Chapter 7

Jay woke up feeling better than he had in years, he had slept a dreamless sleep. His back didn't hurt! Jay stretched, his legs dangling off the bed slightly. Outside his room he could hear Henri moving about and talking with others.

Jay sat up, waking up more fully. Looking about his room as he stood up he found a neatly folded pile of clothing set out next to the door inside his guest room. Walking over to the pile he picked them up and started going through them.

There was an old well worn tunic as well as pants and a sturdy belt along with a pair of boots. Jay got out of his tattered clothing save for the underwear. Until he found a better pair they were all he had. Getting dressed Jay set out the tattered clothing in a tidy folded pile on the floor. He went over to the bed and shook out the sheets, then made the bed.

Finally he grabbed his Book and his walking stick.

“Good morning everyone!” Jay said with a grin as he walked out of his room in to the living area.

Everyone stopped talking. There were five people in the room. Henri, a short woman with short hair that looked as strong as Henri, a young girl, maybe in her teenage years, and a man about Henri's age with a weathered face that didn't look like it had ever seen a smile.

He heard the front door close right as he finished saying good morning. No one spoke but just stared at Jay. He still had the crazy prophet hair, his hair long and unkempt from sleeping. His beard wasn't all that neat either to be honest. Holding the Book and the walking stick didn't help, giving him the appearance of an Old Testament prophet.

Henri's wife laughed while everyone else look scandalized at her outburst. “Oh you!” she said while laughing at Jay.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Its just my husband convinced me that we would help hide you, but looking like that no one in their right mind would believe you weren't a prophet,” she continued. “Ooo, I'm Mari! So sorry about that, lost my head for a moment.”

Mari waved at Jay happily to which he returned a happy wave. Seeing as how no one else looked like they were about to move Jay sat down at the table with everyone else.

Henri didn't wait for Jay to finish sitting down before he began, “You stand out like a sheep in a wolf pen.”

Jay paused, “I'm not sure that is how that saying goes.”

Henri raised an eyebrow while staring at Jay.

“Ok. Point made.” Jay replied.

“I can't take you anywhere looking like that. So while you were resting I've spoken with a priest who came by looking for you. We've agreed to help you blend in. Otherwise you'll be mobbed the moment you leave our home. Also the priest has convinced me to call you Jay until you are called to speak as a prophet. I don't like it, but I have agreed.”

Jay grinned. “Finally! Go ahead, call me Jay!”

The man next to Henri grunted.

Henri did not call him Jay even at Jay's urging. “This is Dag. He has some connections with the Adventurer's Guild. He's agreed to take you over and see about getting you some work. He'll also take you to find a place to stay. We'd be happy to have you stay here but I showed up with you yesterday, and sooner or later someone is going to remember that and come looking for you.”

Jay nodded. He had zero answers for other people. If anything HE needed answers. The last thing he wanted was other people coming to look to speak with him as a prophet.

“Also. You look very.. unique. We need to change the way you look so you aren't so easily identifiable. How attached are you to your current hair? The way it looks I mean.”

Jay would love to get rid of the hair he thought, “Yes. I want that. I mean, a haircut. Make me look good.”

Mari laughed out loud as her daughter snorted.

Henri looked over at his daughter disapprovingly, “Erinn!”

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Erinn had the good graces to look slightly embarrassed.

“Great!” said Mari as she hustled Jay outside and threw a tablecloth over his shoulders.

Henri carried out a chair which Jay sat in. Henri then went back inside to talk with Dag.

Mari began happily snipping away at Jay's mane. She talked as she went, asking Jay things about his family, his friends, what it was like growing up for him, his past job, quite a lot actually. By the time an hour had passed Jay had been given a haircut, a shave, and even a little bit of therapy as Mari turned out to be very insightful when it came to matters of the heart.

Mari dusted Jay off as he stood up. “There you are,” she said as she stood back to take a look.

“Oh my,” she said, putting a hand to her chest as she took in Jay's handsome face which was no longer hidden behind a snarled beard. The shortly cropped hair helped frame his face better, giving him a much more attractive overall appearance. Anything was an upgrade really from the Wilderness Prophet look.

As she spoke Henri walked out the front door and waved the two of them inside. “Looks much better.” he said shortly.

Everyone took a seat at the table. “Next thing. Your title. Have you considered turning it off?”

Jay nodded. “No.”

Erinn let out a laugh, almost a bark.

Jay continued, “I mean, I didn't know I could? I do want to. Turn it off I mean.”

Henri stared at Jay as Jay continued to stumble over his words a bit. After Jay ran out of steam and trailed off Henri showed Jay how to change some of his settings.

Jay figured out with Henri's help how to turn off his title and then set everything else on his sheet to private. “So now no one can see my character sheet?”

Dag sighed. Henri shook his head, “No. I mean yes. Look, most people can't see your information now. All they will see is your name and level. Not even your class. HOWEVER, some more powerful folk have more powerful abilities and they may be able to see parts of your personal information. What you did will help a lot, but it isn't a sure thing. Its not perfect.”

Jay nodded. “Ok. Well its still a massive improvement over what I must have looked like before.”

Erinn giggled at that.

“Oh stop that. Go do chores.” Henri said. Erinn didn't move but grinned. Henri sighed. “No one listens to me.”

Mari hit Henri playfully on the shoulder as if to say of course we listen to you.

Jay thanked Henri for the clothes and Mari nodded, “No problem, we're happy to help you,” smiling the whole time.

The family talked as Jay finished up playing with his settings. He noticed he still had some notifications pending but the family dinner table was probably not the right place to start looking at them.

“Breakfast time!” Mari said as Jay heard a timer go off in the Kitchen. She got up and returned shortly with a tray of English muffins, berry jelly, cheeses, and what looked like grapes. They all took a plate and filled it as they ate quietly. Jay thought it was delicious.

After they ate they all sat around the table with satisfaction on all their faces. Except for Dag. He seemed like he was always frowning. Some people were just like that, Jay thought to himself.

Dag stood up. “Time to go.” he said shortly, giving Mari a hug and shaking Henri's hand. Picking up a bag he rummaged around in it before throwing an old empty backpack at Jay. “Here, put your book in this and toss it on your back. You can't be carrying that thing around, its too recognizable.”

Jay did as he was told, shifting the pack slightly to make it more comfortable. It wasn't a very comfortable backpack to begin with so comfort in this case was relative.

Dag eyed him critically as he watched Jay put on the pack. “No. Not like that.” Dag removed Jay's backpack and worked the straps a bit, changing how Jay had initially tied them off. He handed the pack back to Jay who immediately put it on.

“This is so much better!” Jay said excitedly.

“Ya. It does that when you wear it correctly.” Dag responded.

Jay pursed his lips slightly, detecting more than a hint of disapproval from Dag.

Dag looked him straight in the eyes. “Look. I'm not a religious man, but I know my way around a dungeon. Just do as I tell you and you'll be fine.”

Jay nodded. “Wait. Dungeon?”

Dag left, walking out the front door. Jay could either follow him or be left behind. Thanking the family that had helped him Jay ran out the door following behind Dag.

“Think he's really the First Traveler?” Mari asked watching Jay run down the front path to catch up to Dag.

“Travelers never lived very long. For his sake, I hope he is.” Henri replied, shaking his head as he did so.