As Athys made his way down the road, it grew closer midnight, soon the moon would rise directly above his head. Athys decided to pick up his pace so he would reach the village before sunrise, he had a single goal in his mind that fueled him further than any desire to sleep could stop him. As the moon passed over his head and started to set, he heard a shuffling coming from behind him. Turning quickly as he reached into his sleeve, a lone starved dog lunged at him, in the shining moonlight its coat shone a dull brown. In a moment, his life flashed through his eyes and then it was done. Athys lay on the ground with the dog slumped off to the side, a shine came from its throat, where the blade stuck as it was ripped out of Athys hand on impact.
Standing up, slowly, he looked at his hand, coated in a dark blood that seeped into his shirt as it dripped onto it. He bent down and pulled the dagger out of the dogs throat with a quick motion as to avoid any more getting on his hand. Wiping the dagger off on his dark pants he sheathed it and continued on his journey. Thinking to himself "Why, why did it lunge at me, why don't I seem to care? Are there more starved dogs out here?" without looking back he soon lost sight of the dogs body. Making haste from the small adrenaline rush he received, Athys managed to come within sight of the city walls as the sun was daring to peak over the horizon. He slowed his pace to look a little more casual, so as not to startle the guards. Finally, a few minutes later, he arrived at the city gate only a few moments after the sun crested into view. Coming close to the gate, the a guard positioned there asked "What is your business here boy? Why are you covered in blood?". Athys responded with a curt "My village was slaughtered by the new kings men, I collected what little I had and set out on my way here, during my travel a starved dog attacked me and I managed to kill it.". The guard, confused as to how Athys could say that with a straight face, seemed unconvinced. "Why are you still alive if your village was "slaughtered" by the new king?". Keeping a curt tone, Athys responded "My mother cradled me on the grown as the arrows shot down the people who rose, after that the killers walked through the crowd with swords and stabbed everyone on the ground to make sure they were dead. They apparently thought I was dead since they only killed my mother and didn't bother to stab me.". The guard, horrified by the description at this point, hastily let Athys in with a quick "If you lied about this, we will have you in a dungeon by the end of the day boy.". Athys walked into the city without looking back to the guard or even acknowledging the last comment. His goal at that point was to wash up at a bath house and retire to an inn.
Locating the local bath house was relatively easy, given that the signs were inscribed with pictures and words. Making his way in, the young man who ran the counter looked at him with curiosity "Looking to wash up after a crime are you? Hehe, its fine, im sure the local butcher wont mind that you cared to wash up after the job. Any who, 3 silvers please.". Athys set down his pack and loosened the sacks opening enough to pull out his coin purse, then set 3 silver in the mans hand before repacking his sack. The man gestured to the mens bathing room and noted "Its so early in the morning that no one should be in to interrupt you, smart tactic to get some privacy if I do say.", Athys nodded and walked into the room, setting his pack down in the corner and pealing his bloodied clothes from his skin, before depositing them in a small wash bin in the same corner as his pack. He walked to the bath and stepped into the hot water, not quite hot enough to burn, but still uncomfortable to anyone without aching bones. Scrubbing himself thoroughly, he finished after only 15 minutes and got back out. Noticing his clothes had been washed and were sitting on the edge, waiting to dry. He looked at the wash bin confused, before noticing a small gap that aimed its opening at the wash bin. "That is nice of them. I thought I would have to wash them myself." Athys commented on quietly, before drying off with a course dyed brown towel. He dropped the towel into a bin with a burnt wooden sign labeled "Towels", then he walked to his pack and pulled a spare set of clothes out of the sack, putting them on. He checked his cleaned clothes and folded them neatly, placing them into his sack, while they may have been damp, he didn't plan on letting them sit in it for long. He tied the sack shut before putting his pack back on and walking back out. The young man at the counter looked at him "I did your laundry as you bathed, might I say you certainly look better after having done so, please come again." the young man said with a smile. Athys nodded "Thank you for your kindness." then departed and took a straight shot through the less than occupied streets as it was very early in the morning and only people heading to work were up.
Walking into the front door of the tavern, a few people getting a hearty breakfast and the innkeeper were the only ones present. Athys walked up to the counter and asked the Innkeeper "May I rent your cheapest room for a night?" the Innkeeper looked to him " All my rooms are a fair price, the same price to be exact, 2 silvers a night. Only 2 are taken of 10 at the moment since you came in so early, take your pick and I'll hand you the key. So long as you don't run off with it that is." the burly man said with a hearty chuckle. "Are the rooms in the back open?" Athys inquired. "Aye they are, right or left?" the innkeeper asked, "Left, please." Athys said as he removed his coin purse and placed to silvers on the bar. The innkeeper took the two silvers and set the key down in their place. "Have a good rest, your eyes look strained young man." the innkeeper told Athys as he walked towards and up the stairs. Upon reaching his room, Athys unlocked it and stepped in, it seemed nice compared to his small section of his home.
Turning around he closed and locked the door behind him before setting his pack down and taking out a potted meat from his sack, he handily devoured it before neatly setting it back into his pack. Licking his lips from the large amount of salt in the meat, he drank nearly all of the half that was left over from his water skin. Placing the water skin on the floor next to his bed he took off his shirt, shoes and pants before crawling under the sheets of his new bed. He quickly faded off into a hellish sleep.