"Hey."

Erik turned to Talia in disbelief. "This is where you live?"

From how Talia introduced herself, Erik expected her to be of a noble family, with a grand mansion, servants, and the like. Instead? Well, she seemed to be living in a hovel. The walls were bare and crumbling, the floor dirty and covered in straw. There were a few sparse belongings scattered about, and a single, rickety-looking bed against the far wall. A small wooden table and two stools were the only other furniture in the room. A makeshift fireplace in the corner provided meager warmth.

"Yes. After my family became destitute, I vowed to venture forth and bring prosperity back to the name of Myrian," Talia shamelessly declared, noticing the shock on Erik's face. "I've been traveling the land, seeking out ways to help rebuild our fortune." She paused, looking around the room. "This is just a temporary place while I'm here. I plan on moving on soon, once I've found a way to make a difference."

"How... how long have you been staying here?"

"Three and a half years."

Erik was stunned. He couldn't believe that Talia, with her beauty and grace, had been living in such squalor for so long. He found it hard to reconcile the image of her as a noblewoman's daughter with the reality of her current situation.

Ill growled softly, rudely bumping past Erik and curling his massive body on the straw floor. With a contented huff, the young dragon closed his eyes, drifting to sleep.

Erik couldn't help but stare at the dragon, feeling a mixture of awe and disbelief. "So... he's..."

"Sir Illyanth Crudeo the Fourth has been by my side since I left my family," Talia explained. "He's my companion, my guardian, and my closest friend. He's been with me through thick and thin, and I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for him."

"Right." Erik didn't know what else to say.

"Would you perhaps, want to spend the night here?" Talia asked tentatively, seeing the look of pity and disbelief in Erik's eyes. "I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks, and I assume you'd still need my guidance until you're familiar with this world."

As much as Erik wanted to gently decline her offer, he had nowhere else to go. The world was vast and treacherous, and even if he could find his way back to his own world, it would be a near-impossible task. So, he nodded.

"Good. I shall head out to beg for our dinner. I will return soon." Talia headed out the door.

"Alright, take care- wait, did you say beg?" Erik called after her, but she had already left.

----------------------------------------

Night had fallen by the time Talia returned to her less than extravagant abode, being met with a peculiar scene. Erik laid motionless, face-down in front of the entrance, surrounded by lighters of varying sizes and a strange, giant contraption.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her as she knelt down next to him, setting a bag of food near the entrance.

"Huh? Oh, just resting until I have enough strength to get back up," Erik said, groaning as he rolled over and sat up.

"Were you conjuring more lighters?"

"Sorta. I was testing the limits of my so-called magic," Erik muttered, rubbing his temples.

Talia knelt down beside him, studying the strange contraption he'd been working on. It had an elongated hollow barrel, and a small hook underneath the bulk of the device. Near the end was a large metal canister. "And this?"

"Well, I found out that I can only conjure inanimate objects. So no living things," Erik explained. "From there, I tested how many times I could conjure. I discovered that the bigger an item is, the more time I'd need to rest before doing it again. Also, it doesn't work if I’m unsure of the item, like how it should look like or what it does. Not to mention that whatever I conjure would eventually need more sources of fuel or energy to keep it working. That means if I create anything that needs batteries or the like, if I don’t conjure those items as well, then it’s useless."

Erik picked up the device, holding the bottom of the barrel in one palm and resting a finger of his other hand on the hook. "As for this? I figured you guys would eventually need something bigger than a lighter during the winter."

"Oh so it produces fire as well?" Talia asked, expecting the contraption to spew a meek flame.

"Yup. It's called a flamethrower." Erik pulled the trigger.

With a roar, the end of the barrel shot out a massive gout of fire, crashing against a nearby mound of stone. Talia was momentarily blinded by the bright light and screamed, throwing herself backward to avoid getting singed. She coughed and sputtered, wiping her stinging eyes with the sleeve of her cloak.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Whoa, that's incredible!" Erik exclaimed, grinning in delight. "This thing works perfectly! It'll keep us warm all winter!"

"What kind of destructive device is that?!" Talia exclaimed, still visibly shaken from the sheer force of the flame. "I assume it's a weapon from your world?!"

"Eh, I don't really consider it a weapon," Erik shrugged. "It's just a tool, you know? Like a big, magical lighter." He paused, then added sheepishly, "Though, I suppose I could use it to protect us if needed." Talia raised an eyebrow, skeptical of his claim.

----------------------------------------

"...What is this?" Erik stared at the wooden bowl of what looked like a thick, dark soup. It was unlike anything he'd seen before.

"It's a soup paste made from...uh...well, it's a mix of many things. But it's a delicacy from my world," Talia explained, watching Erik carefully. She could tell he was intrigued, but also a bit apprehensive. "Go ahead and try it. It's actually quite good, I promise."

Erik spooned some of the thick soup into a bowl, sniffing it cautiously before taking a tentative taste. His eyes widened in surprise as he savored the flavor, a mix of sweet and spicy that was unlike anything he'd ever had. "This is really good!" he exclaimed, taking another bite. "What's in it?"

"A bit of herbs, some animal meat, feces from a plant insect, some urine from a sea monster, sugars, and a pinch of carefully prepared golden mana apples."

"...Rewind that for a second, what the fuck did you just say a couple ingredients ago?"

"Carefully prepared golden mana apples?" Talia tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, those are actually a type of fruit from my world. They're pretty rare, but they're used in cooking to add a unique flavor and a bit of a kick. They also help with...well, with certain things, but we don't need to get into that."

"No, no, the parts where you said feces and urine." Erik's face began to turn green.

"Oh, Yulkat feces and Levian urine? Don't worry about it. They're perfectly safe to eat," Talia assured him, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "They're actually quite nutritious. You'll get used to them, I promise."

Erik dashed outside and began to hurl, unable to control his gag reflex. He felt a strange mix of disgust, fear, and excitement coursing through his veins. After a few moments, he wiped his mouth and tried to catch his breath. "I don't think I can eat that," he said, still sounding a bit queasy.

"You just said it was really good...?"

"Yes, but...I mean, that was before I learned what the hell was in it," Erik stammered, still feeling queasy at the thought of the ingredients. "It's just not something I could get used to, you know? I'm sorry if that disappoints you or anything."

Talia frowned. "If that's the case, then what foreign dishes are you used to consuming? I can't imagine anything being more delicious than Smush Paste."

"It's called Smush Paste?!" Erik exclaimed, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds more like something you'd find in the bottom of your shoe. No, what I enjoy is a nice burger, or a pizza."

"Burger? Pizza?" Talia repeated, looking puzzled. "I'm afraid I've never heard of those before. You must be from a very different world, Erik. What are they like?"

Erik sighed, scratching his head before pulling out his magical journal and pen, hastily sketching a rough outline of a hamburger and a pizza. "Here, like this. A burger is a patty of ground meat, usually beef, with some bread around it, toppings, and condiments. And a pizza is a flatbread with a tomato-based sauce, cheese, and various toppings." He held up the sketches for Talia to see.

"Interesting... I have never heard of those foods before," Talia said, looking at the drawings with curiosity. "They don't sound disgusting, in fact, they sound quite appetizing. If you were to bring some of these burgers and pizzas to my world, I'm sure they would be quite popular among the locals. They seem to have a lot of potential for adapting to our unique tastes."

"Honestly, if you provide me with the ingredients, I'm more than happy to replicate them in this world," Erik smirked devilishly. "In fact, I'm quite certain I'll be able to sell them for a high price."

Talia warily regarded Erik, her expression a mix of curiosity and caution. "I can't help but think that extorting this village is the only thing on your mind."

Erik raised an eyebrow. "Extorting? I assure you, I have no such intentions. I simply want to share the delights of these foreign dishes with the people of this world. And, if I happen to profit from it, well, isn't that the essence of free enterprise?"

"I have no clue what those words mean, Erik Park. But you do seem sincere. What else would you need?"

"Well, maybe a grill or stove or something," Erik mused, "to cook the meat and bake the dough. Also, I'd need some meat, cheese, tomatoes, bread, and various toppings. I'm sure I could find some of those things here, but if you could help me out with that, it would make things much easier."

"Of course. In fact, we have furnaces that you can use to prepare these dishes." Talia nodded understandingly.

"Furnaces...? No, actually, I'll just... draw up a grill," Erik said, pulling out his magical journal and pen once more. He quickly sketched out a rough design of a portable grill, with adjustable vents and foldable legs. "This should do the trick. And I can find the ingredients myself, but if you could help me gather them, that'd be great. I'll handle the cooking and preparation."

"Wonderful. We can begin this project tomorrow, then?" Talia said with a smile. "I will gather the ingredients you need and prepare them for you."

Erik nodded, then glanced at the shoddy-looking bed in the corner. "Do you... er, sleep comfortably in that?"

Talia looked at the bed and then back at Erik, her expression a mixture of amusement and confusion. "What is wrong with this bed?"

'Everything' was what Erik wanted to say, but he simply flipped to a blank page and sketched out a design for a bed, tapping his pen on the drawing. Another flash of silver, and the sketch materialized into a sturdy, comfortable-looking bed. "Here," he said, setting it up next to the hearth. "This should do the trick."

"Ah, thank you," Talia said with a genuine smile, sitting down on the bed and bouncing a little on it. "This is much better. You are very talented, Erik Park."

"Tell that to my art teacher," Erik muttered under his breath, collapsing face-first onto the ground from the exertion.

"What did you say?" Talia asked, tilting her head.

"Nothing. Good night." Erik replied, his voice muffled from the straw floor. Ill stirred awake and huffed quietly, blowing more straw over Erik's motionless body. "Ah, yes. That'll definitely keep me warm."

"Good night, Erik Park." Talia yawned and curled up on her new bed. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow."