Jake allowed Ophelia to have the bed after her full feast while he spread a blanket across the floor and slept. He unsummoned Crypt before he went to sleep, but it felt as if the moment he closed his eyes, it was the next day.
The sounds of footsteps in the other rooms forced their way into his ears, stomping and pushing. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the window and onto his face on the ground.
His eyes twitched a few times before he could no longer keep himself asleep.
"Arghhh." He let out a groan, finally opening his eyes. His head felt as if it had been slammed multiple times. He pushed himself up into a sitting position.
"It's already the next day? That was the worst night so far," he muttered. He glanced at the bed and saw Ophelia sprawled out on it.
"Seems like she had a better night than me," he said. He got up and stretched, the wooden floor beneath him creaking slightly. He walked to the bathroom first to wash up quickly.
A few minutes later, he was done. He summoned Crypt. "Keep watch on her, I'll rush out and get some clothes," he said and left the room. He headed down the stairs and out of the inn.
The warmth of the new morning clung to his skin, making him feel alive. The rays of sunlight poured graciously on him. He felt it was going to be a good day for him—if only he knew.
He walked down the street, headed for the main market. He was shocked to see the number of people that were up at this time, already going about their business and other things.
After walking through the market for a while, he finally made it to a clothes shop. There was a wooden sign in front of the door with a dress on it, though part of the dress was gone because a section of the sign was missing.
He walked in. The door rang a small metal bell behind it as he entered, signaling the lady at the counter that someone had come in. He took a moment to pause and take a look around the store.
Despite the less-than-good look of the store from the outside, the inside was something to behold. Well-crafted wooden mannequins stood lined up in perfection, each one sporting a beautiful dress.
The interior smelled like polished wood and threads. The shop kept a minimalistic look, yet it was beautiful.
There was a counter close to the opposite wall, and a lady in leather pants and a shirt walked up. She had ginger-red hair and blonde eyes—a mixture Jake didn't understand. She smiled at him as she approached.
"Good day, sir. What can I do for you?" she asked.
"Umm, I want to buy some clothes," he said. She looked at him in a weird way, as if what he had said didn't make any sense. Jake looked at her in confusion, but then he realized where he had gone wrong.
This was a female clothes shop, so him coming in and saying he wanted clothes meant he wanted to cross-dress.
"Wait, wait—sorry, I didn't mean for myself. It's for a little girl I'm taking care of. She is about this tall," he said and showed the height with his hands.
"Oh." The lady's eyes lit up. She had already thought the worst, but it seemed she was wrong.
"Alright, I think I can find some dresses that will fit a little girl like that," she said and walked toward the smaller mannequins and bags at the back and started looking.
Jake walked closer to the lady. "Hey, can I ask you something?" he asked.
Her eyes remained focused, looking for dresses. She simply gave a slight nod in response.
"What do you know about the Hundred Trials?" he asked casually. He wanted to see if the reaction here would be the same as that from the small town.
"The Hundred Trials?" she paused. Her eyes slowly drifted to him, and then down to his hands—and she saw the mark there. She immediately got up and backed away as far as she could, her back slamming against the wall.
Her breathing quickened. Her eyes refused to leave the mark on his hand. She started sweating bullets; the terror in her eyes was very evident.
"Please, I'm not here to hurt you. Please, I promise," he said.
"It doesn't matter," she managed to say. "You bear the mark. There is no way for you to bring peace. Your very presence is war and chaos walking.
This town already had three Chosen, and there has been tension for months now. We desperately do not need a fourth," she said, pushing all the confidence she had in order to talk.
Jake furrowed his brow. "Please, is there anywhere I can gather better information on the mark and the Trials?" he asked. She was a bit reluctant to answer anything more that he said, but she wanted to get him away as fast as possible.
"The Adventurer Guild. They possess a library that has information. You can get whatever you want from there," she said hurriedly.
"Thank you," he said and gave a bow. "Can I please still have the clothes?" he asked, taking out a gold coin and showing it to her.
Seeing the coin, she couldn't refuse. She hastily took it and gathered the rest of the clothes in a bag and handed it to him. He took the bag and left the store.
The town had become more rowdy in just the few minutes that he was inside. More people had finally woken up. He stuck his hand into his pocket to avoid anyone seeing his mark, bowed his head, and started walking.
After a few minutes of walking, he walked by two figures. He didn't see their faces or look up at all, but the moment he walked past them, he felt a fiery feeling from the mark on his hand.
"Don't look back. Keep walking," Drake suddenly said.
"Why not?" Jake asked.
"Those two that walked past you are incredibly strong. Without Crypt here, you would need to summon me to survive, and that isn't a good idea," Drake said.
Following Drake's instruction, he walked away faster.