Chapter 270: Summoning the Spectral Soldier

The fortress was buzzing with activity, plans being drawn, duties assigned. In only a few minutes Jack had somehow turned into a minor celebrity, everyone fawning over the fact that he was a healer. Luke didn’t stick around for long. Instead, he wandered through the stone halls until he found a chamber on the upper floors.

It was a noble’s room, once luxurious, though now draped in dust and carrying the faint scent of mildew. Sturdy furniture carved from fine wood still stood in place, and a heavy desk sat near a small stack of books. The space had the feel of a medieval noble’s quarters. Luke pushed open the windows, letting in a breath of fresh air. But it wasn’t the furniture or the view that interested him. It was one door in particular.

When he opened it, he froze. Then a grin spread across his face.

“A damn bathtub,” he said, almost laughing with relief.

He had spotted its location on the fortress map and promised himself he would find it. Rooms meant for high-ranking officers or nobles were scattered throughout the fortress, and while he didn’t exactly hold such a title, he considered himself important enough to claim one luxury for the night. Even if he never kept the room, he wasn’t about to pass up a real bath.

From his storage pendant he pulled several wooden barrels filled with river water he had collected along the way.

“Days of rinsing off in rivers, splashing myself with buckets, scrubbing with damp cloths… that ends now,” he muttered, his voice brimming with satisfaction. “Tonight, I take a real bath.”

“That’s the spirit, Luke!” Artemis chimed in, sounding entirely too delighted. “Start with the shirt… slowly. Then the pants…”

Luke plucked the pendant from his neck with a sigh.

“I know you too well, you perverted trinket,” he said, carrying it out of the bathroom.

“Hey, wait! You’ve got me all wrong,” she protested. “I’m just… happy for you. Really. Let me stay, I want to share in the moment, I mean, share your happiness!”

“Not a chance,” he muttered, tossing the pendant onto the bed and burying it beneath a pillow.

“This is unfair! I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to you! I deserve that bathtub too!” Artemis shouted after him as he shut the bathroom door.

He ignored her muffled protests and turned his attention to the tub. For the next several minutes, he carefully wiped away layers of dust until it gleamed again. Once satisfied, he stripped down, rinsed the grit from his skin with a bucket, then poured the cold river water from the barrels into the tub.

“Cold,” he muttered with a wince, dipping his hand.

The river’s bite clung to it. But he had a solution. From his inventory, Luke pulled out the Minotaur’s axe. Restored and polished by the system, it looked new again. He lowered the blade into the water and activated its [Flame-Edge] enchantment.

The water began to shimmer, bubbles rising as the heat spread, then steam curling toward the ceiling. Once the temperature was right, he dismissed the axe back into his inventory and dipped a foot inside.

“Real hot water,” he whispered, almost reverent.

And for the first time in what felt like forever, Luke sank into a proper bath, letting exhaustion peel away from his body. A simple luxury, but one that felt like paradise after days of grime, blood, and endless struggle.

***

“That wasn’t fair, you know!” Artemis was still ranting, but Luke tuned her out.

“Charlie, you should be on my side,” she insisted.

Charlie simply shook her head. They kept walking through the forest, putting more distance between themselves and the fortress.

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“I can’t believe I finally got a bath, and now I’m heading right back into the dirt,” Luke muttered. Still, the itch of curiosity about what he wanted to test wouldn’t let him rest.

“Serves you right,” Artemis shot back. “Maybe you’ll need another bath. And this time, what if I finally get my moment?”

He exhaled heavily, ignoring her again.

“This isn’t fair!” she whined.