The door creaked at its own weight as it was pushed open, revealing Asa who had done away with her cloak. She wore a leather jerkin and long white sleeves on her top, and a pair of leather pants, none of which hid her athletic outline very well.
As the woman walked into the adequately lit space, she scanned the room, noting down differences in the room since she had last been here not more than a dozen minutes ago, finding nothing remarkable of note, she turned her eyes towards the figure sitting at the table.
“Hi!” Monica waved excitedly at the ranger, as she took her time to scan the room, Monica didn’t waste time and quickly assessed the assets of her unannounced guest.
‘So that’s what she’s been wearing underneath the cloak. Speaking of clothes…’ Monica lifted one of her arms slightly and sniffed at her armpits. ‘Uegh, I stink.’
Asa walked over to the table and nonchalantly sat down in front of Monica.
“Hello Nichole, how are you settling in?” She had a courteous smile on her face, nowhere matching the energy that Monica was exuding at the moment.
“Oh you know, the room is comfortable and all but it’s kinda boring in here. Can I go out and explore your village? Do you have any spare clothes? Do you mind if I take a shower or bath? I kind of stink and my clothes are back at home, mostly. Oh and who’s that behind you?”
Monica bombarded Asa with a shower of questions, yet the woman handled it easily like she was used to this sort of thing.
“That’s the plan. We have prepared a bath for you as well as a spare set of clothing.” Asa turned her head towards the door, her voice became slightly more commanding, “You can come in now, Ban.”
At the mention of their name, Ban, a young woman with bangs covering one eye, was peeking in from the doorframe, she moved inside the room and waved at Monica with one hand, her other hand still holding something behind her back.
“Hi! I’m Ban! Local tailor and worker of magic! I love your clothes by the way, although a bit skimpy if I must say, but you do you girl!” She spoke enthusiastically as she approached the seated duo, moving past Asa and going for Monica.
Monica was slightly taken aback by the warm welcome this stranger was showing, and was eyeing her cautiously because her other hand was still hidden from view.
Based on what her brother has taught her, and his exact words, 'Those who seem overenthusiastic towards you on your first meeting either desire something from you, or you.’ And Morus was very rarely wrong, some people would even believe he was a prophet with how accurate his predictions go.
Before Monica managed to collect her thoughts and reply to Ban, the woman was already in front of her. Ban pulled out whatever she was holding and shoved it into the chest of Monica.
“Surprise!”
The sudden movement didn’t actually shock Monica, it was how quick Ban moved before she was able to react that shocked her. She looked down in astonishment, her hands felt at the object that was shoved towards her chest, then her head dropped down.
“So soft!” She rubbed the teal-colored dress that Ban had just shoved into her lap with her face, she couldn’t believe how nice it felt to the touch, it was comparable to silk, not that she had enough experience wearing silk to compare the texture though.
“What is this made of? I can’t believe how soft it is. Did you make this? You’re amazing!” Monica exclaimed.
Ban rubbed her nose with pride and a slight hint of embarrassment, “Hehe, yes I made it. The material is a trade secret, but I can tell you it is spider silk. Don’t worry about the fit, it should fit comfortably like a second layer of skin after you wear it.” At this point, Ban was searching her pockets for something, “Well, I do need your measurements to make you a few more spare sets of clothes. Dang it! I left my tape in my workshop, be back in a minute!”
As Monica’s attention went to Ban, instead of her hands, she finally registered what the woman was wearing, they looked quite modern, if she were to place Ban in a group, she believed Ban would fit in well with Goths, because Ban wore a pair of leather pants and a leather jacket over a white top, her pants and jacket were dyed a dark shade of blue that might pass for black if seen from afar, even her coif was dark blue compared to the others who wore more earthen colors if not white.
After watching Ban dash out of the room, Monica turned to Asa and leaned on the table, “Wow, she’s quite the character. Is she always like that?”
Asa smiled at Monica, “She must be excited, we haven’t seen guests in a long time.” She then stood up and motioned for Monica to follow along, “Would you like to take your bath now? Allow me to show you where the bathroom is.”
“Hey Asa, just to be safe… You’re not a cannibal that’s going to bring me to a cauldron and boil me alive right?”
Asa frowned and replied in a voice that sounded absolutely horrified, “What gave you that idea? We don’t have any cannibals in our village. And such practices are gravely forbidden, those that acquired such tastes are hunted down. Now, let’s not waste daylight, I still have things to do and Ban will be taking over after you finish bathing.”
After leaving her room, Monica discovered that the bathroom was only a few rooms away. After entering, it was different from what she expected.
She expected something like a Roman bath, though was pleasantly surprised that a traditional wooden bathtub filled with water and flowers was waiting for her within the bathroom. Several wooden screens separated the room into a changing area and bathing area, which protected privacy really well in case someone entered the bathroom, so she wasn’t that worried someone would see her naked body immediately upon entering the room.
Taking off her clothes in the changing area and grabbing a towel that was conveniently placed there, she dipped a finger into the tub.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Ooh it’s a warm bath. I wonder how they do it.” After ascertaining the temperature was below cooking range and to her liking, she jumped into the tub of floating flowers and relaxed.
“I wonder how Brother is doing…”
In Morus’ room, he sat there at the table with one hand propping his head up as he stared with lifeless eyes at the person that opened the door to his ‘room’.
The face of a fully-bearded old man entered his eyes, and was the only person that wasn’t wearing any form of headwear since entering the village. Morus looked at his hair, or what’s left of it, as the old man only had his sideburns and barely a few strands of hair. Then he glanced at his ears, which were human ears, not pointed or carrying other characteristics of fantasy races.
The old man raised his cane and was about to speak when he caught a whiff of something, he paused, scrunched his nose a bit and looked at the bowl in front of Morus.
“What the fuck have you done to my room? Are you a fucking vampire? What kind of vampire licks blood from the floor or drinks it from a bowl?” The old man nodded at someone beside him and entered the room, closing the door behind him, then with cane in hand, walked over to the table and sat down.
“Ha ha. Real funny old man.” Morus’ face was pallid, his eyes were devoid of any emotion, though he did breathe in relief after hearing what the old man said, instead of being grilled about the blood on the ground.
The old man sat with his hands resting on his cane, “I’m Ata. The folks here call me Chief Ata, or just Chief. And you, outsider, what is your name?”
“I’m Russel. Good to meet you Chief Ata. Pardon the lack of hospitality, I didn’t bring any presents with me as this was an unexpected visit.”
Silence.
Morus locked eyes with Chief Ata, both of them gauging each other, trying to decipher the person sitting on the opposite end of the table.
Chief Ata was the one to break the silence, “I’ve been told that you were the ones that found and brought back our guardian.”
“If you mean the dog, I found the lovely little bugger in the woods. Don’t ask me how, when I turned my head around, it was already there, staring at me.”
“What of the Crimsonmanes? You managed to fend them off was what I was told.”
“Hah!” Morus was about to continue, but he wheezed as he tried to catch his breath. “Wheeze. Just lucky, maybe they got scared of me?”
“You alright there kid? Sounds like you have trouble breathing.” Chief Ata raised a heavy eyebrow, his eyes clear with concern.
Morus nodded, “I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. It’s something I’ve learned to live with.”
Chief Ata looked at him with a sad glint in his eyes, “What a pity. You’re so young too. If you were healthy, I wouldn’t mind the extra manpower. Been thinking of expanding the village, you know.”
Morus chuckled, “Heh. That makes two of us. All the doctors and healers I’ve met either claimed this was terminal, or the exact opposite yet failed to cure me.”
“We have a great healer around. Might be able…” Chief Ata stopped mid-sentence. He could feel a chill crawling up his spine, condensation gathering on his back and goosebumps forming all over his body. His instincts told him he needed to weigh his words carefully or things would become dangerous, he was about to dismiss his instincts but when he looked into Morus’ eyes, those were eyes that were rarely seen, it’s the look of someone… a demon who would be fine with taking another person down even at the cost of their life. Chief Ata gulped, but resolved himself to continue, “Might be able to alleviate your condition. Nobody knows where they came from, but their skills are top-notch. Surely worth a try?”
Morus’ eyes shone dangerously the moment he heard ‘Great healer’, was it another snake oil charlatan thinking they could swindle his money… Their money so easily? He has seen too many of such people in his short life. Some claimed that he wasn’t ‘Faithful enough’ or that the ‘treatment plan was too short’ after the treatment failed to deliver on their claims, he knew better to trust them, but they were his parents’ hopes… He could only play along then.
Morus sat in the silence that followed, each breath still a conscious effort. The familiar, icy fatigue settled into his bones, but beneath it, a cold clarity emerged — the mindset he used when closing a deal or smelling a scam.
“What do you want?” Morus calmed down a bit. His anger seeped through for a moment.
“Pardon?” Chief Ata felt the pressure on him wane, too focused on what he felt, he missed what was just said and looked at the young man in front of him.
“What’s the price of the treatment?” Morus clasped his hands and placed them on the table, he sat up straight from his previously slouching position and looked down at the old man sitting across the table. This was his negotiation mode, showing no weakness, only confidence and domination.
Chief Ata was taken aback, but he smiled, “I won’t charge you anything. How about this.” Chief Ata thought for a moment, “Promise me something. Promise that you will fulfill one of our requests, no matter the cost.”
“As long as it doesn’t involve killing someone or anything illegal.” Morus answered promptly.
Chief Ata waved his hand in the air, “Oh don’t worry, it’s not anything difficult. It’s just something that’s going to take you some time, that’s all. But that’s a topic for another day.”
“You know this trade only applies if and when I get treated right?” Morus emphasized.
Chief Ata smiled, though his lips were covered by his beard, Morus could see the smile in his eyes.
“It must’ve been a long morning for you. How about you go take a bath and we can continue our conversation after lunch? In the meantime, I will send someone to clean up the room.”
Morus nodded, “A bath is what I need at the moment. Hot water?” Especially with how cold he has been feeling since his episode, a good hot soak will be good for warming his insides.
“Hot water.” Chief Ata affirmed and stood up, motioning Morus to follow. “We’ll prepare some clothes for you. Though they may not be exactly your size.”
“Thanks. Much appreciated. I’m sure the clothes will be fine. And about my sister…” Morus picked up his backpack and followed after Chief Ata.
Tap. Tap. The sound of the cane hitting the floor as they moved, “She’s in good hands. You can see her during lunch, don’t worry.”
Similar to Monica’s situation, Morus also found himself in a bathroom a few rooms away, unlike his sister, he was less surprised about the furnishings, though the room had a few screens that blocked sight of the door, there was no ‘changing area’ per se, not like he needed one.
He felt the temperature of the water with his hands and it was pleasantly hot, then spent another minute inspecting the bathtub. ‘A bathtub with a built-in oven? This place isn’t as backwater as it appears.’
He took off his clothes and right before he entered the tub, he walked back and picked up his bag, laying it down beside the hot tub. He searched it for his phone, and once he felt the familiar sensation of cold, hard metal against his fingers, he pulled it out.
‘Wait a second… This is Monica’s phone. How did it get here? Did she toss it in before we went on the hike?’
