Work Text:
It was a normal day, though the shop was getting rather empty. when I saw what would probably be the last customer of the day. It was a Serpentine. It stands away from the counter for roughly thirty seconds before walking up to me. "May I take your order?" I asked with my best customer service smile and voice.
"Uh, yess. I would like, hmm, a number… ssix. Pleassse and thank you." I turned and called the order. It took six minutes to complete the food, and one to put it in a bag. I held out the bag, "That will be 7.50"
"Here. Thank you," it reached out to take the bag, however a loud rumble drew our attention. I could easily see that just outside the sky had… changed, before I could investigate further another rumble shook the building. The customer yelped and ran towards the door.
"You forgot your meal," the words had barely left my mouth when light flooded the room.
The world slowly faded back to me. I was still in the restaurant, the customer as well. It took me far too long, sixty seconds, to realize that it was the terrain outside that has changed. No longer was there the city but instead there were tall trees and an unusual sickly green fog. I… should be able to tell where I am with this information, but I can't. “What is this place?” just a little more than a whisper.
“It… thiss looks like the ssswamps.”
“What? What swamps?”
“The swampss, where we… where the Venomari tomb wasss.”
"The Toxic Bogs"
"Yess"
This is not ideal. I will have to return to the city as fast as possible, it is still my shift after all. Wait. I am at the restaurant. I am still at work. I take another look around. Only the front counter is here, not the kitchen. But I am working the counter, so I should stay, but there is no need to work the counter if the kitchen is closed, but there is still a customer here, however it has already bought the food, but I
Rhaaawr
The roar shook the remaining foundation. "What was that?!"
"I don't know. We should find ssomewhere ssssafe. Follow me"
It left through the front door. I followed, bag in hand, as we began to traverse the land. There were knobby roots that surrounded the trees that were everywhere, covering what little space that wasn't filled with an unknown liquid - I should be able to tell what it is, I should be able to identify any substance, why can't I? There was no more roaring to be heard, instead, there was rustling of vegetation and the occasional snapping that didn't come from me stepping on twigs. We approached the edge of land and the customer, though now that it had paid and was outside it doesn't count as a customer anymore, walked through the surprisingly shallow liquid. I followed and we were almost halfway through when it froze. I stopped as well and looked around, had it noticed some danger I had not? It spun around to face me, eyes wide.
“I… you're fine?”
“I am in no immediate danger”
“You… aren't hurt by the asssid?”
“I did not know that this is acid. It most likely did not hurt me because I was built to last”
“Oh, uhm. We ssshould continue then.”