A Soldier's Life
chapter-24

We returned to our assigned residence to drop our gear and armor before heading to the baths. I found Mateo in my bed sleeping. The smell from the ogre was faint but still hung in the room. He rolled over drowsy, “Sorry, Eryk, I was sleeping on the roof, and it was just too bloody hot today. I will be out by evening as I have night watch at the north gate.”

I sniffed the air again, “No, problem. You can keep the room.” I grabbed my backpack and loose gear. The heavy blanket I left on the bed, considering it lost to the scent of ogre. I went to the bakery’s first floor, pushed two tables together, and unloaded my gear. There was an old woman across the street that had advertised doing laundry for soldiers for a copper. I found some clean light linen pants and a shirt abandoned by the baker, stripped down, and changed. Felix was already coming back down the stairs, ready for the baths.

Felix laughed, “Mateo slept in your bed while we were gone? Just too cruel.”

“I will just set up to sleep on these tables tonight. Adrian thinks we will be moved soon to a villa of the local baron who fled,” I said, relaying the rumor I had overheard.

“It’s true,” Delmar said, walking into the bakery. “The baron’s advisor is preparing it for us to move into. Probably making sure he is taking everything valuable out to say later it was stolen.” He turned to me, “Eryk, I have this for you from Castille. It is to make up for your loss in the dungeon.” He handed me a pouch, and I took it, expecting it to be heavy with coin. It was light, and inside was an essence. Delmar smiled, “The gargantuan constrictor essence. An apex essence of constitution.”

He patted me on my shoulder, and Felix muttered, “Lucky bastard.” I pulled the golf ball-sized essence and let it dissolve in my mouth while I put together my dirty clothes in a bundle to carry across the street. I could feel a now familiar run of aether surging through my body, enhancing my body. I shuddered from the cold electricity for a moment and gathered myself. The feeling was becoming euphoric and dopamine-inducing, knowing I was getting stronger. With Felix, I went and visited the washerwoman and talked for a few minutes. She was old and frail and lived with her daughter, who had four pre-teen kids. The father was killed a few years back. The woman offered to wash a set of clothing for a single copper.

Maybe it was because I felt bad for her situation, but I paid five copper for two sets of dirty clothes I had but asked they be washed twice and in clean water. She eagerly accepted, and the kids went to draw the fresh water. Felix said as we went to get Wylie and Donte down the street at their accommodations, “That woman will be forcing her daughter on you when you go to pick those clothes up.”

I jested, “Sorry you didn’t think to do it?”

“They will wash my clothes at the bath with scented soap,” he indicated his sweat and gore-stained clothes. He pointed over his shoulder at the old woman, “If that family isn’t fleeing, then they have nowhere to go. Or maybe the old woman can’t handle the trip.” He paused, “You did a good thing. I will let the others know to give her some work.”

We met up and walked to the upper city, which was even more abandoned than the lower city. Most of the abandoned buildings were boarded up. NThe bathhouse was open and fed from an aqueduct. The attendants inside were all young women and not delighted to see my companion’s clothes. These were the washerwomen who would take our clothes. They collected our silver coins, and then we stripped in front of them to give them our clothes. I tried not to show any shyness as I handed my linens to one of the young women. She handed me back an abrasive sponge and a cube of soap.

“See any you like?” Donte chided no one in particular.

“The brothel is down the street, you dolt,” Delmar said, walking in with Adrian and Konstantin. “If you cause trouble here, Castille will mount your arse on a spear.”

We all moved into the showers to scrub as the three new arrivals were attended to. The showers were just a light stream of cold water, but I took the opportunity to use the abrasive and soap, thoroughly cleaning myself and ignoring the others. My body had transformed in the months I had been here. I was lean and muscular. I briefly wondered what it would have been like in my past life if my body had looked like this. Once clean, we moved to sit in the heated baths. Wylie jumped in, causing a splash and waves followed by curses from the men already in the recessed pool.

Not many nobles remained in the city, and from the look of our company, I guessed they were mostly soldiers or other legionaries. Once the water settled with the curses at Wylie, conversation resumed. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the heated water. Our commanders and Konstantin joined the pool, and the conversation turned to Legion business.

We were moving into an estate near the baron’s orchards and personal gardens inside the north walls. If the baron ran the city, then where the hell was he? I asked that question, and Delmar replied, “Normally, a count runs a city, but the last count was assassinated, and the Emperor appointed no new count. Baron Hephestus is just a temporary appointee. He is currently with the Emperor’s army about four hundred miles from here. Ready and waiting to come to the rescue of his besieged city.” Mockery laced his voice.

Firth, who was also here from our company, asked, “What is with the storm we saw?”

Konstantin answered, “Probably nothing good. It was definitely not natural. Castille and the other company commanders are deciding if they want to investigate. Has to be over ten miles of travel through the swamp—no road.”

Wylie barked, “I hope she doesn’t volunteer us. Swamp water is not good for my skin.” He got a few chuckles, and a few men not from our company left the hot pool.

Konstantin stood and cracked his back, “Eryk, I will see you in the yard in a hour for practice. Best not to get too rusty.”

My jaw would not work as he left, and everyone laughed, so maybe Konstantin was joking. Soon Adrian and Delmar started giving orders to everyone for either weapon practice tonight or to help with preparations for the move to the villa. I asked about my practice with the spear as I was supposed to be training in both. Delmar noted Konstantin was proficient in the spear as well. Great.

I exited the bath and went to the next chamber to find middle-aged women rubbing oil on the men. There was nothing sensual about it as the men did their own front and the women did their backs. I stood by a basin, started, and finished before a woman could do my back. I found my clean clothes and sandals and left.

I took a wrong turn and found myself in the trader’s district of the upper city. Half the shops were empty, but a few still had life. Surprisingly a bookstore was still open as the sun was just setting. I wandered in, and the man reading a book looked up.

“I am surprised you are still here with the enemy likely to attack the city,” I said conversationally.

He inspected me, “Guessing you are a soldier by the square shoulders. It is all the same to me, Telhians or Bartiradians. It would cost too much to pack up and move and I am getting too old for it. Are you here to look or purchase, young man?”

“Do you have a book on spell forms, on how to learn them?” I asked.

“I do. Which affinity are you looking for?” He stood thinking I might be a customer.

“Healing if you have it. How much would it cost?” I asked, hopeful.

He looked me up and down and sighed, “Normally ten gold, but under the current circumstances,” he mussed, “I will go as low as five gold. Not a copper lower,” he smiled, but he did not look like he thought I was capable of the coin.

“Do you have the protection affinity as well?” I asked, reaching into my pouch and getting the coins from my dimensional space.

“Eleven gold for that book. It is an uncommon affinity, and the copies are harder to come by,” he noted as he went to the shelves and found both books. “These both are basic low-affinity spell forms for these affinities. They are old, and there are other versions for different manifestations, but this is all I have currently.”

I looked both books over. They were both old and worn. They detailed a few basic spell forms for the affinity but did not seem to have the spell forms suitable for any affinity over forty. As he noted, they were just the basic spell forms. Renna’s book was much more detailed and covered all the affinities but did not have notes for the learning spell forms, just descriptors for choosing a spell form. Her book probably referenced textbooks for learning the specific spell forms.

The book was designed to learn without actually using an actual spell. It simplified the process significantly compared to learning from a spell, but the advantage of learning from a spell was minimal chance of making a mistake. I had Damian to guide me when I learned my dimensional pocket ability from the actual spell, but I would be on my own for this. Hopefully, I had learned enough from my time with him.

I confirmed the healing affinity first. It had three basic options, self-healing, body cleansing, and boundless endurance. I nodded and put it on the counter. The protection affinity book also had three spell forms detailed. Protection from the elements, wind barrier, and aetheric armor. I put the book on the counter.

“I will take them both,” I said, producing the sixteen gold.

Surprised, His eyes went up, “And he doesn’t even haggle. Your accent gives you away as a foreigner, but I suggest you save some coin next time and play the game of the merchant.” He took my coin anyway. I had just five gold coins remaining. I could not purchase rare affinity books if the uncommon book was already eleven gold. I had already spent what amounted to a fortune that my Legion mates knew I did not have.

I left the shop and turned into the first shop that sold food. The books went into my space, and I purchased two large meat pies in fired clay dishes for an entire silver. I should have gone to the company kitchen or bought food in the lower city as it would have been much cheaper, but I was in a good mood.

I awkwardly carried the warm pies all the way back to the bakery I was staying in. When I got closer, I found Mateo heading to his night shift at the gate, and he helped himself to one of the pies. They were family-sized, and I probably could not have eaten two anyway, even if my stomach was telling me I could.

I got to the bakery, and the old woman called me over to take my clean clothes. They were all clean and just damp. My guilt at their family’s predicament had me handing them the other meat pie. It made me feel good, and as predicted by Felix, the woman wanted to introduce her daughter to me. I escaped by going to get my dinner at the inn serving the Legion food down the street. I was famished, after all.