"I don't want to be rude, but can you please take a few steps back?" Hera turned to the royal chef.

"Sorry, I just want to know how to make that dish."

"And I'm teaching you, but I need some space to work. It already sucks that I have to work on my knees. You stepping over my legs doesn't help."

"You are the first human to ever use the kitchen. It's not my fault you are struggling," the chef crossed his arms.

Hera smiled, "That's fine, but unless you want to try cooking chicken on your own and risk making the king sick, help me out here."

The chef huffed but took a step back, giving her more space. After leaving the dungeon and giving some chicken to the guard working there, Hera and Blue went back to their home to clean up and change. Silah accompanied them to analyze how badly their armor was damaged and if she could do anything to repair them. Hera took a shower first, taking advantage of the bath they have to check her wounds. Even with the healing, some marks and scars were covering most of her body. They were superficial, but she got worried that they wouldn't go away. While washing herself, she considered that Risli might have some insight into fixing that. Most of the dwarves didn't seem that bothered by scars, but the shaman showed care when treating Blue's foot.

Hera did her best to take a quick shower, but she was tired. Even though the battle itself wasn't that bad, dealing with Rutigan was mentally exhausting. The worst part was knowing that it wasn't the end. The king was preparing an unscheduled dinner with the council, where they could both show the chicken meat and talk about how they could assist the humans while hunting the griffons in the dungeon.

Blue took Hera's place in the bath as soon as she could. Silah had already finished her early assessment, and to their luck, it was possible to fix the armors, but it would take some time.

"Are you sure you want to keep this one? It's beautiful, but the attributes are garbage. I mean, sure, agility can help, but if you are focusing on intelligence, you should have cloth or some type of thread. Minerals interrupt the flow of mana, even if you make them into scale mail. Mana needs a material that can breathe. And don't get me started in the charisma scaling ability. Why would something like a shield have that scaling?"

"Actually, I managed to get a great deal in that armor because of that. With the money I had at the time, this was much better than if I got something more standard," Hera picked her armor with a smile. It seemed like she had it for a lifetime already.

"Really? Can you take advantage of the attributes? I mean, intelligence and agility make sense considering how you fight, and well… you are gorgeous, so I guess charisma makes sense too," realizing what she just said, Silah turned away and almost shoved Blue's armor on her face, "A-a-anyway, I already told her, but this armor needs some work too. I think it will take a few days to fix everything."

"Thanks, and sorry for giving you more work."

"Don't worry. It's nice to see what those things can do. I can prepare some things to protect you guys better."

Blue should take some time before coming back. This was as good of a chance to talk with Silah alone as any, "So… Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Not at all."

Hera stopped for a moment. What if asking about her feelings made things get weird between them? Maybe it was better to pretend to be oblivious. Besides, how was she supposed to ask?

"Erm… What if I wanted to ask you to make some new armor?" Hera gave up on asking about her feelings.

"Well, new pieces can only be commissioned by the captain. Besides, I'm not the best blacksmith around. People say I show promise, but I can tell that my work still has a long way to go. We could talk to my parents, they would love to make you a set of gear. Or we could try our luck with Kahala. She's the best armorsmith we have," Silah explained.

"Really? I thought your family had the best blacksmiths."

"My family is the most consistent. We don't take too long to make things, and it always has a good result. I love my parents, but they are not very creative when making something. They specialize in silverware and tools for day-to-day lives, not in weapons or armor."

"So, Kahala? Any idea if she would be willing to make new armor for me?"

"No idea. She's a very private person, but it may be worth a shot."

As they were discussing, someone knocked on the door. It was a guard letting them know at what time the dinner would start. Only Blue and Hera were invited for the meal. Silah wouldn't be a part of it. Hera thanked the guard, and they went back to talk about armor. Sometime after Blue left the bathroom, Silah left, taking the armors with her. Even though it was late, she wanted to get started on the repairs.

Sometime later, the humans got ready and left their house. As they arrived in the palace, Rutigan asked Hera to prepare some chicken for the council. The royal chef didn't enjoy that idea. He knew how to cook. There was no need for a human to take his place. Hera prepared a chicken salad, some fried chicken, and grilled chicken. The idea was to make an entire chicken course, and those were the dishes she was most comfortable making.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

She did her best to teach the head chef how to cook like her, but she wasn't exactly a professional, and the dwarf's attitude wasn't helping. Neither of them was excited about the idea of sharing the kitchen. Still, Hera rather be here than be in Blue's shoes. Her friend was with the king who wished to hear the tales of how they fought the griffons for the 4th time before the dinner. After a little over one hour, the meal was done, and the council members had arrived. Hera was called to the dining room so they could discuss what happened before the dinner. Being the last one to arrive, she noticed the stares coming from Naka.

"Ah, welcome, Hera. I hope everything is ready with our surprise," Rutigan asked.

"It is. When you say the word, they can bring it," Hera quickly walked over to a free seat by Blue's side.

"Is everything ok?" Blue whispered.

"I think so. I never cooked for royalty before, so the chef will dress the plates. My first attempt was awful. How about you?"

"I'm just tired. I had to tell the same story another two times, and I bet there is at least one more coming."

While the two humans talked, Rutigan exchanged some pleasantries with the other council members while asking about any new developments in their work. Fethy talked about paintings or whatever people were creating, all of which were incredible, according to the duchess. Lural warned the king that they would need to increase the meat supply next month since the crops were struggling to keep up with the demand.

"Funny you should mention that. Lerynn made an interesting report today. Apparently, our new companions sneaked inside the dungeon and faced the Sky Ruler's Spawn," Telanz said.

Naka stared at Hera and Blue with the same angry expression as if waiting for their reply.

"That is correct. Our brave warriors have fought against the Sky Rulers inside the dungeon and emerged more or less victorious," Rutigan said.

"You have? How did you manage such a feat?" Fethy asked.

"It wasn't that difficult. The monsters hurt, but they are around the same level as the sheep. If it wasn't for the weird barrier that stops you from dealing damage to it, I think any of the guards could defeat them," Hera explained.

"Still, my dear. It must have been a harrowing experience. You must tell us about it," Fethy pressed.

"Yes. Please. Tell us the story of how you sneaked by the guards and entered a dungeon with no backup," Naka's voice was sharp and cold.

"Well… we wanted to know if the plan of fighting the Sky Ruler could work. If we can't even beat the Spawns, how could we hope to beat the real thing?" Blue defended.

"Exactly, we understand that you guys have a way of doing things, but we can't wait 50 years to get out of here. I've told you before, captain. That time might not be too long for you, but for us is a lifetime. Back home, I have a grandmother. She is old and wrinkly like Risli. If I'm being honest, I won't have another 10 years with her, much less 50," Hera explained.

"Not to mention our parents. Mine are close to 40. In 50 years, they might have passed already. You are used to taking things easy and being careful. That's not what we humans do. We jump in headfirst and deal with the consequences. I know that this sounds odd, but that's how life is for us. We don't have the luxury to fight in the same dungeon until the monsters inside can't damage us. Not if we wish to get to your level one day, captain," Blue added.

"So you ask us to risk ours lives so you may come back? I'm not putting my men in danger just so you can go back to your mommy."

"Now, now, captain. There is no need for hostility. I'm sure you understand what it is like to miss one's parents. Besides, no one is talking about putting the guards in unnecessary danger," there was a long pause while Naka seemed to calm down a little before the king continued, "I believe that our new priority should be killing the Sky Ruler so we may open the locked doorway."

Aside from Ogryn, the entire council was shocked by the declaration. They all wanted to be rid of the Sky Ruler's threat, but proclaiming it to be a priority was something else. Naka completely stopped paying attention to the humans and focused solely on Rutigan.

"My king. Forgive me for being blunt, but I don't believe you understand the implications of what you are saying," the captain said.

"I understand. I will be asking for some of our brothers and sisters to risk their lives. I can see that this is a selfish request, but denying the request of a loving couple to have children is something I wish to stop doing," Rutigan replied while staring at his wineglass.

"People have to ask permission to have children here?" Hera asked.

Rutigan nodded, "They do. A long time ago, before our generation, we understood that we must make sacrifices to guarantee our survival. At the moment, we are dangerously close to our max capacity. I, like my father, prefer to work below our limit, just in case. So, as morbid as it sounds, I can't allow anyone to have children unless someone dies. This is something I really wish I could stop doing."

No one had any arguments against that. It was rare to see someone who hadn't, at some point, been refused to increase their family. Even to move out of their parents' house, they had to put their names on a list and wait for a vacancy.

Rutigan called the chef and asked for the meal, "Now, while we eat, Hera, Blue. Would you be so kind as to tell us how was the fight against the Sky Rulers?"

They started talking, explaining the griffons' attack patterns and what they found out during the dungeon. Hera also showed the feathers, which made Fethy very excited, but she was quickly shut down after understanding what the feathers could be used for. All members of the council asked about different details about the fight. Surprisingly, Naka was the one who asked the most questions. Despite all her protests, she seemed to be genuinely considering the different tactics that could be used.

There was a pause in their discussion when dinner was served. The council had a very similar reaction to the chicken as the guards had earlier that day. Hera did her best to explain the food and the issues that could come up with it. She shared more ideas of dishes, but some, like the buffalo wings, would take some experimenting to make. After that, they returned to the discussion about the combat.

When that part of the conversation was over, Ogryn spoke, "My mages and I have a few ideas to help Hera and Blue during those fights. We may not be able to damage the Sky Ruler's spawn. However, it doesn't mean we can't increase the capabilities of those who can."

"And if that works, we can show them the path to the nest," Rutigan said with a smile.

"Absolutely not!" Naka slammed her fists against the table, making the massive stone's surface shake, "They are too weak to face the Sky Ruler. Before even thinking about going there, they have to train."

"We can discuss that at a later date, and I believe it will take some time before they are able to go inside the dungeon again," Rutigan turned to Hera and Blue, "Do you have any idea how long it will take to fix your armor?"

"Silah said it will take a few days," Blue replied.

"Good, during that time, I can show you what happens to those who go behind their captain's back," Hera and Blue felt a chill as Naka took another bite of her chicken.