Chapter 43
Jay woke that morning to the sound of multiple knocks on his front door which continued without pause. Jay groaned as he got up. He'd need fresh sheets. He stripped his bed as the knocks continued and became steadily more insistent. He stuffed the sheets in to his pillow case and set it by the front door.
Tossing on a pair of pants he opened the door and greeted his two friends with half opened eyes, he still hadn't woken up all the way. He didn't feel tired oddly enough. Jay peered out the door past his two friends and saw that the sun had already risen and was well along its way through the sky. He had awoken late it seemed.
“You're alive!” Aiden said as he thumped Jay on his back and walked in the room. M'redith took in Jay's bare chest and smiled, “Welcome back,” she said, placing one hand on his chest as she stood up on her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek as she walked in to the room. Jay blushed.
“We waited up for you last night but you never showed, what happened?” Aiden asked.
“A very long dungeon run happened.” Jay said, still not quite feeling like himself.
M'redith watched him and gradually realized he was acting a little off. “Hey. Jay,” she said grabbing his arm. “You ok?”
Jay sat down and let his breath out in a huff. “I don't know. Yes? I'm alive. Just a little shaken up after yesterday's fight. The last fight was really rough. I thought I was going to die at one point and I haven't quite gotten over that I think.” he said with a shrug.
M'redith rubbed his shoulders as she looked over at Aiden with concern. Aiden picked up on it and sat down across from Jay as M'redith walked over to stand behind Jay while giving him a gentle shoulder massage.
“You want to talk about it?” Aiden asked seriously.
Jay chuckled, “Sure. I was going to tell you guys all about the dungeon run anyway. It was a high level dungeon and I really didn't belong there. If it weren't for the group taking care of me in there I don't think I'd have made it out alive.”
Jay began to explain what had happened during the run, the quests, the masks, the bosses, the close calls. He gradually appeared to relax the more he talked but became tense once again as he described the final battle.
“It was pitch black with glass falling all around us in piles from the chandeliers. You couldn't see your hand in front of you and the boss,” Jay paused for a moment as he remembered his close call. It hadn't bothered him at the time but in hindsight it was rather upsetting. “The boss was everywhere it seemed. It could see just fine while we were running around blind.”
Jay finally smiled and seemed a bit better, “If it weren't for our masks we would have all died. That's what scares me. If any of us had chosen to sell their mask quest starter instead of using it then we would almost certainly have gotten killed during that last fight.”
“It just keeps hitting me how that one decision could have killed us if we had made it differently.” Jay finished.
M'redith nodded and after a moment said, “But you didn't do it differently. You made the right choice. You beat the dungeon. You came back safe. You won.”
She gently squeezed Jay's shoulder for emphasis.
“Yeah, but you don't understand,” Jay continued, “Peril GOT me. I was down on the ground in a poison cloud. I should have died. I only survived thanks to the mask.”
Aiden shrugged, “So what?”
M'redith seemed a little shocked at Aiden's approach and looked at him with wide eyes.
He continued, “Almost doesn't count. Peril DIDN'T get you, she ALMOST got you. You beat her fair and square. Almost doesn't count,” he insisted.
Jay thought about that and it did cheer him up a little. Everything in life would be different if you made a change to something in the past, but that's not the way things turned out. That is a what-if, and doesn't reflect what really happened in life.
“Ok.” Jay said.
“Ok?” M'redith said coming out from behind him and perching on the arm of his chair while putting one of her arms around Jay's shoulders. “That's it?”
“Sure,” Jay said. “You two are right. It doesn't mean everything is fixed but I'm not arguing with you. I feel a little better just having talked about it.” he finished with a smile.
The two friends smiled. “What's with the stuffed pillowcase by the door?” M'redith asked.
“Nightmares. I sweat through the sheets last night.” Jay said simply.
Aiden and M'redith looked at each other again in concern but this time stayed quiet. If Jay said he felt a little better then that was good enough for now.
“So, bath time then?” M'redith asked. Jay nodded with a smile and leaned in to her. Aiden grinned, “Great, I can tell you all about my date last night!”
The group gathered their laundry and walked together to the bath houses and took their baths separately. M'redith went to the women's section while Jay and Aiden went to the men's.
“So tell me all about Aisha. What's she like?” Jay asked after they had dropped their laundry off to be cleaned.
Aiden worked his soap up in to a foam in his hair and scrubbed while talking, “Soft. Funny. She was amazing. Tiny too. I can easily pick her up.”
Jay tilted his head to the side, “Weird thing to focus on but ok. You can pick her up. I guess that's a check mark in the plus column.”
Aiden laughed and splashed Jay, “Shut up. We had a great time. We went to dinner and then went to this place called The Babbling Gardens. It was great, you just walk along these paths through a nice garden and there are all of theses rivers so the whole place sounds like a bubbling brook.”
Aiden had already filled in M'redith so wasn't worried about her not being there to hear him.
“What time you guys get home?” Jay asked.
“Late.” Aiden said. “But not as late as you. Plus, I got a kiss!” he finished with a silly grin.
“Good for you. Glad you and Aisha are starting out well.” Jay said with a smile.
The two had finished bathing and after drying off they got dressed in their now clean clothes and picked up the rest of their cleanly laundered clothing, and in Jay's case, clean sheets.
M'redith was sitting on a bench waiting for them, her legs swinging back and forth, when they finally emerged. Everyone went their own way separately to put their laundry away before meeting back at Jay's.
“I'm starving,” Jay said as his belly grumbled loudly.
“Kitchen is closed. You slept a long time. Guess you needed it.” M'redith said as she pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
“Guess we're eating out. My treat.” Jay said with a happy grin.
“Sweet! I love a free meal!” Aiden said excitedly.
“Also, I think I'm going to level up.” Jay said quietly.
M'redith caught it though and clapped in excitement before moving to the door. “Wait for me, I need to go grab my notebook and writing kit!” She closed the door behind her and she was gone.
Aiden chuckled. “She's fast.”
Jay nodded with a grin. “I also need to make a stop at the bank. I should talk to my financial consultant but I have to say I'm a little bit tired. I'd really like to just relax today.”
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“Well it is Saturday. Those are made for relaxing.” Aiden stated with a grin.
“Hey didn't you have your final traps exam yesterday? Did you finish your device?” Jay asked Aiden while suddenly remembering he hadn't asked M'redith about her exam either. Jay felt for a moment like he was a bad friend.
“The last few modules were so much easier than the first five or six I thought. I was out of class only a little late. M'redith convinced Aisha to wait for me and we were able to go out after all. M'redith is a good friend to have,” Aiden said seriously.
A short time later M'redith returned with a slightly fuller pack.
“Hey how did you do with your exam yesterday? I'm sorry I didn't ask already, my mind has felt a bit scattered since I woke up.” Jay said with a sad smile while looking over at M'redith.
“Oh I did just fine. I was done just as class ended and had plenty of time to talk with Aisha. She's a nice girl, I think you'll like her.” M'redith replied as she rearranged her pack.
After happily congratulating both on their successes Jay went to his bedroom and gathered some things before the group left for the main entrance. The courtyard was busy and coaches and carts came and went frequently. M'redith flagged down a vacant cart and they all hopped in. M'redith spoke to the driver and they were off.
Jay lay back and relaxed letting the cart's gentle sway back and forth lull him in to a state of relaxation. Jay watched the various shops and streets go by as they passed them as M'redith interrogated Aiden more about his date the night before.
“Did she say she wanted you both to split the cost or did she offer to pay? They mean different things!” Jay heard M'redith state adamantly to Aiden. They continued their spirited discussion as Jay only half-listened.
Finally they arrived at a nice looking building, its grounds hidden behind high wood stained walls. After Jay paid for the coach the group approached the entrance and were escorted inside to a private room. The room looked out over a koi fish pond. At least Jay assumed they were koi.
The room's floor was covered in straw mats and the room itself was dominated by a squat table crafted out of polished wood that sat low to the ground. Around the table lay a number of cushions. Aiden sat on one side of the table while Jay and M'redith sat on the opposite side. Jay leaned back in to the cushions and M'redith leaned back in to him.
“Fancy place.” Aiden remarked.
“It's one of my favorites,” replied M'redith as she adjusted slightly to get more comfortable.
The group just sat quietly for a few moments before a waitress carrying a tray of bowls entered. She placed one bowl in front of each of them. Each bowl was black with wavy patterns engraved across the bowl. Atop each bowl was a rounded lid colored the same.
“We don't order?” Aiden asked.
M'redith shook her head, “They serve what their chef has made for the day. Every day is different, but always delicious.”
Jay thanked the waitress who smiled as she left. Lifting the lid on his bowl he saw that the interior of the bowl was a bright red and contained a delicious looking soup. “Miso soup?” he asked hesitantly.
“That's right!” M'redith said happily a little surprised he had gotten it right the first try.
Aiden didn't seem too enthused by the idea of soup but gave it a try anyway and was a little surprised to discover that he actually enjoyed it. “Hey,” he said, “this is actually good!”
“Not every meal needs to be meat on a stick you know.” M'redith said with a raised eyebrow.
Jay laughed and his friends dug in to the soup and the conversation paused as everyone ate. The soup was cleared from the table by a waitress shortly after they finished and trays of spicy cucumber tuna rolls were brought out. Small dishes of wasabi, soy sauce, and ginger were placed next to each person's sushi.
They ate happily and Jay made liberal use of the wasabi to Aiden's shock and horror.
“That stuff is burning hot you know!” Aiden warned.
“I know what I'm about son,” Jay said as he grinned and ate the wasabi covered tuna roll. It was hot and spicy but delicious.
Aiden tried out a tiny bit of wasabi before following it with a big gulp of water. “You two are crazy, that stuff is awful!”
M'redith laughed and the group sighed as they finished up their food. The table was cleared and square jade colored dishes were brought out, one for each person. On each dish sat a thinly sliced cucumber sesame salad. It smelled delicious and Jay couldn't wait to eat it.
Everyone made appreciative noises as they ate their salads. Sesame seed oil was always delicious. Combined with the cucumber, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and a pinch of sugar it was almost perfect. The red pepper flakes and sesame seeds sprinkled across the salad made it perfect.
Jay sat back. He wasn't full but he was done eating. The group sighed in contentment as a waitress cleared the table. Jay paid for their meals and was asked if there would be anything else.
“We'd like to stay for another half hour or so. Is that ok?” Jay spoke with the waitress and after some back and forth came to an agreement and handed over a few more coins. After the waitress had left Jay grinned.
Jay dug in to his pack and placed the single gold piece, the pouch of coins, the mask, the patch, and the single upgrade stone from his dungeon run on to the cleared table.
“This is what I got on the dungeon run,” Jay said. Aiden immediately tried the mask on but it wouldn't stay on and gave him a notification stating that the item was already bound to another and would not work.
“Already bound huh” Aiden asked.
“Ya. Good thing too or I would have been toast.” Jay replied.
M'redith looked at the patch and peered at Peril's eyes, “Are these real rubies?!” she asked as she gently ran her fingers across the gems.
“I think so. I think the patch is so fancy because we beat Peril on hard mode.” Jay said while he watched M'redith fiddle around with the patch. She placed the patch on her outfit's arm and it fell off. “Doesn't stay put huh?”
Jay gently took the patch and pressed it to his shirt where it stuck fast. Jay tugged it loose and gave it back to M'redith. “Only seems to work for the person who earned it I guess,” Jay said with a shrug.
Aiden kept asking about the mask and Jay told him everything he could think of. Remembering something Jay's eyes unfocused for a second as he changed his title settings. “The Masked One” appeared over his head and M'redith squealed, “I love it! Turn that title on while wearing the mask and you could scare the crap out of someone easily.”
Aiden handed the mask to Jay, “Let me see what it looks like on you.”
Jay put the mask on and it immediately adhered to his face perfectly. He turned to Aiden and could see everything just as he normally would but the edges of everything was outlined in green.
“Whoa. You look creepy as hell.” Aiden said while looking at Jay's dark wood stained mask. It was featureless except for the two eye holes that kept Jay's eyes hidden and looked like nothing more than two shadows no matter how closely Aiden looked. Jay took it off and put it back on the table.
Neither of his friends had touched the upgrade stone but Jay had caught both of them staring at it multiple times. “You got an upgrade stone.” M'redith said almost in disbelief. “You aren't even a full Guild member and you're already getting upgrade stones. I'm glad we're friends. Maybe some of your luck will rub off on me.” she said with a wry grin.
Jay strangely didn't feel any attachment to the object and kindly offered it to M'redith. “You want it?”
Aiden's eyes boggled but he remained silent.
M'redith smiled and took the long thick gem and turned it over in her hands watching how it caught and reflected the light. “It's pretty.”
“Sure it's pretty. Pretty rare. Pretty expensive.” Aiden said while looking at the gem as well.
M'redith handed Jay back the upgrade stone. “You don't want it?” Jay asked a little confused.
She shook her head and leaned back in to Jay, “No. I'm happy with things as they are.” It was almost as if she understood something that Jay wasn't even yet aware of and had made a conscious decision because of it.
It was Jay's turn to grin as Aiden groaned. “You two are the worst sometimes. Come on, what's next?” Aiden asked with a smile.
Jay was still surprised at M'redith turning down the upgrade stone but motioned towards the pouch and the gold piece. “Money?”
Aiden grinned and Jay motioned him to go ahead. Aiden happily counted out the coins before shaking his head. “Good Gaia you're a loot magnet. Three gold total in the pouch which brings your total haul to 4 gold. For one day of work.” he said almost in disbelief.
Jay got serious, “Keep in mind Aiden that I almost died. Sure, I would come back to life somewhere else and start new. I would lose everything. What I'd really lose though is you and M'redith. I almost lost both of you for four gold, that's what I see when I look at those coins. Or that upgrade stone.” Jay motioned to the coins and stone as he spoke quietly as if he didn't trust his voice to stay steady at any louder volume.
M'redith went extra quiet at Jay's words and seemed to be working through something in her mind.
Even Aiden sobered at that, “Still Jay, I don't know quite how to get across to you what a rich salary this is.”
Jay said, “I'm not spending it. Well I'll probably take 20 silver for walking around money. The rest goes in to the bank for Boland to work his magic on.”
“Oh sure, its not like 20 silver isn't itself already a large sum of money.” Aiden laughed, “You crack me up sometimes Jay.”
Jay shrugged but in a lighthearted way and M'redith placed her hand on his arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze while smiling up at him. As she gazed up at him Jay forgot what he was doing for a moment before Aiden cleared his throat loudly.
“I'm going to bring Aisha by sometime and do all this lovey dovey stuff in front of you and see how you like it.” Aiden muttered but in good spirits.
Jay nodded with a growing grin, “Ok, that's fair. Back to business. Now who is ready to watch me level up?” Jay asked with a silly smile.