“All this meat and no veggies. *sigh* I should have inspected the plant life better” The main ingredients lance had available to him left were bundles of herbs. He cracked open the Tannindaire, the bulb served a perfect house for a dense nugget that lance squished in his fingers for scent. “Wha… its like” he licked his fingers. “Garlic and pepper.. With something else.. Its sweet” The small ball was a deep blue color, that stained his fingers.
He set it down and grabbed a Swailee sprig, which surprisingly tasted like lemongrass, but felt like eating a straw of hay. The remaining leaves didn't look too appetizing, but he decided to chew a Hymnin leaf. An extremely dull spice of cinnamon filled his palette. The leaf itself was rather large, the size of his open hand. The fur on the leaf felt soft which spurred the final thought for the dish.
He’d found it, a new style to cook in, he hoped his naming convention brought about another way to explore the category of the forest. Lance threw the ice into the wok and activated Pan Sear, flashing the ice into a boil after a few moments. He tossed in the kabbit to bring it closer to room temp. He used the remaining minute of mana to crush open the Tannindaire. He plucked out the nuggets and lay them across a bed of Swailee. He then slowly brought his cleaver over the table swiping through the herbs, “Dice!”. His first swipe didn't amount to much, but over the next few swipes he had a finely diced herb mixture. He took the kabbit limbs from the water them slightly whited by the flash cook, then tossed in a bundle of Hymnin leaves to soak. He brought his cleaver across the bone severing the tough meat, it was hardly malleable but better than before. Lance added the bear wolf and kabbit in a pile and tossed it in the herb mixture.
Lance grabbed his kitchen knife to steady the mound on the table, “Dice, Dice, Dice, DICE!~”
He ran the cleaver over the meat again and again for a solid minute, turning the entire pile into mincemeat. He looked down on the meat nearly drooling, happy with its appearance. He grabbed the leaves and lay they flat on the table soaking wet. Handful by handful they were topped and then folded full of the mixture. He had removed some tendons of the kabbit earlier and used it as string to tie around the palm sized stuffed leaves. He threw the leaves Bam had gathered and trusted his gut that Bam had a sense for flavor. He activated Pan Sear one more time roaring the low amount of water left to a boil quickly. He waited until the water was thicker and more evaporated before scraping out a handful of leaves with his kitchen knife.
“Whew okay last step, let this work.” He tossed in the gather gems and laid the bundled meat stuffed leaves atop one each. “Cook! Pan Sear!”
The sludgy tea water bubbled and popped, the tea leaves stuffed with meat jiggled and danced in the foam. Some time into the cook process the gems had melted and added color to the bubbles, which began to dye the leaves red blue and green, Lance took that moment to push and flip each individually for a better finish on both sides. Discontent with the one minute cook, he spent another mana and cooked them for another minute on the other side. He basked in the scent of his new dish inhaling deeply above the wok. He looked over at the small pot with the Hymnin bark wondering how much longer it would take and decided to activate cook on it as well, making sure to claim a bit more of its process with his skills. The kitchen filled with steam that held a slight tint of red. Lance coughed a few breaths out before covering his nose and mouth calming his overloaded senses. His eyes teared, and he immediately thought that he had messed up royally. A prompt interrupted his downcast thought forcing him to open and glance down at his food.
“Forester’s Heart Dolmades recipe created”
+15 health, +4 physique* and “Hunter” passive for 3 hours.
Grade - Novice chef
Passive Hunter description - Much like that of a trained hunter, the skills associated with the dispatch and cleaning of animals, gathering of the land, and knowledge gained during a hunt is increased.
*Permanent attribute awarded for first consumption
Description: The forests hunted presented in their best form, amongst their fallen, given place on a table as prize and trophy, for those whom the hunter provides. The cycle repeated. The strongest, fastest, and most cunning, no match for the talent bared. These stuffed leaves serve the main course at a homestead, gently steeped with fine tea and seasoned with spices, among the best the forest can offer.
Main course for “Forester’s” menu acquired - Choose a reward
- Class based equipment
- Forester’s themed Gacha
- Hunter’s mark
“Hymnin tincture recipe created”
Grade: Dishwasher
Description: A tincture made of rendered Hymnin bark. Fatal in large doses, but in small quantities a powerful cleaning agent, with a clean scent of Hymnin. Ingestion is not recommended to those who have not undergone soul cleanses.
Achievement unlocked “Dabbling professionist” - Praise tier Gacha awarded
Achievement unlocked "Inadvertent Attributist” - 3 Dim soul gems
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Lance's mouth fell open gasping at the rewards. Only snapping his mouth shut before his drool fell down his burlap chin. He stared at the prompt for his main course reward, it hovered in front of him unable to dismiss. “Uhh, uhhhhh shit-” his hand hovered over the class based equipment option hoping a pan would appear for him, nearly ready to press he went for it, only to feel a bump in his back as Violet bounced onto his shoulder with a force he hadn't been prepared for.
Hunter’s mark chosen.
“Shiiit, VIOLET DAAMNIT” He turned around to see her wiggling atop the table, a few kabbit bones already sizzling in her slime. A moment later a claw seemed to tear through the fabric of space between them stretching a foot long. The similar swirl of aether to the dungeon entrance appeared. A tightly rolled scroll slid outward at Lance. He stared again puzzled but grabbed it, to which the scar faded from existence. Lance didn't dare open it at this moment, he had too much to worry about. He was upset, but the food was the first thing on his mind. He spoke with a few finger wags and clenched jaws “ Violet I swear, if you don't get your slimy ass off my counter, I will eat your portion. Go to Wellyn right now!”
Violets wiggled and swallowed a bubble of air. The bubble twirled in her form before popping out of her mouth “Eat”.
Lance’s straight finger in front of her faltered, and his anger was suppressed. *sigh* “Good job. Now go show Wellyn” Violet lashed out a slimy tendril licking Lance's cheek and rolled back off the counter. He squeezed the bridge of his nose. He moved to his stone ware and began plating the food.
Chance stepped out of the kitchen with his platter, four sizzling plates of Domaldes, and another bowl full of the Hymnin tincture. The rest of the party had since been taken upstairs by Wellyn. He carefully poured the bowl among the cups behind the counter in equal parts, and then filled them with the Goblinalco. The clear alcohol settled, now stained red. A rainbow sheen, like an oily film, formed across its surface. Lance smiled and then walked upstairs.
Up here he could hear Wellyn talking to someone in the first open door of three beyond the training room. As Lance rounded the corner into the room, he found Courage sitting on the end of the bed, and Wellyn stood above him with Violet in her arms. Their conversation stopped abruptly as Lance entered, at which Wellyn spoke out to him.
“ Ah it's done, let's have a look.” He then stepped forward and looked down on the platter, mainly at the cups, but he found his eyes returning to the plate of food on close inspection.
“ I must say, it seems like you have outdone yourself. This seems like a perfectly mixed drink, perhaps you should man the bar from time to time. The food is also fascinating, I’ve seen a similar dish before but your creation is unlike what I’m familiar with. What is it called?”
Lance stepped forward to the small dresser next to Courage’s bed. “ I would be lying if I said I knew what I was doing, but the idea came from something I've seen done before. My parents took me to a Greek restaurant awhile ago, and this is something that was on their menu, just made with everything I had instead. It’s called Forester’s Heart Dolmades. It's made of Bear, Wolf, and Kabbit. I used the herbs we had on hand and mixed them, and wrapped them in the Hymnin leaves. Yours and Violets portion is downstairs still in the pan.”
Wellyn nodded and made his way to the doorway. “ I will go try some then. I have briefed everyone with what is to come. They will all eat and then proceed to the bath, where they will have your beverage. You should also have some, as a precaution. I will clean up downstairs and await your return.”
Wellyn then left, and the room fell silent. Lance sat the plate and cup on the dresser. It was then that Courage spoke up.
“ Lance, From what I understand. We are on a clock here, and might not survive this. I just want you to understand that if we die, we all know that it isn’t your fault and I want you to understand that no matter what happens, you have to keep going. No more helping. And if anyone gets in your way, do what you do best.” Courage looked up with a stern expression.
“ Pft yeah right dude, you’re all gonna be fine. But what is it that I do best?”
“ Win”
Lance tightened his brow. He then pointed to the plate and left. Courage scooted along the bed and with a shaky hand he grabbed the fork and poked the Dolmades. He weakly drew it to his mouth.
Lance went into the room Bam was in only to find him on the bed laying flat. He wore a sweaty brow and a rose in his cheeks clearly feverish. They didn't say anything to another, just a simple nod. When he entered Reilly’s room he found he hunched over the edge of the bed, elbows on her knees. Lance came forward to the ground on his knees before her.
“ Hey, here eat. I’ll eat with you. Then we will all go to the bath for the drinks” Lance's stomach twisted as he looked up at her pale face, her eyes fixed on the floor. His own harsh, gravelly laughter echoed in the back of his mind, a sound that only intensified his fear and fueled a rising rage.
“ Thanks.. And okay.” She replied with a shallow strength.
Lance handed her her plate, but seeing her weak hand tremble upon stabbing he opted to just feed her himself. He took the plate back and presented her a bite. She took it eagerly, she rolled the food around her mouth. A single tear fell as she swallowed, a small bit of color returning to her face. As she continued the eagerness and cadence of her chewing grew, until she finally reached forward and grabbed the plate from him.
Lance bit into the meat. A rich, buttery blend of herbs and garlic met his palate first. As he chewed, the three-meat blend formed a dense, chewy paste that delivered a powerful umami punch. The Hymin leaf was so tender it practically dissolved. He smiled happy with his creation. He became full from the first Dolmades but eagerly continued to finish his plate fighting to get every bite in. The notifications came rolling in, rather than bother with them, they continued to eat in silence until they were done. Once done they both looked at each other, happy and ready. Reilly had obviously undergone a turn for the better, her complexion back to normal, she winked at him, which he took as a level up. After allocating points to Physique on their screens, Courage was the first to enter the doorway, followed by Bam. Reilly stood and helped Lance to his feet. The four then headed towards the Bath. Each of them stood wide-eyed as they entered. Not only was this room the biggest they only just realized that it was above the kitchen, bar, and dining area. Finally filling out the mental map of the Tavern. Lance was the only one smiling. A large partition divided the room, extending from floor to ceiling, with curtains on the left and right marked "male" and "female." The air was thick with steam, and the silence was broken only by the churning of water from a spout.
“ Well lets begin” Lance said as he stepped forward to the male bath. Bam followed after.
Courage looked over at Reilly. “ Enjoy your alone time, but if you run into any trouble, holler. I talked with Wellyn. He's gonna come up here and check on you while we deal with this. Lance probably doesn’t know the full scope of this situation, He didn’t mention the drawback. Seems like Wellyn is just trying to keep him from changing his mind. I intend to force Lance to go on without me for a little, but we should link up with my sister and King. Bam’s gonna wait for us since.. But anyways. See you on the other side.”
Reilly nodded. Her face was consumed by a fierce, determined light. They both walked into their respective baths.