Morcster Chef - B3 Chapter 13 (Patreon)

Malissa nodded. She pulled a small bag out and tipped it over her hand. Water cascaded out from it and she used it to wash her hands, then offered it to Arek. The orc did the same before returning it to her. “Convenient.”

“Quite,” Malissa agreed. “It’s got about a barrel of water in there. You should get some for your garden.”

“I might do just that,” Arek said. “It’s been a while since I refilled the reserve. My plants are probably starting to run a little low on water. Speaking of which…”

He dug around for his medallion and tapped the button in its center. The orc vanished, reappearing a minute later with a bundle of fresh herbs in his hands. “Parsley. It’ll go well with the sauce.”

“I’ll chop up a little,” Malissa said, taking the bundle from him. Arek nodded and took his wok out, setting it on the burner.

“Could you get this thing started?” Arek asked Ming. The short mage nodded and knelt, pulling open a latch at the machine’s front. Blue magic sparked from her fingers and zipped into the box, forming into a spinning sphere.

She poured energy into it for thirty seconds, then closed the latch and stood back up. “There. Nice and full. Unlike me. I call dibs on your test meal.”

“A fair price,” Arek said with a chuckle, turning one of the burners on. He took one of his bottles of olive oil out and poured several glugs into the wok once it was hot. “Malissa could you get a few cloves of garlic cut up?”

“Already on it,” Malissa replied as her knife beat a rapid beat aghast the wooden cutting board. She scraped the parsley to the side and cracked three garlic cloves, dicing them and pushing the pile over to Arek.

The orc added a chunk of butter to the wok, mixing it until it was melted. He then scooped the garlic into the hot oil, Malissa watching over his shoulder as it crackled and popped. The rich aroma of garlic quickly rose from the pan, filling the small wagon. Arek didn’t wait long before grabbing a small handful of shrimp and tossing them in.

Oil hissed and popped as the shrimps quickly started to cook, almost visibly losing their transparent gray color and turning a faint white. After only about a minute, Arek shook some salt and pepper onto the meat, then flipped each shrimp one by one.

“They cook a lot faster than I thought they would,” Malissa said, raising her eyebrows. “Why can’t all meat cook this quickly?”

“It’s honestly more of a pain in my opinion,” Arek said. “IF they cook this fast, there isn’t much room for error. It’s great for street food, though. Can you pass me the wine?”

Malissa handed him the bottle and Arek poured several glugs into the wok. The bubbling sauce hissed and stilled as the wine took a lot of the heat from it. Arek stirred everything, then nodded.

“Start on the noodles. They look fresh, so just thirty seconds in boiling water should take care of them.”

Malissa nodded and set one of Arek’s pots on the second burner. She turned the heat to max and used the tiny bag of water to fill it while the orc kept watch over the rest of the meal.

The sauce in the wok didn’t take long to start reducing. Once it was almost half gone, Arek turned the heat off and took his wok off the flame, adding in the parsley and another chunk of butter.

With a flash of his cleaver, Arek cut a lemon and squeezed its contents into the wok. He mixed everything together, finishing just as Malissa removed the pasta from her boiling water. She put it into a small bowl that she’d purchased the night before, and Arek spooned the shrimp and sauce in over it.

The smell of garlic and butter hung heavy in the air. Ming licked her lips eagerly. “Mine?”

Malissa pulled out some of the chopsticks and speared two of the shrimps before Ming could grab the bowl. She gave one to Arek, who nodded his appreciation and popped the morsel into his mouth.

He let out a pleased sigh. The garlic and butter had infused the shrimp thoroughly, giving it a simple but very enjoyable flavor profile reminiscent of the chicken he’d made whilst in his cook-off against Gernon.

The meal was far from high class dining, but it was simple and hearty. Malissa voiced her approval as well, which proved too much for Ming. She grabbed the bowl and tipped the entire thing into her mouth, slurping last few strands of pasta up seconds later.

Ming licked her lips and set the bowl back down on the table gingerly. “Delicious. I want more.”

“No. You’ll run us out of business,” Malissa said. “Arek, what do you think? Anything we need to change?”

“You answer that question first,” the orc replied.

Malissa pursed her lips and considered the empty wok for a few seconds. “I think it’s good, honestly. It could have a little… more, maybe? But I don’t feel like that would add complication we don’t really need to deal with.”

“I agree,” Arek said. “For our purposes, simple is better. This recipe will do for today. Tomorrow, we’ll try something new. Maybe we’ll offer this dish then as well, but it’s good to have some variety.”

“So should I go find people to eat?” Ming asked.

“Find people that want to eat our food,” Malissa said. “Just clarifying that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you eat someone, but I wouldn’t put it past you.”

“Do you think people would taste good?”

“We are not going there,” Malissa said, glaring at Ming. The short mage harrumphed and gave Malissa a temperamental shrug.

“Fine. I’ll go bring people over.”

She adjusted the bundle of staves on her back and headed out into the still city, hunting for potential targets. Arek and Malissa watched her leave the square, then exchanged a glance.

“What are the chances she actually brings anyone back, I wonder?” Malissa asked.

“Fifty-fifty she either finds nobody or brings back a horde,” Arek said, rubbing his forehead and chuckling. “Even if she doesn’t have much luck, once the other food wagons get longer lines, its inevitable that one or two people will come to us. That’s all we need to get the ball rolling.”

And so they waited. The sun slowly rose overhead and people started to gather in the square. Lines started to form at the other food wagons, and while a few people glanced curiously in their direction, nobody came to the wagon.

“Well, this kind of sucks,” Malissa muttered. “We don’t have anyone coming over.”

“Patience,” Arek replied, although he couldn’t help but feel the same way. “I’m sure Ming will manage to get some customers soon.”