章 15: Return to The Noble Lady
By the time I stepped out the door of the dojo, it was already sundown. I shaded my eyes with my left hand to prevent the setting sun from shining into my eyes. I looked around but I didn't see any street signs. How did people know where to go without street signs?
I glanced back and saw that Kalistra was watching me at the doorway. I was NOT going to ask her for directions back to The Noble Lady! With a huff, I turned away from her and started walking north. Honestly, I had no idea where I was going but I did not want to be anywhere did that evil cat girl.
As I walked along the street, I had a nagging feeling that someone was following me. I quickly turned around but saw no one standing behind me. There were a few male peasants further down the street but they were a good ten feet away from me. However, I did see a white tail sticking out behind one of the men.
Oh, God! Why was Kalistra following me?
*SMACK*
I slapped my right cheek. Don't think about her, Larry! I needed to return to the tavern before the night arrived or else I would need her to rescue me from thieves again. I did NOT want to be in her debt a second time.
Putting my personal pride aside, my health was dangerously low. The Exhaustion condition had reduced my Health down to 21 points. Evil cat girl poked me in the shoulder blade once for -2 Health and five times in my rear for another -10 Health. Thus, my current Health was only 9 points. I could trip on the street and lose the rest if I was unlucky.
Walking slowly and carefully, I continued to push my sluggish body up the street. I had a vague idea that I was heading in the right direction. When I was chasing after Kalistra after lunch, we were indeed heading southward. We were forced to make a detour to the Watch headquarters, but that was a few blocks west of The Noble Lady. So all I had to do was head north until I reached the Watch headquarters again and then head east until I see the tavern.
After walking six blocks north, I finally saw the white cross on a spire peeking above a bunch of buildings. The cross wasn't exactly due north of my current position but rather northeast. Using the cross as my guiding light, I managed to arrive at the Watch headquarters; I had to walk three blocks east and two blocks north, though.
I approached a guard in front of the building and asked for directions. "Excuse me, good sir. Which way is The Noble Lady?" I asked.
The guard, who wore a chain mail hauberk and carried a halberd, pointed east. "It's three blocks east and then one block north," he replied.
"Thank you," I said and started walking east. As I turned away from the guard, I casually looked around at my surroundings and saw the ever present white tail sticking out again, this time among a group of noblemen dressed in gaudy but expensive looking clothing. However, I did not care to ponder why Kalistra was following me. I was still angry with her for the way she pushed my body to exhaustion during my training this afternoon.
I continued walking as directed by the guard until I finally reached The Noble Lady. When I stepped inside the building, a pop-up appeared that read, "Innate Ability ACQUIRED: Navigation-Sense, Level 1. +100 XP." Now, this was interesting. By engaging in mundane tasks, I could acquire new skills and accompanying experience too! I decided to consider the implications of this discovery later. When I dismissed this message, another one immediately took its place: "Minor quest COMPLETED. +100 XP, +25 Reputation, +50 XP." It took a moment for me to realize the quest I had completed referred to the mop-up of my mess near the pond. I shook my head to remove the thought of my experience at the dojo from my mind.
I looked around the common room and saw that it was starting to attract the dinner crowd. Since I was still injured and exhausted, I decided it was best for me to head back to my guest room. When I walked past the bar, I saw Vern working as the bartender. "Please bring my dinner upstairs," I requested politely.
The tavern keeper grunted as he continued pouring drinks for his patrons.
As I started climbing the stairs, that was when the toll of today's physical activities finally hit me. My back started locking up and my hips barely moved. I had to lean on the railing to pull myself up the stairs, one slow and painful step at a time.
Other guests behind me squeezed past me on the staircase because I was walking so slowly. When they looked down at me, many were surprised to see that I wasn't an elderly person but rather a much younger looking man. However, none of them bothered to talk to me or offered to help me up the stairs.
After what felt like an eternity, I finally reached the top of the staircase.
"Are you alright, milord?" a light voice said as I felt my arm being grabbed. I looked up and saw that it was Amelica. I smiled sheepishly and said, "Let's say I've had better days."
The kind woman held onto my arm and walked at my pace until we reached the door. She then took out another copy of the key to my room and opened the door for me. She guided me to the seat in front of the window and then lit the lamp.
Once I was seated, Amelica knelt down before me and said, "I need to go back down and help with the dinner rush. Whenever I get a chance, I promise to come back up with your dinner."
"Thank you," I replied.
My angel squeezed my hand reassuringly and smiled warmly. She got back to her feet and walked across the room. When my angel left the room, she closed the door behind her and locked it from the outside.
I guess we just confirmed that the staffers had spare keys to the guest keys; thus, my decision not to leave my platinum coins in the storage chest was correct. With that thought in mind, I rested my head on the nightstand and quickly drifted asleep.
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