Chosen United

The two made their way out of the workshop before turning right and making their way towards the plaza.

“So, umm, sounds like that went well.” Clarissa mentioned.

“Oh yea, perfect! Once we find the golem, we’ll head back to Moze and discuss things further.” Ember proposed.

“Yea, sounds good to me… Still, that conversation just now. It happened again, this time with both of you. There were a lot of times where your conversation just cut out and I couldn’t make out what you were saying. That said, I was surprised that she didn’t seem confused at all.” Clarissa pondered.

“Oh yea, no, it’s all part of that elaborate prank to make you guys think you were going nuts and she’s totally in on it.” Ember joked.

Clarissa sighed. “Please don’t joke like that, this whole thing is confusing enough as it is.”

“Yea, sorry. Still, it’s not like anything I can say can actually make it make sense to you. I just hope you and Thordon can figure it out on your own.” Ember replied.

The two continued on, finding a bench facing out over the cliff to the sea to take a seat on. Ember’s stomach growled as he sat there, catching the attention of Clarissa.

“Umm, was that your stomach?” Clarissa asked.

“Yea, yea it was. Hang on, I’m gonna go find something to eat. Aint had anything all day.” Ember replied before hopping right back off of the bench and making his way towards one of the several hot food vendors around the plaza.

Clarissa meanwhile, opened up her codex, looking it over rather confused as Ember meandered off into the crowd. The imp’s gaze wandered from stall to stall, the intense scents of baked goods and roasted meats accompanying the floral fragrances of the surrounding planters graced his nose. He couldn’t help but recall how he had experienced none of this during his first time through, when it was him merely viewing the world through a headset.

The craving for protein was at the top of his list for culinary decisions, and as his eyes took notice of the sizzling brown meat on skewers cooking away upon the grill of one of one of the stalls. Drawn in like a magpie to a glistening ring, Ember made his way over to it, his eyes wandering upwards to the small sign hanging above it. Granite Gorge Delicacies it was called, featuring a rather jovial looking dwarven figure carved right into the sign. Appropriately, the individual manning the stall was also a dwarf himself.

“Ah, greet’ns customer! Somethin good catch your eye?” The dwarf asked.

Behind the counter with him were numerous crates, spice shakers, and a grill with a top made of carved granite, a blazing fire crackling away beneath it.

“Yea, sure did! Whatcha got?” Ember asked enthusiastically.

“Got a choice o’ beef, chicken, pork, er seafood skewers doused in a generous dash o’ Granite Gorge’s finest! Whatcha like? We’ve got Blackstone seasonin’n, garlic and ocher creeper blend, ruby lemon zest, and if ya don’t mind yer tongue burn’n away, a dash o’ salamanders’s breath seasonin’n.” The vendor explained, pointing to each bottle of seasoning as he listed them off.

The stall may have had little in the way of variety, but the sights and smells of what was on offer were absolutely commanding, and the size of each cut of meat was monstrous for a skewer. Ember’s mouth practically watered at the sight of each item. The spice selection seemed to cater to just about any palette, sweet, savory, tart, and spicy. It was a hard choice for sure, which is why the imp didn’t waste his time choosing.

“Ooo, those all sound good. I’ll take one of each seasoning and meat, doesn’t matter which spice goes on what.” Ember decided, excitedly.

“Ah, imp after my own heart! Run’n the whole gamut o’ choices! Too bad they don’t allow red dragon’s breath here. Got a spice that’ll really boot ya in the keister! So intense that ye need special permissions ta cook with it anywhere. Bet it’d even give an imp like yerself a run fer yer money. Anyways, twenty gold for four o’ em. Hope ya got room in that belly o’ yours fer it, yer get’n a real dwarven portion of it and I’ll settle for nothin less.” The vendor proudly declared.

Ember watched as the dwarf impaled a slice of meat on each skewer, separating each chunk with onions and peppers until all four skewers were sizzling on that granite grilling stone. Ember could only stare on as if entranced as the meat sizzled and steamed, releasing its intoxicating aromas into the air around it. Moments later came the seasonings, each one carefully dashed over its own skewer until each one was coated. The cook had made it a point to keep plenty of space between the skewers to avoid mixing the seasonings and compromising the intended flavors. Before long, each skewer was finished and moved on to its own sleeve of parchment paper before the dwarf placed them on the table before Ember. Ember meanwhile had already removed the gold from his bag, a process not dissimilar to how he removes any other item from his bag. Coin pouch in hand, he removed twenty gold pieces before placing them in a small indented section of the table beside his food. Satisfied, two reached out and took their respective rewards.

“Excellent sir! Enjoy em’ and don’t forget to tell yer friends about Granite Gorge Delicacies.” The vendor said proudly as they completed their transaction.

Ember made his way back to the bench, already stuffing his face with a beef skewer. The roaring burn of the salamander breath spices practically immolating his tongue, but he couldn’t help himself. He was hungry, and it was good. Besides, he was already pretty decent at handling spicy foods before, but this time around, it was as if his imp tongue was built to endure spice like this! He happily continued munching as he took a seat at the bench once more, right beside Clarissa who turned her head as he approached.

“Oh jeez, those things are huge!” She mentioned as she watched Ember scarf down the first one.

Ember patted his belly and licked his lips, already feeling a bit full even from just one of them. On top of that though, he couldn’t help but notice something else. It was hard to elaborate on, but something about him just felt stronger. Oh a hunch briefly whipped out his codex and checked his stats. Indeed, his hunch was spot on! The skewer he had eaten had given him a buff to his fire damage! Contented with his new discovery, he crumpled up the now empty bag and pulled out another skewer.

“Yea, no kid’n. Guy said these were dwarf sized portions after all. Guessing dwarves are supposed to be gluttons then?” Ember asked.

“Haha, a little bit. dwarves are hard workers and hearty meals packed with energy have become a staple of dwarven cuisine because of it. Also being overachievers culturally, their foods are well researched and carry very robust flavor profiles.” Clarissa explained.

“Pff, there you go sounding like a nerd again Clarissa. Actually, do you mind if I just call you Clair?” Ember asked.

“Well, I told you! I just really like the lore and stuff of this world! And yea, sure. I’m still trying to get used to you calling me Clarissa as it is, so why not? Though, I am curious about something. You really look like you’re enjoying those things. Are you actually… tasting it?” Clarissa asked curiously.

Ember took a moment to swallow a mouthful of garlicky pork. “Of course I am! I’m just hungry is all. I haven’t eaten anything today.”

“Umm, that’s not exactly what I was asking but, I guess you still answered it, and now it’s just gotten even weirder.” Clarissa contemplated.

“O-oh! Yea, sorry. Yea, I taste it. I get hungry too. Heck, I can even smell it, and you’re really missing out.” Ember noted.

Clarissa only stared forward as things slowly began to piece themselves together in her mind. As she did that, Ember continued downing his skewers, feeling quite full after finishing his second one, enough so that his belly poked out a little. As he contemplated what he was going to do with the two remaining skewers however, a tall Dragon Soul could be heard making his way towards the bench. Turning their heads, Ember and Clarissa could see their friend on the approach, and toddling up behind them was a small, mint green plush creature. Ember’s eyes opened wide at the sight as he immediately inspected her.

Maggie Raindrop, Poppet Golem subspecies and bearer of the Chosen mark. This was her alright, despite the pink smiling cat mask she now wore. Ember was awash in relief as it was she that he dreaded seeking out the most. Her small form and the way she hid herself away had him concerned that he would need to turn the entire town upside down to find her. Fortunately, here she was, looking nervous, but standing behind Thordon, only reaching up to his knees in height. She looked between the two on the bench as they peered at her over the back rest, Ember of course needing to stand on the bench to accomplish the feat.

“Hey Ember, this was the girl right?” Thordon asked.

“Yep, that’s her! How the heck did you find her?” Ember asked.

“Caught her eyeballing a mask vendor. Fortunately, I remembered what she looked like from last time and she seemed to recognize me.” Thordon explained.

The girl remained silent, clutching onto Thordon’s leg, something all three of them took notice of. Ember took a moment to consider how exactly to approach this situation. He was so focused on finding her that he never considered how exactly he would approach things once he found her. As far as he could tell, Moze and Lian were both adults, or at least old enough to have a better understanding of what was going on, but Maggie? She was clearly just a child, and not only that, but when he first encountered her, she seemed absolutely traumatized. This was well outside his wheelhouse, or that of any of his friends for that matter. Still, she was also probably the one who needed the most help out of all of them. Without any good ideas, Ember decided he would just try to follow his gut on the matter, for whatever good that might do.

“Hey Maggie. I remember you. We met by that house, right?” Ember asked.

Maggie said nothing but nodded her head. Well, it was something at least. She still seemed nervous however, making Ember feel uneasy. He didn’t want to mess up and have her crying on him again. He thought for a moment about what to say next before recalling what he had bought from the vendor. He still had two skewers on him. He quickly looked into the bags, giving them a cautionary sniff. He was confident that he already ate the spicy one, but just needed to be sure the others didn’t have that kind of burn. Pulling them partially out of the bags, Ember hopped down from the bench and approached the girl. She looked nervous, but did not retreat as Ember approached.

“Hey, ya hungry?” Ember asked, holding the remaining two skewers out for her to take her pick.

“I-I’m not supposed to take food from strangers…” The girl replied meekly.

Ember froze up as his cheeks turned red.

“W-well, I mean, that’s fine. I just bought them. I wasn’t trying to make you take one or anything like that.” Ember said, pulling the treats back and looking away awkwardly.

It was hard to tell what was going on behind that mask, but despite what she said, her attention seemed to follow the skewers in Ember’s hands.

“It’s alright there kid, we’re just trying to help, just like I told you before.” Thordon assured her.

“Exactly Maggie, I asked Thordon to find you cause I think I figured out what’s been going on, and, I think I figured out what you were trying to say to me yesterday.” Ember mentioned.

Maggie seemed to perk up a bit at that before slowly stepping out from behind Thordon. As she did that however, the group caught sight of someone approaching them directly from the left. Seeing that it was an axolti with a sun lion companion told them immediately that Lian had finally finished up her business and arrived to join them. Maggie meanwhile didn’t seem to be overly cautious about the newcomer, her attention seemingly focused on Koumei.

“Oh yea, there’s Lian! Yea, forgot to mention, we managed to find Lian while you were looking for Maggie.” Ember said, pointing a thumb at Lian.

“Oh! Well hey, that was quicker than I thought it’d be at least. So this is everyone?” Thordon asked.

“Yep, everyone but Moze, but I know where he is already. We’re gonna wanna head back to him as soon as possible.” Ember suggested.

“Yea, true, but don’t you need to explain what’s going on to Maggie first?” Clarissa asked.

“Yea, I’m gonna. I was wanting to tell her somewhere with less people around. It’s a bit hectic in the middle of town like this.” Ember replied.

“Gotchya. Alright then, so where to? North gate?” Clarissa asked.

“Yep. C’mon, we should get a move on.” Ember suggested.