"...I'm fucked."

Back at the hut, Erik sat listlessly on the ground, staring at the circle of grills softly crackling in the night. Talia came up next to him and stooped down.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I forgot you guys don't have refrigerators here, so even if I prepare food beforehand, there's no way to keep it cool," Erik said, rubbing his eyes wearily.

"Refrigerator...?" Talia tilted her head. "Is that similar to an ice box?"

"Pretty much," Erik said. "It's a box that keeps things cold, so food doesn't go bad as quickly. But without one..." He trailed off, looking lost.

"That doesn't sound any different from an ice box. What's so special about this refrigerator?"

Erik almost snapped at Talia, but then remembered he was in a fantasy world.

"Well, your ice boxes are pretty self-explanatory. They're boxes that use ice to preserve food and other items from spoiling, but they require regular maintenance since the ice isn't immune to melting," Erik began with a sigh. "On the other hand, refrigerators don't use ice and instead use a complex system of coils and chemicals to keep things cold. They're much more efficient, and they can maintain a constant temperature without the need for manual intervention. They're commonplace in my world."

"So why don't you just conjure one?"

"They require a constant stream of electricity to power them," Erik rubbed his temples. "A power source that this world doesn't seem to have figured out yet."

Talia thought about it for a moment. "Why don't you try to invent one then?" she suggested. "You're a smart guy, you could probably figure it out."

"What the hell are you talking about? Invent a power source? How could a failed engineer like me who gets drunk after work every night come up with a-" Erik stopped himself, an idea taking root in his mind.

"Hold on, you can use lightning magic, right?" He asked Talia.

"Yeah, I'm a 12th Circle mage," she responded, tilting her head. "Why do you ask?"

"12th Circle? Never mind, give me a second," Erik began to sketch out a drawing. "Alright, so in my world, there's this thing called a generator. It uses magnets and coils of wire to produce electricity."

Talia curiously peered over his shoulder to see the rough sketch of a machine. "That's a generator?" she asked, studying it closely.

"Yeah, but the only problem is, I only know of generators that plug into outlets to charge," Erik sighed, staring at his sketch. "If only there was a way to make it compatible with magic, then I'd be one step closer to making a refrigerator work in this damn world."

"Hmm... may I?" Talia asked, holding out her hands for the pen and journal. Erik handed them over, watching with interest as she studied the drawing. After a few moments, she nodded. "What if you imbued it with a rune?"

"A what?"

"A rune," Talia repeated, scribbling a symbol onto the sketch. "A sort of inscription that acts as a building block. I guess to put it simply, a rune is like a component that works with magic. Think of it like this: if magic was a river, then runes would be things that help harness that river. Dams, waterwheels, irrigation networks, watering cans, wells... those are basically what runes are."

"So, if I add this rune to the generator, it'll work with magic?" Erik asked, studying the new addition to his sketch.

"Essentially. The rune I sketched acts as a lightning rod, which means if you were to hit it with lightning magic, maybe it'll charge it or something."

"Only one way to find out," Erik muttered, tapping on the sketch. This time, a bright flash of silver lit up the night and the two soon found a realized version of the sketch on the ground.

"I guess that worked," Talia said, studying the contraption. The generator looked more compact and sleek than Erik had imagined, but the rune was clearly visible on one side.

"Yeah, but we'll need to test it out," Erik replied, falling onto his side as his energy became depleted. "Why don't you shoot lightning at it and see if that works?"

"Okay." Standing up, Talia drew her fingers into a fist and cracked her knuckles. She took a deep breath, focusing her magic.

"Wait, at least let me get out of the way–"

Talia flung her arm out, aiming a bolt of lightning at the generator. The world was momentarily bathed in a blinding flash of white as the lightning struck the machine with a thundering crack. Erik screamed and covered his ears, expecting the worst, but when the smoke cleared, the generator remained unharmed. In fact, it seemed to be humming softly.

"It worked!"

"You idiot, you almost killed me!" Erik yelled, rolling over onto his stomach and sitting up. "What if that didn't work and it blew up in my face?"

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"But it didn't."

"I- whatever," Erik grumbled, feeling a mixture of relief and awe as he examined the generator. "We should probably test it out more, make sure it works right. Give me a few minutes to rest and then I'll conjure a refrigerator."

"Very well, Erik Park."

Both Talia's and Erik's stomachs growled loudly. Erik shot her a look.

"I get that I'm starving because I just used my dinner as a promotional sample, but why are you hungry as well? Didn't you just eat a burger earlier?"

"Using magic depletes my energy very quickly, Erik Park. I require more energy to fuel my spells," Talia explained. "But don't worry, I'll be back soon after begging for our dinner."

"Right, I'll keep working here then," Erik stretched his body. "Please don't tell me you're coming back with Smush Paste for dinner again."

"Don't be ridiculous, Erik Park. Smush Paste is a delicacy. I'll be back with some Mudstew."

"Oh, okay. Take care- wait, Mudstew?"

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

The moonlight was bright when Talia returned to her hut, finding Erik lying face-down next to a white rectangular box that was hooked up to the generator from earlier. Nearby, Illyanth was lazing around, rolling on his back.

"I'm back!" Talia announced. The dragon infant lifted his head, regarding her with curiosity. "I've got some Mudstew for us!" She carefully set down a steaming bowl in front of Erik, who immediately rolled over onto his side and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Before I even take a bite, tell me what's in this."

Talia smiled at Erik as he inspected the steaming bowl of Mudstew. "It's a soup made from various mushrooms and vegetables, seasoned with herbs and spices. It's quite nutritious and should help you recover your energy quickly."

"That's all?" Erik narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You're not trying to poison me, are you?"

"The poisons are already removed after cooking, so it's completely safe to consume."

"That... doesn't make me feel reassured, but whatever. Why's it named Mudstew?"

"It's named after the mushrooms used to make the stew, which are found in the mud near the river," Talia explained.

Erik snorted. "Well, I guess that's better than calling it something gross like Smush Paste.'" He took a tentative spoonful of the soup, then grinned as the savory flavors exploded in his mouth. "This actually tastes pretty good!"

"Urine from the Wallowtoads fertilize the mushrooms and give it that earthy taste in the stew. It gives it the poisonous component, but heat usually neutralizes it."

Erik immediately spat out the soup he'd been chewing. "I knew it. I knew it was too good to be true."

"Why don't you enjoy the food I bring you, Erik Park?" Talia frowned with genuine hurt. "I know my situation isn't ideal, but even so, these meals are still common dishes in my world."

Erik opened his mouth, then closed it, feeling a wave of shame wash over him. Right, Talia was so broke, her nickname was literally the Beggar Princess. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you. I'm just not used to eating... this sort of thing. It's just, you know, at home, I'd never see something like this as food."

"It's quite alright. I had the same thoughts when I saw your burger for the first time."

Talia may have been lacking in a few areas, but Erik couldn't tell if she was a master at manipulating guilt or not. She definitely didn't hesitate to try out a dish from his world, though he suspected it was more that she was perpetually starving, but at least she didn't seem ungrateful for it.

"Thanks for begging for our dinner, Talia," Erik sighed, and spooned a mouthful of Mudstew into his mouth. Truthfully, it actually didn't taste that bad, just the knowledge of how it was made didn't sit right with him.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, Illyanth the dragon huffing occasionally as he shifted his weight on the ground, lapping at his portion of Mudstew.

"If it isn't too much to ask... what is your world truly like, Erik Park?"

Erik looked up from his bowl, surprise flashing across his features. He hadn't expected her to ask such a question, at least not so directly. "Well... compared to this world? There's no magic. No dragons. No monsters, really. Just people. There's this thing called the internet, and everyone's always on it, even when they're walking down the street. It's like... like this world, but with less and more of everything."

He paused, thinking back to his old life. "There's this thing called fast food. You can get it anywhere, anytime. And video games. Everyone plays video games. There are these... things called movies and TV shows that people watch, and there's this place called Hollywood where they make them. And..." He trailed off, feeling even more out of place than ever. "It's a strange world, Talia. I'm not sure I understand it that well myself."

"Were you happy in that world?"

Erik blinked. Somehow, Talia was asking questions that he'd never considered before. He'd been so focused on trying to navigate this world, giving up on defeating the Demon King, and then deciding to get rich, that he hadn't really thought about his old life.

"To be honest... no," he finally said. "I wasn't. I got stuck in a stupid job, burying myself deeper into debt despite saving up money. Well actually, I didn't- I got drunk every night, but still. I didn't have any real friends, just people who I knew would pay me attention if I put on a show for them. I was lonely, and I was miserable."

A gentle breeze wafted, cooling the pair in the heat of the night. Talia set her bowl of Mudstew down, picking at the grass.

"But... compared to this world, which would you say you'd want to spend the rest of your life in?"

Erik considered the question for a moment, looking around at the stars overhead, the distant peaks of the mountains, the sleeping dragon, and the woman sitting across from him. "I don't know, Talia."

For the first time since he arrived in the world, Erik saw Talia as a normal woman, someone who was clearly struggling with something. Before he could say anything, Talia gave him a wan smile and stood up, stretching.

"Well, I hope you'll find the answer to that in the future, Erik Park. Good luck with prepping your burgers for tomorrow," Talia began walking back into her hut, Illyanth stirring awake and following after her. "I'm not that hungry, so you can go ahead and finish my Mudstew."

"Wait, I still need help to get meat to prepare for tomorrow."

"Good night, Erik," Talia was already inside the hut.

"Unbelievable," Erik muttered to himself, finishing his bowl of Mudstew. If it weren't for the fact that Talia had seemed incredibly melancholic and lonely, he might have been more annoyed with her abrupt dismissal. As it was, he knew there was something else going on.

He picked up Talia's bowl and began to finish it off when he saw flakes of dirt, grass, and what looked like feces in it, densely concentrated around the spoon. Erik immediately realized that Talia somehow dropped her spoon on the ground and didn't want to clean it.

"That bitch!"