"Ray! Come over here a bit!" (Cheff)
The current time is noon, where the sun is at its highest point. Presently, I am taking a breather in the kitchen. The kitchen windows are open, but even so the aftermath from mass cooking of the breakfast menu made the area stifling and hot. Nevertheless, it is still much better than the outside right now, with the sun scorching the earth. I could make out heat waves that filled the bottom of the outside scenery. It wouldn't be too far off to say that outside of the Ocean Swarm is a literal hell on earth.
I pulled my sluggish body up with the wall as support, making my way towards Cheff.
"It's kind of bad. We had a surge of orders for omelettes and meat today for breakfast. It's like my eatery place turned into a den for carnivores this morning." (Cheff)
I begin to have a sense of foreboding, but in front of my boss, there was no running away.
Cheff gave me a refreshing big smile.
"We need to prepare for the upcoming business at night Ray." (Cheff)
I nodded, then gave a sigh of compliance.
"How much do you want of each, boss?" (Me)
"Somehow, when you call me boss I feel the aura of hatred behind that word…" (Cheff)
He gave me a slip of paper and a badge that signified the Ocean Swarm. The slip of paper is listed with the quantity of ingredients to be bought. As for the badge, it shows the affiliation of the buyer, me, with Ocean Swarm. By doing so, the sellers who have good relations with Cheff would offer a lower price for me to buy in bulk.
Cheff gave me a pat on my shoulder and pushed me to face the door. It was a clear signal to send me out to the boiling heat outside, away from this haven which I was relaxing in just moments ago.
"Well before you go, I definitely can't imagine you carrying a hundred eggs back all by yourself, especially when you have to buy meat as well." (Cheff)
The kitchen which had been dyed with laughter and sympathy at my apparent demise, now warped into an atmosphere filled with dread and silent fear.
"Pick your victims." (Cheff)
Turning around, I face all the staff members within the kitchen. A big smile like Cheff's is plastered upon my face. I raise my finger which acted as an announcement of death, and pointed to the people who had laughed the loudest.
***
After making our way to the egg seller and placing the order for the number of eggs, I left my colleagues with their pushcarts there to wait for the seller to prepare our order. I snickered at their suffering as the sun burnt their scalp. In truth, I wasn't much better as I trudged through the hot sun alone and made my way to the meat seller.
One might wonder the strangeness in purchasing meat for a seafood selling eatery, but it isn't that bizarre. It is simply having a variety in the menu in order to give customers the luxury of choice. For instance, if a family came to the eatery, and a member happen to dislike the fishy taste typical of seafood, he or she can opt for some meat instead.
Or even simpler, it is because Cheff has recipes that requires both meat from the land and the sea.
As such thoughts crossed my mind, I reached my destination. Showing the Ocean Swarm badge, I placed my order and proceed to wait under the blazing sun. My shoes began to feel warmer by the second once I stopped walking, and the sweat from my feet just exacerbates my discomfort exponentially.
The heat in Terdia is due to its geographical location. Disregarding the a small forest beside it, the reason Terdia is hot is because there are little to no water bodies near it. Aside from the small rivers or streams around it, such as the one I've discovered in the morning, Terdia is surrounded by vast dry lands with the exception of the forest. It isn't a surprise to hear loud complaint of travelling merchants that arrive in Terdia to trade.
Since the order for meat is much less than eggs themselves, I thought to finish my task solo. Well, maybe being alone is better, since I can just push my pace to be faster without caring about any companions. Suddenly, I was struck by a thought.
I have completely forgotten about the other things on the list.
"I'll be back later to collect the order Vincent! I'll be off to grab some other things first!" (Me)
"No problem sir!" (Vincent)
I left the meat seller Vincent with haste and made a round trip to pick up some vegetables, spices and seasonings. Along the way, I was pestered by some middle-aged ladies. Of course, they meant no harm, but the gossips or poking around they do made me somewhat uncomfortable. I just answered some intrusive questions modestly and smiled in accordance, but that seemed to only fuel their intensity further. Strange.
I'm glad my dagger is hidden smartly underneath the coattails of the waiting uniform. Cheff allowed me to carry my dagger with me for two reasons. Firstly, he knew the discomfort of not having my dagger as a past adventurer, so he somewhat sympathised with me. Next, it is an emergency measure taken against drunks drawing weapons in his eatery. Since there are also adventurers that visit his eatery, and there was no valid reason take away their weapons, such a scenario is not impossible.
Of course, that was allowed on the premise of not drawing my dagger against Cheff and the staff members. And needless to say, I would not do so to my benefactor and his staff.
Obviously, the visage of the dagger would have agitated the middle-aged ladies in front of me into further gossips, but my hand was itching to grab onto the handle. Such a dangerous thought crossed my mind, but thankfully my hands both had groceries to grab onto, so in a way I was able to dodge this action.
After a while, I politely excused myself and left the place in a hurry. I did not want to keep Vincent waiting, but more importantly I want to seek shelter back at the Ocean Swarm, away from the blistering heat.
"Sorry Vincent, I was late." (Me)
"No problems sir, you're just on time in fact." (Vincent)
I arrived at the store to see Vincent packing the cuts of meat nicely into different portions. This was to differentiate between the different types of meat, such as chicken, pork, rabbit, and etcetera. Of course, I did not order every variation, but just what Cheff has listed. Just as I am about to receive the bags from Vincent, a small but distinct whimper resounded to my right.
Almost instinctively, I sharply turned towards the sound, but I only saw a dark alley in a distance.
"Is something the matter sir?" (Vincent)
"…no, there's nothing really." (Me)
I smiled and grabbed the bags from Vincent, before bidding him farewell.
Either Vincent didn't hear the noise, or a whimper from a dark alleyway is normal in Terdia. However, this hadn't been the case for the two years I've been here. As such, I highly doubt the action to be a practice around the town.
Then, it would be more logical to conclude that my training from the orphanage is the one responsible for a far better hearing compared to Vincent. Taking the opportunity when Vincent faced his back towards me, I silently made my way into the dark alley.
Despite the lack of light, I am able to see the surroundings much clearer as I drew close. Occasional whimpers echoed in this narrow pathway as I quietly walked onwards. At some point in time, I had shifted the weight of my groceries mostly to my left arm whilst still carrying the huge bulk with both hands. This allowed my right hand to be able to access my dagger easily. My sight is barely obstructed, but I am confident of at least getting sufficient view of my surroundings to defend myself. Unless, I happen to chance upon an extremely skilled opponent.
After turning left in the alleyway, I arrive upon a dead end. The path was blocked off by a high fence with sharp spikes on top, which could potentially cut or stab anyone that attempts to cross over via jumping over. This is exactly what I am witnessing right now, the consequence of jumping over. As for the victim…
A pair of eyes stared back at my questioning gaze. They are tinged with a strong will to survive and a hint of madness. Withstanding the pain of the unclosing wound, there seems to be an aura of endurance emanating in the surroundings, almost as if showing an indomitable will to go against the weaving strings of fate.
These, are the eyes that stared back at me. Bordering on the lines of twisting a sick joke, nostalgia seeped into my head. The faint remembrance of a certain child holding such eyes as he ran in a dark forest, came crashing into my head. Before I knew it, I had set my groceries down aside and drew my dagger.
With my other hand, I reached out…