As we walked down the numerous busy streets, the sky slowly darkened. Looking at the sky, I realised I had not really taken the time to appreciate that the daylight lasted a lot longer than in Crater Hell. It did make me weaker for longer periods of time, ignoring that I did find the extra daytime rather pleasant. The sky still had heavy clouds hanging in the sky, though they did tend to slowly dissipate during the night.
“Alisha, I have just noticed, but aren’t you cold? You’re only wearing thin clothing.”
Smiling at her question, I answered Elizabeth as we walked about Astral Ice and my cold resistance. As she listens, she taps her chin while nodding along.
“Astral Ice magic sounds like regular Ice magic. What’s the difference?”
Not sure on how to respond to her as I wasn’t sure, I told her how the energy worked while she looked rather confused. After I finished explaining, she shook her head. “I have no idea what you just talked about, but I guess it’s rather complicated compared to Ice magic?”
Shrugging my shoulders, I pet Alice who has recently gotten a bit…grumpy today. She kept biting at my hands while refusing to eat the food I bought along with me. In fact, I had become a bit worried, it’s been a few hours since she last ate, she’d been refusing anything I have her. Usually she’d be more than happy to eat whatever I gave her.
Looking at Alice with worry, she seemingly ignored me, but she didn’t leave my side either. Cuddling her up in my hands, I decided to ask Elise after the request was done to see if she knew why Alice wasn’t eating. The book on Dark Raven’s never mentioned them becoming grumpy like this, it made me concerned.
Something that had come to my mind was all the talk about evolved monsters, I don’t know how monsters evolved to become humanoids, I just knew they existed. Hybrid’s like myself were human and monster from the moment of our birth, but evolved monsters were monsters upon their birth, and from what I understood gained a human form later, how did that happen? Could it happen with Alice? Maybe I should ask Aubrey.
Shaking my head, I realised I had all these questions I wanted to ask others. I really should attend the Academy to learn more about this word. Tapping my shoulder, Elizabeth asks me a question.
“We should go to the shops first, Alisha. I have a feeling those children and those who look after them don’t have much food to begin with. I know it’s your decision to do so, but I think we should get some fresh food and ingredients, as well as some kitchen equipment for you since they may not have everything you need. Plus a dimensional bag that lovely girl told us about.”
Thinking it over, I wondered if we should get food as Elizabeth said. The orphanage is only hiring someone experienced in cooking for a night, so they should have the food themselves right? Looking at Elizabeth, I could tell she still thought of those children and I knew she was thinking of what would be best for them.
I decided to go along with Elizabeth’s idea for her sake. She has done a lot for me and she always insists that she’ll only even follow and help me, something I wish she wouldn’t do and only focus on herself. Currently we were walking down the street of the Guild, so I decided to head to Northern Hawk’s store once again to see if he had anything we could buy.
Entering the shop, it’s the same as usual, empty. I never understood why it’s empty. The collection of items and clothing here were fantastic, though I had yet to go to another store so maybe it wasn’t much. As we’re about to start looking around, Alice starts making a fuss, crying out while peeking my hands, hard.
“Ouch. Alice, what’s wrong? Ow, stop it Alice, why are you upset?”
“Kraa!”
I could feel frustration coming from her, but I didn’t know why. She’s staring at me then peeking my hands hard enough to leave a cut. Worry building in me, I didn’t understand why she’s acting this way. It started this morning, she’d eaten a little but then stopped and refused to eat anymore. While I’m starting to panic slightly, a hand appears in front of Alice.
In the hand laid a monster core, slightly dark in colour, the size of a pinky. Upon seeing the monster core, Alice pounced at it, grabbing it in her mouth before swallowing it whole. Crying out again, she seemed to be asking for more.
Looking at the owner of the hand, I found Northern Hawk, his eyes staring at Alice. His wings twitched slightly before he turned to look at me.
“Little fox, do you not feed your pets?” Nodding my head quickly, I explained what has been happening since this morning while Northern Hawk listened. Elizabeth stood to the side waiting for me to finish.
“Little fox, your bonded pet is a Dark Raven, right?” Telling him she was, he nodded. “She’s preparing herself for evolution. The System won’t tell you this until she starts, however if she’s recently undergone some levelling she’ll change her eating style and will only consume monster cores. That is because monster cores are the only things that contain enough energy to satisfy her.”
Hearing this response, I look down at Alice. The book never explained that this could happen, in fact it never mentioned what evolution involved. “So she’ll evolve to be like yourself?”
“No. Or rather, it’s very unlikely. Evolved monsters like myself become such at level 20. It’s rare but it can occur at level 15. Keep in mind however bonded pets are different to regular monsters. Here, buy this, it’ll explain bonded monsters much better than any other book will.”
Reaching out and taking a tome from a shelf, he handed it to me. The cover read “Study on Bonded Pets.”
“Do you want to purchase enough monster cores to feed her for the next month?” Nodding, Northern Hawk smiled for the first time since I’ve met him. “It’ll be okay lass, this is a normal thing. I’ll get those cores together and I’ll make sure they’re aligned to Darkness magic and energy.”
Walking from us, I felt a bit confused. Northern Hawk usually seemed grumpy, but he had a bit of a smile on his face. After a few minutes he handed me a big pouch. Alice immediately tried to peek at it, however Northern Hawk handed her another crystal that she ate whole once again.
“Right, I also have an item that will assist her in evolution. It’s one of the only ones here in Vale from my knowledge since not many learn Darkness magic. It’s called the Tooth of Erebus, it’s S+ in grade and greatly assists those with Darkness magic. If she consumes it before evolving, it will benefit her greatly. I was planning to sell it for 4 Gold, but I’ll lower it to 3 Gold since it’s been sitting here for a few years.”
Thanking Northern Hawk for his help, he waves it off before asking what we have come for. Explaining we were after dimensional bags, equipment for chefs and food, he told us that while the shop had dimensional bags, we would have to go somewhere else for the other lot. He recommended a store nearby simply called “Grandma’s”, he said the store would have everything we needed.
Showing us the dimensional bags he had, they ranged from double the size of a normal bag to the size of a house! The price started at 1 Gold for the ones that were double the size of a normal bag, and the one with the size of the house was 4 Platinum. When I asked, Northern Hawk said it equaled 400 Golden Coins, causing my head to spin slightly.
After thinking about it for a while, Elizabeth and I decided on dimensional bags that had three times the normal size of a bag, costing 2 Gold coins each and with the cost of the Tooth of Erebus and Monster Cores, it came to 7 Gold coins and 50 Silvers. However, Northern Hawk gave us a discount and lowered it to 6 Gold coins exactly. Asking him why, he gave me a fairly simple answer.
“You’ve come here three times now, little fox, and I’m in a rather happy mood today so don’t worry about the extra costs. Feel free to come here whenever you need anything.”
Thanking him, we left the store and followed the directions to Grandma’s. I fed Alice two more Monster Cores until she looked satisfied. Looking at the dimensional bag, I recalled how it worked. By putting your hand in, you could think of the item you wanted to grab and it’ll be called to your hand. It otherwise worked like a bag, where you could dig through it or tip it upside down and get everything to fall out…something Northern Hawk told us to never do.
We arrived at a small cottage-like house, a sign on the front read “Grandma’s”. Entering the cottage, it was completely different from what I’d imagine it would be. Rows of tables with knives, cutlery and all sorts of different tools, some I recognize some I don’t. Hanging on the walls are all sorts of different pots and pans, and below that are ovens of various shapes and sizes.
I had expected a counter or something, but there was nothing like that around here. Instead, there is an elderly lady with a slight hunch walking around with a walking stick. The door behind us closes as a bell rings out, gaining her attention as she looks towards us and smiles.
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“My my, it’s been sometime since I’ve had customers, especially an Apprentice Chef. Come child, let me have a look at you.”
The elderly lady approached me and before I could react she already held both of my hands. Thankfully Alice had returned to my head. Looking at the lady, I saw a Ruby plate on her necklace, meaning she is, or was, a Ruby Grade adventurer.
“Soft hands on the inside, rough on the outside. You fight with your fists, quite recklessly too. You’ve only started cooking recently, your hands are too soft!”
Muttering, she looks at me before saying “You are here for new tools, yes?” Nodding, she smiles and says “Very good. The life of a chef isn’t about just making food, but sharing your creation with others. You don’t just put food together, you are creating something that others need for survival.”
Pulling me by hand, she drags me over to a certain table. “Now dear, a Chef’s tools are their lifeline. Just buying some knives isn’t good enough, we must find the ones that suit you best, yes yes.” Grabbing a knife, she hands it to me.
“Hold this dear, like you’re about to prepare food.” Holding it as I usually did with Gordon, she shakes her head and shouts “WRONG! This knife will not do!” Snatching it from me with speed I couldn’t see, she slams it back on the table before once again dragging me. I heard giggling from Elizabeth from behind me while I was in half a mind to ask her for help.
Handing me another knife, I once again held it like asked and a similar scene played out. Soon enough, the Ruby Grade elderly lady had dragged me around the store, each time she slammed a knife down she smiled more, like she was enjoying this.
Turning to me, she asked me “Dear, are you an evolved monster or not?!” Scratching my head, I had gotten used to people assuming I was an evolved monster to the point that I no longer corrected them. Telling the elderly lady I was a Hybrid, her jaw dropped.
“Oh my. You’re a rarity even in Vale, dear. That explains why none of these suit you, I had thought you to be an evolved monster! Right, let us start over.”
Feeling my stomach drop, we once again went through more knives, but this time she thought for a bit before saying the knives were wrong. Soon, I was given another knife that felt…comfortable to hold, even though it looked the same as all the others.
“Yes, that’s much better, but still wrong.” Taking the knife from me, she hands me another. Holding it, I realised it felt almost natural to hold. “Perfect! Perfect, that is the ticket. Now, let's find the rest for you dear.”
Grabbing my hand once again, I felt a bit of fear as I am once again dragged along to other tables. After nearly thirty minutes, we had found a perfect matching set for everything. Knives of various sizes, pots, pans, utensils etc, we had found it all. Nodding in satisfaction, the elderly lady packed everything into boxes, one box had the knives, another had the utensils, and so on. Placing it all into a dimensional bag she had, she turned to me.
“Well dear, that was very exciting now wasn’t it? Well here you go.” Handing me the bag, I tilted my head with a bit of confusion.
“How much does it cost?”
“Cost dear? Nothing, I don’t run a store. I made everything here myself, and whenever someone with potential comes through my door I will ensure they walk out with the perfect equipment.”
Not sure what to say, the elderly lady grasped my hand. “All I ask of you dear is to create wonderful food for others to enjoy. Perhaps one day you could come back and let this old lady enjoy a meal you made. Unfortunately your friend there doesn’t have any talent for cooking, otherwise today would’ve been very exciting!”
Turning to see Elizabeth’s head droop at those words, I held in a giggle myself. It was rare seeing Elizabeth saddened like that.
Asking about food and ingredients and explaining why we required them, the elderly lady smiled and went to another room. She returned with four sacks and handed them to me.
“30 Silvers dear. The quality of everything is very good and will allow you to feed those children very well.” Handing her the coins and putting the sacks into my bag, I turned back to the elderly lady, I asked her her name while thanking her..
“Oh dear, just call me Grandma. When you find a house to call your own, come back and we’ll get the perfect oven for you.” Smiling at me, I thanked her as Elizabeth and I took our leave.
“Well, that’s certainly an experience. Though to learn I don’t have any talent for cooking is a bit disappointing, I’m sure there-”
Before Elizabeth could continue, a sound rang out, loud and clear, cutting through the noise of the crowd, causing everyone to fall silent. It’s a sound I’ve heard before, one that caused me to feel fear. A chime of a bell.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Elizabeth pale, and I knew my face had as well. This sound was one of the last sounds Zalus heard before it fell, was the same to happen in Vale?
A second chime sounded out as I felt my body tremble in fear. I grabbed Elizabeth's hand in fear as she looked at me, trying to smile but being unable to. However, the expected third chime didn’t ring out, instead a loud voice came from the direction of the Guild.
“Attention all Adventurers! Report immediately to the Guild! I repeat, all Adventurers! Report immediately to the Guild!”
Hearing this voice, Elizabeth and I looked at each other, with some relief in our eyes as we turned and headed towards the Guild. A massive flow of adventurers were moving into the building, a lot of them seemed excited while some had a bit of fear on their faces. Squeezing in, the ground flood had been completely cleared, no desks, tables or chairs were there.
Everyone was moving upstairs in an orderly manner, an attendant stood near the stairs yelling. “REPORT TO YOUR GRADE’S FLOOR, I REPEAT, REPORT TO YOUR GRADE’S FLOOR. FIND YOUR GUIDANCE ATTENDANT AND FOLLOW THEIR INSTRUCTIONS. I REPEAT.”
Repeating the same words, Elizabeth and I were squeezed in. Swiftly grabbing Alice from her head and holding her to my chest, we slowly moved towards the stairs, and once we arrived we went up. Getting onto the Bronze floor, most adventurer’s continued ahead of us while we continued onto the floor. Like the first floor, all the desks and shops were gone, and around the room were about twenty doors, each with a Guild employee next to it.
Quickly spotting Elise, I was about to move to her before I realised Elizabeth had to go to Claires. Giving her a firm nod, she returned it and we separated. Moving through the crowd, I arrived at the door that Elise stood near. Seeing me, she nods and hands me a slip of paper. Taking it, I see an odd magic circle on it. Gesturing for me to enter, I noticed she didn’t have her usual smile, in fact it seemed she had only just awoken.
Entering the room, it was very crowded, about sixty people were squeezed in. Finding a corner, I kept Alice safe while we waited. After several minutes more people entered, making the very little space disappear. Without time to see who was squeezing near me, I saw Elise move to the front and step onto a podium.
“Alright, I believe most of you are here. You’re all under my care here at the Guild, so if you do not recognize me you’ve somehow entered the wrong room.”
Waiting for a few seconds, Elise spoke up once again. “As you can tell by the chimes earlier, a monster tide is heading towards Vale. Some of you may have experienced these in the past, some haven’t. You all will not be involved in pushing the wave away from Vale, instead you will be responsible for patrolling the slums or the wall.
“Your job will be to defeat any enemies around your level. If you encounter an enemy with an unknown level, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FIGHT IT. The magic scroll provided to you is to be used, it will burn when activated with mana and alert us to the location. There will be Gold Grade adventurers who will come to deal with it, escape with your life. If you can not run, it better be a damned good reason!”
Looking around at us with a serious expression, she spoke once again. “You will all be responsible for patrolling the east and west walls, while the Silver Grades will take the south and north. The monster tide will be coming from the south, so most of our manpower will be there.
“Remember, you only have one life. Do not think you can just jump into action, a monster tide is a fearsome thing, even Demigods fear it. I want to see each and everyone of you return here alive in one piece. If you have a request near or within the slums, report to me before leaving. Now get out there and stay safe!”
As a majority of people left the room, I stayed behind. About six other people stayed behind as well and after waiting for some time while they spoke to Elise, I finally approached her.
“Alisha, you have a request down at an orphanage in the slums, right?” Telling her that I did and where it was, she tapped a finger on her forehead for a moment. “That’s southeast of here…alright, I’ll arrange for a Silver Grade party to join you and see if Aubrey is available. Do the request, however ensure their safety as well. If you need to, defend them with your life if you see the need to do so.”
Nodding, I told her about taking Elizabeth. “That’s fine, I’ll arrange that with Claire. Wait in here, I’ll find a Silver party heading south and group them with you. Don’t worry, while it’s not common for a monster tide to come, it’s rare for them to breach the walls. Just be careful, okay?”
Leaving me with those words, Elise left the room while I waited. Sitting down on the ground, I was the only one in here with Alice on my lap. Patting her while giving her another monster core that she eagerly gobbled down, a few minutes passed until the door opened. Seeing Elizabeth enter, I smiled at her as she sat next to me.
After about ten minutes of waiting, the door opened and four people entered, two of whom I knew. One of them was Aubrey who gave me a serious nod. The other was the man I met before in the dungeon, Bloom, behind him was a beautiful elven woman and a man with a bit of a slouch. Upon seeing me, Bloom grinned, ear to ear.
“Ay, it’s tha missy who was scrappin’ for a round.”
“Shut up, Bloom.” Aubrey throws Bloom an annoyed look before moving over and sitting besides me.
“Now now. You will have time to get along later. Alisha, this is Bloom, the elf is Amelia and the young man here is Leon. These three will go with you, however they will patrol the surrounding area. Aubrey, you’ll stay with Alisha. Any questions?”
Seeing none of us speak up, she nods. “Right, return safely. The monster tide should be dealt with fairly quickly so don’t be nervous and take your time.”
As we followed her out, my mind turned to the request. Under these circumstances I was surprised it was still going ahead, though I suppose that people must continue working since the monster tide would likely be pushed back. Taking the lead once we leave the building, we make our way towards the orphanage.