Knives & Levels - Chapter 86

Steam was the first thing that Colt saw when his senses returned; that and the feeling of heat soaking deep into his skin, carried through by the soft sensation of running water. The last thing he remembered was the cold mist and those twisted phantom scholars—then blackness as his overtaxed soul had finally given out.

How long had he been out, an hour? Someone must have carried him here.

 His breath was hot and, with it, carried a restorative feeling. As if the water were soaking in deep, almost like he were a plant submerged in the life-giving warmth. The steam too, swelled through his nose and had the distinct scent of salt.

Colt blinked as he noticed where he was. A tub? No, it was more like a small pool, shoulder-deep and soothing to his body and mind.

Soothing. Unnaturally so. 

He felt the Edict at play, swaddling his soul like a mother to a child. He watched as a small brass pipe opened up, and more water flowed into the pool, fresh with heat and the liquid healing gold. As it landed, the Edict rippled through the water, and another wave of mana suffused with an Edict crashed into his Soul, reinforcing it.

Colt eased back in the steam, feeling it scout his muscles with hot water, as he sighed.

For a brief minute, he simply soaked. Unsure how he got here, not sure where he even was, but letting himself enjoy the earthly and otherworldy sensation of peace and tranquility the place provided.

The room itself was fairly barren… Wooden panels… And…

Nate and Jimmy walked in and had a brief discussion. They went quiet when they noticed Colt was up and lucid. 

“Good to see you functioning again, Jimmy couldn’t heal you, so I thought this would be the place.” Nate said, folding his arms and looking around at the facility, “Our Spa is new. One of the people who came with us outside the city had a talent and a business proposal, and I fast-tracked it and spent some faction points on materials. Her name is Ida, and you can thank her for the free use.”

“We don’t exactly have soul-restoring among the healers,” Jimmy said, scratching his arm and looking around.

Ah.

Colt took a cup of the water in one hand and let it pour back into the pool. The water had a small shimmer to it as it moved.

“Colt, you need to take it easy for a little bit. Balance is important.” Nate said, scratching the back of his head and staring at the tubs, “You’re to stay in here, restore your soul. Her ability is the first we’ve seen that can help soothe and ease any damage there. I’d suggest you make full use of it. And… Once you’re done, we can do something we’ve been putting off.”

He sighed, resting his arms on the back of the tub, feeling it soak deep into his skin. This was a miracle, really, and Nate was right. He needed to rest if he wanted any chance of recovery.

That second part… Yeah, he still wasn’t looking forward to it.

“Fine.” Colt agreed, sighing as he settled into the suds, letting the warm water soak in and heal him. “I don’t know about taking it easy. I was trying, but it seems we just have more and more trouble coming at us. Can I have unlimited use of this place?” he asked.

If it could help with his Soul recovery, then he could push even further on his Edict training. For someone like him, this was a godsend of a gift and one of the most valuable resources he’d run across so far.

Colt dearly wanted to meet the lady who ran it.

Nate shrugged, “You’ll have to talk with the owner. It was your own words that we don’t want to run this place like dictators. In two weeks, there will be an election. A series of them, if everything goes as planned. After that, I’ll be retiring from my interim job of helping to manage the city. Like you, this isn’t exactly what I want to spend my apocalypse doing. As for the danger… We’re going to escort some scouts and try to narrow down whatever place is leaking this mist. After that… No one else was hurt. There’s been no further attacks, but we’ve had to warn people about what’s out there. And hope people don’t risk their lives.” 

Nate let it hang in the air.

Yeah, after that they would have to take care of the dungeon. Which he needed Colt for. Rest as much as he could because there was another danger in front of them.

But it was hard to rest. Every bit of him screamed to get up and track down the phantoms out there. With level 70 monsters roaming, who else could help take care of them? People were in danger.

How could he justify spending his time like this?

Colt understood his responsibility, even if the idea of it made him angry, and simply sank further into the pool, letting the warmth seep into his bones and nourish his body and soul. He heard Nate turn to go and let out a soft “Thanks” to the other man as he walked off, leaving him alone with Jimmy.

The other man stood around for a while, squirming, and then, when Colt thought he’d leave without saying anything, he spoke.

“I don’t have it in me to be like you all,” he said, his voice nervous and darting, afraid of being judged, no doubt.

“Who said you had to be like us?” Colt responded, his eyes closed, trying to ground himself as much as possible. If it was his job to heal right now, he would not just because he wasn’t looking forward to dealing with Nick.

“You worked so hard to free me.”

“I did that because we’re in this together, Jimmy. You were a teammate and, I’d think, a friend. You don’t go through the world without getting attached to the people who keep you safe. You’ve healed me and saved me and others through death—without you, I wouldn’t be here, so I wasn’t about to leave you rotting under the thumb of an abuser.” It was an easy speech to give, but it gave him a headache to say it.

The water was calm and refreshing. Is this how Julia felt when she used her mana and made her own water—is that what Jimmy felt when using his healing magic? They said it had a distinct feel to it, but he felt that with the way his class was going and with his strengths, there would never really be room for ‘magic’ in the traditional sense that other people seemed to use.

Oh well.

“I can’t go into a dungeon again.” Jimmy’s voice broke. “But what if you all get hurt in it?”

“You’re severely under-leveled for whatever dungeon is out there and causing us issues. If you wanted to get stronger from dungeons, we could help with that, but it would be irresponsible to drag you into the problem. Not even to mention that none of us are going to force you into something dangerous.”

“You go into danger all the time.”

“That’s what I’ve chosen to become. We all have our choices here, and none of them are perfect. But we have one life, and we have to live it the way we want to. Do you remember mentioning to me that you had family in Knoxville? Once we have this town a little stable, you and I can take a road trip out there because that’s what I want to do once I’ve got a stable home. Find out what the rest of the world is like.” 

Jimmy gave a shuddering breath and tried to stumble out a thank you a few times—Colt waved him away and let him go.

He wasn’t really in the mood to talk.

When he was alone, once more back in the soft, calming waters without anyone chatting his ear off, Colt simply meditated. Falling into a deep rest as he let the soft ebb and flow of the water nourish his body and restore him to a functioning state. Every so often, the slow rush of water broke the silence.

Back in the time before, he’d never really made time for this kind of ‘self-care.’ Games, sure. But life was a rush, and he didn’t have the money to enjoy such luxuries.

Colt pushed and pushed, draining himself further, but knowing he had to go on regardless. He didn’t want to return to his mother or siblings and beg for help. Not with the way he left them. Not with the way his mother had all of them wrapped in her fingers; he needed to show them he could thrive, that he was enough on his own.

So he worked. And then, when he wasn’t working, there wasn’t much more to enjoy about life.

There were no spas. There were very few baths—alcohol, maybe, sometimes. Who wouldn’t? But the idea was that his best bet right now was to sit and calm himself to make the most momentum forward.

Annoying and hard to grapple with.

Colt forced himself to stay in the relaxing tub longer, relying heavily on his Meditation skill to take his mind away from the upcoming confrontation with Nick.

Since now it was inevitable, his instinct was just to confront it now and deal with it. But he knew if he did that, there would be something else. He’d pull himself into another chance to push and push and test his resolve and move further.

But to do that without risking breaking down again… It required him to be present in the here and now, to focus on the here and now.

To let this warm water soak into his soul and heal it.

He felt the abrasions within begin to soothe, and the pain that had been radiating as a dull ache for the last few days became little more than a whisper as he let the magic water do its work. Even the Edicts within his soul reacted; the normally restless Momentum and Movement stilled for a moment, coming to a peaceful accord as they stopped trying to do battle within.

Colt observed this even as he felt his breath filter in and out. His chest felt heavy, and his eyes felt heavier.

Before he knew it, he’d drifted off to sleep.

A knock woke him up with a start; his body felt new, and his soul felt more whole than before. An old woman was sitting there, letting herself in after her knock; she gave a polite cough and then spoke, “I’m Ida. This is my spa. I’ve been doing a favor for the interim government and you since you’re why I’m back in this town and can see my daughter again. But… It’s getting late. I’m tired. I can no longer operate the spa tonight. Are you able to get to your feet?”

Colt blinked at her, the words slipping through his mind for a second before realizing he’d been rude. “Oh!” He said, standing up—there was a towel nearby he grabbed, and then he bowed his head politely to the woman, “I’m so sorry.”

“Those that work hard must be careful to pick their times to rest and ensure they don’t forget to. If they do, they’ll find themselves overwhelmed and making less progress than those that fail,” She said, stepping back and holding the door open, “Your clothes are in the changing room. But don’t be a stranger. I’ll give you a discount anytime you use my spa as a special thank you. Take it easy on yourself. Your friends said to make your way to the White House when you finished; they’ll see you there.”

“My deepest thanks, again,” Colt bowed his head to the kindly lady, seeing the wrinkles in her eyes as she smiled.

Maybe they had a point. If he was going to keep training like this, he should schedule time himself. It was impossible to take care of others if you didn’t take care of yourself first.

With that lesson firmly in mind, Colt went and prepared himself mentally and physically to deal with their latent traitor. But, as much as he’d wrestled with it, even now, he didn’t know what his answer would be.

How do you treat someone who shot you in the back? How do you forgive someone who betrayed you after you fought next to them? Colt could no longer feel fear, but he still certainly felt anger.