Manifest Fantasy

Chapter 24: Settling In

Many thanks to Sunshine for advising me on the authenticity of the piece and proofreading my drafts.

Note: I am planning an upgrade to Tier 4 Patrons by September 24. Tier 4 Patrons will be able to read 2 chapters ahead instead of just 1. Additionally, all Tier 3 Patrons and higher will get access to exclusive first-look content for my upcoming new story, Arcane Exfil, dropping sometime in late October or early November. This includes early chapters, before any official RR release.

READ 2 WEEKS AHEAD

Chapter 25: Unsettling is now available for Tier 2 Manifest Fantasy Patrons and higher!

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/drdoritosmd

Discord: https://discord.gg/wr2xexGJaD

-- --

Henry cracked an eye open, feeling surprisingly well-rested. For once, his body wasn't screaming at him to go back to sleep. He reached for the water bottle on the nightstand, took a long swig, then checked his watch. 0900. Sheesh.

Sleeping in till 9 was a luxury he rarely indulged in, but after that clusterfuck at GB-2 and the so-called 'downtime' filled with Sera's prep and endless reports, Harding had finally cut them some slack. The General wanted them to actually decompress during this academy stint, as long as they took the studying and training seriously. Fair enough.

Rolling out of bed, Henry grabbed the tablet they'd set up last night. No alerts, no movement, nothing out of the ordinary on their makeshift security system. Most importantly, no invisible assholes trying to sneak in while they slept. Good start to the day. Factor in the feeling that the bed might as well have been one of those pure-opulence Duxianas, and it was a damn good start to the day.

Somehow, he still felt a bit full from the night before. After Elwes' orientation, they'd checked out the Carfley Refectory downstairs. Fancy name for a dining hall, but it sure did live up to the hype. The place was a mix of high-end buffet and à la carte service that would put a lot of five-star restaurants to shame. And this was just one of the dining halls on campus. Extravagance befitting the nobility, Henry supposed.

Henry held up the meal token next to his coin pouch. It was an interesting concept: a magic credit card that drained mana instead of dollars. Apparently, it was sealed tight against any student shenanigans – no mana in, only mana out. Made sense, not that it'd apply to them. Though, still a neat feature that the doc would probably love to tack on to his cultural analysis of the Sonarans.

Henry set it back down, heading to the restroom to take a piss and brush his teeth. It was just as lavish as it was the night they arrived. They'd spent most of the evening exploring the place, settling into an apartment that was more of a penthouse than any normal college apartment. It was a luxury that a guy like him would never have otherwise experienced – individual rooms for each of them, private bathrooms, and a common area that seemed fit in a palace. Might as well have been a place at a Ritz-Carlton hotel, just with some Merlin treatment. The amenities – lighting, temperature control runes, restroom – were all like those at the Duke's guest house. Thankfully, they'd all learned how to operate the toilet back then.

Henry spat out the Starshade-flavored toothpaste – half-bubblegum, half-mint – and rinsed. As he wiped his mouth, he caught the sound of a soft rumble of water from the other side, then metal on metal from the kitchen. Guess it was time for everyone to wake up. Come to think of it, none of them had actually checked out the kitchen last night. Too busy gawking at the rooms or being knocked out from the long day, maybe. Might as well check out what the kitchen had to offer.

He padded into the kitchen, following the clinking sounds. He found Ron with his head practically inside a large closet, just gawking at the contents within like a dude having the craziest acid trip of his life. "Yoooo..." the man muttered.