Putting a handful of heavy gold coins in my pocket, I continued to watch the scene around me. My companions, full of joy and enthusiasm, were merrily discussing their recent good fortune. We all went together to the inn located inside the guild. It was cozy and noisy inside, with laughter and conversation everywhere. As we took a table, Goliath, our powerful friend with an impressive physique, thumped the table loudly, attracting the attention of all present.
- I'm treating everyone tonight! Sis, pour! - he shouted, pointing to the nearest dishwasher, a pretty girl with a cheerful smile.
The crowd of warriors in the tavern echoed Goliath's words, and soon the whole room was filled with cheers and shouts of approval. Goliath, however, quickly corrected them:
- Hey! I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to mine!
The waitress, smiling, brought us all large mugs of foamy drink. I was not a fan of alcohol, but at that moment I realized that it was necessary to drink for company. Closing my eyes, I began to pour the drink down my throat. The gases entered my nose, and I choked with surprise, some of the liquid spilling out onto the table. I felt myself blush with embarrassment.
- What's wrong with you? Can't you drink? - Goliath asked mockingly, watching my clumsy behavior.
- Yeah, I've never had one of those," I replied, coughing the rest of the drink out of my lungs and trying not to give away my embarrassment.
After a small drink and appetizers, we headed for the inn, slightly drunk. On the way, a little wobbly, Zenaris handed Michael some coins. Perhaps it was payment for that crossbow we'd traded for the skins. Having rented our rooms a week in advance, we scattered to our apartments. I entered my room and, without waiting to get comfortable, plopped down on the bed. Tired, all I wanted to do was sleep.
...
I woke up to a thick mass of incomprehensible content coming out of my mouth and running down the stone floor. My eyes were blinded by the bright light, and my head ached as if I had been hit with a sledgehammer. When I regained consciousness, I sat up, leaning against the nearest wall. I clutched my head desperately, trying to stop the ringing pain, and the smell from my mouth made me cringe.
I tried to recirculate mana, hoping to somehow alleviate my condition, but my mind was in such turmoil that the knots in my body and the mana flows seemed like a stream-an endless labyrinth that I couldn't change. I couldn't concentrate, and thinking was difficult. I noticed that I was wearing only light clothing, and all my gear was gone. At least I wasn't naked.
I passed out for a few more hours without realizing it. When I woke up, my condition was lighter than before. I tried to get up, but the space around me was shifting, and I fell, losing my coordination. Leaning on the wall, I barely got up and headed in an unknown direction. I was just moving "somewhere" without realizing where, just forward. I couldn't remember how I ended up here or why I felt so bad. I stepped out of the shadows and bright daylight poured into my eyes, which felt like a laser burning my eyes out. I immediately disappeared back into the shadows.
Sitting down on the floor, I tried to process what was happening. The last thing I remembered was going back to my room in the hotel house, and that was it. How I ended up here, in light clothes, and why I felt so bad, was a mystery. I wriggled around the wall like a worm, trying to rack my brain in an attempt to remember something else, standing up in strange poses until my face touched the wall. The nice cold stone gave me instant pleasure, even though it was winter outside and cold here, I felt hot.
Suddenly, a brief memory surfaced: how I used to stagger through the streets at night. Why? Why did I go out at night if I was in my room? No reasonable answer came out of my mind, so I assumed that I had been attacked and I had fled from my room. That explained my situation quite well. I made the decision to find my companions.
I moved toward the light. My legs felt like a heavy weight, but I kept moving. I walked forward, looking for familiar places, people passing by me, looking at me with bewilderment. Finally, I began to recognize the houses around me and built a route in my head to the hotel house. As I staggered and kept falling, I moved forward, feeling like a child just learning to walk.
I reached the hotel house and immediately went inside, spitting on the front desk. My face was on the counter, and words came out of it:
- Where... where are my friends... companions?
- What? Do you need help? I don't understand you," the man at the counter said, looking at me with a puzzled expression.
Apparently he didn't hear my muttering, so I raised my face. When I saw the disgust on his face, I decided to speak up:
- Where are the mercenaries who moved in yesterday? A big guy, a guy, a girl, and more..." My tongue began to knot, and I couldn't get the words out clearly.
- Oh, you mean them? As far as I know, they're still in their rooms," the man answered.
I wanted to thank him, but my tongue wouldn't budge. I started up the stairs on all fours, and my condition worsened. It felt as if all the blood from my head had drained into my legs, and they were burning with heat. I got to the right floor and looked at my feet. As it turned out, I had been walking barefoot the whole time, and the heat was actually cold. My feet were petrified of the cold and I touched them, but felt nothing. I continued crawling towards the rooms until I reached Michael's room. I pounded on the door with my head, pounding and pounding, it didn't seem to end. Finally, the door opened, and I looked up to see the bald face of some man.
- Hey, who are you? Why are you knocking? Get out of here! - said the man and closed the door.
It seemed to be the wrong room. I realized I couldn't remember where my companions' rooms were, so like a dog I started banging my head on every door. The owners of the rooms would open and swear loudly. Soon my savior, Michael, came to the noise.
- Alex, what's wrong with you? - Michael said, looking at me anxiously.
I looked up and saw his face. I smiled and felt him help me up and lead me to my room. I lay on the floor with my back to him and said:
- Michael... I can't feel my legs... I....
- Awbfdfhaddsadsf.... - came out of my mouth.
- You stink, have you been drinking!? You're in a terrible state," Michael said, looking at me in bewilderment.
I wanted to object, or at least say something else, but my consciousness fell into a deep hole. A hole from dreams.
In my dream, I saw a door. I tried to open it, but I fell and hit myself. My eyes opened and it turned out that I had really fallen. The dream and reality mixed, and I opened the door. As I looked around, I noticed through the window that it was evening in the room I had come out of. On a chair in the room were my belongings. I guess this was my room? I wiped my face, taking a deep breath. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, I began to process what had happened. My mind became clearer, but it still felt like a residue. I tapped my forehead and walked out of my room. I felt drowsy, even though I had slept all day. Although could it really be called sleep? I was lying in an unconscious state.
I felt drained, both physically and mentally. I saw Zenaris in the hallway, and when he saw me, he came straight toward me.
- Are you awake? Michael found you and took you to his room. You've done something weird, of course we won't be pouring you any more," Zenaris said, scolding me as if I were his ward.
- What do you mean? What happened yesterday? I don't remember anything," I said, squeezing my forehead.
- Well, after our little celebration, we went to our rooms. Helen and I went for a walk through the evening city, and I met you, crazy drunk. You were yelling and waving your arms around. From the bartender's words, I learned that you had come back after our celebration and ordered a lot of drinks, drank them all, and then went on a rampage through the streets.
- What about my gear? - I asked, trying to remember where I'd left it.
- You took it off right in the tavern. We took it and put it back in your room. We wanted to put you to bed, but you disappeared. Michael found you in the morning.
- I'll never touch alcohol again," I said, realizing the stupidity of my actions.
- I'll make sure of it," Zenaris replied with a chuckle.
After a brief but important conversation, I returned to my room to try to sleep again. The night in Mortheim was cold, and thoughts of the tasks ahead kept me awake. In the morning, I managed to meet Zenaris when I stepped out into the corridor, and I decided to strike up a conversation with him, hoping to take my mind off my worries a bit.
- Zenaris! Where are you going? - I asked, trying to hide my tiredness.
- Me? To the bathhouse, to bathe and warm up my muscles," he replied with a slight smile, clearly anticipating relaxation.
- I see," I said, "I wanted to ask you, how long are we staying in Mortheim?
- No," he said, "at the end of the week, when we get our tokens, we'll go back to Greenhaven.
- Why don't we stay in Mortheim? It seems like a nice town," I tried to find out more about his opinion.
- Life here is expensive," Zenaris replied with a note of regret in his voice. - We can't afford it.
- I see... - I said quietly, realizing that despite all the charms of the capital, the costs here could be exorbitant.
Although life in Mortheim seemed attractive, I knew it was only an illusion. The city was full of rich people and nobles, and there was no room for people like me. But at the same time, there was a silver lining - my village was not far from Greenhaven, and I would soon be able to check them out.
It was winter outside, and the cold chilled me to the bone, but it was noticeably warmer inside the city than outside its gates. I knew that I would soon be traveling and going on missions again, so I knew I needed warm clothes. I had a small amount of money, over a hundred gold coins, but I was afraid that the prices in this luxurious city would be exorbitant and I would be ripped off. On the other hand, in the back of my mind I hoped that the high price would be justified by the quality. After all, I had no other choice: either I would spend the money on insulated clothes or risk freezing to death.
I started wandering the streets of the city in search of a clothing store. Reading signs was impossible for me, so I focused on the shop windows. Finally, I stumbled upon one store that had a variety of warm clothes on display: fur coats, sheepskin coats, and other things. However, the facade of the building looked too luxurious, and I realized that it was a luxury store. I decided that I should look for something more affordable.
At the edge of the shopping street I found what I was looking for - an old building with a window display of inexpensive sheepskin coats. It was exactly what I needed.
I entered the store and was greeted by a pleasant, slightly woody smell. The atmosphere inside was cozy, and I started to look at the racks of clothes when a man in elegant clothes approached me. His appearance, with a slight gray in his hair, made him look like a man with experience.
- Welcome to Pine Fox. Is there anything I can do for you? - He said with a clear intonation and a confident posture.
- Yes, I'm a mercenary, and I need warm clothes," I answered modestly, trying not to look too needy.
- I see, we'll find you some options," he said, and without wasting any time, he went to another room, hidden from the customers' eyes.
A little while later, he returned with a few articles of clothing on his shoulders and began showing me his finds.
- This is an excellent insulated shirt made of sheepskin and wool," he began, showing one of the options. - You can move freely and easily in it, and it can be worn under your armor. Next we have the insulated cloak. This is a good option to replace your thin, worn out cloak, which is obviously not suitable for the harsh winter conditions. It also has handy snaps to help protect you from the wind during a blizzard. The kit comes with insulated sweatpants and underwear. Do you want it?
- Yeah, sure, how much do I owe you? - I asked, feeling the excitement boiling up inside me.
- Twenty gold pieces," he answered, without showing the slightest doubt.
I was pleasantly surprised. Twenty coins was an amount I hadn't expected to hear. I thought I might be charged thirty or even forty. However, I realized that I didn't know the current rates very well, and I had nothing to compare them with. I gladly paid him, changed into my new clothes, and went outside with him.
He wasn't lying-the clothes were warm. I felt even warmer in them, considering that it was much warmer in the city than it was outside. I returned to my room with my new clothes and a sense of satisfaction, preparing myself for the adventures and challenges ahead of me.