By the time I got home, I was exhausted and in dire need of a shower.
Llewellyn had teleported us both off somewhere to avoid the reporters, then had vanished again, leaving me at the closest train station.
Not a bad thought, but I couldn't be bothered, so I just asked the System to get me home—with… specific instructions about gently placing me on solid ground, this time.
Tomorrow I'd need to visit Gran properly. I'd rushed out mid-conversation earlier when the news about the Knot had appeared on the TV. She'd understand, but I still felt bad about it. I felt bad about her being in a nursing home to begin with.
As I stepped into my flat, barely able to stand on my feet, something blazed past my head at lightning speed.
Startled, I ducked just in time to see a small ball of fire hit the wall with a thunk, then ricochet off the mirror and zip across the ceiling.
Huh?!
This was my flat, not a Knot site. What was going on?!
I crouched there, holding my breath.
The small thing bounced off the floor and straight through the hallway, hitting each wall.
When I was sure it was at a safe distance, I stood up and followed it cautiously.
There were only two options. One: something from the Dungeon had followed me back. Two: I was finally hallucinating.
The thing zipped past again, back in the other direction, this time looking white as snow.
Fuck. What was it?
I backed up into the kitchen and grabbed a ladle, then turned on all the lights, just in case proper illumination helped.
It had the opposite effect.
The thing froze in midair in shock, looking like it was shaking, then pinballed off all the doors in the house before shooting past into the living room until, eventually, it stopped with a clink on ceramic.
I eased up, slowly stepping toward the living room.
I could see steam rising from one of the mugs on the coffee table. It was the one I'd washed yesterday, brought to the living room to put some orange juice in, and forgotten there—so there should definitely be nothing inside, let alone any hot drink.
The mug trembled.
I got closer, crouched, and waited.
There was a small movement inside, then a tiny snout twitched above the rim.
It ducked back in the second it saw me.
...You've got to be kidding.
I set the ladle down and knelt properly on the floor without taking my eyes off the mug.
Whatever it was, it was hiding, not attacking.
I peered over the edge.
Inside the mug, curled tight, was a tiny fox, half-glow half-flame—looking as if it was made of nothing but fire.
Hesitating, and hoping not to get burnt, I reached into the mug with a finger.
The thing trembled, then immediately turned into a wristwatch, going inert.
Huh.
I sat back on my heels, slowly connecting dots.
This was the artifact from the Distorted Realm I picked up last time. I'd left it on the shelf near the door.
The shelf was empty now.
Well, it looked like it wasn't an inanimate object after all.
I poked at it gently.
"Hey," I said. "I'm not going to attack. Can you understand me?"
After a few moments, the wristwatch morphed back.
The fire fox blinked up at me, still shaking. Then, with a faint flare, it shifted into a tiny penguin.
Woah.
I stared in shock.
I had never seen anything like it. This was clearly an Elemental, but normal Elementals were limited to one Element. How was it doing this?
The fox—currently back to being a fox, though it wasn't bigger than my palm—peeked up at me with wide eyes.
I sat properly down on the floor.
"I'm Ryo. I live here. Do you have a name?"
The fox just looked at me. However, it didn't run away.
After a moment, it crept to the edge of the mug, sniffed the air, and tapped a paw on the rim.
"You want down or…?"
It hopped out on its own, landing on the coffee table, then started shifting form, circling between several: a fox, a penguin, a hedgehog, and… was that a sugar glider?—like it couldn't decide what it wanted to be.
I scratched my head.
"Well. I guess you need a name."
It immediately turned into a penguin again.
"That's your vote?"
The penguin wobbled.
"Okay, no. I can't name you Penguin. That's like calling a dog 'Dog'."
The Elemental waddled in a small circle, a depressed coil of ice trailing behind it, then it flopped onto its side.
"Wait wait, you want to be called Penguin? What about when you're in your fox form? That doesn't seem right."
The Elemental looked up at me.
I sighed. "Alright, fine. You can be Penguin for now. If I change my mind later, tough."
Penguin perked up and got up again, waddling closer.
The System pinged.
-
[New Creature Detected: Elemental.
Status: Unbound.
Awaiting user input.]
-
Huh?
"Unbound? What does that mean?"
[System Notification: This entity originates from a Distorted Realm and does not conform to standard Elemental protocols. Without a stabilizing bond, structural degradation is inevitable. Dissolution is likely within 24 to 72 hours.]
No... Wait. It was going to die?! Just because I decided to take it home?!
Penguin rolled onto its back.
A smaller message popped up under the first:
[System Notification: Would you like to initiate a bond?]