TAK! TAK! TAK!
The knife rang like music against stone. Unlike before, Thane’s strokes were steady, clean, each mushroom collapsing into perfect slices instead of a ssy pulp. He rembered his earlier failure, the wasted juices spraying across his sleeve, and allowed himself a thin smile. Not this ti. Now, the knife sang.
Where once he hacked at them, spraying juice and ruining texture, now his strokes were clean. Each slice was uniform, thin enough for the flavor to bloom in the broth, yet thick enough to hold its form.
Thane kept glancing and sohow knew from his previous attempt just what right force he needed.
He coaxed the fire next. The first ti, sparks had mocked him, smoke choking his eyes. Now the Embervine Coil lit with a practiced gesture, fire catching smooth and strong. He stacked stone and brick around it, bracing the pot, letting the flas cradle it steady.
The heat seed perfect. Learning from his previous experience, Thane knew that his flas were a little wild. But since the cauldron he had was of alchemical build, it would have a distribution of ehat that was far better than the old pot.
The Embervine Coil glowed warmly, flas licking the cauldron he had braced on a fra of stone and brick. The water was rich with mana. But Thane stirred it with confidence, letting the steam rise. The Shield Maiden and mage leaned closer, wary but intrigued.
Spirit was being applied to the water, and the heat was causing the magic to separate.
A magical energy was seeping out of the water as Thane continued. This was a practice that Garron had done on several channels. It seed simple enough, as it only required Spirit, and Thane followed.
"You are actually separating it?! But how?" The mage was confused. Simply stirring the water over the heat would not cause the magic to disperse.
"It’s a little trick I learned..." Thane chuckled as he unpasued his show to follow the next step.
He dropped in the sli jelly, watching it lt into the broth, then slid in the manapede hearts with a surgeon’s precision. The sll that rose was sharper, more complex than before. He tid each stir to the TV’s ghostly guide.
Thane was feeling much better with his progression compared to his forr attempt.
The sll was spreading, and it made even the Knight sit up and watch in hunger. This ti, his urge to take it away from Thane vanished as the sll entered his nostrils.
"It slls...like...! Is this... Goblin Mushroom Stew?!" The Shield Maiden was amazed.
"That’s right. The sa old adventurer who taught how to dispel mana from water also taught this."
He rembered Garron’s words: "Always scorch your Ash-Thy, first. The coating must be burnt off..."
Thane waited, did as instructed, and saw the clear Ash-Thy. Last ti, he scattered it with clumsy fingers. Now, he rubbed each sprig, releasing its oils, and sprinkled it like rain. The scent blood instantly. The herbal, sharp, lifting the heavy base of the stew grew even more potent making the nearby warriors grow hungry.
He tasted his creation with a spoon. Rich, savory, layered with notes of forest earth and tingling mana. His lips curled as he enjoyed the taste. It was far more tastier than his last clumsy attempt.
"Last ti I made this, it was a ss," he admitted, voice low but proud.
"But cooking’s like fighting! You stumble, you bleed, then you learn. And today..." He stirred the pot one last ti.
"Today the stew sings. Dinner is served!" Thane chuckled.
Before Thane could ask his companions if they had a set of utensils, the four had already moved closer and were rummaging to take their bowls from their bags.
The four began to drink and eat the soup. Thane had placed in a generous amount of mushrooms that were more than enough for the group.
At the first bite, everyone’s expression changed.
They were hungry and desperate. Their eyes were full of greed, but sohow, the first bite changed it all.
Even the knight, who had an apprehensive look, was slowly wearing an expression of calmness. And eventually, guilt.
The al was delicious, and sohow, it cald the rage of everyone in the room.
Each bite allowed them to be more grateful. Each bite made the anger, the anxiety, and all the other choking emotions vanish.
They were alive!
They ate a very delicious al that would be the envy of the richest restaurants of the kingdom!
It was amazing. Tears began to flow from their eyes as they ate. They could not even express their joy as they had their mouths full of the mushroom al.
Thane could feel the expressions of everyone change. From calmness to guilt.
"...I’m sorry." The knight suddenly muttered and broke the silence.
"The boy is right. The mist... affected . I..."
"It’s not just you. We all were affected. It was my anger and foolishness that caused rly to perish." The shield maiden spoke, controlling her voice from breaking into sobs.
"...I’m sorry as well. Princess, we have lost our honor and are not fit to serve." The mage also spoke.
"It was not your fault. The Mist had... taken control over us. The mont I saw the temple, I knew so power was inside. Little did I know that the mist had already driven to lust for power, especially after that betrayal. I wanted... revenge."
"What? You were betrayed?!" Thane pretended to be shocked.
"It’s a long... story." The princess evaded the question.
Thane was quiet at first and could see that the Princess was not ready to talk about it.
"In any case, boy, you have done us a great favor! I am sorry for the way I treated you before." The knight apologized.
"No worries. I, too, was uh... affected by the mist." Thane answered.
"Princess. I wish to relinquish my vows. Not because I do not believe in you anymore, in fact, that faith has increased as I saw how you tread in this dangerous scenario. But... The boy is right. Had the rest of the n survied here, I would have..."
"Enough. Let no ntion of this ever occur again. The Mist is not to be underestimated. Even I... was caught in it. And I reject your request. As the boy said, we have been brought here by God for a purpose. And if I can... acquire the power in this place, then there is hope. We might just find the way to save the kingdom!"
Seraphina turned to Thane.
"Young one, I have not yet had the pleasure of knowing your na." Seraphina turned to Thane.
"Ugh... Young one-zoned from the get-go..." Thane sighed, and his head dropped.
"Are... you alright?" Seraphina asked, surprised at Thane’s reaction.
The knight saw Thane’s expression and couldn’t help but chuckle.
"It’s nothing. I am called Thane Weakarm."
"I am Vayne Arkhand. Knight of the Holy Blade." The knight introduced.
"I am Salya Strongshield of the Paladin Order." The shield maiden answered.
"I am Stratus Viscus Polentyne of the Five Staves. Together, we are the loyal guards of Seraphina. Though... there are only three of us now. Three have fallen, and we can only pray that the other two are alive."
Thane recalled the two mbers who were interviewed in the episode about the Princess.
"I can see you are well trained, but I also see a garb that of... well... peasants. Might I inquire of your identity? And I do not say that to look down on you, boy, but rather, I question why soone as strong, smart, and pure as you has remained unnoticed in the kingdom." Vayne inquired.
"I was a Bag Boy of the Grey Marauders rcenary Group. We were contracted to slay a serpent that terrorized the Venstil Village when the campaign to cleanse the forest began. But... well... the orcs ca."
"The Grey Marauders?" Salya was surprised.
"You’ve t them?"
"Yes. I pray that your allies are still alive. We t them three days ago! They are n of honor! They helped us when the Princess was in trouble. They even offered to lure the goblins away! And they lured a hundred away from us!" Vayne recalled.
"Three days? I hope they are alive..." Thane had a grim expression.
"We’ll have to find our way out of here first. The skeletons below are endless. And they continue to rise with great power. We might have had a fill now, but it’s only a matter of ti until we fall into great hunger." The mage added and glanced at the deep mist below.
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