Zarian had a mug of water filled with ice cubes tipped to his mouth. He chugged away while looking up at the group notification.

His personal level went up to 24. Naomi gained a level. Bianca, Hannah, and Gilbert gained two levels, drawing them closer to choosing classes.

Hannah was the closest at Level 9. The side quest she’d received for her enchanting pushed her up the levels quickly. It was as if the System wanted Hannah to get a class and show off some stronger abilities dealing with runes.

Zarian was excited to see that. Despite the horrors they’d faced, Zarian enjoyed seeing the growth and the exploration of magic. He was a much different person compared to who he was half a day ago.

He was kind of living the dream, completing quests and finding unique locations that looked like illustrations from a fantasy book.

Then he suffered a mild brain freeze and felt his stomach stricken from taking in too much cold water. Zarian slammed his mug down and coughed into his fist.

“Don’t drink too fast if you haven’t had water for a while,” Foodie said. “Especially you, with the cloak. You don’t seem like you have a lot of Strength or vitality to you.”

She was back at the counter to chop up what looked like roots. Everything would be ready in twenty minutes, she’d mentioned.

Zarian and the others sat at a dining table close to the doorway they’d taken to get here. Other than their mugs of ice and water, they had three wooden pitchers filled with more to share between them.

Foodie had promised to provide them beer, too. It was locally made with enough magic to make it an uncommon drink.

That sounded fantastic to Zarian even though he was more of a rum drinker, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. More importantly, he was extremely curious about everything that Foodie knew.

“How can you tell all that about me?” Zarian asked.

“The way you move. Next to the human woman who stays close to you, I can see she’s strong and graceful. You aren’t. You’re a magic type, aren’t you?” Foodie asked.

“You can use Identify if you want,” Zarian offered.

Foodie looked up from what she was doing, and Zarian felt a strange, invasive tingle. A pop-up notification followed the creepy feeling:

Oh, so that’s why it’s rude, Zarian realized. He glanced at the others, noticing the frown on Naomi’s face.

Bianca, Hannah, and Gilbert didn’t feel the Identify at work from Foodie. Maybe that was a consequence of having fewer levels, aura, or whatever.

Foodie hummed. “You’re all Outsiders. So many in one place, how very, very rare. And you, with the cloak, you’re a wizard. You must be very talented with Mysticism, I imagine. I’m not very good at that. I’m more Strength-focused with Wonder as my secondary. It helps with my cooking.”

Zarian found it curious that outsiders were rare. Apparently, having five of them in her kitchen was an even bigger deal. Did that mean outsiders were valuable in the Infinita Star System? If that was the case, then being an Honored Outsider was probably huge.

“Thanks for the compliment,” Zarian replied. “Yeah, I’m all about Mysticism, second to that is Willpower or Wonder.”

“Mmm-hmmm.” Foodie nodded.

“Your kitchen is a big place. You’re the only one working here?” Gilbert asked as Foodie plodded off to the side.

She grabbed a pole off the wall. It had a hook on top for catching out-of-reach items.

“Before I answer, can you answer how you all got here? That will tell me what’s useful for you to know,” Foodie said plainly, going back to the stove with a bag of dried leaves.

She tossed them into the stew. Then, with her bare hand, she opened a slatted panel in front of the oven and looked inside, completely ignoring the air-wavering heat.

Watching her work was enchanting. She was a little thing with big ears, all green with cat-like mannerisms and eyes. But the more Zarian watched her, the more he noticed that her presence was strong and solid, fitting for her class.

He could tell she was handling everything around her carefully. Without care, she might break her own stuff. How did a little goblin get so strong? Was it because of her dad?

“I opened a portal from our world to the Infinita Star System,” Zarian explained, answering her question after some thought. “We ended up on the floor below this one where there were puddles and ponds of Shadowfell Tears. We, uh, had to fight some corrupted fish. Then we encountered goblins who were corrupted. We went from one fight to the next until we found you. We lost some people along the way.”

“But we completed a quest to get here!” Bianca chirped, grasping for positives.

“Yes, you really are Outsiders,” the goblin said. “And the wizard is an Honored Outsider.”

Four pairs of eyes turned to Zarian. There were a lot of little things about him he hadn’t mentioned. But the company here was decent, so Zarian didn’t mind for that stuff to come out now.

“I’m built different,” he said. “I also have something major in my origins. It gets me some special treatment from the System. At least for now.”

“You took a bottle from my hand with your black tentacle,” Bianca pointed out.

“Oh, yeah, I’ve been playing with magic for almost a year now. Before I got kicked out of the Marines for … insubordination,” Zarian said.

Naomi stiffened a little but didn’t say anything.

“I can’t believe you were a freaking Marine,” Gilbert said, shaking his head. “Then again, I guess it makes some sense based on how...”

“On how what?” Zarian raised an eyebrow.

“Gung-ho, chief. How gung-ho you are.”

“You really had magic before all of this started?” Hannah asked, steering the conversation to somewhere more important. “How is that possible?”

“I don’t know. Arianna showed up when I was eight. Then the dark magic happened almost a year ago. I’ve been involved with supernatural stuff for a while, and I was the only one I know to have that happen,” Zarian explained. “Nobody else would believe me. But now here we are. In another world where it’s normal to have magic.”

“This is true. It is normal to have magic here in Infinita,” Foodie said from on her step ladder, ladle in hand while stirring the stew. “Even the food will have some magic to it. At least when I cook.”

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“It’s safe to eat, right?” Naomi asked, receiving some glares from Bianca and Gilbert. Zarian understood that Naomi wanted to double-check.

“I will give you a three course meal starting with the stew, followed by the steaks, and then the sweet bread I made. Does that sound okay with you all?” Foodie asked.

“Can I hug you?” Bianca asked.

Crackling flames filled the silence. Then Foodie said, “Maybe another time.”

“You hear that? Another time. We just have to let her cook, guys,” Bianca cheered.

“Can we go back to that craziness about the portal?” Gilbert asked, wiping away the excess drool from his mouth. “Did you really do that, chief? And why in a mall of all godforsaken places?”

“And can you bring us back?” Hannah asked quickly.

“I had dreams leading me there. The portal was dormant, waiting to be activated. I just had to reach it and make the magic happen. Then the rest was history.” Zarian poured more iced water from the pitcher into the cup. “Maybe when we get some sleep, I’ll dream of another portal. But I doubt it. Things are different here. We’re part of the Star System, and Ariana’s gone for some reason.”

“Ariana’s real, isn’t she?” Naomi asked gingerly.

Zarian nodded. “Yeah, Ariana is real. I just don’t get why she’s gone now. Is it true that her spirit couldn’t pass through? That doesn’t make sense. She told me we belong here. She made it sound like she would be here.”

“Or she lied,” Gilbert said.

Bianca slapped him on the shoulder.

Zarian didn’t respond.

“The food is almost done.” Food placed the ladle down.

Hannah massaged her temples. “We’re in another world. Because of a portal that you opened in a mall. We have magic powers because of a game-like System. But there are dangerous monsters who are corrupted because of those Shadowfell Tears. What are we going to do if we can’t go back home? Is this our life now?”

Hannah struck a nerve. Bianca burst into tears and stifled sobs. Gilbert hunched over the dining table tensely, fists balled tight.

Zarian and Naomi were the least affected, which made sense for Zarian but not so much for Naomi. Did she like being here instead of back in their old world?

Zarian had more questions for Foodie. But the mood was sour, and he felt like he was the blame.

Well, he honestly was the blame. He had bodies stored away inside of Para’s pocket dimension that he had to bury when they reached a safe enough spot outside.

“The meal is ready,” Foodie said, which were the most wonderful four words Zarian could hear.

Foodie set everything up with an extra perk to her little steps. In front of the five Outsiders, they all had a bowl of brown stew, a plate of crispy brown meat glazed in sauce and sprinkled with seasoning, and fluffy golden bread covered in a sheen of honey-smelling glaze.

Then, to top it off, Foodie carried over a small barrel with a cork at the top. She removed the cork easily, set down some new mugs, and poured a dark liquid into each. It had a dry but slightly fruity smell.

They didn’t wait. They didn’t even concern themselves with any of the stuff being poisoned. Zarian and the others felt a desperate need to eat, drink, and feel more complete.

The moment Zarian placed a spoonful of stew into his mouth, he felt tingles travel through his entire body. Everywhere.

Someone moaned like they were having an orgasm. It took a second for Zarian to recognize that it was Hannah.

Bianca burst into tears again. She scooped more stew into her mouth, barely swallowing it fast enough before taking in another spoonful as tears of joy rolled down her cheeks.

Gilbert rattled the table with his fist coming down between each bite.

“Wow,” Naomi said around a full mouth.

Foodie’s stew was good. It was so, so good. It had a burst of flavors without being overwhelming. It flowed smoothly with a few finely diced chunks you could chew on for more flavor. It was meaty while having unfamiliar vegetables that were arresting.

It could have poison, and Zarian would die with a happy belly.

This is so dumb. But let me be lucky for once. He had enough points in Wonder to have some good luck.

Naomi was the first person to get through the stew and reach the plate of crispy steak. Zarian’s hunger spiked, watching Naomi sink her teeth into the steak for the first bite and rip through it like a wolf on a fresh kill.

She moaned in girlish delight, nearly melting on the spot. Gilbert got to his steaks next. Then the others finished their stews. Zarian spent a little longer savoring his.

He’d been eating out of garbage until this point. If it wasn’t for his levels or the System or whatever, he might’ve died from flavor overload.

Eventually, he moved on to the meat and discovered a new pleasure like no other. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, with just enough juice to make it extra savory.

Everyone was taking their time now.

Zarian was almost full. He set the platter of meat aside and delighted in the sweet bread next.

He nearly jolted out of his seat. The bread was the tastiest desert he’d ever had. The sugar was almost too much even though he could tell there wasn’t a heavy amount. The quality of the sugar was way above normal.

Without thinking, Zarian took a sip of the beer next. Whoa. Wow. Zarian couldn’t believe how good the beer tasted. It was almost too magical. Did she make the beer herself?

Would it be obscene to marry the cook? Even if all Zarian wanted was her cooking and cat-like mannerisms?

“Can we be friends?” Zarian asked.

Foodie blinked slowly at him while standing off to the side. “I don’t know. I’m a slave, and slaves don’t have friends.”

And just like that, all the joy Zarian and the others felt from eating this scrumptious meal lost its luster. They didn’t stop eating, but they weren’t as enthusiastic now.

“That’s right,” Hannah said after using a piece of cloth to wipe her mouth. “We came here for water and food because we heard there was a Slave Cook. You’re serving us with no payment because you’re enslaved.”

“That’s part of the reason I’m serving you. I don’t have to since I’m not your slave, exactly. But you all seem to like my cooking a lot, so that’s payment enough,” Foodie said.

“Can we free her?” Gilbert turned to Zarian.

“We don’t know what we’re getting into,” Naomi said, sounding uncertain.

“Free my friend, Foodie!” Bianca cried out.

“I agree with Naomi. We know nothing.” Hannah sighed.

Zarian sighed along with her. Everyone turned to him. There was more food in front of him, but he was so full he couldn’t eat like the others. He sipped slowly on the delicious beer.

Then he said, “I need a nap. We all do. Are we really okay here?”

“I’ve already turned on the sanctuary’s defenses. For the next twenty-four hours, you are safe here. The goblins who fell to corruption will be repelled one way or another, especially if they want to risk my anger,” Foodie explained, walking off to the side and opening one of her storage chests.

“You’re their slave, but they wouldn’t want to risk angering you?” Hannah asked.

“I’m only a slave to one goblin, my mother. She rules as chieftess above us in a castle that once belonged to orcs. She has me branded with a slave mark. She was the one who led our tribe here to be corrupted by Evil Goddess Shadowfell after my father died.”

Foodie laid out five bed rolls. “They thought they’ll become stronger if they can survive the corruption. They all fell to it one way or another. My mother pretends she’s not corrupted, but she partially is. I’m the only exception. I became stronger alone, and then I became my mother’s slave.”

There was a lull filled by the dull crackling of the oven’s fire.

“So, we’re freeing her, right, my friends?” Bianca asked, breaking the lull.

“I’m going to get some shut eye,” Zarian declared, standing up from the table slowly.

The beer was hitting hard. He needed Para’s help to keep him stable, her tendrils pushing him along, keeping him upright.

“You can rest. Then I’ll serve you another meal when you wake up. After that, I can tell you how to escape from here,” Foodie said.

Zarian stopped and turned back. “Oh, yeah?”

Everyone’s attention sharpened if it hadn’t already.

Foodie carried on. “Castle Grimrock has many tunnels and caverns attached to it. Based on your levels, you can go through the White Spider Dungeon and make it out alright. Then you’ll get to the surface and be on your way to human territory west of here. You’ll know west if you watch the Corma Star and the Star Core’s arc falling in a certain direction. Where it falls is west. Go that way through Bramble Wolf Forest, and you’ll find a town with other humans. They should have all that you need to help you.”

There was a lot of information to keep track of with her directions. So much of it sounded fantastic, like straight out of a fantasy novel or online game.

The good food, unique magic kitchen setting, and the conversation with a powerful goblin were all a part of one big comfy vibe. Zarian’s need for sleep grew even stronger than his curiosity.

“Like I said, I’m getting some shut eye.” Zarian fell onto a bed roll. He didn’t bother covering up. “Then we can figure out how to break you free.”

“Why?” Foodie asked.

“Nobody who cooks so freaking good should stay enslaved to their evil mother. If you want to pay us back for helping you, then you can cook for us wherever we go on our adventures.”

With that said, Zarian fell asleep.