LIRKIN'S POV
The day before
I still couldn't process everything that has happened, you mean to tell me the same person who saved my squad from the Jygakin was a krippal and not an angel? Even though he saved our lives I still need to confront him and ask him about his origins, or else I won't be able to sleep at night.
I stalked him ever since Oliver told me about him, day and night, I had so many duties to attend to so every time I was free, I tracked him using my keen sense of smell, he makes my job easier by wearing a special perfume that even the nobles don't have access to.
He really doesn't have an atoms worth of Mageia in his body, and he has that smokin hot servant that always follows him around. He hasn't touched her ever, even when they were alone in his apartment at the middle of the night so who knows maybe I have a chance, I hope he is into older guys.
Today was different, as far as I know he shouldn't be working in the guild so why is he heading somewhere with his full gear? Judging by his company, towards a brothel? I guess he really is a workaholic as they say.
Three hours later
Claudio emerged out of the brothel, he was covered in bandages and judging by the smell, he was burned there? what the hell happened? I wish I stayed longer to figure out everything that has happened but I have many duties to attend to obviously. Claudio looked off, like he wasn't being himself, he did that many times before when no one was looking but it seems like he doesn't care to hide it anymore.
He soon headed to the tavern and 45 minutes later he got into a fight with some older lady there, which turned into a bar fight, it was mostly him hurling insults while his servant protected him swiftly, she was good but obviously undertrained. She relies heavily on her talents and superior physical abilities but I guess that is what is expected from a fallen noble.
Lyria Ashcroft, from noblewoman whom people paid her just to walk around with them to a mere debt slave, how the mighty have fallen.
Later on after Claudio shooed away an orphan girl from the orphanage, he was talking with the servant before she suddenly shoved him away into the trash, I was surprised that she wasn't smitten to death from the contract right then and there, Claudio must've really liked her.
After she went away Claudio began to strip tease me, or that is what I thought before he turned around and showed me his face. Me being a scout and a soul mage, it was easy for me to asses that Claudio was going to do something bad when I stared at his soul, I should've knocked him out at that moment but I was curious about what he will do.
And that was a moment that I regret dearly, I spent the whole night protecting him and covering his tracks as he murdered some of the most highly profiled individuals, if not for my soul ability to alter memories, he would've hanged that same night. I asked the old blacksmith if she is willing to take on the burden of being blamed for everything that has happened.
She did not hesitate for a moment to accept, I told her about all the people he killed and she smiled at me revealing half of her front teeth missing, the injury that was given to her by the now dead guards.
Blacksmith: God bleth that child! He had the courage to avenge all of the poor victims as well as save hundreds from the grasp of these tainted souls! You don't have to athke me twithe, he must live, my family well do fine without me, I was a burden to them all.
Lirkin: Don't say that! You are not a burde-
Blacksmith: Leave your thympathy at the door child. The betht thing that I did in thith life of mine was giving birth to my daughter; I was horrible to everyone through and through, I kept covering for these awful people and I must pay the prithe.
I was pressed for time, well it's not like this was the first time I did something fucked up like that, I altered the memories of the old lady and she was vividly smiling upon the carnage that Claudio caused, she felt liberated.
Walkie talkie: Lirkin! We found a clue! We need you to investigate immediately at the eastern gate, we heard the same loud explosions from there!
Shit! SHIT! Who else did he kill? I need to get there as fast as I can.
Guards were everywhere, I tracked Claudio's scent and I couldn't find him! I arrived at an alley where the same smell caused by the explosions were emitting there and I found all of his exploding irons but no sign of his body. One of the captains of the city was on this case and he was approaching here fast, he was a veteran and it wouldn't be impossible for him to figure out that I was covering Claudio's tracks.
I dashed towards the nearest blacksmith and threw all of the irons in the forge so that they couldn't be traced back to anyone, this is going to be a long, long week.
***
Back at the present
The adventurers were tossing my body up in the air and celebrating, it looks like everyone will get paid by the something something adventurers guild for damages and whatnot, despite the primitive state of this city, the court is taken very seriously.
After they eventually put me down, I went to the lounge to relax my nerves and think about everything that happened today. First things first, when I woke up in the alley, I was naked for some reason, and my hair grew back to the original length before I cut it. The burns caused by the little devil were gone, and even my ribs weren't cracked, and my tooth wasn't loose at all.
I have no recollection of what happened yesterday, the last thing I remembered was the bar fight at the tavern, after giving up on my unusually messed up memory, Jenna entered the lounge soon after, alongside the creepy servant duo.
Jenna: Claudio do you mind if I ask something?
Claudio: Mhm.
Jenna: Weren't you in bad health yesterday? Your body was burnt and your face was bruised and what not…
Claudio: Guess I got better.
Jenna: Oh… Okay.
After she was playing with her fingers for a little bit she proceeded to ask me again:
Jenna: That was really reckless you know.
Claudio: Jenna, thank you for worrying about me but mind your own business please, I'm old enough to know what to do.
Jenna: S-Sorry, I will.
A couple of hours later
The adventurers weren't doing any tasks or missions anymore, when they started heavily drinking, that was my queue to get the hell out of this place, as soon as I got on my feet to stretch, I felt dizzy and almost passed out, I managed to catch myself on the counter at the last second, Jenna was startled and exclaimed:
Jenna: Claudio! Are you okay?!
Claudio: Ugh what the hell?
After that interaction, my stomach grumbled so loudly that I felt like the ground was shaking, what is this that I'm feeling? It's something that I haven't felt in a really long time, Hunger?! I can feel hunger again?
Claudio: I'm okay, I think I forgot to eat my breakfast, that's all.
Jenna: Do you want me to get you something from the stalls?
Claudio: No no, I think I will just head back home, you should too.
Jenna: Please take better care of yourself Claudio.
Claudio: I will, I promise.
Jenna handed me my backpack and I pulled out chocolate protein bar, I opened it and munched on it for a little while, hoping the sludge quickly goes into my stomach but to my surprised I realized that I could taste!
Claudio: MMMMMMMMMMM!
Jenna: What's wrong?!
Claudio: This taste so fucking good!
I always offered Jenna one of them but she refuses every time, saying that they don't look appealing, also because I chewed on them with a dreadful look on my face.
I was excited, I handed Jenna the rest of my chocolate bar and speed walked towards the sanctuary, I was curious about how everything tastes in this other world! And prepared by professional cooks at the sanctuary as well. On my way back I passed through the market and was surprised to see old Lady Brenda working again.
Brenda: If that ain't me cute little angel come here.
She grabbed me by my ears and gave me a wet smooch on my cheeks, she pretended to give me another one on my other cheek but she whispered in my ears:
Brenda: Yer being followed child.
I nodded and continued the conversation as normal:
Claudio: Nana! You look so much better.
Brenda: Thanks to yer help Claudio, you look healthier too, did ya find a cure to yer Mageia poisoning?
Claudio: Something like that, anyways I will buy bread from you next time.
Brenda: Yer always welcome kid. And watch out for the forest! I lost me friend to a gnoll once!
***
Now that I was less excited and more aware, it didn't take long for me to find out who was following me, one of them had animal ears and the other one was human. It's a niche skill that I had because I grew up paranoid and always learned to watch my back to check if everyone is following me.
Throw in the fact that these superhumans can leap buildings and probably move without sound, I'm thankful that the doofuses that were following me were complete amateurs, even if I was blind I could smell the beast folk from where I was standing.
Claudio: So Bakchan, you haven't noticed anything weird recently?
Bakchan: Like what sir?
Claudio: You know… someone following us or something like that?
Bakchan: Oh…
The expression on his face changed from smiling, to straight up murder face, he scanned around us quickly and noticed the pair soon after, he almost dashed towards them but I held his hand at the last second.
Bakchan: What?
I swear this man is bipolar or something, it's like I'm talking to a whole new person.
Claudio: I didn't say deal them, no?
Bakchan: You didn't sir.
Claudio: So don't do anything then, let's continue our walk.
Bakchan: Understood.
He didn't revert to his usual self, he had a huge vein protruding out of his forehead, he was glaring at the ground the whole walk back, Giala was being Giala, with a tiny smile on her face, and her unusual way of walking, it always looked like she was gliding in the air.
***
The first thing that I did after entering the apartment was changing my outfit, sure it covered my body but it wasn't something that I'd wear by choice, I tasked Giala with bringing me the dinner, and told Bakchan to go to his room and relax.
I couldn't wait, I even heated up some coffee as a pre meal drink, I didn't realize how much not tasting food and having a weak appetite had affected me till now.
Giala entered with a fat plate filled with various foods and sides. As soon as she put the plate down on the table, I didn't hesitate to stab the steak with a fork and shove it down my mouth, and that was the biggest mistake of my life.
For some reason, the steak tasted metallic, no, it tasted like TV static, no no no, it tasted like bleach or actually a mix of all three. I spat the steak out and was shaking heavily waiting for the horrendous taste to pass away, I couldn't wait and dashed towards my coffee to take a sip.
Giala: What happened Claudio are you okay?!
Claudio: Ugh why does it taste like that?!
Giala proceeded to take the steak off the floor before putting it in her mouth.
Giala: It tastes fairly delicious Claudio?
Claudio: Are you serious? You can't taste the bitterness and all?
Giala: Bitterness? No it tastes like savory meat to me.
Claudio: This is ridiculous.
I sat down mentally ready this time, I took a bite of the shrimp and it had the same awful bitterness that electrocutes your taste buds at the same time, I chewed and chewed until everything dissolved in my mouth and at the very end I could taste the shrimp, it had some kind of Cajun seasoning on it.
Claudio: Ugh no I can't do this, suffering all this time just to taste something at the end.
Giala: 'What the hell is he on about? Maybe he has a different taste than the locals of this city? Anyways I ate the steak filled with his saliva I'm getting closer and closer to my goal here hehee~'
Claudio: Why are you smiling Giala… anyways take me to the kitchen, I would rather cook my own food please.
Giala choked on her spit before nodding to my request, I swear she is weird but I can't prove it, like a gut instinct tells me that she is some sort of freak.
***
The kitchen was stacked, a lot of cooks and servants were present in here, I wanted to look for my favorite girl Lyria to see how she was doing, a servant told me that she was cleaning an old storage room down the hallway and I went there without Giala.
Lyria was wearing some dirty ripped white t-shirt; I've seen beggars on the streets dressed better than her. She was dusting an ancient looking storage room, she looked too skinny for some reason.
Claudio: Ahem.
Lyria: AH! Oh it's you.
Claudio: What happened to you, you look like shit.
Lyria: A lot of guests are coming here so we are expanding the sanctuary, what's up with you?
Claudio: What do you mean?
Lyria: You look so much better all of a sudden, and your hair grew? What happened to your injuries?
Claudio: Are you flirting with me?
Lyria: I'm serious Claudio.
Claudio: I dunno honestly, I guess you could say I woke up like this.
Lyria stared at my face with a dead pan expression before returning to her duties, ignoring me.
Claudio: So, wanna come back and work with me?
Lyria: No.
Claudio: The hell? Why not?
Lyria: Cause I said so, plus you have to pay a fine for hiring me again, plus you are a dick.
Claudio: Why? What happened yesterday?
Lyria: You seriously don't remember?
Claudio: No?
Lyria: *sigh* It doesn't matter Claudio, since you care about my consent please, I don't want anything to do with you.
Claudio: Whatever, and stop using my lingo.
I turned around, heading towards the kitchen, I stopped at the last second and went back to Lyria and told her:
Claudio: Lyria, you know you can manipulate sand right?
Lyria: No? I only have an elemental affinity towards wind.
Claudio: Take off your raggedy oversized boots and try to manipulate the dust, trust me.
Lyria proceeded to peel off her mangy boots and decided to try her luck with manipulating the sand, even if it was one of his pranks, it wouldn't hurt to try it, right?
Lyria's soles were directly touching the ground now, she felt something bizarre, like if she suddenly realized that she had 6 fingers on her hands instead of 5. She focused on the nostalgic sensation that she remembered from her childhood and after a couple of seconds, dust was flowing towards her body in a straight line, instantly cleaning the old storage room. She couldn't believe her eyes, how did Claudio know? She turned towards the door to ask him but he was already gone.
***
I used an unused oven to heat up the water, I asked a servant to bring me some flour and salt and a couple of eggs, one of the cooks dashed towards me, his eyes bulging out of their sockets and he shouted:
Cook: What the hells do you think you're doing?!
Claudio: Cooking, obviously, retard.
Cook: Why?! Is our food not to your satisfaction?
Claudio: If it was, I wouldn't be down here would I? Now stop bothering me.
The cook took a heavy hit to his ego, he rubbed his forehead aggressively and sighed before asking me another question:
Cook: What are you making?
Claudio: Something that I've been craving for a while.
Cook: Why are you mixing the egg yolk with the flour?
Claudio: Why is your kitchen this dirty? I'm surprised no one died from food poisoning yet.
Cook: 'I swear to God if I didn't want to look after my family I would've killed this krippal'
Cook: I'm only an apprentice, I'm merely following the orders of my superior.
Claudio: Mhm.
Cook: Why did you cut the bread into thin slices before throwing it in the boiling water?
Claudio: I'm making pasta, since you are curious I will make you a plate as well.
I'm aiming for spaghetti All' assassina, a type of spaghetti that you burn and char on purpose, topped with baked cheesy chicken.
I made a quick sauce using tomatoes and some sort of bitter purple peppers and it was heavenly to say the least. There are two types of tomatoes in this kitchen, one is the usual tomato, and the other one is a spicy one, almost spicier than a Jalapeno, I decided to use both cause why not?
Cook: Bastah? What is that?
Claudio: You'll see soon enough.
Giala: You are full of surprises Claudio, how did you learn so much despite your age?
Cook: I agree with my lady Giala, I'm curious on what you're about to make.
Claudio: 'Lady Giala? Not even Lyria was addressed this way, I think I know the identity of this "Servant" now.'
Claudio: A lot of free time, anyways can you call someone who can suck the moisture out of things? I've seen a few dishes being made that way.
Cook: That would be me Sir! I would gladly do just that.
I laid a couple of strings in front of him, he began to suck the water out of the pasta, as soon as they were stiff I took a bite out of one of them, and my theory was right, the horrible tasting shit that I ate before was corrupted by Mageia.
That is also the reason why the silver plates and Sugar that I brought along with me were that highly prized.
Claudio: What you did right now ruined the dish, it tastes horrible.
Cook: 'This fucking' Krippal!
Claudio: What was that?
Cook: N-Nothing sir please continue.
I began with undercooking the spaghetti, just enough for the flour to be removed, after that I placed the spicy sweet sauce on the other pan before adding the spaghetti on top of it. After the sauce evaporated leaving the spaghetti, I kept pasting the top with the sauce over and over again until the top side became wet and the underside became charred.
And there it was, Spaghetti All' assassina.
I took a quick bite and my reaction said it all:
Claudio: Hell fucking yes this FUCKS.
Cook: 'This can't be that good, I will say it's bad regardless to get back at him'
Giala and the cook both took a bite out of their respective portions, I enjoyed my plate at first but my hunger got the best of me and I devoured 2 pounds of pasta and a pound of cheesy oven baked chicken instantly.
I returned to Giala and the cook and they were still chewing on their first bite in a trance, I guess this is what happened to the orphan kids when they tasted something that wasn't tainted with Mageia, all of them had the same expression.
The trance ended when the head cook dashed at us angrily, startling the apprentice cook.
Chef: Markus what the fuck are you doing?! And why is a krippal here in the kitchen?! Are you trying to curse our luck!
Markus: S-S-S-S-
Chef: SPEAK UP!
Markus: He is a resident chef! He wanted to cook his own food chef! He made a dish that can be served to the queen chef!
Chef: I don't care that he is a resident remove him from the kitchen right now! And give me a taste of your plate for me to judge if it's queen's worthy or not.
Markus was shaking heavily as he approached the head chef, he handed him his plate, but before it reached him, I slapped the FUCK out of Markus's hands, sending the food all over the ground, the head chef glared at me and I replied:
Claudio: Butter your own biscuits fatass.
Markus: !
Giala: Oh my~
Chef: Are you challenging me krippal?
Claudio: Challenge? My hands are blessed unlike yours, nothing you cook can impress me porky, your whole profession is a childhood obsession of mine. Anyways I had my fill and I will go back to my apartment.
Giala already finished her plate and followed me outside the kitchen, at the corner of my eyes I could see Lyria picking up the pasta from the floor and stuffing it in her mouth, she really hit an all time low in her life, what a shame.