Jake stayed up all night, refusing to sleep no matter how much Crypt begged him. He knew that the assassin believed he had killed him, but he was too paranoid right now to sleep.

He sat on the couch, eyes wide open, thinking about who could want him dead until the sun rose. The rays of light made it through the window and onto his face; it was then he realized he had actually stayed up for the whole night.

His face was droopy, bags under his eyes, and his hair scattered. He rubbed both his eyes and pushed himself off the chair, but his legs had already fallen asleep and he went plummeting like a stone in water, face down into the floor.

Bam

He slammed into the ground. "Arghhhhh," he groaned in pain. "Curse you, Crypt, why didn't you catch me?" Jake said, his voice muffled by the floor.

"Sorry, master," Crypt said, and Jake could swear that he heard laughter. Crypt helped him back up. He slowly got feeling back into his leg and walked to the stairs and into the bathroom.

He washed his face and got into his room. He sniffed his clothes; they were getting a little bit funky.

"I'll have to get some new clothes today," he muttered. He glanced at the bed, and for a few seconds he almost couldn't look away—the bed was calling on him.

"No, no, no," he said to himself, slapping his cheek. He walked out of the room and made it to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Yawwwwwn.

"Arghh, yesterday was terrible, to think I almost died," Jake muttered as he cut the meat into the bowl. He poured in some salt and pepper, the few spices that were available, and then some oil. He covered the bowl and allowed the meat to marinate.

He walked out of the kitchen. Crypt was seated there already. He walked to the other chair and sat down, crossed his leg.

Yawnnnnnnn

He yawned and stretched his arms wide.

"You should have slept, Master," Crypt said.

"Screw sleep, I almost died," Jake said.

"You almost die every time, Master. Monsters, tainted, trials, and more," Crypt said.

"Those are different. I literally almost died, and this time it wasn't a battle with some monster or beast—it was a conscious decision from someone that knows me.

This basically puts everyone inside a list as possible suspects. I'll have to find that person," Jake said. He leaned back into the chair and let out a sigh.

"We also need some stuff for your house. Eating steak in the morning is not how it should be. I'm sure Ophelia doesn't mind since she likes meat, but I want some sense of normalcy." Jake began rambling on to himself.

"So Master, what are you planning on doing today?" Crypt asked.

"The Olen Library. It's time we get really accustomed to what this kingdom and world as a whole has," Jake said. He got up from the chair and walked back into the kitchen to finish cooking.

Ophelia woke a few hours later and they had breakfast before cleaning up and leaving the house. Jake refused to unsummon Crypt as he was scared that whoever attacked him would try again.

"Why don't you just cover yourself and stay hidden, Master?" Crypt asked as they stepped out.

"No, I'm not doing that. I need whoever did it to know that I'm still alive," Jake said.

"What happened, Jake?" Ophelia asked. Jake realized they were speaking loudly and immediately made an excuse.

"It's nothing, Ophelia. Don't worry about it," he said.

He hailed a carriage. "Take us to the City Library," Jake said. They got on and the man immediately started their journey.

They passed by the bar as well as the ruins, heading deeper into the city. Jake watched through the sides of the window. This place wasn't like where he had come from. The houses were different—bigger.

The people dressed better, higher quality clothes. The streets were much cleaner.

"What part of the city is this?" Jake asked the coachman.

"This place is the Valemont Hold. It's the area surrounding the Valemont Estate," the man said. He knew from Jake's eyes that he was new here.

"Valemont?" Jake asked.

"That's the family name of the count that has ruled over Olen for many generations," the man said.

"Oh, okay. So what about the library? Where is it located, in the estate?" Jake asked.

"No. If it was within the estate, no one would be able to get in. Entrance into the estate is based on invitation. Even the wealthy merchants and many well-to-do people in Olen are forced to reside in places like the Valemont Hold or the Copper Hill to the north of the city.

There are other prestigious places, but these two take the cake in Olen," the man said. "The library is here, in Valemont Hold. We will soon be there," the man said.

"Thank you," Jake replied. He pulled out his goober and slipped his hand into it to cover his mark.

The carriage pulled up near the library—a massive four-story building, so long and large that it could accommodate thousands.

And beside the library was another beautiful building, a manor made of beautiful marble. Jake remembered John saying something about the count's house being beside the library, and that put a question in his mind.

As he passed the silver coin to the coachman, he asked, "If the Valemont Estate is the most important place in the city, why is the count's manor here in the Valemont Hold rather than inside the estate?" Jake asked.

The coachman looked at the manor there and looked back at Jake. "That's indeed the count's manor. Well, to us commoners, the count will only ever handle issues of the common man in that house.

So it's the count's house—to us, that is—but in reality, the count spends the majority of his time in the estate where his real house is, and only ever accepts seriously high-up-the-ladder kind of people into the main and real house," the coachman explained and took his pay.

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