Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Fleet Footed

Nay and Nom set out for Maer Scathan in the dark of night. They worked through dinner service – where the Voidbringer Lambic and the Red Velvet Blood of Shoggoth Shake made quite an impression – and cleaned the kitchen.

When all the servers left, and when Quincy and Gracie had retired to bed, Nay and Nom snuck out to the boat she normally used to go to her training glade, and set out for the opposite end of the Lac.

Nay took out the brooch Volva Serrilda had given to her upon parting. It was unassuming, made out of an ancient white wood called mauralyn. The brooch was carved into the shape of a tree, a few vigama flying amongst the boughs.

“Pin this to your chest when you set out into the mists,” Volva Serrilda had said.

“Why?” Nay had asked.

“So Aule doesn’t treat you like a threat.”

She had explained the brooch was a symbol of the Friends of Men. Someone didn’t have it unless it was first given to them as a gift by one of the Friends.

Nay pinned it to her chest and then began rowing. As she had an overall stat increase leveling up from Base to Iron, taking the boat to the other end of the Lac would be more of a nice workout than anything. If she was still Base, she’d most likely be sore and exhausted by the time they got to the other side.

“I left Gracie a note that we wouldn’t be available till right before dinner service tomorrow,” Nay said. “I gave her directions on the menu, and she won’t have to do much prep because she’ll be using some leftovers from the past couple of days.”

“Good,” Nom said. “Wouldn’t be fair to leave her with a ton of work while we’re gone. She’ll have enough to do as is and I’d rather keep her happy.”

“My sentiments exactly,” Nay said. “So, no matter what happens, we need to make it back in time for dinner service tomorrow. If we don’t, there’s no way Gracie will be able to run it by herself. It will be a disaster.”

“Not to mention Quincy will know something is afoot because we’re absent,” Nom said. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Shoot.”

“Why didn’t you just tell Quincy that we don’t have the recipe for moon cakes?”

“Because I don’t want him to worry. He’s got other problems. This whole Nether Sister not being dead thing has him on constant alert. This moon cake situation is our problem and I can handle it.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Nom said. “But it seems like a matter of pride.”

“Of course it is. I want him to know I’m totally capable of taking care of kitchen business. And this is kitchen business.”

“It just seems like he’d be willing to help if you told him the truth.”

“He’s helped me enough. The best way I can repay him is by making myself useful and being helpful to him.”

Nom sighed. “Alright. This whole thing goes tits up, don’t say I didn’t try to say something.”

“Noted.”

Nom peered over into the water, scanning it. “Well, since time is of the essence, I suppose I can help speed things along.”

“What do you mea –“

There was a splash as Nom jumped out of the boat into the water.

“Nom! What in the hell?!”

Nay peaked over, but saw no sign of her tentacle friend in the dark, icy water.

Suddenly, the boat lurched forward. It cut through the water, picking up speed. It was leaving a wake behind it.

Nay peered over the back and saw Nom just underneath the surface of the water. His protuberances were pressed against the boat and his whole body was gyrating in circles, acting as both a propeller and a rudder.

As he gyrated faster, the more speed the boat picked up. Nay stopped rowing and let Nom transform the row boat into a tentacle-powered motorboat.

They raced across the Lac, the light of the green-tinged moon peaking through the gentle snowfall.

/////////

“Why do I have to carry you?” Nay said.

“Because you’re Iron now and you can handle the extra load,” Nom said. “It’s the least you could do after I saved us all that time propelling us across the Lac.”

He had a point so Nom was wrapped around her torso and laying across her shoulders as they left Lake Coinescar and headed through the pass into the adjacent valley that contained Maer Scathan.

“We should have brought Juniper with us,” Nay said.

“She wouldn’t have fit in the boat,” Nom said.

“She could have swam.”

“Across the entirety of Lac Coinescar? Then she’d be useless by the time we got to land.”

They followed the Bluerun, the gentle and bubbling stream that connected Lac Coinescar to the lake in Maer Scathan. Volva Serrilda mentioned it was often populated by fishermen who wanted to stay off boats, but since it was night time, they saw no one else on their trek.

As they saw the valley coming up before them, Nay found a rock to sit on next to the Bluerun. She pulled various Buff Biscuits out of her inventory and shared them with Nom. Next she pulled out the tin thermos of magical venison stew she had cooked earlier during dinner service. It had been her first time accessing a recipe from Jezabelle Childe.

She glanced again at part of the description.

Grants Fleet-footed Spell Effect. The eater can run as fast as a gazelle through the forest for three hours.

She stuck a wooden spoon into the thermos and began eating. The stew was hearty and thick and the bacon complimented the lean venison nicely. It warmed her stomach in this cold. After a few swallows, a sensation of lightness and confidence passed through her. She cycled some vigor to fill the reserves in her veins.

She had never felt this way before. She wasn’t sure how to describe it other than that she wanted to run. An icon appeared in the top right corner of her HUD, to the left of her mini-map. It was of a foot with wings on it. She clicked on it.

---

[Fleet-Footed]

[2:59]

---

Very nice.

Nom reached for the tin thermos of stew. “My turn!”

Nay handed it and the spoon to him. He began shoveling it into his mouth. After a bit, he spooned some onto a biscuit, making a sandwich. It disappeared down his hatch.

Nay saw the Fleet-Footed icon appear over his head as he radiated all shades of red.

“Do you still want me to carry you?” Nay said, teasing him.

You are reading story MONSTER MENU at novel35.com

“Maybe after I test out this Fleet-Footed spell!” He disappeared in a poof of snow, leaving the thermos and spoon spinning on the rock.

A serpentine trail appeared in the snow, leading towards Maer Scathan and running parallel with the Bluerun.

“Don’t go too far!” Nay said. She grabbed the thermos and spoon, storing them in her inventory and sprinted after him.

/////////

It was exhilarating.

Running as fast and as light as a deer through the wilderness was pure magic. Nay had never been much of a runner or jogger. Sometimes, back in Los Angeles, when she needed to drop pounds, she’d put the treadmill on an incline and watch Netflix.

But going for a run?

She’d rather be caught taking a depression nap than running.

But this was different. Not only was she in better shape here, she was also an Iron Rank. Her legs were stronger. Her lung capacity was better. Not only did she process pain differently, but her threshold for pain had improved.

Now, add the Fleet-footed spell to the mix?

She felt like the fastest person in the world. She ran down the trail, hopping over patches of ice and logs and rocks, and each time landing with a grace that could only be possible with magic. She followed the furrow Nom had left in the snow.

She could see him zooming ahead of her, leaving a rooster-tail of snow in his wake. Nay pushed herself to run faster, the Bluerun became a blur next to her. She was closing the distance between her and Nom. She attributed her extra percentage of speed to the fact that she was Iron.

Soon they were side by side, racing into the valley of Maer Scathan.

Volva Serrilda had told her to head for the mists in the northwest. She said she wouldn’t miss them.

“Follow me!” Nay said. She bounded past Nom and consulted her mini-map. There were dots demarcating groups of elk and reindeer. There was even a bear nearby.

And there was something racing up next to them from the east.

That’s when the white stag leapt in front of them, steam flaring out of its nostrils, leading the way where the path ended and into the alpine forest. Nay and Nom followed, both curious to see if they could surpass the stag. The trees became a haze in her peripheral vision as she focused on the stag.

Soon, they noticed the mist drifting through the forest, giving the landscape a dream-like effect. It grew thicker and thicker as they continued on, the stag becoming harder and harder to see until only they could see its horns bobbing through the fog.

They were sprinting and leaping through a glen of birch trees. Their white bark blending in with the mist. Nay found herself having to dodge them at the last second, strafing and darting side to side.

Suddenly, they both skidded to a halt.

The stag was waiting for them in the middle of a clearing. The moon shone down on it, casting it in a natural spotlight.

It snorted. Curls of steam shot out of its nose, lingering in the cold. Then it turned, and walked into the white-out mist, disappearing.

“You bear our brooch,” the voice said, startling them.

It seemed to be coming from the west. But when she turned to face it, there was just mist.

“Yes,” Nay said. “We come seeking Aule!”

This time the voice seemed to come from the other side, the west. “Who gave you the brooch?”

Nay and Nom turned in circles, trying to catch the owner of the voice.

“She calls herself Volva Serrilda,” Nay said. “The hermit off Lucerna’s End.”

She thought she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She pivoted to face it. Just more mist.

Then the voice came from behind her. “Why do you seek Aule?”

They spun again, only to be greeted by more mist. Nay thought she saw the horns of the stag streak by them.

“I understand you once gave a recipe to a cook named ‘Ol Pat,” Nay said. “Also from Lucerna’s End. I come seeking the same recipe.”

There was a giggle. It seemed to come from all directions. “Ah, yes! The moon cakes of Auledern!”

“Yes,” Nay said. “The moon cake recipe. You see, I’ve taken ‘Ol Pat’s place as a cook at Lucerna’s End after she passed. And with the Green Moon Festival coming up –

“In six moons.”

“Yes, in six moons. I’m supposed to have moon cakes ready for the town. But she didn’t write the recipe down, so –“

“Oh, one must never write the recipe down.”

Nay paused. “I’m sorry?”

“That’s one of the rules. We don’t write recipes down.”

“Okay…so I’ve come here to ask if you’ll teach me the recipe.”

“I can teach you. But will I teach you?”

Nay and Nom exchanged a look.

“I guess that’s up to you,” Nay said.

“’Ol Pat was a helpful woman. She helped me find something dear to me that was lost. Maybe you can help me with a favor as well.”

“I can help you. We can help you. What do you need?”

“The moon cake recipe requires elder flowers. But lately, the elder flowers that used to grow in my secret garden here have all been poisoned. Changed into toxic things, twisted versions of their true form. Maybe you can find the source that has been poisoning my elder flowers.”

“I suppose that’s fair.”

“It’s a nasty pest that’s been living in the winter burroughs underneath the forest.”

A child stepped out of the mist, then. What appeared to be a little girl.

“If you fetch me it’s heart, I’ll share the moon cake recipe with you.”

You can find story with these keywords: MONSTER MENU, Read MONSTER MENU, MONSTER MENU novel, MONSTER MENU book, MONSTER MENU story, MONSTER MENU full, MONSTER MENU Latest Chapter