Morcster Chef - B3 Ch4 (Patreon)

They reached Seaside a few hours later. The massive gate leading into the city was flanked by nearly a dozen guards. Each carried a jagged halberd made of white metal and stood at attention along a drawbridge wide enough for an army to all cross at once.

A small booth sat in front of the drawbridge with several guards sitting within it. One of them stepped out and approached the party when they grew close enough.

“Welcome to Seaside,” the man said, his voice slightly muffled by the helm covering his face. Arek felt the man’s gaze pause on him. The orc gave his most charming grin, but something told him that it hadn’t been particularly effective. “Are you an adventuring party?”

“Yup,” Ming said happily. “And please stop glaring at our chef.”

“The monster is your chef?”

“The best one you’ll ever see,” Ming said. “And you’re still glaring.”

The man’s visor still blocked his face, so how Ming could tell that for sure was a mystery. After glancing back at the other guards, the man shrugged. “There aren’t any rules against entry, but make sure it doesn’t damage anything. If it does, you’ll be on the line for repairs.”

“I swear this has happened before,” Malissa muttered. “What is it with people thinking you’re going to go around smashing everything in sight? If a monster can stand this calmly next to a party, they can clearly control themselves.”

“Well, it’s possible that something could scare them,” Belmont mused. “A large crowd or sudden noise might make someone act irrationally, no matter how well behaved they normally are.”

“Belmont!” Malissa snapped. “Whose side are you on?”

“Right, sorry,” Belmont said. “Arek would never attack someone without reason.”

“Right,” the guard said, drawing the word out. “Good to know. Do you plan to stay in Seaside long?”

“No clue,” Malissa replied. “We’re mostly just trying to get some rest, so maybe.”

“And try good food!” Ming added. “Mostly so Arek can steal all of your recipes.”

“I do not steal,” Arek said, affronted. “I exchange.”

The guard’s grip on his halberd slipped and he nearly dropped it. He took a step back, his eyes going wide through the cracks in the visor.

“It can talk?” Arek asked dryly, predicting the guard’s words.

“It can talk?” the guard mimicked, then clapped a hand over his mouth with a clang. “It’s psychic?”

“Yes to all of the above,” Arek said.

The guard stared at them in awe. “Wait a minute. I’ve heard of you. You’re the Happy Sunflowers, aren’t you? The group that participated in the fight against the monster horde on Red Mount?”

“Why do you ask?” Belmont asked, casually adjusting his stance so his hand was closer to the bright pink staff at his side.

“I don’t know how I didn’t place it,” the guard said. He pulled his visor back and strode up to Ming with admiration in his eyes. “You must be Miss Ming then, right? My brother, Hugh, sent a letter back about you.”

“I don’t think I know a Hugh,” Ming said, rubbing her chin. “Sorry.”

“You beat him in an eating competition on the Floating Cities and he looked your adventuring group up afterward. It’s hard to miss him, he’s massive.”

“Oh!” Ming exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. “He ate a lot.”

“That’s him,” the guard said with a chuckle. “What a small world. I’m very sorry about making assumptions, Mister Arek. I didn’t realize you were psychic as well, though. Hugh didn’t even mention it!”

“Uh, it’s fine,” Arek said, rubbing the back of his head. “Most orcs would probably rip you apart on sight, so I can’t exactly blame you.”

“Hold on,” the guard said, patting his pockets and letting out a quiet curse. He jogged back over to the guard house and reemerged a minute later with a piece of paper and a quill dipped in ink. “Could you sign this for my brother?”

“Sure,” Ming replied, taking the quill and signing the paper in his hands. She drew a little flower next to her name before handing it back.

“Thank you!” the guard said. “You’re welcome to head into the city. Please enjoy your stay.”

He ambled back to the guard house, whistling cheerfully. The Happy Sunflowers exchanged a glance, then headed toward the city. None of the guards on the drawbridge bothered them, and they took their first steps into Seaside.

The inside of the city was made from the same beautiful material that the walls had been, but with more flair. Houses made of white stone and lined with beautiful blue trimming lined the streets in orderly rows.

A gentle slope in the city made it so that Arek could see all the way down to the ocean at the other end. It stretched on as far as he could see, twinkling like a massive blue gem.

“Wow,” Malissa breathed. “It’s beautiful.”

Arek couldn’t agree more. The four of them stood near the entrance for several minutes, just absorbing the view. Belmont finally pulled them out of the way when other people passing by started staring at them.

“Come on,” Belmont said. “We can admire the view later. We should settle in somewhere and then try to see if we can get in contact with Magus.”

“When we settle in, we should figure out what food this place has,” Ming suggested. “So Arek can exchange for it.”

“I am quite eager to see what cuisine they have here,” Arek admitted. “That plan sounds good to me.”

“To an inn, then,” Malissa said, starting down Seaside’s main street. The Happy Sunflowers followed behind her, drinking in all the city’s sights as they headed deeper into it.