Cless was a girl used to being on the receiving side of people's pity. And their scorn as well. Scratch that, now that she was fifteen, Cless was a woman used to all that. It didn't mean she felt comfortable being the target of those feelings. She was used to but it still hurt. She spent two days in her room wallowing in her own self-pity and self-scorn for a change. The whole town was in party mode, celebrating their new adults. Cless classmates. She really didn't want to meet any of them. She spent most of these two days crying silently in her room. She couldn't grant herself the luxury of sobbing out loud else the inn patrons complain to Karen.

She looked around and took in the sight of her room. It was the last room in the third-floor corridor and could barely fit a bed, desk and dresser. There was no window, just two slits along the wall high up for ventilation and scraps of sunlight. She was sure the room was some sort of storeroom for bedding. The furniture was old and probably something Karen would just toss away. But Cless would not look for teeth in the gift horse. She was grateful that Karen prepared a room for her even though the pity that motivated that offer felt like a vise on her heart.

It was late at night when she decided to take a bath. She wasn't very happy with her own body odor. Cless went outside wearing a hooded cloak, the thing she wanted the least was to scare some inn patron. The Beaten Hare was full from visiting relatives and traveling merchants drawn to Tambrill because of the coming-of-age festival. After gathering a clean set of clothes and a bar of soap, Cless unlocked the door to her room and looked outside. A clear corridor. Good. She slowly closed and locked the door behind her and slid the key in an inner pocket of the cloak. She walked carefully toward the washing area at the end of the second floor. She crossed the entire third floor and descended a flight of stairs. Still nobody. She crossed the second floor to access the stairs at the end and felt the heat from the stove used to warm water for the baths.

"Hello? Is anyone using the bathing room now?"

She asked from the last three steps of the stairs. She didn't hear anyone and also didn't hear water splashing. Cless entered the room and found nobody. The flickering light from the stove projecting weird shadows upward was the only illumination in the room. She took a wooden plaque painted red and hung it on a nail by the door. It would show people there was a woman bathing and hopefully make men avoid using the room while she was in there as the bathing room was the same for both genders.

Cless took some kettles, filled them with water from the pump and set the kettles over the stove to heat the water for her bath. She undressed after hanging the cloak on a high peg and started to wash her used clothes. She felt exposed there, kneeling naked on the damp floor of the room. Besides the water pump, a few tubs to soak in and the stove, there was also a discreet door on a side and a rope hanging from a pulley next to the door. She finished laundry and hung the clothes on a line over the stove to dry it out with the heat coming up from the burning wood. She filled half of a washtub with cold water and waited in front of the stove for a kettle to heat up and whistle.

She completed the tub with hot water until the temperature was a bit too hot and sat on a stool to clean herself. She lathered the soap and washed her skin, feeling the bumps and welts of weird skin that grew over her whole body. She felt the urge to scratch them, to try and remove these deformities. She wanted to have smooth, unblemished skin like the fair maidens of her class. With a sigh she dumped the bucket of cold water over her shoulder to wash away the soap. Another on the other side and a third for the hair. Cless shuddered and entered the wash tub to soak and heat up.

She was almost dozing off inside the tub when she heard the stair leading down from the second floor creaking. A man's voice was singing some stupid song about a happy merchant piling up and counting silver Ducat coins. Every time the count reached a high number the pile of coins spilled and he had to count up again but a coin was missing. The count went down from a hundred as the song went up to when there was no more coins and the merchant in the song killed himself.

Cless natural enemy was arriving. A drunk man from out of town. The creak was at the bottom of the stair now. If she left the wash tub, she'd be seen naked by the man. As it was custom, hardly anyone would molest another person in the bathing room, she decided to stay inside the tub facing the wall. Maybe, just maybe that drunk inn guest wouldn't bother her. She heard the man's shoes hitting the raised floorboards at the entrance to drain water. Cless looked up at the rope hanging from a pulley and disappearing into a hole in the wall. That rope if pulled would ring a bell and call someone from the inn. It was usually used when the stove was almost out of firewood or the pump clogged. It could also be used in case any inn patron was causing trouble in the bathing room.

"Oh, lucky me!" The drunk spoke in a slurred voice. "There is a pretty lady taking a bath here with me!"

Cless' hopes to be left alone were dwindling by the second. She heard cloth rustling and knew the man was undressing. She covered her breasts and crotch with her arms and stood still. The footsteps on the wet floor had no rhythm. She peeked without moving her head and saw the moment the man just tossed his clothes in a lump into a bucket and walked past her to fill the kettles with water. He was short, overweight, and had very hairy back and legs. So far she was fine.

Then the drunk craned his head, turning in a very creepy way to peek at her. Their eyes met for a moment and Cless hurriedly turned her head away.

"Oh, shy lady. I am unworthy of gazing upon your beauty, but I will nonetheless." The man then uttered a creepy sound, half-laugh half-painting.

Cless heard the sounds of wet skin slapping rhythmically and the drunk man moaned. He mumbled something about the lady hitting the spot and then obscenities. The sound of skin slapping accelerated and the moans became small shouts of pleasure. Suddenly the man sounded relieved and something white and gooey dropped on Cless' washtub.

She screamed and jumped out of the water. That was a man's seed. In her frenzy, Cless forgot any modesty. She darted for the rope and started to yank it, screaming and crying. She dared not look at the man.

Karen appeared from the door a minute later. "Cless, I am here, stop pulling the rope!" She took in the scene and held Cless to calm her down. "You, what are you doing?"

Cless looked where Karen was staring at. The drunk man was leaning on the water pump, one hand holding something in his hairy crotch.

"Karen, help! He shot his seed on me!" Cless pleaded between sobs.

The innkeeper looked at Cless and picked up a rag from a nook. She wiped Cless head and the girl was afraid of what was on her.

"Did he touch you? Did he get near your crotch?" Inquired Karen.

"No. But he shot his seed on my bath. Am I going to be burdened with children?"

Karen face softened. She caressed Cless' head and spoke softly, "No. I doubt this old worm has any virility in him. Let me deal with him, okay?" Cless nodded. "Get a towel and dry yourself, then put on your clothes."

Cless picked her towel from the shelf and started to dry her body. Karen looked at the old man and chanted.

"Sober Up!"

A green flash of light enveloped the man and his drunkness was over. He looked around, startled.

"What is going on here?" The man asked, covering his privates now that he noticed he was naked.

"Cornelius, it is I that must ask what is going on here. Why are you masturbating and shooting your seed on my tenants?"

Cornelius looked at Cless and she averted his eyes, still sobbing every now and then. Cless felt a surge of hatred and thought of the priest's words.

"God wants you to seize every opportunity with your Skills," She mumbled. With a steel gaze borne of the last scraps of her courage and bolstered by her rage, Cless spoke out loud, "How are you going to like to talk to the constable about molesting women in the bath, Mister Cornelius?"

The man stuttered, "T-the constable? Surely there is no need to involve the constable here. I didn't touch you."

The denial angered her even more. "You shot your seed on me! Are you trying to impregnate me?"

"No! Of course not!" There was disgust on the man, now that he got a good look at Cless. It made her boil.

"The constable it is! Karen here is my witness!"

Cornelius looked at Karen, but the innkeeper was unreadable. She was also angry at the whole commotion. "You are in the wrong here Cornelius. How are you going to make amends?"

"I can pay you. See a midwife and take care of yourself if you are with children!"

"Two golden crowns!" Cless showed him two fingers. "Pay me two golden crowns for my trouble and for the visit to the midwife and I'll keep silent."

A bargain is being negotiated. Skill [Absolute Contract] Activated. Please set the terms of the contract.

Cless heard the words in her head and glared at the old man. "And if you talk to anyone about anything that happened here, you'll owe me another ten gold crowns. Please say 'I agree' if you are okay with these terms. Otherwise we are going to wake up the constable this late at night."

Two gold crowns was a lot of money. One gold Crown was worth a hundred silver Ducats and a single silver coin was worth a hundred copper Solidus. Cless could rent a decent inn room and food for almost a year on a single gold coin. More even if she struck a long-term deal.

"I agree!" Cornelius finally conceded and was startled by the message he received. It was the same one that Cless heard.

Contract established. Cornelius must pay Cless two golden crowns before the next sunset or suffer the consequences. Cless earned 500 Experience Points.

Great! She could gain Experience Points by making contracts!

"You! Girl, what is your Skill?" Cornelius had a strange look in his face.

But Cless wanted nothing to do with that old man, "None of your business, old man. Now go get my gold and never again appear in front of me." She showed him her tongue.

Cless was feeling winded. Strangely elated. Her Skill was real! She could create binding contracts like that on the fly. It could be awesome. She had no idea how but maybe she had a chance. She made two golden crowns after all. In all her sudden giddiness, she didn't notice Karen tapping her feet on the damp floorboards.

"Cless, what is your Skill?"

She stopped cheering and returned to the real world. She looked in Karen's eyes but had to look away right after. Karen was kind to her but Cless didn't want to talk. "Must I say?" She timidly asked.

"No, Cless. You don't," Karen shook her head. "I'm sorry I asked. Your Skills are between you and God. But maybe if your Skill is of a high ranking, it could be both a boon or a curse. Take care if it is, people of power would want to make you theirs. Abuse your talents. Take care, okay?"

Cless nodded. With the tension finally over, she felt very tired. Cless yawned with a hand over her mouth. "Yes, Karen. Thank you. When he pays me, I'll compensate you."

"Yes, you are a rich girl now, aren't you?" Karen watched Cless' expression shift and laughed, "Oh, don't worry, you poor thing. I won't charge you anything for this whole month. Take your time to think and see what you want to do with your life. Okay?"

Cless nodded with watery eyes. Karen kissed her forehead, "Off you go, silly girl. Go to sleep now!"