[F17 - SP] Kill Them With Kindness <<Challenge Of Olympus: Cook>> [Completed]

[Neopolitan 0]

It was another slow day at Neo's restaurant, but she had gotten used to that. Not even an NPC had wandered in. Neo was wondering if perhaps it was location or maybe just her being such ow of a level that was driving people away from her. Suddenly, she gets the ping of a new message.

Spoiler

To the aspiring crafter, 

You have caught the eyes of the gods, and now we invite you to prove your worth. We ask that you come to us on floor seventeen to accept our challenge, and wish you luck if you choose to do so.

The invite was strange, Neo hadn't seen anything like this come from an NPC before.

Maybe It's just an elaborate prank by someone, I bet there are those who would still do that even after being stuck in here for two years. Though why they would pick floor seventeen is beyond me. I probably shouldn't even be up there by myself. What the heck, I'll see if I can make it. If it looks too dangerous, I'll just turn around and respond another time. If they really are gods than they can wait for me

[Neopolitan 0]

It was amazing what the floor looked like. Neo didn't know what to expect, but it made sense for the floor that the gods invited her to was that of greek aesthetics. She looked outside, and there appeared to be no mobs.

Well, that means that either I'm in for an easy way to Mount Olympus or there are enemies lying in wait for me to step out.

Neo looked around, and saw what looked like some sort of guide NPC. She approached and the guide immediately began to speak.

"You seem to be looking for passage to Olympus. However, I must warn you that there are many perils along the way and many you must face on your own."

Neo looked at the man quizzically.

"The silent type, eh? You must be an oracle then. Someone wishing to earn the wisdom of the gods."

Neo had no clue what the guide was rambling on about, but he began to leave and motioned for her to follow. Hoping to at least get some help from him, Neo followed.

[Neopolitan 0]

It was a long walk, but the guide kept assuring Neo hat this was the safest path.

"You wouldn't want to find yourself in the bad spots of this land, that would probably mean your death. And of course, I wouldn't want to be judged for causing the death of an oracle."

Neo still didn't understand what the man was talking about being an oracle, but couldn't help but blush at the programmed caring and passion he had for this floor. It seemed as though the NPCs here believed that those gods were truly god-like beings. Even if it was players tricking them into submission, it was a clever idea.

"Well, I've got you to the foot of the mountain, but I'm afraid you must make the climb alone. Only those who truly wish for an audience are allowed to climb."

Neo paused her walking and looked up. The mountain was tall, and she couldn't see the top past the clouds. It was going to be a long climb.

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The guide pointed to some stairs.

"That path may look easier, but it isn't for the faint of heart. There you will be tested on your mind more so than your strength should you choose to climb up the face of the mountain. As an oracle, you should be able to take the stairs without any issue."

Even though she wasn't an oracle, Neo knew she didn't have the strength to climb straight up the mountainside. She began to walk up the stairs towards the top. There was another set of stairs going down, but Neo didn't bother paying it any heed. Before the entrance got out of sight, Neo turned around and gave a smiling nod to the guide. Though he may not have understood who she was, he was kind nonetheless. And though she was alone now, she felt as though there were others with her in spirit.

[Neopolitan 0]

The stairs weren't steep, but there was a lot of them. Too many to try and count. They went up in a spiral, seemingly never ending. It was a spiral so wide that Neo couldn't even see to the other side of it, even though the place was well-lit. As soon as she realized that she couldn't see the other side, all the torches snuffed out. A faint, whispering voice could be heard echoing across the way.

"You wish to have an audience, but are you willing to pay the cost. Do you want to see the gods, or the hands in front of your face."

Neo was unsure what the voice meant by that, but she kept going. It grew darker and darker. Neo couldn't tell where she was anymore, but she kept going. Thankfully, she had kept to the pattern of the steps. Walking just a little bit more carefully allowed her to not trip while still climbing at a reasonable pace.

[Neopolitan 0]

"God, Good, it seems you were ready for that price. Of course, that is not the end of the cost. Do you still want to each the summit, or would you rather feel yourself plummet."

Neo began to lose al feeling, she was going numb. She could feel her muscles contracting and expanding, but there was no external feeling. She couldn't even tell if she was just repeating the same motions as se still couldn't see. The feeling was repetitive, and Neo kept going, hoping that there wasn't a change in the way her muscles as that would mean she'd tripped.

I don't know how they're doing this to me, but I need it to stop. I'm not sure if I can keep this up any longer than I have to. Is this the challenge? do I just need to make it to the top to prove my worth. I doubt it, otherwise they wouldn't have praised my crafting ability.

[Neopolitan 0]

"Perhaps you are not like the others, perhaps you're using other things to make your way around. Do you smell, do you taste, do you talk? With them gone will you still be able to walk?"

Neo was losing more senses, and was left to only hearing the hissing breath of the mysterious voice. For all she knew, the source of the voice was right with her, or across the floor. There was no sense of direction, no way to tell where she was going. All she could do was continue on like she was before, making sure that the voice didn't throw her off. She realized she could still hear her footsteps going up, but didn't want to rely on that.

Even though they're speaking to me, I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to tae away my hearing to. Naturally they would want to save their way of taunting me for last.

[Neopolitan 0]

"We continue to take, and yet you persist. If we strip of sound will you even exist? You walk upon these stairs that you know not if they're there. For all you know your life was the fare. So linger now with those broiling thoughts we won't be back till your life you've tossed."

As they finished, the hissing died down, as did Neo's footsteps.

I can't even hear now, they've taken everything. For all I know I'm falling right now. The only hint of my existence is these thoughts and my muscles. And even then those are beginning to fade. I can feel myself slipping away and away... I can't even... think... who I am anymore... maybe my mind... is just becoming sore...

No! I can't think like that, I know I exist, I just... don't... know... If I need... to resist.

Though Neo couldn't hear it, the voice had begun to cackle in delight at her next victim.

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Wait! I know I can resist, there's no need to question. I can beat them if I change the suggestion. You may influence me and try to take my mind. But if I give in willingly, my will I can find. That is where you've kept it lingering so, and now I take my senses back and costs I'll forego.

Suddenly, everything came rushing back to Neo and she could see she was not in stairs but just walking in circles. A strange mist swirled around her and began to materialize.

""Congratulations mortal, you have passed. Perhaps when we meet again you'll be in my clutches at last."

WIth those final words, Neo found herself floating up into that air. She kept going up until she reached the clouds. They had somehow permeated their way into the hollow of the mountain, and Neo now broke through them. She stopped floating, resting on the clouds, and shielded her eyes from the now bright light coming from above. She had made her way into Olympus.

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo looked around, and all she could see was gold, marble, and clouds. It was seemingly a cluttered mess but still so elegant. As Neo tried to focus on where he light was coming from, she realized that it wasn't the sun of the floor. What was casting the light was the golden spire of the grandest building around. Neo guessed that was where the gods were housed. As she walked there, it became prevalent just how abandoned this place was, there was barely a soul in sight. Neo hoped that there wasn't a fight going on, she doubted she would be able to hold her own. As she got closer though, there seemed to be a line of some sort forming outside the main building. As Neo got closer, she noticed a satyr outside barking orders around. It turned to her and began wondering why she was there at all.

 

[Neopolitan 0]

"You there, how did you get here. Mortals aren't supposed to be up here."

As the satyr was screaming in her face, Neo quickly pulled up the invite she had received. Thankfully she had saved it, otherwise it would have been quite the ordeal to convince him of why she was there. She showed him the invite, and his face got mildly softer.

"My apologies, you are the one we've been waiting for. RIght this way, I'll show you what you'll need to do."

The satyr trotted off, and Neo realized she needed to follow him. He lead her into the hall, where there was many tables set up for what looked like was preparation for a feast. The satyr kept going, and led Neo into the kitchen. Neo thought that she would have to be cooking for this feast when a voice called out to her.

"Why hello there, you must be the aspiring crafter."

[Neopolitan 0]

The voice belonged to a kindly woman who appeared to be in her late twenties. She had a warm glow coming off of her and Neo couldn't help but feel comfortable with her around. Realizing she was asked a question, Neo nodded.

"Well, seeing as you're being a little quiet, I can see why you would want to spend your time in the kitchen. I am Hestia, goddess of the hearth and home, and today I will be your challenger. Zeus wishes for me to test your skills against mine. He assumes that I am a great cook and though I do know how, I am not at the same ability level as some of the other gods. So, today your challenge will be against me in hospitality, After all, a chef must be able to serve their guests as well as they can prepare meals for them. The hall is split evenly in half, and whoever seats their half first without complaints will be the victor. We'll be starting in a couple of minutes, so I hope that you can prepare quickly."

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo wasn't sure how she would do this, she hadn't had any experience in seating guests. The little real world experience she had with cooking was when no one was home and she had to make a meal for herself, and no one had ever come to her own restaurant.

Maybe that's why people don't come, they don't think I will be that hospitable to them. I guess I can see why, no one would think that me being silent is a good thing for them. At least not off the bat.

Neo walked towards the entrance, where Hestia was waiting.

"I hope you're ready, these guests aren't picky but they are very impatient. You'll have to seat quickly, but you'll need to seat quicker than me."

And with her final statement, the doors opened and the line was revealed. There was all manner of creatures there waiting to be seated. Even if they were all human, Neo would have her work cut out for her. But now there was different seats for each type of shape, and Neo was unsure how she would beat a goddess who has likely done this before.

[Neopolitan 0]

If she wasn't in heaven, Neo would think she was in hell. There were so many types of creatures waiting to be seated. Though they didn't mind where they were seated, they needed special accommodations to be able to sit comfortably. And of course, Hestia said that Neo had to do without anyone complaining, so she couldn't mess up. She silently guided people though and saw Hestia doing the same. The goddess was already a fifth of the way done with her side and Neo barely had a dozen seated.

They don't call her a goddess for nothing. If I want to win, I need to come up with a new plan, and fast.

As Neo kept thinking about what to do, she sat people the same way. She was falling further and further behind with no idea in sight. That was, until something dawned on her. She sat the previous group and then decided to put her idea into motion.

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo realized that her biggest problem was travel time. If she wanted to get people to their seats, she had to go all the way across the hall. Of course, she couldn't just start seating people in the back as that would be unfair. They had gotten here earlier and should be rewarded for being so. What Neo decided to do was bring a large portion of the line to the front and had them wrap around, seating them as they came to her and she headed towards the back. This cut down on her travel time significantly, and was now catching up with Hestia. he goddess didn't seem to take notice, she was too busy making sure she was going at her best pace. Neo chose to take a cue from her and began to focus solely on the task ahead, ignoring how she was doing against the goddess. She took larger and larger groups, trying to cut down on time as much as possible.

[Neopolitan 0]

Though Neo didn't see it, se was puling ahead of Hestia. The goddess had looked up and realized that though she had seated a third of her side in record time, Neo was already done with two-thirds of her part. The goddess began to seat guests faster than she ever had before, vesting as much of her power as she could into it. And she began to catch up. She sawn't that far behind when suddenly there were guests behind her. She assumed that hey had gotten up to either complain or to find the bathrooms, but then a mane of brown and pink hair came into view. Neo had already finished her side and was helping to finish up Hestia's side. There was only a few seats left, but the two of them worked together to finish them out. Once all the seats were filled, the doors were closed and latecomers turned away. There were no more seats available, and Neo had beaten the goddess with her ingenuity.

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"It seems as though Athena would have ben a better opponent for this task than me. You bested me with your wits rather than trying to beat me in raw skill. I congratulate you." As Hestia said those words, there was suddenly a loud cheer from the audience. Neo was shocked, wondering why they would be cheering or her when she saw why the hall was so loud. The other gods had walked in from a side entrance, taking their own proper seats. Hestia gestured Neo to walk up to the front, and followed closely behind.

"This mortal has bested me Zeus, and is in deserving of a reward for her efforts. I beseech you to consider my request in what we grant her, as I think that it will be most fitting."

The one Neo assumed was Zeus scratched at his chin, debating over something that Neo couldn't quite tell. She was unsure of what Hestia had offered, but it must be something of great power if Zeus had to think about handing it over to someone who had just bested one of his siblings.

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"So be it," the god boomed, "I will let you grant your gift to the mortal."

"Thank you, I promise that I have ensured it will not be squandered." Hestia wandered over to where her Olympian hearth was and grabbed an ember from it. "Use this to light your ovens and hey will never go out. With this you'll never need worry about mistaking temperatures again. With this you'll be able to go farther than you could ever imagine."

As Neo took a hold of the ember, she could feel its warmth. It wasn't burning to the touch, but she felt hat there was a hidden power beneath it, one that could feed a family indefinitely. It was a power that Neo would cherish. She had won, but that did not mean she was better. She came up with a new idea and it happened to wok this time. Had she not been so lucky, things could've gone much differently.

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo was invited to stay and enjoy the feast at the gods side. She turned it down. Though it was a great offer, Neo knew she shouldn't take it and put herself on the level of gods. That would be a very unwise decision indeed. Zeus spoke, and confirmed her beliefs

"You are very wise to choose so. Now I bid you to g and create your own following of hungry guests. Ones that will appreciate you for your talents. Though the destination may be far, you are not without the potential to make it there."

With those final words, Neo turned and left the great hall. She hoped that if she did return, it would be with proof that she had put this wondrous gift to good use. Neo admired the buildings on he way to the edge of the clouds when she realized, she had no idea how she was supposed to get off of this place.

[Neopolitan 0]

Thankfully, there was one being who hadn't gone to join the feast.

"You seem to be in need of a way home young mortal. Perhaps I can help? I am Iris, the goddess of the rainbow and I control the rainbows leading out of the mountain. I can guide you down to the earth, but know that in doing so you will be unable to return until you fight your way to the top once more."

Neo gave a nod, smiling as she always did. SHe had done what she set out to do, and was ready for the journey to come to its end. The goddess sent her straight back to town, where she saw many NPCs staring in awe at the person walking out from the rainbow. And though she tried to silently convince them that she was no goddess, she had no choice but to leave through the portal and hope that the NPCs would forget whatever happened that day on Mount Olympus.

Spoiler

Thread Summary:

1 page of completed RP: +1 SP and +400 Col

Completed <<Challenge of Olympus: Cook>>: +1 SP and +1 CD tool, Hestia's flame

Total SP: 2

Total Col: 400

 

Edited July 3, 2018 by Neopolitan