Tay awoke to a soft bed, a pillow, and the smell of cooking meat. This got his attention. Groaning at the sharp pains that radiated all over his body---and then the pain of the bandages press on them, he sat upright. He was shirtless, his arm was in a sling, and, he noticed, he had a fresh pair of woolen slacks. Something for a discussion at a later time.

He meekly examined his room, far too tired to put effort into such mundane tasks. It was a plainly furnished appointment with a bed, a dresser, a desk, and a pelt rug---which was quite comfortable beneath Tay's aching feet. The door to the room which was facing the foot of his bed was sturdy, a good sign that this might have been a publicly owned establishment.

To his left, Tay found a crutch, which he was grateful for. On the table next to the head of the bed was a clear bottle with a bluish liquid: a healing potion. Tay greedily drank its contents and found the profound warmth that followed comforting. Crutch in hand, he carefully stood, all weight shifting to his good leg.

Half-Waddling to the door, he grabbed a thick and comfortable coat on a hanger beside it.

He would have to thank whoever had provided so much after his battle yesterday.

His battle! He barely remembered anything after he had tried to fight the two Fey. He had gained his spells...chopped a few Fey, and then...the summoning! He remembered that he had gained a familiar, and a combat one at that. But what had happened to it? Just like the rest of the battle, he couldn't remember.

Turning inward, he found his mana reserve like a pool at the center of his being. Delving into it, he found his first spell, "stoke." It was fully charged after his battle, presumably having had absorbed mana for several hours. Going deeper, he found his second spell. To his relief, the spell was not as it had been when he first obtained it. He knew that he would not have to resummon it, but rather would simply need to awaken it. Using his will, he activated the spell, the magic inside it being shaped and altered to his new spirit's needs.

In front of him, seemingly from nothing, his familiar grew and grew until it was the size of a large melon. It floated in the air at eye level, entirely featureless save for the cacophony of circling flames. He examined it, moving around it painfully. It was slightly disconcerting that he couldn't tell where it was looking, or if it could even "look" at all.

As satisfied as he could be, he backed away and opened the door. Taking a step out of his room, he found himself in a rather cozy hallway. A half dozen doors lined the same wall as his, and another dozen hovering lamps floated beside them. At each end, the hallway turned out of sight. Looking back, his familiar hadn't moved. "Come on little guy." He said encouragingly. It wasn't like he knew how to talk to a magical, faceless entity.

Hesitantly, or as hesitant as it could look, it began to follow him. The inn Tay had woken up in happened to be a rather large one with at least 50 rooms. After walking down the long corridor of closed and opened doors, he found himself at a large balcony overlooking what he assumed to be the main hall. Dining tables were set around it---at least 40 of them. Massive wooden detailed pillars ascended above the second floor from the first, connecting with an open ceiling. Looking forward, Tay could see another balcony on the other side of the large room, probably for the other hallway. Another dozen tables that Tay could see were set into the walls. Privet booths for a more calm dining experience, or a more privet one.

Descending a sturdy set of stairs very slowly, he couldn't help but smell the food. In the relative center of the room was a large area that was walled off. People came in and out holding trays of steaming food and foaming drinks. They all wore the same green and black attire, which, if it wasn't clear to Tay already, meant they were employees. And they all had the association's badge, which Tay found comforting. A woman a few years older than him approached Tay, she had the same green and black uniform as the others, but with red markings.

"Mr. Mallor! You're awake. We weren't sure when you'd come too, but I'm very glad you did." She said, then gave a curtsy. "And congratulations on evolving. The association looks forward to your bright future." Tay smiled bashfully at the woman. Whether it was her attractive full black hair and her caring features, or her fulfilling compliments, Tay couldn't help but blush. "And congratulations on obtaining a familiar!"

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He managed to form a feeble "Thank you." Before descending the last few steps. When he did, the full volume of the room hit him. Where there were not booths, the walls were lined with paintings of famous adventurers from Finick's Bay, lit by conventional torches, as was traditionally. He hoped to be on that wall one day. The chatter from the full room was cacophonous. People laughed and yelled, bear and mead spilled, and the new employees of course cleaned it. Meat and bread was stuffed into already full mouths, and calls for more rang out. The woman ushered him to one of the privet booths.

She gave Tay a sturdy paper covered in a glossy material. "When you are ready, please order. It's on the house today." She said, giving him another round of compliments before gracefully leaving. He glanced through the options, deciding on the one that gave him the most meat. Putting in his order with a magical communication device called a hummer, he sat back and relaxed into the soft cushions.

"This is the life, aye buddy?" He asked his fire spirit. It obviously didn't respond, but Tay was fine with that. If what he knew was true about familiars, they rapidly advanced, and would only take one or two evolutions to be conversable. He began to think of a name for it, it would be odd to keep calling it "his familiar" after all. What would be a good name for a fire spirit? Ignition? No, that was too on-the-nose. Maybe he should just call him Fireball...he then realized that naming something after just waking up from a battle might be a little harder than he anticipated.

He looked at the fire ball for a second, letting his mind fall into the magic used to create its body. He felt its spells, power, and even its emotions. What surprised Tay was its will. It was almost terrifyingly strong, and it gave a warning to him. He decided to settle for "Orby" for the time being. He could always have it tell him its name later.

His food soon arrived via a pretty red-haired girl with freckles. She sat it down with a "Here you go." Before expertly weaving her way through the crowded floor. Eating a giant slab of juicy meat with one hand with any level of dignity was closer to impossible than Tay wanted to admit. Impaling the slab of meat with a fork, he took a mind-melting bite. It practically fell apart in his mouth, the seasonings making him see stars. The food was gone faster than the girl could come back to ask him of what he thought. He of course said it was fantastic and complimented whoever the chef was, perfously.

After sitting at the table for many minutes, he got up and found his way to the front desk. The same woman who had greater him earlier was waiting for him, wearing a knowing smile. "Here to collect your evolution bonus I assume?" She asked. Tay nodded his head. He worried that he might not get it, what with having been given a room, a healing potion, and food for free.

"It's all right here, Mr. Mallor." She said as she handed him a small silver plate with a bag and paper. "We request that you stay here for at least another fool day before leaving. We can't have you going back into the world with fresh wounds, now can we?" She smirked.

"How long was I asleep for?" He asked hesitantly. The woman's playful smile faded, replaced by one of apology. "Two days, I'm afraid. Your wounds were severe, and your exhaustion was evident." Tay let out a sigh. "Could be worse I guess."

"That's the spirit." She said happily. She then ushered Tay back up to his room.

Deep in his cawl, in an unlit private booth, Kimber Franks sat alone, watching the newcomer leave the main hall. He had first noticed the boy when he was talking to the head nurse, Abby Winer. The boy himself was of no interest to Kimber at first, but his familiar was different.

Kimber was known---amongst those who knew him, for being a spotter. One of his most useful abilities allowed him to see the possible threat that an individual, monster or not, could pose in the future. It was less and less accurate as the raw potential of an individual went up. There had been only one other time where his ability showed him absolutely nothing of someone's future. That thing had gone on to become one of the 4 High Lords of Phorina.

Morthrid of the storm.

To be named after something that exemplifies and is associated with one's own race is one of the greatest honors one can achieve, and a name such as that made Kimber shiver. And now, floating what was for him a mere breath's distance away, was the second being to ever veil themselves from him. No, it was now the third. That creature, that familiar was the summons of that boy. And just like his spirit, he was an enigma.

Kimber waited patiently for the two to be whisked away by the loving nurse. Once they had gone out of his sight, he vanished into the shadows of his booth.