Chapter 30: A Call to Action
Gareth Irontongs was just settling down for the night, drifting away into a particularly pleasant dream, when a sudden noise jarred him into wakefulness.
One eye creaked open as he stifled a grumble of annoyance. Beside him, his wife slumbered on, her comparatively petite form motionless except for the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest. As always, the sight of her peacefully lying there brought him comfort. Even if it was spoiled somewhat by her thunderous snoring.
He waited a moment, listening for more. The fact that he'd heard the sound at all over his wife was nothing short of impressive. But now that he was awake, he could hear some sort of activity in the far distance. Still, there were no shouts of alarm or follow-up horns closer to town. Whatever the problem was, it seemed to be none of Habersville's business—or his.
After deciding that the alarm wasn't meant for them, Gareth closed his eyes once more and tried to get back to sleep. Only, it refused to come. That drowsy state that he'd been so rudely pulled from refused to reappear as his mind whirred back to life with thoughts and ideas. After lying awake for a long while, Gareth sighed and admitted that his efforts simply weren't going anywhere. Not tonight at least.
He carefully shifted the blankets off himself, grasping the handle he had installed into the wall to ease his weight off it without making the whole thing bounce upward. The springs quietly protested, and he steadied them with a hand, slowly releasing them so as not to disturb his wife. Each of those thousand springs had taken him hours to forge, but Gareth had no complaints. Both the time and the extravagant expense had been worthwhile for a bed as comfortable as it was sturdy.
Sure, goose feathers were comfortable, but they didn't offer enough support for a man like him. His bulk tended to flatten them so much that they didn't feel any softer than the wood underneath when he laid down. But these springs? He'd thought the idea was simply the ramblings of a drunkard when he'd first heard it, but after trying it himself, he couldn't imagine ever going back. The only issue was the disproportionate size difference between himself and his wife. If he wasn't careful, too sudden of a movement on his part could send her launching straight into the air.
Gareth stepped toward the window to peek outside. He and his wife lived on the second story, just above his already tall shop, meaning he was able to see a good bit farther than most. His view revealed nothing particularly notable aside from some sort of movement over at the Legion's camp just outside the walls.
Nodding, he began to get dressed. With his high-level stats, the blacksmith only really needed to sleep once a week. It wasn't uncommon for him to just lay in bed until his wife went to sleep, then get up and do something else. Considering how heavy of a sleeper she was, the arrangement worked out quite well. He'd been hoping that this wouldn't be one of those nights, though.
With a heavy sigh, Gareth made his way downstairs. Hopefully no one would complain if he went down and got his forge started for a few hours. There were plenty of quieter bits of work he could take care of. He would just take it easy on the hammering. Though honestly, his wife's snoring might be enough to drown even that out. Maybe he really should look into that soundproofing idea for his neighbors' sakes.