Hand of The Eldritch God

As dawn arose over the land, the birds began to sing. Fresh air wafted into the room Ren shared with the old cleric. Quietly lifting himself out of his cot, he looked over at Hollwin. He was still sleeping, something Ren expected at the man’s age. Unknowing of the why or how.

Slowly going downstairs, Ren looked at the remnant of what was left by the folks who packed in throughout the night needing the cleric's healing. The work was done, and the place cleaned up afterward, the slight hint of disorder was still left. A piece of bread slightly fallen into the crack between boards, or the disoriented hanging decoration where someone had bumped into it.

Though the healings and needs of the people were vast and varied, it had taken Hollwin no time to pass through them all. Brief, yet extraordinarily effective, Ren had new respect for the old man.

Undoubtedly the cost of rooms and food was nothing compared to all the sweet treats, hearty meals, and drinks bought by the people who had come. The small scent of warming food caught his nose.

Coming to the innkeeper’s wife he looked at what she was at. In a small oven, the sweet and delicious scent of a treat was baking.

She turned and looked at him. “Well, aren’t you up early and ready to eat hun.”

Ren sat patiently as the meal slowly finished, warmed by the fire he nearly fell back asleep while in his seat.

“So, what is it?” He asked after the patient minutes of waiting.

“A thick bread full of fruit and gazed with sugar. My own recipe.”

“Smells amazing, how long?”

“Well, let’s see now.” She pulled the baking fruity bread from the oven, and with a small sliver of wood she poked at its core, pulling it free, it was clean. “Just about now actually.” She smiled and set down the pan it was baked in. Slicing a large chunk off she handed it to him.

“Thank you, really, it smells amazing.”

“Sure thing, tell the others they’re welcome to a bite now too, alright?”

“Will do.” With the hot bread on a small platter, he sat in solemn silence at a table. Soon Tayin entered and got herself a piece too, silently eating it in front of the counter where the kitchen met the common room. The heat had diminished enough for Ren to start eating it, apparently that had not bothered Tayin.

Hollwin entered last, sleep hardly leaving his eyes by the time he made it down to the common room.

“Goodmorning, I see you are both already eating, good. Now we will be able to move out quite quickly. Taking a small piece of the bread himself, steam reeling off it, he did not seem to even be bothered by the heat scorching him.

The two began to follow him, Ren quickly sliding his platter onto the counter where the woman had placed their bread. Eating while walking, Hollwin pointed towards the distance where a cobbled road continued out of the town.

Swallowing a bite of the delicious bread first, Hollwin spoke. “Now Ren, try using that heat of yours to boil my tea while we walk.” A small smile came onto his face as he pulled out a kettle from a pack on his back, dashing in herbs to the empty pot, then draining half a waterskin into it.

“I’ll do my best.” Ren took the kettle and imagined ways to heat the water. Placing an orb within the pot would be a terrible idea as he did not yet understand how mana burned while around water. Was it possible to make fire underwater using magic? It seemed too advanced to try and make work in any short amount of time.

Instead, he placed a flash sheet of mana on the bottom of the kettle. Two concepts floated within the will of the mana. The first was to float above his hand, a boiling kettle was not a great object to be holding. The second, though primary function within the mana was to heat up, to burn but slowly.

Attempting to begin the process, the floating aspect gave him pause, does one need to intend to hover, his orbs did so without him willing them too intentionally. Did the passive desire for such a thing to happen make it so? What he desired was not simply to have the fire float though, but to create a pushing force on the kettle.

Deciding to just give in to whatever would happen he experimented with it. Allowing the mana to activate there was a flaring of heat as the kettle was shot away into the ground in front of them.

“That was a good miniature explosion. Next time just try warming the water.” Hollwin glanced at him as he picked up the pot, seeming unphased by the hot metal.

“I wanted to make it float, force to push it upwards while we walked, and to be pushed forwards and follow us.”

“A good idea, I like it. Do not try it again, levitation is beyond you. Here.” Hollwin handed him a thick cloth to hold the handle of the kettle with.

Resuming his attempt to heat the water again he made a sheet of mana over the bottom of the pot. Intending it to be a slow-burning heat rather than a wildfire dancing around the bottom. Nor did he desire to have it violently explode again.

Activating the sheet of mana the barrier burned slowly as he held the kettle a little bit away from himself. Yes, I did it.

“Well done,” Hollwin said.

“Yes, you did well, you learned to boil water.” Tayin grinned.

As their journey continued Hollwin shared a small portion of the tea with everyone, though the great majority of it he drank himself.