Arcane Chef - Slice of Life x Adventure LitRPG

I leapt forward to try to stop her, but she was already gone. Even Crisplet shot some sparks. It didn't take long for the others to notice something had happened and put things together.

"You've got to be kidding me. Liane, get back here in case something happens to you, you idiot," Hari said angrily.

A voice came from one of the bedroll spots. "Ooooh, this is weird. It tingles," Liane said.

We all turned to see her sitting down on a bedroll—then she was gone again.

"It's spicy!" she said, reappearing in another bedroll spot.

And then she reappeared next to me again. "My fingers are going numb, but my mana isn't overloaded yet," she said, before vanishing once more.

Was she actively trying to burn her mana to stop the overloading? Did that work?

She proceeded to appear and disappear around the room several more times, while Hari grew angrier and angrier. Milo was holding back a laugh, and Jen just shook her head.

Then she stopped, standing next to me.

"It's safe! …ish," she declared happily, before Hari smacked her in the back of the head.

"What in the hells were you thinking!" he started, while she just gave a sheepish look.

"We just had Trevor nearly burn out his mana channels, and you think it's a bright idea to risk exactly the same thing not even minutes later! What in the world was going through your head! And that's not even mentioning what will happen if the cat finds out you've stolen its food!" Hari shouted.

"Well… I really wanted to try drake?" She said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Also… someone had to try it!" she tried to defend herself.

"No. No they did not. We know people can't eat drakes. This is common knowledge!" Hari practically growled.

"It was just a tiny nibble! Also, besides the numb fingers and having to burn off 200 mana, it really wasn't that bad! Also… the buffs!" she practically squealed the last part.

Before anyone else could move or say anything, Hari growled, "I swear to every god, if anyone else tries that drake now, I will hit you. Hard."

Both Milo and Jen acted innocent, as though they weren't just inching forward.

"Oh come on, Hari, don't be so uptight! We're all fine! Don't you want to know what buffs I got?" Liane said, poking him further. The glare she received was intense.

"Uh, I do… I want to note it down," I said, causing Hari to let out a giant sigh.

"Please, everyone, promise me—no more tonight, I beg of you. I'm going on watch." Hari huffed before heading out the front entrance.

"I thought watch was staying inside tonight?" I asked quietly as I watched him go.

"We are. He just needs a moment to let off some steam," Jen said, looking at the door. Then, with a big sigh, she added, "I'll go with him, make sure he doesn't get into any trouble out there." She followed him outside.

Taking the opportunity during the distraction, I stored the steak.

Would you like to store [Rare] Stuffed Ancient Drake Steak x1 for 5 mana? Yes/No

It vanished. But the movement caught Liane's eye, and the tiny strip in her hand vanished as well. I just let out a sigh—I wasn't getting that one back.

"Well…" I said, looking at her.

"Well what! I don't have anything!" she said defensively, a smile on her face.

"Not that—the buffs. Are you going to tell us?" I asked, laughing.

"Oooh, that! Yes!" she said excitedly. "Fire immunity…" Then she stopped.

"Are you going to make us claw it out of you one buff at a time?" Milo said, notebook in hand. "Spill! Or I'll tell Hari about the strip of it you're hiding in your storage."

"Fine! You ruin all the fun. Okay—Fire Immunity, +5 Strength, +4 Endurance, +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma, Poison Immunity, Major Improved Stealth, Regeneration, and Calm Mind. That last ability looks like it gives a strong resistance to fear-based mental attacks," she said, practically bouncing with excitement.

Milo's eyes went wide. "Can I have a bite?" he asked.

"No!" I cut in quickly. "You said you had to burn 200 mana. Will it hurt the cat?" I added, a little concerned.

"A creature that strong? No, not at all," Milo said. "But it is curious. Usually it wouldn't matter how much dragon-kin you had—you shouldn't be able to burn off mana fast enough, especially not a rogue class. So although you didn't make it fully edible, I'd hazard a guess you did impact it somewhat."

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He started scribbling even more notes, clearly chasing that train of thought.

"You know what this means though, right, Trev?" Liane said, a giant grin spreading across her face.

I knew this was going to cause trouble, whatever it was.

"What?" I asked, half-sighing.

"I'm going to ask if I can go hunting! With the ambush ability from the stew and the buffs from the drake, I've never been stronger!" She squealed with joy—and then vanished.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for Hari. This was my fault.

Looking around, I saw Milo absorbed fully in his notes, Jen and Hari still outside, and Liane now gone too—presumably to join them.

Since my body was still aching, I figured this was as good a time as any to get some rest. So I stretched out on my bedroll and tried to sleep.

I felt like I hadn't been asleep long when a heavy thud, followed by Hari's voice, jolted me awake.

"What the hell is that, Liane?!" he shouted outside the structure.

I didn't hear a response from her, but curiosity got the better of me. I went to one of the windows—meant for watch duty that night—and peered out. A massive, furry creature was sprawled on the ground. Its dark red fur was thick and ragged, and its paws ended in long, obsidian claws.

"Where did you even find the bear?!" Jen demanded.

Bear? Was this the same creature that had come sniffing around the wolves' blood?

I stepped outside and was greeted by the sight of Liane, standing proudly beside her kill, blood splattered across her clothes.

"Look what I got, Trev!" she said, pointing at the beast. "Could you store it? The buffs haven't worn off yet." Then—true to form—she vanished again.

I just let out a sigh.

"What even is it?" I asked, stepping closer to the corpse.

"I honestly don't know," Hari admitted, crouching to inspect it. "How strong were those buffs? That thing looks monstrous."

Would you like to store [Uncommon] Baelvryn (Whole) x1 for 5 mana? Yes/No

"Baelvryn…" I muttered.

Hari's head snapped up. "Baelvryn? I've heard of them, but I've never seen one. They're supposed to live deeper in the forest, never near the outskirts." Concern edged into his voice.

"I think it's best we head inside. We'll need to be extra careful moving forward."

"What about Liane?" I asked, scanning the treeline. Darkness swallowed everything beyond the camp.

"As much as I hate to admit it sometimes, she'll be fine out there—especially at night. Come on, let's get inside," he said, holding the door for me.

It took me a long time to get back to sleep, but eventually I managed it.

The next morning there were no more giant corpses waiting for me—just a pile of seventeen spiders, four bark vipers, a couple of hawks, and a single blood owl.

Glancing at my notifications, I saw I'd gained thirty-four combat messages. I guessed a few hadn't survived intact enough to be stored.

After putting everything away, I pulled out the leftover porridge for breakfast. As I set the pot down, a burst of sparks from Crisplet caught my eye.

Looking over, I saw he'd built something in the fire—a replica of our building, complete with the horse stable, all made out of little chunks of coal.

"That's amazing, Crisplet!" I said, genuinely impressed. It even had the tiny windows, with flames flickering out of them.

Crisplet answered with another burst of sparks before diving back into the fire.

Our trip through the forest today was taken more seriously than when we'd first entered. Liane was scouting behind us and along the flanks, while Jen ranged ahead. I held the reins of two horses while Hari led another pair.

I made a point of not using Arcane Foraging. I knew I'd only end up disappointed by the things we were passing over—today was not the day for side hunting or gathering. The bear had concerned Hari, and after a discussion that morning, everyone agreed we wouldn't take any unnecessary risks.

Even Liane conceded. She mentioned that during her hunt the night before, the usual creatures of the forest seemed absent. That was why she'd only brought back tree-dwelling animals besides the bear. Hari was convinced larger predators were around, driving the smaller ones away.

The journey was slow. We didn't stop for lunch, but nothing attacked us either. By early afternoon, the trees were noticeably thinning.

"If we haven't gone too far off course, when we exit the forest the path leading up to the entrance of the mountain pass should be a couple of hours' ride away," Hari explained as we walked.

"We'll head straight there. Time permitting, I'd like to backtrack slightly to check whether the mountain pass is completely sealed."

Another hour passed before we finally broke free of the treeline, stepping onto a rocky, grassy plain. At last, I could mount Sable again. Crisplet was just as happy—he darted out of the brazier and perched on my shoulder as we prepared to ride.

"It's strange that we didn't run into anything, right?" I asked.

Jen only nodded. It was unnerving. On our first day we'd been hounded by spiders, wolves, even a bear—yet today there'd been nothing. Not even snakes.

We rode for a couple of hours as the sun dipped lower in the sky. Hari remained convinced we'd make the path before nightfall, so we pressed on.

We did find the path, but by then the night had nearly swallowed us. At some point we must have drifted off course, leaving us further away from the mountain pass than Hari expected. We made camp with only the basics. Dinner was wolf steaks with mashed tubers and garlic grass butter.

Liane was forbidden from eating the drake that night, and despite Hari's attempts, she refused to hand it over. One small victory for me was that in her excitement over the drake, I managed to store the seven spiders from the night before, adding them to my growing collection of prepared snacks.

I wanted to recreate the roast meat on a stick they'd had at the guild with the Grumfels, so that's what I set out to do. Jen helped butcher them—I wasn't very good at it, especially in the dark. Once cleaned, I quartered them, spiked the pieces, seasoned them with salt, pepper, and fire salt, and set them up around Crisplet's fire.

My plan was simple: build up a stack of snacks infused with buffs so they'd be ready to hand out whenever needed. Ideally, I'd figure out the buff types and make specific snacks tailored for each person.

Hari was still on edge. He insisted something was off about our trip through the forest, so he set up watch early.

I was just about to sleep when that familiar pressure fell over us all. Every time it sent a shiver down my spine. I knew what was coming—or maybe what was already here.

By the fire, the shadow-cat stepped out of the shadows.

I quickly pulled out the steak on its stone plate and set it down. The cat gave it a long look, then sniffed at it.

It had never sniffed before. Every other meal it had taken without question. Was it… suspicious?

"Uh, I put some other stuff inside the meat, so it has extra flavour and buffs," I explained nervously, hoping the cat would understand.

It stared into my eyes. Those green eyes didn't just look at me—they looked through me, like they peered straight into my soul. I couldn't describe it.

Finally, the cat took a small bite, almost as if testing it. Poison? Was that what it thought?

Then, in a single gulp, it devoured the rest. But instead of vanishing immediately, it just sat there, staring at me. Slowly, it lifted one paw and patted the plate.

"Uh—sorry! I only had the one prepared. I couldn't make more while leaving the city. But I will! I have more meat—I'll cook more for you," I stammered in a rush.

That seemed to be enough. The cat melted back into the shadows of the fire, and the pressure lifted.

"You know… I will never get used to that," Milo said, finally breaking the silence.

"Looks like you need to cook more drake, Trev!" Liane added cheerfully. She was just lucky the cat didn't know she still had a little slice hidden away.

Also… I thought the cat was fighting? Was it over already?