NOVEL NEXT B2 - Chapter 24: "The Backdoor."
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Tuesday, October 4th, 2253 – 12:18 pm
The Mystical Menagerie
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Jeremiah pinned the cardboard sign to the shop's front door.
CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE — SEE YOU TOMORROW!
The black marker bled a little, but the letters were bold and clear. He hesitated, then added a small, hopeful sketch of a sleeping puppy in the margin. It felt right.
Sunlight glimmered down Market Street, heat shimmering on the paving stones. Jeremiah stepped back, squinting through the glass to make sure the message was visible. He pressed his palm flat against the door for a heartbeat, nerves prickling beneath his shirt.
Inside, the Menagerie was unusually still. The familiar bustle — bells, voices, the shuffle of customers — was replaced by the gentle purr of fans and the low thump of puppy tails against floorboards. Jeremiah knelt by the enclosure and lifted Tish and Tosh one by one, cradling their wriggling bodies as they yipped in protest.
"Sorry, you two. Special day today," he murmured, settling them into their pen with a blanket and a pile of chew toys. Tosh slumped in a heap, grumbling; Tish tried her luck with the latch, then flopped beside her brother with a resigned sigh.
Jeremiah straightened, rubbing the ache from his back, and made his way to the kitten enclosure. Sissy blinked up at him, all whiskers and quiet dignity. He slid the latch, letting the tortie queen slink out, her tail high. The kittens — a riot of fluff and blinking blue eyes — pressed at the mesh. Jeremiah double-checked the barriers. No gaps, all latches secured, nothing they could use to climb over the edge. The little explorers wouldn't escape on his watch, not today.
He detoured to Milo's cushion, scattering fresh kibble into the bowl and topping off the water dish. The old hound cracked one eye, then rolled over to present his belly, demanding a few seconds of ear rubs for services rendered.
"Hold the fort for me, all right?" Jeremiah whispered, knuckles brushing through velvet fur. Milo sighed, content, and settled in for his usual shift as the Menagerie's silent guardian.
The shop felt more his than ever in that moment — quiet, bright, brimming with possibility and the thrum of nerves. Jeremiah strode behind the counter, reaching for the battered backpack wedged beneath the register. He dusted it off, tracing the familiar scrape of neon green duct tape across one pocket. A week ago, he'd ditched this bag behind a dumpster near Jonny's place. It had taken a ten-credit bribe to Mani to retrieve it, but it was less than he would have paid for a new one.
He hefted the bag onto the counter and unzipped it, laying out the contents with practiced care. Billy watched from his bowl, tentacles draped languidly over the glass, golden eyes flickering with curiosity.
Inside, everything was in its place:
– a compact first-aid kit with a battered red cross;
– three days' worth of ration bars, each wrapped in silver foil and promising enough for a full meal;
– a black water bottle (filter-equipped, just in case);
– a palm-sized multitool, sharp and sturdy;
– roughly thirty feet of paracord, tightly wound on a spool;
– a small woodsman's axe;
– a pouch of emergency Beast Talismans he thought might come in handy;
– a neatly folded tent, its synthetic fabric shimmering with magic script — his one real splurge;
He checked each item, fingers lingering longest on the tent. He flipped open its status window, the interface flickering to life in the air:
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Sanctuary
Rank: F
Quality: Exquisite
Keywords: Shelter, Portable, Concealment
Description: A compact tent designed for modern adventurers. Weather-proof, fire-resistant, lightweight, and highly durable — resistant to damage from most mundane F Grade beasts. When set up and activated, it becomes nearly undetectable to any beast below E Grade.
System Note: "Sometimes the best defense is not being found at all."
Cost: 250 Marks
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Satisfied, Jeremiah repacked, stowing each item with care. The bag was heavier than he'd like, but light enough to manage with his increased stats. He glanced at Billy, who flicked a tentacle against the bowl, sending a ripple across the water.
A blue shimmer danced at the corner of Jeremiah's vision. Mero popped into view, arms folded, wings buzzing softly as he hovered above the counter.
"All set, shopkeep?" the fairy asked, tone casual but eyes sharp.
Jeremiah nodded, hitching the backpack over one shoulder.
Mero raised an eyebrow. "Ya sure ya don't want to bringing a weapon? The Testing Grounds are not just some park. You can get hurt, even now."
Jeremiah met his gaze, steady. "I know, I spent all night worrying myself sick about the matter. I could bring a spear, or even a gun, like the adventurers do. But without proper training, I'm just as likely to hurt myself with them as an attack. What's more, if I run into something I can't handle with my stats and skills, a pointy stick or a bullet isn't going to be much help. And I don't have the marks for proper specialized gear, anyway — not yet." He patted his jacket pocket, where the compact switchblade Mero had gifted him rested, its weight reassuring. "Besides, this is more dangerous than most of what I could find in the store anyway, and I've got one more trick up my sleeve."
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
"Oh?" Mero asked with a raised brow.
Jeremiah smirked, removed the Twin Boundaries from his breast pocket, and placed them on the table. Then, with a mental command, Jeremiah switched his Shopkeeper's Regalia for his Caretaker's Vestments. The elegant and stylish uniform was replaced by the rugged and padded caretaker's outfit. While the uniform wasn't technically armor, Jeremiah had already experienced first-hand how well it had protected him from a beast's claws and fangs.
What's more, despite having switched uniforms, the Twin Boundaries pens had remained on the table. Jeremiah picked them up and twirled them between his fingers, grinning.
Mero whistled. "Well now, that is interesting. Not sure that's how that's intended to work, though."
Jeremiah shrugged. "Why not? The Shopkeeper's Regalia didn't make the pens. They're still physical objects, it's just that the uniform has the ability to summon them."
Mero laughed. "Fair enough, kid." He then snapped his fingers.
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10 Marks rewarded for finding a [Minor] exploit.
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Jeremiah blinked, then grinned.
Mero flicked his gaze to Billy, who'd been following the exchange with bright, unblinking interest. "Are ya still taking Billy with you? That a good idea?"
Jeremiah smiled, softer this time. "Yeah. I could leave him with someone — Lewis or even Ulrick, maybe. But I don't want to get in the habit of pawning him off every time something comes up. I've barely spent any real time with him since the shop opened, and… well, after Maddie, I know he's more than capable of holding his own. He's my partner."
Mero hovered lower, considering. "Fair points, but lugging his bowl around the forest isn't the brightest idea."
Jeremiah grinned, already reaching into the side pocket of his bag. "Already ahead of you," He withdrew a slender oval strip of silver, its surface etched with a fish-scale pattern. He laid it on the counter, tapping to bring up the item's System details:
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Cradle of the Sky Fish
Rank: F
Quality: Exquisite
Keywords: Beast Armor, Adaptive, One-size-fits-all
Description: A versatile armor designed for aquatic companions. Once affixed, it generates a mobile bubble of water, drawn from ambient moisture or nearby sources, allowing aquatic beasts to move freely through air or terrain — up to 30 feet above ground. The bubble reacts to danger, hardening instantly against impacts or contaminants, providing robust F Grade protection. Lost water is replenished automatically from any available source or passively from the air.
System Note: "For those who yearn to swim where the sky begins."
Cost: 500 Marks
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Mero raised a brow. "Thought of everything, have ya?" he asked, half joking.
Jeremiah chuckled. "Hardly. I'm sure there's thing I've not even thought about or considered yet. But I could spend days worrying about what-ifs or trying to plan for every contingency. And this trip could still throw a curve ball at me I didn't see coming." He paused and looked out the window. "Maybe that's foolish. But I can't keep being afraid anymore. Sometimes, you just have to… wing it." Jeremiah smirked. That wasn't to say he was going to be reckless, but there was only so much he could prepare for without the experience to back it up. It helped that the Testing Grounds sounded more… controlled than the Outer Wilds. At least the way Mero explained it.
Billy peered out of his bowl, curiosity and anticipation shining in his eyes. Jeremiah gently cupped the kraken in his palms, the little creature's tentacles curling around his fingers. Billy poked at the Cradle with a tentacle, obviously curious. Jeremiah grinned, then pressed the Cradle to the back of Billy's mantle. As the silver strip touched skin, a spray of hair-fine filaments extended, wrapping delicately around the kraken's sleek body.
Billy shivered, and then the strip seemed to meld into his skin, leaving a single silver streak marking his speckled mantle. A pulse flickered. Instantly, the water in Billy's bowl swelled upward, rising in a perfect orb to envelop him. The orb floated free, shimmering with iridescent color, and Billy zipped out of Jeremiah's hands, whirling once around his head with a delighted chitter, then shot off to explore the store from his new perspective.
The bubble drifted up, catching the light as Billy darted through the air, looping and spinning across the empty shop. He crashed gently into a bookshelf, bounced, and zipped back, his joy radiating through their bond — pure and infectious.
Jeremiah laughed, tension melting from his shoulders. Mero watched, lips twitching, a spark of real approval in his eyes.
"Well, that's a sight. Maybe you'll be all right after all, Jerry-boy."
Jeremiah shouldered his pack, giving the shop one last look — the animals settled, the counter clean, the late sun painting gold across the tiles — then turned toward Mero.
"So, what next?" he asked. "Another trip through the black void?" Jeremiah paled slightly at the memory of his last visit to the Testing Grounds. Or at least the bits he could remember.
Mero laughed and shook his head. "No need for that. I pulled some strings for ya, kid." He then turned and floated toward the stairs to the second floor of the store.
Jeremiah raised an eyebrow and followed after.
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Jeremiah's boots made almost no sound on the old pine floorboards as he followed Mero down the second-floor hallway. Even so, the hush felt heavy, thick with dust and the quiet, expectant air of places meant to be filled with lives, not secrets. Most of the doors here stood ajar or hung crooked in their frames, revealing rooms as barren as the day he'd first peeked up here: plain walls, scuffed floors, sunlight painting bars across faded linoleum.
It was strange, knowing that the building itself was new, yet seeing old signs of occupation.
Except now, at the far end, one door was new. It didn't belong. Unlike the rest — cheap particleboard, dull brass handles — this one seemed to pulse with life, carved from solid oak and engraved with a riot of twining vines and curling leaves. The wood gleamed dark and glossy, silver-green veins shimmered through the carvings, and when Jeremiah got close enough, he caught the faint, green-living scent of dew and crushed moss.
He stopped a yard short, shoulders prickling. "Mero?" he asked, voice low, eyeing the fairy sidelong. "You want to tell me what I'm looking at here?"
Mero only smiled — a wide, sharp thing that promised either mischief or wisdom, possibly both. His wings flickered, catching the motes of afternoon light as he hovered ahead. "Go on," he urged, voice almost musical, "I said I'd pull a few strings, didn't I? Consider this… expedited service."
Jeremiah frowned, uncertain, but the silence in the hallway pressed at his back, urging him forward. The ornate door looked out of place enough to be a warning, but the air around it seemed to breathe — cool and fragrant, as if the world on the other side was leaking through.
Mero stopped in front of the door and rapped his knuckles against the wood once. The sound echoed, impossibly loud in the narrow hall, reverberating down the length of empty rooms. Jeremiah felt it in his chest, a thrumming note that belonged in cathedrals, not in abandoned buildings.
The door creaked inward, moving far more slowly than seemed necessary. As it swung wide, Jeremiah braced himself for… he wasn't sure what, really. But what he hadn't expected in a million years was what was actually behind the door.
Instead, green light poured over the threshold, dappling the floorboards in shifting patterns. The smell hit him next: sharp pine and earth, the crisp ozone of living things, cool air laced with distant water and the spice of wildflowers. Jeremiah blinked, adjusting to the sudden brightness, and realized the doorway did not lead to another room at all.
It opened onto a living forest.