In a few minutes, they doused him with more water and even toweled him off with leather shammies.
The same servant then brought us around to the veranda. A side door had been opened, but I stepped over the railing of the veranda alongside Tejón, then into the room itself. The curtain, truly a monstrosity that must have weighed over a hundred pounds, was pulled back, and the inside of the suite was on display. It was a gaudy thing of marble and gold paint. Though to some eyes it must’ve looked expensive, to mine it just looked like a hangover waiting to happen.
But none of that mattered, for in the far corner of the room, in a bronze tub big enough for four, steam roiled up. My bath was ready.
Thankfully, there was an elegant shoji screen waiting to be extended, so I didn’t even have to close the curtains to get some privacy.
Right on time, just as I was removing my boots, two men pushed in a handcart loaded with meat.
Tejón, you’ve earned this. Hope you enjoy. I tossed each man a silver coin as a tip.
They were soon gone with their cart, and Tejón sat down, only his head and shoulders poking out of the room. He began to crunch through the side of beef.
The sound of him eating somehow didn’t gross me out. I was far enough away to hear only the crunch of bone.
As I shimmied out of my disgusting gear and clothes, I slipped into the scalding hot water and closed my eyes.
Next to the tub, I noticed a small brass bell. Well, isn’t that thoughtful? I rang the bell, and closed my eyes until a young maid scampered into my room.
“Yes, ma’am? Did you ring?” she said, her nerves making her voice quiver.
“I did. I’ll soon be very clean, and do not want to have the displeasure of putting those clothes back on as they are. Please, can you have someone clean my gear and clothing? I do not mind paying extra.” I hoped the prospect of more coin might move the process along.
She shook her head and responded, “No need for that. The suite comes with laundry services. I’ll have your clothes washed and pressed in less than an hour. I can see to your gear. That should be done…” She eyed the bloodstained and torn leather on the ground. “Well, before nightfall at least.”
I nodded and thanked her as she took an armful of the soiled things and scurried away. She was a polite girl, probably only fourteen, maybe younger, and I noticed she just turned her head and held her breath to avoid the stink of the gear. I didn’t envy her work, but she faced it with bravery.
The only thing I was missing was a beverage or maybe even something sweet, but even as the thought occurred to me, a knock came on my door. When I answered, a tray of refreshments was brought in by another woman. She set it down beside my tub and disappeared again.
In the real world, I’d had luxury in plenty, and had found it lacking. How awkward was it to have someone wait on you hand and foot when you hadn’t done a thing to earn it? Here, though? Well, having killed dozens of vile enemies, forged alliances with valiant forces, and traveled hundreds of miles on foot and on bear, I finally felt that I deserved it.
4: “They say necessity is the mother of invention. They’re wrong. Desperation is.”
— Shin Seong
HANA
Enjoy our new home, I said to Pachi when I was finally ready to log out. I promise I won’t be gone long. Maybe four or five hours max. I’ll come back and sleep with you here.
She nodded to me and curled up on the floor of the cave. This place feels clean, and the wind does not come this far in. I will be happy to sleep here. You can sleep under my wing when you return.
I took a few steps towards the entrance of the cave, the evening sky a soft plum. It was still light enough to see the distant mountain peaks, but already a few stars had begun to emerge.
I’d scouted the patch of forest that I now called home and had found a stand of young trees that grew close together and uniform in size. They stood up like white spears, and I thought they were a kind of ash.
The trees were big enough to be useful for building, but their wood was also young enough to cut through easily. I hacked down two dozen of them and removed the branches in a couple hours, then lined them up at the base of the mountain that led to my cave.
I hadn’t stopped there. Pachi had been complaining about still being hungry, so I told her to bring another deer, and this time, to leave me the hide. When she returned, I skinned it and gave her the rest to eat. I hung the hide up to dry in the sun, choosing not to build a fire to cure it for now. I’d have more time later.
I ended my preparations by gathering a large pile of stone from the stream and hauling it all back up to the cave.
When I was done, I was sweaty and sore, and had little time until my meetup with Shin. I took my time bathing in the stream, scrubbing myself clean and hanging my gear up to air out. Then I ate a small meal and headed back up to the cave with Pachi.
This latest session had been long, so giving the command to log out was a relief. Yet it was a bit alarming to see how much I preferred Eternal Online to the real world. If only Pachi and Madi could meet me
