Working in a kitchen is a hot. It's long hours spent over open flames and checking steaming ovens. Prepping and preparing every single dish. Making sure everything is to standard and that it doesn't slip.
Life in the kitchen is hotter. Hotter than a scorching day beneath the dungeon sun turned upto max. It's that hot that no matter what she tries, everything tastes like salt. Almost as hot as Barry's magma bath, Ali dashes from pillar to post as she takes care of every job in the restaurant. Hours pass in the blink of an eye as she over works herself doing the thing she loves most.
With an ever growing population, the amount of meals she has to make, and the time it takes to prepare them, has almost outgrown her current capabilities. However, that's not to say she can't handle the position of The Chef, it just means that she doesn't have enough hands. If only she had more limbs, she could prep, cook, and plate food, all at once
Knowing that her master has been adding to the ranks of certain industries within the dungeon, Ali has decided to ask for some employees of her own. She only needs two, but instead she is going to ask for five. Two to train as chefs, two to take orders and deliver food to and one to greet guests and organise seating and availability. If she ends up with two that's a chef and a server.
Being around as long as she has, which isn't too long in the grand scheme of things, Ali knows that her master is unlikely to deny her request. Even if she is the master, Abi usually approves whatever is asked by her faithful children as she can't seem to help herself. Even when she says no, she really means yes
Ali couldn't ask for a kinder, more gracious, master. Not when the one she has already gives whatever she can so freely.
Still, asking for anything is extremely hard for Ali. She almost went 36 hours without eating after being brought into existence. Granted, her master didn't know if they needed to eat or not at the time and she was also in the middle of her own crisis. As soon as Ali had mustered the courage to ask though, all her worries fell away at the copious amounts of food that was made available for her.
As she remembers her previous request, Ali takes a few deep breaths before signalling her master through her own will.
"Hey, Super Chef," Abi's jade wisp materialises behind Ali, almost causing her to spill today's soup. Pretending it didn't happen she asks, "What's up?"
"Master... I... I..." taking a deep breath to calm her growing anxiety, Ali manages to get it off chest in one breath, "Master I would really appreciate it if you could summon me four employees to work in my building to cook, serve and greet our family and anyone else that might visit us in the future cause all I want to do is be of service to you."
"Sure, Ali. Whatever you need to keep everyone fed, I will happily provide. Whilst I'm here, do you need any more ingredients? Baluka and Rocky brought home some Koko Root. Do you want some?" going the extra mile, her master offers even more than is asked of her. With tears building in her eyes, Ali shakes her head and declines politely.
"No, thank you, Master. They already brought me some. It was one of my quests that made them acquire it in the first place."
"OK. I'll leave these ladies in your care then and I'll be off. Make sure to name them. It gets tricky later on. I'm sure I can hear Noir bellowing somewhere. They must have just got home," that said, Abi disappears leaving Ali alone with her new employees.
"OK ladies, there's a lot to learn so listen up," with that Ali begins to explain the various ways to prepare, store and cook the various dishes that she produces in her restaurant. To all ten women.
-Ali, The Chef
Dungeon Stories Volume 1
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I don't know who's more shocked?
Me, Me, or the other three.
Granted, I already have the impression that Light's quite surreal in terms of strength, but damn!
That was a killer move, right?
That does describe it rather accurately.
You're damn right it does. I always wanted to see Light or Dropper bust a move. That was awesome!
Agreed. I'm sure your guests feel the same way since they have not yet moved a muscle and Light is almost at the entrance.
"Oi, where are you going?" I shout after the brainless idiot, trying his best to look nonchalant as he swaggers inside. By the tone in my voice, however, he must have realised no one's following him and has flushed red with embarrassment.
"Well? What the hell are you waiting for? The Solstice? Come on!" Moneybags has turned white and is shaking like a leaf. He's even jingling slightly, confirming my suspicion that he is indeed loaded.
"We have nowhere else to go and there isn't really another choice, is there?" Recovering from her shock, the female guard states the obvious whilst helping her exhausted colleague to his feet. Although, her gaze is kept firmly on Light. Her employer and colleague silently agree, doubtful they could escape even if they wanted too.
After what they have just seen, I'm surprised they can even walk. Moneybags looks like he's having a hard time walking, but he's left to struggle alone since his guards are supporting each other. Following their saviour as he wobbles inside, our three guests take in the majesty of the multicolored forest as they enter my mountain.
Their silence continues even after they reach the Rule Room, which I finally managed to lower by the way. Once Elric was absorbed and after Kat joining our ranks, it was one of the first things I did. Not that I realised there was a problem until after it became glaringly obvious.
Either way, I've changed it. Cause that's what bosses do. They sort their shit out. Especially when it's their own mess.
The injured man hobbles through on in silence. Still following Light, he takes everything in as he's helped through by his fellow guard. Moneybags is basically cuddling them he's that close, afraid to be even a few steps away from his escorts.
Stunned silence persists as they leave the Rule Room, everyone with different thoughts as they head down the tunnel.
Moneybags looks terrified. With the way he's rubbing his hands, however, I'm sure he's got cash signs on the brain. There's definitely a profit to be made here somewhere too. Maybe I can use that to my advantage?
On the other hand, the injured and exhausted man doesn't look like he's thinking too much. Trudging along, still being supported by the other guard who...
I swear to the gods she's checking out Light's ass, but I'm just going to ignore that one for now.
Whether it's gold, imminent death or whatever the hell she's thinking, I doubt any of them will action the thoughts on their mind. Plus, I could be over thinking things. It wouldn't be the first time.
"A-Aaron, is this... A d-dungeon?" Arriving at the entrance of The Black Barracks, Moneybags finally manages to whisper the thoughts on his mind into the guard's ear. Who it turns out is called Aaron. It seems like the plump man was hoping to be rebuked since he doesn't look happy with Aaron's response.
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"I'm not sure. I mean, I think so. How many mountains do you know that have doors inside? Or rules for this matter?" The plump man turns to look back down the corridor. The monoliths were certainly weird. If they were to be believed, however, no harm would come to them aslong as they behaved themselves." What do you think Soph? You've been in more dungeons than I have," keeping his voice low, the three continue to whisper behind Light.
Not that it matters if he doesn't notice. I hear everything.
"It's definitely a dungeon, albeit the strangest one I've ever set foot in. I mean, I've never seen a dungeon post rules before and the way they're placed make them hard to miss. It's like... The dungeon's giving them a fair chance. Which is strange. Although, the lack of monsters could be considered even stranger than the rules. And then there are those things," Sophie points at my Luminites, "What the fuck are they? It's... It's just..."
"Weird as fuck?" Aaron finishes for her. Sophie nods before turning to the plump man without armour, still hovering too close for comfort.
"I want paying three times as much for this job when we get back, Wheeler. That should be easy enough since we're twenty two people short of what we started with, right?" I quite like Sophie. Even when walking into a dungeon behind a drunken man capable of killing a dozen people in seconds, you've gotta make sure you paid.
The well dressed man, Wheeler, doesn't rebuke her request but nor does he accept. I suppose that's how rich people stay rich. When someone mentions money they clam up good. A look that says, I'll leave you if you don't answer, makes him agree immediately however.
"B-But... Where are the monsters? The traps? Why does this dungeon have rules? And why the hell is he taking us further inside?" Good questions, Wheeler. Good questions. You're about to find out though, so I won't ruin it.
"Ahem," Light gathers their attention as the doors of the Barracks magically open on cue. Inside, is also not what they were expecting. With quite a few Shadow Walkers assigned under The Commanders, The Black Barracks's now looks like any regular old guard house other than the fact that it's staffed entirely by women
Crap.
I got distracted by Light's instant-kill move and completely forgot. I wanted Light to explain things before they got to the mind melt zone.
The mind melt zone?
Yeah. It's when men comes into contact with anything vaguely female in my dungeon.
Pow. Mind melt.
Oh. Is that what we're calling it now?
Unless you have a better suggestion?
No?
Mind melt it is then.
Floating on a cloud of dreams, Wheeler and Aaron are already mentally gone as the on-duty guards caught their eye the moment they entered. Sophie isn't fairing much better as the soothing glow filtering through the window eases the tension she was carrying. Even though death had claimed their persuers, she's still unsure if any more will come after them.
"It feels so... Nice," she whispers to herself.
"Hehe. It most certainly is, but you ain't seen nothing yet," raising his empty mug in the air, Light crosses the room toward the exit.
"What do you mean?" Keeping his eyes on our female guest, Light opens the doors. Stepping outside, he watches as her breath is taken away as she follows him. Staggering back in, Light has to physically drag the other two across the Black Barrack and kick them Into The System's room.
"Holy shit!" "What the fuck?" Aaron and Wheeler's reactions are one and the same, already gone. Sophie, for the all the time she hasn't taken her gaze off Light, is the only one to remember where they are.
"Aren't we... Inside the mountain?" Taking everything in, the blue sky above the dungeon wall of my miniature village makes for a really inconvenient misunderstanding. Not that it doesn't look awesome at the same time though.
"I-I t-thought you said this was a dungeon? Wheeler fiddles with his garments and tries to make himself more presentable. Aaron, after regaining some of his lost stamina, is lost for words.
I'd be surprised if they can even remember their own names.
Why would they forget their names?
Because of the mind melt.
But why would that make them forget their own name?
Nevermind. It was just a joke, Me.
Oh. Should I laugh?
No, not if you didn't find it funny. It's not like I was a comedian in my last life. We'll get you there though buddy.
For now, this scene is much more entertaining.
"Correct. We are still inside the mountain. The sun is just a feature of this floor, albeit a spectacular one," Light slurs a little as he explains, making his way towards the retreat. The humans behind him once again forget how to move their feet.
"Light!"
"Why do keep stopping? I'm getting told off because... Nevermind," he shakes it off, "Come on." Setting off, it isn't long before the limb paralysis sets in again.
"What about these houses? Is this where you all live? Did... Did the dungeon create these?" Sophie can't help but be shocked as they pass more people on their way towards the fine establishment.
"Yeah. More people stay at the hotel though as there aren't enough houses yet. Plus, it's right next to Ali's." His answer is lost on our guests as they look confused rather than enlightened.
"Ali's?"
"So far, it's the only restaurant in Varona. We'll grab something to eat after we've had a drink and I've explained the situation to you," at the mention of food, Light's hunger makes itself known.
"Varona? Is that the name of this place?" Just like Kat had beem, Sophie can't help but be overwhelmed by her own curiosity. Her two companions have barely uttered a word since leaving the barracks. It's obvious they have questions, but they're likely to be related to one subject so they're not really important.
As they enter the Retreat, the inevitable cannot be quelled and Aaron bursts out, "How the hell are there so many beautiful women in a dungeon? This is literally the middle of nowhere!"
"Well it's the middle of the mountain, if you want to be specific," Sophie takes a quick jab at her comrade before claiming the seat next to Light at the bar, "I'm also curious about that and to why you're here in the first place. Are you like... The Dungeon Owner or something?"
This time it's Aaron and Wheeler's turn to laugh at the ridiculousness of her quesrion. That is, until the proprietor appears from nowhere also partaking in the scene amusing her. She refills the empty mug of the red faced Rogue and captivates the hearts of the two other customers in the process.
Dropping to his knee, Wheeler produces a beautiful box from out of thin air before presenting it to Talia.
"Oh, beauty untold. I knew there was a reason I didn't die in that forest. It was so that I could arrive here and be graced by your presence. Please. Marry me!" No one says a word as the Retreat falls silent. Sophie clasps her hands over her mouth whilst Aaron's jaw drops. Talia doesn't say a word, but seems rather conflicted and Light downs his mug before looking at the barkeep expectantly. Me, I'm completely flabbergasted.
Ho.. ly... Shit
What does that mean?
It means... He wants to spend the rest of his life with her.
Is that normal?
It would be if he had known her for a while and realised he couldn't live without her. Just proposing straight out of the gate like that... Is kinda creepy. All it would take now, would be for him to keep lingering around after she says no and he'll be placed straight in stalker land.
Stalker land?
Just another one of those silly things, nevermind.
Let's laugh at Talia.
"Talia's got a boyfriend!" I jokingly float towards her whilst singing until she throws a fearful glance my way. That's all it takes to make me shut up apparently.
"I'm sorry, but I'm already interested in someone else. It's very flattering though, so thank you," letting him down gently, Wheeler picks himself up after being turned down and says something even stupider.
"Then I shall challenge him to a duel. Who is he? I-It's not him, is he?" Pointing at Light, who has ignored the entire conversation, he flinches before steeling his resolve.
"Haha. Gods no. It's definitely not him," she laughs. The insult earns her a frown, but not much else. Light wouldn't dare stop the tap from pouring and his silence earns him a refill.
Talia takes out three more mugs from under the bar and fills them with Strong Ale. Passing them out, she begins explaining about the man in her life, "... No offence to you, Light darling. You're great. You know you are. But when it comes to the heart, a lady wants what she wants. What else can I say?"
"Yeah, yeah... I'm awesome, I know," Light's cheeks flush as he continues. "Anyway, listen carefully you three. I'm going to explain about what you've seen so far... And I'll... Answer your questions after... OK?"
"You? Why not her? She seems to be in much better condition than you?" The inebriated Rogue doesn't need asking twice and he looks my way. His eyes are begging to be released from the task, but I need him to keep at it just a little longer. Then again, they might be able to comprehend it more if it comes from Talia.
"Yes! Let the sublimely beautiful hostess, whose name I've still to learn, get a word in, will ya?" It's like Wheeler is possessed at this point. Hopefully, Talia knows how to deal with ghost type of customer.
"I'm Talia," she beams to the three customers, "And that will be three gold please."