chsdbacks Chapter 34 Karak's Breakfast
Chapter 34 Karak's Breakfast
Liu Bei was awakened by a rich milky aroma.
When he woke up, Karak was humming a little tune and busy by the campfire.
"Oh, you're awake! The oatmeal is ready, but the cream of mushroom soup is a little short. Please wait a moment."
Karak squatted by the campfire, staring at the bubbling soup.
"Back when I was in the lower city, I didn't have enough to eat and relied on the help of other people in the community. I was very happy to be able to drink cream of mushroom soup once in a while. Later, I was adopted by that person and lived a life where I didn't have to worry about food and clothing for a while. Although the training was tough, there was always something to look forward to and I felt that I could realize my dream of becoming a hero."
Karak stirred the pot unconsciously with his spoon: "But you can't expect something for nothing."
"His good days didn't last long before he sold him to the devils of hell, and then came endless bloodshed."
"I don't know how long that period lasted, I only remember the battles day after day, the demons, the devils, the fallen, their blood gathered together to form rivers of blood that flowed into the blood pool, where new demons would be born."
"Eating? Sleeping? Those are luxuries. Forget about this cup of cream of mushroom soup; in hell, all you can eat is the flesh and blood of demons!"
The flames were reflected in Karak's eyes, and the image of hell seemed to still flash in her eyes.
"It's a little burnt."
Liu Bei noticed a faint aroma of roasting.
"Sorry, I spaced out!"
Karak reached out and took the iron pot directly from the campfire, seemingly oblivious to the heat of the flames.
She took a bowl, ladled out a bowl of soup and a bowl of oatmeal porridge, and handed them to Liu Bei.
The cream of mushroom soup is thick and creamy, with a rich milky aroma mixed with a hint of saltiness. The mushroom pieces are distinct yet very soft, with a texture similar to meat jelly.
The oatmeal porridge looked ordinary at first glance, but it had a meaty aroma when it tasted. Liu Bei looked up.
"There's a slice of grilled sausage in the oatmeal. That's how they eat in the lower city!" Karak guessed what Liu Bei wanted to ask, and then said self-deprecatingly, "I've always thought this world is absurd. Spellcasters have all sorts of spells that can increase food production, and priests and paladins can even use spells to create food directly, but for the poor in the lower city, they always don't know where their next meal will come from."
"Adventurers can earn dozens of gold coins per mission, while 10 copper coins are enough for one person's daily needs."
Why is the world like this?
Liu Bei ate his breakfast in silence, without answering Karak's question.
He also knew that Karak's feelings at this moment were only temporary, and he certainly hadn't thought about the deeper reasons.
"It smells so good!" Ansel crawled out of the tent in his pajamas, squinted his eyes, and sat down at the dining table. He took the breakfast from Karak and immediately began to eat it in big mouthfuls.
"Good morning!" Will pushed open the door to the expropriation office, his face covered in sweat, clearly having just finished exercising outside.
After having breakfast, the group packed their luggage and headed north.
Before leaving, they locked the gate of the expropriation office again, and the debris blocking the mountain pass was removed. The main road connecting the north and south was reopened by them once again.
The only problem now is the gnolls roaming around here.
There were no wanderers among their group, so the seasoned adventurer Will became the one to lead the way.
After traveling along the main road for less than half a day, Will noticed something amiss.
"What's going on?" Liu Bei asked.
"There's a real fight between the gnolls and a caravan ahead!" Will reported.
"Let's go! We can't let these evil creatures run rampant!"
Liu Bei made a decision immediately.
Liu Bei and Karak charged the fastest, while Will and Ansel followed behind.
Ansel did not follow behind Liu Bei and the other man. Guided by Will, he took a detour to a high ground, from which he could observe the entire battlefield.
The caravan didn't have many soldiers; they relied heavily on the makeshift defenses formed by the carts and the goods to resist.
The jackal warriors, undaunted by death, dismantled and moved the crates that blocked their advance, while the jackal overseer in the rear directed archers to rain arrows down on the caravan members behind the convoy.
"Is there no spellcaster?"
From his vantage point, Ansel clearly understood that the caravan's ability to retaliate was limited; they only had warriors in leather armor, and the rest seemed to be ordinary people.
"Liu Bei and his men are in position!"
Will whispered a reminder.
Upon hearing the instruction, Ansel no longer hesitated!
"Super Magic: Long-Range Casting!"
"Firl Ball!"
He started with his favorite Fireball spell!
He was standing a bit high up, so he could see clearly, but he was also outside the normal casting range, so he decisively used the warlock's super magic technique!
As the fireball landed, all the archers beside the gnoll overseer fell to the ground.
After the explosion, the gnoll overlord, engulfed in flames, howled and looked around, trying to find the mage who had ambushed them!
Liu Bei and Karak, naturally, did not miss the opportunity to startle the jackal overseer, and immediately rushed out from the shadows.
Liu Bei, wielding two swords, charged toward the gnoll overseer, while Karak, the tyrant, raged and charged into the gnoll warriors like a whirlwind, wielding a battle axe.
"Swift Wind Slash!"
After drawing his twin swords, Liu Bei immediately felt different from before; the mysterious enhancement on his swords made his swordplay even faster.
The two swords working together are dazzling and mesmerizing in their back-and-forth movements.
But beneath the dazzling swordplay lies a deadly blade.
With a single sword stroke, the jackal overseer's hand was severed, forcing him to drop his flail.
The two swords aimed at the throat were truly deadly moves.
The two entered the battlefield in just a few breaths, and the gnolls were almost completely wiped out.
After Liu Bei killed the last gnoll archer who survived the fireball spell, the battle on Kharak's side came to an end.
"Thank you for your help. Without you, we might all be dead here. You can call me Rugen."
A man dressed in leather armor came out and thanked Liu Bei.
"It was nothing," Liu Bei said, sheathing his two swords. He then asked, "Where are you headed?"
"We've come from Eltugard, delivering some dangerous stuff to the mages of Baldur's Gate. You're the first friendly faces we've met on our journey. We're planning to rest for a while on the road; if it weren't for these damned gnolls, we'd be drinking ale at our outpost by now!"
"Your base? Where is it?" Ansel walked over and sized up the man before him. "Are you from the Zantalin Society?"
"Hey kid, you're pretty smart, but you should also know that the business of the Zantalin Society is not something you can interfere with!"
The Santalite Society, also known as the "Dark Intelligence Network," was a secret team of smugglers and thieves that Liu Bei remembered. It was a notorious evil organization in Faerûn, but it lost most of its strength after the fall of Santirburgh. However, its members were still scattered throughout the Sword Coast.
The emblem is a winged serpent.
Liu Bei wasn't some extremist who would kill evil at the sight of it, and besides, one shouldn't hit a smiling face.
"Judging from the current situation, we may not be on the same page." Rugen's attitude was very easygoing, and he didn't seem to be ready to fight at the slightest disagreement.
Maybe it's because they can't beat them?