Arcane Chef - Slice of Life x Adventure LitRPG

"It is you! Why are you here?" Micca called out, jumping down from her wagon and running forward.

"Uh, long story. What… why are you here?" I stammered, dismounting from Sable.

She wrapped me in a hug—at least until she noticed Crisplet and leapt back in shock.

"Oh yeah, this is Crisplet, my companion," I said, gesturing to the brazier strapped at my side. "And this is the adventurer team I'm with. You've got Liane, Jen, Milo, and Hari," I added, pointing to each as they gave polite waves.

"And this is Micca," I said, excitement building in my voice, "the one from the inn I've mentioned."

"Are you staying here tonight?" I asked, glancing at the others—holding up the group already.

"Yes, we just got in. We can't go any further. Apparently, the mountain path is blocked? Is that why you're still here?" She asked, still eyeing Crisplet warily as he let off the occasional spark.

"Not exactly. We've got a meeting to attend, but we can catch up tonight?" I said, turning to see Jen give me a nod.

"Okay, sounds good!" Micca called, waving as she headed back to her wagon.

"I'll find you!" I practically yelled heading back to the group.

I quickly mounted Sable again as Hari led us forward past the guards and through the city gate.

Why was Micca here? Had something happened in Dunhearth?

I didn't have a lot of time to think about it before we arrived at the guild. We stabled our horses as usual and stepped into the now-familiar building. I never expected to be back here so soon.

After approaching the counter and handing over another sealed letter, Hari exchanged a few quiet words. Not long after, we were escorted down a short hallway—past the same room where we'd spoken with the officer last time—and into a new office.

It wasn't as lavish as Jackson's back in Boltron, but it was still impressive. A dark, almost black wooden desk stood at its centre, with bookshelves lining the walls and a training dummy in one corner. Unlike Kara's, though, this dummy looked barely used.

Behind the desk sat an older man dressed in long robes, not too unlike Milo's usual style.

"Come, sit—sit," the man beckoned, and we followed him to the waiting chairs.

"Right, let's get this out of the way. My name is Nathan. I lead the guild here in Forest's Edge. You're here to help defend the city, but your situation is particularly… unique. And dangerous."

He let out a slow sigh.

"Because your support member is allegedly being followed—according to Kara's letter—by one of the combatants currently fighting in the heart of the forest." His eyes scanned us carefully.

"Is that about the gist of it?" he asked.

Hari seemed a little taken aback by it all, but quickly pulled himself together.

"Yes, that's pretty much it," he replied.

"Right, then it's fairly simple. We'll follow the approach Kara set out — if you are attacked by the cat, we will not intervene. However, we will provide you with a private location to cook, and offer any protections we can against outside forces trying to interfere with your support."

"Sounds good," Hari said with a nod.

"I don't suppose you'd be able to share further details on why your support may require additional protection from outside sources? The notes from his previous visit only mentioned that he could provide minor buffs through food. That alone doesn't usually warrant full guild protections," Nathan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, no, sorry. We can't elaborate on that," Hari said solemnly.

"Very well." Nathan moved on without pressing further. "Now then, regarding the protection of the city. We've seen a sharp increase in dangerous creatures in the surrounding forest. A lot of the more powerful beasts from deeper in have been driven out, causing a knock-on effect. Right now, there hasn't been anything too extreme, but we're running constant patrols."

He glanced between us.

"We're also sending parties along the forest roads to assist any unprepared travellers. Join those patrols. That will be your main contribution for now. If you have a map, I'll mark where you'll find the residence—beds, kitchen, the works."

Hari pulled out a different map from his storage—one I hadn't seen before—and handed it over.

Nathan marked a spot, then grabbed a piece of parchment. He scribbled a short note, signed it, and pressed a wax seal onto the corner.

"Give this to Matthew at the house. He'll get everything prepared for your use. That's all for today. Thank you for your time."

As we stood to leave, Hari paused.

"Sorry, just one thing before we go. We knew some people in the mountain pass village. Do you know what happened to them?"

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Nathan winced slightly.

"Yes, they're here in town. Most of them made it out alive—they left during the early tremors. But… not everyone."

My stomach sank. I couldn't help but worry that Londor had stayed behind again. Judging by Hari's face, he was thinking the same.

"Is Chief Londor here by chance?" Hari asked.

"Yes, he's here. The villagers have set up a camp on the far side of town, near the wall. You'll be able to get more details from them, but from what we understand, they lost several people when the stone quarry collapsed."

"Thank you, sir," Hari said quietly, his tone sombre.

We quickly said our farewells and left the office.

After a brief bow, we made our way back to the main hall.

Once outside, there was a collective sigh of relief. We had finished our assignment—and, for now, the pressure was off. I really wanted to meet up with Micca and find out why she was here. I had so many questions.

First though, we needed to find a stable for the horses—which turned out to be easier said than done. With all the refugees and stranded travellers heading for Boltron, the two stables we'd visited before were already over capacity.

Eventually, we found one on the outskirts of town. It looked like it had been thrown together recently, and they were charging a premium. Hari paid without complaint.

Our next task was to find the house Nathan had told us about.

Luckily, Forest's Edge wasn't nearly as large as Boltron, so it didn't take long. We met a man named Matthew, apparently the caretaker for several guild-owned properties. After reading Nathan's letter, he nodded quickly and vacated the residence.

"Err… does he have somewhere else to go?" I asked, watching him leave.

"Yes," Jen said. "The guild owns several places here, and, worst case, there are rooms back at the guild itself."

As we entered, Crisplet wasted no time leaving his brazier to explore. The place wasn't overly large, and it reminded me a little of Micca's place back in Dunhearth—three rooms, a kitchen, dining area, and a basic bath and toilet setup.

The kitchen was modest. There was a stone oven and what looked like a removable stone top above a fireplace—already claimed by Crisplet—for cooking over open flame.

Utensil-wise, it was sparse: a couple of spoons, two pots, a single pan, a ladle, and two knives—neither of which looked better than my own. Still, it would do.

I really wanted to prepare a stack of easy-to-eat snacks, especially if I could guarantee the regeneration buff. I also wondered if it might be worth buying some Treant wood back. I knew we'd be ripped off in the process, but maybe Milo could haggle for the "bad" stuff.

It might even be worth experimenting with other magical woods. Maybe Ironwood would offer some kind of defensive ability for Hari?

Everyone got settled pretty quickly. I really wanted to find Micca and talk to her, but I'd need to convince someone to come with me. I knew I wouldn't be allowed to wander around alone—even here. I also needed to buy some fruit that would be suitable for carving runes into—and a lot of it.

"So, I was hoping to meet up with Micca and possibly buy some fruit for carving. If anyone wants to come along?" I asked. I made a point to include Crisplet, who was currently building something in the kitchen fire.

In the end, Liane agreed to come with me, and we set off. I didn't know which inn Micca was staying at, but I believed there were only three in town.

We found her at the second one, sitting at a table with a drink. She was alone—or kind of alone. A few drunk guys were awkwardly trying to chat with her, but they scattered the moment Liane appeared in the seat across from her, nearly making Micca drop her drink.

It wasn't until then that she noticed I had arrived.

"Trevor!" she said brightly. "How are you?"

"I'm good—very good! Micca, this is Liane. Liane, this is Micca," I said, doing the introductions. I hoped Liane would be nice. I'd seen how she was around people she didn't know—or worse, around merchants she didn't know.

But it seemed I didn't need to worry. A huge smile broke across Liane's face as she shook Micca's hand.

"So you're the nice one who's friends with Trev!" Liane said cheerfully.

Micca smiled. "That's me!"

I finally took a seat at the table, ordering myself a fruit juice. Liane got her own drink—ale, I think.

"So, why are you here?" I asked the first thing that came into my mind.

"Well, it's a bit of a story. After you left, I felt inspired to do something. Be someone. So I sold the house in Dunhearth, got some starting capital, and I was going to wait for Troy or Saddie to come back through—since they know Larry—but instead, I decided to throw caution to the wind. I took a trade caravan passing through to Boltron... and just arrived today!" she said excitedly.

"What are you going to do?" I asked, wondering if she planned to start a stall or maybe move goods between towns like Troy.

"I really don't know. I was heading to Boltron to see if I could get an apprenticeship with one of the merchants at the guild. But I also chose Boltron because you were there," she added, blushing slightly.

"I'm not sure if Boltron will be the best place to go at the moment," Liane added.

"Did something happen?" Micca asked.

Liane just let out a snort, and I was about to explain, but we were interrupted.

"Trevor of Dunhearth?" a man's voice asked. He looked to be well-dressed and was accompanied by two armed individuals behind him.

I didn't get a moment to respond before Liane was on her feet.

"Who's asking?" She said coldly, with a stare that made me shiver.

Even the man paled a little but quickly composed himself.

"My name is Simon. I am acting as enforcer to the Lord of Dunhearth, here to collect on the debt between Trevor and the town. This is no business of yours," the man said, clearly trying to shut Liane down.

"I suppose you have the paperwork with you? And are authorised to enact it?" she said, seemingly knowing exactly what was happening.

To his credit, Simon simply pulled out a small stack of paperwork and handed it to Liane, who read it over—then snorted.

"Trevor, you've got three gold and fifty silver on you at the moment?" she asked, almost with amusement.

"Uh, yes?" I responded. I still had the gold left over from Divinmere, and Jen had given me five out of the twenty to spend on fruit and anything else I needed.

"Excellent. Pay the man the debt, and Simon here, who said he's authorised, will need to honour it as paid and never bother you again," she said, eyes never leaving the man.

But her words must've struck a nerve.

"Wait—no, we can't process it here. He needs to come back to Dunhearth," Simon tried to argue.

Liane's glare turned icy again, and by now every eye in the room was on us.

"You just said you were authorised. Was that a lie? Did you intend to kidnap the boy?" she asked, each word practically dripping with venom.

"Uh—oh, no. I am authorised, but—" Simon stammered.

"Then you'll accept the gold owed for your bullshit paperwork and sign it as complete, witnessed by everyone in this room and the Adventurer's Guild as a whole." Liane vanished momentarily, then reappeared with a knife at his throat. "Or are we going to have problems?"

She let the words hang there before adding, louder for the room to hear, "This boy is under the direct and full protection of the Adventurer's Guild, and any attempt to harm or take him will be met with full force from every adventurer."

That was enough. Several people around the tavern were now standing—at least six adventurers with either weapons drawn or hands on their hilts.

Simon, still frozen with a dagger at his throat, weakly nodded.

"Paym… payment in full is fine," he stammered.

"Excellent," Liane said, pulling the dagger away.

"Trevor, if you will—the gold. Simon here is about to sign the paperwork and state that all debts to the town of Dunhearth have been cleared in full for any and all services rendered," she said, glaring at him. "Isn't that right?"

It didn't take long for Simon to sign the paper, despite his shaking hand. In the end, we both got a copy—Liane stored hers immediately—and the innkeeper personally had Simon and his guards removed from the establishment for interrupting business.

Turning back to the table once she was satisfied they'd left, Liane gave a tight smile.

"I think it's best we take this reunion back to the house instead of the bar, just in case. I'd feel better having the whole team around," she said, still smiling—but it was a scary kind of smile.

"If you wouldn't mind, Micca?" she added.

Micca just shook her head, still stunned by the whole scene. "I don't… I don't mind."

"Great! Let's go back to the house, Trev. Fruit can wait till tomorrow," Liane said, now in a cheery tone like nothing had happened.