feedback.