Within Magic [Douxie X OC]

Spellbound [Part One]

The last few months were insane. First, an invasion of flesh eating trolls emerges from under the city. Or, at least from whatever portal busted through the canals. That seriously screwed up Battle of the Bands. Nothing could have prepared the people of Arcadia for something like that. Armored trolls and rabid seeming goblins ran rampant through the streets, terrorizing people at every corner.

Thankfully, that had all been settled by the Trollhunter. Not that he himself was public knowledge, but there were a select few who knew and sincerely appreciated what he did. The only reason I knew anything about it was my sheer dumb luck. I stumbled upon Jim and his friends one night while they were dealing with some very angry goblins. That was an adventure I never dreamed I'd be involved in.

Then, not too long after was an actual alien invasion. Some fifty foot tall alien, self-proclaimed god decided to kick some buildings over and crush some cars under his feet as if he owned the place. So much for the buildings that'd been fixed after the troll invasion. Couldn't imagine the calls insurance companies got after that. My classes had to be switched to online after the college building had been crushed.

Of course, one place that remained intact was the cafe I now worked at. It wasn't a bad job. In fact, I enjoyed working there. Mainly because of the people I worked with. Whenever I was scheduled with Douxie, we made things fun. If we cleaned together at night, we turned it into a contest to see who could clean the fastest without shortcuts.

Tonight was not one of those nights. I'd gotten off a few hours before closing. Thanks to the alien debacle a few days prior, business had been relatively slow. There was still a lot of cleanup to do with debris scattered around town and construction only just starting to repair the damages.

Why did I find myself heading back to the cafe after hours? I forgot my wallet. I'd tried messaging Douxie about it, but I didn't get an answer. He more than likely just hadn't looked at his phone.

"Of course, I had to forget my wallet." I thought to myself, letting out a sigh while rounding a corner.

At least I hadn't forgotten my keys. That would have been a disaster.

A few minutes of walking and I came to the cafe. The lights were off and the doors were closed.

"Guess Doux already finished up. Shoot." I sighed again but shrugged, turning to walk back down the street.
"Pretty sure I'm in tomorrow, anyway. I can grab it then."

Normally I wouldn't have wasted a trip like that, but part of me had hoped Douxie was still there. I wanted to plan a time to go and grab pizza together or something, but that would have to wait. At least it was a nice night.

I was getting lost in my thoughts on my way back to my apartment when I heard a loud crash and shouting.

"What the heck...?"

Now, one might think after a troll infestation and alien invasion that following the strange sounds at night was a bad idea. Was I thinking like a smart person? Of course not.

I started running toward whatever it was making the noises, which, in retrospect, wasn't the smartest idea, but who can say they wouldn't be curious?

I found myself rounding a street corner to see someone being dragged at the end of a bright, glowing light blue... rope...? The thing at the other end doing the pulling looked like a giant lizard of sorts, but when the poor guy it was dragging ended up in the back of someone's pickup truck, it turned and let out a shriek, showing the split bottom jaw.

"What the heck is that...?!" I skid to a stop, watching as the scene unfolded.

"Uh... I've-- I've got it! I've got it! I've..." The boy fumbled with a glowing brace on his forearm as the thing started straight for him.