Warm... Soft...
Those were the feelings Bane woke up to the next morning—a soft warmth he had yet to experience until now. Dazed and confused, he looked down to see what was causing this unfamiliar sensation.
Black hair filled his vision as Eir's head rested on his chest. A euphoric smile graced her face as she lay happily on Bane, holding him like a body pillow. Bane didn't know it, but she had moved into that position in her sleep, completely unaware of her actions.
Bane tried to reason as he gazed down at her. It's getting colder; winter will be here soon, he thought. Her soft arms were curled around him, squeezing him slightly as she breathed softly in slumber.
Tempted to return to sleep, Bane chose to wait a moment longer before he had to leave. However, he was caught off guard as Eir shifted her leg, letting it rest on top of his.
I'm fully trapped... he thought, now unable to move without disturbing her. Thus began his escape mission. Very slowly, he inched away from Eir, slipping out of her warm grasp. Though he desperately wanted to stay in bed, his dreams and aspirations pushed him forward. Bane managed to finagle his way out of her grip and finally got out of bed.
He gazed unhappily at the ever-inviting warmth of the bed and Eir's now slightly disappointed face.
Heaving a short sigh, he moved away from the bed, gathered his things, and prepared to head off to the dungeon.
Wow... It's really chilled down, Bane thought as he walked through the brisk, cool wind of late autumn. He had mentioned it earlier, but winter was most certainly approaching. The day was overcast, the skies filled with drab shades of gray and white.
On his way, Bane noticed the large number of vendors who were nowhere to be found compared to yesterday. They must be getting an early start for winter, he thought. The only ones who remained were either desperate to sell their wares or those who had buildings or shops to insulate themselves from the cold.
Arriving at the Guild Hall, Bane was pleased to see his favorite guild clerk behind the counter once more. Winter looked healthier, with some color returning to her face. Instead of the red, sickly look she had before, she was back to her pale, wintery appearance. She beamed when she saw Bane, smiling and giving him a small wave as he approached.
"Hi, Bane!" Winter greeted, her hands joined together at the front of her body.
"Hey, Winter. It's good to see you back," Bane replied, smiling as he looked her over.
"What's the plan for today?" Winter asked.
"Just another day in the dungeon. Why?" Bane inquired, tilting his head slightly at her obvious question.
"Well, it's just that you have a checkup scheduled," Winter answered.
Bane slowly nodded, now understanding why she had asked. A checkup was a way for the guild to hold adventurers accountable and assess their progress in the dungeon. When adventurers first started, they usually had one or two checkups a month. As they became seasoned professionals, these became less frequent.
Not only did it create a dialogue between adventurers and the guild, but it also gave publicity to lesser-known adventurers and could encourage hesitant individuals to take up adventuring.
"Well, I could wait to go into the dungeon if you'd like to do the checkup really quick," Bane offered, having only a vague understanding of the type of questions they asked.
Winter gave a small bow. "If that's okay with you, then follow me. We have to go upstairs." A private setting was the best place for such a meeting to take place. The guild would only publish information that the adventurer permitted. If Bane didn't want to share anything, he didn't have to.
Bane followed Winter to the corner of the Guild Hall and up the stairs they had taken the last time they had a meeting like this. Bane glanced up but quickly averted his gaze back to the stairs. Don't want anyone getting the wrong idea, he thought, with Winter's skirt just a foot or two ahead of him.
"Alright, in here," Winter said as they reached the second floor of the guild hall. She knocked and opened the first door on the left.
"Thank you," Bane nodded as he walked in first, taking a seat at the large table as he had done last time.
"Of course," Winter replied, following suit and taking a seat next to him. She laid a thin notebook on the table and retrieved a pen from her pocket.
She quickly wrote something at the top of the page and began going through a series of questions she seemed to have memorized.
"What is your current level?" Winter inquired, looking at Bane with a happy smile.
As she asked, Bane pulled up his status and focused on his level.
[Bane of the Slums]: LV 32 (5,730/6,200)
"I'm level thirty-two," Bane answered shortly after. Winter quickly jotted something down in the notebook and looked back up.
"What's the lowest floor you've gone to?" Winter asked.
"Level five," Bane answered, causing Winter to scribble down more information. Bane was surprised to see her lack of reaction at such a revelation. His growth was very abnormal and should not have been attainable, yet here he was.
"Do you adventure solo or with a party?" Winter asked.
Bane had always thought about joining an adventuring party or creating one at the guild, but he hadn't gotten around to it yet. He thought adventuring could be more fun with a party. "Solo," Bane answered.
After a short scribble, Winter continued. "Okay, a few more. Do you have skills?" This was the first question where Bane hesitated slightly to answer. Pulling up his status, he answered confidently.
[Skills]: Appraisal LV 1, Threat Analysis LV 1, Danger Sense LV 2, Passive Healing LV 1, Magnetize LV 1, Night Vision, Feared Hunt, Proficient Reader LV 1
"Yes, I do," Bane answered, finally eliciting a slight reaction from Winter.
"I see. Would you like that shared with the public?" Winter asked, knowing it could attract unwanted attention.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't," Bane replied.
Winter wrote a small "x" next to that bullet point and continued. "Okay, last one," Winter announced. "How do you like your faction life? What is your goddess like, and do you enjoy it?" she asked, ready to write his response.
"Eir is an amazing goddess," Bane said, pausing to let Winter write. Come to think of it, why am I still the only one in Eir's faction? he wondered.
Winter stopped writing, bringing Bane back to reality. "Faction life is great. She's respectful, understanding, and, in general, a nice goddess," Bane continued, pausing again to allow Winter time to jot down his response.
"Okay, I believe that's enough to answer that question. Other than the skills, would you like any other information to be included in our monthly adventurer assessment?" Winter asked as she began closing the notebook.
"No, I think everything else is fine. Will it say how long I've been adventuring?" Bane asked, just to be sure.
"No, you'll just be marked as a new adventurer who is level thirty-two and has reached the fifth floor," Winter said with a smile as she closed the book.
"Alright, that's good. My quick leveling might bring some unwanted attention," Bane shared his thoughts with Winter, who nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, that would be bad," she said.
"Anyway, now that I'm not in a delirious state, I want to thank you again," she said, bringing her hands together and setting them on the table. Winter looked Bane dead in the eyes and thanked him once more for all he had done.
"Thank you for taking care of me when I was sick," she said, with a slight bow of her head.
"I told you already, you don't have to keep thanking me, but you're welcome," Bane said with a chuckle. Winter was one to give her fair share of thanks.
"I know, I just feel bad that you had to waste a day in the dungeon," Winter said, frowning, her eyes downturned.
"If I could, I'd rather spend every day with you than go into the dungeon," Bane said, completely serious, causing Winter to blush slightly.
"O-Oh, okay," Winter stammered, imagining a life with Bane.
The room fell into an awkward silence until Winter could no longer take it and stood abruptly. "Well, that completes the checkup. I have to get back to work," Winter said, her face still slightly flushed from Bane's vow.
"I see. Sorry for keeping you," Bane said, standing as well.
"No problem at all," Winter replied, tempted to say more. "You know... I'd rather spend every day with you than go to work, too," she said with an embarrassed smile, averting her eyes.
"Well, at least we agree on something," Bane said as the two of them descended the stairs.
They exchanged a swift goodbye as Bane made his way into the dungeon and Winter returned to the counter.