Road to freedom by Moskatero
Chapter 2
*WHACK*
HP - 128
“Don't overcook it!” Evangeline yelled at Kalthier after hitting him with a wooden spoon.
This is hell…
Once again Kalthier cursed his luck. Not only were Evangeline's hits capable of killing him, due to the increased pain his race stupidly gave him he felt each hit like a sledgehammer. His life and bones only held together by food he ate. Worse still, after six hours of following her indications, striving to work under Evangeline's imposing presence and dreadful hits was becoming unbearable. Being hit with a wooden spoon over and over again only to be healed by that magnificent bread. Kalthier still couldnt fry a simple piece of meat.
What kind of monster is she, if it weren't for the food she gave me i would have died from a single hit of her wooden spoon. And this pain… 50% and i can hardly notice the difference, it just plain fucking hurts
Finally, after overcoming the distraction the pain caused him, not to mention learning to control the weak lethargic body his lowered stats left him with, Kalthier managed to successfully cook a slice of meat to perfection, or at least something above the blackened ruin that he'd been producing.
You have gained a new skill. Cooking (Beginner Lvl 1, 12%)
You have gained some Dexterity. DEX +1
You have gained a new stat. Fighting Spirit
You have gained a new stat. Concentration
You have gained a new stat. Endurance.
Grinning like an idiot he turned towards Eva, ready to show her his accomplishment (And thus avoid further attacks from the wooden spoon) Only to be dismayed after seeing her scowl. Silently, and just like every other time before it, Evangeline took the meat he just cooked and, without so much as a sniff, threw it in the garbage.
“Hey!, what the f...” Before he could finish, or rather get started on his cursing, Evangeline shoved something in his mouth. It was something soft, chewy and yet, it possessed a crispness in it's texture that was beyond perfect. Then there was the taste, a taste that almost caused his knees to buckle. It was succulent, juicy enough to be mistaken for raw meat and yet, judging by its taste it was cooked just slightly over medium rare. it was without a doubt better than any meat Kalthier could find in a five-star restaurant. It was good enough to make him forget his pain. Slowly Raising his head as he slowly chewed on the delicacy, he found Eva grinning at him.
You a eaten a simple bite of meat, cooked to perfection by a extremely skilled chef this is truly a masterpiece of simplicity, extracting everything the meat has to offer to the surface.
Fully restores Satiety
+1000 HP
Health regen +5%
Doubles max Stamina
Lasts for 10 Minutes (Due to a single bite being taken)
As much as the messages and the taste of the meat filled him with joy, it was the sight before him, that seeing Eva put down her wooden spoon, that actually caused caused him to scream out in relief.
“Yeaaaah..Ouch”
His celebration however, was interrupted by a gentle tap to the back of his head. (The fact that said tab felt like a punch and took close to thirty of his hitpoints was overlooked by a Kalthier who'd been slowly desensitized of chef explosive violence)
“Stop celebrating, you just spent six hours failing to fry single piece of meat, and not even a rare one at that. Really now, you don't show much promise as a chef, in fact, the idea of leaving you alone near a kitchen scares me” Apparently, Kalthier had a serious lack of control over his draconian features because Eva then proceeded to kiss him on the cheek giving him a hug, and completely shattering what was left of his control over his swirling emotions.
“...” Taking advantage of his baffled silence Eva carried on.
“But you have a determination the likes of which I've never seen, not even in those so called geniuses they sent me, who never lasted more than an hour under my tutelage. And yet here you are, a completely regular guy with no talent for cooking, the first to ever earn the right to be my apprentice”
You have been offered an advanced apprenticeship by the legendary chef Evangeline Delacroft.
For as long as you are under her tutelage;
+5% skill growth
Free food prepared by Eva.
Requirements:
Must be deemed worthy by Evangeline.
Must perform all tasks ordered by Evangeline. Failure to do so lowers the intimacy and she might cancel you apprenticeship, casting you out (-1000 Intimacy with all chefs)
Rewards: Unknown, depends of the level of dedication the user shows gives towards this training.
If you wish to cancel the apprenticeship you must provide Eva with a good reason to avoid loss of intimacy.
Let me get this straight. The willingness to keep a useless, random promise to a person i just met, and a stupid determination that came disturbingly close to masochism, to finish what i started is something required by this madwoman to be considered worthy!?
Then again, it's free, heavenly food for as long as i stay here.
“I'll happily be your apprentice, as long as i never have to see that spoon of yours again”
“You don't like spoony? Ah well, we have a deal. First things first, you must learn the cooking skill. As i understand it you foreigners usually manage to grasp the basic concepts in a week or so, in your case we'll do it in two days” At this Kalthier couldn't help but feel a mix of relief and worry, so he laughed nervously.
“What!, twenty seconds as my apprentice and you're already laughing at my plans showing your kind teacher nothing but disrespect” Kalthier could see that Eva's usual anger was somehow fake, she looked like she was covering another emotion with her anger.
“Sorry, sorry. It's just that, thanks to your stupidly extreme methods of teaching, i already gained the cooking skill.”
“...” Her jaw hanging open Eva went to the garbage. all Kalthier saw was the changes in her expression as she checked the last piece of meat he cooked. first there was a frown, then came an expression of utter shock followed by relief. When Eva's expression finally settled into an evil grin that was so unlike her it caused Kalthier to ignore her when she once again threw the meat in the garbage.
“Hohoho, you really are talentless” Eva was now chuckling evilly as she approached Kalthier. he tried to take a step back but found his back against a wall.
“In order to make make such a talentless failure into a chef that won't ruin my reputation i'm going to have to severely extend your training” Seeing that evil grin on the grandmotherly chubby face once again caused Kalthier to break out in cold sweat.
“From now on, and until i tell you otherwise this will be your training schedule. From dawn to midday you will be here learning in a improved version of what you just went trough. Then you will head to the training hall. you can chose whatever weapon that suits you as long as you dedicate at least two hours of your daily training improving the Knife/dagger mastery skill”
Kalthier, whose body slowly became paler to the point that his skin looked almost human, was slowly shaking his head, his huge draconian eyes filled with tears of regret and fear.
“...After you stint in the training hall you will head to the library, where you will research the different topics i demand of you. Finally you will help me with the mass production of hell-bread”
Still ignoring the crestfallen look Kalthier was giving her Evangeline continued.
“Also, i know you foreigners tend to disappear from time to time so know this, every day that you miss will extend your apprenticeship longer. And don't even think of running away, i happen to cater to every member of royalty in the continent, not to mention the nobles. Creating a manhunt for a wayward apprentice is not the strangest request I've made of them”
You have accepted the apprenticeship of hell by the legendary chef Evangeline Delacroft.
For as long as you are under her tutelage;
+5% skill growth
Free food prepared by Eva.
Requirements:
Must be deemed talentless by Evangeline.
Must have made food that impressed Evangeline.
Unknown
If you attempt to run away Eva will use her connections to call on a manhunt. Until you return to her +2000 Infamy. You will be forbidden to enter to any city controlled by a kingdom in the continent. Quests will be given for your capture. Dead or Alive.
Rewards: Unknown, depends of the level of dedication the user shows gives towards this training.
Cannot be canceled.
Fuck it, i'll just log out, wait a week and make a new character, i feel like the AI is toying with my emotions in a second i can go from relief to fear, from pride to anger, joy to hate...
As Kyle was thinking of giving up on Kalthier he realized something. He actually felt something. Wonder began to fill his mind as he analyzed what happened. Not a day had passed, and, without him noticing, one of his long term goals of playing Royal Road was accomplished. Emotions, for the first time in twelve years he was feeling something. They were no longer an abstract concept.
Ever since 'THAT' happened the only thing he was ruled by was need. The need to eat, to sleep, to study, to talk and socialize; Always injecting the actions and words that were expected and required of him. A dead husk, twelve years devoid of feeling, until it finally came. The need to play Royal Road.
Completely ignoring the evil woman wearing an eager expression in front of him Kalthier continued to be lost in thought.
The character creation...
He could hardly believe it. A week ago he was quitting his job, saying goodbye the the only person that he could consider a friend and feeling nothing about it. And this game, this wonderful invention managed to piss him off, to get an emotion out of him ten minutes into playing it.
“Well!...” The chilling tone of voice shook him out of his reverie.
Ignoring the baleful look that was directed at him and having decided to stick through whatever the game threw at him, he jumped, hugging a surprised Eva before firmly stating.
“Evangeline Delacroft, I will happily do everything you ask me in this ridiculous, hellish training of yours” Letting go of the frozen woman he walked towards the front of the bakery.
“I'm off to the training grounds, see you in a few hours, bye” One final look over his shoulder showed Kalthier a truly unique sight. Not only was Eva shocked to silence. Her face appeared to be stuck in a circle, from a cute, confused frown to a wistful smile, to an evil scowl and back to the frown. It filled Kalthier with giddy happiness as he went to find the training grounds, the best part, he was now completely aware of feeling it.
Having already walked a good portion of the city Kalthier knew exactly where to find the training hall.The smells, shouts and the intimidating giant by the entrance clearly marked it as he avoided it when he was looking for a restaurant earlier that morning.
Now constantly aware of the embarrassment he felt as people looked and pointed at him as he walked made him increase his pace to a trot.
Bloody appearance, i need to find a cloak, and something to hide the tail with.
As he reached the training hall he once again saw the mountain of a man, easily over seven feet tall (2.10m) the man constantly looked towards the interior of the building with his arms crossed and a bored, if slightly amused expression.
Having somehow sensed Kalthier's approach the man turned towards him.
“Greetings foreigner, are you by any chance interested in improving your migh… are you lost?”
Seriously? a six foot tall reddish creature with horns (cute little nubs) pointy teeth (ditto) and menacing monster like eyes () approaches him and he completely diminishes it, me. I Know he's tall but talk about overconfidence (Wishful thinking).
“Hello, my name is Kalthier and that old hag, Evangeline, told me to come here and train”
At the mention of Eva's name the guard came to full attention.
“Greetings Kalthier, my name is Bergroth and i am the master instructor of the city of Regus. I would like to know if you realize the consequences of lying to me and soiling her name?” The hostile attention Bergroth directed at Kalthier was impressive, but lame compared to Eva's. It only managed to piss him off.
“Who's lying?! And look, seeing as i'm now Eva's apprentice, apparently for life, I've earned the right to call that monstrous woman as i please... As long as she's not around of course.”
The instructor paled, burst out laughing, then paled again.
“Great so eventually we'll have two monster chefs to worry about...” Bergroth muttered “Anyhow, the training weapons are by the wall, you can chose the one you like the go hit a scarecrow” With that the man went back to watching people hit scarecrows, apparently doing his best to ignore Kalthier.
Seeing people swing all kinds of different weapons but no one using a knife or dagger Kalthier decided that it made sense, fighting armed only with a dagger seemed suicidal at best so he picked up a long-sword along with a knife.
Holding the long-sword in his right and and the knife in the left he approached an empty spot in the line of scarecrows.
*Whack*
His first blow with the long-sword left his whole arm tingling with numbness so he tried a couple of quick slashes with his knife as he recovered. The knife was awkward in his hand, and more often than not the edge of the blade hit the scarecrow at an angle, causing an ugly sound and sending reverberations through his arm. His main hand, holding the heavy wooden sword fared no better.
After an hour of swinging both weapons at the scarecrow Kalthier gave up. he had no idea how to wield a blade, much less use it and his arms had paid the price. His muscles prickled with a strange, numb pain, and a well of hate towards the scarecrow began to build within him. Sensing his lack of progress Kalthier went towards the instructor for, well, instructions.
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“Hey, Bergroth , I need some help "
“Hah!, I saw you training. You need a miracle”
“Hey!, you're supposed to be an instructor, so instruct me damn you”
“Hehehe, don't let your feathers get ruffled so easily son, you'll live longer that way. Now, why don't you start by telling me why you chose those weapons?”
“Well, Eva insisted that I should practice with a knife and I've always been a fan of swords, plus holding a weapon in each hand not only looks cool but seems to give a wielder array of options for both attack and defense.”
Bergroth 's eyebrows shot up “Well, that’s unusually sound reasoning for someone who's never held a sword, but you missed something important. In order to wield two weapons at once one needs complete awareness of his body and surroundings.”
“I Also noticed that you took the light weapon in your off-hand.This is indeed the way to go in combat, as it allows you to easily parry attacks with it, leaving your opponents open to an attack from your main hand. But in training you should either use identical weapons in each hand, or constantly switch your light and heavy weapon. All in order to train your ambidexterity.”
“Now, give me your hands”
With a bit of reluctance, Kalthier extended his hands, which still held the wooden weapons, towards the instructor.
“See here, your grip on both weapons in wrong.” Slowly Bergroth moved Kalthier's hands, changing the way he held the wooden hilts. Showing him where his hands should be when he wanted to move the weapon a certain way. Reverse grips, throwing grips,and, picking up a sword with a longer hilt and a slightly longer blade, which he called a bastard sword, a two handed grip.
“You never know when you might lose a weapon, always be prepared to be just as effective with a single weapon.”
Approaching a scarecrow Bergroth then showed him how his whole body, not just his arms, should move when striking, he made a heavy emphasis in the footwork, calling it the savior or bane of fighters through the continent.
“Well, you've got some of the basics now. giving your build and your master's request i suggest that you practice using long-swords, bastard swords and knives in different combinations”
With that he turned and walked back to his spot by the entrance.
“Hey!, thanks for teaching me old man, your methods are quite refreshing after what i went through earlier at the hands of Eva.”
A raised hand with a small wave was all the indication he had that the giant heard him.
For the next four hours Kalthier did has he was bid, going from using two bastard swords, hacking violently at the scarecrow, to slashing it smoothly with a couple of knife-like daggers and everything in between until, soaked with sweat and a happy thrill, he got a couple of system messages.
You have gained some Dexterity. DEX +1
You have gained some Strength. STR+1
You have gained some Stamina. STA+1
You have gained some Vitality. VIT+1
Remembering he was on a tight schedule he waved goodbye to Bergroth who was busy talking with an elf, who Kalthier assumed was another player. Kalthier the ran back to the bakery. As soon as he entered the bakery Eva's voice came from the kitchen.
“Just in time. Your lunch is by the counter along with a list of books for you to read at the library. I already had a talk with head librarian. She knows you're coming and will give you the books on that list, plus she'll allow you to eat inside the library as you read”
Greedily taking the packed lunch which was giving of an exquisite aroma, he called back “Hey, Eva?, Where is the library?”
“Second largest building in the city, can't miss it, now scram” For a moment Kalthier thought he felt a bit of tenderness in her voice, but soon dismissed it as a deluded thought.
Walking out of the store with box and paper in hand, Kalthier headed towards what he once thought was the king's castle, for it was a big, cold looking building that resembled a fortress. However this building was without a doubt the second largest in the city, only inferior to the white cathedral that towered over the main plaza.
Resisting the urge to start eating as he walked Kalthier increased his pace. Soon he was walking through a large corridor in the chilling interior of the building, heading towards a small counter located at the center of the fortress-like library. An elderly woman, who looked just a day under three hundred greeted him with sharp, ancient eyes.
“Greetings. Judging by your appearance, not to mention the wonderful smell coming from that box, you must be Evangeline's apprentice, Kalthier”
“I am, are you by any chance the head librarian?” Kalthier figured that as long as people treated him better than Eva did, he could be polite towards them, especially if they knew her and could report back on his behavior.
“That I am. My name is Pleandra and, in the name of the city of Regus, I must offer you our deepest condolences and apologies”
Tilting his head to the side Kalthier asked her what she meant by that, though he felt he knew the answer
“You are miss Delacroft's apprentice, are you not? If so the whole city grieves at the suffering you will have to endure at her hands and we'll help you however we can. After all, her meals could keep a corpse dancing in hell, laughing as it burned to ash with the taste of glory on it's palate”
The people of the city of Regus have heard of your plight and, knowing Evangeline deeply from rumors and past experiences, have decided to help you in any way then can.
Intimacy with the people of Regus (Minus Evangeline) +20
*Gulp*
Swallowing the knot of rekindled fear that started to rise in him, Kalthier tried to ignore the colorful description of his future, by trying lamely to change the subject.
“Yes, er… This are the books she wants me to read” Shoving the piece of paper towards the ancient woman he felt a small glimmer of relief. With other people helping him he might survive this.
His hope lasted until he saw the woman put a huge pile of thick, leather covered books that looked as old her in front of him.
“Yes, she told me in advance what you would be researching today, you can use one of the private rooms to your left. Enjoy”
Baffled at the amount of reading he was expected to do in a single day, make that closer to eight hours Kalthier silently picked the books and went towards the open door to his left.
Having found a single desk with a single chair he closed the door behind him and put his load on the table. reading the titles of the books while he opened his lunch Kalthier found himself intrigued by the diversity of subjects in the books the old woman gave him.
Herbology, the Hunter's Guide to Survival.
Biology of Versailles Vol 1
Deft Hands and Crafts Vol 1
The Forager, Never Starve in the Wilderness
Versailles Master Bestiary Vol 1
Well, I can see how they can all somehow relate to cooking but how am it supposed to read this much in eight hours. Surely this are the books for the whole week
Turning his attention back to the lunch-box in front of him, Kalthier used his nose to inhale deeply.
Hummmm, Exquisite. This food is worth all my hard work and suffering. I wonder how much she charges for it.
After eating the pierced fish and rice Kalthier was once again shocked by the bonuses it gave him.
You have eaten the city of Regus' delicacy - The Sinful Scholar-
Made with the intention of helping lazy scholars in their studies, this this wonderful dish managed to combine the support from various herbs and spices while retaining the full flavor of a high class dish.
Fully restores satiety.
Reading speed 4x.
Helps memorization.
Lasts for 8 Hours.
Doubtful of such an effect even being possible he opened the herbology book to random page and read it. after twenty seconds he closed the book and with his eyes closed he silently repeated what was on the page, word for word.
Impressed, and excited that such a thing was possible, he opened the book on the first page and began to read. Flipping the pages as fast as he could as not to interrupt his possessed eyes from reading at top speed.
Eight hours later he closed the final book and stretched. Then he checked the system messages he had ignored while he was reading.
You have gained some Wisdom. WIS+3
You have gained some Intelligence. INT+4
You are now aware of the existence of the following skills: Herbalism, Alchemy, Blacksmithing and Foraging. Continuous study of a determined skill allows one to easily learn it in practice.
You have gained some Concentration. CON +6
Cooking Skill is now Beginner Lvl 1 (24%) + 11%
Incredibly happy about his gains, even though he didn't completely understood some of them, Kalthier cleaned up the desk and went to return the books to the head librarian.
“Thanks for the books, they were quite interesting. See you tomorrow Pleandra”
“Wait!”
Stopping, Kalthier turned towards the woman who had a expression of complete disbelief that went against everything her face and eyes usually portrayed.
“Huh?”
“Surely you don't expect me to believe you read all of this in under eight hours?”
“What can I say, Eva's food is pure magic. It allowed me to read at four times my usual speed and memorize more of it that I could normally do.”
This started a thirty minute long quiz. Pleandra asked Kalthier different questions regarding different subjects located in different parts of the books he just read. After answering everything perfectly the old woman was left speechless as Kalthier grinned from ear to ear.
“I'd love to stay and chat but i'm already late as it is”
“W-wait. Tell your mistress that I wish to order some of that food she gave you. Price does not matter”
“Will do”
An unusual sight welcomed Kalthier at the bakery. Every single light was lit, illuminating the street under the night sky for blocks. Even more shocking was the sight of people moving in and out of it, leaving with bags full of bread. some where even eating hell-bread!.
Kalthier had never seen anyone even approach the rundown bakery. At nighttime, with light pouring out of every window he had to admit it looked quite impressive, and customers seemed to be drawn towards it.
Hurrying towards the back entrance Kalthier silently entered the kitchen.
“You're late!” Being received by Eva's scream rattled his brain. How was it that people kept sensing when he approached?.
“W-well… I...”
“Doesn't matter, now grab an apron, stand next to me and repeat everything I do”
The process of making hell-bread was completely alien to that of making ordinary bread. A dozen strange ingredients were mixed in freezing water, stirred, pummeled and massaged until they turned into a familiar ball of hellish tastes. more surprising still, it hardened upon contact with air.
Kalthier had trouble holding back his tears. Not only was he making such a horrid thing with his bare hands, people actually seemed eager to buy dozens of his dreadful creations, worse still, his cooking skill was actually decreasing as he made hundreds of hell-breads through the night.
You have gained some Dexterity. DEX+2
Cooking Skill is now at Beginner Lvl 1 (19%) -5%
You have gained some Concentration. CON+1
“Congratulations my shinny, faithful apprentice, you made it through your first day. Now, you foreigners don't seem to need actual sleep so, to rest for a little while, I will make us some dinner, or is it breakfast by now? Then you can sleep for an hour before getting started on tomorrow's training”
So I get less than an hour of rest each day? That will force me to log out for at least a day for every four i spend here, and that means only spending eight hours of sleeping and eating outside for every twenty-four hours of playing. Both of my bodies are going to break before this bloody apprenticeship is through.
After enjoying another wonderful meal and ignoring the jaw dropping effects it surely gave him, Kalthier readied himself for another day of hell-training. while trying to imagine where in the demonic hierarchy would Evangeline Delacroft stand. A Duchess at the very least, yes that would fit her, with a prince or two under her thumb. Smiling faintly at the imagery in his head he went towards the kitchen, determined to become a chef worthy of being Eva's apprentice, and savoring each and every emotion he felt in this world, the good, the bad and the terrifying.
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Chapter 2 End
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Author Notes
Well, here it is, chapter 2.
I have a friend who helps me proofread but it is somehow still lacking.
I had to cut this chapter in half in order to have something to post today and improve the second half, which i now chapter 3 in the making.
Hope you enjoined it.