“So we just tell Rabyn he's handling cooking himself then?” I asked as we exited the tent, following behind Brault.
“Yeah, that seems like it's probably for the best. It looks like they haven't switched anything up in the order, so at least that ans he's going first and that will give us more ti to plan things while he's working,” Pryte replied.
The planet we were on was seemingly one giant green field covered in random tents, tables, and pavilions. All around us were dozens of outdoor kitchens with every cooking appliance I could imagine. More people than I could count were buzzing about, quickly making last-minute preparations. This was certainly a very full contest.
With those new rules in place, that ant countless teams had their entire faction on the line. And here we were, gambling amongst them. I wasn't willing to entertain the idea that we were going to lose. We were here to secure the Twinoges' ho world, and that left a giant question of what we'd do with everyone else's.
Brault stopped and pointed to the location of the rest of our group, all sitting around a table in a bright red and yellow gazebo. He then turned to us, gave his brother a half-hearted smile, and vanished back into the crowd, leaving us alone for the rest of our short walk.
“How do you think Rabyn is going to react to this news?” I asked, not sure the orc would be overly thrilled at the idea. But there was also the pretty strong possibility he'd be enthused at the idea of competing alone against everyone. He may pretend otherwise, but he did enjoy proving his skills.
“He already knows this is where he says to the greater spiral that he's still alive and thriving, so honestly, he might be happy to do this alone. He's the type that would want to throw everything he had at that wall and win while everyone's watching. And it will probably make a good showing for us when he does,” Pryte replied, as we stepped into the gazebo with the others.
“What will make a good showing for us?” Connie asked.
Pryte sighed. “We got the full details, at least as much as they're willing to provide for the events. So the big news is there's a new Mystery Sixth event. And along with that event, if we qualify for it and lose at it, we forfeit our ho world, as does every single other competitor here.”
“I assu that hasn't altered our plans in the slightest?” Rabyn asked with a surprisingly determined smile.
That likely ant he really was looking forward to this. It was ti for Rabyn to shine, and who was I to stop him? He had long since earned his way out of any of my initial distrust that had co with the rest of the Orcs that had invaded Earth. And now here he was ready to defend not only Earth but the Twinoges’ howorld as well.
“It doesn't. But this is again a giant risk for everyone competing here. I know none of you are going to back down because I know all of you. At the sa ti, we do need to be aware of what's coming. There's also another change to what we've learned. We can not reuse any of our competitors across different events,” I answered, and explained so of the other news.
Pryte continued where I left off, as the others all stared at us with differing looks of annoyance and determination in their eyes. “And furthermore, the fewer people we use in an event, the higher our score will be. To that end, we will figure out exactly how we're gonna break that up for the other ones? Rabyn, are you willing to do this cooking event entirely alone?”
“Absolutely. If it helps to secure success and gives a little bit of a mont to show off my knife skills, I think I am entirely willing.” His smile grew as he spoke. There was sothing else going on here that I wasn't aware of, possibly soone in the crowd he had spotted, but what those details were wasn't important at the mont. He'd tell us when he was ready.
A chat window popped into view as Rabyn finished speaking.
Saud:
Dave: Saud? Everything okay?
Saud:
Karlinovo: Dave, there's sothing wrong here. It's like they're trying to speak, and it's not coming through.
Corey: Karlinovo is correct. They are attempting to send a ssage, and sothing is terminating the actual contents of the ssage as it attempts to push through. I am unaware of what is causing it, and I do not know what to do.
Dave: Maud, can you see any of this? Are you able to read the ssage?
Dave: I don't like that there's no reply from her either. Karlinovo, are you willing to take a quick check of the soul realm?
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringent.
Karlinovo: Is that a good idea without Chip? I an, I'm willing to, but if anything goes wrong, he's nowhere near to help.
Elody: No, I don't think it's a good idea. But go check the entrance and see if you can tell if anything is off there. Do not try to enter yet, though.
Karlinovo: got it. Give a second.
Connie ntioned a problem back ho to the others that weren't in the soul chat while the rest of us waited on Karlinovo.
Karlinovo: Seems normal. Almost sure I could pass into it without any issue. Actually, you know what? I think I'm going to try. Might be a stupid idea, but we don't need sothing trying to attack us through the soul realm while you're gone.
Connie: Try not to get yourself killed. We could really use you, making sure we have a world to return to, you idiot.
Dave: Connie, you're not helping. But she is correct on her sentint.
Chip: ccccccccccccccccful
Karlinovo: good news, I think. The Soul Realm is here and whole. The bad news, though, Selody and Saud are not here. And there is a very strange mana signature throughout the realm. The only thing I could really compare it to is readings from chaotic space, but that's not entirely correct either. Sothing happened here.
Dave: Great. Just what we needed, more problems. All right, investigate if you feel you need to, but try to stay safe. Let us know what you find. There's an official staring at , so I think that ans Rabyn's got to go.
Rabyn: It does.
I closed up the soul chat and looked up at the official. “I take it it's Rabyn's ti?” I asked.
“Yes, I've already said that twice. Please try to stay focused on the competition for future events. Are you ready to proceed with just the orc as your competitor?” they asked.
“We are.”
“Alright, co with , Rabyn.”
Rabyn
He had prepared his nu with plans for other people to assist. But just because he had made preparations didn't an he also understood that no plan survives facing the enemy. And while this may not have been exactly combat, it was still him within the den of the beast.
Despite all that, Rabyn was still excited. He was about to show a lot of people just who he was again. And there had been a few faces in the crowd he'd already spotted that he knew wouldn't be happy to learn. He was alive and thriving. It was likely this would cause more problems for Dave, but there was no way around that.
With the rule changes, they had no choice but to win now. And win they would. The Twinoges had fought bravely alongside Dave from the beginning, and no one deserved to have their people enslaved. Rabyn would proudly free them.
The fact that he would do so by demonstrating his artistry to the Spiral was the cherry on top of that dessert. So when the official was told that it was just him now, Rabyn gave the man the deadliest smile he was capable of. He wanted them to understand the threat that existed within his fra, and then the strangeness when he only served them an amazing al.
Karlinovo
Dammit, they didn't need this problem right now. What the hell was going on in the soul realm that would have the soul reflections missing? They didn't know enough about them to even begin understanding how they were missing, let alone why.
As always, this ca back to the usual problem he was facing. He didn't have enough ti to do everything that needed to be done. They were constantly in a ti crunch, with mystery after mystery plaguing them. Sohow, he was going to have to find a way to make ti to truly understand everything going on within the faction, at the very least.
These thoughts rushed through his head, annoying him as he searched the soul realm for answers. They weren't easily forthcoming. But there was sothing here with the strange energy. And the more he examined it, the more he thought Corey was likely correct.
So then, how the hell did chaotic space-aligned mana signatures end up in their soul realm? Obviously, it was too much of a coincidence that Maud was out of contact while this was happening. And that ant the jesters were probably involved. Which ant sothing bad was likely happening, and he had no idea what.
Considering the last ti Dave and Pryte had left the planet, the jesters had invaded and caused the giant ss they were in now, Karlinovo wasn't willing to let this little mystery rest. But he also recognized he needed help. He couldn't solve sothing that he didn't have the most basic idea of what could be happening at all.
He quickly left the soul realm in search of that help. He found Quarilyn eating a large lunch, looking nervous. He knew she, too, could feel the pressure they were under with the others gone. That was why he wanted her help.
“You have a look on your face that sothing's already gone wrong,” she said as he sat down across from her.
“Sothing has. I don't know if it's directly tied to the others leaving, but I don't trust coincidences. The soul reflections are missing. And there's a chaotic space mana signature within the Soul Realm. Beyond the obvious, I have no idea exactly what would connect these problems,” he answered, watching her face droop.
“I've been working on sothing for soul mana detection, but as I don't have access to the soul realm, I haven't tested it yet. I suppose we've hit a point where that has beco critical. I'll go grab what I can from the lab. You should probably tell Timon.”
“The Mantis was next on my list. Since I'm the only one who can enter the Soul Realm, et back at the portal once you have it. We'll see if we can figure out just what is going on.”
Quarilyn nodded, pushing her plate forward and heading out of the room. Karlinovo grabbed two of her uneaten sausages before following behind her, trying to rember where he was last seen, Timon.
The perfect spiced plum quinerast starts with your dough. Always make sure to use a sourdough base mixed with just a bit of fresh apple juice. It will complent the plum marinade when applied to the at in the future steps. The second step is making sure you're using a fresh cut of quinerast. It's critical that it is no older than a day, as that's when it loses its natural magical properties that allow for the unique flavors when roasted.
If all is done correctly, when you remove it from the oven, it should be obvious whether you are successful or not. It will only produce a mana cloud if properly done.
100 Recipes for Your Core by Jordan Hamsy
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