Chapter 167
Day 43, Tuesday, Eden
Jay woke up and immediately wanted to just go back to sleep. He climbed out of bed and caught a whiff of his own scent as he moved. It wasn't very pleasant – a mix of stale sweat and fresh body odor.
It was still dark out and Jay could use his aura to get clean, but he really wanted to relax in a hot bath for ten or twenty minutes instead. He got just dressed just enough to make it to the bath house. Shirt, pants, underwear, and his boots. He really could use some footwear that wasn't intended for dungeon use, maybe some sandals just for bath house runs?
Somewhat dressed Jay sat on his bed for a moment and pushed his fingers through his hair to help shake it out. It had gotten matted to his head while he slept and he didn't want to look like he was wearing a hair helmet. Finally somewhat satisfied with his setup he shrugged, got off the bed, and left his rooms.
The door shut with a click behind him and Jay furtively patted his pants pockets to see if he had remembered his key card. For one terrifying moment Jay thought that he had locked himself out of his own room but finally his hands closed over a hard flat rectangle in his pocket and he allowed himself to relax.
Some things didn't change no matter what world you were in. Being afraid of locking oneself out of one's own rooms was high up on that list.
The walk to the bath house was quiet. Usually this early there wouldn't be many people up and about but Jay was surprised to see that quite a crowd had already woken up. At least they were being mostly quiet.
When he finally reached the bath house he was forced to wait in line for some time before his turn came up. There were more people waiting for a bath than usual and Jay now understood why. It was because of him and his group. They had done this. K'tharkle was changing and the Glimmerhides had a hand in making that happen.
Jay walked inside and paid for a private bath. He was given a number and Jay walked through the bath house until he reached his room number. The entire thing was a mix of wooden walls and stone floors and stone baths. Jay's room ended up having a bath the size of a small pool set in to the floor. Jay judged the size of the pool to be large enough for him to be able to do laps. Small laps, but still.
He stripped and put his clothes in to a pile away from the door. If anyone wanted to take his belongings they'd have to pass Jay first to reach the other end of the pool where he had set down his clothing. The chances of that happening were very low but not zero. The clothing he wasn't too worried about but he would hate to lose his door key card.
The bath water was steaming hot and steam rose off the water in hazy plumes. The water was not still either but churned and bubbled. Jay had no idea if there were some fancy plumbing involved or just fancy magic. As he lowered his body in to the water slowly his skin turned red from the hot water and he had to pause a few times before he could continue. Finally he completely submerged himself for a moment before he popped his head back above water.
He leaned back against the wall of the pool he was in and could feel jets of water pump against his back in a rhythmic pattern.
He should be working on his staff work. He sure could use it. Although after training with Norri Jay was beginning to realize that basic training was never going to teach him how to fight. If anything the best he could hope for was that he would be familiar with his weapon of choice. If Jay was going to learn to fight he would have to find a school that specialized in that one weapon. He was still far more capable than he had been before the Guild's basic training.
Knowing that he should be doing something else just made doing nothing feel even more enjoyable. He tried not to stress over it too much – after he graduated he could take a month or two to just practice his staff work now that he had a steady income.
Of course the rest of his adventuring group still needed money. Jay might be rich but they were not. So Jay would have to choose between being part of the group and going off to do his own thing. Jay didn't think that it was even a choice really, he planned on sticking with the Glimmerhides for the foreseeable future. As for M'redith, he'd have to see how things went after graduation.
He hoped that M'redith would stay with him after graduation but realized that there were sides to M'redith he had yet to see. She had a background she couldn't talk about. She had a life he knew nothing of. They had grown close while in training but that could all change once graduation passed and the real world began to intrude on their relationship. Jay hoped for the best and had decided not to worry about it.
With a loud sigh Jay got out of the bath. He had been there for almost twenty minutes and should really be heading out so someone else could use the bath.
Jay didn't bother with washing himself, he didn't need it. He was absolutely in the need of a good wash but with his aura he could take care of that while he walked to breakfast. The bath had been to relax, not to get clean.
Jay stood on the wet stone as he dripped water in to a puddle that began to form around his feet. He shook out his hair with his hands and put on his clothing without drying off any further. It felt incredibly uncomfortable to do so as his clothing stuck to his wet skin. He pushed on and tried to ignore the sensation.
He stood in his damp clothing and put on his boots which also got wet. Finally fully dressed he turned on his aura and it went to work. He could have started walking but the thought of walking in wet shoes was too unpleasant so he decided to avoid it entirely.
Thirty seconds later he was sparkling clean as was his clothing and boots. Having clean looking boots in K'tharkle was impossible to do without some sort of magic. Jay's hair had dried off completely and was light and fluffy. Jay's skin was still red from the hot bath but otherwise he looked about as clean as a person possibly could.
With a grin Jay left the bath house and passed the line of people waiting to get in. As he walked up to his rooms he found that he had a few visitors. Aiden stood in front of Jay's room and was talking with a short slight man who looked as if a strong breeze might send him fluttering away.
“Morning. What's all this?” Jay said with a smile as he used his key card to open his door.
“I'm Ubbe. You needed an armorer? Boland sent me. Glad your friend is here as well, that'll save me some time.” the thin man offered with a nod.
Jay waved him and Aiden in to his room, “Great! Come on in. Let me get the armor.”
Jay walked back to his bedroom as Aiden and the armorer talked. Jay could hear some rustling around and some movement as Aiden took his armor off one piece at a time.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Jay went to pick up his armor and pulled his head back with a shake. His armor reeked from use and was in desperate need of a cleaning. With a shrug Jay picked up the pile of armor and turned on his aura. He waited the thirty seconds until his armor was spotlessly clean and then turned the aura off.
His armor now looked spotless, but well used and with some visible damage. All of the Glimmerhides' armor showed signs of use and no longer had that brand new look. He swept the armor up in a pile in his arms and brought them in to the front room. He carefully deposited the pile on the floor next to a wall so that they'd be out of the way.
Meanwhile Ubbe had Aiden's dirty armor and was rubbing at it with his palms. As he moved his hands they glowed faintly but the most impressive thing was the way the leather armor flowed and moved almost like clay in the armorer's hands. There was no doubt that magic was at work there.
It took roughly fifteen minutes for the armorer to work through Aiden's set of leather armor but when Ubbe had finished the armor looked brand new, just a bit dirty.
Jay brought over his own armor and set it down next to Ubbe who picked it up piece by piece and molded it with his hands. While he did that Jay went over to Aiden and helped him get comfortable in his freshly repaired set of armor. Once Aiden had the armor fastened correctly Jay turned his aura on once again to help clean off Aiden.
“Ahhh,” Aiden said with a smile, “I missed that!”
Jay smiled in reply but kept quiet as Ubbe continued to work. Jay's armor had a number of puncture marks that required a bit more work on behalf of the armorer but Ubbe eventually got it done.
The sun had just begun to rise and bright orange sun beams streamed through the windows of Jay's rooms.
“Thank you!” Jay said just as Ubbe had finished up.
“You're welcome. You know where the female living area is at? I have to head there next.” Ubbe asked as he walked to the door. He wasn't much for small talk. Or any talk really.
Before he could reach the exit someone knocked at the door. It was a tiny knock compared to what Aiden usually did every morning. Jay slipped past Ubbe and opened the door.
“Norri! Come on in, we were just talking about you two!” Jay said with a smile. Norri gave Jay a smile as she walked inside and Jay was given a quick kiss on the cheek by M'redith who had just arrived as well.
“Great. Is this everyone? This will save me a trip. You two, get your armor off,” Ubbe said in a business like tone.
M'redith, who hadn't yet been introduced to Ubbe blushed and steadfastly refused, “I don't think so,” she said with a laugh, “Who are you?”
Jay quickly explained and M'redith apologized with a smile. “Can I use your room?” M'redith asked Jay and he shrugged and nodded.
M'redith went to Jay's room and closed the door. A few moments later the door opened and M'redith pushed a pile of her armor out of the room with one sock clad foot before she pulled her leg back and shut the door again.
Ubbe laughed, one short bark, and went over to the pile. He picked the armor up one piece at a time before he would then work at the leather with his bare, slightly glowing, hands. The armor flowed in his grasp and Ubbe molded the leather in to the shape it should be instead of the shape it was. When he was done he left the pieces on the floor next to the door and walked back in to the middle of the room and sat down in a chair to wait.
“Your turn!” Ubbe said as he pointed at Norri.
Norri smiled shyly, “Can I use your room too Jay? Please?”
Jay laughed, “Of course. M'REDITH! Norri is coming in!”
The others averted their eyes as Norri cracked open the door and helped move M'redith's armor in to the bedroom. Norri followed and shut the door behind her.
Jay and Aiden waited with Ubbe but thankfully did not have to wait long. Soon M'redith walked out of the room fully dressed in her armor and carried a bundle of Norri's armor which she set down next to the armorer.
“Here you are, and thank you, this fits better than it did before!” M'redith admitted with a smile.
Ubbe nodded in a business like manner, “I took in the waist a little and let out the bust an inch. The armor flares out from the waist now as it rises, hopefully that will cut out some of the pinching.”
M'redith smiled as the man went to work on Norri's armor, “Well, thank you, it fits wonderfully.”
Ubbe made a hrm sound but Jay could tell by the look on his face that he was pleased with M'redith's praise. All Ubbe had been tasked to do was repair the armor – going beyond that to ensure a better fit was all Ubbe's idea.
Jay turned on his aura and stood next to M'redith to give her a chance to have her armor cleaned as well. He finished long before Ubbe finished repairing Norri's armor.
The sun had entirely risen by the time Ubbe fully repaired Norri's armor and M'redith brought it in to the bedroom so that Norri could get dressed.
Ubbe had caught on to what Jay was doing as the armor and his friends had gone from in need of a shower to sparkling clean. “Can I get a shot at that?” he asked hopefully.
“Sure, just stand there and give me thirty seconds,” Jay said as he stood next to Ubbe and activated the aura.
Ubbe could feel a light buzz under his skin but it wasn't completely unpleasant. “Tickles a bit.” he said.
Norri nodded, “It does that.”
Motes of light rose off of Ubbe and his clothing as the seconds ticked on. Every second that passed he looked cleaner than the second that had preceded it. Finally Jay turned off his aura and Ubbe let out a sigh.
“That, was wonderful. Thank you kindly, you just pushed out my next bath another day or two!” Ubbe said agreeably as he headed to the front door. “You all have fun now and thanks again for the aura bit! Be sure to send for me next time your armor needs work!”
Jay shook the man's hand before he left and Jay stood in the door a moment to watch him walk off down the path that led to the main courtyard. Jay looked down at his own newly repaired armor. It looked brand new but it also looked as if it fit better.
Jay now realized how ratty his armor must have looked like since they had returned from the Landlocked Lighthouse a few days ago. He had met a bishop. A mayor. A King. He'd gone out to eat at a very expensive restaurant looking as if he had just walked off of a battlefield. Jay was embarrassed. It was a little late for that but better late than never.
He returned to his room to find everyone ready to go and already lined up at the door. Everyone looked fresh and clean and was wearing armor that looked almost custom due to how it fit their bodies. The armor was clean but was also now unmarred by holes, scratches, gouges, and so forth.
“NOW can we go and eat breakfast?” Aiden begged. Jay laughed and the group headed off to walk to the dining hall.
Everyone had thanked Ubbe for the repairs but had forgotten to thank Jay for paying for those repairs.
Jay hadn't noticed and checked the door to his room twice just to make sure he had locked it.