(I) Commis
Chapter 260 of "Path of the Deathless" opens with exciting events: -Georges Archambault and Shiv125 (I)Commis"We stand before you arrayed and at your beck and call,... Continue reading!
-Georges Archambault and Shiv125 (I)
Commis
"We stand before you arrayed and at your beck and call, O Chef de Cuisine!" Whisper declared.
A grin adorned the orc's face, and he spun a knife in each hand. Both of them glistened, pure and free of bacteria, cleansed by magic and heat. Beside him, Mortar conjured a ball of flame in his hands and shaped a spatula from a hovering mess of metal. Tequila, meanwhile, juggled a series of condiments while Band stared at the Abyssal Gateway as he slowly dragged out wailing notes on his violin.
Shiv took in the orcs and squinted. This wasn't a cooperative kitchen. The orcs standing before him had arrayed not in support, but to challenge his authority, to find any hint of weakness within Shiv's emotionsâany weakness in his cooking. He had disciplined them by breaking Wall earlier, but that was merely the physical struggle. The battle here was social, psychological, and above all, .
Cooking, like combat, was an essential part of Shiv. And if the orcs thought they were going to shake him, to find weakness here, they were sorely mistaken.
Shiv thought to himself as he drew in a slow breath. He studied the orcsâ bodies and found them utterly calm, and studying him as well. Shivâs fingers twitched. Whisper noticed. Band stopped pulling his bow. Tequila and Mortar grinned at each other as tension built.
"Alright. Listen up. Weâre going to prepare this basilisk methodically. Carefully. Properly.â Nearby, Gemstone lay unmoving, its heart stopped by Shiv's Biomancyâa merciful end delivered in prelude to a new culinary struggle. âYouâre going to help me make this. You're going to man the stations I tell you to man and prepare the ingredients the way I ask you to. And when weâre done, youâre going to be the first to try the dish. And I will see you broken before me.â
âOh, will you now,â Tequila said, yawning. âDo you cook with your mouth, Chef? Got a Boasting-Cooking Skill Fusion?â
âCanât be,â Mortar sneered. âHeâs bad at the former. Might not be good at the latter since weâre wasting time.â
Shiv snarled inside. But outside, he kept his expression calm and his gaze focused.
Most of their secondary ingredients were prepared nearby. Cauliflowers, mangos, loomgrapes, glass peppers, mushrooms, and more lay in sectioned piles behind the orcs. At the center of the special cooking zone, the Deathless and the orcs continued their staredown as the Court Leviathan continued to wave the dead cave biter up and down. This made the dead monsterâs shadow serve in place of rolling tumbleweeds.
A small audience of off-duty Umbrals, Weaveresses, mercenaries, and more watched from a distance. Behind Shiv were Adam and Uva. The former looked confused, while the latter held a look of utter exasperation on her face.
Shiv gave the orcs a final glare before he continued his speech. âWe do this the standard way. Preparations first. Portioning first. Cutting and slicing first.â He stared at Whisper and eyed the stealthy orc as his first victim. He would break Whisper here and now so the other orcs knew what was coming. "You good with those knives, Whisper?"
"Some might say so," Whisper replied. He flourished, the twin gleaming blades in his hands.
"Well then, pick a side, Whisper," Shiv said, gesturing at the dead basilisk. âThree hundred meters. Plenty of space. Whichever end you want.â
"And why am I picking a side, oh Chef?" Whisper asked. Intellect glinted behind his yellow eyes, and Shiv knew what the orc was trying to do. He was trying to annoy Shiv, trying to throw him off. It wouldnât work.
"Because it's faster if both of us prepare the basilisk at once," Shiv said. "I could do it alone. But this makes it more interesting. Doesnât it? Letâs see who's the better cutter.â
Whisper bared his teeth. âAh. So it is to be a portioning duel, then. Do not blame me if I shame you, Chef. I choose tail.â
âIâll take head,â Shiv replied, barely suppressing a growl.
âMeet in the middle?â Whisper asked. He knew they werenât going to do that.
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âWeâll meet along the way. Whoever reaches the other first. This is a kitchen, Whisper, not a democracy. What we get to do here is determined by skill, by efficiency, by blade. If I get to you early, that means youâre not keeping â
Band vigorously pulled on his violin to give Shivâs statement a bit more gravitas.
âOh, Iâll keep tempo, Chef. Donât you worry.â Whisper bowed lightly. Not slight enough to be submissive, but just enough to let Shiv know he earned a bit of respect.
Shiv remembered.
Shiv never broke eye contact with any of the orcs as he magnified the size of his Skysplitter. He placed it below the huge pan he used to fry the Court Leviathanâs tentacles. With a casual flick of his hand, he channeled a rush of flame into the blade as it began to simmer. Then, he noticed the ball of fire circling Mortarâs right hand.
"Mortar," Shiv called out, "this knife is magic-amplifying. You got Pyromancy?"
"A bit," Mortar said. "You want me to heat it up?"
"I want you to get it hot. Basilisks have some regeneration, so weâre going to need to burn this deep. We're making pan-seared basilisk with abyssal mango and loomgrape glaze paired with cauliflower, mushrooms, and glass peppers. Are we clear on this?â
âYes, Chef!â The orcs barked as one. And they responded without a hint of irony. They were loving this. And Shiv was too.
âAs of right now, you," he pointed at Mortar, "are in charge of the grill. Whisper, when we're done portioning out the basiliskâand we are going to portion this entire basilisk perfectlyâyou're going to be in charge of cutting the vegetables and other ingredients as well. Donât fuck up the portions.â
Whisper grinned. âOf course, Chef.â
Suddenly, a waft of smoke assailed Shivâs nostrils. He looked at Tequila, the wand-using orc, who leaned his head back and grinned. He was smoking two cigarettes at once and was placing sauce after sauce on a nearby table. The azure sun struck the bottles the orc placed down, and their insides came alight in a multicolored glow. "Smoking's for the outdoors. Snuff it out unless youâre resting. You don't smoke unless you're on break. Got it? And we're not going on break today.â
Tequila nodded and drew in a long breath. Both his cigarettes were inhaled down to the nubs, and he spat them out, aiming at the back of Mortar's head. The large orc moved faster than Shiv expected. He caught the twin butts before they impacted him in a massive metallic fist.
âUse your Chronomancy next time, copper,â Mortar snorted.
âCopper?â Adam muttered.
Mortar gave Tequila a disgusted look. âTequila here was a detective for a while. An inspector, even. â
âThey let be an investigator?â Adam gawked.
âWhy not?â Tequila shrugged. âItâs my Path.â
The Gate Lordâs expression grew three times more incredulous that very instant. Follow current nová´ls on novelhall.com
"Anyway, Tequila, you're going to be in charge of the sauces," Shiv continued. "I need you to prepare the mangoes and the loom grapes."
"Can I offer a suggestion, Chef?" Tequila asked, now folding his arms behind his back.
Shiv's eyes narrowed. There was going to be a trick here. "What kind of suggestion?"
"I think we could use some wine with this. . The people here look parched, starved of a good accompaniment. We focus so hard on the main course and the side. But what about libations?"
The Swan-Eating Toad always had a set list of drinks. In truth, it was not Shiv's expertise. He was mostly focused on food. So focused that he wasn't that good at baking either. And just then, Georgesâs voice echoed in Shiv's head again.
âIf you can handle the wine without it getting in the way of your actual station. Sure. But doesnât it take months to ferment wine?â
âOnly for the â Tequila replied. âI just need some rice and wine.â And then he was looking at Uva.
âTurn your eyes away from me, orc,â Uva said, her voice low and unamused. âI am not a maid for you to command. And neither are my sisters.â
âBut Sister Uva,â Tequila said, making his voice seem childlike, âI donât know where anything is here. Please. Can you lend me your aidâŚâ
âNo.â
Tequila frowned and turned a troubled expression on Shiv. âIs she this cold when you fuck her? Does she feel like an icebox? You into that kind of thing?â
Adam sputtered. Shiv gritted his teeth, and Uvaâs stare turned to a vicious glare. The Umbralâs right eye twitched.
Shiv said, shaking his head as he looked at Uva.
âWhy are you looking at each other?â Tequila asked. âWhat are you saying? If itâs tips you want, I can offer them. I served as a for some of my colleagues while I was an inspector.â
âThey will miss you,â Uva muttered darkly.
Tequilaâs smile froze for a moment. âWhat?â
âThat rice wine better be godsdamned good, Tequila,â Shiv said. âOtherwise, Iâm not sure if Iâll remember you in a few years.â
âAh.â Whisper sighed as he waggled a large finger at Tequila. âOur habitual has stumbled over another line again.â
âWhat? It was an honest question.â
âAnd yours will be an honest death,â Whisper replied with a casual shrug. âBetween the Deathless and the Sister, I think the former offers a better end. Especially since none of us will euthanize you if something happens.â
Tequila grimaced. âThatâs a horrible thing to say to a fellow orc.â
âThink. Before. Talk.â Band grunted each word at Tequila while shaking his head.
And that was another thing about orcsâif you bit down on one of their mistakes, the other orcs might just join in on bullying them with you. Because everyone was fair game for domination and abuse.
âShould have just mixed the sauce, sauce-mixer,â Mortar rumbled, laughing. Then, Band and Whisper laughed too, leaving Tequila to contend with the hard gazes levied upon him by Shiv and Uva.
âOh, Challenger, this might be a short run,â Tequila mumbled to himself.
"And Band," Shiv said, staring at the final orc.
Band lowered his violin and grinned at Shiv. "Yes." His voice was like gravel grinding against a chalkboard surface. "Your. Orders. Chef."
Shiv had something special planned for that one. He had a knifeâthe same kind Georges gave Shiv. And there might be something there connecting Georges to the orc. Something Shiv wanted to know about. âI want you preparing the main dish beside me later. But start with the vegetables on the side. I want to see how good you are.â
âWhyâs he special?â Mortar grunted. âThis is bloody favoritism, Chef. I ran the chain.â
âYes. But he has a Moonsteel chefâs knife,â Shiv said. âAnd I want to know why and from where.â
Mortar eyed Band and let out a grunt. âI could tell, Deathless. I could tell you all about this sentimental bastard. All kinds of things.â
âFuck. You,â Band snarled at Mortar, but the big automata-armored orc just blew Band a mocking kiss.
Shivâs Outside Context Problem trembledâand that provoked a reaction from Band. The musical orcâs eyes widened, and his violin immediately came aglow with violet energyâso much Divination mana it spilled into the visible spectrum. He pulled hard on his bow just as Shiv started to have a visionâthe screen gone since there was no Rose to filter the details through. Before Outside Context Problem could trigger, the orc with a screaming note from his instrument.
Outside Context Problem 61 > 64
A splash of Vitaemancy broke away from Shiv. The vision died. He clenched his fistsâbut froze as Band held his violin high.
âTell. After,â Band said. A mana strand hovered just a meter away from his head. The musical orc glared at Mortar with an expression of loathing. If this hate was fake, Band was one hell of an actor.
âShiv?â Uva said, her tone focused and cold as winter. âAre you alright?â
âJust fine,â Shiv said. âNo idea what he just did, though.â
âHe canceled out something,â Adam said. âI saw a pulse of Divinationâbroke my focus for a moment. It conveyed a message to me tooâŚâ
âTold. World. Stop. My. Secret. Tell. Later. Cook. First.â Band sneered at Shiv. âTell. Everything. If. Cooking. Not. Shit. Most. Cooking. Shit.â
And that confirmed something for Shiv. Band had definitely had an encounter with Georges before. âNot shit, huh? Fine. Iâll show you not shit. Commis! Stations!â