Anamnesis: Book 1

Chapter 2

His eyes squinted in the morning light, the sun rising just over the East. Once more it cast the world in shades of gold, just as lovely but not near as valuable. How the sun had even managed to make such abominable lands appear less sinister was a mystery. But no matter how the artist threw paint upon it, they couldn't create the beauty they were trying to portray. It all felt forced: The design, the flora, and even the structures. It was composed in a way that seemed out of the ordinary. Whatever the case, it made Levi uncomfortable.

Rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands, he felt the haze of sleep slowly lift. As harsh as the rays of light had been on his retinas, he was grateful for the warmth. The early morning was the best time of the day in terms of temperature. It kept within the mid-seventies, with a slight breeze that always felt a few degrees cooler.

Stretching, a yawn escaped his lips, barely audible over the sound of morning birds in their nests nearby. The first thing he did upon waking was check on the woman. When her frame could be seen still laying down near the now extinguished fire, Levi's muscles eased. He began to rummage through his satchel, pulling out a bottle of water, a wooden toothbrush, and a tube of toothpaste. He set to work, unscrewing the cap and placing a thick strip of the minty paste along the bristles. He ran the object roughly across his pearly whites, savoring the flavor that replaced his bad morning breath. With a few small swigs of water, he had rinsed his mouth, spitting the frothy liquid into the dirt below. He returned the items to his bag, only to pull from it a small, carefully wrapped square. It crinkled as he undid the green plastic, causing his face to scrunch at the abrasive sound. Inside were a few large chunks of granola with an assortment of nuts and berries mixed in. Once more his stomach was alert to the food, and a soft grumble could be felt from its pit. The tensing of the muscle felt similar to a cramp, and he quickly obliged in eating to settle the pain. Bursts of flavor hit his tongue all at once, most notably, the honey. It had taken him several hours to retrieve the sweet nectar from the woodlands just days prior. Had he any less sense, he would have lost more than the honey to the bear that had its sights on a mage dinner.

As he ate, his eyes settled on her sleeping form again. It took him a few weeks to learn when to rise in order to keep pace. Despite her sporadic hours, she had a knack for sleeping a little past sunup. This gave him a good half hour before she would awaken. In that time, he had formed a routine. It was nothing extraordinary, but it was enough to give him some form of structure amongst the chaos. Bathing had to be done in the late hours, and only if he had been fortunate enough to come by freshwater. When they were lucky enough to stumble upon a water source, the girl often preferred her baths in the morning. So, to err on the side of caution, he took to showering well past her sleep schedule. A bath actually sounded great at the moment, as it had been two days since he was able to wash the grime from his body. The rag he carried to clean off bits of sweat and dirt was now soiled and unusable. The stench alone was enough to earn his rebuking.

With another day of traveling in his own filth, Levi settled on fixing his tousled hair. He ran a rough hand through the black locks, his fingers getting caught in tangles with each stroke. The oils had thickened up its volume, which honestly made it easier to control. He was able to slick it backward in a mildly presentable way; Not suitable for a stroll around town but good enough for another long day of walking.

When he no longer felt the locks of his hair against his skin, he felt to leave well enough alone. His clothes, while a bit unkempt, were still reasonably odorless and unstained. After all, had an adventurer's clothes been clean when he returned home, his adventure was for not.

Just as Leviathan began to settle in for the next fifteen minutes, the sound of rustling branches caught his ear. Pulling himself closer to the trunk of the tree, he had retreated back into a crouched position. His eyes were trained on the brushes just Southwest of him where, after several seconds, the three highwaymen stumbled out into the clearing. The woman, who still lay sound asleep, had a good fourteen and a half minutes until she would awaken. Still, Levi waited, observing in the shadows. He did not put it past the female warrior to sense them as they got closer, and he gave her the benefit of the doubt. Had it been so easy to sneak up on her, she would have been extinguished long ago. Any act on his behalf would only give away his position and likely cause him more trouble than it was worth. He was confident she would be able to handle it and decided on simply scouting.