Chapter 9

“I have meat.”

Garnik watched as a young boy stared at him with eyes of anticipation. He was a tall, slander, pale, well proportioned oval face that was quiet pleasing to the eye, someone you wouldn’t mind looking at twice, but at the same time he had a sense of a quaint atmosphere where a passerby wouldn’t want to stare at him for long. And he was here claiming he had meat. He was a hunter and a chef, and cooking was his passion, but he never had people come to him claiming to have meat. Was the boy expecting him to cook for him? It didn’t sit right with him that any random person was coming to him demanding to cook for them. He may not look it but with being a chef he was also a hunter, a very good one at that and part of the upper level of the Viatores. He may look like your above average passerby in the street that people may think they can mess with, but he was not to be trifled with.

“You have meat?” he asked back.

“Yes! Papillion meat!” the boy answered back with enthusiasm.

Papillion meat? He just caught a Papillion recently and he even roasted and sold some yesterday. Now that he looked carefully, this boy was here yesterday. He even bought some of the meat, and now he was here again? Did he like it that much? He was a great chef after all.

“Weren’t you here yesterday? Did you like it that much?”

“I couldn’t eat it yesterday.” The boy replied looking sad.

“Couldn’t eat it? Why? Did someone take it from you?”

“No, I just couldn’t eat it. And sometime had passed so….”

“You are saying that you bought my food and didn’t eat it? Just let it go to waste. My food? Papillion meat at that. Something I made so painstakingly?” The chef looked furious. “Do you know how long people wait in line to eat my food? How many waits in anticipation for me to open my stall?”

“There were excruciating circumstances.” Aiden defended feeling small in the chef’s piercing glare.

“Pray tell what excruciating circumstance?”

“I-was helping a friend?”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

The chef glared at Aiden for some time before he stopped.

“Well, if it’s for a friend then who am I to judge. So, what do you want now?”

“I have meat.” He repeated his first line from their first encounter.

“And?”

“Papillion meat! Can you cook it for me?”

“Where did you get it?”

“I hunted it myself.”

Hunted it himself. Looks like he was strong. But just hunting it would not do. The body should be in a pristine condition otherwise it was just a waste.

“Well good for you but if the condition of the meat is not up to mark I don’t think I can cook it.”

“Don’t worry its in a very good condition.”

And just like that a huge perfectly intact body of a Papillion lay in his doorstep with its head missing.

Garnik stared at it for sometime before he a smile graced his face.

“Ok, this is great, great. Perfect. I will cook it for you.”

“Thank you! I just need four servings; you can keep the rest.”

“Just four servings ok you got it. I will keep the rest as payment. Come back after four hours.”

“And please make it very, very tasty. My friend is sad so I was hoping it will cheer him up.”

“Make it tasty. Who do you think I am? I am one of the greatest chefs in the world. Your friend will be out of the dumps as soon as he tastes my food.”

“I hope so.” Aiden smiled

Kylan and Arthur looked up as the door opened and Aiden walked in.

“Hey. I came to get you.”

“You didn’t need to do that.” Kylan said

“Ya, what is he, a kid?”

“I just thought he might get strange ideas so, just for precaution.” Aiden shrugged.

“Well, we are mostly done here so you can take him.”

“He will see you tomorrow?” Aiden asked

“What for?” Arthur asked back confused

“For check up.” Aiden emphasized raising his eyebrows.

“Ya, ya, checkup.”

Kylan looked back and forth between them confused. “I need more check up?”

“Yes. Now let’s go home.” Aiden ushered Kylan to the door.

“I will go started on lunch.” Kylan said as soon as they were back.

“No, you don’t need to. There is something special for lunch.” Aiden grinned.

“Something special.”

“Yes! Its Papillion meat!”

“That’s quite extravagant.”

“Did you have it before?”

“Yes, my friend once wanted to eat it so he went on a hunt for it. It took quiet some time. They are very fast creatures and, in the end, he lost his patience and just blasted the creature. He got some bits and pieces of it. We roasted and ate it. It was quite good.”

“He sounds quite wild.”

“Yes, he was-is.” Kylan looked lost in thought as if transported to a distant memory.

“Where is he now?”

“He left.” Kylan came out of his reminision. “I should do some cleaning if lunch is taken care of.”

“You already cleaned yesterday. There is no need.”

“Ok then, I –

“You could rest. Arthur did tell you to rest.”

Kylan looked hesitant, like he did not like the idea for being left alone with his thoughts.

“Or, you could help me.” Aiden suggested.

“Help you?”

“Yes, in making potion. I was going to make a potion.”

“But I don’t know potion making.”

“Its ok. You’re not going to make the potion, just hand me stuff and assist me.”

Kylan looked uncertain for a moment. “OK. I will help you.”

“Great, now first I need to remove the antennae form the head.”

Aiden took out the head of the Papillion making Kylan step back in surprise.

“Now let’s start.”