Chapter 62 - Perks Of Civilization's
Amukelo stirred awake as a soft beam of sunlight crept through the thin curtains, casting faint patterns across the room. His head felt... odd. Not painful, like he expected after the amount he drank last night, but more of a light, buzzing sensation—like the world was just slightly off-balance. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the morning light, and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.
He sat up slowly, half-expecting a pounding headache or a wave of nausea, but neither came. Instead, there was just that strange, almost weightless feeling. He glanced to his side and saw Bral sprawled across his bed, one arm hanging off the side, snoring loudly. Idin was curled under his blanket, his face buried in the pillow, completely still. Both of them looked like they'd been through a battle the night before.
Amukelo couldn't help but smile faintly at the sight. "Guess I handled last night better than I thought," he murmured to himself. He stood, stretching his arms out wide, feeling a few satisfying pops in his shoulders and back. Despite the odd sensation, he felt surprisingly refreshed.
The room was filled with the faint, lingering smells of ale, sweat, and the wooden walls of the inn. Wanting to clean up a bit, he decided to check out the bathroom he'd heard about when they first checked in. Back in his village, cleaning himself meant a walk to the nearby river, cold water splashing over him as he scrubbed off the dirt. The concept of an indoor bathroom was entirely foreign to him.
He tiptoed past Bral and Idin, careful not to wake them, and quietly opened the door leading to the bathroom. It creaked slightly, but neither of the others stirred. Closing it behind him, Amukelo found himself in a small, rustic room. It had the same rough wooden walls as the rest of the inn, but this space was different.
A large wooden barrel filled with water stood against the wall, with an iron stove nearby and a neat pile of firewood stacked beside it. At the back, a worn wooden tub sat ready for bathing, with a ladle resting on its edge. A rough ceramic basin sat atop a rickety table, and above it hung a small, tarnished metal mirror, its surface slightly warped.
Amukelo stood there for a moment, taking it all in, his brow furrowed. "Ughh... What's all this stuff?" he muttered to himself, scratching the side of his head. None of it made immediate sense to him. There was no flowing river, no place for water to escape—just containers and strange tools.
After a moment of contemplation, he walked over to the barrel of water, dipping his hands into the cold liquid. He cupped some of it and splashed it onto his face. The shock of the cold made him gasp, "Ghh..." He shivered but smiled as the refreshing sensation jolted him fully awake. "So much better," he sighed, wiping his face with his sleeve.
As he was drying his face, the door creaked open behind him. Amukelo turned his head, spotting Idin walking in, yawning widely, his hair a mess and his eyes half-closed. Idin rubbed the sleep from his eyes before realizing someone was already in the room.
"Oh—my bad," Idin mumbled, his voice hoarse from sleep. "I'm still getting used to living with two other people. Forgot to check before barging in."
Amukelo waved him off. "No, it's fine. I was just... trying to figure this place out."
Idin blinked, now more awake, and glanced at Amukelo standing by the barrel. His brow furrowed slightly as he noticed the water dripping from Amukelo's face, the ladle still untouched, and the basin bone dry. "Wait... Were you just washing your face straight from the barrel?" he asked, a mixture of confusion and mild amusement in his tone.
Amukelo scratched the back of his head, giving an awkward smile. "Uhhh... yeah. I don't really know how any of this works. In my village, we just cleaned ourselves in the river. I figured... water's water, right? So I used what was here to freshen up after yesterday."
Idin let out a small chuckle, shaking his head as he leaned against the doorframe. "Man, you're something else," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay, let me show you how this stuff works. It's simpler than it looks, I promise."
Amukelo's eyes lit up with genuine curiosity. "Really? Thanks, Idin. I was kind of just making it up as I went along."
"Yeah, I could tell," Idin replied, smirking. He walked further into the room, gesturing toward the iron stove and the pile of firewood. "Alright, first things first—let's get this water warmed up. Cold water's fine for splashing your face, but you'll want something better if you're planning to actually clean yourself properly."
Idin knelt beside the iron stove, brushing aside some ash and grabbing a few pieces of firewood from the neatly stacked pile nearby. "Alright, so here's how it works," he began, placing the logs carefully into the stove. "You load the wood in here. Nothing too complicated so far."
Then Idin pointed to a set of faint markings etched into the metal surface of the stove, forming a complex circular pattern right on top. "See this? That's a rune diagram. These things are super convenient—they help start the fire without flint or magic. But they're one-time use, so you have to pay for each rune inscribed. It's not expensive, but it adds up if you're wasteful. So when you light it, make sure to heat all the water you need at once to get the most out of it."
Amukelo tilted his head, eyeing the runes curiously. They glimmered faintly, almost like they held something alive inside them. "So... I just light it?" he asked.
Idin nodded. "Yeah, it's simple. Place your hand here, over the diagram, and hold it for a little bit. It'll activate when it senses your mana."
Amukelo hesitated, staring at the runes as if they might leap up and bite him. "And it won't... explode or something?" he asked, half-joking, but half-serious.
Idin laughed. "Nah, you're fine. Unless you keep your hand on it too long—then you'll feel it." He winked, though it didn't exactly calm Amukelo.
Still, Amukelo followed his instruction, cautiously placing his palm over the rune diagram. He held his palm ber it like Idin had told him, and after a moment the runes flared to life with a soft glow, lines of light racing through the pattern. A spark ignited within the stove, and with a sudden whoosh, flames roared to life beneath the wood. Amukelo yelped and jumped back, shaking his hand as if the flames might have followed him.
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"Whoa!" he gasped, heart racing. "What was that?"
Idin chuckled, crossing his arms. "That's the rune activating. See? Fire without flint or spells. Pretty handy."
Amukelo flexed his fingers, realizing there was no burn or even heat on his skin. "That's... amazing."
Idin picked up a small wooden bucket resting beside the water barrel and placed it atop a metal plate over the stove, where the heat would warm it. "Alright, now that we've got the fire going, you use this bucket to heat the water. Scoop some from the barrel, set it here, and wait. It takes a bit, but once it's warm, you're good to go." He demonstrated, scooping up some cold water and setting it on the stove.
Amukelo watched the water begin to steam faintly as the heat built. "And then?"
"Then you've got options," Idin said, gesturing to the room. "If you want a full bath, you'd fill the bucket a few more times, pour the heated water into the tub over there, and repeat until it's enough for you to soak in. Or—if you just want to wash up quickly—you can use the water to clean your face, hands, or hair over there at the basin." He pointed at the ceramic basin beneath the tarnished metal mirror.
Amukelo moved over to the mirror, staring at his reflection. The warped glass gave him a twisted image of himself, but he still saw the dirt and slight weariness in his face. "This is incredible. Back in my village, we just used the river. Cold water, every time. We never had anything like this."
Idin laughed, leaning against the stove. "That's the basics of city living, my friend. This? This is the bare minimum. You should see what the rich folk use."
Amukelo turned back to him, eyes wide with curiosity. "Like what?"
"Running water," Idin said with a grin.
Amukelo's brow furrowed. "Running water? How can water run?"
Idin facepalmed dramatically. "It's water that flows through pipes in the walls that is sustained with magic. There's no need for barrels or heating it on a stove. You just turn a knob or pull a lever, and hot or cold water flows straight out whenever you want."
Amukelo's mouth hung open slightly. "You're serious? You can just... get water whenever you want, without hauling it from a river or heating it up?"
Idin grinned, enjoying Amukelo's sense of wonder. "Yeah. You'll see it one day. When we get a better guild rank, we can treat ourselves to a nice inn with proper running water."
Amukelo chuckled, his excitement still bubbling. "I'd like that." He paused, then glanced at the water bucket now steaming gently on the stove. "So, how do you know when it's hot enough?"
Idin leaned over and dipped a finger into the water quickly, pulling it back just as fast. "When it almost burns your skin. But not quite." He smirked. "You'll get the hang of it. But for now, that looks about right."
Amukelo took the bucket and carefully poured some of the heated water into the basin, watching the steam rise as it mixed with the cold. He scooped a handful and splashed it onto his face again—this time warm and soothing, not the shock of icy water like before.
"Ahh... That's so much better," he murmured, letting the warmth soak into his skin.
Idin crossed his arms, satisfied. "See? Told you. Civilization's got its perks."
Amukelo smiled, genuinely grateful. "Thanks for showing me all this, Idin. I had no idea things like this even existed."
Idin waved it off. "No problem. That's what friends are for. And hey, now you won't get weird looks when you splash cold water straight from the barrel next time." He winked.