Genetic Ascension

'I should go see if I can take a bath or something of the sort. I saw a well earlier. They should have access to fresh water even if it's cold.'

Sylas preferred cold showers anyway. He wouldn't mind it not being heated.

He slipped off of his cot, feeling some of the aches and bruises on his body. But it was already better than it had been yesterday. It seemed that his Constitution was doing wonders. The nails on his right hand were already half grown back.

Walking out of the large tent, he rounded it, heading toward where he had seen the well. But when he got to the back of the large tent, he heard a splash of water.

He looked to the side.

There, down in a deep squat, a woman with her back to him threw some water over her shoulder with a cup and almost furiously wiped herself with a rough cloth.

He couldn't see much from this angle, but because of her deep squat, he could see some of the curve of her buttocks. But more than that, there were the clear and deep scars she had suffered. It was clear that anyone who could make it so far had dealt with their fair share of struggles.

Sylas shook his head and looked away. "My apologies."

Lauren was startled and covered her chest. She looked back to see that Sylas was already facing away from her.

"No, it's not your fault," she shook her head. "I didn't expect that anyone would be awake this early. I was a little careless. The well has good water. You can use it to clean yourself if you want."

"Mm, that's what I planned to do," Sylas responded. "I also wanted to ask if they might have some spare clothes. I'm in tatters."

Lauren laughed, pulling on a towel she had to the side and wiping herself down a bit before wrapping it around her armpits.

"You can look now. Don't worry, I'm not such a prude. I've already prepared myself for much worse in this world, plus I'm already almost thirty. I left that phase long ago."

Sylas turned back, mostly out of politeness. Since she had said as much, he would only make her more uncomfortable insisting on not doing so.

Her hair was still wet, but she had a valiantness to her even in such a seemingly vulnerable position. She looked ready to drop her towel and pick up a sword right this moment if she had to, even if it meant going into battle naked.

Definitely a woman that had been through a lot.

"I think, if we can, we should try our best to hold on to as many of our old traditions as possible," Sylas replied seriously.

Lauren blinked, not expecting this response. Then she smiled.

"Meaning I should protect my chastity with all my might?"

"If that's what you want," Sylas nodded. "I only mean that if you wanted to be a prude, don't let this world change who you are. We have to have our own sort of defiance, even in situations like this one."

"I see… that's an interesting statement. You don't look it, but you're quite the rebel."

"Rebel?"

"I spent a lot of time as a secretary for people with egos too large to fit through a door."

"And I'm one of them?"

"Maybe. It would depend on whether you can widen that doorway or be crushed by the archway."

Sylas didn't respond, looking at this woman. It was rare that someone would leave him without the words to respond.

Lauren seemed to become a little flustered beneath his look and shook her head.

"I'm just speaking nonsense, really. Don't mind me. If you don't mind it, you can feel free to use the water I have left. Getting water is difficult in these times, especially with all those beasts surrounding the lake and river," Lauren sighed. "It's been months like that. I wonder how many people have died of thirst…"

Sylas grabbed onto a word she used immediately.

"Months?"

Lauren reacted with surprise. "Did you find another water source?"

This was her immediate reaction. If Sylas didn't know about this, then could it be that he was getting his water from somewhere else? That would be huge.

Sylas put two and two together immediately.

He had been in the Dungeon for months? But that was impossible. His Soft Gene Stat was still there, and it would only last for seven days. Looking at the time, he still had four days left. That meant that he could have only used three days so far at best.

How had months passed on the outside?

"No," Sylas shook his head. "It just doesn't feel like it's been that long. I really lost track of time."

"Ah…" Lauren sighed. "Yeah, it really is hard without phones and the internet to keep you on track." She shook her head. "Anyway, I'm going to go be a prude now and put on some real clothes."

She gave Sylas a smile and walked past him, holding a bundle of clothes in her hands as she slipped back into the tent.

Sylas conveniently took the bucket she had used and filled it to the brim at the well. It wasn't like the water was used, this was just the bucket she had been scooping water out of, so he didn't have a problem with using it.

He began to clean himself as well, sighing that he still only had a single pair of pants. He should have asked about it last night, but he had to admit that it felt a little weird to have to ask Cassarae for things.

They had ended on good terms, he thought. But that didn't change the fact they hadn't talked in almost a decade. He didn't want to try to take advantage of a former relationship.

Everything in this world was earned, and she had worked for months to get to this point apparently, as had the others.

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