"Follow me and-" Nicole stops talking and turns towards Mary. "I completely forgot. I still have to teach him the basics, or else it might bite us in the ass later."

The wizard extends her hands, "Welcome to a Pocket Dimension. As you may have realized, this is not Earth."

No shit. The fact that the sky looks like a high-definition purple version of Van Gogh's Starry Night might have given it away. Or the fact that the building down the street is floating around a tower. A tower that happens to be a giant mushroom.

"I'm not giving you all the details; you can look it up on your own later. Speaking of that," Nicole hands me a slab of granite. "Your own Terminal, give me back my own." She orders.

I nod, and we exchange 'Terminals.' It's not like Nicole's was useful anymore since I couldn't buy anything from the Shop.

"And don't think I'm giving it to you for free. It would be weird if someone from the magical world doesn't have one of these." She says.

"So, you're just doing it to save your ass, understood. Do I also have to remind both of you that you blew up my home?" I snap back. She's wrong if she thinks that I'm going to give her anything. If Nicole's not happy with it, then I'll make her fall endlessly again.

"Fair point." She mumbles before heading down the street. "Let's go somewhere we can talk."

I nod while barely listening. This isn't a dream, is it? I was a normal office worker yesterday. Now I'm in another dimension while I follow a duo of wizards who blew up my home because I stole some Credits as compensation for almost killing me. And let's not forget MERTICORE that installed itself into my head.

Fuck me. I hope that there are drinks at the place where Nicole is leading our group.

Calling the streets busy would be an understatement. It's filled to the brim with people, to the point where I'm halfway convinced that the mages are using a spell to make our movements easier. The people themselves are also quite a sight. Most of them are normal-looking, albeit with a weird fashion sense. Some of them look like high-class businessmen, while others would not look out of place in a Dungeon and Dragons group. Some people look like those ancient martial artists in kung-fu movies.

My jaw drops yet again when I see a woman with two small horns on her head. I think she might not be a human being; if her red skin and fire-covered hair weren't already enough of a clue.

"Stop gawking," Mary elbows me in the ribs and pulls me towards her and her sister with a surprising amount of force. "Getting lost in there would be a death sentence for an idiot like you."

I would be pissed if- Scratch that, I'm pissed. But I'm not angry enough to antagonize the only lifeline I have in this strange new world. MERTICORE has shown that it is still limited. I have to gather MertiPoints as quickly as possible, so I'm not defenseless when I inevitably offend some magical idiot drunk on their ego.

So far, my impressions of the 'magical side of reality' are pretty mixed. Teleportation and magical spells are pretty cool. On the other hand, the terrible naming sense and the unhealthy obsession with laundry services are major red flags. Not to mention that mages seem to have problems behaving like adults. I guess it's the perfect example of absolute power absolutely corrupts. Hell, I only got MERTICORE for a day, and I'm already having delusions of grandeur. I can only imagine what being born with such capabilities would do to a young impressionable mind.

The ambient noise is a cacophony of people discussing things in strange languages, along with random screeches coming from even more random creatures. Now let's add sounds that would not be strange to hear in a machine shop for good measures. A nauseating mix of oil, cheap perfume, and grilled meat, fill the air. At least the noise dies down when we enter what looks like a typical dark alleyway.

Oh golly, I always wanted to be mugged by a generic fantasy bandit!

I might be a little sarcastic, but this scene looks like it came out of a fantasy story- I may have spoken too soon. The cramped shops with dozens of bright neon signs remind me more of seedy parts of Tokyo rather a fantasy world. The ancient-looking buildings clash with the modern signs in a way that is quite disconcerting. But I can safely assume that this Pocket Dimension has never heard of a building code since I did see several buildings, or portions of buildings, randomly floating in the air.

There was also that giant mushroom. That thing must be a nightmare to maintain, and-

"We're here," Nicole interrupts my musings about fungal construction as she enters a small, smoke-filled bar that has seen better days. Once again, the clash between modern and fantasy aesthetics is in full display. Most of the room looks like a typical tavern from an RPG, only slightly run down. But the shiny beer taps and the designer chairs tell a different story. I'm starting to believe that it must be a weird trend within the magical world.

"I'll have a Scotch," Nicole orders before turning towards me. "Do you want anything?"

"If you so generously invite me, I'll have a screwdriver," I say with a smile.

Nicole sighs, "I never said that- You know what, fine. If it helps to get you off my back. And the usual?" she says as she briefly glances towards Mary, who nods while staring at nothing in particular.

The redhead orders our drinks, and the ingredients start to float around. I can't help but be amazed as vodka and orange juice are swirling in the air, drawing complicated shapes before ending up in a glass. But Mary's order takes the cake. Hers doesn't look as fancy as mine, but the sheer amount of ingredients is impressive in itself. Various utensils arrange themselves into miniature assembly lines as various fruits are turned into a multi-colored smoothie.

"Alright," Nicole grabs her drink along with what her sister ordered, so I grab my glass as I follow the two women. I take a small sip of the rudimentary cocktail, and I am quite amazed by the taste. I don't know if it's the magic or the ingredients, but it's the best screwdriver I ever tasted!

I could see myself getting addicted to this. I sip my drink again as we sit at a black table made of what I think is some kind of stone.

"So," Nicole is the first to speak as she sips her drink. "The Agency will never find us here. It's way too busy for that. I bet you have some questions, so I'll answer for a bit. But don't push your luck, I'm already running out of patience."

Her displeasure couldn't be clearer. But I have to take this opportunity. "Don't worry. I don't want anything to do with you or your Agency."

"The feeling's mutual," Mary adds after gulping her overly-complicated drink.

You little shit. All of this is your fault in the first place! But I will not cause a commotion if I can avoid it. Maybe. "Let's begin with the basics. Where the fuck are we, and what is this place?"

Nicole hides her face in her palm and takes a deep breath, "You don't know anything, do you?"

"Like I said, concussion-induced amnesia. Caused by that angry demon over here." I answer back. It's not my fault that you dragged me into this. Well, I didn't have to investigate that lab in the first place. But they shouldn't have messed with my perception.

"Do you want to die, punk?" Mary glares at me as large veins pop out of her forehead.

"Calm down," Nicole says. "This clusterfuck will soon be behind us." She then turns her head towards me, "To put it simply, this is a Pocket Dimension. Think of it as a really small universe. This one is simply called the DimShop. It's one of the numerous trading dimensions."

Oh, I get it! DimShop for Dimensional Shopping. I think one of my life goals will be to punch whoever is responsible for naming things.

"There are way too many people here. And there are strange ones too." I say as I recall the woman with literal fire on her head.

"Parallel universes, alternate dimensions or simply other species. Call them aliens if you want, but some are offended by the term. Look it up in your own time. I don't want to explain everything." Nicole's reply makes me clench my fist. I know the only thing stopping her from blasting me or enslaving me to earn back the Credits I stole is my fake blackmail.

There's also MERTICORE, but I have my doubts about its efficacy. Nicole's Agency doesn't care or doesn't have the reach to control what's going on in this place. We could fight it out, but I don't think that's a battle I can win. And that's if she's not lying.

"Okay, then what is your Agency? What does it do?" I ask.

"If only we noticed before. We could have erased your memories, and all this shit would not have happened." Nicole grumbles.

"If you didn't try to fucking disintegrate me as soon as we met, then things might have gone differently. It's not my problem that you both have anger management issues." I say with a forced smile. The tension between the three of us is palpable. The sisters are glaring at me as I finish my drink and look around. Not one of the weird patrons of the bar pays attention to us. They are too busy with their drinks that makes Mary's order look like a regular glass of water.

"You bastard," Nicole grits her teeth. "It was all your damn fault! Who the hell just barges into an active Veil!" she explodes.

"Waah, I have to act like a reasonable adult! Waah, I can't just burn down houses without consequences!" I say in my best high-pitched voice. My fake crying makes Nicole slam her fist into the table.

"You piece of shit!" she erupts as energy gathers at her fingertips.

I raise an eyebrow, "Are you sure about this?" We glare at each other; our standoff is interrupted by Mary slamming her glass on the table.

"Nicole, why don't we disintegrate him?" Mary asks.

"Too many witnesses," Nicole growls as she sits back. "Even the DimShop has limits, and making the Agency more uppity is not going to go well for us. Now, to answer your question," Nicole spits outs, "The Agency is a sort of law enforcement for a couple of regions of the magical world. We operate mainly in certain areas of Earth." The woman then cracks her neck. "And that's all you'll get out of me. Now tell me your name and who you're working for, and we'll be on our way."

"Why would I give you my name? You said it yourself. You are not going to mention me to your Agency." I ask with a raised eyebrow. I'm not giving anything to those lunatics. Burning my house down once is one time too many.

"Fuck you." Nicole simply says as she gets up and leaves the bar.

"Please die quickly," Mary says before following her sister.

These two are always so charming. I take a deep breath once they leave the bar and lean back.

What the hell have I gotten myself into? Multiple magical sentient species was already pushing it, but now there's parallel universes and pocket dimensions. I realize how silly I was when I first discovered the magical world; what I had seen so far was only the very tip of the iceberg.

I let out another sigh, what am I supposed to do now? I don't have any Credits and- Wait a minute. How do I even get out of here? I don't know how to operate the Gates to get back home, and I also don't have a card. My heart beats faster as I realize that this might have been a very elaborate trap to seal me in an unknown dimension to get rid of me.

"The little shits!" I mutter as I crack my neck and leave the bar. The entirety of the DimShop seems to be constantly busy and filled with people, and I keep bumping into people now that I don't have the magical help of the sisters. I stomp the ground, causing a few concerned passersby to avoid me. It doesn't mean much since I only have a couple of centimeters of breathing room because the streets are that densely packed, but it's better than nothing. I contain another outburst and look around, but I can't find the sisters anywhere.

That was their plan all along. The two bastards probably thought that I would rot here! I clench my fists and crack my neck; I'll make sure to repay them tenfold if I ever see them again. I head towards the plaza with the giant mushroom, I need a plan if I want to get out of here, and even survive the day. I have no Credits, and I don't know what's edible or not. I wouldn't want to accidentally order a hamburger made of Phoenix meat and burst into flames because I couldn't handle the power or some other esoteric bullshit.

"Fucking hell," I can't help but grumble as I do my best to wade through the massive amount of people.

"@#!%" an eerie voice reaches my ears as soon as something makes my eyes water. A purple cloud floats near me and waggles its gaseous finger at me while bombarding me with what I assume are insults because I accidentally walked through it. As if it wasn't enough, I have to find a way to understand the languages spoken here. I won't get far if I can't communicate with anyone.

I shrug and evade the gaze of the floating cloud as I hurry through the crowd. The more I analyze the situation, the more hopeless it feels. What if I'm trapped here forever? Will I die of starvation? I doubt I can upgrade MERTICORE enough to teleport home. I wouldn't know how to go back to Earth even if I somehow stumbled into a mine of Mana Crystals.

It's with these nice and happy thoughts that I reach the plaza with the eye-catching mushroom.