I Built This City Chapter 59: Chapter 59

Read chapter 59 of I Built This City by ThePudding on NovelPedia.

Hunter Ellen The nice thing about winter was that even though not everyone in the village knew about the many Ellens, they weren’t likely to see them either. The Treetop Inn was often busy in the evenings, in winter. During the day it was much, much quieter, and usually empty unless Pauley had a concern. This made the early morning trip the best possible time to visit, when bringing multiple Ellens. As much as Ellen was curious about this, she felt she should bring an expert… and she didn’t trust Scholar to handle it on her own. Ironic, considering that I was just lectured on trusting Ellens , she thought to herself. Lauren was in the common room with Village Ellen, and both looked up as Ellen slipped into the room and quickly shut the door once Scholar was inside. The Sanctuary effect was still present, Ellen noticed… that was good, but she wondered what it would do if Village Ellen decided she was an enemy. “Well hello, girls,” Lauren called out. She was much less apprehensive about seeing unfamiliar Ellens now, Ellen noted. “Hunter, isn’t it? And I’m not sure which one you are, I’m afraid. Have we met?” Scholar just smiled, and Ellen braced for the look of confusion on Lauren’s face… only to be surprised in her own way. “Not in this lifetime, Lauren,” Scholar replied lightly. “You can call me Scholar Ellen, if you want. I think the last time we met was… hmm. My first trip back to Merriweather. It has been a while! It’s good to see you, you’re looking well.” Lauren’s smile widened. “Oh, thank you so much!” She glanced at the door. “Sometimes people stop by early, so you won’t both want to linger there I hope. Would you like to use the table in the back? I’m sure you both wouldn’t be down here if you didn’t have something important to do.” Ellen blinked at Scholar, but quickly recovered as Lauren brought that up. “Yes, please. Sorry… we have something a little private to discuss, but we’ll try to be brief. I hope by the end of winter I can visit more freely.” “Pauley’s made a lot of progress,” Village Ellen noted. “I think most of the villagers just needed to adjust to the idea of a dungeon nearby first. Nobody really knows what dungeons do, these days, so I think most are just blaming that.” They made their way to the back, which was a sort of half-room with a curtain instead of a full door. Even here in the middle of nowhere, sometimes travelers wanted some privacy, so the Treetop had this place. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for the occasional quiet chat. As Ellen settled herself into a chair, she glanced at Scholar again. “I admit, I’m surprised. I didn’t know you could talk like that. You never do that around me or the others.” Scholar tilted her head back at Ellen. “Of course we don’t, you are an Ellen, you understand… or we suppose you could understand if you tried. Lauren is only one, she would be confused. We like her and don’t want to cause her trouble, so we pretend to be only one, like her.” She covered her mouth with her hand, stifling a giggle. “We got some experience for acting when we did that. We’re surprised none of our selves have ever taken Performer .” “It was pretty high up the list when I chose my Class last time,” Village Ellen said as she sat down across from the other two. “I hope none of us ever have the opportunity to do that again, but I’m sure if more accidents happen, one of us might eventually do it.” Ellen sighed. “I suppose…” She turned her attention to Village Ellen, eyes darting to the pointless bandage on her hand where she’d been bitten… then up to the shoulder where the wolf had been torn up. “How is your shoulder?” Village Ellen touched her shoulder lightly. “It stopped bleeding by the time I got back to the inn, and it’s healing up quickly. Still a little sore and stiff, but I think in another day or two it should be fine. No bones were broken so it’s not that bad. That regeneration is a Perk, did you know? Werewolves have their own Perks.” That was mildly surprising to Ellen, but