The group barely had time to scrape the jam off their boots when another ominous event began to unfold. As they ventured through the sticky remnants of the Jam-pocalypse battlefield, an eerie white fog rolled in, clinging to their ankles like mist but with a peculiar powdery texture.
Sylvara crouched, touching the ground. "Is this... flour?"
Kazuya groaned. "Don't tell me we're heading into another food fight."
Cluckminster squawked nervously. "Oh no. This isn't just flour. This is... The Great Baker's Curse."
"Why does everything have a curse around here?" Kazuya muttered. "What next? The Haunted Toaster?"
Arrival at Crustoria
The group emerged from the flour-filled fog to find themselves in a sprawling, golden city made entirely of bread. Towers of baguettes pierced the sky, sourdough bridges arched over bubbling fondue rivers, and cinnamon rolls the size of wagons were parked along cobblestone streets made of croutons.
"This is... impressive," Sylvara said, looking up at a towering croissant palace. "And mildly terrifying."
A figure suddenly appeared, leaping down from a stack of bagels. It was a knight clad in golden armor with a pretzel-shaped crest on his chest.
"Halt!" he boomed. "Who dares trespass in Crustoria, the City of Bread?"
Kazuya raised his hands. "Uh, we're just passing through?"
The knight frowned. "Passing through? This is sacred territory! You must answer to the Doughminator!"
Sylvara blinked. "The what?"
"The Doughminator," Cluckminster whispered in horror. "The legendary ruler of Crustoria. They say he's the strongest carb-based entity in the land."
"Why is this our life now?" Kazuya sighed.
The Doughminator Appears
The group was escorted to the Croissant Palace, where they were presented to the Doughminator—a massive humanoid figure made entirely of bread dough, his surface rising and falling like he was perpetually proofing. His voice boomed like thunder.
"WHO BRINGS THE BAGUETTE OF DESTINY INTO MY DOMAIN?"
Kazuya awkwardly held up the golden baguette. "Uh, hi. We didn't mean to cause any trouble. We're just on a weird, bread-themed adventure."
The Doughminator's eyes glowed with fury. "THAT BAGUETTE IS A THREAT TO CRUSTORIA! IT MUST BE DESTROYED!"
Sylvara rolled her eyes. "Of course it is."
A Trial by Bread
Instead of immediate combat, the Doughminator declared a trial: a baking competition to prove their worthiness.
"You will compete against my finest bakers," the Doughminator declared. "If you win, you may leave Crustoria unscathed. If you lose, you will be kneaded into dough and baked into pies."
"Sounds fair," Kazuya said sarcastically.
Chaos in the Kitchen
The group was led to a massive kitchen arena where the trial began. Their task: bake a loaf of bread that would impress the Doughminator.
Kazuya, clueless about baking, was put in charge of kneading dough. Ravynne attempted to mix ingredients, though her measurements were more "guess" than "precise." Sylvara took charge of the oven, despite never having used one before. Cluckminster... ate half the flour.
"Why is this so sticky?!" Kazuya yelled, trying to wrestle with the dough that had latched onto his hands like a clingy ex.
"You have to flour your hands!" Sylvara shouted, fanning a small fire that had somehow started in the oven.
Ravynne dumped an entire jar of honey into the mix. "Sweet bread is a thing, right?"
"Not this sweet!" Kazuya groaned.
The Doughminator's Bakers
Meanwhile, the Doughminator's elite bakers worked with machine-like precision. They crafted perfectly symmetrical loaves that gleamed like golden trophies. One baker even shaped their dough into a delicate swan.
Kazuya looked at their chaotic mess of a loaf and sighed. "We're doomed."
The Judging
When the bread was presented to the Doughminator, the group held their breath. The Doughminator inspected their misshapen, slightly burnt loaf and took a bite.
For a moment, there was silence. Then, the Doughminator's eyes widened.
"This... this is..."
"Bad?" Kazuya guessed.
"DELIGHTFUL!" the Doughminator bellowed. "I HAVE NEVER TASTED SUCH CHAOTIC BREAD! IT IS... INSPIRING!"
The group blinked in disbelief.
"Congratulations," the Doughminator said. "You have passed the trial. You may leave Crustoria."
A Sticky Exit
As they left the city, Sylvara turned to Kazuya. "How did we win that?"
Kazuya shrugged. "I guess even bread connoisseurs appreciate a little chaos."
Cluckminster clucked. "Or maybe they just didn't want us to stick around and ruin the city."
As they ventured back into the flour-filled fog, Kazuya sighed. "Can we take a break from food-related adventures? I just want to do something normal—like fight a dragon or something."
Sylvara smirked. "Knowing our luck, the dragon will be made of chocolate."
The group laughed nervously, already bracing for whatever absurdity awaited them next.
To Be Continued...