Arc 6. A seemingly endless loss
Road to a Hero:
Three Chances in Another World
Chapter 13. Slip and Slide
Gray, Edward, Julius, Rosemary, and Erin walk out of an embarrassing session in the changing room. Now in the mixed bath’s hot and steamy waters stems a sense of relaxation. Four friends, wearing towels and underwear of course, walk into the overwhelmingly hot space. Rosemary and Erin take their towels off and sit in boiling water while Gray and Edward stand face to face, holding their wooden practice swords. Erin glances at Gray’s chest, looking at the large burn scar on his left peck that stretches to his left shoulder. She then looks at everyone's scars. Rosemary had various scars from various things all over, ones, Edward had a few small ones here and there, and then brand scar on his right eye. They don’t gross her out though, to her, they’re just interesting. But to insure they were too, she looked toward the red circle on the ground with four triangles around it.
Erin: “Look, the symbol on the ground, the sun-looking thing is Oni-mas crest! About two hundred years ago the Valatrocitus king and Oni-mas’ Shogun went out for drinks. Then the Shogun asked if there were any places like his home. When the king said no, the Shogun said “Well then dammit build one!” and here we are today.”
Gray: “Alright Edward, seems were on historical ground, the perfect place for our third match."
Edward: “Dueling rules? And are you sure, we’re a little…open…”
Edward blushes, looking at an also blushing Rosemary and a very invigorated, focused Erin, nudging Rosemary on.
Gray: “GO!”
While Edward’s off guard Gray lunges at him, swinging as quickly as he can to impress Rosemary. Edward, shocked by Gray’s quick rush, slips backward trying to block the attack and keep his towel on at the same time. Edward flings himself back up, making sure he doesn't hit the ground so he can impress someone he hopes is looking, which she is.
Erin continues poking Rosemary, pointing at Edward’s bulging muscles, which Gray notices, causing him to get jealous. He also notices Julius paying close attention, which gives him mixed feelings
Gray: “Sorry ladies, and Julius, but I gotta stop the show for a second!”
Gray takes a deep breath and gently says “Cenic”, causing an influx of faint black smoke to envelop everyone. Soku, sitting by herself in the women's baths, scoffs at the sight of the black smoke. On the other hand Peter and Lance both glare at each other, while thinking the same thing
“I wish I was with somebody else.”
Whilst within the black smoke, Edward struggles to think of what to do next. Having to deal with Erin glaring at him while Gray attacks him on top of it only made it worse. Edward thrusts his wooden sword forward, doing so with such strength that it blows all the smoke and steam away, but Gray is nowhere in sight. Edward looks left right and then behind himself, but still, nowhere. He quickly looks over at everyone in the baths, noticing Julius paying close attention to them but their eyes were closed and Erin's eyes were still awkwardly on him. However, Rosemarys were staring up.
Edward does the same, seeing an airborne upside-down Gray, face to face, and right behind Edward’s head is Gray’s sword. Edward used only the slightest feeling of the wind that’s being pulled by Gray’s quickly moving upside-down sword swing, and ducks. Now Gray, spiraling to the ground, barely catches himself, and he’s about to rush in, but then he sees Edward’s face drop. With a newfound cold breeze underneath him and Rosemary trying to cover a chuckling Erin's eyes, he freezes. Even if it was only underwear, it seemed every peice of anxiety he thought he left behind in his old world flew into him like the same truck that him here
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Gray: “Oops!"
Gray looks down to see his towel missing, so once again he casts “Cenic”. Now with the area once again consumed in dark smoke, Edward just waits for Gray to grab his towel. After a few seconds, the smoke clears, and once again Gray is nowhere to be found.
Gray: “What are you doin’?”
Edward looks over at Gray, sighing as he sees him beside Rosemary in the bath. Edward sets his sword down and slowly makes his way toward Erin’s side.
Erin: “Now, the show’s over?”
Gray: “Sorry lady, and Julius, I’m no stripper. Not yet anyway.
With a laugh from the group Gray seeps his head into the water while clocking toward. Edward tries to not look at any of them while he gets in, sitting on the far left with his right shoulder to Julius. Although Erin gets up and forces herself between Julius and Edward, causing Edward to tilt his head away and force himself to stare at the Sakura trees. His face was so red and puffed up that it looked like he was going to burst from anxiousnes. And then there’s Erin, who just relaxes looking at everyone with a smile on her face. Edward takes a glance at Erin, absorbing the sight, then quickly looks away with a childish grin on his face. Erin slowly nuzzles closer to Edward, getting enveloped in the hot steam of their bodies. Rosemary then does the same to Gray, seeping into the water with him. With Julius staring off into space, it seems like that side of the inn was completely distracted.
In the men's bath, Peter and Lance both get up at the same time, wanting to leave.
Peter: “Sorry, I was just going.”
Lance: “Oh no, you can stay, I was going.”
In an instant they both rush to the door, trying to wedge themselves through it. At the same time they fall through, tumbling into the dressing room. Peter tries to scrub his curly black hair dry while Lance combs his spiked hair back. Peter then puts his overalls on while Lance puts on casual wear, still glaring at each other. In the mixed bath, Erin looks to Edward.
Erin: "I'll be right back."
As Edward struggles to push past his shyness to respond she leaves the steamy waters and begins walking toward the dressing room.
Rosemary: “Where are you going?”
Erin: “I wanna check something, I’ll be quick!”
Erin grabs a towel and lazily wraps herself in it, rushing to her desk, which is also the front desk, and the bar. Before Peter and Lance can exit their dressing room they go as silent as a mouse when Erin speeds by, not wanting to peep. They look at each other, then at the small curtain blocking their eyes from Erin’s exposed body, then back at each other, they fight to peek through.
Once their eyes are through, they see Erin quickly place something back. They’re confused as to why she moved so suddenly, but when she turns around with a murderous glare in her eyes, they fall back in fear. Creaks on the floor, a beast slowly stepping towards them. In Erin’s eyes is an intent to harm, and harm she does. First, she grabs them through the curtain, then tosses them into the woman's dressing room, to be met with a not-so-happy and currently dressing Soku, so lastly, they’re blown by powerful winds straight out of the dressing room and right into the wooden wall of the hall. Erin is about to walk back into the mixed bath but is stopped by Soku. Erin’s about to ask why but then sees Gray, Edward, Rosemary, and Julius walk out.
Gray: “It started raining.”
Erin: “Oh? That’s sad.”
Rosemary: “I guess we can take our naps now.”
They all nod and begin going up to their rooms, lying silently as the cold fall breeze seeps into the Inn. At about one-forty in the afternoon, almost everyone is fast asleep. Gray and Rosemary hold each other while lying under a nice warm blanket. Soku sleeps alone without the need for a blanket, dreaming of Ophelia, Peter struggles to sleep, rolling side-to-side, and Lance snores away in the land of dreams while caressing the strange ring on his finger.
Outside Edward’s room, Erin and Julius talk to each other. Peter, not feeling like rolling around forever, leans up to his door, trying to listen to what they’re saying. But the second he puts his ear to the door they both go silent, which is strange to him. Julius walks off while Erin slowly maneuvers herself into Edward's room. He goes to say something but she puts her finger over his lips, and kisses his cheek while dragging her hand down his body. He goes to stop her, but after a moment of hesitation, they begin to embrace each other. The closest form of an embrace you can achieve, and Edward’s first time doing so. Making today especially special for him.
End of Chapter thirteen.