Chapter 3: Chapter Three

“Bruno said that there’s no way he knows of to reverse the spell. His family has been in charge of this ritual site for generations and as long as he’s known, his family’s only ever used it to get stuff. Never occurred to ‘em to try sending stuff out, though that might be the original purpose of whoever made this thing.”

I sighed. So, magic exists, and there’s a doorway to other worlds. I thought for a second. “Are there other ritual sites like this one?”

Clara thought for a second. “I wouldn’t doubt it, but if there are, they’re probably an open secret just like this one. You’d have to get to the Great Library in the Capitol if you’d want to have any hope of finding them.”

Of course it wouldn’t be as simple as going back the way I came. “Well, if I wanted to get to the capitol, how would I get there?”

“You’d have to cross through a few provinces, but you should just be able to go straight north. But…. Are you sure you want to do that?” Her one eye looked to the side. “I want to know about your world.”

Even if I set out now, I wouldn’t have any idea where to start, so I decided to just sit down and let her ask me questions about home. I learned a bit about my new surroundings too. This world used to be a lot like what you’d see in any isekai story, complete with magic, castles, fairies, elves, and all kinds of creatures that exist only in myths and legends and Japanese novels. However, time had moved on, and with it technology. They had vehicles powered by magic, automated factories, an improved communications system, and some people even have aircraft, though that’s not as popular as you would expect due to certain magic abilities allowing people to fly. 

I got to tell her about my home, the education system, taxes, family, and the internet. I suppose they hadn’t gotten so far as to develop internet, though they have gotten as far as radio and television. Clara herself didn’t watch much television, though she did enjoy the radio dramas that played while she was working. 

We talked for hours. It felt as comfortable as being with someone I’ve known for years. Finally, a mans voice shouted from outside the dungeon. “Hey! Time to go home! I’m closing the cave, so pack up or stay here all night!”

“‘Kay Bruno! I’ll lock up, you go on home!”

“Alright, thank you!”

I decided to go lay down on my bed and try to get comfortable. She looked at me like I was crazy. “You’re staying here?”

I looked at her. What other choice did I have? I was basically a prisoner in this world anyway.

“C’mon, put the cloak on. It’s after hours so most people’d be in the pub anyway, you can come to my place. I’d feel bad leavin’ ya here.” She held out a hand to help me up. I packed my pockets and put the cloak on, being sure to cover my lack of one giant eye. She checked that the coast was clear and we headed out.

I’ve never been great in even moderate-pressure situations. I never snuck out of the house as a kid, and even movies where the characters did so stressed me out, so having to sneak out of someone else’s work place wasn’t exactly a fun experience. But once we got out of the cave, it just became a game of looking down at the ground and hiding my face. It was dark out now. The sky looked so beautiful. 

Apparently the cave has a giant hangar door over the front of it, which makes sense. Wouldn’t want someone to steal all that produce. Clara pushed a button which slowly closed the door then we started to walk towards town. There was a long paved road which Clara said was used for giant trucks to transport the produce they collected. When I asked if people used the road to get to and from work, she said some did but she didn’t mind the walk. While she had an automobile, it was mostly a family heirloom and she never used it since she never went anywhere. She looked sad when she said that, though, which made me feel kinda sad too. 

The town itself looked a bit messier up close, but in a way it also felt very alive. There was a corner pub with bright neon lights and the sounds of merriment coming from it seemed to fill up the whole block. 

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“Do you ever go to the pub?”

“Sometimes I’ll go for a drink, but I usually just go home”

“Not a party girl, ‘eh?”

“Nah, I don’t like the crowds, though I can’t say I don’t love getting drunk. Once the revelry dies down I might stop by and pick up some drinks. Here we are” She stopped in front of a staircase built into the wall. Her house was on the second story of some building. She unlocked the door and let me in. It was a small apartment. The first room was a living room with a sofa, a mat on the floor, and a table with a radio on it. There was a television but it was gathering dust. There was a hallway with three rooms connected to it. A master bedroom, a small kitchen, and in between the two was a bathroom.

“It’s not much, but it’s home.”

“No, I think it’s cozy. I like it” I said. I wasn’t lying, either. It’s a little messy, but it’s small and homey. My kinda place. I moved some clothing off of the couch and sat down. Clara came back into the room. She had taken off her shirt, now just wearing an undershirt, and was offering me a drink. I could see well the muscles on her arms. I took the cup from her hand. 

“Thank you.” I said “Uhm… what is it?”

“Just some ale. Had it left over from last night” she said, sitting down beside me. I was never one to drink alcohol. I’d never had it before, never wanted to either. Something about the idea of losing control of myself even a little bit was very scary to me. That being said, it would be rude to decline. Though, with the way she’s chugging her glass, which was much larger than mine, I don’t know if she’s actually notice. 

She slammed her glass down on the table with a force that I’m sure should have at least cracked the glass, but it didn’t. She laughed loudly.

“Ahahahaha! It feels so great, don’t it?!” She leaned back on the couch, sprawling out. 

“Y-yeah…” I took a sip, more out of curiosity. It burned going down. Gosh, I can’t imagine why anyone would like this. Though Clara seems to be enjoying it. 

“Gah!! That hits the spot.” Her face was reddening. “Tell me human boy, think you can arm wrestle me?” She said, running over to the other side of the coffee table. I grabbed her hand. It was warm, concerningly so. She basically threw me over the table, proceeding to laugh.

The night continued like this. Eventually she passed out. I dragged her to her bed then went to sleep on her couch. Maybe this world isn’t so bad after all.

Then again, how long would I be welcome in her house? I’ll need to make plans to get home tomorrow. I fell asleep, seeing that drunken one-eyed smile as I drifted off.

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