100: Sleep

As we made our way into the guild, I was surprised to see there were still people milling about.

“Is it normal for people to be in the guild hall late at night?” I asked curiously.

“Yeah, it is. Not all the creatures that teams need to hunt come out or can be found during the day, so there are always teams who prefer to act during the night and sleep during the day,” Hari said.

“Does the guild operate all day then?” I looked around to see if anyone was still at the counters, but they were all empty.

“No, the main room is open at all hours, and there are always guards in here, but the counters, as you just saw, are not manned. Likewise, the shops upstairs close as well,” he said as we made our way up the staircase towards the third floor.

Once we made it to the hall, Darren and George were handed a pass each, and they opted to share a room.

Micca had a room for herself and likewise took a temporary pass from Jen. Hari offered to take a meal down to Milo and let him know the bedroom arrangements, but before he left—

“Tomorrow, Trev, you’re welcome to wander around the town. Please take Crisplet with you, though,” Hari said, as Crisplet agreed with a burst of embers.

“We’re not going to shadow you this time, so try not to cause trouble. And if I hear screaming somewhere, we’ll come running,” Hari chuckled.

“Also, don’t think you’re getting out of training.” With that, Hari left us, heading back downstairs to go to Milo once he’d grabbed the food from me.

“Trev, take a bath before you go to sleep!” Liane said, holding her nose.

“It’s not that bad, is it?” I asked, concerned.

“It’s pretty bad now that we’ve washed and you haven’t,” Jen added with a laugh.

“We’ll get our clothes all washed tomorrow, so either leave a pile in your room or give them to me before you head out for the day!” Jen said with a smile before wishing us all goodnight and heading to her room.

Micca likewise waved goodnight, and Liane had already vanished, which just left myself and Crisplet in the hallway. Heading into my room, I took out the metal brazier for Crisplet and also pulled out the three servings of fish and potatoes for Lily, placing it all on the desk.

“I’m going to have a bath. Crisplet, could you keep these warm for Lily?” I asked, getting a burst of sparks, and then, just in case she was watching or nearby,

“Lily, I don’t know if you can hear me, but there’s some new food here to try,” I said into the empty room, but nothing happened.

Heading to the bath, I realised a flaw in my plan—I did not know how to use it. There were runes on the side of a smooth, light-grey tub, and I tried to make out what they said. Surely, I’d have some idea—I’d practised this, right?

As I studied the runes on the side of the tub, there were three of them. The first seemed to encompass the entire tub; it appeared to have the symbol of water in the outer ring, so I assumed one filled the tub. However, with the third—I couldn’t work it out. It was almost like an absence, a void even. Was that to drain the tub?

Putting my finger on what I thought was the water rune, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the tub started filling with water. But placing my hand into it, I realised it was cold, so I used the second rune, and rapidly the water inside the tub became warm. Before I knew it, it was getting too hot; shutting off the rune, probably too late.

I guess I should only run that until the water hits the desired temperature.

Even though the tub was only half full, it was far too hot to sit in, so I used the third rune, and instantly the water vanished. So I was correct—it was to empty the tub.

This time I successfully filled it up and took a bath, nearly passing out in the process, and was only startled awake when the familiar pressure came, announcing Lily’s presence.

“I left the food out for you with Crisplet,” I said, not seeing her yet.

I got out of the tub and dried myself off, pulling out my cleanest set of clothes, which honestly weren’t that clean, but they’d have to do. As I came around the screen, I saw Lily tentatively trying the food, not really taking a large bite.

Then, looking at me—

“I didn’t make it, but I thought it was really nice, and if you like it, I can make you something similar,” I explained. Lily turned back to the food, this time only eating the fish and leaving the tubers behind.

“Just the fish then?” I asked curiously, looking to Crisplet to see if he could confirm or deny it, and after getting the burst of embers, I got my answer.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Okay! I can make you that with just fish, but first I want to use that eel you got for us. I’m sure I can find the ingredients I’m after in the markets tomorrow,” I mused.

Lily was lying on the floor by the window now, and Crisplet had returned to the brazier.

Was she going to stay in here tonight?

Shrugging to myself, I jumped on the bed, and it was just as comfortable as before.

“Goodnight, you two. Thanks for all the protection,” I said as I dozed off again into a deep sleep.

***

I awoke the next morning to a scream that was quickly muffled. Opening my eyes, the first thing I noticed was Micca at the door. The room was flooded with light, so clearly it was well past dawn. Her eyes were wide, and when I looked around, I nearly burst out laughing as I saw what she was looking at.