Ch 3 (1/2): Cooking Suspicion_Excuse Me, I Was Trying to Rest in Peace!

The first sign of delicious food in this world! I follow the smell and rush through the jungle. A tiny hut sits quietly in the jungle with a metallic vehicle next to it. White smoke rises from its chimney.

I dash up to the door and knock.

“Hello?” I call into the door.

The sudden sound of ladles and knives crashing down rumbles from the hut.

“Er...hello? Is someone...about?” A chubby-looking man slowly opens a slit of the door and stares up at me.

“Now, hold on. Who are you, then? And...how'd you manage that?” The man says in a shaking voice, tightly holding a knife in his hand and looking at the path I took.

“I am Val. I walked...” I look back at the way I came, a trail of destroyed traps marking my path.

Oh wow… I was so focused on the smell I didn’t even notice those…

“Sorry… about those…” I said awkwardly.

“Right. What's the purpose of this, then?” The man said, still shaking.

“I got lost in this jungle, and I smelled your delicious cooking…” I say, taking another whiff. “But it’s starting to smell a little burnt now.”

“Ahh!” The chubby man slams the door in my face and runs back inside.

After much racket from the hut, the chubby man returns.

“Lost, are we?” He looks at me in confusion and suspicion, looking me up and down. His eyes widened suddenly.

“Yeah… I am lost… maybe you could spare something to eat?” looking into the hut.

That food smells so good I must have a taste.

The chubby man lowers his knife. “Just...stay put for a moment,” he says softly, before slamming the door in my face again.

I wait outside for a while, looking into the sky. The sun is in mid-air now. It’s probably around noon. A thundercloud seems to be forming closer to the beach where I came from.

The salty and sweet smell from the hut is now mixed with the scent of perfectly harmonious spices.

I would definitely be drooling, if I could…

The door swings open once more. “Come in… Looks like the heavens are about to open.”

I enter the tiny hut. There aren’t any furnishings in the hut. It's extremely simple. The door closes behind me.

The chubby man walks past me.

“Here, sit. Make yourself...as comfortable as you can,” he says, pointing at the table with two seats.

On the table, there it is. The pot, the magnificent pot. The delicious smell of spices, meat, and veggies, with a hint of a mysterious scent, all come from this pot. Some familiar, some not so much. It looks a lot like curry or beef bourguignon, just with unearthly-looking ingredients.

I slowly sit down on the chair.

The man still looks a bit nervous, but he brings some plates and utensils.

We sit across from each other. He ladles some of the food onto my plate.

This body doesn’t need to eat, but I am dying for some good food.

“Thank you!” I can’t hold myself any longer and dig my utensils into the plate, scooping up some veggies and meat covered in sauce.

As I put a spoonful into my mouth, memories of home and Earth flood back. It tastes incredibly like Earth food. The taste, the smell, the texture all explode in my mouth, mixing into a harmonious mixture as I chew and swallow.

The food is still hot! I feel the temperature in my mouth. It’s the only part of me that can feel temperature.

As I take my first few bites, the chubby man finally relaxes and smiles. “Goodness me, you look like you've missed a few meals!”

“Ah… sorry…” I stop shoving food into my mouth and look up awkwardly at the chubby man. He looks quite young. He looks like a human, but there is something a little odd about him.

“There's plenty more where that came from. Don't be shy,” the man says as he gives me another ladle of food. “I'm Bailey. Now, where might you be traveling from?”

“I came from a faraway place, somewhere you’ve probably never heard of.” I pop another spoonful of food into my mouth.

Bailey pours himself some greenish-looking drink. “Care for a sip? It's...an acquired taste. And tell me, how did you manage to get all the way out here?”

“I’m fine, thanks. I just walked and wandered around the world,” I say, eyeing that slimy liquid.

Bailey takes a sip of the slimy drink. "Folks don't usually just...stroll into the wilds, you know. Especially not this one."

“I just got lost and kept walking.” My eyes wander to the window and look out.

Bailey follows my gaze to the window as well. "I don't get many callers, let alone ones that find their way right to my doorstep."

“I am…” I force down the mouthful of food in a large gulp. “Sorry about those traps.”

Bailey eyes me closely. "You...seem alright. Considering..."

"Good...good you're well. Those...things outside...they're meant to...well.” Bailey takes another, larger swig of the drink. “Ha."

Crack…BOOM! A sudden loud thunder breaks the awkward pause.

I should try to get hit by lightning next… that might do the trick…

Bailey gestures toward the swirling, pouring rain outside. "This...this is the Elemental Wilds. You can get all sorts out here. Rain, sun, thunder, fire...even earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes. All within...well, within a day, easy."

“That’s… intense…” My eyes follow Bailey’s finger to the window again. ”Are there others living around here?”

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“Only the Mesoselenian usually settle in the Wilds. But...even they tend to steer clear of this part. Too unpredictable, even for them." Bailey gazes over my body. "You...you're sure you're alright? Nothing...nothing feels...off?"

“I couldn’t be any better. The food is so good.” Before I realized it, I'd already eaten the entire pot of food. Bailey keeps giving me more as I eat. I feel my body fill with energy from the food.

Suddenly I realized something. I stare Bailey right in the eye before dropping down onto the floor. I keep my eyes closed and my body still.

Bailey lets out a shaky breath.

"Now...really. Who are you?" Bailey comes close to me and tries to flip my body over, which is difficult for him.

He checks my pulse and breathing. He steps back slowly. "That's...that's not right. Ionacoca doesn't kill. It just...puts you out. There's no way..." He quickly drops a couple of droplets of extremely bitter liquid into my mouth.

I keep my eyes shut.

After slapping my face a couple of times, he steps back. He takes my bag and it sounds like he goes through it and tries to open the locked box with the notebook.

I hear him dropping to his knees. "Those...those are his clothes. And...his card. How...? Why...?"

I open a slit of my eyes. He has his head in his palms.

He starts begging and even tries to resuscitate me. "Please...no. Please wake up. I...I have to know. Where's Master Keyser? Where is he?"

“Who is Dr. Keyser to you?” I open my eyes.

“Ahhhhhhh!” He screams, rolls, and jumps all at the same time.

Pulling out the gun he took from my bag he points it at my head. "What...what in the name of all that's good...are you?!"

“Calm down.” I get up from the floor and back into a seat. “I don’t want to hurt you and you can’t hurt me. Whatever you use in that food doesn’t work on me. So let’s all calm down and chat.”

Bailey takes a deep breath before slowly standing up and sitting back in his seat still pointing the gun at me.

I start explaining to Bailey what happened. How I woke up in Dr. Keyser's lab and he turned to dust in front of my eyes conveniently leaving out all the details of the afterlife and the visions I saw.

Bailey’s eyes widen and tears start rolling down his cheeks. He lowers the gun sinking into his seat like a deflated balloon. "So...that's it then. Master Keyser's...gone."

He explains that he is here to find Dr. Keyser. He found out the doctor was living in this area so he has been searching around for a blue moon.

All he wanted was to work for Dr. Keyser. He has looked up to him since he was little. Dr. Keyser was the one who saved his mother when others couldn’t.

I give him Dr. Keyser’s notebook and ask if he is able to read it.

He carefully reads through the pages. By the time he is done the rain has stopped and the sun is starting to set.

"So...you're Val! Well, I'll be!” His eyes refocus on me, beaming with excitement and hope. “You're...you're his last work then!”

“You can read his notes! What else does it say?!” I grab his arms with both of my hands.

"Oof!" he cries out in pain.

“Sorry…” I quickly let him go.

Bailey rubs his arm gently. "Right. Well...that last bit...that made sense. The rest...went right over my head."

I plant my face in my palms.

Why did you have such awful handwriting…

Bailey's brow furrows with worry. "But...you need to be careful. Keep yourself covered up. What Master Keyser did...well it isn't exactly...allowed."

He explains that everything that has to do with making artificial life and artificially prolonging life is forbidden by the Anunnaki, god-like beings who are worshipped by the humans.

He says I do not look like anything on this planet. Nothing has scales like mine and nothing has golden eyes pointing at his own blue eyes which was one of the reasons he was very suspicious of me. Also nothing should have made it to his door, all the traps were laced with poison.

He was so surprised that the food which had been poisoned also didn’t do anything. He put enough Ionacoca to make anything sleep for a week in one bite!

Well you know, he hid in a cave… I suspected he was probably doing extremely illegal things. Especially after what he did to those sea serpents.