Zane was awake, but he just stayed in bed with his eyes closed. Yesterday had been a very relaxing and boring day. Exactly what he needed to recover a little before heading out to the world again. He knew he couldn't spend another day like that, but he was going to enjoy these last few moments of no responsibility. The soft mattress and the warm blankets that enfolded him. There was a warm weight on his chest, and his hand was on top of Gwen, who had surprisingly returned to her kitten form. It definitely was more comfortable for him to sleep when she was in this form, since she wanted to cuddle into him.
He began to stroke her fur and upper you began to come from her small body. He's not sure how long he laid there, his eyes closed and his hand moving slowly and softly across the soft fur of his animal companion. He took a deep breath and cut the scent after breakfast that was now on the table. His stomach grumbled at the smell and thought of food. After a moment of thinking, he opened his eyes and sat up, holding Gwen against his chest. He put one arm under her and let her settle down onto his forearm and got out of the bed. He walked over to the table and put her down on the top and then went over to the food. He grabbed a variety of food for himself and some sausages for her. He placed the sausages in front of her and then sat down, digging into his own food.
"Why did you decide to become a kitten again?"
"Meow."
Zane nodded. "I found it much more comfortable to sleep with you in this form as well. Though I will admit, there is something nice about the heat you generate in your bigger form."
"Meow."
"Which form do I prefer? I don't know if I can answer that question well. I really haven't spent that much time around your larger form, though I do enjoy talking to you more when you're using actual words."
"Meowww."
"Wall, yes, I understand you when you talk in this form, there is just not the enjoyment that I have when you actually use words. I'd have to say that your personality comes out much more when you're actually talking instead of me just knowing what you're saying. I do like having you be able to ride on my pack and snuggle up to me without feeling like I'm going to be crushed by you. I suppose that my preferred form for you changes depending on the situation."
"Meow."
"I'm glad you feel the same way." Zane finished up his food and looked at his armor that was leaning against the bed. He didn't look forward to wearing that, but he knew he wouldn't last here much longer. One day of boring after who knows how many days of hard work he could handle, but he could already tell that he was going to go stir crazy if he stayed here much longer. There was a part of him that would just have loved to stay here, but it was not a very big part. In the past when he was injured, it was so hard not to become depressed when he couldn't move around.
He got up and put his armor on. He then grabbed his pack and rummaged through it, pulling out the few remaining rations he had. He only had enough for two meals. It was a good thing he finished this dungeon when he did, otherwise he would have run out of food. He looked over at the buffet table, wondering what he could take from there with him and was shocked to find that it was now full of packages. He wandered over and found a description written on each package. They each had different types of food in them, enough to last for one day or three meals. It even had a recipe written, which seemed to be intended for the meal when he stopped for the night. Some of the meals had raw meat. How was he supposed to keep this fresh? "System, do things in my inventory rot?"
[No, items your inventory that can degrade do not.]
"Well, that's awfully convenient." Zane put 50 packages into his inventory and put his pack on. "You know, Gwen, I wear this pack for you. I could put all these things in my inventory and not bother with this thing. But I know you like it, so I will deal with it. I hope you appreciate it."
Gwen didn't answer. She got up and stretched before sauntering over, jumping up on the table and then up onto the pack. As she settled on to the top of the leather, she started to purr. Zane chuckled and knew that this was her answer. She was grateful that he would do this for her, but she would never lower herself to actually admitting it. He went over to the fountain and filled up his water bottle. As he did so, he noticed three leather bags filled with water on the ground. Each was sealed with a spout at the end. He smiled and sent a thought of thanks to Érimón for all the things he was giving him.
After he had stored the water bags in his inventory, a section of the wall suddenly opened, startling Zane. He walked over to it and found that there was a set of stairs leading up. He went up the stairs and after a 20-minute climb, another sectional wall opened up, and he found himself in the first fountain room of the dungeon. He walked out and had to cover his eyes, as the bright sunlight stung after being underground for so long. After he had adjusted to the brightness, he opened his arms and allowed his skin to absorb the sunlight. It had been far too long since he felt its warmth.