So. I made a thing.

What normally would have taken months of hard labor, not to mention the planning time and hiring of help, only took a meagre hour to construct and finalize. With the help of that awesome thing called ‘magic’ and a healthy dose of imagination.

Some willpower was needed for this construction as well. Pretty sure it was....

Why an hour? Because I couldn’t make up my damn mind about the layout and the enchantments for the open bath itself.

Four stories tall with a basement, highly detailed with additional spots to expand the inn in the future and places within the building walls and floors for added wooden inlays for decor, I made an inn.

Not just any classic wooden constructed inn, either. Inspired by the Romans and Greeks, I made the inn out of a basalt and several different hues of veined marble. Aesthetically pleasing, long lasting, easy to clean, and best of all - functional.

Then, behind the inn I dug three rough forty foot square plots varying from two to three feet deep. Each pool is scattered with an assortment of boulders and flattened rocks to sit on all throughout. All three pools were mostly lined with solid bedrock to prevent seepage and erosion, then filled with water.

This is the part that actually took the longest time to finish, needing to enchant the accumulation of water that will then exhibit not only the properties of a classic outside hot spring bath (also known as an onsen for those heathens not in the know) but have additional minor healing qualities and overall health boosting effects. Obviously, it has a proper scrubbing and cleaning area before entry. This will prevent too much contamination, though part of the enchantments takes care of this.

Thankfully, with my experience concerning these outdoor baths, it was really simple. Unlike a sento, which is basically a large enclosed heated bath, the onsen is supposed to not only be open to the air, but have a natural hot spring water source.

Unfortunately, there was no such source present. At least from what I could sense. Fortunately, enchanting is a marvelous thing and made this possible.

Each pool has several hovering rock clusters that the water emits from, hovering an oscillating half a foot to three feet above the pool water level, giving a small waterfall effect to go with the pleasant heated bath. Most of the enchantments are tied to those hovering clusters, with filtration and transportation enchantments at various spots in each pool to lower the magical strain of constantly generating new water.

Being proactive, I made three pools for varying tastes. One each for male and female, the last being for those who don’t care or are adventurous enough for mixed bathing. As the onsen was traditionally used for socializing and so called ‘skinship’, the mixed bathing wasn’t a spot for those looking for a cheap thrill. The onsen allowed all people to gather and just be human beings, to ‘let their hair down’ so to speak. Finally, each bath is separated and surrounded by tall bedrock walls for privacy and security.

Decorations and fine details are going to be left to the attending families, as I hope they make this place and the mansion a livelihood and legacy for their children, grand children, and beyond.

Smiling and supremely satisfied that my own legacy has been left for the future, I head back inside to leave the notes on how to run the place, and idea of what to charge for use, and how to make the last bit necessary for a most pleasant onsen experience - especially for a world that apparently doesn’t know an iota about hygiene. The creation of soap.

I left instructions on how to make several simple soaps, while giving notes on how to further expand and make more complex and specific types - from scented, to scrubbing, to antibacterial. I’ll leave it to the families to determine whether they sell the secret or monopolize it in the future.

Feeling satisfied, I magic up a simple sign to advertise what the place is and slowly meandre back to my mansion. With the day ending, I’ll try for some R & R.

The dawn finally peeks through the window as I lounge in bed, having been woken by my heartache. Rather than become immediately active, I had taken the time to ruminate.

I’ve been brought to an entirely new universe, along with several hundred others, with no explanation for the whys or whats. I appear on a world where urbanization is so extreme, there is little to no nature present, not to mention apparently watching the last two living humans die in front of me and then battling an army of undead. Seeing a dragon for the first time, nearly pissing my pants from the experience, and damn near busting my gut laughing when I finally remembered the dragons name while recalling the legend it belongs to.

My appearing there may not be a coincidence, given my name. Most likely a horrible sense of humor, given the legend. All I need now is to meet a Sigurd and that will almost be a full reenactment, although I’m not sure Frænir is dead.

Meeting the faery Mab, her daughter, and that short whirlwind of an acquaintance. The guy who took my eye, the fact it’s growing back, my short recovery times, the lack of notifications or even acknowledgement from this mysterious System that exists in this universe. The odd effects from purchasing skills, which is way weird all by itself. The inability to see or even know my perks and abilities. The fact there are several things in the back of my mind that bother me but I’m not realizing what they are.

My weapons, which will stagnate as I grow stronger and encounter stronger adversaries. The inconsistencies between each world or just the hub I’ve been to all by itself. My magic, the abilities that I’ve been using, again lacking feedback from this System.

The fact I haven’t died yet from my cancer or feel bad at all from it. The cancer not being present in my status, no ill effects from it, no detrimental status changes on my character screen. Nothing.

What to do next. I mean, the drive I felt to accomplish a lasting legacy has been sated. I’ve accomplished several enchantments my memories that I bought had no inkling about. I’ve avoided damn near every quest marker that’s appeared, only taking the one for the house and reaching a dead end of needing to search for more clues but with no direction to search for said clues.

In that regard, the only one I can even think to talk about all this with is Maria, but to investigate properly I can’t just start a conversation that way with a person who is likely to be completely unrelated or even unknowing of the situation. That’s not including my weird behaviour around her and the Undines. For fucks sake, I’m an adult, not some hormone driven teenager seeing a naked woman for the first time!

I give a brief yell of frustration and hop out of the bed I’ve been lying on for hours now. “Didn’t think I’d pick it back up again, but I guess I need to go see if the village has tobacco of some type. I’m getting too wound up.” Putting action to words, I quickly get ready and book it to the village…. Or I’m about to.

“Sir?” There is a knock at my bedroom door.

My eyes widen and my jaw drops a bit while my hand reaches for my hip, which is where I usually keep my gun, and I stare at the door for a second in incomprehension.

Ohhhh, duh. I have house sitters.

Clearing my throat, I call out, “Yes?”

“Sir, you have a guest. Madam Maria is in the sitting room and would like to see you.” The unknown, female voice notifies me.

“I’ll be down shortly, please make sure she has refreshments.” I respond absently while wondering why Maria is here to see me.

Shrugging to myself, I wager it’s best to go find out rather than waste time vainly attempting to figure out why.

Suiting actions to words, again, I head down to see my first guest. Then, I’ll go check on getting some tobacco.