It was late when they arrived in Wysten, so Abad couldn''t make out all that much of the town. From what he could see, it didn''t seem like much. The entire settlement, including its fortifications and defenses, seemed to be built from wooden walls that had been hastily assembled, though the buildings were all stone, indicating that the town pre-dated the fortifications. The streets were little more than mud and clay, and with the heavy rains, there were puddles and mud everywhere, and the few people who were out on the road had mud caked halfway up their legs.


    The party were shown to an inn near the eastern wall by Ulrich. It was a ramshackle place with tiny rooms and cheap table food laid out in the main hall. The inn didn''t have any rooms available, but the innkeeper agreed to let them eat the table food, use the facilities, and sleep in the main hall for a nominal fee. The party was grateful for a roof over their heads, even if the food was basic and the conditions weren''t ideal. The fireplace was warm, and the inn was dry. That was enough.


    However, to Abad''s eternal frustration, there was a single problem. He''d gone in search of a bath, but there was none. Instead, the inn had a single large wooden trough in the basement that was filled with cold water, dirty water. There was a fireplace in set into the wall that heated the water, but the wood had long since burned away, meaning the water was likely cold. Dipping a finger into the filthy brown water, his suspicion was confirmed. It was freezing. Worse, from the look of the water, it had clearly been reused many times throughout the day.


    Seeing the disgusting state of the tub, Abad had the urge to burn establishment to the ground.


    "It''s not the best." Shani said as she entered the small bathroom. A-Nis walked in behind her and shut the door. The sisters began stripping down to their underclothes. Both were filthy. Shani had mud caked up her legs and on her arms and face, and A-Nis, while slightly more clean, was completely pruned up, and her undergarments were soaked through from driving most of the evening. Abad smiled as they did. While the omnipresence of communal bathing hardly inspired modesty in the races of Elysium, nudity to the elves meant little. Elven culture celebrated the natural form, and the women''s obvious comfort with him suggested that they saw him as one of their people. It felt good.


    However, the elven desire for purity and cleanliness was at war with their situtation.


    "At least there''s somewhere to bathe, even if it''s cold." Shani said, but her face screwed up as she looked at the water, and she didn''t move.


    "Yeah, we''ve had worse..." A-Nis replied, equally staying far from the water. "Remember that time in Beldan?"


    "Goddess, we were sick for weeks..." Shani murmured.


    He shook his head. He could do this. They needed to bathe. They couldn''t stay this filthy. He looked at the fireplace. No wood was left to burn to heat the tub. "I could heat the water myself if you two want to bathe first." He saw the hesitation in their eyes.


    "Nope. Not happening." Shani shivered as she pulled back on her clothes. "I''ll stay gross."


    "Yep." A-Nis pulled her soaked clothes back on.


    "How can humans do this?" Abad asked.


    "They''re disgusting. That''s how. Let''s go find the stable. They always keep a bucket and a pump for the horses. It won''t be much, but at least the water is fresh." A-Nis had finished dressing and opened the door.


    "Do you think there''s a bathhouse in town?" Shani asked as they left the room.


    Abad followed. They found the Firtz outside, towels in hand.


    "Ahhh," Firtz sighed. "I can''t wait." He gave them a confused look as he brushed past. "Not sure why you all are waiting, but I''m jumping in!" The door shut behind him, and a moment later, they heard the water splash out of the tub and onto the floor. Soft humming filled the room.


    "He''s going to die from the plague," Abad said. The women nodded.


    En-In, somehow far more clean than everyone else, nodded as they walked toward the front. Zethari was laying next to the fire. Abad could see she''d fallen asleep. He could never do that. Abad walked up to the innkeeper.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Is there a bathhouse nearby?"


    The innkeeper was a tall man, even taller than Abad.


    "Yeah, five streets over to the north. You can''t miss it." He pointed toward the front of the inn.


    "Thank you." He said as he walked out the door, followed by the women.


    They squelched their way up the muddy streets until the found the lotus symbol that hung over the door of the building. The party quickly ducked inside. The same cheap perfumes as in Farnfoss assaulted his nose, but these ones were somehow even more sickly sweet. An elf walked out of a side room, dark circles decorating the underneath of his eyes.


    "Bathing for the lot of you?" He asked in a dull voice.


    "Please." Abad said as he pulled out his crystal pouch.


    "It''s three gold per person, or eight for the lot of you." The elf held out a pale hand, and Abad handed the gold to the elf, who yawned as the crystals fell into his hand. A moment later, he handed them some towels and simple soaps, and they were shown to the bath. The elf led them into a large, single room, similar to the one in Farnfoss, but this room had no side chambers. A single lotus stone was set into the far wall, steaming water dripping from the orifice.


    The three stripped down, and moments later they were soaking in the warm waters. Abad used a wash cloth to clean his face and neck while the girls cleaned themselves.


    "Gods," Shani breathed out, her face a mask of pure relief. "I needed this. This trip has been a mess."


    He looked at her and chuckled. Her eyes were closed and her head was tilted back, black hair spilling out around the stone behind her.


    "I can''t believe how much mud there is in this region." A-Nis was scrubbing her arms and feet, the water around her dark brown from the dirt that was falling away. "I''ve never seen so much dirt in my life. Why does anyone even live here?"


    He shook his head. He had to agree. While the forest was beautiful, everything seemed dirty here. Even Farnfoss, which was opulent compared to Wysten, was a dirt pit. The people there just happened to cover that pit with a few gems and silks.


    They all melted into the water for a time and simply enjoyed the warmth and comfort. Abad felt some of the pain of the day''s travel seeping from his body as the warm waters soaked into his tired limbs. The wagon ride had been smoother on the second half of the trip, but it still was taxing. He was glad they were here, and since they''d pushed through, they''d have an extra half-day to rest before heading out to Syrenthal.


    "Hey Abad," A-Nis''s voice echoed of the stone walls.


    "Yes?" His voice echoed back.


    "Where are you from?" She asked. He could feel her blue eyes watching him.


    "Volkash. From a small grove called Eran, but we left when I was young and ended up in a city called Varkenth near the border of Istaera after..." His people discovered he was a monster. He didn''t know how to finish the sentence and chose not to.


    "Varkenth." She said softly, letting the word roll around her mouth. "I''ve never heard of it."


    "It doesn''t exist anymore." He sighed. "It was destroyed in the Night of Red Flames." He looked to her. "What about you two?"


    Shani was scrubbing her arms with the cheap soap. She stopped for a moment, a distant look on her face. "We''re from a grove called Aerenith in Deneir. It''s nice. The grove sits on top of a lake and is completely self-sustaining. It''s beautiful." She smiled as she spoke.


    "Deneir is beautiful," A-Nis added. "But I don''t like the groves there. They''re all so... insular."


    "Yeah, they are." Shani laughed, the sound echoing of the stones. "It''s why I was so excited to leave."


    "Why did you leave?"


    The sisters looked to one another, sharing a secret between them. "A-Nis left first. Decided she''d be an adventurer and went to Saerne. A few years later, I sent a letter to my master in northern Deneir, and he took me on as an apprentice. That was about... ten years ago, right?" She looked to her sister.


    A-Nis shrugged. "Eleven, I think. At least for me." She dunked her head underwater, and when she popped up, she was wiping water away from her eyes. She blinked a few times and then looked to him. "I''ll be happy to go home soon. In Blossomreach, there are festivals in the grove. It''s a good time to go home."


    Shani''s smile grew, though it seemed forced. "It is a great time. The city smells like flowers everywhere, and there are dances in the square and plays in the theater. We didn''t make it the past two years, so we both decided we''d make sure to head home in the spring."


    The sisters looked to one another. Something passed between them, and A-Nis eyes met his. "You should come. The festivals are usually limited to citizens only, but my father would vouch for you, and he''s close with the queen. I''m sure we could get you permission to join us."


    He felt hesitant, but something in their words resonated with him.


    Seeing him consider their words, Shani added, "We''ll be home for a while too, at least until fall. You''d have time to explore and rest. And you''d get to know our people." Her smile faltered a bit. "Your people." She looked down into the water, and the smile slipped from her face.


    "Perhaps," he replied, not sure how else to answer. "We have some time before then, but I promise I''ll think on it. Thank you for the invitation."He doubted he would take them up on their invitation, but the idea did sound appealing.


    Their conversation faded after that. A short while later, they were finished. Each of them pulled fresh clothes out of their packs, dressed, and made their way back to the inn, careful to not soil their clean bodies and fresh clothes.