The Slayer

Chapter 18 - One more to Go

Chapter Eighteen

One more to Go

Waltz sighed contentedly as a servant poured a jug of warm soapy water over his head.

'I tell you what' Waltz said, tilting his head back and blinking his eyes as the modestly dressed young woman moved to fill the jug again, 'this is the life.'

'Are you sure about this?' Sumaey asked him, turning away from the window she stood by. 'Are you sure we can afford such luxuries like this? We haven't had any work for quite a while.'

'Oh come on' Waltz smiled up at her. He was sitting in a round bath set in the smooth wooden floor, the room they were in was small, and a single servant attended their needs.

It was a guest house they were in at the moment, and there were rooms to stay in overnight, and baths to wash in and several larger rooms where food was served. The building was a large one, with many oval windows that let the light pour in. Each room was open and painted in bright colours with pleasant pictures on the walls. Flowers in a meadow, a fluffy fox playing with her cups, a butterfly sitting on a foal's nose.

'I like it here' Waltz was saying, 'it's nice to indulge yourself once in a while.'

Sumaey glanced back out the window as the servant poured another jug of warm water over his head.

'Ahhhhh' Waltz sighed happily.

Sumaey stared at the garden outside. From here she could see the others that accompanied them, the rest of their strange guild.

Spirit was sitting on a bench mutely, ignoring the peculiar looks some of the other guests gave him. Before him was Graham and Loxus, the strange pair were walking around the garden, around and around several times, Graham constantly following wherever the spider-lantern would go. It had been well oiled now, his joints no longer creaked, and his surface once again was clean, shining a beautiful bronze. It looked magnificent. However, the white stag and the strange metallic creature he followed earned their fair share of odd looks.

'How are the others doing?' Waltz asked.

Sumaey turned back to him.

'They are doing fine.'

'Mmmmm' he said, as the servant poured another jug of the lovely water over his white-blonde hair. 'Lovely...' he said.

The small army of yellow rubber ducks bobbed in the water around him, and Waltz glanced towards the other side of the modest bath, where there was another figure, a man with a fishy tail, a merman. His long blonde hair was bristly, and it didn't change shape in the water. He was afraid of green, his skin was so slimy, he was afraid of birds (especially crows but not rubber ducks because they're so cute) he doesn't like people staring too intently at his scales because you can find out a fish's age from the pattern of its scales, he hates being cold, he loves to eat, he loves bubbles, has a friend called Takasu whom he had known for over a century.

His name is Wakasa by the way.

Waltz raised his hand, waving at him.

The merman raised his hand, waving merrily back.

'We still have one more' Sumaey spoke up.

'Hm?' Waltz said.

'One more guild member to find' Sumaey told him, 'before you can officially register your new guild.'

'It's an exciting thought isn't it' Waltz gleamed at her, 'being part of something great.'

'Yes' Sumaey mumbled distractedly. She went quiet for a moment. 'We're running out of money' she told Waltz. 'We have to take a job soon.'