The difference in power demonstrated by Jonas in his fight against Daniel is so great that Kwame feels like a junior high student asking advice from a senior.
“I was wondering if what you used as the very end was a magic attack directed to Daniel’s forehead…” he asked.
So that is what this is about… Jonas thought.
“Yes it was, you have a good eye. I believed to have hidden it appropriately in the last punch.”
“I’m sure almost nobody noticed sir. It is just that I was specifically looking after magic signals ever since I saw Gabriel and Luca lift the Arena from the ground up.” Kwame stated.
“I see… if that is what you wanted to know, there is no secret anymore…”
Jonas knew Kwame was not done with his inquiry. His face was hiding nothing at all about his intentions.
Kwame breathed deeply and went straight for the kill.
“Mr. Jonas I would like to be your apprentice during our stay at the village!” Said Kwame.
Kwame's eyes were sincere. Jonas felt that the man in front of him was opening the secrets of his soul through his gaze.
“I like the look in your eyes. As Gabriel said before, you’ll be able to train together with Luca and Michelle. I see no problem in giving you a few extra pointers…”
“Thank you!! I’ll do my best to absorb all you have to offer.”
“Now let’s go talk to the cooks. Your friend the Faun earned you all another banquet at our expense…”
“You mean Bryn? He did what?”
“Don’t worry about the details, but Gabriel asked me to pull all stops for today. You are getting the best we have to offer here in the village. Hmm...” Jonas said as he puffed his chest and pulled a hand to his stomach, rubbing it above his clothes. Thinking about the delicacies Gabriel asked them to prepare made Jonas’ saliva to dribble from the side of his mouth.
“Is Seraphina gonna be there tonight?” Kwame asked him.
Jonas sneered at the man in front of him still laughing inside. “You should be happy enough with your training, friend.”
“You are right… Let’s go tell the cooks about tonight's plans as you said.” Kwame quickly retorted.
As both men left the room, Thrain’s fainting complaints and the sound of hammer iron became sparse until they couldn’t hear it anymore.
Because of the events that transpired since their arrival, Kwame was still unfamiliar with the village’s buildings and their function.
As they walked along the buildings, Kwame started to notice the buildings and street details.
The main square had a close to a circular shape, in the middle of it, there were no traces of the fire they had done the night before. Now the floor was as plain as a blade’s side. Made out of earth and stones, it was had to maintain the area where so many people went through so aligned.
Surrounding it there were a few buildings, the most noticeable was the main Hall. That is where Kwame’s party enjoyed their first meal here. Also, Jonas said that Gabriel, Jonas, Luca, and Michelle lived there but at the back of the building in a residential area.
The house Kwame and Jonas just left was across the square and to the side of the main hall. It didn’t call for much attention before, but looking at it now, Kwame noticed that the building had many details in steel. Considering it was the village’s blacksmith place that only made sense now.
Jonas was walking across the square once again, leaving the town hall to their right as they walked. Arriving at an odd-looking building without doors once again. The building materials were normal, a mixture of clay and wood. What made it strange was a strange drawing of a big moose head biting on a huge knife engraved in stone.
As they walked in, many tables were filled with people from the village. They were all sharing meals and drinks.
The owner, an elder with both white hair and beard looked at them before saying. “Jonas, I see you brought us our new friend! Are you having the usual?”
“We are not, thank you though. I’m here because Gabriel would like us to discuss a celebration for tonight.”
“For tonight?” The elder asked startled. Most of the afternoon had already passed, and his options would be limited by the time until dinner.
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“Yes for tonight, are you losing your hearing old man?” Said Jonas mocking his shocked expression.
“I’m hearing just fine, you on the other hand keep asking for me to teach you a lesson… Anyhow, what is he thinking about?”
Jonas neared the counter and leaned on it with one of his arms.
“Gabriel would like you to perform your cooking magic without any restraint on the materials you want to use. All the ingredients in the village possession are free for you to cook!”
Stealing an ale from the countertop, Jonas added, “And there will be free booze for everyone tonight!”
Roars and cheers came from all tables.
While Jonas drank the ale he stole from the counter, exclaimed for all to hear and started to chug it. The elder took the piece of cloth positioned on his shoulder and hit Jonas in the head with it.
“Stop stealing my customers's drinks,” He said as the cloth hit Jonas flush in the side of his face. As drink spilled all over Jonas's face and clothes, the elder continued. “Fine, I’ll accept Gabriel’s request, but only because of him you hear?!”
With beer dripping from his face, he wiped it and answered, “Come on now, I know you want to cook with those ingredients again… Don’t make me the bad guy for bringing you this opportunity… Maybe I’ll tell Gabriel that I should do the cooking…”
The elder’s face remained serious, but the veins in his neck and forearms pulped so much blood that they almost popped out of his body from considering that.
“Now leave… You are interrupting my business here, I have to prepare everything. I’ll meet you at the main hall in half an hour, please be there so we can choose the ingredients for tonight,” he said to Jonas.
“That’s what I wanna hear! See you soon old man.” Jonas said.
Kwame was silent the entire interaction, he observed the way Jonas and the elder talked and acted. Some might think they didn’t like each other, but Kwame had a feeling that they were very close for some reason.
After the bar and restaurant, Jonas and Kwame made a few more stops to organize details of the celebration Gabriel would hold tonight. Done with everything, they went to the main hall to meet the old man.
Reaching the main hall, the elder was already there. He had his arms crossed, and the sunlight hitting him showed the definition of his muscles. His body built was between Kwame and Jonas. Kwame saw the same serious and serene expression as before. Having a better look at the man, one could see he had scars coming down from his sleeves. Kwame hadn’t noticed that before. Curious as any adventurer was, he decided to appraise the man.
As he did he almost slipped in the snow with his next step.
Name
???
Lvl
?4
Race
Human
Titles
Culinary Savant
???
???
Status
Strength
??2
Intelligence
??6
Dexterity
??1
Agility
??3
Vitality
??7
Luck
?9
Unlike Gabriel, Jonas, Luca, or Michelle, this man was not blocked from appraising, it was simply that Kwame’s strength was so low that he couldn’t check the man's status. A similar thing happened to Bryn even when he had permission to appraise Daniel.
This village is insane. Another monster appears in front of me… What kind of food and water do they have around here? That reminds me, I forgot to appraise Seraphina, I wonder if she is also as strong as these people…
As Kwame was wondering about the information he received, he looked up to the elder once again. The man’s eyes were locked to Kwame’s. As if an eagle had spotted its prey, the elder’s gaze felt like he tried to see Kwame’s soul.
“It is not polite to appraise someone you haven’t been properly introduced to…” The elder said out loud.
“Kwame, you really should mind your manners… Allow me to introduce to you, our former commander Lysander Gourdon” Jonas said tapping his back.
“Mr. Gourdon, it is my pleasure to meet you. I’m Kwame Nkosi.” Kwame said, bowing to the man in front of him.
“That is more like it, but I’m not Mr. Gourdon anymore. You can call me Chef Lysander or just Lysander if you wish… Now Jonas, let’s see what I can work with.”
“Let’s go inside, come on.”
As the three of them entered the hall, Jonas guided them towards the back. Reaching a stone door, Jonas touched it and different runes lit up in the black material. The door opened and quarters could be seen.
“Stop with the suspense Kid… Give me the ring, I don’t have all day.” Lysander said.
“You really are a party pooper you know sir?” Jonas answered.
Kwame was speechless. Magical barriers were something he had only seen in warehouses controlled by big merchant groups, it was expensive to hire a mage to perform the necessary incantations, also by the words chosen by Lysander, the material was stored in a space ring. Space items were very rare for the masses, the mage artisans who could do them were coveted by the noble houses or royal families. Space rings created a small dimension where time had no influence. Only inanimate objects could be placed inside of it and different quality rings could store different amounts of things. The weight of anything stored inside was also irrelevant, once inside the ring, the user wouldn’t feel any difference.
As all three walked inside, Jonas walked towards a shelf with a few sculptures, some items, and two rings. Taking one of them out, he glimpses back at Lysander throwing it at him.
“Remember Old Man, one makes food for the amount of people in the village, do not go overboard just because you have access to the ingredients…”
“What kind of chef do you take me for?” Asked Lysander as he grabbed the ring mid-air. He took it close to his eyes and allowed a drop of blood to enter it. Doing that would bind a magical item to one’s person. The bond could be broken only by the person who created it.
The chef looked back at Kwame, who felt more like a ghost haunting him than a man accompanying them.
“Hey kid, what is your favorite food?” he asked Kwame.
“I have to say my favorite food is pork meat stew, Sir. Especially if you have good spices and the sauce ain’t that liquid…”
“Hmm, I’ll make you and your party some Mystic Boar then… Jonas, how about you, any special requests?” Mystic Boar was a magical beast that existed in forests not really walked by man. The animal was much bigger than a wild boar and had the strength of many. Because of its lack of intelligence, all the magic he could use was to bolster his skin’s durability, making him shine and reflect the sunlight in many colors. The way it looked was what inspired people to call it Mystic. After hundreds of years of calling it such, they never stopped, even if the animal had few mystic characteristics.
“You know me and Gabriel, you can choose from the elk or bear and we’ll love it. Since our guests might have never ate them, let us go for both, how about that?”
The smile on Lysander’s face only grew as he rubbed the magical item now worn by his ring finger.
“Perfect. Let’s go with two Mystic Boars, one Celestial Elk, and one Arcane Bear, that should feed everyone.” Lysanders exclaimed excited to start the cooking process. His body started to walk instantly to the door.
At this point, there was nothing that could shock Kwame anymore.
Jonas grabbed Lysander’s right shoulder. “Not so fast old man… Grab the animals and leave the ring… Do you think I trust you with all those delicious meals inside the ring? No no no…”. Moving his finger from side to side he extended his hand waiting for the ring to be unbound and returned.
As both men were in a stare down, Kwame asked. “Are we about to have a banquet with Magical Beasts as food?”.