Thea's 'blessing' would only start working after a few hours, or so she said. Elliott wanted to inquire further about her questionable benediction methods, the Goat Lady however claims all that she did was 'absolutely needed'.

He also didn't really like the idea of having the same done to his wife and kids on his back, but when he met up with them none looked particularly bothered or disturbed. As such, the level-headed family father reluctantly decided to let the matter go.

"But... are you really fine with what she did?" - back in his world, that kind of harassment would be grounds for legal action.

"What are you talking about Elliott? Just putting her palm over our forehead is nothing to get worked up over."

....that bitch.

From there, they decided to return to their homes for now. Due to the sudden change in enviroment and following acclimation, they hadn't had the mental energy to properly access the current state of their property and possessions.

With no electricity, what would happen with the food on their refrigerator? They made sure not to open it, opting to eat a bunch of snacks they had stashed away for dinner the previous night. It had been a day already and it was clear they wouldn't be getting energy back, so they'd have to quickly dispose of whatever was inside it.

Not like there was much in the first place, prices on meat, vegetables, eggs and dairy products were soaring. It was such a ridiculous situation they could buy 1 liter of soda for less than 1 liter of drinkable water. And since tap water wasn't safe to consume anymore, they decided to get a clay filter that could remove impurities and bacteria.

Arriving home, Elliott first went to check his mini-farm. There were plenty of vegetables, tea leaves and fruits that probably didn't exist in this world and could be seen as rare commodities. If he sold them, or provided them to the community restaurant he could gain some security for himself and his family.

Of course, thats all assuming he can keep growing them here. Maybe a consultation with the goddess is in hand.

From the yard he entered back into the house. His wife was in the living room, apparently gathering tools and equipments she judged could be useful here. Seeing things like cutlery and scissors laid out in a table made him realize how precious simple gadgets like those actually are, the wonder behind a glass bottle or a box that can be tightly closed. Were there equivalents in this world? Were they as good? Most likely not.

He does remember Thea commenting, with his wife, on the transparent plastic bottles the family was carrying. Seemed curious, fascinated by them.

A snort almost came out from Elliott's mouth, the vision of a country bumpkin goddess fiddling around with a spoon played inside his mind. Yet there he was, gaping at giant insect creatures and slimes just strodding around leading on their lives, a sight he couldn't imagine himself getting used to, but probably would anyway. His appearence back then must've looked ten times more comical than whatever expression Thea could ever show him.

Elliott proceeded to a separate, secluded room. He opened the door and instinctively reached for the light switch. Naturally no lights turned on. Feeling somewhat stupid he went on to check the things inside.

Multiple computers, videogames, HDDs, a personal server, even magnetic tapes. All designed to store and run the few wonders left in his old world: games, movies, animes, cartoons, books, comics and manga. At least the ones from before entertainment became a tool of propaganda for governments and parties, most made illegal for containing "dangerous ideas", for daring to suggest different ways of life from the ones they were being forced to lead. Lives away from politicism, tight leashes and rigtheous causes.

All useless now. After all the trouble he went to save them, to preserve them, the only thing left were lumps of useless metal.

They had a personal generator in the backyard, however very little fuel to actually feed it. Perhaps half a day at most. The small period of rejoicing it would give them wouldn't be worth spending the last remnants of gasoline.

No, he refused to let it end it like that. Elliott made a mental note to try and reclaim the power of electrical energy, no matter how long it would take. Meanwhile he'd make sure to maintain his prized collection as well as he could as is.

And there was one other thing he knew he had to maintain. His guns.

A double-barreled shotgun and a revolver. There was still plenty of ammunition left, but its very likely those were the only of its kind here. Those guns would be his trump card in case things ever went awry, as well as a bastion of defense for his home.

Of course he didn't knew how effective they would be against unknow interdimensional creatures, but metal pebbles traveling at ridiculously high speeds should be able to achieve some result.

Closing the door to his treasure lair, Elliott finds his daughter playing with the plushie. The vessel, according to Thea.

Elliottete held the plushie in her arms... and spoke to it. A few days ago, merely an innocent act of a child, but considering what Goat Lady told Elliott, it now gave him the chills.

He approached them, wondering if it was really ok to let such a thing be strung around by a kid. The girl noticed her father.

"Dad! Dad! Nami said she wants buhze!"

"...booze? As in a beer or wine?"

Nami was the name his daughter had given the toy, and apparently that toy now was telling him to bring her alchool. The fact Elliott didn't question if it was actually the toy speaking perfectly demonstrated their current situation.

Unfortunately they didn't brought any booze with them to this world, their stocks had run out. He used to dabble in beer brewing and other home-made alchoolic beverages it in the past... before it was made illegal to do so without a license. To get that would require him to essentially build a factory and go through constant inspections, inspections that didn't really assure any quality and were guaranteed to fail for one without the right connections.

Not that he cared much about what was legal or not at that point, but getting the necessary ingredients became too expensive and troublesome for someone unlicensed.

Thinking about it made him crave a cold one.

It was getting late, but there should still be enough time to go back to the village and have a taste of the local drinks.

"Elliott, are you going out?" - his wive stopped him.

"Yeah, I'm thinking of grabbing something at the community restaurant. Do you want to come?"

"Oh no, i still have some things left to do here, and the kids seem tired... i just want you to give this to Ms. Thea."

Elliotte passed him an egg carton with twelve eggs. It was the last of animal protein they had. Real one that is, not the artificial mysterious meat they sold in cans. Those tasted like crap but admittedly could be stored for much longer than natural eggs.

Now that they knew they could get food here in the island, they weren't as worried about hogging left-over resources, and his wife decided giving away some of the perishable stuff as gifts would be a better use of them.

"Ok i'm going then"

"Have a safe trip!"

"Bye dad! Don't forget to bring buhze to Nami!"

==//==

When entering the village, the first thing Elliott noticed was the chatter. About their day, about food, about something they saw, about something they're working on... and some about him.

Seems Thea's blessing really did work as she proclaimed, regardless of the extra piece of harassment added to his.

He entered the family restaurant and was immediatly greeted by the Fairy. Now that he thought about it, they were able to communicate properly with her even before being 'blessed'. She must've been similar to Thea in some ways.

"H-H-Hell-lo Sirrr Elloyt!"

Well, almost properly that is.

"Hello... uh... Ms. Albatroz?"

"I-I-I-Its A-A-Abamonis s-siri!"

"Oh, sorry about that... have you seen Thea?"

"Eh!? A-Ah.... S-She's right over thuere."

He looked at the corner, spotting a lady with horns sitting at a table, already staring back at him while sporting a grin. Part of him felt like throwing the eggs in his hand at that face, but Elliott decided to be an adult about it.

"Thanks"

"Y-Y-Your vewry welc-c-come!"

He went over the table while holding himself back.

"Hello Mr. Elliott, I assume your blessing is already taking effect?"

Don't throw the box at her. Don't throw the box at her. Don't throw the box at her.

"Yes... and i also brought some gifts... from my wife."

She dropped the grin and looked at his hand with a curious face. Elliott opened the carton and showed her the contents. He noticed Thea's eyes widened a little.

"Are those...."

"They're chicken eggs, an animal from our world. You can fry them, boil them, do all sorts of dishes... we figured you and other people here might appreciate the chance of tasting other worldly food."

There were probably other types of eggs here, but he doubted there would be any chickens, at least he didn't saw any.

"Eggs huh... say, is this staple food in your world?"

"Huh? Yeah, i guess so."

Or at least it was at some point, before everything became hellish.

"I see, i assume you can raise these chickens and have them produce more eggs in a decent amount, isn't that right?"

"Indeed. But these eggs aren't fertilized, nothing will be born out of them if thats what you're thinking."

"Its ok, as long as they're eggs... anyway, they're an offering to me, correct?"

"Yes" - despite her choice of words.

"Ok, i'll gladly take them." - Thea said with a smile, receiving the carton.

"Right. Say Thea, do you serve any drinks here?"

"Drinks...? Sorry, we only serve water and tea. If you want juice you'll have to make it yourself, it wastes too many fruits and is troublesome to squeeze them all."

"Oh no, i mean alchoolic drinks, liquor, beer. Erm... fermented fruits or grains."

Thea looked at him with an intrigued expression, slightly cocking her head to the side.

"Are those beverages from your world....? I don't think we have those here."

Seems they don't have alchool culture here... thats not good. Elliott wasn't into alchoolism but he still craved a cold beer every now and then.

No, thats really bad. There are things he never wanted to give up no matter how bad things got, and this was one of them. He couldn't help but feel sitting in bar on a saturday night, drinking some liquor was one of the things that kept him human.

"AH! I think Urso makes something like that in his home, i remember him showing it to me once, but... do you really enjoy drinking that stinky stuff?"

"Its not stinky! Its the quencher of the soul!"

"Huhh, you can always go see Urso, i think he'd appreciate you sharing his excitement over it."

"Will do!"

Elliott dashed out of the restaurant in hasty steps. However - 'great, another fish maniac' - he couldn't help but hear the murmur from Thea's mouth.

Once outside, it didn't take long to spot the big walking bear. Mr. Urso.

"Excuse me! Mr. Urso right?"

The giant bear turned towards Elliott.

"BEEEEEEEAAAAAAR"

"Uh.... Mr. Urso?"

Did the blessing stop working?

"BEEEEEAAAAAR.....? BEEEAA - ah! - *ahem* hello... Mr. Elliott i believe? I see you already received Ms. Thea's blessing. How may i help you?"

"......."

What.

"Forgive me for my frolics. Now, i assume you needed me?"

.....what.

The bear spoke in a dignified tone while keeping his han- his pawns on his back.

No, what the hell was that at the beginning?

"....i hear you make alchoolic beverages, i wanted to ask you about it."

The bear's whole demeanor changed. Now he stared at Elliott as if he were looking at prey.

"A fellow drinker!? Finally! No one in this whole archipelago seems to appreciate the wonders of rivin!"

"Rivin...?"

"Oh, it must be somewhat different from the one in your world. But i'm sure it is the same in spirit! Come with me, I can't wait to finally share a drink after all this time!"

Elliott followed the excited bear to his house.

Strotting through the city, strange creatures leading on their lives, but slowly they were moving away from it all. Urso walked with a very satisfied gait all the while.

On the distance, two small simple wooden huts could be seen. One closer to the trampled path, another to the border of forest.

In that moment, a bad feeling crept into Elliott's gut. And it wasn't just because of a premonition.

A fishy, rotting smell.

"This way Mr. Elliott. Ahhhh, doesn't this smell relax your muscles and mind? It smells like the end of a hard's day work."

Urso took him to the hut by the forest, and the closer they got the stronger the smell. Naturally Elliott already understood by that point that, whatever this was, it wasn't whiskey.

He considered a tactical retreat, unfortunately morbid curiosity kept him in going.

The bear removed the wooden planks that held the door in place and pulled the wooden frame, revealing the insides of the hut.

And with it, the rest of the contained stench. Elliott could barely hold in a retch.

Urso picked up a "cup" - it was actually just half the shell of some coconut-like fruit he would sometimes see around - and opened one of the wooden containers.

He ominously dipped the shell on the container, filling the make-shift cup with something, then held it with both paws in front of Elliott.

What is this? Some bear-man ritual from his world?

"What are you waiting for Mr. Elliott? Take it."

It was hard to tell with the bear face, but there definitely was an innocent smile somewhere in that long snout.

Elliott slowly reached out and picked up the cup from his paws, now holding it in front of him. A semi-transparent liquid he couldn't quite make out the color of reflected the blue cloud-less sky above him, and in the middle a shadow, his head. By that point his nostrils had already tuned out the pungent stink.

There was only one sensible choice to make here.

"Sorry Mr. Urso, this wasn't what i was looking for."

"Ohhh.... well, i guessed as much."

The disappointment was almost palpable. His lonely paws reached to the cup in Elliott's hands and took it back, cradling it close to his chest. After a while in silence, he took a sip of it.

"I mean, i'm not a fool Mr. Elliott, even i could tell your reluctance as we got closer to the deposit. It was the same for them all."

He took another sip, still keeping his gaze down.

"Still, i decided to held my hopes up in the off-chance my senses were playing tricks on me."

The bear finally looked forward, into Elliott's eyes. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty by his clear refusal. But it was simply impossible.

It was impossible.

"...i must admit however i'm still intrigued, you were the first to mention alchool at all. The rest was just curious about the strange beverage i was making. I assume your world has something similar."

Elliott pondered for a bit and decided to ask something that was eating away at him.

"Say, this is made from fish right?" - the smell made that much obvious - "But how does this have any alchool then? You need sugars to produce it, fruits, wheat, potatoes... and yeast too."

Pure yeast wasn't completely necessary as some ingredients could naturally produce it during the alchool-making process, but it did help, and also expanded the repertory of alchoolic beverages that could be made.

Elliott remember reading it was possible to get yeast from sea algae, still, one couldn't make alchool without a source of glucose.

"Indeed it as you say Mr. Elliott. Part of the procedure requires the use of some berries i found here in the island. They work as great substitutes for what we had back home."

Wait.

"...have you ever tried making booze from these fruits alone?"

"Oh... i know what you're refering to. Unfortunately the results aren't really drinkable. At most can be use as seasoning."

Is it a difference in tastes from species to species? No, that didn't matter, Elliott was happy if he could make alchool just to himself and his wife, also his kids when they got older.

The family father now knew one of the next steps he had to take, at least for now.

"Where can i find these berries, Mr. Urso?"

Elliott explained to the bear how humans would normally drink the fermented berry juice directly. Urso twisted his beak a bit, probably like a person from his world would if he were to hear about someone drinking soy sauce or olive oil straight from the bottle.

Afterwards Elliott explained how they produced alchool in his world. They were able to conclude both the process he and Urso's were familiar with were similar, except in Urso's world they threw salmon or other fish during fermentation and ageing stages.

Out of curiosity, Elliott asked if he had any 'berry sauce' available, and as a matter of fact, he did. However...

"Ugh, what is this...?"

"As i said, it isn't for drinking. But it goes very well with grilled fish and salad!"

It was like drinking moldy vinegar, if having the two in the same space was even possible. Still, should be miles better than that fishy rivin bear-drink.

He also sampled the berry in question. A small round greenish-bluish ball. It tasted like a mix of orange with grapes, it tasted good. Maybe there was something wrong with the way Urso made this 'sauce,' for it not to become at least some form of cheap wine.

Seems it was time for Elliott to take matters into his own hands.

It was getting late, the sun was setting, but Urso was generous enough to share some of the berries he had in stock - named them 'huas', paying homage to the berries they normally used back in his home.

Despite the disappointment in not being able to share a cup of 'rivin' with someone after so long, he still seemed curious about the beverages Elliott kept talking about. So he went along with his plans to make some himself.

Bidding farewell to the surprisingly welcoming and pleasant bear, he made his way home while carrying a wooden box, containing around a kilo of 'huas'.

This would be a side-project that would take a while to get going. And even if it ends up with no one liking the drink, it would still be a good hobby to have in a place without entertainment like this.

==//==

Thea

Sitting leisurely at the porch of the community restaurant, a goddess slowly sipped some tea. She started experimenting on the eggs she had received as an offering earlier, but decided to come back for a quick tea break.

And also to receive a certain bear, just in time.

"Seems you didn't get a drinking partner after all. Here, i'll accompany you a bit."

The downcast bear carried a coconut-like shell in his hands, except instead of it being cut in half like the one he presented Elliott, this one was whole, with a small opening on top. It was meant to carry liquids around with more ease.

"Yeah. No success this time either. Yet..." - he sat down besides Thea, probably expecting to find her here - "...he knew about brewing and fermentation, maybe there is some hope. Even if its with a different drink, carrying the same soul as this one." - he said beckoning with his snout to his hands.

"Why not just have each drink their own prefered thing? There isn't even any guarantee you'll like whatever it is he plans to make."

"It isn't the same. Sharing a drink from the same bottle carries meaning you know. Like sharing the same food." - he took a sip from his make-shift container, rivin pouring down his throat - "Why do you think i still come to eat here despite catching and making my own food?"

"Because you're always hungry anyway?"

"Ha." - he played with the shell in his hand - "Well, i can't deny its in my nature to just eat as much as i can. Especially during winter."

"And? What did you think of our new resident? Of the 'human', right?"

"..."

"Didn't you say there were humans back in your world? Should've been quite nostalgic for you."

"...he's quite different from the humans i'm familiar with. Those were, well, just animals. A type of monkey that was really good at using tools. Seeing one acting and talking like a bear would've felt rather bizarre, hadn't i grow too used to the weird things here to care..."

He took another sip.

"Well, apart from that, he's nice i think. Seems eager to do and understand things. Good qualities to have. Doubt he'd give us trouble."

"Hmm...."

"You don't think so?"

"Well.... its as you say. Same for the rest of his family. Good folk. Its just that...."

She paused, thinking of the correct words to say next.

"I think the circunstances behind his transportation here are abnormal."

"Even if you say this, for ordinary people like us, slipping into another dimension is plenty abnormal already."

"But an entire house!? We've never seen this before, at most clothes on their bodies and some carried objects. Also, that vessel...."

"Vessel?"

"...I think some higher god might be involved in his transference here."

"Do you believe Elliott to be somebody important? Maybe a hero on a divine quest." - the bear said, half in jest.

"As if! Celestial beings are far too whimsical. And so are their creations! The fun ones at least."

"What about the un-fun ones?"

"Just boring things that aren't any better than a golem. Even worse in fact, at least golems have the excuse of not possessing any consciousness or sense of self.

"I know plenty of stories of gods trying to have their creations - the fun creations i mean, not explicitly designed to follow celestial orders - complete some sort of mission, to steer their world towards something more desirable .

"It never goes the way the fools wanted. These 'chosen ones', these heroes, they would always screw up in some form, or straight up rebel against their creators."

"And what about our human then?"

Thea shrugged.

"Beats me. There are other indirect ways to steer worlds besides directly asking its inhabitants. There might not even be any reason at all for his coming here, just a whim as i said."

Thea looked towards the village and sipped her now colder tea.

"What i can tell with certainty however, is that someone big is involved."

Urso observer the goddess side-profile, doubts swirling around in his mind. Whenever Thea talked about the realm of gods and celestials, something would bug him.

"You don't sound like a goddess at all you know."

"...is that heresy i hear?"

"Perhaps" - he gulped down some more fishy booze - "You speak of other gods as if they were above you. Such attitude wouldn't exactly inspire confidence in any believer."

"I'm a minor goddess, there's no shame in that. And sometimes, that kind of god is exactly what mortals need."

"A god that sits on a porch, drinking tea, observing the streets, mocking their superiors?"

"Perhaps." - Thea grinned.

"Would that god be willing to share a drink with this mortal then?" - Urso said, holding out the rivin container to her.

"I refuse."

"Bah! Suit yourself!" - he proclaimed, drinking the rest of the beverage in several gulps.

That night, life on Tampan proceeded as normal. With many retiring to their houses for the day while other, more nocturne creatures, went out to do what they had to in order to live another day.

All was normal, as it should. Maybe except for one certain guy, living thirty minutes away from it all, excitedly playing around with berries, pressers and old galons under the bright full-mooned night sky, his heart filled with hopes for the future for the first time after far too long.