The Golem Adventurer

Chapter 15 - Deviants

The light of a new day glinted through my window, prompting Oracle to wake me up from my sleep. Getting out of bed, I began to stretch out of habit. Despite only getting five hours of sleep, I still felt rested. Of course if I really wanted to I could stay awake all night but after that exorcise  incident, raising my [Spiritual Attunement] levels became a top priority. This body was like driving a car. The more I use it, the more it becomes a part of me. Moving around or grabbing objects, even fragile things has become intuitive.

I head towards the room's single coat hook that held my only pieces of clothing and put them on. I had spent my late evening washing and mending them, the reason why I slept so late. After the battle with the orcs my clothes has multiple tears. The Guildmaster's training didn't help it's situation either. Before I returned to the inn, I had purchased a sewing kit to repair it. At first, I wondered if I could even hold the needle properly with these hands but making dexterous movements were surprisingly easy now. I had spent quite some time mending my uniforms from back then from wear and tear. Mending the cloak and tunic was no challenge.

After my morning ritual, I decide to head downstairs and eat morning chow on my own. I had received a note last night stating that Hina and Tessa were out of the city for a few days. Their training apparently needed much more space for the safety. I could imagine them not wanting to start practicing spells in the middle of that tiny park outside. Me eating alone is going to be a staple for quite some time then.

Today's meal consisted of bread, eggs and what appears to be a cooked potato. The innkeeper was the one to bring me my breakfast again. She seemed delighted at the idea of a golem enjoying her food but her mood was dashed when I told her I couldn't taste it. I quickly re-mediated the situation by stating how wonderful it looked. It wasn't a lie of course. You couldn't go wrong with a hearty breakfast like this.

I finished and thanked her for the meal. It was time to work. Heading out, I strolled down to the Adventurer's Guild to find it packed again with the morning rush for jobs. Once I start getting into the higher ranks, I'll need to wake up earlier as well if I want higher quality jobs. After a while the crowds dispersed and I was finally able to enter. However, the moment I step through the door, the Guildmaster was there in front of me.

"Arlan, you're here bright and early," despite our hours long training marathon or even his advanced age he showed no fatigue, "Come! I'd like to have a word with you."

Following him over to the lounge area, we had a seat at a small table facing each other. A guild steward came over and handed him a cup of tea, which Guildmaster Kurtz sipped gingerly from. Compared to last evening, his demeanor was his usual relaxed self.

I spoke first, "What did you need, Guildmaster?"

Putting down his cup, he asks, "How did you feel about the training last night?"

I thought about yesterday evening. The old man was a drill sergeant. Kept raining blow after blow and constantly remarked about my posture, or the way I was holding my sword, or my stance or my lack of discipline. But I kept on. I don't remember how it was like in a human body but all of his instructions were quickly followed up with my near perfect execution. Like I was recording his feedback and engraving it inside my head.

"My sword skill went up a level from that," I replied, "You've could have gone a bit easier you know."

The Guildmaster scoffs, "Hah! Weapon skills are life or death, boy! You don't slouch on fundamentals." 

He took another sip from his cup, "But still, to level your sword skill in just a few hours of training. A normal person would need at least a week of serious training and combat experience to get just that. Hina was right when she said that you're just full of surprises."