As they walked through the gates, the sun was setting, and the entrance was starting to close. It was a good thing Brett hadn't taken his chances getting here alone last night, as he doubted that he would’ve been able to get in.   

The city was an odd mix of modern and medieval. There were no cars and everyone walked, street lights were oil lamps. But the shops were all branded and it looked like a few were franchises. Brett couldn’t help but stare as they made their way through the streets.

"We always stay at this place," Ravenous said, looking up at the beautiful white marble pillars around the entrance of the three-story building. 

"Uh guys, I don't have any money, and there is no way I can afford a room here by spending the evening washing dishes or something. I can find someplace else and meet up with you tomorrow." Brett said, starting to back away. Imposing on their time was one thing, but asking them to pay for him was completely unnecessary.

"Nonsense! You can share my bed. I don't mind sharing a room as long as you take a bath first," Ravenous dismissed his concerns, wrinkling her nose. Looking down at himself, Brett agreed. Even though the goo was gone he still felt disgusting. He needed a bath and a change of clothes soon. The clothes could wait until tomorrow, but he hadn't showered in three days, and that wasn’t even counting the dungeon workout and subsequent run. He could only imagine what a more sensitive nose than his would smell.

The group approached the lavish front desk and were greeted by a very professional-looking human lady with her gray hair up in a perfect bun. Lvl 44 briefly floated above her head. A wooden name tag with Liz on it was pinned to her neatly pressed blouse. She peered over the edge of her half-moon glasses at us, and upon seeing Ravenous, her face lit up in a pleasant smile. Ravenous hopped gracefully onto the desk before her and looked up. Liz inclined her head, grinning. "We have your usual rooms ready. The rest of your party has already checked in."

The receptionist handed two rings of keys to Alan before looking down at Ravenous. "Is there anything else I can help you with today?"

"Yes, you can, Liz. We will need a bath asap. And laundry service for clothes - we’ve been traveling for far too long." Ravenous declared while rubbing the top of her well-brushed head, as if to show how dire their straits were. The fact that no dust or loose fur came off didn't phase her in the slightest.

"Right away, ma'am. There are a few tubs in the third room that will be heated in two minutes. They are expecting you." She said in a professional voice. 

Ravenous waved and hopped onto Brett’s shoulder, completely flying by Alan. Alan didn't seem to mind in the slightest as he handed Brett a set of keys, their tag embossed with the number 212. The room was up a short staircase and down a short hall.

"Leave any weapons and armor in the room for now," Alan noted before disappearing into his room. Brett unlocked the door for Ravenous, and they went inside. It was a rather nice luxury room with both a sitting area and a bedroom. Brett poked his head into one of the closed doors and found a functional toilet with a sink. Turning the tap on, there was even running water. 

Ravenous had jumped down and made herself comfortable on one of the chairs, waiting for him to get ready. Brett called her from the bathroom. "If there’s runnin’ water, then why don't we got showers in the room or somethin’?"

She let out a purring laugh. "Do you see any hot water in that bathroom?"

He fiddled with the faucet controls, but there was indeed no hot water. "Okay, why not? There has to be some magic for it. And if my guide knew what Walmart was, surely they should be able to do it here the old-fashioned way."

"Of course, she knows what Walmart is. They are one of the largest corporations in existence. As for the hot water, well, some things just don't work here. Probably one of the gods got mad and changed the rules or something." Ravenous explained as Brett placed his gun holster and hat on a chair.

"Wait, why is this the first time I'm hearing about gods here?" Brett asked, startled. That felt like it should be a bigger deal than she was making it out to be. 

"They don't really like being talked about outside of worship. A bit touchy if you ask me. If you’re interested, you can go to the temple district and talk to people there. None of us are followers, so we avoid the topic and try not to say their names out loud. Keeps away unnecessary attention." Ravenous sighed, stretching. 

Brett had never been a holy man by any measure. But if they’re real here, what kinds of benefits could they get me? He would need to check it out. Probably after he was on his own, though. He didn't want to waste any of the instruction he was being given for free. That just felt ungrateful for him not to give it his all.

After scrubbing what felt like three layers of skin off in the bath and getting into his freshly laundered shirt, the bed he crawled into felt like heaven. Ravenous appreciated the fresh shirt as she curled up on his chest. Without thinking, he rested his hand on her back, and she didn't seem to mind as they drifted off to sleep.

***

Base Endurance increased. 12 -> 13

Brett woke up to another searing light in his eyes, followed by Ravenous smacking him repeatedly. And a welcome message. Apparently, going through two bug-killing marathons followed by a several-mile-long run was enough to his stat points. Swearing, he tried to ask Ravenous about it when he opened his eyes, but had to put the question on hold until his notification light turned off and her assault abated.

"Yeah, yeah, your body’s improved. Too bad that's capped at 20. Hush now, sleep." She mumbled as she butted her head into his chin. Now that his light had disappeared, she quickly went back to sleep. It was nice that he didn't receive the notification until he was actually awake, even if that did mean getting flashbanged as soon as he gained consciousness, better than getting woken up. Gently moving the sleeping fuzzball off his chest, he started getting ready.

***

True to their word, Alan and Ravenous took Brett out to train the next morning. Well, Alan did. Ravenous had breakfast and then promptly went back to sleep. The two men walked through the city in comfortable silence. At the same time, Brett gathered his thoughts and prepared for the day while cradling the sleeping Ravenous. He had no idea what was going through Alan's brain.

Once we made it a little ways away from the gate, Alan started jogging again. Brett's legs protested violently, but he kept up better this time. Soon enough, they reached a small recess in the mountain, where another dungeon entrance became visible. This time, Brett didn't get close enough to get pushed in. "How do you know this is a level one dungeon?"

"It's not," Alan said. 

"What?"

"This is level two. You can tell by the energy radiating off it. It’s something you get around level 30." 

"I'm sorry, what do you mean it's level two? I don't even have a class yet! And I only got a B in the level one dungeon!" he was getting a bit nervous.

"Relax, you'll be fine. It's easy." Alan shrugged.

"Like hell I will." Brett placed his hat upside-down on the ground, and Ravenous nestled inside it. He pulled out his gun and checked it before putting it back in his holster. Adjusting his gloves and vambraces, he drew his long dagger and stepped forward. The dungeon portal washed over him, and he braced himself for the next challenge.