Otherworlders

“Here you go! Your order of apples!” Mahannana said cheerfully, floating the large crate into the kitchen of a small house with the aid of her staff. The small, elderly woman smiled widely. “Thank you so much, dear! I don’t know how I’d ever get it into the house on my own!” Mahannana gave the woman a bow.

 “Oh, it’s nothing! It’s my job, after all. But, umm...” She looked at the woman, wondering if she should open her mouth. “Not to be rude, but that’s a lot of apples. Mr Aqua about had a heart attack when he read the order! What do you need that many for? You can’t possibly be planning to eat them all yourself?” The old woman laughed “Oh, of course not, dear! There’s going to be a town dance next weekend, and I sell sweets, you see! I plan on making apple tarts for the occasion!"

“Ooh! That sounds yummy!” Mahannana’s eyes lit up. " And I'll have to tell my mama about that dance. It sounds fun.” She gave another bow. “I gotta go make more deliveries now. Thanks for your order!” 

“Oh, wait!” The woman grabbed her sleeve as she turned to leave. “Here!  You’re such a nice girl. Take care now!” She pressed a peice of taffy into Mahannana’s hand and the girl beamed. “Thank you so much!” She took her leave and jogged across the road to where her mother was waiting.

“Delivery complete! She gave me a candy!” Mahannana proudly held up the treat before tucking it into her dress. “She was nice! Where are we headed next?” Selena was loaded with leather saddle bags and had baskets and boxes secured to her back. It was more of a workout than the office lady and mother had had in a while, but it surprisingly didn’t feel overly heavy. ‘I suppose this bulky new body has its perks’ she conceded. ‘Though I don’t think it was worth trading my hands for.’

“The next closest stop would be the stall vendors who ordered some items to resell. And then...a husband and wife who are about to open a blacksmith’s shop. Actually, if I’m not mistaken, I think they’re also people who were transported here through the game.” Mahannana perked up. While she knew that there was a significant amount of people from their world still residing in Umbria, the mother and daughter had yet to encounter any of them. “That sounds interesting! I wonder what they're like?” Mahannana thought out loud. “We haven’t met anyone else who was sent here yet. I wonder what the others are doing? Elfrida-Chan said that people have already left for other towns or gone out adventuring.”

Selena was curious, too. ‘I wonder what sort of people were sent here? It can’t have all been gamer kids. I mean, I’m a middle-aged parent who got sent here with my daughter...though I supposed I wasn’t exactly the targeted demographic.’ 

The two reached a stretch of road that was populated by sidewalk stands and stores run out of family homes. “Okay. We’re here. What do you say we split the orders up and get this done so we head to the blacksmith’s shop?”

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“Hmm, these look excellent and I do need them for my drinks...but where are they from?” The woman with a tangle of dark, curly hair inquired. “Ah, I just started using a new supplier.” The man running the stand said bashfully, knowing that wasn’t going to thrill his regular customer. The woman glared at the lemons and crossed her arms. “That sounds suspicious. Who?" “I swear they’ll be good! Please, buy my wears! I need the money!” The man panicked. “I-I can’t remember the man’s name! Really! It’s legit though! I swear! He grows produce out of a greenhouse!”

The woman sighed and tossed her hair. “Well, your prices can’t be beat and it's not like I can really say no. I’ll take fifteen lemons, ten limes, and five oranges.” The man let out a puff of air in relief and began bagging her fruit. “Forgive me for being suspicious, but the quality had jumped so enormously from the last time I visited so I was worried you’d done something to make them look better than they really were.” The man gave a awkward laugh. “Hey, magic is beyond me, miss!” He looked thoughtful. “Though, funnily enough, the wolf mage did deliver these."

The woman raised an eyebrow. “Wolf mage?” “You know the otherworlders?” The man continued as he assembled her purchases. “Well, this kid is one of them. A mage in-training studying with the keeper of the great library. She’s a really nice girl. Has lavender hair and wears a pink robe and cape.” A spark of recollection kindled in the woman’s eyes. “A child mage? Why’s she called the wolf mage?” “Oh, her mother ended up in this world, too, and she's a dire wolf. They’ve been staying with the man who supplies the produce and make deliveries for him. These are super, fresh, too! They just left maybe ten minutes before you showed up.” Something out of the corner of his eye caught the man’s attention.

“Oh, there she is!” The woman turned and looked down the street. Seemingly having completed another delivery, a joyful teenage girl bounced across the street to where a large silver wolf was waiting. The two seemingly  exchanged words, before the girl used a staff to cast a spell on some of the cargo that the wolf was laden with. As the girl turned, the woman caught a glimpse of her face and wide smile and her eyes narrowed.

“Mahannana?”

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The mother and daughter stood in front of a fresh-looking building constructed from white and pale gray stones. “This the place?” Selena nodded at her daughter. Mahannana eyed the open front door and shop shingle hanging above it. “ Should we just...walk in?” Selena shrugged. “They aren't open yet, but it is a public space and they should know we’re coming. Let’s do it.”

The inside of the shop was cold and shadowy. Furniture and implements of the blacksmith trade littered the room. The shop was clean enough, but clearly under construction. “Hellooo!” Mahannana called loudly. “We’re here with your delivery!” There was a clang from behind the shop counter.

“Oh, geez! You startled me!” A man popped up and looked at them. He was a middle-aged man with dark skin, a bald head, and a black goatee. His size wasn’t as impressive as Aqua’s, but he had the defined muscles of someone who worked in a heavily physical trade. “Sorry!"  Selena apologized. “We didn’t see anyone and the door was open. Were you the one who ordered produce from Aqua?” The man wiped his hands on an old towel. “Yes. Name’s Omthor. Nice to meet you. And you two are?”

“I’m Selena and this is my daughter.” Selena looked at Madoka. “I’m Mahanana. Nice to meet you!” Luckily, she could still call her daughter by her nickname because she still couldn’t bring herself to call her Mahannana. She didn’t want to be a jerk, but that wasn’t the name of the little girl she’d given birth to and she didn’t know if she’d ever be fully comfortable with the change. Madoka, on the other hand, had seemingly had no hesitation with adopting a new name at the drop of a hat, which made her even more uneasy.

Omthor studied the two. “Are you  from the other world, too?” Selena nodded. “I thought so. When our neighbors suggested ordering food from Aqua, they mentioned that he had two otherworlders  assisting with the business.” He leaned back on the counter. “This doesn’t seem real, does it?” He let out a dry laugh. “A game sending us to another world...Though I guess when powerful people with giant egos decide to play God, anything can go wrong.”

“You can say that again.” Selena sighed. “We haven’t met any of the others like us yet. It still feels like a bad dream I’m going to wake up from. Least you have a normal human body still.” Madoka tilted her head in contemplation as she unloaded the man’s order onto the counter. “Hmm, well I personally don’t think this is bad at all! I’m enjoying myself and the only reason I’d want to go back is my mama, but she’s here with me, so I have everything I need.” Omthor smiled and let out a boisertous laugh.

“Someone has the right mindset! Good for you, kid! How old are you?” “Fifteen.” “Ah, so you are an actual kid. Makes sense. It’s an uncomfortable shock, but I don’t entirely dislike being here, either. It’s giving me second chance to live out my life. I'm not happy about how it came about, but it's not completely bad.” He turned to Selena. “You two are like us. My wife and I were playing Night World Odessey and ended up here together. But coming here with your child seems stressful. I’m sorry about that."

A sudden thought entered Selena’s head. “This might be a crazy idea, but how would you and your wife like to have dinner with us tomorrow? It’s a relief to met others like us and I really could use some friends right now.” She flicked Madoka with her tail. “Unlike this one, I’m not exactly good at adapting.” A grin spread across the blacksmith’s face.

“Funny, me and Lirhilde were just talking about that! We haven’t met any of the others, either, though I’m sure pleanty of them will pass through here once we open for business. That sounds great, actually! I’ll ask Lir when she gets back, but I’m sure she’ll want to come. She loves kids, so I bet she’ll be thrilled to meet you Mahannana.”

Mahannana smiled. “Sounds like fun! I can’t wait to met Lih...Lir.” She fumbled over the name. “Her name’s pretty. I wonder what sort of person or creature she is?” She got a sudden thought. “ “Hey mama, is it really okay to invite them over without asking Aqua first?” Selena hadn’t even thought about that. ‘Shoot! She’s right; we’re just house guests. But I do have a bit of money from being tipped for deliveries if affording food for two more people is really an issue.’

“It should be fine. It’s not like we’re having a party. Aqua is a nice kid, so he should understand.” She spoke to Omthor. “I’ll double check to be safe and then stop by with the time when I make deliveries tomorrow.” “Looking forward to it. Thanks for the invitation.” Selena turned towards the door. 

“Okay, Ma-Chan, lets finish up the last deliveries.” “Yes mama!” Madoka followed her mother before turning to wave at the blacksmith. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Omthor! See you tomorrow!”

As they walked out into the setting sun, Selena found herself excited for the first time since they’d arrived in Nyxphiria. ‘Finally, some adults to talk to! And they can understand how I’m feeling about this! Maybe I’ll actually be able to find something about this world that I can like, the way Madoka has. If I’m going to be stuck here, I’d rather not feel lonely and miserable.’