Honour Rae
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28. Cook
🕑 Added 2022-07-26 14:56:11 +0000 UTCArthur had expected to see something like the community kitchens back in his village. Thinking of old Yuma and how she sat on her stool and threatened kids with her wooden spoon gave him a pang of homesickness.
Instead, Freya led him down three winding blocks and turned sharply. Arthur found himself standing in front of a business labeled, “Salt and Spoon”.
“It’s an inn?” he asked, hesitantly.
“It’s a restaurant,” she said, “And despite all appearances, it’s the best one in this corner of the city. Come along, Arthur.”
With that, she strode confidently forward through the front door.
The inside was much like a lobby of an inn. Only instead of tables for gaming and chatting, people only sat and ate. There were no stairs leading up to the upper rooms, either.
Freyja brushed past a lady who asked if she wanted a seat and headed straight back toward the kitchens.
Though the front of the restaurant was quiet with only a few people sitting and eating, the kitchens were a flurry of activity. People ran back and forth, chopping vegetables and meats, and there had to be a dozen different pans simmering with sauces. It smelled amazing, but also overwhelming.
Arthur was used to kitchens by now, but none were so busy or… professional. Everyone wore white smocks and looked utterly focused on their jobs. The youngest was a good ten years older than himself.
He tried to stay out of the way as Freyja walked up to a rotund man who was peeling potatoes along with three others.
The man saw her coming, put down his potato, and scowled.
“Don’t bother, Freyja. I’m full up on dishwashers and garbage boys, especially if this new one is as useless as the last.”
“You’re having problems with Horatio.” This was a statement rather than a question.
The man huffed. “That boy is so sour, I don’t keep him near the meat for fear of him putting it off.”
Freyja's expression sharpened. “Is he disrespectful? Failing to do his duty?”
The man pulled a face and raised his hand to rub at his chin, but then remembered it was dirty with potato skins. Lowering it, he shrugged. “No, he does the work, though he’s surlier than a broken man three times his age. It ain’t right to see it in a squirt of a kid.”
“Give him time,” Freyja said. Then she turned and gestured to Arthur. “Let me introduce you to our newest intake. Arthur says he has experience cooking for a large number of people back at his farm.”
That hadn’t been precisely what he had said, but Arthur walked forward anyway.
“Arthur,” Freyja said as the man looked him up and down. “This is Barlow. He is the head chef here and often takes in young men and women looking to earn shards.”
Barlow looked Arthur up and down and snorted. “Garbage boys earn one Common shard at the end of every month. You won’t find a better deal than that around.”
“How many shards does it take to make a Common?” Arthur asked.
The man looked briefly surprised. Freyja hid one of her slight smiles. “It depends on the card and the pieces, but usually it’s around twelve. Twice that, or twenty-four for Uncommon shards.”
A year at least build a common card and three times that for an Uncommon. That wouldn't do. Arthur looked at Barlow. “What would it take to earn Uncommon-shards?”
“Only cooks earn Uncommon-pay.” The man rolled his eyes. “What’s going on, Freyja? First, you give me a boy who resents all work and now you’re offering me one whose too big for his britches?”
But Arthur wasn’t put off. Second was a much scarier man than Barlow, and Arthur had learned to deal with him.
“I can cook,” he said.
“It’s not about cooking boy. It’s about doing it well.”
“I can prove it.”
The man made a face and then looked at Freyja who spread her hands.
“Fine, but only because I happen to be short-staffed tonight. It’s the only reason I’m helping with the prep. LUK!” he bellowed to a man who was perhaps ten paces away.
The man must have been used to it because he didn’t flinch. He turned.
“Yes, Chef?”
“You’re on sauces. The kid’s taking over your station.”
The man didn’t look surprised, which showed he had been eavesdropping. By the sudden quiet hush that fell over the kitchen, he wasn’t the only one.
“Yes, chef.” Luk hustled off to another roaring woodstove cluttered with pots. Meanwhile, Barlow gestured for Arthur to step up.
“You know what this is?” he asked.
The counter was so high that Arthur had to stand on his toes to look at all the ingredients. “Soup makings?”
He only guessed that thanks to the big soup pot sitting on the stove.
“Chicken soup,” Barlow corrected. “Even an idiot can make chicken soup. Are you an idiot, boy?”
“No,” Arthur said. “But I can make chicken soup.”
This was the plain truth, and he didn’t know why the man barked out a laugh. “You have until the dinner rush. Tell Luk over there if there’s anything you need.”
Arthur could think of something right away. “Do you have a box I could stand on?”
This was a high counter with deep drawers meant to store big pots. He couldn’t reach.
***
Arthur hadn’t leaned on his Apprentice Meal Preparation skill so hard since that night he first cooked a meal for Red and his Father.
Unlike then, he was familiar with the majority of the ingredients. The weeks in the caravan had been instructive and he had eaten at half a dozen inns.
In addition, his mother used to make chicken soup for their small family. Arthur had never helped her out at the time, but he remembered the scents and the tastes. She’d had only simple ingredients, but they had been delicious.
He leaned hard on his skills for the rest.
Much like his Stealth skill, his meal skills had not gained many levels. It seemed it was easy to grow at first, but unless he pushed himself to learn new things within that skill, the level remained the same.
As a result, he had been stuck on Apprentice level 14 for a couple of weeks. That had been fine when he was throwing prepared ingredients into a big pot for the nightly stew out on the road. Now, he had to stretch his cooking muscles a little.
He started with the pot. It had already been filled with water and set to the fire. The vegetables and meat had been laid out, though none of it had been prepared.
Arthur checked the chicken and pinched off a few pin feathers he found stuck to the skin. Then he split the joints, cleaned out and parted out the rest of the carcass, and threw it in a bigger pan with bacon fat and some salt.
While the meat browned, he cut the potatoes, using his knife skills to slice them into equal cubes. He cut up the carrots and the celery the same way. A whisper of wisdom told him that equal sized vegetables would cook evenly.
The chicken was starting to brown so he carefully took it off the flame and worked on cutting it up into smaller pieces. It all went into the pot to start a broth along with the herbs he found lying nearby. And of course more salt.
“Did you forget the potatoes and carrots?” Barlow snapped from behind him.
Arthur jumped in place, almost falling off the wooden crate that had been brought in for him to stand on. He hadn’t realized the man was behind him.
“No, sir.”
“No, Chef,” Barlow corrected. “Tell me why you haven’t added the potatoes.”
“Because if I add them now with hours to go, they’ll get all mushy. Same with the carrots, uh, Chef,” he corrected. “Right now I’m working on the broth. That’s why I put in all the chicken, parts, and all. I’ll skim out the bones and the skin when it's done."
Barlow stared at him and, trying not to fidget, Arthur continued. “I’ll be cooking some of the vegetables in the chicken fat. Not all of them, but I thought it might be good… for… verity…?” He trailed off, unnerved as the man continued staring.
“Fancy,” Barlow said drolly. “You are focused on textures, but…” He let it hang.
Arthur looked around for help. None materialized. All the men and women in the kitchen were busy and Freyja had long since disappeared back to her work at the orphanage.
“But?” he asked.
“How does it TASTE?” Barlow practically roared the last word, making Arthur flinch.
“Uh…” Hurriedly, he took a spoon and tried the broth. It was fine. The vegetables were next, though he didn’t expect much.
Then the combined flavors hit his tongue and he realized that something was missing. A vegetable that even his mother had access to.
“It needs onions and garlic?” he guessed.
“Are you asking me or telling me?”
Arthur straightened his shoulders and met the gaze of the cook… though he had to look up, even standing on a crate. “Where do you keep your garlic and onions?”
Barlow pointed and Arthur scrambled to go fetch the ingredients.
Minutes later, he was frying both in the pan until the onions had turned soft and translucent. After scooping out the skin and the bones from the broth, he cut up the largest pieces left of the chicken and then added the ingredients one by one into the pot, starting with the potatoes. They would help thicken the soup further.
He had barely added fresh peas in by the time Barlow came up again.
Without a word, the man dipped a spoon into the pot, blew on it, and tasted it.
“Needs more ginger and pepper,” he said. “Otherwise, it’s acceptable.”
Arthur let out a breath. “Really?”
“I still reserve the right to kick you back down to garbage boy if you’re as useless as SOME brats around here.” He roared the word at a dark-haired boy Arthur hadn’t noticed before. The other boy was skulking in the back of the kitchen as if hoping not to be seen.
Before Arthur could react, Barlow turned back to him. “Tell Freyja you’re hired at half apprentice cook rates.”
Immediately, his heart fell. “Half?”
“While in school, kids work only half the day. That’s half the pay. It’s still five copper a week and one Uncommon shard at the end of every month.”
Arthur brightened again.
“You’re to report here straight after your classes. You understand?”
“Yes, Chef.”
“Good. Now get.” After protecting his hands with a couple of thick towels, Barlow grabbed the sides of the pot and moved it to another fire on a different stovetop. One where the other cooks could easily ladle it into bowls.
Arthur grinned. His soup would be going towards feeding people tonight.
And speaking of food: He was hungry. He had been so focused on his task that he hadn’t even sneaked any bites, other than tasting.
He walked out, still grinning, and ignoring the dark looks of the other kid who was washing pans over a huge sink.
One Uncommon-card shard a month. It wasn’t much, but those weekly coppers would be a help. Thanks to his Gambler class, Arthur already had plans to make those coins work for him.
Reminder: No chapters Wed, Thurs. Then chapters the rest of the week. I'm about to hit the road, so I'll catch up on comments when I get back.
Comments
Travis
“I’ll be cooking some of the vegetables in the chicken fat. Not all of them, but I thought it might be good… for… verity…?” Is verity here a typo? The dictionary definition of verity doesn’t fit the context. Ah. Maybe you meant variety?
Honour Rae
Hey, have you received notifications about the last two chapters?
Honour Rae
Like ARHHH said, I aim for 5 days a week.
Joshua Flowers
Saturday: 🫠
ARHHH
It’s been 5 chapters a week so far on weekdays, barring this trip author took
Wconn1979
Whats the post schedule for this patreon?
Joshua Flowers
Friday: I forgot how much my dreams shatter before me when I have Wi-Fi, thx for reminding me
Joshua Flowers
Tuesday: o cool a double chapter, I can’t wait till Friday
MagicWafflez
lol, probably expect it in 12 hours... if it comes early, great~ otherwise...
displaynamehere
Hmm, I do get emails for other patreons. And I got one for this comment. Let me check my email settings. Thanks!
ARHHH
What time zone is honor referring to? USA Australian?
da Finnci
I get emails like that. I think it's a setting on your side to enable/disable these
displaynamehere
Hi Honor! Can you please send an email whenever you publish? Patreon is supposed to do it automatically using some magic but you probably need to click on a button or something first. Thanks!
Finn Ryan
They mentioned for uncommon cards it is 24 shards
seth dauer
@magicwafflez I took that to be the conversion factor of trading in card shards, 2 shards to exchange for the next tier, 3x value if using money. 12 of the same type regardless, but I think you might be right, but it skews the ratios by a lot in my head. An uncommon card (and everything else beyond) is even more valuable. 36 rare shards for a rare card? Eww.
MagicWafflez
I'm thinking he won't be playing poker... unlike in the caravan where you get new marks in every town... these people will quickly realize he always comes away with more than he brings and then not play with him... I think more likely he's going to be running games of blackjack as the host.
PrimordialJay
The quote is on the assumption that he is getting 12 common shards a year. That makes it take 1 year to get a common card. If he instead exchanges them for uncommon shards, he will get 4 uncommon shards a year. Since it takes 24 uncommon shards, it would take 6 years to get an uncommon card if MC is paid in common shards. There is definitely a math problem going on. It was also stated previously that it takes 3x longer to get an uncommon card, but if you are paid in common shards it actually takes 6x longer. Edit: If costs are changed to 2 Commons for and uncommon it still takes 4x longer to make an uncommon. What people are asking for is consistent math throughout the chapters because it is jarring otherwise. For instance, if a good uncommon card is as strong as 3 common cards, but it takes more than 3x the effort to make an uncommon card then MC should make a bunch of common cards and try to form a set. If there is a limit to how many cards you can have that might help in the uncommon card's favor. It's not clear why people don't just make common sets then trade them for higher rarity cards. 2nd Edit: let me add on to why I think we need a better reason for not getting a bunch of commons. Assuming there isn't a limit to how many cards MC can have, getting commons will be quicker and will benefit from his Legendary. I think building up his skills is most important and having 6 different common cards that help 6 different skills should be more useful than 1 uncommon card.
Noah
He can probably get a card faster, if he starts playing poker with people
Tycho Green
Oh I confused some information, my bad. I thought he would earn Common Shards. With an exchange of 1:3 this would take him 6 years. But as a cook he is getting Uncommon ones from the get go, which means two years. Though by extension this means a cook gets triple pay of a washing boy. That’s a steep difference, but I can live with it story wise.
Honour Rae
(I pressed enter too soon!) The story and the system has been planned out. However, I'm not following your math. It takes twenty four shards (approx) to create an Uncommon card. So it would be two years for an Uncommon card (if he gets fitting pieces, but that's a whole other ball of wax.) The ratio for 1:3 should be for the cost. This reflects the rarity and pain in the ass-ness that comes with Uncommon-shards. Though... based on the feedback I might lower the cost from 1:2 to keep it the same just for simplicity's sake. Sometimes what looks good on a spreadsheet doesn't work in the actual story.
Tycho Green
“It depends on the card and the pieces, but usually it’s around twelve. Twice that, or twenty-four for Uncommon shards.” A year at least build a common card and three times that for an Uncommon.” At a ratio of 1 to 3 it actually takes 6 years to get an Uncommon then. You must be making things up in the fly, authors who plan out their story wouldn’t make such a mistake.
Honour Rae
Uncommon cards are a bit harder to come by. It takes twice as many shards to create one so he's looking at two years, minimum. Unless he does something to tilt those scales a little...
Honour Rae
You got the right idea of Arthur being an accidental genius/do no wrong. That would drive me nuts, too.
Honour Rae
He took it out of his heart and stuck it in his shirt just over his belt. Huh. I just realized I could have mentioned it again after he changed clothes. This is why I like comments so much. I'll make a note to do that.
MagicWafflez
@seth dauer i thought that it took 24 shards for uncommon and 12 for a common one
Touch
He gonna got in problem later if he didn't have power to stop from getting bully. BTW Where did he put the rare card? Can't he just turn it off or something?
Barkeep
Foreshadowing now that Horatio is going to discover the rare trap card.
seth dauer
Half pay is an uncommon shard a month. 12 shards to make a card means only a year base
MagicWafflez
is it just me, or does Horatio sound like he's gonna be a problem for arthur? and I can't even blame him. arthur is going to breeze in immediately getting an apprentice job and is his perfect roommate who is responsible and can do no wrong.... it's going to be interesting... so, at base it will take 2 years to make an uncommon card... I wonder if he'll be in trouble for gambling? arthur is such a damn cute kid. he doesn't get why he's funny either xD
seth dauer
Price does not necessarily mean the same as component ingredients. Even in a given rarity there must be a spread of value. An uncommon cleaning skill would be worth less than an uncommon combat skill. So crafting random cards would be a bit of a gamble and thus actual cards would have increased value. Like opening a magic card pack. Individual cards can be worth more than the whole pack
Honour Rae
Yeah I screwed up. He's getting an Uncommon-Shard not a Rare shard.
Pike
I am confused. The previous chapter you state rare shards are only given to highly advanced journeyman or masterwork apprentices. Not brand new off the street half day workers.
