Labyrinth Renovation – 003 | Sousaku – 創作

Episode 03 – It’s a dragon!

(And for that matter, why is there electricity still coming? )

I circled around the Hardware Store "Dharma" but the power cables were ripped out in the middle, so there is no doubt that this place is isolated from the outside world.
If that's the case, why is there electricity? It's a mystery.

But, well, there is a big difference between having electricity and not having electricity.
Fiona said she was "trapped" here.
It is not clear how long it will be before help arrives, but it is natural to assume that we will need to stay here.

Still, I don't know what kind of situation this is.
I wanted to ask Fiona, but she fell asleep.

I somehow made my way to the pet section.
Normally, a store clerk takes care of them, but of course, no one is around at the moment. If I didn't do it, they would die.
It was an unexpected responsibility.

As I approached, the animals started to make a commotion.
They seem to be hungry, I wonder how long it's been since they last ate their meal.

"Yes, I'll be right back."

I was glad that there were not so many pets, probably because it was a small pet section in a Hardware Store, but I wondered if it was a hobby of the person in charge or something like that, that there was a dog, a cat, fishes, lizards, hamsters, and so on, without any particular arrangement. (*)
Moreover, the dog is an Akita dog, the cat is a Bengal, the fishes are Arowana, and the lizards are bearded dragons. The hamsters are, as usual, djungarian.

(Well, dogs and cats are easy to feed, so that's a blessing in disguise, right? )

I fed each of them and cleaned up their poop and urine.
If at last we can't get out, I can let them loose, but only the fish will die soon if I don't take good care of it. On the other hand, hamsters would increase, so it would be better to keep them under individual control.

As for feeding the lizards, I have some knowledge of them because my parents raised a variety of animals.
Well, you give them whole crickets. Crickets are limited in number, and if I am going to spend a lot of time here waiting for help, I will need to consider breeding them.
Again, if you have electricity, it's not that hard to do.

After feeding them, I took the puppy ( I named him Pochi) around the inside of the Hardware Store.
Because there could be someone else there besides me, and I should at least try to understand what's going on.
"It looks like there's no one in the office, in the yard, or at the gas pumps."

Even though the electricity is still there.
Well, let's just be glad that it's such an unusual situation and that no one else got caught in the middle of it.

The entire parking lot is enclosed, so the space is quite vast.
I put Pochi back in his cage and decided to circle around the outer wall.
I tried tapping the wall but it was made of stone and seemed to be very hard and heavy.
It seems impossible to destroy.

"A-And there's that thing that looks like an exit……"

There is only one large, lumbering, magnificent door on the wall.
Perhaps Fiona is in despair because she can't open the door with her arm strength, but this is a Hardware Store, after all. It doesn't matter.

"I'll make sure Fiona has a way out while she's sleeping."

It is a huge door, about three meters high.
It is rusty metal colored with iron rings.
It is unlikely to open if I pull it normally, but it should open if I pull it with a truck.
The Hardware Store has several trucks on site for deliveries. I don't have a license, but I can somehow manage to drive an automatic transmission. There's also a huge space to practice in.

"Let's give it a shot."

There is also a possibility that the door will open more easily than expected.

"Let's see. Uh? "

It made a gee～～～～～ sound and opened normally.

"Oh, it opens."

The door was not to the outside but to a long ascending staircase.
The very top is not visible.

"You mean it's underground? I wonder if this place is safe. Like acid, gas, or something else……"

With this concern in mind, I walked up the stairs.
I could feel the airflow, so I didn't think I'd run out of oxygen, but I was a little worried about things like gas and whatnot.
Any invisible poison gas would kill me instantly. I don't remember if they sold gas detectors or anything like that at the Hardware Store.…… If only they had a little birdie, I could've used it like they did with canaries in mines.

"……But anyway, what's that sound?"

A booming, earth-shaking sound could be heard.
The staircase seemed to be more than 100 meters long, but the sound appeared to be coming from beyond.

"Whoa……! "

After climbing the stairs, I found myself not outside, but in another huge enclosed room.
It was a huge space, not so different from the lower floor, with high ceilings, but the ceiling was supported by a number of pillars, which may have been the difference between this floor and the lower floor.

There was a fooo fooo sound, like that of a creature sleeping.
Technically, it was a snoring sound.

Glistening crimson scales.
Sharply protruding horns.
Thick, sharp claws. Giant wings.

"…………No way…… Is it……real? "

It was there, with an overwhelming presence.
A distinctive anomaly. A life form that could not exist on Earth.
It was a legendary dragon from fairytales.

"……Dragon."

I was amazed.
The dragon seemed to be sleeping, but its enormity, its grace, its strength, its nobility, all of it, was simply beautiful and different from any other creature I had ever seen.