Chapter 4 - Silver and Rubber
The smell of fresh bread touched his nose, and Colin smiled like a kid at a candy store. The streets were lively and beautiful. Children ran by as a stall owner readied a basket of eggs, only to transform them into flying doves. People traded for colorful trinkets made from precious metals and unknown gemstones, offering silver and gold to adorn themselves. Another stall owner was grilling skewers of rabbit meat, and a savory smell wafted into the air. The capital city had a very rustic style, which made sense given the technology level but added to the charm nonetheless.
"I probably should've grabbed something from the kitchen before setting off," Colin lamented as his stomach voiced its complaints.
"Want to grab something real quick? There's a bunch of stalls to choose from."
"Alright, but could you help me with the exchange rate? I can assume this is a lot, but I still don't know how valuable these coins are." Colin shook the bag of silver pieces as if to emphasize the point.
"You don't have to worry too much. That's enough money for our equipment and a few nights at the inn. I'll be over your shoulder, though. I can't have you getting scammed before we can cover our basic expenses," Lamara grinned.
"Alright. Let's try this spot first, then." Colin pointed off to a stand serving pastries with fruit fillings. Lamara followed close behind as Colin stopped by four different stands, first grabbing two meat skewers, then two rolls of buttered bread, two frosted pastries with a sour plum-like fruit filling, and finally, two bottles of freshly squeezed milk. Lamara blinked in surprise as she watched Colin finish the meat skewer and bread roll before she found a place to rest for the two of them.
"Ah! Wait, there's no rush. The shops don't close until late in the evening. We can take some time to eat."
Colin raised an eyebrow, not understanding her meaning until his mind finally put the pieces together. "Oh, you wanted to sit down. Sorry, my bad."
With the skewer between his teeth, Colin scoped the area before setting his eyes on the plaza, where several stone benches surrounded a grandiose water fountain. The two sat at an empty bench, and Lamara began filling her stomach. There were many like-minded townsfolk who were doing the same.
As he uncapped the glass bottle and sipped fresh milk, Colin felt something was missing. Putting down the bottle, he focused his gaze on the crowd before him. People moved in and out of the streets, coming and going between the market stands and the shops. Families chatted, and the children followed their parents like little chicks. Business in the shopping district flourished, and the people went about their lives like normal.
"Normal," Colin thought. That was it, everything was normal. When was the last time he walked down a town square like this? Such a thing shouldn't have been possible even if this was another world, not ever in his wildest dreams. No distorted silhouettes of spirits calling out to the unknowing living. No disembodied lights dancing through crowds or strange tiny creatures lurking in the shadows, trying to play tricks on the unseeing. For the first time in a long time, the invisible beings that haunted him were nowhere to be found.
"What?! How?" Colin quickly dismissed the notion that his vision had been made normal, as he could still make out the silver thread creeping down his arm like hanging vines. No, it had to be something much more straightforward, that none of the invisible creatures that existed in his world made their home in this one. In that sense, he was free from the burden that plagued him back home. Colin was overwhelmed by emotion as an indescribable sense of peace filled his heart and mind. Despite himself, Colin began to tear up. Quickly, he wiped them away before anyone could notice.
Lamara licked her fingers clean from the lingering frosting and sugar and pulled Colin to his feet as he tossed his leftover garbage into a bin. "Come on, that shop isn't too far from here."
Colin tipped his hat to hide his reddening eyes, "Y-yeah, coming." The two of them brushed past the bustling market, and Lamara gently guided him with her hand. Colin gazed around in marvel, his eyes rolling over the shadows of looming buildings and faces among the crowd.
Lamara stopped before a little teal shop decorated with potted plants and a red banner fluttering along to the wind. Above the door hung a sign carved with unintelligible runes of what Colin could only assume to be the country's native script. Colin opened the door, gesturing for Lamara to step inside.
A small bell chime signaled the duo's arrival. The air smelled of ink and greenery. Herbs hung to dry from wires strung from one end of the room to the other. Nestled snugly about the shopfront were shelves upon shelves of scrolls, books, and trinkets of various kinds set about in no particular order. Farther into the shop was a counter with a rack of potions on the right and an astrolabe surrounded by scrolls and loose paper to the left. An old woman with a magician's robe and a wizard's hat lined with pearls and gilded roses stood behind the counter.
"You two just missed all the excitement. The Cardinal Heroes passed through here not too long ago." The old shopkeeper voiced her sympathies.
"Suppose it's a good time to stop by, seeing you're freer now than before. That is, assuming the heroes didn't buy up all your stock?" Colin replied.
"Well, you're in luck. I still have wares to spare." The shopkeep withdrew a leather-bound book from the counter, a record of sales and purchases Colin assumed. "How can I help you today? Did you come to read your magic affinities, seeing as you're first-time customers?"
Colin stepped to the side as Lamara took a step forward. "Actually, we're here to purchase some equipment, spells too, if they're plentiful."
"Did you have any preferences in mind?" The shopkeeper asked quizzically.
"Do you have any fire or water affinity crystal balls to start with?"
"Of course, though any spells above intermediate are specialty orders, I don't have any spells of that grade at the moment. Is that fine with you?"
"That's alright; intermediate might be a bit much at the moment." Lamara waved off the notion of interest regarding advanced spells.
"I see, then I have just the thing." The old woman reached for a stepping ladder with an antique key in hand. Ascending to a higher shelf, locked behind a glass case, she turned the lock and withdrew a sizable crystal ball. After returning to the shelf to retrieve a second, the shopkeeper presented them before the duo. "This first one is the spell Fire Arrow, which allows the user to fire a powerful piercing arrow that deals devastating fire damage. The other is Aqua Slash, an excellent wide-area spell for beginning mages when more powerful alternatives aren't available."
Lamara carefully studied the crystals, pinching the cuff of her sleeve in contemplation. "Normally, these would be great additions to a magician's arsenal, but I suppose it's not that simple in your case." Lamara glanced over to Colin, who was now having similar worries.
"Is it alright if we pay for these after we've used them?" Colin asked. "I have a decent amount of coin here if you're worried we can't afford it." Colin opened the hefty coin purse to prove his point. Glittering silver pieces rolled over itself like a mound of sand.
"Oh my." The old woman peered over the pouch as Colin set it down on the counter. "Very well, I don't particularly mind, but is there something you're not satisfied with? I can't imagine this place would seem that untrustworthy."
"No, no. It's not anything like that," Colin tried to explain. "I have a few issues retaining spells, you see." Colin left out the hero aspect of his predicament going into the conversation. He thought it would be less confusing this way.
"Well, I suppose I could humor you, but any damages to the merchandise will have to be paid for, alright?"
Colin nodded. "Yeah, I promise to pay in full." The old woman blinked in surprise at his sincerity but said nothing more as Colin picked up the ball containing the Fire Arrow spell. Taking a deep breath, Colin tried to repeat the events in the throne room; however, much to his dismay, nothing happened.
"Is everything okay?" Lamara inquired.
"I don't know... I can't feel anything." Colin tried the same with the ball containing Aqua Slash but received the same vacant response.
The shopkeeper watched curiously as Colin set the crystal balls back down on the counter. "Are you sure you have an affinity for water or fire? It's unheard of for crystal balls to react in such a way."
"Sorry, but can we try another spell instead?" Colin looked at Lamara.
"How about the spell Air Shot?" Lamara inquired.
Confused, the shopkeeper looked between the two, moved to store the two crystal balls, and returned with a third. "Here you go, Air Shot, a beginner's projectile spell for a budding wind magician."
Colin thanked the shopkeeper as he tried to channel the new element before him. His efforts were met with silence as the distinct lack of a connection persisted despite his efforts to reach out. Colin sighed as he set down the crystal ball, and a bell chime directed his attention to his periphery. The ring's system sent him a notification.
Notice: Your current levels are too low to support another magic affinity. Consider raising an affinity to the intermediate level before learning a new elemental affinity.
"Well, that's grim," muttered Colin. "But that still doesn't explain why the other two crystal balls didn't work."
Responding to his words, the system opened a menu icon titled "Help." The icon grew into a large panel of tutorials and guides regarding the system, selecting a topic called "Learning New Spell Components" and highlighting a passage within.
Stored spells lack an adequate amount of information to be eligible for deconstruction. Learning the spell in written form is necessary when attempting to strengthen existing elements or gather form components. Upon the successful casting of the spell, the information is thereby recorded in the spell registry, where forms and elemental affinities are added according to the spell cast. While lacking in substance, stored spells can still offer some benefits. Stored spells can be cast according to their inscribed formula or consumed to learn a single elemental affinity. The yield varies depending on the spell's complexity, though no more than one product can be obtained from a stored spell at a time, making their deconstruction ill-advised.
"Point made," Colin acknowledged. "Sorry, but do you have any beginner-level spellbooks?" Colin shrugged in disappointment.
Lamara gently handed the crystal ball back to the shopkeeper. "And some potions as well?"
"Of course, dearie, whatever you need."
Colin and Lamara spent three hundred fifty silvers between themselves, two grimoires, and five health and mana potions each.
"Till next time, dearies," the old woman waved them farewell.
Stepping out of the magic shop, Colin sighed, stretching his arms and squinting as the sun threatened to blind him.
"What happened back there?" Asked Lamara.
"Apparently, the system says I lack the required skills to handle any more elemental affinities, and I need to train up on what I do have before trying to learn any more." Colin held up the two grimoires for Fire Arrow and Aqua Slash. "Also, crystal balls are a no-go going forward, not unless you can cast the spells inside directly without learning them."
"Learning spells from a grimoire takes time... Perhaps we should get moving to the meadow up north. There, we can start raising your level," Lamara replied.
Colin nodded, "Sounds good, but are there any more places you wanted to stop before this? I'm still not sure about the whole armor situation."
"Heavy armor hampers spellcasting, so any full metal armor sets are off the table; a few options are available, however..."
Colin and Lamara stopped by two more shops before heading outside the capital city. First, they visited a blacksmith with a shaved head, who heartily fit Colin into a chain shirt before taking another hundred fifty silver off their hands. Lamara then brought Colin to a quaint little clothing store, where he outfitted himself in a black jerkin over a white, long-sleeved tunic paired with a set of black trousers and hard-leather boots. Colin made sure to buy a cloak for his neck and shoulders. He figured he would spend lots of time outside without proper sun protection. With the chain shirt and the new set of clothes, the duo was left with roughly three hundred silvers to spend as they pleased. Satisfied, they headed past the city walls into the wilds beyond.
Stepping out onto the rolling hills, Colin felt his boot sink into the tall grass, still damp from morning dew. Colin took a deep breath as the wind blew past his face. He felt antsy, too on edge to keep still. The question of who or what he would be fighting burned fiercely in his mind, a silent warning that he was still unprepared for what was to come.
"It's about that time, isn't it?" Lamara led on.
"Time for what?"
"That we make this party official. Adding me to the party registry will allow me to help you grow as well."
"Party registry..." Colin snuck a peek at the ring's menu, which subtly opened the "Help" menu before fully explaining the system.
Party Registry: By adding allies to the Party Registry, you can share experience gained amongst allies. A total of six members can be registered at a time before an experience penalty is applied, splitting experience gains by twenty percent for each member. Some unique skills and spell forms can only be used through the Party Registry.
"How do I add you to this?" Colin asked.
"Simply mark down my name. The system automatically adds people who consent to the fact." Lamara withdrew her bronze staff, its bells chiming to the breeze.
Colin sifted through the ring's menu system, marking Lamara with his gaze and watching her name appear on a list starting with his. In his periphery, a fanciful user interface displayed a similar layout, accompanied by colorful bars meant to represent the health and mind of each individual. A third bar was present for himself, but Colin didn't know what it was used for.
Looking at Lamara's status, now plastered to his vision, he realized she was significantly stronger than himself. If levels were meant to indicate an individual's skill level, then he was thirty-fifth of what Lamara was.
"You're pretty high level for this, aren't you? Or is thirty-five an average number for most seasoned warriors?"
"Ah... Well, I wasn't trying to hide it. I have had more than my fair share of battles in my lifetime. I simply accumulated enough levels to show it."
It dawned on Colin that his situation could be compared to that of a toddler trying to stand at shoulder height to that of a grown adult. In other words, he was being coddled with her around.
"I-I guess I'll have to catch up before the next wave hits," Colin laughed nervously, slightly red in the cheeks.
Lamara flashed him a knowing smile that only made his heart sink deeper into his chest.
"I'm going to be playing catch up for a while, huh?" Colin thought in grim acknowledgment.
"Now that we're getting to the meat of our outing, I'm going to explain some things about today." Lamara withdrew a satchel under her cloak, holding it out to Colin.
"Here, take it."
Colin found the bag was mostly empty, save for the two grimoires, his old clothes, and a protected case containing the potions he had bought.
"This is your tool going into this adventurer's crash course. Your first lesson is that all monsters have salvageable parts. Some are more useful than others, but nearly every monster has something of value; for heroes, that rule becomes much more vital." Lamara pointed to the ring on Colin's finger.
"The fastest way to strengthen your legendary weapon is to feed it raw materials. Skins, bones, metals, greenery, you name it, your ring has the power to absorb it, taking in its properties to raise your status. Today, we'll be hunting a relatively harmless monster to put this into practice, and we can sell parts we can't sacrifice to the ring for some meager coin."
Colin took a deep breath, exhaling to subtly calm his rising tension. "Okay... What am I going to be fighting?"
"Balloons," Lamara replied.
"...Huh?" Colin narrowed his eyes.
"Balloons? Like the floating kind?"
"Sometimes, more often than not, they're just bouncy."
"...Balloons... I'm... Uh..." Colin tried to find the words to voice the many questions that came to mind.
"You seem to be taking this lightly. I know I referred to the creatures as relatively harmless, but don't go thinking that means you can let your guard down," Lamara warned.
"But they're balloons... right?"
Lamara sighed, "You'll see for yourself in a moment; for now, I suggest you start preparing your magic."
Lamara secured the pouch along her waistband without another word and set off further into the tall grass. Colin hurried after her.
Continuing her lecture, Lamara described Colin's not-so-intimidating first foe, "Balloons are animated objects, sustained through atmospheric mana. They're considered inorganic monsters for this reason. You'll find their bodies lack conventional muscle tissues and bone structures. Instead, their bodies are made of rubber, inflated by the mana they intake. It doesn't take much to pop a balloon. A well-placed hit will do. That being said, the creatures move erratically; you'd be hard-pressed to strike when you can barely get your hands on them. Your first objective will be anticipating their movements, following their directional patterns, and striking where they leave themselves open. Oh, and do watch out for their teeth; their bites can be quite nasty."
"Wait, teeth?" Colin wasn't given much time to process that information as the grass around them began to rustle, and his system magic highlighted two rolling balls from within, warning him of an incoming enemy.
Two red markers floated a few feet above the small creature's head. Colin watched the glossy orange ball peer at him with milky white eyes, growling like a hound. The ball flashed its rubbery maw, bouncing off the ground and kicking off into the air at a frightening speed. Lamara stepped between Colin and the incoming balloon, swinging her staff with deft precision.
"Head's up, the next one's yours." Lamara sidestepped out of the way as the next balloon poised itself to pounce.
Colin dodged out of the way, jumping to the left as the balloon flew in his direction. The balloon pivoted off the ground, ricocheting toward him with tremendous force. With a solid chomp, the balloon was stuck to his arm. The sensation was akin to being locked in a crab's claw.
In a hurry, Colin called to the ring's power, "I-Ignite!" A crescendo of flame washed over the balloon's behind, tearing it open in a loud pop. Bell chimes from the system rang, and a glowing number flashed. The small increment of three experience points out of a threshold of ten was added to his status.
"Don't forget to pick up the scraps. Going forward, every bit of coin is going to help." Lamara approached with a palm full of balloon scraps.
"How much do these sell for anyway?" Colin replied.
"Probably about half a copper coin each. Most of these scraps are used to make toys and small trinkets; the rubber isn't all that durable."
"Still more than I figured it might be. How many copper coins equate to silver?"
"The conversion is in increments of one hundred. So a hundred copper coins for one silver piece and one hundred silver coins for one gold piece."
Colin pursed his lips. Hunting monsters might be more profitable than he initially thought. Colin bent down to scoop up the balloon scraps that were still large enough to be worked with and noticed the vibrant humming of his ring as he came in contact with them. Carefully, Colin tucked the balloon scraps into his bag, and off in the distance, he could hear the sound of more balloons popping. Craning his neck over the hills, he could make out the figure of Itsuki firing upon a crowd of unsuspecting balloons, culling them by the multitudes.
"We better get moving before we start seeing that experience point penalty," Colin murmured.
"Let's head a bit further along. We might find a few balloon variants deeper in."
As they walked, Colin reached into his pouch. Withdrawing a balloon scrap and holding it to the ring, Colin watched as a white light crept outward, absorbing the balloon scrap into it.
Orange Ring Unlocked
The system opened to a new menu. Before Colin was a massive tree of branching symbols whose branches seemed to stretch on forever. Of the hundreds of thousands of icons, only one was highlighted. Colin examined it further.
Orange Ring: [Tier I] Mastery Exp 0/10
Trait: Magic +3
"I'm starting to see the picture. The more I hunt, the more rings I can unlock." Colin felt the last of his anxiety leave him. "I can do this. I just need to covet power until I can draw that harbinger out of hiding. Wait for me, Juno. Our goal is getting closer, I can feel it."
"...You'll catch up to me before long," Lamara noted, watching Colin drop Balloon scraps into the ring. "A hero's growth rate is nothing to scoff at. I'll help you this time so we can speed things up."
Colin nodded, "Then I'll be on the lookout for anything I can feed to the ring."
The two of them prowled the meadow, gathering balloons by the dozens to burn or bash them open, only stopping when their bags were packed to the brim with rubber scraps. Colin felt winded, having run around all day, blowing flames around, all while trying to avoid striking the greenery for fear he might start a fire. Never once did he see Lamara cast a spell. With the way she handled her staff, he figured she didn't need to. By the time they returned to the castle gates to rest for the night, Colin had used up a health potion, two mana potions, gained a level, and two new rings.
Colin pulled out a seat by an empty table. The inn was packed tonight. The sound of merriment permeated the room as folks from the bar were toasting to a new age of summoned heroes. Colin kept his head down, even though he knew no one would be able to recognize him.
Lamara giggled. "Do you plan on keeping your status hidden the entire time you're here?"
Colin sighed. "It's common sense that there are only four heroes, right? I don't want to make my standing more confusing by trying to claim otherwise."
"Funny, most people in your position would try to capitalize on the benefits."
A waiter passed by with a pitcher of iced water and two small glasses. He filled the glasses and kindly asked if they wished to order food or wine. Colin glanced around the table, eventually finding a wooden board with a menu of dinner items and drinks. He couldn't read it. Cringing at the thought of drinking into the night again, Colin asked for a hearty meal and some squeezed juice. Lamara ordered an expensive wine, which she tried to pay for out of her own pocket.
"Wait, you don't have to do that. We still have a decent amount of coin left over," Colin said, reaching into the coin pouch and paying for both of their meals. The waiter thanked them and headed to the kitchen with their order.
"Are you sure? I'm not hurting for money, myself."
"Think of it as thanks for today. You helped me today, so it's only fair that I return the favor," Colin waved off her concern.
"Well, if you say so." Lamara grinned impishly. "But my, look at you~ Spending all that royal silver like a big hot shot. What was that about remaining subtle again?"
"Urk!" Colin felt her words stab at his ego. "H-hey, we still made some money off those balloons, so it's not all the crown's coin."
Lamara chuckled at his retort. She had been teasing him like this since she caught him trying to come up with names for his power, which were tame at first but gradually worse as the day went on. Needless to say, his magic remains nameless due to the fervent laughter from today's peanut gallery. Colin scratched his head, happy that the two of them could get along like this. Even if it had only been a day, Colin felt that Lamara was easy to be around. For that reason, he couldn't help but ask.
"Why did you choose to party up with me? It had to have been an enormous gamble, hadn't it? I'm sure the other guys would have welcomed you with open arms... Well, maybe barring Ren."
The smile faintly dropped from Lamara's lips. "...I didn't intend to join any of the heroes' parties. There was something I wanted to ask the heroes... Still is, really. I joined you because I thought it would be easier than joining their party. It was a win-win for me, as we magicians got financial rewards for joining a hero's party. You were the most convenient choice out of the five in many ways. Besides, I was curious too. I wanted to know why people went so far as to call you a legendary hero. You're right when you say it's common sense there are only four Cardinal Heroes, but doesn't that make your predicament more interesting. I can't help but wonder why you were summoned in the first place." Lamara's eyes had a dangerous gleam, the kind that a craftsman might adopt after getting their hands on precious new tools.
Colin shrugged, "I understand that. I'd probably do much of the same in your shoes." Colin took a sip of his water as condensation slipped down the glass. "What was your question, if you don't mind me asking?"
Lamara cast her gaze downward, "Maybe another time. It is a lot to unpack in one night."
"Okay, then let's change the subject. Where do you want to go tomorrow? We didn't get much from today's outing. If we want to be ready for the next wave, we should look for stronger monsters."
Lamara pursed her lips, "There are a few towns nearby. Many places have been run down or abandoned due to monster population increases. Realistically, we could take a tour, starting from the closest city to the capital, and find work to clean up monsters in troublesome places. There's also a dungeon nearby. Considering the size of it, I doubt there's much in the way of profitable materials; that being said, it couldn't hurt to find new parts to sacrifice for the ring."
"Dungeon, huh? How common are those in this world?" Colin inquired.
"That depends on where you look. Some regions are known for vast structures and sprawling underground systems, though dungeons like those are few and far between."
"Makes me want to travel outside the country just to find a few," Colin remarked.
"I take it you don't have places like these in your old world," Laughed Lamara.
"We didn't have very many monsters in general. However, that's not to say they didn't exist; they were just in small places where most people couldn't look."
Lamara expressed her amazement. "Is that why you're so accustomed to magic?"
"No, I just had a good teacher before getting here. I'd be swinging on balloons if not for her."
The waiter returned with their food sooner than expected, much to Colin's surprise. Setting down their plates, the waiter bid them farewell. Colin stared down the fat cut of juicy steak, and a part of him wished he had some steak sauce to top it off.
"Ho ho~ You'll have to tell me all about this teacher of yours later. For now, we dine on fresh meat!" Lamara grinned.
"True that," Colin chuckled. Colin and Lamara ate the night away, finishing two meals each before heading to their rooms.
As Colin shut the door, bloated and drowsy, he reflected on the day. Despite the detrimental lack of information about this world, he felt it wouldn't be long before he could get comfortable here. Juno was right. The system was tailored to his knowledge of games, almost scarily so. Colin felt as if he had been through the hero process once before.
Opening the ring's system menu, Colin once again drifted to the "skills" screen, where he was greeted with an enormous array of undiscovered rings. Today, he unlocked three new rings, all from the balloon series. None were remarkable, offering only meager increases to his magic stat. Mastery rewards also allowed those stats to be carried over permanently, raising his magic skill by the amount listed in the ring's traits. Considering the low experience point requirement the balloon series had, he managed to master at least two of the three before the night was over.
Colin drew a finger over the status window, watching as he flipped through an untold number of rings. Remembering the grimoires from the morning, Colin reached inside the satchel. Opening the book for Fire Arrow and flipping through the pages, he faced the same problem he had back on the ground floor. Colin didn't understand this world's written language. Realistically, that much shouldn't have come as a surprise, but with the ring translating everything for him until this point, he had gotten used to operating in his native tongue. Sighing, Colin tossed the book on the bed and face-planted into his pillow.
"Tired," he groaned. The day had been long, but all he had done was run around collecting balloon scraps. Colin pulled back his sleeve to see the red marks on his hand. Though they didn't break the skin, their bites stung badly; thankfully, the chain shirt blocked the worst bites he might have suffered. It was a grim reminder that even a second of carelessness could lead to death. The fact that he couldn't turtle into a set of plate armor due to how it would affect his spellcasting didn't help matters.
A subtle thought crept into his mind that he was extremely fortunate Lamara chose him. There was so much about his new companion that left him curious. He wanted to know more about her skillset and why she was so strong. But guilt filled his heart. The longer he kept his circumstances a secret from her, the more likely she might be put in danger. While Colin was confident that his adversary would be gathering strength much like himself, he knew next to nothing about their abilities. That made them infinitely more terrifying now that he had someone else he was responsible for, though, at the moment, it was more like she was responsible for him.
Colin buried his face into his pillow, "I should tell her tomorrow." Even if it meant scaring her off, it was better than dragging someone unrelated into his own problems. Colin resolved himself as he unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
When he awoke, the room was pitch black in the dead of night. Colin felt hot and sweaty. He cursed for forgetting to take off his armor before letting himself sleep. With a sigh, Colin removed the chain shirt and the rest of his clothes, changing back into his original clothes. It was late, but maybe he could wash his clothes with water. The inn was silent, with no lights on the downstairs. He had to be the only one awake, so he was startled to see that redheaded girl from Naofumi's party slipping out of a room adjacent to his.
"Ah! Sorry," He whispered.
The woman snapped her head in his direction, her gaze tightened and on edge. She was holding onto a set of chainmail armor. "Oh, Sir Hero... I didn't realize you were still up," she whispered.
"Just doing some last-minute chores; I didn't mean to wake you."
"...No, you didn't do anything, I was just heading back to sleep."
Colin didn't have room to criticize, but she was still in her traveling gear. "I guess sleeping in your armor isn't that strange?" He asked himself.
"Well, goodnight," Colin said, peeling around the corner as she returned to her room. "That was awkward," he thought before heading outside to the well. Colin got to work soaking his clothes and chainmail, then drying it all with fire magic; the process drained the energy from his nap, so Colin didn't stay long. Stepping back in, Colin watched shadows peel past the windows, stretching into the darkened bar. Something was unsettling about the fact Colin was glad that this was another world. At that moment, he felt like he was being watched, a familiar sensation Colin had grown accustomed to back home; at least here, he knew nothing was waiting for him in the dark...