An aroma of food awoke Salvador. His room at the inn, which he shared with Eliza and Uda, was filled with the smell of freshly baked bread. Carefully, he opened the door so as not to wake the others who were still asleep.
Down the hall in the main common area, life was energetic. The guests at the inn were happily eating their meals to prepare for the day ahead. Salvador's nose was hit with an even stronger aroma of fresh bread and a hot vegetable stew, richly flavoured with spices and herbs.Walking down the stairs, he was greeted by many other guests staying at the Inn, most of whom were tall and towering high above his tiny frog-like body. Unexpectedly, a grey wolf offered to take him high up on the bar area so that he would be able to order some food.
"Welcome, Darlin!"
"The names Missy Bay!"
"What can I get cha!?"
"It's a busy mornin so, darlin, if you would do hurry up with those tiny thoughts! Aight?"
Salvador was greeted by a huge, fluffy brown bear in a dirty dress. It spoke in a thick southern accent.
"Uhm.."
"I will take the same as the wolf beside me, ma'am!"
"Aight, good choice, darlin." The bear said.
"ONE SMALL V STEW A PIECE OF SOURDOUGH BREAD, WITH A CUPPAH WATER!" The bear shouted to the back.
Salvador jumped slightly; Missy's powerful voice was almost enough to knock him off his feet.
Salvador could hardly contain himself as he leaned over the steaming bowl of stew, its enticing aroma wrapping around him like a warm embrace. He had never dreamed that a vegetable stew could burst with such a symphony of flavours.
But in his eagerness, he lost all sense of caution.
"OUCH! OUCH!!"
"My mouth!" he yelped, the reality hitting him like a wave. The stew, fresh from the stove, was scalding hot! Instinctively, he reached for a glass of water and gulped it down in one swift motion, desperate to quell the fiery sensation.
The grey wolf chuckled. "Little frog, you shouldn't throw yourself into the food right after it's been cooked."
"No kidding, Sherlock Wolfie," Salvador replied.
"Pendejo..." he muttered quietly.
"I see the frog has a bit of a temper," the grey wolf remarked.
Salvador quickly finished the stew, paid two silver coins for the meal, and left the common room. He wanted to explore the town alone, away from the others. From the perspective of a tiny frog, the town felt immense, and he knew he wouldn't have time to see all its corners.
He slipped past the stables, aware that Orchid was inside. It was only 11 a.m., but the road was bustling with carriages transporting goods and magical creatures and creatures walking on the side.
A young orc dashed past Salvador, calling, "Mama, hurry! We might miss them!" Though still a child, he was quite tall. A few meters behind was another orc whom Salvador assumed was the mother; she towered several meters above him, resembling a skyscraper.
He followed the path taken by the orcs and arrived at a large plaza. To his right, he noticed a grand temple and a magnificent lake. The lake shimmered with a mesmerizing blue color, captivating his attention. However, he chose to enter the impressive temple instead. Upon entering, he was greeted by guards and then by an elderly water nymph.
"Are you here to meet the grand priestess?" the nymph asked him.
"Uhhhm, I suppose so," he replied.
The elderly water nymph gestured for him to follow her deeper into the temple. The temple was constructed of white marble and granite, featuring a high, palatial skylight roof. Everywhere he looked, the walls and pillars were adorned with gemstones like moonstones, white topaz, water pearls, magnesite, and spinel.
Salvador saw a tall, thin humanoid figure, standing and praying in front of a fountain. The only thing making the fountain special was a statue of a cloaked figure adorned with gems; the rest of the fountain was built out of granite with a greyish undertone.
"You have a visitor, priestess." The nymph said.
The priestess slowly turned around to face Salvador. It was a thin white wolf in a straight silk dress. Their eyes met.
"Pay your respects to the priestess-" The water nymph was abrupted.
"You. You aren't from this realm, are you not?" The priestess suddenly said.
"Huh?"
"I'm not sure what you mean, miss priestess!" He bowed down, trying to avoid her eyes.
She bent down at his level and forcefully grabbed his chin, holding it up to stare into his big eyes.
"I see your soul comes from somewhere else, otherrealmer.." She said.
Salvador, being intimidated by the larger animal almost hovering above him, could hardly get a sound out of himself as an answer. Though a predator in the animal kingdom, the priestess's snow white fur and electric blue eyes gave out an aura so strong that it pressed others down. That aura, it could have made Missy Bay, the Innkeeper, a brown bear, even feel tiny.
"Oh well. You are now here in this realm."
"Come now, one who isn't from this realm, you must pay your respects to the supreme divinity of this place."
"Only then, by showing your gratitude for the supreme divinity that saved your soul, you may unlock your true potential.
"Okay, dokay." He answered.
Salvador glanced at the old water nymph standing close by; she was gesturing back to the priestess, and the priestess gestured for him to follow her forward to the fountain with the cloaked statue.
There he bent down on his knees, looked at the statute and took his hands together. He closed his eyes, unsure of how to actually thank the supreme deity.
With his eyes closed, he heard an almost hypnotising voice with double tones say: "O holy Lord, Supreme Deity. We thank thee for saving this poor man's soul."
A warmth spread through Salvador's body, and he felt like he was above cloud level.