Dreams of battle and yet unearned power came to an end as Alex awoke to darkness. Not in the same way he had before the system, Sixth Sense still fed him unprocessed information of his surroundings even while he slept; but when he opened his eyes it was dark, so he felt the sentiment held.
‘Guess that answers that,’ Alex thought as a slight mental pull alerted him to the notifications that had come in over the night.
Sitting up to stretch he idly wondered if they could act as an alarm system of sorts, though quiet and easy to ignore didn’t exactly make for a good wake-up call.
***
Your skill [Aura Control] has advanced to Level Two.
Your skill [Sixth Sense] has advanced to Level Seven.
Your skill [Aura Control] has advanced to Level Three.
***
The idea that skill levels could be gained while sleeping seemed a bit overpowered to Alex, but it only took one look at his aura to realize his first assessment wasn’t the whole picture. While Sixth Sense seemed to send information his resting mind saw no purpose for, Aura Control was different. With the use of his sensory skill he could feel the auras he’d previously missed or ignored in his fatigue. Many had interacted with his over the night, some stronger than others, and Alex could tell just their presence seemed to affect him. The tight hold that would have assured to most he was around level one had loosened closer to four.
Clamping back down on his power, little as it was, Alex looked over towards Anise’s bed to check whether he’d been discovered. He still didn’t know the point of hiding his measly seven levels, but would do his best until Janet had the chance to speak with her. Luckily, the guard was still in bed. Though as he looked at her sleeping form, Sixth Sense allowing for a much clearer picture than should have been possible, Alex couldn't help but feeling odd.
He’d had roommates before, people other than his friends who just lived together due to circumstance of convenience. It had been odd to sleep around them his first few nights away from home, but they’d all had their own rooms then. Now it felt like a hotel had overbooked, and he was forced to sleep in a double twin bedroom next to someone he didn’t know.
Deciding on another shower, more to clear his thoughts than get clean, Alex started on his day. Exiting the bathroom twenty minutes later wearing a set of the decoy clothes he’d purchased the day prior; Alex was surprised to see Anise still in bed. It couldn’t have been too early, the sun just barely peaking though the curtained windows, but she had been up before him the day prior. He’d yet to find a watch, but Alex had already determined the tutorial timer worked equally well as both a doomsday counter and a clock.
***
Tutorial Quest - Main
Allotted Time Remaining
61:23:32
***
Seeing one less day on the timer made everything feel real again, as if being nearly split in two the day before hadn’t. Based on his substitute timepiece it was around 6:30, so later than they’d gotten up the day prior. Alex spent a minute wondering if he should wake his tentative roommate up, before remembering Janet said she had the day off. Deciding to go see if any of the food was ready, rather than sit in the room while Anise slept, Alex headed out.
The halls were quiet as he walked, Alex only catching sight of one child moving about the house, his eyes still half lidded. The kitchen was a different story. Three adults, only one of which whose name he actually remembered, fluttered from station-to-station prepping food.
“Hey, man,” Hamlin, said as he julienned some onions. He was a shorter man somewhere around Alex in age, with the well-muscled arms of a hammer thrower. They’d met the first night and Alex had remembered him since, as far as he knew, besides Anise the man was the only other young adult in the house. “You here to watch or to work?”
Having only been standing at the kitchen’s entrance for all of three seconds Alex hesitated to answer. While he despised doing the dishes, cooking for himself had always been fun. The multiple pounds of food being prepped however, reminded him of a much more commercial affair, and there was a reason Alex had never renewed his food handlers license. He made to object, with all the kids around, the house was bound to have a library with some basic knowledge he’d be better off knowing, but a meaty hand on his shoulder stopped him before the words were out. Alex flinched in the man’s grip, his sensory skill barely registering the movement after the fact.
“Seeing as you haven’t left guess that means you’re helping. Glad to have the extra set of hands. Alex, right?” The man was all smiles as Alex nodded dumbly, gaping at the counter the muscled man had to move through to get to him.
“How did - The counter-” Hamlin cut him off before he could finish, giving Alex a pat on the back that pushed him further into the kitchen.
“I’ve found it’s better not to worry about the little things.” He let out a deep rumbling laugh, and walked back to his station. “Come, you can help with these.”
Alex looked towards the two others but both women held slight smiles on their faces, they’d be no help. As if his Hamlin’s ability to stop him if he tried to leave wasn’t enough, the system decided to supply some extra motivation.
***
New quest check quests tab for more information.
Quest
Tutorial Quest: Sous-chef
Too many cooks spoil the broth, do your best to not end up in the pot. Diligent in their work yet careful to not be hurt, for a Sous-chef should be wary, the tendencies of the head chef may be scary.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
Rewards: Skill: Cooking (Common), +1 Charisma
(Accept Y/N)
***
It seemed Alex had gotten the grade school level reading he’d wanted, though he would have preferred general information to the quest’s creepy nursery rhymes. Reading over the information he chuckled. He didn’t feel like he had a choice even if the prompt itself was optional. The quest labeled Hamlin as “scary,” but Alex had spoken to the man before and doubted he or anyone else, barring Janet, would attack him for no reason. And while the stocky man’s newly displayed skill was surprising, with Alex already trying to figure out how to learn it, he doubted there would be any real danger whilst cooking.
Accepting with a mental nudge Alex couldn’t help but smile. The quest didn’t even fall under the umbrella of his main line, wholly unnecessary to his survival from a practical standpoint, yet something about that felt freeing to Alex, a small break from the ever present doom. He couldn’t help the small smile that formed on his face
~~~
Alex didn’t like being wrong. He’d been embarrassed by a teacher a few times when he was young, so he’d learned to stay quiet unless he knew he was right. Whether it be a question asked by a professor, the play called in a video game, or anything else, if he was unsure he’d do his best to refrain from answering. Still, Alex had been wrong plenty in his life. He’d been wrong about his degree, and wrong about his relationship, but Alex felt he’d never been more wrong than the stupid thought he had the hour before.
‘Wouldn’t hurt me my ass,’ Alex muttered as he slumped onto a nearby chair rubbing at the phantom pain of an oil burn.
He’d spent most of the last hour trying, and failing, to follow the instructions the other man gave. Alex had watched plenty of cooking shows, so he knew of the stereotypical nightmare chef, Hamlin gave them all a run for their money. For the first twenty minutes he’d had Alex chopping vegetables and while he considered himself good enough in the kitchen, Hamlin was a master. The man’s knife work was flawless, and it seemed he expected Alex to be capable of the same.
Wanting to leave, but too stubborn to give the other man the satisfaction once he realized he was purposefully being fucked with, Alex stuck the time-out. Still, as he sat debating how to best get revenge on the muscled asshole, Alex had to admit seeing the mass of children enjoy the food he’d helped make, made him feel good. Almost as good as receiving his quest rewards.
***
Quest Complete: Quest: Sous-chef
Reward: Skill - Cooking (Common)
Reward: +1 Charisma
***
The stat bump was obvious and Alex saw it had been added after a quick check on his status page. For his new skill, he brought up description. The premise was clear, but it was always good to hear it directly from the system.
***
Skill
Name: Cooking
Rating: Common
Grade: F
Level: 1
Mode: Passive
Resource Cost: N/A
Description: Sugar, Spice, some meat and rice, combine to make a meal that’s nice. But don’t stop there make your food an involved affair. With Cooking, boiled water no longer needs to be your specialty, instead serve some crumpets with the afternoon tea. Learn to chop like a champ and sauté like a protégé. Bake with bravado and flambé with finesse. Experiments in the kitchen will bring about a meal that's bewitchin'. The world is your oyster, and you can cook it to perfection, so let your culinary skills be your second greatest weapon.
***
He rescinded his prior notion quickly as some of Alex’s excitement faded at the description, it seemed the system was intent on rhyming today. He hoped it wouldn’t last. Deciding to take his meal somewhere he couldn’t see Hamlin’s smiling face, Alex grabbed some food and made for one of the empty sitting rooms, only to run into Anise on his way.
“Morning,” Alex said raising his plate as he spotted her down the hall. She stopped short making it clear she hadn’t noticed him.
“Oh, yes. Good morning Alex. Look about yesterday-”
Alex held is free hand in an unarmed motion, “Nope, nope, None of my business, we all cope in our own ways, and I’m the one overstaying in your bedroom. I went on a baking spree right after Haley broke up with me, so no explanation needed, but if you do want to talk, I’ll be here.”
She looked at Alex questioningly then recognition passed her face, “Ah yes the ice cream, yes. Thank you for understanding.” The silence hung and Alex was unsure how to respond for a second.
Attempting to change the topic before the moment turned awkward, he continued, “I almost woke you, but Janet told me it was your day off.” He motioned to her casual attire, sweats and a hoodie, “Do you think you’ll have any time to go out today? We didn’t get much of what I wanted to done, so I’ll still need a guide around the city.”
“The two of you were gone all day yesterday. What did you do then?” Anise said, a puzzled look on her face.”
“That.” Alex thought on what he could say before deciding he didn’t want to play whatever game Janet setup. “She told me not to tell you, but I don’t know why. Are you free now? I wanted to hear her reason too.”
Anise hesitated, she didn’t look worried, more annoyed, and her change in tone mirrored that.
“I was going for my morning run, but now I feel like we should do this first then I can just work off the anger of whatever my Aunt has to say on the road, rather than her face.” She turned on a heel and Alex silently followed the woman, it seemed he’d stepped on a social landmine. Family drama, wonderful.
Janet was half-dressed and out of breath when she opened the door to Anise’s continuous hammering. The blows had reverberated throughout the house and Alex wondered how the door hadn’t come off its hinges in the first five seconds. He did his best not to focus on the deceivingly young looking woman, instead looking into the room behind her. It seemed to be a training arena, though Alex’s eyes bulged as he spotted a second Janet still inside, delivering precise blows to a practice dummy. Blinking to make sure he was seeing correctly, the figure disappeared between one second and the next.
“There was-” He was instantly cut off, or rather drowned out by Anise’s shouting.
“You went back, didn’t you? Don’t try to deny it, I already know. Alex told me.”
Janet shifted to glare at him, though Alex couldn’t get his denial out before an invisible force pushed him and Anise into the room and closed the door behind them. Catching himself as to not drop his food Alex looked at the two women. Janet being berated in a one-sided screaming match. Seeing he was no longer their main subject of attention and his only escape seemed to be closed off, Alex decided to eat. A part of his mind screamed he didn’t have time for whatever drama he was diving head first into, but that part was shut up as Alex nearly choked on his food at Anise’s next words.
“You said you cut ties with him. How could you? He’s the reason my mother died? How could you trust the man who got his own daughter killed?
It was Janet’s turn to talk the anger in her voice tight and controlled.
“Your mother, she was my fucking niece, I watched her grow up, helped raise her, I know the pain of her loss much better than you ever could.” Her aura began to leak with her anger and Alex had to focus on both his skills to keep steady. “It’s almost funny how lightly you speak of the death of others yet you're barely able to protect your own life. I was fulfilling a favor to the child you were defeated by after losing the man who obviously never loved you.” She was within a foot if the younger woman now, finger pointing at Anise’s chest. “Think twice before you talk to me like that, or else you can go running to your precious employer next time you have a problem.
Alex beat on his chest and took a sip of the water he’d removed from his inventory. The argument had gotten real personal real fast, and he’d heard much more than he thought he had any right too. Anise was now obviously crying, and most of her responses stuttered out before becoming anything coherent. Janet looked from her to him, and Alex made to defend himself, food forgotten on his lap, when Janet vanished. He looked around for a moment, but after not spotting her decided to stand, putting everything in his inventory.
Anise turned without a word, hood pulled tight, and stomped out the room. As it seemed both his guides would be otherwise indisposed, Alex found himself alone in the city for the first time since arriving in the stupid tutorial.