Joseph hissed. The water in the spring was hot, and it stung a bit on his wound. He’d taken the stitches out the day before, but it still pained him constantly. The sharp pain subsided to a dull throb as he leaned back a bit, sighing as he felt the warm stone on his back contrast with the cooler stones that his arms rested on. The larger cavern that he found himself in was downstairs from the dormitories, and was quite beautiful, if he had to describe it. There was all manner of flora lining the stream that fed into the series of pools that made up the hot spring, being themselves fed with sunlight by the hole in the ceiling on the north side of the round cavern, where the waterfall poured down nearly forty feet. The stream seemed almost cheerful, and the torches set around the place did much to alleviate the feeling of claustrophobia one can get from being indoors and underground. The Hierarchy base was impressively large, sporting all manner of necessities and luxuries, namely the hot spring which was soothing his aches. He thought he saw facilities for blacksmithing and even something akin to an alchemical laboratory.

He thought back on the job that he and Vince had completed, wondering what would have happened to the town had they not killed the mad Toby. All things have their times to die, he thought as he sighed again, feeling the water seep into his injured side. The thought seemed troubling on it’s face, and indeed, it made many men cower in fear. The thought of death to Joseph, however, was nothing of the sort; in fact it was more comforting than anything. It meant there was no cause for worry. When it was Joseph’s time, he would go, just as all people did, at his appointed time.

The past several days had been hectic to say the least, but the jobs that Vince had assigned him were paying well. And, it seems that there’s more where that one came from, he thought. The place seemed homey and lived in, which was strange since he had only seen Vince and on one occasion, the strange woman who was apparently his boss. Though, it was odd for him to settle down for very long, and he was already feeling a little naked without a wagon full of textiles to sell. His head found a pleasant spot between two rocks and he began to relax more, conscious thought fading as the pleasant warmth of the water engulfed him.