The Great Crestmaster

"What can I help you with friend?" The guard asked politely.

"I'm here about that apartment? It wasn't taken right?"

"Oh, that one, yes, yes, it's still available of course. Let me show you."

"Sounds good to me."

"By the way are you a student of the Crest academy?"

"Yes, I am."

"That's great. The owner is very supportive of students like yourself he even gives special discounts."

Aldrich followed the guard to the second floor through a set of stairs, the entire structure was made of Ermitsal like all the buildings in Voryhrm and the paint job was well done. Frankly Aldrich was impressed by everything but he kept a neutral expression.

He took Aldrich the room number twenty one, the number was written on a tag above the door. The guard inserted a key in the door lock and opened the door.

"Like what the paper said we have prepared almost everything that a resident might need. The basic décor and furniture is provided by us."

Aldrich followed the guard in, the apartment consisted of one bedroom, one common room, one bathroom and a small kitchen. The furniture was poor in comparison to Ayemon's mansion but it was leagues above the old run-down shack he shared with his mother.

The guard stopped in the kitchen and opened the drawers to reveal many plates, knives, spoons and forks. He opened another drawer and showed Aldrich stock-pot, a brazing pan, a stew pan and a boiling pot. In addition to many cups.

"All of this is included among many other things, look at this here," the guard pointed at a cubical device in the corner of the kitchen.

"I'm sure you know what a refrigerator is, but this is no regular refrigerator. This is the latest model released by Lampar magic touch. It's an odorless refrigerator."

Aldrich had seen refrigerators on his way to Voryhrm, this incredible device used ice spirits and combined it with Ether used by clerics to preserve food. It was invented a long time ago but was strictly used for military purposes until recently.

In the beginning it was house-sized and transportation was difficult but after it was released to the public, the company called Lampar magic touch improved on the original design and it got smaller and smaller.

The only two problems that faced it were the high price and the foul food odor. Apparently this new model had managed to fix one of the issues.

Aldrich nodded at the guard's remarks. Then he turned to the cookery and looked upwards, he saw shutters closed on a window but the placement of the window here was strange.

"What's that?"

The guard opened the double shutters and Aldrich didn't see the outside as he had expected, instead he saw a huge pipe that lead high into the ceiling.

"This is an air cleaner, when you cook something doesn't the smell bother you? You don't have to worry about it that anymore. All that will be sucked to the chimneys on the roof."

"Impressive." Aldrich exclaimed.

"This is the place, what do think? It's only twenty minutes away from the Crest academy, some big markets and shops are also nearby."

"Well I think it's pretty good, how much?"

"That'll be two slivers and fifteen coppers per month."

"You're joking!"

"I'm afraid not, sir. This apartment is as good as new and it's in the best of neighborhoods in the district. The security is also top notch."

"Sounds like two silver coins is a good deal for us both."

"Sir, you're too much. Let's do this if you pay three months in advance we can make it two silvers and ten coppers."

"How about two silvers and two coppers?"

"Seven."

"Five"

"Deal."

The dwarf produced a stack of papers from a small bag he was carrying.

"This is the original contract, I have to modify it according to our deal. One more thing, the advanced three month payment has to be in bank credit notes. Preferably the imperial bank."

"Bank notes? Why won't you just take the coins?"

"I don't know, I'm just doing as the boss tells me to do."

"But I don't have any on me right now."

"That's fine we can sign the contract tomorrow, how does that sound?"

"Fine by me."

Aldrich shook hands with the dwarf and took his leave. Aldrich debated on whether he should go to the bank now and just get everything over with. But the sun had already set.

This was one of the habits he got out of working in the farm, he slept at sunset and rose at sunrise. Ayemon and company often made fun of him for it. But it was a hard habit to break as soon as the sun set he would feel drowsy.

Aldrich stopped at the public carriage stop and waited for fifteen minutes until the public carriage made its turn and he got on board.

A public carriage differed from a private one not only prices and where it could stop but size was also a significant factor. In a private carriage no more than seven passengers could ride but a public carriage could take up to thirty.

The carriage he got on was half full and he shared it with humans, halflings, dwarfs and halfelves. The seats were considerably less comfortable than the private carriages.

Aldrich had to keep a close eye on the carriage stops lest he misses Nistoch, 6th Harveston street. In the end he returned successfully.

He was afraid that the guards won't recognize him and kick him out but that didn't happen, he entered the mansion successfully but he got lost when he tried to get back to his room.

It wasn't until he stopped one of the maids that he was able to return to the room. After which he took a bath. A maid knocked on his door and told him that Ayemon was waiting for him at the dinning room.

Aldrich had dinner with Ayemon and Caldera who finally showed up. She was missing yesterday when they first arrived. Unlike Orven who left off on his own and Norge who works here her absence was unannounced.

Aldrich didn't ask about it and didn't bring up the subject, mostly because he was bombarded with questions of how his first visit to the big city went.

"You look much better now." Caldera praised.

"Really? The barber was really good." Aldrich was a little embarrassed by the praise.

An issue occurred when Aldrich mentioned the apartment.

"Didn't I tell you not to haggle? This is not some off-side village, this is Voryhrm! The city of dreams! The second capital of Vorian for god's sake."

"I don't care, I haggle for most things that's how I did things and that's how I'll do them unless I decide not to."

"Why, you cheeky brat! I won't allow this shameful behavior!"

"I listened to you once about it, I won't do that again."

"That's not how we do things."

"You're right. You know what? When I get rich enough I'll stop haggling, how does that sound?"

"I was about to slap that smirk off your face but then I remembered that one slap from me will probably kill you."

"Very funny."

"Listen, tomorrow you should try to go and invite the instructor I told you about yesterday."

"Me? I thought you said you prepared him for me."

"Did I? Anyway since it's you who needs to train then you do it. Remind me to give you a little something for the instructor."

"Aren't you making this a little too complicated? Shouldn't I just invite him?"

"If only it was that easy. Money can't move that asshole. He's a pretentious bastard who thinks his farts smell great."

".....Sounds like someone I know."

"I see that your tongue has grown too long for your station."

"So anything else I should know about this guy? What's he like?"

"He's a retired adventurer and he spends his time drunk at on bar or another."

"Why do need that kind of guy?"

"He was trash as adventurer but he's a great instructor for beginners like you. The foundation he builds is admittedly solid."

"Fine whatever."

After dinner Aldrich returned to his room, this time without any help. Then he hoped on the soft bed and returned to the nightmare realm.

In the nightmare realm, Aldrich went on to the next house and used the same window breaking strategy. It was working fine and there was no need to fix something that's already working.

He encountered a total of seven husks in the house. Three were first type husk that were finished in one blow each. Next he fought two archers in the second floor and he shortened the distance and finished them off too.

Lastly he fought two swordsmen separately, he spent a long time fighting the two of them, not because it was particularly hard but because Aldrich decided to think of them as training opponents.

The more he dueled the swordsmen the greater his understanding of the sword style they used and he uncovered more and more openings and weaknesses. This honed his own sword and prepared him for his battle against the armored husk.

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