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Taste test

"You want to do this quest?" Jack asked the entire group who was there except for Tina and Emily who were still signing up. Mileena left since she didn't like crowds. They all nodded in reply. Jack then sighed and gave them a piece of paper.

The paper was filled with information about the client they were working for. Their client was named Ted Halthy who owns a tavern in the business district.

The owner wants help with the business. Any recommendations and suggestions are good as well as working for seven days.

The group read it and nodded to each other. At the same time, both Tina and Emily arrived with their adventurer id.

"What class did you guys pick?" Isaac asked the two.

"I chose warrior." Tina replied with a smug grin.

"And I chose support." Emily replied softly.

"Oh shit. I forgot to get myself a class." George mumbled to himself. It was too late to get it done so he reminded himself to get it done sometime later.

The group then left the guild. The journey to the tavern was short and calm with no nuisances whatsoever. Once they arrived, they took a good look at the front.

The tavern was in the middle of two other shops. The front had a large sign that said 'Ted's Tavern.' The whole exterior had a cobblestone texture with some wood holding it. The front also had large windows, there were plants near it. The door was a simple one, with its door hinges and knob.

George opened the door and entered. The others followed.

The interior had a cafe-like feeling, with some chairs and tables all around and a quiet environment. There was a long counter near the end which was being cleaned by a teenager that was at least 15 years old.

The teenager had long light brown hair that was tied in a ponytail. He had a slender body. He was also a few inches shorter than George.

-"I think we have to stop using George as the height comparison." Mark said to me.

"Why? Its easier."

"Do we even know his height?"

"I think I said it near the beginning of the story. He was 6'0."-

He was wearing a simple leather tunic, some pants and leather boots. He was also wearing an apron.

They then went near the counter. The teen heard the footsteps and looked towards the group.

Seeing his face, Grim blushed profusely at the sight. He had a cute and handsome face.

"Hello, welcome to Ted's Tavern, what do you want to order?" The teen asked with a fake happy smile.

George then introduced himself to the young teen.

"Hello, the names George and um...we're here to help the business as stated by the quest." With that, the teen perked up.

"Um, let me get the boss." The teen then went to the door behind him and left. The group decided to sit down to wait.

A few moments later the teen arrived with a middle aged looking man with a huge mustache.

The man was shorter than the young teen. He then chuckled and jumped over the counter to look at George.

"You took the job! Excellent!" Ted exclaimed, jumping in happiness.

"Yes sir..." George chuckled awkwardly. "So, what problems are you guys having?"

"I've been having trouble with customers." Ted started, he then looked down on the ground. "After the opening of this here tavern, I haven't been getting that much customers. Some go here for the beer but that's it! No one wanted to try the dishes in the menu."

"Who's the cook?" George asked.

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"Me!" Ted replied.

"..." George was thinking. Something came into his mind. He widened his eyes in that possible answer. 'I have a bad feeling about this.'

He then got out of his mind and asked Ted.

"Do you mind if we do a little taste test on the food?"

"Sure! Sure! Criticism is acceptable." Ted said before climbing up the counter again and proceeding to go through the door.. "Come! come! The kitchen is here at the back!"

George and company used the gate that was on the side to get to the back door. The teen was grateful for going through the gate instead on the counter. He then proceeded to wipe the counter again. He was also hoping that they'd make it out alive.

-"Should I make a time skip?" I asked Mark.

"I don't know. Should we?"

"Possibly, but I think you'd better not. Though, it is your decision."

"Ok."-

Ted was beside a long table. The table had 6 silver platters on it. The food was inside the platter but was hidden by cloches.

The group looked at the table with shock. Ted then proceeded to give them some spoons and forks. Suddenly, George gave off a light sneeze. Grim noticed it, his eyes widened and he quickly muttered something.

"Now, now. The first dish is what many may call, 'Steak.'" Ted said as the group prepared their utensils. Ted then removed the cloche and revealed...

...

George slumped his shoulders in dismay. Grim widened his eyes. Yu and Isaac looked shocked. While Tina and Emily drooled in hunger.

The steak was raw.

"This..." George pointed at the steak, his words were filled with rage and suddenly his accent turned British. "THIS IS FUCKING RAW!!"

The group was shocked at George's sudden outburst, but his rage was not over yet.

"YOU CALL THIS FUCKING STEAK?! I CALL THIS A FUCKING FAILURE!" George then got a knife and proceeded to cut the steak. "WHAT THE FUCK!?"

The steak was soft when he tried to cut it. George was shocked and angry.

"FUCKING HELL--NEXT!" George said as Ted proceeded with the next dish. Yu and Isaac decided to not taste test anything anymore. Tina and Emily were busy eating the raw steak. That left Grim and George to taste test everything else.

"This next dish is what I call, 'Fried Corn.'" Ted said, unfazed at George. When he removed the cloche of the fried corn, George just slumped in dismay again.

"You call this fried corn...I CALL THIS ASHES OF THE CORNS YOU KILLED!" George shouted in anger as he saw the fried corn.

The problem was, there wasn't any corn. There were only ashes of corn.

"YOU DON'T BURN CORN, YOU FUCKING DONKEY! NOT TO THIS EXTENT!" He pointed at the ashen remains of the corn. "HELL, I DON'T EVEN FUCKING THINK YOU SHOULD COOK CORN!"

Grim tried to eat the ashen remains only to spit it out a second later.

"NEXT!" George shouted. Ted then went towards the next dish.

"This one is called, 'Soup'" Ted then removed the cloche to reveal...

...

"WHY IS THERE A FISH SWIMMING INSIDE OF IT!?!?" George proceeded to shout as he saw the bowl of so-called soup. "HOW IS IT EVEN FUCKING ALIVE?!?!"

Grim tried to eat it.

Tried.

As he was trying to drink the soup, tentacles grabbed his arm, clinging onto it firmly. Grim screamed in surprise and tried to get it off but it just stuck there.

"WHY IS THERE ALSO AN OCTOPUS IN THERE?!" Grim shouted.

"Oh, that is not an octopus nor a fish, it is a Squiggly. A fish and octopus hybrid." Ted replied calmly.

"EVEN IF THERE WAS NO SQUIGGLY, THE SOUP LOOKS LIKE IT CAME FROM THE FUCKING SEWERS!!" George exclaimed before grabbing the cloche and closing the dish. "Next."

"This one is called, Fried fish." Ted then opened it. George was disturbed.

"WHAT THE HELL EVEN IS THAT?!" George shouted as he looked at the dish.

The dish was a fish. A fish that had a rocky texture. That was all.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?" George asked.

"That's a land fish." Ted answered. Grim widened his eyes in shock. He then proceeded to stop cutting the fish with a knife and retracted it back.

"First of all, that does not look cooked enough. Second, no spices?!" George said as he observed the fish. "Third, it-IS THAT FISH FUCKING BLINKING?!"

Indeed, the fish was still blinking. George opened his mouth in shock and anger.

"THAT FISH IS FUCKING ALIVE!" George then used a knife to stab the fish. Blood escaped the stab wound. "AND IT STILL HAS FUCKING BLOOD INSIDE OF IT!"

"Plus, land fishes are poisonous." George was taken aback more.

"Who is your supplier?" George asked in shock.

"Well, my supplier said that those were free. So, I got them for free!" Ted replied, still unfazed by George's outbursts.

"N-next." George facepalmed. Ted then opened the second to last one.

"..." George was silent. "DID YOU GET THAT FROM THE FUCKING SEWERS?!"

"No, this dish is a roasted pig with some side dishes."

The dish did not look like it was a roasted pig, instead, it looked like a rotting corpse that was filled with garbage at the sides.

Grim tasted it and immediately regretted it. He then proceeded to vomit on the dish.

"This...is a pig...IT'S FUCKING DISGUSTING. NEXT."

The last one was opened and it appeared to be...

"Bread." George said as he took a piece and ate it. He spat it out seconds later. "This is fucking bread. How did you make it into a poison?!"

"I got it from my supplier." Ted answered. George rolled his eyes.

"Can I have water?" George asked. Ted nodded and went to get water. Grim was uttering some words as Ted came back with two mugs of water.

Grim and George proceeded to drink the water.

A mistake.

Grim widened his eyes and proceeded to fall down face first. He was now unconscious.

George spat it out. He looked disgusted and slowly looked at Ted.

"YOU FUCKING DONKEY!! HOW COULD YOU FUCK UP WATER!?!?" He shouted with all his might.

----------------------------------------

"Finally, some good fucking food." George said clearly as he was smacking his lips together in a chewing motion. Ted looked at him curiously before speaking up.

"Um, you ate nothing."

"Exactly."

"So, how was it?" Ted said, calmly and unfazed.

"Overall. If your terrible cooking skills could kill, I'm pretty sure you've murdered the entire universe by now." George commented with venom and dread. "Now, suggestions and recommendations."