Chereads / Perfectly Scoundrels / Chapter 14 - Preparations

Chapter 14 - Preparations

Raven had a terrible morning since waking up. The night had soured terrible thanks to the stupid nightmare, she felt a little stupid remembering pointless things again. But she shrugged down those thoughts and buried them in the back of her memories, in the graveyard of her head near other stupid facts. 

She didn't have much equipment to prepare, actually thanks to the escape from the prison, she didn't have anything at all. She didn't even bother to go back to her old encampment, because it probably was already looted by the hero who defeated her and the rest of her old companions, that's the law of the world she knew, you keep what you defeat. About that actually, she didn't hold any resentment, people always thought it was weird, she was a mercenary and then a bandit, but she didn't had a real drive for money. 

'First thing first' She said as she approached her destination 'A bath!' 

As she reached the artificial river that flowed in a circle around the city, she contemplated the crystalline water, it seemed so unnatural, but she had already tested it, it was delicious and it was very strange, because it cleansed everything perfectly, removing easily any stain on clothes or the impurity on the body, but as she once tested it doesn't heal the wounds...

'It just sustains life huh' When she just arrived at the dungeon city she once had this stupid thought about the place being picky eating and didn't want to eat filth. There were more people like here using the water to wash their clothes or taking a bath themselves, it was a common practice after all, and without any worry in the world, she removed her clothes as she looked around at the others bathing or washing their clothes. Some gave her wary glances, perhaps recognizing the black-haired cat who'd stirred up some trouble in the past. She ignored them. She had no time for them.

The cold water wrapped around Raven's body as she submerged herself in the artificial river, the chill biting against her skin. But she didn't mind. The cold felt... real. It pulled her out of the haze of her morning, out of the remnants of her nightmare, and into the present. She took a deep breath, the crystalline water flowing over her as if purifying more than just her body.

As she broke through the surface, droplets clung to her skin, glistening in the first light of the sun. The warmth of the sun's rays kissed her face as they began to peek over the horizon, casting long shadows over the city. For a moment, she felt grounded. Alive. Even though her mind still buzzed with lingering irritations, the water had a calming effect.

After finishing her bath, Raven stretched, feeling the tension in her muscles loosen. She hadn't realized how much the dream had worn on her body, but now she felt lighter. Pulling herself from the water, she shook her head like a wild animal, sending droplets flying, then pulled her clothes back on with swift efficiency.

"Aaaaaah!! This is so good!!" She said stretching, her body was elastic and light and she could bend in ways a human could only dream, then a sound caught her attention, the tingling of her last coins in her pocket brought her back to reality "Now one of those sewer fish doesn't sound bad at all!" She said in good humor. 

The streets were blooming with people in every direction. The marginalized, the poor and the broke filled the streets, and as the streets began to change so did the people. Suddenly the people didn't resemble people dead inside, but people struggling with their daily chores, and mercenaries and adventurers. She walked up to one of the merchants selling the roasted sewer fish, and she didn't buy one, but two of them, Raven sat on the edge of one cracked fountain, the stone cool beneath her as she unwrapped one of the roasted sewer fish. The smell was savory, and her mouth watered in anticipation. She took a hearty bite, savoring the smoky flavor as it melted on her tongue.

"Ah, this really hits the spot" she muttered to herself between bites. The bustling street around her faded into the background, the clamor of voices and clattering footsteps becoming white noise as she focused on her meal. The familiar scene of the dungeon city's chaotic streets brought her a strange sense of comfort.

She glanced around as she chewed, watching the mix of people... beggars and merchants, adventurers and thieves... all coexisting in this peculiar ecosystem that fed off the dangers of the dungeon. Everyone here had their own story, their own struggles, but no one cared to know anyone else's.

'Being one in the middle of many is good sometimes' She thought as she closed her eyes relaxing, for her, this dirty treat that many would avoid, was like an amazing feast, and after her last expedition, she better has something good in case she didn't returned. 

As she swallowed the last bite of the fish, she licked her fingers clean, wiping the greasy remnants on her trousers. She hadn't decided if she'd go back to the dungeon just yet. She'd already had one bad run, and her nightmare this morning was a harsh reminder of what failure looked like. But there was something about the danger of it that called to her, a voice in the back of her mind urging her to try again.

While pondering on this business, she heard someone approaching close to her, she slowly put one hand on the handle of her weapon and looked over her shoulder with her usual mocking smile only to see a man coming near her. A dwarf to be more precise, he looked unbothered by her. His arm carried a huge hammer of stone, really the type of the hammer was a stone with some stains of the victims it was used on it.

"You must be the black Cat" He said in a deep tone of voice "Relax lass, I'm here because a light head elf forgot to tell you about the meeting place"

Raven's hand remained on the hilt of her dagger, though she eased her grip slightly as she sized up the dwarf in front of her. He didn't seem like a threat, even though he had this aura around him... He wasn't a weakling. His calm demeanor, the easy way he carried that massive hammer and his direct tone suggested he wasn't here to cause trouble. Still, old habits died hard, and she wasn't about to let her guard down completely.

"Ah, so the elf sent you" she said fooling around "I bet she didn't mention it"

The dwarf let out a short, gravelly chuckle, his bushy beard shifting with the movement. "Aye, when she returned yesterday to the tavern I'm staying she was panicking" He glanced at her, noting her posture, still tense despite her flippant words. "You can stop pretending you're going to gut me any second now".

The man looked at her, and she back at him, this must be the warrior that had accepted to help them out, he didn't look like a mercenary, he looked like someone important, or had that aura around him, not a discardable pawn. He sat down near her without much care, this she noticed something, this man was bad news, if he wanted she would get pummeled in the ground in little to no time. That was her impression. 

"How did you even find me?" She asked. 

"Just a hunch, easy to notice tho, not like many of yar kin has that hair color" He answered taking a small metal bottle from between his clothes and giving it a sip, it smelled like strong alcohol.

Not many people would know what he said, many just took for granted her hair was something normal, her kin wasn't that known among the rest of the world since they didn't leave their lands, and their number had grown thinner because of the constant wars. The dwarf at least must have traveled to her homeland in the past to know that fact. She smiled and reached a fist to him.

"Raven" She said being a little more comfortable around him. 

 The dwarf reached with his fist, even if he was shorter than her his hand was much bigger. 

"Thorsen" He said remaining calm. 

Even if a couple of hours were still missing before the dive began she felt a little calmer with having a capable person on the team, Eruru and the butler didn't counted.