“Full moon slaughter?” Peregrine repeated.

  “You heard correctly,” Sandra said. “Every month, on the first night of the full moon, The Morrigan’s werewolves attack Fiddler’s Green in an attempt to feast on our bodies.”

  Wendell tugged on Peregrine’s sleeve and whispered, “Let’s get out of here like you said.” His voice trembled, eyes full of alarm.

  “There’s nowhere to go, sweetheart,” Sandra said. “You could run. Others before you have tried. But you’re too close to nightfall and they will follow your scent and hunt you down. It’s best to fight them here where you have a slight homefield advantage. Besides, this isn’t even the worst zone.”

  “What do you mean by zone?” Peregrine asked. The Morrigan hadn’t mentioned anything like that.

  “The Irenic Realm is vast,” Sandra said, dragging a chair over and taking a seat at the table. “Larger than any single planet. Each zone is like a frozen time period. You’re from Earth, obviously, so you will find areas familiar to you that are medieval in nature, like Fiddler’s Green. You might come across futuristic cities, or more humble settings like the early nineteen hundreds, or suburbia. There are countless places. Many zones cater to different planets and introduce ways of living that are completely foreign to you. People settle down where they are comfortable. Some are nomadic, migrating from zone to zone and never picking a favorite. A lot choose one that caters to their class.”

  “That actually sounds really lovely,” Wendell said, shedding some of the fear in his voice.

  “It was lovely,” Sandra replied, massaging her hands. “It’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed here so long. I found Fiddler’s Green not too long after crossing over to the Irenic Realm. I had chosen a Hospitality class because I always thought it would be great to run a medieval fantasy tavern. I was a housewife in my previous life, so it wasn’t too far of a stretch to make the transition. Now, here I am still at it. I know it looks run down, but you should’ve seen it when I got the keys—shiny and new. Every night was standing room only. Visitors traveled from other zones, hoping to get a taste of my outstanding dishes.” A tear, faint in the shadowy light, rolled down her cheek.

  “You say this place looked good?” Alissa wrinkled her nose. “Sure looks like shit now. How did you manage to run it into the ground?”

  Peregrine wanted to sew Alissa’s mouth shut. But that would be frowned upon.

  “You’re brash, girl,” Sandra said. “It will either be your saving grace, or your undoing. Everything used to be beautiful here, much like the rest of the Irenic Realm. Then she came. Or it. Whatever The Morrigan is. Before she arrived, there was no death. No violence. Then the monsters started showing up, carrying depravity in with them. The Morrigan said her sister was the cause, and that she and her other sister were banded together to stop her, and that we must all work as one to destroy the creatures. But, in all my years, I’ve only ever seen the one Morrigan. I’m convinced this is some cruel punishment for past sins and that the sisters don’t exist.”

  “W-why haven’t you been able to kill the monsters?” Wendell asked. “It sounds like this has been going on for a long time.”

  “Oh, it has,” Sandra said. “It’s the reason the people of Fiddler’s Green are low level. There is a lot of turnover.”

  “A lot of death,” shouted someone whose head looked like that of a giant goldfish—which was disturbing to see.

  Peregrine noticed there were multiple people listening in on the conversation, some leaning hard on their elbows, turning their ears toward the group for a better auditory experience.

  Sandra’s lips pursed. “Taka is correct. A lot of death happens here. A consequence of The Morrigan placing her graveyard next to our town. Back to your question, none of the souls in the Irenic Realm, with the exception of you three, are built for fighting or killing. You can see that I’m a much higher level than you, but I couldn’t beat any of you in a fight. My base stats are in cooking, cleaning, and business management. Judging by your weapons, I’d say your base stats are in fighting, defending, and magic … as a group.” Peregrine and Wendell nodded. “She made good decisions this round. My weapon is a wooden spoon. Needless to say, death is now commonplace.” She remained quiet for a moment before adding, “Speaking of stats, let’s get you fed.”

  “Perfect, I’m starving. Where’s your menu?” Alissa stretched her neck, peering at the other tables.

  Sandra laughed. It sounded fake and forced. Her and Peregrine seemed to share the same sentiment toward Alissa. “No menu on full moon nights. Everyone gets Mushroom Stew.” She stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled.

  A moment later, a human child, no older than ten, came marching out, balancing three steaming bowls on a large platter. She squeezed and slid between tables gracefully, never spilling a drop. After placing the bowls before the group, she put on a show by throwing the platter high above, executing a backflip, and snatching the platter out of the air and snapping it down to her side. She saluted and took a theatrical bow to a wild round of applause from the tavern.

  “Dinner is served,” she said in a squeaky voice.

  Peregrine checked out her class and was stunned to see how high her level was considering her young age. Her name was Katie, and she was a level 60 Entertainer. She had definitely displayed her class with that small show. If it took time to level up, then that meant she’d been in the realm for a while. It made him wonder if people stopped growing older once they reached this place, and if they were the same age as when they died in their original world.

  “Blech.” Alissa stuck out her tongue.

  “I think it looks delicious,” Wendell said, shooting an icy stare at Alissa.

  Peregrine grabbed a bowl and inspected the contents, the System providing its thoughts as well.

  Mushroom Stew

  Edible. Looks brown. Imbued with perks that likely won’t include being poisoned. Sandra doesn’t seem like the type for foul play.

  “I’m sure your Systems are skimpy on the details,” Sandra said. “They always are. This evening, you will be dining on Lion’s Mane mushrooms that were smothered in batter, fried, and lightly dusted with sea salt. Served on top of gravy with carrots, celery, and potatoes that simmered over a hot stove all day. You’ll be delighted to know that eating this meal will add a +5 to all three of your base stats. The increase is temporary, and will fade by sunrise. But it will serve you well tonight. Dig in.”

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Peregrine eyed his bowl greedily. He’d been so flooded with otherworldly strangeness that he hadn’t noticed how ravenous he’d become. He picked up a large wooden spoon from the table and dipped it in the stew, scooping a whole fried mushroom and a heap of hot vegetables. When the System had mentioned the stew not being poisoned, it seemed like a throwaway line at first, but now it stuck in his head like a planned conspiracy against him. Letting the spoon hover above the bowl, he watched how the other two reacted to their meals.

  Wendell took a small sip, smacked his lips, and studied the bowl. His eyebrows raised, and he glanced in Sandra’s direction before turning back to the stew and devouring spoonful after spoonful.

  Alissa hadn’t been bothered by accepting mushroom stew from a stranger whatsoever, holding the bowl up to her face and slurping loudly.

  Neither of them showed any negative effects, which was enough to convince Peregrine it was safe to eat. He took his first bite. Not bad, he thought. It was his first time having fried Lion’s Mane. He hadn’t known it was a thing, but he was glad he did now. The sea salt really added a spark to it that kept him coming back for more.

  There weren’t any negative effects, but the positive effects were almost immediate. He checked his menu and confirmed that all three of his stats had gone up by five. New magical conjurings brewed in his head, his body became dense enough to take a beating, and he felt superhumanly strong like he could flip the table over with no effort. Alissa beat him to the punch when she squeezed the edge of the table. A chunk broke off and she practically crushed it into sawdust. She quickly threw the evidence on the floor before Sandra saw the damage.

  Wendell was busy discreetly flexing his bicep and running his hand along it, then doing the same for the other one.

  The three of them finished their meals. Peregrine felt like he had drunk enough beers to have a buzz. It felt good. But he hadn’t had a drop of alcohol that he was aware of. Looking around the tavern, he saw the locals eating and finishing their bowls of mushroom stew. They were all laughing and bouncing around. A leprechaun-ish creature—complete with green outfit and hat—showed a feat of strength by lifting two humans and placing them on his shoulders. It appeared everyone was feeling the perks of increased stats. A party had erupted at the Mirth Tavern.

  After finishing the stew, Peregrine, stomach absolutely stuffed, pushed his plate toward the center of the table and leaned back against his chair. He looked at his party, who appeared to be full as well.

  “Listen up, you two,” Alissa said. Her eyes were closed with her hands resting over her head. “You two don’t strike me as confident fighters, and that’s fine. Stick close to me and I’ll keep the party safe.”

  “You’ll only need to worry about keeping yourself safe.” Wendell motioned his thumb at himself and Peregrine. “There won’t be any fighting for us, because he’s finding us a way out of here. Isn’t that right, Peregrine?”

  “Uhh.” It was all Peregrine could muster for a response from being put on the spot. It was his intention to find a way out. However, he didn’t have a clue how to go about it. The people he’d asked so far had essentially said the same thing; either reach level 100, or die and be sent to who knows where for a truly horrible time. The reality that he might be stuck in the Irenic Realm was becoming established. And now he had a grown man relying on him to find an escape route. It was too much. He wasn’t a natural born leader. In fact, he’d always done the bare minimum to assure he was never put in a leadership position. Having Alissa put herself in charge—while also openly criticizing them—was completely OK with him. She was confident and assertive, exactly what a party leader in a dangerous supernatural fantasy realm needed.

  Alissa laughed. “Didn’t The Morrigan make it clear to you that the only way to leave is getting chopped up by monsters. Besides, once I rid this world of evil, it’ll be a paradise. Mine for the taking. Shut up and stay awhile. I don’t mind having cannon fodder.”

  CRACK!

  Wendell slammed his fist against the table, probably harder than he had intended due to his increased power, because he quickly hid his hand under the split table.

  Alissa cackled. “Oooh. Such a big, strong boy.”

  “Enough!” Peregrine leapt out of his chair, knocking it over in the process. “Leave the guy alone. You might want to be here, but the two of us don’t want any part of this nightmare. We didn’t ask to die and be brought back as killers for some sort of god. Be a decent human being instead of a gigantic piece of shit. Give that a try, you friendless suckass. You seem like the type that has a posthumous true crime documentary made of them.”

  Alissa’s chair screeched as she slid it out and slowly stood, her hands resting against the table. Her chest heaved. She was a bull ready to rage. Peregrine noticed one of her hands reaching toward her scabbard. Was he prepared to use his quill? Could he bring himself to use destructive magic against a fellow human? Would she stab him?

  Good timing spared him from having to find out.

  “Guys finished with your yummy mushroom stew?” Katie started adding their dishes to her already large pile. She seemed unaware of the tension between the group.

  Peregrine cleared his throat and handed his bowl and spoon over to Katie. Alissa plopped down in her chair, arms folded across her chest. Wendell reached over and gathered her dishes, combining them with his, before handing them over. Alissa gleamed, in all likelihood seeing Wendell's move as submissive to her.

  The broken table did catch Katie’s attention. She made a sour face.

  “S-sorry about the table,” Wendell said. “I’ll try to fix it, if I can.”

  “It’s OK,” Katie said, her frown disappearing. “Mom will fix it. She’s good at fixing things. But she is jealous of you three.”

  “I’m sure a lot of people are.” Alissa was still being a snot with her arms crossed.

  “Mom says if she had any of the stats that heroes are gifted, she’d tear The Morrigan a new one. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but I’m pretty sure it means my mom would get rid of that evil bitch.” She clasped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry I shouldn’t have said that word. Mom doesn’t like it when I swear.”

  Peregrine couldn’t help but laugh. The shock of hearing a word like that escape a kid’s mouth made him crack up. “It’s Ok. We won’t tell.” She looked genuinely relieved. “Can I ask you a question?” She nodded. “Have you been in the Irenic Realm longer than your mom?”

  “Yep, I was all alone when I got here. It was scary because I didn’t know anybody. I remembered Mom liked stories about knights and dragons, and I found Fiddler’s Green and stayed here, waiting for Mom to come. It took forever, but one day she was just here, and she picked me up and hugged me. We’ve been together ever since, just like on Earth. She says I died in a car accident, but I don’t remember it. I think she died in one—”

  “I hate to break up the fun,” Sandra said, putting a hand on Katie’s back. “The sun is setting and we need to get you three ready. Why don’t you take the dishes to the back, honey, and meet me outside so we can get you in your safe spot.”

  “OK, Mom,” Katie said, skipping away with the dishes.

  “Cute kid,” Wendell told Sandra.

  “She is. I lost her in a car accident. She was asleep in the backseat when it happened, which was a blessing. Her father, the drunk bastard, drove us into oncoming traffic. I couldn’t tell you what became of him, but Katie doesn’t remember that he existed. I hope she never does. Had to have been the nineteen fifties or sixties. I joined her a few years later … by my own methods.”

  “I’m sorry,” Peregrine said.

  “Don’t be.” Sandra ran a wet rag across the broken table. “Me and Katie are together, and that’s all I’ve ever needed. You three head outside and I’ll be there shortly to show you how we fight the werewolves. With you here, we might actually come out unscathed this time.”