"So neither of you got that notification?"
"Hrng. (Nope, I was sleeping.)"
It was the next morning, and Sol sat at the dinner table talking with Thorwyn and Amber. Thorwyn, whose head was poking through the window, shook his head.
"Did you check the ssage log?"
It was easy to review past ssages, so after Sol explained how to do it, Thorwyn shook his head again.
"What about you, Amber?"
Seeing that Thorwyn didn't get the ssage, Sol turned to Amber, who was preparing breakfast in the kitchen within view.
"No." She said simply, having already checked her system logs while he explained how to Thorwyn.
'So she didn't get it either? Why did I get that ssage then?'
Sol wasn't sure why he was the only one who received the notification, but at the very least, it ant they shouldn't expect any punishnt for leaving the range of the system.
While he pondered what it could all an, Amber walked over with two plates and set one before Sol and the other across the table.
"Breakfast."
What she placed in front of Sol appeared to be a block of at, and nothing else.
"Just at? Isn't that a bit heavy for breakfast?"
He hesitated. It was an odd choice for the morning.
"Try." Amber insisted without elaborating.
"Okay…"
Sol wasn't completely opposed to it, but it definitely wasn't what he expected. Still, he wasn't going to turn down food she had taken the ti to prepare. With a fork, he carved out a small piece and took a bite.
His eyes widened in pleasant surprise.
"This is pretty good! And… it's not just at, is it?"
He examined the cube again and noticed that the inside was hollow, filled with eggs and vegetables.
Seeing his reaction, Amber explained, "Orcs call it mystery at. Used to trick children into eating vegetables."
"Mystery at?" Sol chuckled at the na. Then he narrowed his eyes. "Wait... do you think I'm so kid who doesn't eat his vegetables?"
"Yes." Amber said it in a neutral tone that made it sound completely serious. But Sol knew she was joking, she just wasn't very good at making it clear that she was. She then added, "But also used as a common orc breakfast."
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
While originally invented to trick orc children who didn't want to eat their greens, mystery at had beco a staple in the Frostaxe Clan's diet. It was easy to make, delicious, and versatile, suitable for breakfast, lunch, or dinner depending on what was stuffed inside.
Sol nodded, taking another bite, until he heard a soft whimper from the side.
"Hyuu… (Where's my breakfast…)" Thorwyn wasn't hungry at first, but the enticing sll had awakened his appetite.
"Here." Amber had already prepared sothing for him. With a wave of her hand, it turned into sand and stretched into the kitchen, returning with a large salad topped with a generous portion of at.
She couldn't make a mystery at cube large enough for Thorwyn, the structure wouldn't hold at such a size, so she opted for a deconstructed version in salad form.
Thorwyn looked a bit disappointed at first, but the aroma from the salad quickly changed his mind. He began devouring it happily.
With Thorwyn eating contentedly, Amber sat down and began eating as well.
Halfway through their al, faint footsteps could be heard from the hallway.
Monts later, Reena walked in, rubbing one eye with the back of her hand. Her hair was slightly tousled, and her expression was groggy.
Sol was the first to greet her. "Good morning. Did you get so sleep?"
Reena scoffed. "Better than you, I bet. Did you stay up all night just to keep from using space magic?"
She had woken up soti in the middle of the night to try casting space magic, she didn't have much hope in doing so, but it was worth trying. Unfortunately for her it was still sealed so she simply went back to sleep.
Sol smirked and shook his head. "Nah, I slept like a baby. I don't need to be awake to maintain it, but it only works on one law technique at a ti."
He had no reason to tell her the full truth. If she thought she could outlast him, she would surely try.
Reena narrowed her eyes, studying his face. She wasn't sure whether to believe him or not, and his calm expression gave nothing away. Eventually, she sighed and made her way to the table.
"Is there so for ?"
Sol nodded. "Amber made so for you as well."
On cue, Amber raised one of her arms, now reshaped into a sand limb, and extended it back into the kitchen. A mont later, it returned holding another plate, which she carefully placed on the table in front of Reena.
Reena looked at the block of at on her plate and frowned. 'Just at?'
Elves weren't vegetarians, they ate at just like anyone else, but a giant block of it for breakfast was way too excessive for a morning al. However, as her eyes drifted to Sol and Amber's plates, she noticed sothing different. From the sections they had already eaten, she saw that the at was hollowed out and filled with vegetables and eggs.
Her skepticism lessened slightly.
Still hesitant, she used her fork to cut off a small piece and took a bite.
To her surprise, it was delicious.
The at was seasoned perfectly, and the soft warmth of the cooked vegetables and eggs inside blended well with the slightly crisped outer shell. It was hearty, yet balanced.
"So, how is it?" Sol asked, clearly watching her reaction.
"…It's okay, I guess." She muttered.
As good as it was, she wasn't about to heap praise on food made by her enemies. Letting them see her enjoy it felt like giving up ground in a battle neither of them acknowledged out loud.
Crack!
Suddenly, the sharp sound of tal breaking filled the room.
Reena flinched and looked up to see Amber staring directly at her, her neutral expression carried an indescribable intensity hidden beneath. In her hand was the snapped half of a fork, now shaped into sothing that resembled a shiv.
Amber leaned forward slightly with the broken fork in hand.
Reena's instincts flared. She froze, her fork halfway to her mouth, suddenly finding Amber much closer with the makeshift shiv in hand.
Even though she knew logically that a simple fork turned shiv couldn't hurt soone like her, sothing about Amber's presence, and the way she was looking at her, made it feel dangerous.
The atmosphere tensed.
Then, instead of attacking, Amber simply asked, "How improve?"
"Wh-what?" Reena stamred.
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