V1 - C17 | Commemoration Feast

VOLUME 1

- CHAPTER 17 -

COMMEMORATION FEAST

­

When we stepped into the dining hall, everyone was silent. I went quietly to my usual position and sat down.

As people went in, I could see the sadness on everyone’s faces. It was like a line of sad dogs walking into the hall, all with lowered heads, lowered wolf ears, and lowered tails, the only difference was that they looked more human, walked on two legs, and had medieval weapons on their waists as usual.

The flow of people entering the room stopped and complete silence dominated the place.

But not everyone in the village was there. The leader Nate, his daughter Dirufe, Vute, and a few others weren’t there.

After a full minute without anyone else showing up, the Elder stands and begins his speech.

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “I want to begin this feast… with a cheer.”

His voice echoes the silent dining hall.

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Nemi Cecide was a great Shaman for this village and lived as it should be… She was a great citizen, a great family member, and a great friend…”

I hear some dog-like whimpers in the crowd.

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ “It’s inevitable to run from our destinies. One day, all of us are going to follow her and be reborn anew. Death is just part of the cycle of life, so, we should not see it as something to grieve over. Indeed, we should be sad about the loss of one dear to us, but we should never grieve death by itself. Just like a dear friend who left on a long trip and we do not know if we’ll ever see them again, we should not grieve their journey.”

The elder closes his eye and remains silent for a few seconds, all the wolfkins do the same.

But something strikes me odd, and fear crawls in my bones.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Isn’t this a feast…? Where is the food?

Last night I came a little late, so food was already on the table, but even so, they only started eating once everyone had a seat. Aren’t they going to prepare for it? Why nobody is worried about that? Maybe they are waiting for it to come then? Ah, that’s right, that’s why some people are missing.

But for some reason, a cold sweat drops from my chin, my hands feel compelled to rest over my daggers for a quick draw, and my legs were ready to run at any moment.

The tense silence remained in the dining hall until the elder resumes his speech, startling the hell out of me.

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “That’s why! Here, below holy grounds and by the company of a Hero, we should not grieve any longer. As her new life is nigh, we shall cherish her feats and celebrate her new journey!”

Everyone brightens their eyes and lifts their ears.

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “LET THE COMMEMORATION FEAST BEGIN!!!”

The doors behind me burst open. A male muscular wolfkin enters with a sword in his hand, and on the other side, there is a female muscular wolfkin carrying a two-headed spear. Both of them run lifting their weapons as they howl to the ceiling.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ The fuck??

Running behind them, four other wolfkins appear on each side carrying a giant silver plate. On the side of the swordsman, there is an oversized full-body grilled chicken and, on the other, there is a mix of vegetables, with smaller plates all around its corners.

Everyone cries in rejoice and laughs all around.

The enormous chicken is put right in the middle of the T table and the second plate is put on its side, then a row of wolfkins arrives with more empty plates and metallic forks and knives.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Holy crap! That chicken is the size of four whole cows.”

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Amazing, isn’t it?! HAHAHAHA!”

I look at the elder with a frown.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Why is he so happy all of the sudden?

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Let’s eat! I’m so hungry that I might eat the betemita all by myself!”

The two wolfkins with their weapons at hand jump over empty seats and strike the giant chicken in sync, the muscular male wolfkin quickly slices the meat with his sword while the wolf-woman pierces it with her spear.

It’s done so fast that is hard to keep track of where their weapons are, the only things I can hear are the howls and screams of awe every time a part of the giant chicken is separated masterfully.

After a hundred consecutive strikes, a plate flies and slides to a stop in front of me, then an enormous piece of meat is pierced by the tip of the sword and dragged to my plate.

Neduka: “That’s good enough? You can have seconds later!” – the male body-builder wolfkin says with a sweaty smile.

From the other side, a bunch of vegetable pieces drop around the meat and the muscular wolfkin woman smiles.

Nehen:­ ­ “If you want more, order up!”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “It- It’s alright, t-thank you both.”

They go back and continue serving everyone else.

Before I touched my fork and knife, I could only stare at the steaming meat.

If I was in my real body, I would never be able to eat all of this in a single meal. Its meat is four fingers thick with a slice the size of my face, maybe even a little bigger. This is insanity.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ So that’s why they wait until it's night to eat, you would need the whole day to cook this thing.

And by its side, there are the one-inch cubic-shaped vegetables: Potato, carrots, something dark-purple, another gray, and the last is completely green. I don’t recognize what those last three are by sight, but they all have the same soft texture.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ These are why they were harvesting their farms for?

Ave: ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Aren’t you going to eat?” – She peaks her head forward to see beyond the elder’s side.

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “This is wonderful! Just try it!” – he says picking a rectangle of cut meat with his fork.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Isn’t this a bit too much? It looks like you’re using the entire crop of food in this feast, aren’t you worried about food supplies?”

Ave: ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Ah? Oh, don’t you know? I thought heroes knew of such a thing. We harvest crops daily, we use magic to make them grow faster and to fertilize the soil, so don’t worry about that.”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Huh… they use magic to grow vegetables in a single day? Isn’t this some buffed type of chemical growth? is this even safe to eat?

I look at the elder eating a big slice of the meat with different vegetables skewed through, so I guess there isn’t a problem.

I pick up my fork and knife, and I cut the meat.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ It’s incredibly tender!

It’s like I’m cutting gelly, but it is sturdy as any meat.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Is this knife using magic??

I had to activate my Vision to appraise it.

The grey ping spreads to all my sides and a pop-up appears in my vision.

[ Magic-iron Fork +4 (Uncommon – 2 out of 5 stars) ]

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Oh, I can see the item’s properties by holding it?

That’s interesting. I just wanted to see if it had magic wrapped in it, but this is even better.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ It’s uncommon? and a +4 too… this is basic quality.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Well, I shouldn’t be expecting a Legendary-tier weapon to be used in eating.

I look at the plate as well, and when I touch its silver base another popup appears:

[ Roasted Betemita with Vegetables +14 (Epic – 4 stars) ]

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ So “Betemita” is the name of the creature used in this meat? And damn, this is an Epic item, just one tier below Legendary.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “You guys hunted this Betemita thing?”

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Yes, we found it a week ago from one of our hunting expeditions. I think Nate was the one who followed its trails, he did the hunt flawlessly too, he didn’t damage the important parts of the meat when striking it down or on his trip back.”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Nate, huh…

The same one who wanted to kill me just this morning, wonderful guy.

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Ah, I’ve just remembered. Apaw! Apaw, take a plate to your father so he can eat as well.”

The Elder yells to the dark-looking adolescent who is Nate’s son.

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Take one for Guni too, they must be hungry.”

Apaw:­ ­ ­ “Of course, Elder.”

I’m actually surprised by his politeness, I thought he would be more rebellious like his looks. And damn…

[ Pilaj Apaw (Level 88) ]

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ He’s stronger than me, holy shit.

To be beaten up by a half-aged adolescent… how depressing.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Is it the genetics of being the leader’s son or is it rough training?

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ On that same subject, what is Nate’s level? I never looked at it.

Something else clicks in my mind.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ And where is that pink-haired girl? Is she with her father in jail so he won’t get lonely?

I sigh tiredly.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “I can already see that some people are going to have a grudge against me. Luckily, I won’t die in my sleep.”

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “What you said?”

The elder turns to me with his mouth full.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Nothing, nothing at all.”

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “No, no, dessert is only after we finish the entry meal.”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Heh!? There’s even more than this?”

I look back at my ridiculously oversized dish.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ I should start eating then.

I cut a rectangle's worth of meat and pierce it with my fork.

I lift it to my mouth and take a bite of it.

…

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Hm! That’s good!

It’s exactly like well-made chicken, but even softer and with some lemon juice seasoning.

It makes me go all the way back to when my family celebrated New Year.

The only thing I liked about it was eating, so I can say this is kind of nostalgic.

It has been so long since I ate something this good.

Generally, I only eat the same things from the same restaurant I call for delivery.

It comes in those weak-ass white foam boxes with a plastic fork and knife. At first, I kind of hated that those plastic utensils came without me asking, but then I began using them to save time washing the dishes.

What a pain it is to eat with those though, if it comes cold I can’t heat it in the microwave or the foam liquefies, then sometimes the plastic utensils break in the food and makes a mess, other times I even slice through the bottom of the damn foam like a fucking clown and food fall all over the floor.

I had so much trouble eating the same cheap food every day for so damn long, that I forgot how easy and tasty it can be.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Fhuuuu…”

This should be a celebration meal and they were the ones who lost someone important, and yet I’m the one getting depressed.

I shouldn’t be thinking about those things… just forget it, forget it. Don’t think about it.

Vute:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Hey, Hero! How long do you plan on staying?”

I look up, the big brown wolfkin is talking to me from the other side of the table.

[ Vute Difivi (Level 82) ]

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Huh?”

Vute:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “How long do you plan on staying in the village?”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Ah-, I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning.”

Vute:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Oh… I thought you would stay for longer, I wanted to show you the animals I’m taking care of, maybe you can still ride in one of them before leaving?”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “You care for animals?”

Below his nametag, I see the symbol of the Master sub-class, together with the Shaman and Devout by its side.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ So, he’s a support animal carer.

That class controls multiple creatures at once and makes them permanently docile, that’s the easiest class to farm mounts or cattle and sell them to other players if I’m not mistaken.

I never made a character like that myself, I don’t like collecting beasts and keeping up with their different types, races, regions, seasons, daytimes, or even rituals from lore documents needed to find and successfully befriend them. Even if cosmetic pets can be sold by the thousands, it’s still too much of a hassle for me to do, I prefer selling equipment, they are faster to gather and simpler to sell.

But having someone like that in a village sure is helpful.

Vute:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “That’s right! Surprised, huh? I’m the one who takes care of the inn and the animals, and I’m in charge of protecting everyone and everything when Nate is out hunting.”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Oh~, is that so? Then, the two children who slipped out when the dragon-tiger came is your fault?”

I smirk at him.

Vute:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Eh- Ahmm, I was taking care of the fire, I didn’t know about the creature-,”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “I’m just messing with you, don’t be so stiff all of the sudden.”

Vute:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Is that so? I’m sorry, I’m not smart to know when people are joking.”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “If the fire had spread, all the village’s surroundings would turn into a desert of ashes. I’m surprised that so little damage happened, you guys worked well.”

Vute opens a big smile.

Vute:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Thank you, Hero. You know, I always do my best.”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ That was a compliment for everyone on your team, but okay.

I turn off my Vision. All the nametags hovering in the background were making me dizzy.

Vute nervously looks to the side and begins to back away.

Vute:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “I’ll be going now, see you later!”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Sure, I guess.”

I lift my hand to say goodbye.

Right after, a wolf-girl stops in front of me.

Paruci:­ ­ ­ “You’re looking a little better now. But you’re still down? Do you want me to grab some fish for you to eat? You’ll see they are way better than this feeble meat.”

She’s the same one who invited me to “eat fish hidden from others” back when everyone was cheering me up and “apologizing”.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “No, it’s alright, I don’t even like fish that much.”

She pounds the table.

Paruci:­ ­ ­ “HEH-!?! How don’t you like fish??”

Is she a wolfkin or a catkin? Why you had to scream like that!? My damn head is throbbing in pain already.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “I just don’t like anything that comes from the sea.”

Paruci:­ ­ ­ “Oh, so you’re a sea-phobic, I see.”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “’Sea-phobic’?”

Paruci:­ ­ ­ “Now I really have to make you eat some of my dried fish, or a grilled one, or a soup. Which one do you like the most?”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “I said that I don’t like fish, but grilled is better.”

Paruci:­ ­ ­ “Grilled, huh? So you’re that type?”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ What she’s talking about?

In the corner of my eyes, I see a giant wolfkin piercing his eyes into our conversation. It’s a nervously seated Vute in the corner of the room, static with an intact big meat dish over his lap.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Wait a second…

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Is this the girl Vute likes?

A smirk comes to my face.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Vengeance! This is the perfect chance to tell what Vute thinks of her. Hehehe. This is for that slap you gave me, I almost fell to that pool of blood because of you, you dirtied the boots of the wrong person! damn giant dog.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “So you’re Paruci, right? Did you know… that someone is-”

Paruci:­ ­ ­ “-I know!”

She suddenly gasps, making me jump back in a scare.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ She knows?!?

Paruci:­ ­ ­ “I’ll give you a Nehenipada, but you can’t tell it to anyone, do you understand?”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Heh!?--”

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “A Nehenipada? Where you found it, young lady?” – The Elder speaks up as if he was drunk.

Paruci:­ ­ ­ “GHIII-! Nehenipada? Where? Where did you see it?”

She looks nervously to her sides.

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “*You* said Nehenipada, you caught one and didn’t tell anyone??”

Paruci:­ ­ ­ “No, no, I never said that. I never said that.”

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Paruci! I’ll ask Guni to search your house this instant!”

Paruci:­ ­ ­ “HEH-! There’s nothing there!”

She dashes out of the dining hall.

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Gh-! Hmmm!!” – He chokes on saliva. – “Stop- Stop that girl! She has a Nehenipada and she doesn’t want to share it!”

“Hoh!? A Nehenipada!!? Where is it?!” – A orange-haired wolfkin just in front of us looks at the T table from one corner to the other.

The Elder stands up.

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “She already ran away, you fools! Paruci is hiding fish in her house again!”

“Huh? That again? Let her have it, there’s no use scolding her.”

Peje staggers to the side of the table, going towards the exit.

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “What happened to this village?! Kids these days! If I was in my golden age, I would catch her in the act and then share it with everyone else! You have no honor!”

“Honor?! Look who’s talking! The one who I saw last week eating fish at her house!”

Peje:­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Lies! I never ate fish! And how would you know? Unless you were going there to eat as well!?”

“Old man, I bet you’re going there just to have some of that Nehenipada, aren’t you?! Don’t fasten your pace! I’ll follow you to ensure you won’t do anything wrong!”

The door closes behind them as they go out.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ …What the hell is a Nehenipada?

­

I gulp the last piece of food off my plate and stand up.

Ave: ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Are you leaving already? Aren’t you staying for dessert?”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Nah, I’m good. Thank you, but I’m already full. Besides, I’m feeling tired, I think I’ll hit the bed now.”

Ave: ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “It’s all right, you can sleep in the same room you were in last night. Just don’t mind the fireworks, it’s going to happen sometime soon.”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Fireworks?”

Ave: ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “If you want to see, have somewhere with a view of the sky, we are going to launch them when the feast ends.”

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind, thank you.”

I leave the dining hall and go straight to the inn.

My head is dizzy, I don’t know if it was the food, the crowd of people, all the talking I did today, the morning trial, or the fact that Willrus left back to the dungeon where everything started… but this day certainly was a crazy one.

When I reach the inn, I think of going straight to my bedroom but after seeing the light sky coming from the stairs to the second floor I decide to go up.

The entire second floor is a plain stone, its brick walls have a few squared holes where the windows are supposed to be placed, and a spaced scaffolding of wood holds part of the straw roof over the open staircase, but all the rest of the floor is uncovered.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Somewhere with a view of the sky… this wouldn’t work.

I look to the corner of the building, where a corner pillar of stone joins the two walls.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Is this a bad idea…?

With hesitation, I imagine my teleporting ability and in the next instant, the world warps and my feet reach the top of the undone walls.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ There you go.

I sit in the middle of it.

I certify if I still have my second blink on, in case I suddenly fall I can try blinking before reaching the ground to soften the damage.

That’s how the game was, but I wonder if in here it works the same way.

There you could blink and stop fall damage, but would it work in real life?...

Real life… real life… is this… real?

That comes in one straight line of thought without even me realizing it.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Why I’m asking the same stupid questions?

­

I lift my chin to look at the forest just outside the white-cloth boundaries of the village.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Sure it is bright out here.”

Everything is in low blue light, I don’t know if that’s how nights are supposed to be, or if it's because we are distant from a city.

Sometimes I looked outside my window to look at the city at night back in the real world, there’s this type of forest at a mountain on the horizon. The streets were always bright by the light poles, but that mountain was always dark, it was a blob of black in the middle of the world.

Sometimes I thought of myself getting lost in it, “What would I do if I were in a place I couldn’t see the trees surrounding me or the roots creeping under my feet?”

Those kinds of moments when you’re bored out of your mind and imagine an impossible situation just to pass time.

But I can see everything clearly from here. Is it because this is inside the game?

In the game, nights aren’t as dark as I imagine real-life nights to be. But I never stopped to think about it until now.

­

“HEH!? Stop that!”

“Let go of that Nehenipada!”

“You let go of it!”

I hear the screams of two people, probably Paruci and the Elder fighting for that fish, I can see their shadows going against each other at a lighted house on the other side of the village’s inner walls.

I can’t help but chuckle at it.

With a smile on my face, I move to lie on the wall top, I cross my legs, and my hands go to the back of my neck.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “This is peaceful.”

I look at the starry sky.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Should I really leave this village?

­

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My vision begins to drift.

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “Maybe I can stay a little longer, who knows…”

I yawn and pull my hood up so I can cover my eyes.

­

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­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ “I’ll think about it tomorrow.”

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