Waking up in Another World

Chapter 6: Reunion

Celine's POV

"C-Chubby?!" gulat na ani ko habang nanlalaki ang mata. The cat in front of me meowed as if he just agreed with me.

I can't be mistaken, I know him very well. The way he behaves and his beautiful jade eyes tells me that he is indeed Chubby. Yon ang palatandaan ko kase sa kanya, yung sobrang ganda niyang mata na nakinang pa kapag madilim. That's why when I first met him, I already felt the urge to keep him.

"N-No way... seryoso ba yan?" ani ko na inalog alog pa siya. Chubby just purred and he licked his paws. Ibinaba ko ito sa lap ko at saka tinitigan.

"Oh my goodness, seryoso talaga?" tanong ko pa. I know I look stupid but, nandito ba talaga siya?

He purred and he laid on my lap. Shocks, namiss ko siya.

I petted his soft fur while giving him a bread. Gutom na din siguro siya.

But how did he get here? di ba nasa ibang mundo ako?

Wait, what if illusion lang pala lahat? charot lang, nasaksak at natuklaw na nga ako may illusion pa akong nalalaman.

I wanted to ask him how did he get here but that would be too dumb. They doesn't even understand our language, well sometimes they can but they can't speak it, so asking him would be pointless.

Bigla tuloy akong natuwa, oh my gosh, ibig sabihin may kasama na ako. Di na ako maglalakbay ng mag-isa. Just by thinking that, bigla tuloy akong ginanahan. Parang kaya ko nang umakyat sa Mt. Everest, charot.

"Gutom ka pa? here, you can have half of it. Pero di ko ibibigay sayo lahat kasi gutom din ako" sabi ko pa kay Chubby.

Siguro iisipin ng makakakita sakin na sobrang weird ko pero sanay na ako eh. I don't know why but when you have a pet, you also get the habit of talking to them even though they can't understand it. Lalo na kung medyo attached ka sa pet mo hehe.

I stroked his fur once again and I can feel that he slept. Tinignan ko din ang mukha niya at nakapikit lang siya, hehe, ang cute talaga niya.

I gently lifted him up, at saka ko siya dinala pabalik sa bahay ni Sam. Besides, it's already dark.

I knocked on her door 3 times and I shouted, "Uhmmm, hi, it's me Celine"

The door opened and she smiled. Naka-apron pa siya at may hawak na sandok.

"Your timing is perfect, the dinner is already ready"

Itinaas ko ng kaunti si Chubby para makita ni Sam at tinignan ako nito ng nanlalaki ang mata, "Oh my gosh! ang cute, pedeng pahawak?" she asked.

"Sure!" I nodded and handed her Chubby. Medyo nagising pa si Chubby but he closed his eyes again after Sam got hold of him.

Sam gently caressed his fur and she giggled, "Anlambot! hihi"

Pumasok na kami sa bahay niya at dumiretso sa kusina. Napatingin ako sa lamesa at nakaready na nga don ang pagkain, shocks, ambango... nagutom tuloy ulit ako.

"I'll put him here first" paalam pa niya bago niya ipinatong sa isang upuan si Chubby.

Kumuha na kami ng kakainin namin at saka ako umupo sa upuan malapit sa lamesa.

"By the way, where did you found him?"

"At the plaza" I answered after eating.

"Do you want to keep him?" she asked. Napatingin ako sa kanya at saka ako ngumiti.

"I've already kept him"

She looked at me confusely while eating, even though she didn't said anything, her expression tells me the words 'Can you please elaborate it?' that's why I drank a glass of water then continued.

"Chubby was my pet even before I got here"

"What? are you serious? th-then how did he get here?!" nanlalaking mata na ani niya.

"That question is also bugging me. I don't know how did I get here nor how Chubby get here. Are we abducted that night? I don't really know. Besides, I can't ask Chubby because he can't talk" I said then laughed.

A moment of silence passed and we just stared at Chubby. He looks peaceful when sleeping, and his whiskers are slightly moving which made him look cuter.

"So what do you plan? will you bring him with you in your journey?" she suddenly asked.

"Yeah, I can't just leave him here. After all, he's my responsibility since I'm his owner"

"You can leave him with me. I promise to take care of him when you get back" she suggested.

I looked at her and thought about it for a second, should I just leave him here?

No, I can't. I don't know why but I also feel safer when he's around, besides di mapapanatag ang loob ko hangga't di ko siya kasama.

"I'm sorry but I think I'll bring him with me. I can't afford to be far away from him again" I said and awkwardly smile.

"It's fine besides I also think that he's eager to be with you. Oo nga pala, I have something that is very important to tell you" she said in a serious tone. The mood suddenly changed and I stared at her confusely.

"What is it?"

"Always remember that if anyone asked where you came from, say that you came from the town of Rigella"

My eyebrows creased and I looked at her confusely, "Why?"

"Every empires consider each other as enemies. Of course, that applies to the citizens too. Kapag nalaman nila na di ka galing or nagmula dito sa Eclein Empire, the people living under the Eclein Empire will try getting rid of you because they think that you will pose a threat since you came from an unkown place, which for them is on other empires"

"But... why didn't you get rid of me?" I curiously asked. She abruptly stopped talking and she just stared at me. I also looked at her in the eye and she just shook her head and smiled.

"Wag kang magagalit ah? but actually, I've thought that you're my enemy"

"But why did you still let me in?"

"It's because I felt your sincerity. Yes, I have doubts pero nangingibabaw sa akin ang paniniwala na you're telling the truth. I know it might sound weird but the moment that you entered my house, I felt that you're a trustworthy person and that's exactly why upon hearing where you came from, I decided to trust my guts in believing that you're telling the truth"

A moment of silence passed and we just stared at each other. I don't know what to do or respond since I didn't expected her answer. S-She's trusting me?

"Going back to the topic, promise me that you won't tell anyone where you came from"

"Uhmmm, but I already told someone, hehe" I muttered as I remembered saying where I came from to Tita Mira and Monica.

"Madami ba sila?" she asked.

"Nope, there's just two of them" wait lang, di ba parang sinabi ko din yun kay Aling Cera? the elf whom I talked to when I woke up in here. But I didn't exactly said that I came from there, I just asked if what part of Philippines is Rigella located, so I guess that's not counted?

"And they didn't reported or tried getting rid of you?"

"Yup, in fact they let me stayed in their house. They even fed me and they're also the ones who gave me this outfit"

"I see... I think it will be fine but of course you still have to be cautious about it. Besides, we don't know who's an enemy or not" she said and smiled.

The kitchen went silent and all we can hear is just the sound created by the utensils when hitting the plate.

I also silently ate and thought about it. Now that she said that, it made me realize that she's quite right. If all empires actually treat each other as enemies, the citizens would also do the same.

Maigi nalang di ko masyadong naipagkalat kung saan ako nanggaling. Bigla akong kinabahan kanina ng marinig kong kapag nalaman eh papatayin ako. Shocks, grabe naman yung papatayin. I didn't know they can be that cruel.

Well, sabagay baka nga naman spy yon kaya nila papatayin. Para di na maireport dun sa pinanggalingang empire pero anyway, I'll try being careful about that from now on.

"Oo nga pala, hehe, can I ask you a question? I hope you don't mind" I said and looked at Sam.

"Sure, go ahead..." she said while chewing.

"Uhmm, how do you get money?" I hope she doesn't misunderstand it, baka kasi isipin niya naiisip ko na kinukuha niya ang pera niya sa masamang paraan, charot.

She swallowed the food that she's chewing and she looked at me, "Why did you asked?"

"Hehe, kasi di ba magtatravel ako? and of course, I need money to eat and find a shelter. So I want to know how to earn money in here"

Tumango tango siya at saka niya ipinag-krus ang mga braso niya, "Actually, you can earn money here in different ways. Pwede kang magtinda ng goods at merchandise, but that option isn't suitable for you since I don't think you have anything with you that you can sell. The most easiest way that I can recommend you is by doing a favor"

"A favor?"

"Yup! parang mission/ quest kumbaga. Meron kasing mga elderly sa iba't ibang village na nangangailangan ng medicinal herb for example, tapos siyempre nasa forest pa yon. Siyempre alangan namang sila pa mismo mangolekta, kaya umuutos nalang sila sa iba especially sa mga adventurers. Bale nasa sayo kung tatanggapin mo pero kukuha kalang ng mga pinapakuha nila tapos kapag naibigay mo na sa kanila eh bibigyan ka nila ng reward, kaso di ko lang sure kung magkano yung tip, the price varies depending on how hard the favor is"

Napatango ako at saka napatingin sa kanya, "So? natanggap ka din ng mga ganon?" I asked.

She laughed and shook her head, "Hindi, HAHAHHAHAHA tinatamad kasi ako. I've also experienced that one time. Pinakuha sakin eh mula pa sa isang mountain, tapos ang bigay lang sakin eh 15 pounds. Like, duh? sayang pagod ko non, kung alam ko lang dapat siya nalang kumuha non"

"So sila ang magdedesisyon kung magkano ibabayad sayo?" she nodded and I continued, "Bakit di mo muna tinanong kung magkano ang ibabayad niya?"

"I've thought of that but that sounds rude. Dito kasi nakasanayan na service muna bago bayad, at di mo dapat itatanong kung magkano kasi mukha kang pera pag ganon"

What? ang kapal naman ng mukha nila. Kung papaakyatin nila ako sa Mt. Everest tapos kinse lang ibabayad nila sakin, try lang nila isasampal ko sa kanila yon.

"Pero ano ang ginagawa mo para kumita ng pera ngayon?"

"I'm a healer here in Norbury Village. Dinadala sakin yung mga may sakit tapos ang job ko eh gagamutin ko sila. The amount depends on the customer, but the average amount that I earn is 50-80 pounds"

"Gano kalaki yon?" I asked.

Her eyebrows creased and she looked at me confusely, "What do you mean? di mo din ba alam kung gaano kalaki ang 50-80 pounds?" she asked.

I nodded slowly, "Pesos lang ang alam kong currency, di pounds hehe"

"Pesos? I don't know an empire that has pesos as its' currency, weird... anyway, 50-80 pounds can already last for approximately a week kung matipid ka sa paggamit nito. As you can see, a kilo of apple costs 10 pounds and that's already 5-6 pieces. Usually, yung mga inns ay nagcocost lang ng 13 pounds kaso for a night lang yon. Pero meron namang mga inn na mababa lang ang bayad pero siyempre yung quality ay mababa din"

"So how can I know if someone is asking for a favor from a traveler?" I asked.

"That's a good question pero to be honest, mahirap silang hanapin since you need to ask other people first. For example, you can ask other villagers if they're giving a quest. Yung iba eh tatanggi tapos may iba naman na magdidirect sayo sa kakilala nila. Kasi yung iba eh may kilalang nagbibigay ng quest kaya kapag nagtanong ka, ituturo sayo kung saan. Tapos may instances din naman na yung tinanong mo ay nagbibigay talaga ng quest, bale chambahan lang but if I were you, you can ask those people who looks physically weak to narrow down your list. Sila kasi ang usually nagbibigay talaga ng quests kasi di nila kaya"

Napatango ako sa kanya at saka napanganga ng slight. Shocks, kailangan pala makipagsocialize. Maigi nalang medyo sanay akong kumausap ng di ko kilala kasi kung napaka-mahiyain ko dito baka namatay na ako kasi wala akong makukuhang pera.

After we're done eating, I volunteered to wash the dishes. Para naman may silbe ako kahit papaano. Napakapabigat ko dito eh, charot.

We also spent the night talking to each other and when we felt drowsy, we decided to go to sleep.

I hope everything will go smoothly tomorrow. Tsaka parang awa na, wag na naman sanang mapunta ang buhay ko sa bingit ng kamatayan, di pako ready.

To remove my worries, I decided to pray that night before I drifted into sleep.