3 Hunger

He had magic. He'd spent so many nights dreaming about a world where he could use magic. He'd always enjoyed the time he spent sleeping. Now, he didn't need to be asleep to experience the same dreams.

That being said, he was still stupidly hungry. There was no amount of magic that would fix that. One of those friendly woodland bunnies would make for a nice meal, if he could figure out how to kill them and cook them. On second thought, that was probably a bit too complicated for him. How in the world would he even know how to prepare the animal? Oh, how he missed supermarkets.

The exhaustion from earlier took him into its embrace, and he slipped into sleep. When he woke, the sun had newly risen. He climbed down from his spot and continued along the same path he followed the previous day. His only companion was his stomach-turned-beggar. Feet hurting from the prior day, his going was much slower, but it seemed like the trees were thinning. Was he reaching the edge of the forest?

Suddenly, he burst through the canopy, and blinding light assailed his eyes. Illumination from two suns gave light to the clearing he currently stood in. There were two big differences between this clearing and the one he had woken up in a day ago. The first was that this clearing was simply massive in comparison. A small town could easily fit into it. The second was that there was a small town in the clearing.

People walked around within the clearing, none of them having noticed Jacob yet. Delicious smells came from some of the houses drawing Jacob to them. Approaching the town, Jacob studied the buildings. They were small, one-story buildings that looked as if they belonged in one of those historical documentaries he saw on the TV. They had thatch roofs with mud walls, the result being quaint buildings that bore absolutely no resemblance to the modern world.

For that matter, none of the people wore hoodies, jeans, sneakers, or anything like them. Jacob's attire was probably one of the many things that drew peoples' gazes as he advanced towards the center of the town. Maybe there'd be a restaurant or something there.

His intuition hadn't let him down. There was a small inn near the center, proudly displaying a fat, content rabbit over its entrance. The building was nice, the only one in the near vicinity that was two-stories tall. Jacob entered the inn, his hunger winning over caution. A rumble from his stomach reminded him of his most important of quests.

The room he entered was full of people. Groups of men and women in leather armor sat around thick, wooden tables. Most of them ate some sort of stew that smelled heavenly. Then again, Jacob supposed anything would smell good to him at that moment. There wasn't a single open seat in view. The town had looked bustling from outside, but this room really exemplified the idea.

"Are you new around here, sir?" a girl said, approaching him. She wore a plain brown dress. It was made of some canvas-like material; it certainly couldn't be all that comfortable. Jacob raised an eyebrow at her use of English. How in the world could he understand them?

"That I am. I'm terribly hungry, but I've got nothing to pay with. Is there anything I can do for a bite?" Jacob said, laying his cards on the table. If she declined, he could progress to the next stage in his plan: begging. His mom had always told him he had a mean set of puppy eyes.

"Now that you say it, there is! Rod's in the kitchen, and he's been begging for someone to help him with the cooking. Are you interested?"

Oh crap.