Chương 23: Hungry

There was a weird taste in my mouth. A bit sweet, a bit tangy, and a bit bitter. Some gravel mixed in? What was in my mouth? I shot my eyes open and found myself staring up at a broken ceiling. A tiny piece of it broke off, falling beside my head and smashing into oblivion.

"You are finally up." I cocked my head to the side and found Pyiari sitting with her legs folded. It was red where Kach had hit her. I forced myself back up. It didn't hurt. Why? I observed my body. The red, dried blood was still there; someone had desperately tried to rub it away, but without water, they couldn't get all of it. My muscles didn't ache, and all the torn fibers were fixed. My lungs, which had been on the edge of puncturing due to my broken ribs, didn't hurt either. My bones were mended. I was healed?

Before I could ask how, Pyiari noticed me observing myself and answered.

"I used the potions."

"But wasn't the bottle destroyed?"

"I soaked my cloth in what was left on the ground, and then squeezed it into your mouth."

"That explains the gritty feeling in my mouth."

"Be thankful."

"I am. Thanks, Pyiari. So, how long have I been out for?"

"An hour must have passed since I woke up. I don't know how much time had passed before that."

"I see."

"Mister, what happened here? That woman is decapitated over there and has started to smell. This room is more broken than before, and where is Lania?" Ah, right. She was unconscious the whole time. I took a deep breath and started to explain everything that had happened. She didn't interrupt, just kept nodding at intervals, indicating that she was listening. After I stopped, she thought for a minute, then spoke.

"I don't want to leave without Lania."

"Neither do I." I stood up and extended my hand to her. She grabbed it, and I helped her stand. Her robe was torn from the lower end. Before, it came down to her ankles; now it stopped at her knees.

"Who asked her to sacrifice herself so I could leave?" Pyiari muttered, her voice trembling slightly.

"She is such a narcissist, only thinking about herself."

"Aren't we too, disregarding her sacrifice for us and going back for her?" I chuckled.

"What do we do about this?" Pyiari asked, staring at the collapsed tunnel in front of us.

"I will show you my superhero strength and smash right through it." I swung my arm back, and with all my strength, made my fist go forward. I knew it would hurt at that speed, so I stopped right before it hit the rubble and punched it lightly.

"Looks like my super strength ain't working. Weird."

"Mister, stop joking around and find a way to go the other side." The path we had come through was entirely blocked off. Lania knew we would come for her, so she collapsed it, hoping we would give up and turn back.

"Well, I can go to the other side. We just have to figure out the way for you."

"If you can go, why can't I?"

"Oh, it's my new Skillcard." I channeled my magika and focused on Shadowstride. There wasn't much light here, mostly dark, but the other side of the collapsed wall was different. It was bright, almost with no shadows. Thankfully, a piece of rubble lay at the edge of my range, casting just enough shadow for me to use. My shadow slowly covered my feet and started to swallow me whole. Pyiari freaked out.

"Is Mr. Alien actually Mr. Demon?" I vanished from her sight and emerged from the tiny shadow on the other side of the blockage.

"Mister! Mister, did hell call you back? Where are you?" she shouted. I ran towards the wall of rubble separating us. She stopped when she heard my footsteps crunching on the gravel.

"Mister, are you on the other side?"

"Yeah."

"How many superpowers do you have?"

"I told you, it isn't a superpower at all."

"Yeah, yeah. Skillcards or whatever. Now take me to the other side too." The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I looked at the heavy stones separating us. Her voice was muffled, but the desperation in it was clear. I clenched my fists.

"Pyiari, you know... Maybe you should move back from here. I will bring Lania back on my own."

"What? No!"

"You won't find any more obstacles from here. You will be safe. You can complete the rest of the journey on your own. I believe in you."

"No, what are you saying? Didn't we just agree we will do it together?"

"I changed my mind." I took a step back, then another, putting distance between me and the rubble.

"I promise I will be back."

"No, wait! Come back, take me too! Don't do this!" Her voice grew smaller and smaller the further I traveled, echoing down the empty corridor until it finally faded away. I had lost the map, and now I was lost in the maze.

"Fuck!" I screamed, kneeling on the floor and grabbing my head.

"I am such an idiot." I had traced the path we had taken to the Waste Disposal Facility to the best of my memory. But it was a bust. It had been three hours. Three freaking, goddamn hours. Even if traveling on the Strange Toy's back had been faster, it shouldn't have taken so long to reach the Archive on foot. I had taken a wrong turn, and now I was lost in an endless web of identical hallways. Grrrr. I also hadn't eaten anything for more than half a day, and now my stomach was violently demanding it.

Everything got fucked. Should I have just left, then come back better prepared? Fuck. I stood back up. I had no choice but to move forward. It wasn't like I could go back. I hope Pyiari had already left, or that her own growling stomach would make her turn back. It had been another six hours. And I was still lost. Once, a party had been lost in this maze after they scared Pyiari away by taking the wrong dialogue choices. It took them a whole week to find their way out.

For some reason, they had been traveling with a month's worth of rations. That was the only reason they survived. I was starving and incredibly thirsty. My throat felt like sandpaper. I used the wall as a support and took shaky, sluggish steps forward. Someone give me water. Food. I am dying. Meat. Potatoes. Spices. The smell hit my nose out of nowhere. It was rich and heavy, filling the damp corridor. All thoughts of starvation and exhaustion left my mind as I ran ahead. One thought consumed everything: Food.

I ran, stumbled. Got up. Ran faster, turned a corner. I followed the smell like a bloodhound until I reached the source. New Area Unlocked Chef's Refectory The upper brass of Life's Last Hope had refined tastes that no standard ration could ever satisfy. Tired of bland, mass-produced meals that failed to honor their status, they established a private culinary sanctuary within the complex, hiring a master chef whose sole purpose was to indulge their palate. Recorded in the Akashic system in the year 13522.

The white door with a circular glass window looked completely odd. I wiped the saliva from my mouth and forced myself to stop. It was really, really hard to control myself from just barging in and swallowing everything my eyes could see. But I had to be cautious here. I had to know what was on the other side first. I looked through the glass window and was incredibly thankful that I had controlled myself, but equally frustrated by what I saw inside.

Burtic the Altruistic Burtic believed that the greatest act of love a person could show was cooking a meal for someone else. He firmly believed food should be free for everyone, but with his sister declining health he had to accept the offer from Life's Last Hope. He worked there his whole life, with the money he made his sister survived and passed from old age. He was happy and when the offer to cook for eternity came, he did not refuse. Recorded in the Akashic system in the year 13487.

It was another monster, entirely covered in that vile black sludge, and it was... cooking. His kitchen looked crystal clean, like the pristine backroom of a five-star hotel. He himself was the only thing that sullied the beauty of the room. But that guy totally loved cooking. He put a green onion on the chopping board and chopped it with terrifying speed and accuracy. Every piece was exactly the same size. He then picked it up with a massive, sludgy hand and dropped it into a steaming cauldron.

It smelled absolutely delicious. The table deeper into the room was filled with a myriad of different, freshly prepared dishes. I saw them, and my self-control completely shattered. I used Shadowstride to slip into the room, emerging seamlessly below the large prep table. Burtic was busy stirring the cauldron and wasn't paying any attention to my side of the kitchen. I carefully pushed my hand up above the edge of the table, feeling around blindly to grab something. My fingers hit a cold porcelain plate.

I pulled it towards me with two fingers, sliding it to the edge. My fingers brushed against whatever was kept on top of it. It was a bit soft and squishy. I grabbed it and brought it down under the table. It was a sandwich. A massively loaded one at that. Thick slices of roasted chicken, melting cheese, crisp lettuce, and a rich, savory sauce. It was mouth-watering. I opened my mouth wide and stopped right before biting down. Was it safe to eat? It was made by a corrupted monster, after all.

It might look alright from the outside, but the ingredients could be toxic, or infected by the sludge. What would happen to me if I took a bite? Would I turn into one of them? My stomach and my mind started fighting each other, and with every second that passed, my stomach was winning the war.

"Uncle Burtic!" a child's voice suddenly echoed as the door swung open. A kid entered the room, shouting happily. Burtic did not stop stirring the cauldron. He just grunted something in a low, rumbling tone. The child seemingly understood him perfectly and held a casual conversation with the monster.

"What have you made today?" Burtic grunted again. Dimming the flame of the induction stove, he turned and moved toward the table under which I hid. I completely froze. I could see his sludge-covered feet swirling, yet magically, they didn't dirty the pristine floor at all. He stood there for longer than he should have. Had he noticed the plate I moved? The sandwich I stole? Most probably. But he dismissed it.

He grabbed a different plate from the top of the table and walked over to the kid, grunting softly as he handed it down to him.

"Wow, sandwiches!" The kid happily picked one up and chomped on it.

"So tasty!" he mumbled, his mouth completely stuffed as a drop of sauce fell onto his clothes. Watching that, I couldn't control myself for another second. My stomach won the battle, convincing my brain that if a kid was eating it, it had to be perfectly safe. I bit down on the stolen sandwich. The bread was incredibly soft, the meat was hot and tender. The sharp cheese and tangy sauce were perfectly balanced. It was a masterpiece. I hadn't had a sandwich this tasty ever in my life.