After paying half the amount for the stay, Vivi and I split up. She wanted to check the room out and I-
I needed a change of appearance. Not only was I sticky and covered with gore from the time at the forest but also getting recognised right now would ruin my chances of meeting my family and increase my chances of getting killed by the clergy.
So I went into one of the inn's bathrooms expecting it to be some decrepit old stained chamber but to my surprise, it was surprisingly clean. This pale white room was good enough for me to take a bath in.
'They must've worked the employees to the bone here to keep this animal enclosure of an inn clean...'
Oh well, time to wash myself.
I headed over to the bath area next to the toilet and there was a pail of water next to the tap. After filling it up with warm water, I let out a deep breath.
My huge hand lifted the pail like it was a mug and I started pouring water on myself. The blood plastered on my skin slowly started to fade and flow down the drain.
It was a lot easier than I expected. I expected it to stain for a lot longer, given how long I've had the blood on me.
'Was it because my skin was a lot smoother than it was before?' The calluses on my arm from swinging the hoe around all day had disappeared too.
The hair on my chest and hands started to fall as I rubbed it and as it got drenched, my red skin started to get paler and paler. The tan that I had built up from labouring in the sun had all but disappeared until my body was almost purely white.
I could see individual lines contouring my muscles. My abs were more defined than they had ever been and my waist was significantly smaller than my shoulders.
Eventually, I was all done cleaning myself up and went over to the sink.
Putting my hands on the stone, I stared at my reflection in the mirror and got reminded of how I got slugged after Vivi mistook me for a pervert. Even though all my wounds had healed there was still a tiny bruise on my forehead.
'The beard could use some trimming.' Not because I was scared that we might see a repeat of the past Vivi violence had it continued to grow, but because shaving the beard was the easiest way to change my appearance.
"Hardening." The tip of my nail turned to harder enamel and I started trimming off any facial hair. Needless to say, there was blood since using your nail wasn't the safest method to shave, but my other skills regenerated any small injured parts immediately.
Through my bangs, I could see my new face, but my hair was still unruly. I wiped my body off with the towel that was hanging there and put on my trouser before opening the door and peeking out of the door.
"Excuse me-" I called the attendant who was a couple of meters away.
"Yes." She hurried over. "How can I help you?"
"I need a hair tie." The young lady looked at me for a minute. Her hair was tied up in a homely fashion and her eyes were violet. "Ah, sure."
She pulled a hair tie out of her pocket and handed it to me.
'Is this even clean?' That was what I thought to myself before examining it to find a totally spotless hair tie. 'Guess, she's the type to carry around spare hairties.
"Uhh, nice look that you have going on there." She complimented but looked unsure. I chuckled dryly in response.
"Thanks." I raised the hair tie and shook it in the air a little before heading inside.
I was facing the mirror again. It was a struggle putting the hair tie on as it was my first time.
Honestly, I didn't mind my bangs, and I wouldn't have done anything about them had it not been for a disguise.
Anyways, after minutes of struggle, the hair was finally off my face.
A face that needed no further disguising. At the very least I didn't look like I did a week ago. Not at all.
"!!" I exclaimed as I looked at my own reflection again.
Messy hair tied up in a bun, eyelashes longer than I remembered them to be, furrowed eyebrows, defined nose, and lips as pink as the glowing roses branded on my arms. Despite all that I looked as masculine as I could be.
My jawline was sharper and resulted in a pointer chin than before. My eyes were a jewel-like blue. The collar bones that were hidden under pure muscle were now visible and looked delicate.
In fact, my entire body looked more delicate than before. The layers upon layers of protein were chiselled down to functional muscles. Every formed muscle looked sharp.
It wasn't like I was any smaller, if anything I felt like I was taller, if anything my shoulders felt broader.
I put some of the black glossy hair on the side of my head and tucked it so that it didn't impede my vision anymore.
Who stood before me was an ideal specimen for a human- my refection.
'What did the deity even turn me into?'
I washed the hair down the drain and carried the towel before heading outside.
No one could recognise me like this unless they knew me for as long as they could remember.
'Do I just give this to the attendant?' It was my third time at an inn.
And the inns I stayed at before barely cost 1000 a night. The last time I stayed at the inn was when didn't have a home. Anyhow, those inns didn't have a washroom as this one did, so I wasn't quite versed in etiquette.
"Uhm." I tapped the attendant's shoulder as I approached her from behind.
"Eek! Sorry!" She turned around suddenly after jumping. Her head looked up at quite an angle to see my face. "Ohhh… if it's not mister Iota. You look civilised now." She joked with her sparkling eyes.
Yet again, I could give her nothing but a fake smirk. It was hard to be happy.
"Did you run into any problem?" She asked while looking around.
"The towel. What do I do with it?"
"Ah, that? You could just left it in there. Here, I will take care of it." She took my towel. The smile didn't leave the girl's face. "Feel free to head back."
Her innocence was rather blinding. She couldn't have been over 16 from the looks of it. Anyways, all to her joy I guess.
I nodded and left for my room.
The inn was rather cramped. Or at least the hallways were. Everything was like a maze.
'Wait, I forgot to ask where the rooms were. Should I go back? Nah, I can just use my skill.'
"Natural Predator."
My senses shot up and the sounds around the inn became clear as day.
!!! FUCKING HELL!
What the hell was I expecting?!
All I could hear was the sound of shagging!
It reminded me of that day one week ago. My head started to hurt and I wanted to throw up. The moans, grunts and claps. Abhorrent.
'I should have known better.'
My senses traversed around this horrid house of debauchery until it picked up on Vivi, and as soon as it did I turned 'natural predator' off.
"Huff." I squatted down and panted for breath. I wasn't ready for that.
My heart wasn't ready to relive a memory like that. It still haunted me more than the memory of falling down the hill and the memory of the moose hunt.
Turning my head up, I sighed at the ceiling.
'The world sure is an ugly place.'
After a minute or two I got up and headed upstairs. I made my way across the doors that were housing people of degraded morals and went right inside my room.
"Oh, you're back." Vivi hopped off the bed and looked across the beam. "Oh."