He opened and closed hi hand a couple of times, stretching his arm and admiring the feeling of moving it again.
"Magic is so freaking awesome."
„Yup, pretty cool, right. But that is almost the extend of what I can do. Mending broken bones is already taxing for me, if there would have been an infection I couldn't have helped you."
"That is already plenty." he said, not able to wrap his head around this phenomena.
"Where can I learn this? If you say this is all you can do, then what about those proficient in it."
"Takes a lot of luck, a trigger of some sort and a person or institution that is willing to teach you. But I advise you keep calm for now. At your age there is barely any chance to awake your slumbering magic energy, Mana if you call it so."
Mikael wanted to know more about Magic, as it was so mysterious and all mighty, but he got cut short by Jenny:" Sorry, it is late, and I'm not really the right person to give out information or advice. I only got taught a bit, after that my mentor left and I can't make any progress. My fee is 2 Silver, because of the burning and so."
Mikael swallowed his questions, as she looked tired and somewhat sad, handing her the money and saying goodbye.
'Wonder if I can ever do Magic. So, where is that Inn Robert told me of..."
He wandered around the place, quickly finding a simple building with the Guild Emblem on the sign . When entering it, he was surprised how clean the interior was, no obvious dirt or dust, clean plates lined up on shelves behind the counter.
Many tables of made of dark wood lined up the side, each for 4 to 6 persons. The bench lined along the right side, only two other people sitting at the back together silently bend over a parchment, whispering and pointing at it.
"Hi, guess you need a room?"
He was directly asked by a young boy barely any older than him, maybe 12 or 13. Short blond hair and a pointy chin together with his blue eyes he was sure to grow up to be a good looking guy.
"Yes, how much do you charge per week?"
"The Guild offers this building for beginners and those with tight pouches, so only a big copper."
"But don't expect any special comfort. This Inn is only so you don't sleep outside, beside a bed, a candle and a warm meal at night you are on your own, everything else we charge extra."
A slightly chubby woman came out a door, cleaning her hands with a rag she then threw over her shoulder. Her blond hair was kept in a ponytail and she replaced the boy at the counter.
"Welcome, a bit too late for the meal, but you can get some leftovers. Want some?"
Before she waited for a response, the boy already received the command in form of a stern gaze to retrieve a plate.
"May be cooled down a bit, but tastes great."
Mikael nodded, rummaging a big copper out from his pocket, paying for the whole week.
"Where can I sleep? I'm tired and would like to sleep soon."
She looked at Mikael, his small hand handing over the coin.
"Such a young one already on his own. A tragedy, you should be with your parent, not here in this last resort."
Despite that she handed him a key that was for simple locks, and on it hang a plate with a number written on it.
"What room number is it? He asked embarrassed.
"Earth, not even able to teach you simple numbers? How do you want to survive. Every sinister person out there will have it easy to scam you. I really should..." She spoke herself in a flow, spouting lines here and there how it couldn't be true he did not even knew how to read numbers or make simple math.
He got more embarrassed by the second, only relieved when a man came in from the front door, accessing the situation and seeing Mikael holding the key while the woman spoke about the negligence of the people.
"Honey, should you really talk like that without knowing the backstory? It's your bad habit acting up again.?
That man walked up to the counter, next to Mikael and kissing the woman on her cheek, making her stop talking.
He wore a simple helmet strapped to his chin, and a doublet that made a clanking sound when he made the movement.
A mustache over his upper lip brown and his tired looking eyes radiating peace and love.
"Oh, sorry dear guest, but when seeing how young you are I couldn't think straight." She awoke like from a dream, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Welcome home father." The boy came from the kitchen, holding on a meal tray a big plate with a rich looking brown soup, together with a sizable piece of bread.
He put it on the table, on which Mikael took his seat, still not knowing where his room was.
The father caressed his child for a moment, before coming over to Mikaels table, sitting across him.
"Let me see your key, please."
He did as asked, the man reminding him of someone, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Room 15, just up the stairs, the second last door on the right." He returned the key, looking at Mikael like a person at a lost kitten.
"Where did Robert and Diana found you, if I may ask you brashly."
Mikael, who had quite the hunger and began slurping his stew, nearly got it in the wrong tube, suppressing the coughing reflex.
"How..."
"Work at the entrance as a guard, saw you coming in with them, all with torn up clothes and bandaged arm. Let you through only because of them. Are you okay?"
Getting asked so openly, by this person that sounded so sincere, he just told him he lost his parents, got washed ashore by the stream and then the story from the point where Robert and Diana found him.
He did not think why he told him, but it felt right.
"And now to earn my living hood I work for now under Boss Roàn by the forge, until his assistant gets better."
Mikael finished his stew long ago, and the man who introduced himself as Beron took the last sip from his beer he got from his wife.
"Rough story. But sadly not so uncommon that a child loses his parents suddenly, but even all his relatives and friends? No easy way you have to walk there. All I can hope you won't be stupid and get on the dark side of things, earning your pay the earnest way."
He got up, giving him a quick pat on the shoulder and leaving with the words:" Good for you already having a income of your own. When coming back here, if my shift is over and I have the energy, come see me, I can teach you a thing or two."
"Why would you do that?" Mikael wondered.
"I have a child, and know I wouldn't let her out there without the appropriate knowledge, like math or reading. These are sadly the basics at least the ones alone have to master. And my wife is right in a few of her points as well, albeit badly expressed."
He left through a door behind the counter, which lead to a higher floor, apart from the guest rooms.
Mikael also went up the stairs, hearing some snoring and rummaging when walking along the corridor.
When he opened his room, he compared the numbers on the door with the plate.
'So that is a fifteen.'
The room itself was really the bare basics. A bed without any cushion, a board with a flat straw filled pillow and thin blanket. A candle beside the bed above a small table was all the essentials.
'More than we had after escaping.' he gloomy discerned.
He took his property with him in his bed, holding it firmly in his embrace and falling asleep without thinking much anymore.
The next day he got up early, his little window not even lighting up his room, so it still was submerged in a black-blue.
But he also couldn't sleep anymore, he never was the type to sleep into the day. He secured his things on him, wondering again that his arm functions like before.
'That is honestly amazing, if you think about it. But that pain...'
He did not think a heavily wounded person in already a lot of pain would like to experience even more. 'They may die from this.'
'Well, what can I do know? Boss didn't tell me when I should come, so I will get over by first bell. Around breakfast?'
Stepping out, he walked downwards, past the row of tables on which more people in different attires sat, some of them eating simple breakfast, bread slices with sausage and steamed vegetables.
But that was enough to awaken the hunger Mikael had, walking to the counter.
'I earned yesterday some copper, that should suffice for a breakfast.' he hoped.
The woman with the ponytail stood there, today having a bandanna in her hair.
"Oh, good morning. My husband told me briefly about you, and I wanted to apologies. I shouldn't have said all those things." She regretfully said, her pity visible to the naked eye.
"Already forgotten." he said. The talk also helped Mikael a bit, so he was after a good nights sleep in a better mood.
"Can I have a breakfast? I could eat a boar right now."
"Not a boar, but we serve beef sausage at the moment with bread baked by Emily. Still hot and soft. Only 8 small copper, a cup of water included."
'8 small Copper?' he was astonished. He expected to pay more than normal for a meal, but in his hamlets only bar they could eat something similar for 5 copper. 'Well, considering the room is quite cheap, they make money like that.'
He paid upfront, and when he took his seat and got shortly after his plate, he could understand that price.
He finished, patting his stomach satisfied and left the Inn, towards the direction of the merchant district.