The Human Problem
The Monster Realm was not ready for humans.
Mossgrove, once a peaceful village where monsters argued over mushroom farms and shiny rocks, had become a battlefield of bureaucracy. The humans—who had fallen through the mysterious portal—weren't warriors, mages, or knights. They were engineers, inspectors, bureaucrats, and scientists. And somehow, that made them even more terrifying.
Glurp watched as a goblin merchant tried to explain to a human tax collector why a "business license" was unnecessary when trading rocks for mushrooms. Nearby, a troll roared in frustration as a city planner criticized his cave for "insufficient ventilation." A chef had even started a small pop-up restaurant, yelling at confused slimes about food safety regulations.
"This is getting worse," Glurp muttered to itself.
The monsters of Mossgrove were used to dealing with threats—wandering bandits, territorial dragons, the occasional magic storm—but no one had ever prepared them for this.
Glurp turned toward Emberclaw, the ancient dragon who served as the village elder. He sat atop his usual stone perch, watching the chaos unfold with a weary sigh. The fire in his golden eyes flickered as he spoke.
"We must find a solution quickly," Emberclaw rumbled. "These humans mean no harm, but their presence threatens to upend our way of life."
Glurp nodded, its gelatinous form wobbling slightly. "I checked the clearing where they appeared. The stone circle—it's got magic all over it. One of the humans said something triggered the portal."
Emberclaw's brow furrowed. "If that is true, then we must find what caused the disturbance and reverse it."
Glurp trembled. "And if we can't reverse it?"
The dragon exhaled a puff of smoke. "Then our world will never be the same."
---
The Scientist's Discovery
---
Glurp led a small group back to the clearing where the humans had first appeared. Emberclaw followed, along with a few curious goblins, a nervous troll, and—unfortunately—one of the humans.
She was a scientist, dressed in a long white coat, with thick glasses and a strange device that beeped and whirred every time she pressed a button. She had introduced herself as Dr. Lillian Carter, a researcher from a place called the "Department of Transportation."
She was also completely fascinated by everything around her.
"This place is incredible!" Dr. Carter gasped, crouching to examine a glowing mushroom. "A whole new ecosystem! Different atmospheric composition! Oh, the possibilities!"
Glurp wobbled anxiously. "You're not worried? You just fell into another world!"
Dr. Carter waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, I travel for work all the time. Sure, usually it's just between research sites, but hey—what's one more dimension?"
Glurp shivered. This human was weird.
They arrived at the ancient stone circle. The monoliths were covered in moss, their surfaces etched with strange symbols. Energy shimmered faintly in the air, and the ground pulsed with an unseen force.
Dr. Carter frowned as she examined the portal with her device. "This... this isn't like anything I've seen before. It's like it's repelling the surroundings—almost like a white hole. But how? There's no gravitational pull, just... resistance. It's as if something is pushing out instead of pulling in." She looked up, her brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't even know how something like this could form."
Emberclaw narrowed his eyes. "What would cause such a disruption?"
Dr. Carter frowned, tapping her chin. "It's hard to say. Maybe some kind of energy buildup, or... I don't know, a force I'm not familiar with. Could be anything. A malfunction, an artifact, or something else entirely." She adjusted her glasses, still puzzled. "The real question is—what exactly triggered this?"
The group exchanged nervous glances.
"None of us did anything unusual," a goblin muttered.
"I dug a new cave," the troll admitted, "but I don't think that counts."
Glurp frowned. "Wait… didn't the wizard's tower collapse last week?"
Everyone froze.
--
The Missing Wizard
---
The monsters of Mossgrove had only one resident wizard, an eccentric old owl-like creature named Eldrin the Absentminded. He had lived in a crooked tower at the edge of the village—until the tower unexpectedly exploded last week.
No one had seen Eldrin since.
"You think he caused this?" a goblin asked.
Glurp quivered. "If anyone was messing with ancient magic, it would be Eldrin."
Dr. Carter adjusted her glasses. "Sounds like we need to find this wizard."
Emberclaw nodded. "Then we shall go to the ruins of his tower."
The small group left the clearing, heading toward the outskirts of Mossgrove. The remains of Eldrin's tower loomed in the distance—a mess of broken stone, shattered glass, and half-melted books.
Dr. Carter whistled. "Wow. Someone was very bad at structural integrity."
Glurp ignored her and slithered forward, searching the wreckage. "Eldrin? Are you here?"
A moment of silence. Then—
CRASH!
A pile of books tumbled over, and from beneath them emerged a feathery, disheveled creature. His feathers were covered in soot, his robe was singed, and his beak was twisted in a grimace of frustration.
"Oh, hello," Eldrin mumbled, dusting himself off. "Did I miss a town meeting?"
---
The Wizard's Mistake
---
After a few minutes of explanation (and a lot of dramatic gasping from Eldrin), the truth became clear.
"Yes, yes, I may have accidentally activated an ancient spell," Eldrin admitted, waving a talon dismissively. "But in my defense, I thought it was just a weather charm."
Glurp flailed. "You activated interdimensional magic by accident?!"
Eldrin frowned. "To be fair, the inscriptions were very small."
Dr. Carter's eyes widened in intrigue. "This is incredible! If this... 'charm'—or whatever it is—was tied to some kind of rift, it could've disturbed the fabric of space itself, causing this... this anomaly. A dimensional collapse, perhaps?" She paused, her brow furrowing in confusion. "I think."
Emberclaw rumbled. "In simpler terms?"
Dr. Carter grinned. "It broke reality."
The monsters groaned.
---
Fixing the Rift
---
Dr. Carter flipped through Eldrin's half-burned spellbook. "If I can analyze this, I might be able to figure out how it works," she said, her fingers skimming the pages with fascination.
Eldrin blinked. "You can read that?"
"Not exactly," Dr. Carter replied, not missing a beat. "But I can read patterns. This might be more... scientific than you think." She paused, glancing at the strange symbols. "Energy follows principles, no matter the form. This—whatever it is—might just be another type of force."
Glurp shivered. "She's terrifying."
Dr. Carter ignored the comment and pulled out her scanning device. "Alright. If we want to stabilize the rift, we need to figure out how to disrupt the energy without making things worse."
Emberclaw rumbled. "And if we fail?"
Dr. Carter adjusted her glasses, looking determined. "Then the portal could expand. And more than just humans might start falling through."
A chill settled over the group. If the rift grew stronger, it might pull through things much worse than bureaucrats.
Monsters from other realms. Beasts from forgotten dimensions.
Or worse—more lawyers.
Glurp gulped. "Okay. No pressure."
Dr. Carter smiled confidently. "Let's get to work."