[SP-F-17] Battle of the Buns! <<Challenge of Olympus:Cook>>

[Black 0]

Black was exceedingly cautious to be out on the seventeenth floor. From what he remembered about Greek Gods and culture, he knew this was an area with the most dangerous of beasts. He had traveled with Hestia here, which was clearly the only sane option as venturing past floor ten as a level 14 was just asking to be killed. Black was traumatized as his heart pounded from knowing that anything chasing him could very easily one shot him. This wasn't like the battlefields of Afghanistan where he had fire superiority and better accuracy in long range combat. This was brutality on a far different scale as all of the battles had to be conduct in closed ranged combat. 

'Kayaba wanted players to feel shocked to their core...to stare death in the face before they die...that bastard...what the hell was he thinking. Making a game like this. ' 

Black gritted his teeth. "But it's time to step onto a whole new battlefield for now. " He muttered as he stared up at the high Mount Olympus.  It was a surreal and daunting sight to behold. 

[Black 0]

Black was deeply immersed in the environment he found himself enamored with the stunning Greek architecture. Whoever designed it had been extremely spot on with every detail. The marble used for the style was amazing. The stone held firm upon the foundations and everything seemed to be a lovely pearly white. 

"Whoa...this is something out of that movie the three hundred...or maybe even Hercules..." He blinked, lost in the wonder of the world that blissfully wrapped around him. Everything felt so serene and peaceful in contrast to the rugged mountains that etched the back of the scenery. 

"Whoa..would you take a look at some of those mountains? Holy hell...even the Marines don't climb [censored] that high with packs on their back. Black whistled as he eyed the great mountain where the Gods of Olympus made their domain .No sane man would dare venture up there, but Black...he was a Marine. 

Edited October 9, 2018 by Black

[Black 0]

Black opened his opaque menu and scrolled over to the notification menu on his screen. Brown eyes maneuver around the screen as the notification of a rare quest alerts him into a call to action. The quest was located in this domain of floor seventeen. As he entered the inner city that held no walls, the NPC's began to stir with incessant chatter. 

 

"A message from the Gods?" One cries out. "I wonder who it could be for" Another queries, his eyes following the brown fur and hooves of the woodland creature. "A satyr...here and so far from the woodlands...hide your wives!" A drunken sluggard quips as he hiccups looking like he was long inebriated. A semblance that was a luxury to someone like Black. 

 

"Somehow I think I'm going to need a drink after this." Black said as he rubbed his eyes to make sure he was witnessing what he thought he was. 

 

Sure enough there was a walking goat man with horns on his head, blowing on a musical instrument in a merry manner dressed in lavish bardic cloth and wielding a straight sword at his side. 

[Black 0]

The wandering Ronin looked like as much of an anamoly as the Satyr in front of him. He waited patiently as the Satyr danced merrily around him, frolicking like some dumb idiot. Black simply activated a song crystal and gave the Satyr a taste of his hip hop vanity tracks he had got from an underground music shop. 

Much to his surprise this was no ordiary Satyr as the realm of music was part of his domain as he began to blow on his magical flute and ad lib a few dope beats to the song crystal and remixed the beat and the beat got sicker. Black blinked in surprised even further. 

 

"Ayyyye, dang, I didn't even know you can do all that. Holy [censored] that was amazing!" He exclaimed looking at the Satyr with astonishment and surprise. His jaw was agape as he simply had no words to be able to express how amazing it was to see older aged instruments used for new age music. 

"Well, what else did you expect. When it comes to music, buddy, I am the G.O.A.T. " The satyr winked mischievously at the ebony skinned Ronin.

 

Edited October 9, 2018 by Black

[Black 0]

Black cracked up at the Goats witty response to him. Whoever was coding the dialogue was pretty excellent. Perhaps someone at the office got bored and started inputting a little modern lingo with the age old atmosphere. It was certainly refreshing to experience a surprising wonder like that. 

 

"Wow, man, I got to say I'm pretty impressed. You got some sick jams. So...I got a notification about a rare quest. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" Black smirked as he folded his arms over across his chest with a smirk.

"Huh? Quest? I don't knowing anything about a quest man. I'm just here for the booze and the women. Have you seen the women in this city? Gorgeous...as beautiful as if they were touched by Aphrodite herself. " He then pouts as he looks over to his flabby belly, lifting up his shirt. "I'd love it if Aphrodite could touch me." 

 

All of a sudden an electric bolt thundered from the sky. The Satyr whimpered as he looked t the sky his knees shuddering with fear. "Geez, you'd think the guys up top could tale a joke, yeah?" The Satyr rubs the back of his head nervously. 

[Black 0]

Black flinched under the darkened sky. "Holy shi...was that A-Ares...or Zeus? Having either one pissed off is a bad mix. " Black gulped as he seemed concerned about being assaulted by by the Greek God of War or perhaps some major assault from the sky by Zeus. 

 

Suddenly Revial began to resonate violently with electricity. "Whoa...whoa whoa..." Black jumped about as he went into his translucent inventory menu and accessed his items. Manuveuring to the equipped menu  he selected to drop his paralytic sword into his item bag before he became a walking lightning rod. 

 

"So..uh..yeah, since you loved those tunes I suppose now is a good time to tell you that I charge 1000 col for a performance. " The Satyr grinned sheepishly as he placed his hat in front of the Samurai. It was turned upside down expectantly at the man, with just the perfect volume to hold an astonishing amount of Col. 

 

Black chuckled and shook his head. "You can't hustle a hustler man. Now quit playing and hook your boy up with that quest info." He demanded as he got up in the NPCs face with his hands in his pocket, staring menacingly. 

[Black 0]

"Whoa, whoa, whoa now let's just calm down. It's me, everybody's favorite drunk man-goat thingy. Come on, man, I trained Hercules and I can train you, too" The Satyr replies as he eyes Black up and down. "Look pal, thousands of people try to challenge the Gods to a battle in their domain, and let me tell you something, not that many succeed, my friend. " The Satyr reassures him as he leans up against a marble pillar, staring at his nails.

 

"You might want to go ahead and turn back kid. I know your current skills and the way you are now. You're in no shape to challenge a God of Olympus. " 

 

Black began to grunt in self-reflection as he looked toward the ground. He could remember the awful meals he had attained in practicing. The taste of peanut butter and ketchup seered his tongue. His neck jerked as he grimaced, his head rattling from the disaster. 

[Black 0]

Thoughts of Tsume teasing him over his pathetic performance and worthless ambition set Black into a moment of pensive self reflection. Anger began to fester from within his palms. The blue green veins became exposed themselves as they jutted out like branches on a thick oak tree. His bony knuckles perforated upon his skin and his nails dug deep into his palm as if they wanted to draw blood. The tension as his fist vibrated back and forth spoke volumes about his feelings about the Ichiban. His passion for food and cooking was unrivaled as he opted to make it a very large part of who he was. 

 

Despite his failings in the beginning on learning the games systems, chestnut eyes sparked into kindred revelations of conviction and resolve. He thought back to how Tsume mocked him in the garden during a Nature's Treasure. He remembered the b******ds condescending tongue that sliced at him like a chef's knife through onions. He was determined to overcome these obstacles that laid before him. Despite the jerks and the critics , he would claim the title of the best cook in Aincrad. The challenges at the Ichiban were unnerving and grueling, but hthe victory would be as sweet as golden apple pie. 

Edited October 9, 2018 by Black

[Black 0]

Black could hear his heart building up into a violent war drum. His eyes wavering like the subwoofers in a slab rolling through the Houston city streets. His fangs dug into his lower row of teeth and grinded sharply as his beliefs began to resonate within him. He looks at the Satyr with a very serious expression, his headband glinting in the sun. The inscribed letters on his headband reading the words "Lucky Devil" in Kanji. He twisted his neck to the right side and stared down the Satyr in confidence. "There will never be a challenge I can't train for and overcome." He says as he thrusts his fist out towards the Satyr. 

"Hey, buddy, watch where you throw those things, I was trying to teach you, but if you want to throw hands, we can take it outside!" The Satyr exclaims, puffing his chest out and widening his stance as his dirty hooves touch the deck. His arms splayed out left and right. 

[Black 0]

Black was still pretty surprised by the beast's antics. He simply smiled and laughed as he realized the Satyr was kidding. The Satyr looked around him and then started pawing at the dirt a bit embarrassed. "Well, crap, I guess we already are outside. " He chuckles nervously looking at Black's swords and flashing a weak grin. "Hey, so, anyways...what you were saying earlier. That's the spirit. That's the right attitude to have. You got a good head on your shoulders kid." The Satyr commented, trying to offering the ebony skinned swordsman some encouragement. 

Thanks." The Marine Swordsman grunted as he shrugged his shoulders in a manner to say 'Well, what else do you expect from a Marine.' Suddenly, the Satyr began to walk up more closely with his hooves making loud sounds as they struck the dirt. He seemed to be paying very close attention to the yellow rucksack that adorned Black's back. 

Edited October 9, 2018 by Black

[Black 0]

"Alright, come on, show me what you got. Let's have a look." The Satyr demands as he juts out a hand, singalling 'gimme' with his fingertips slapping against his palm. It was still so strange to the animal with palms and human flesh. It was odd seeing the thick layers of fur slapped onto the manlike body. It just seemed...wrong, like something out of a twisted science fair project that went extremely bad. The only thing black could think about was how troublesome scientists would be caught doing horrific experiments which is why science was looked at so poorly.  He then began to pull his backpack from off his back and show it to the Satyr. "What? You mean this? It's just my rucksack. I keep all my gear in there. " Black says as he tosses the bag over to the Satyr. The burly Satyr begins to inspect the contents with much scrutiny. 

[Black 0]

The Satyr suddenly begins to start grabbing the pack roughly and tossing it down the floor. He seems to show no concern for the condition of it as he starts pulling things out and and scanning the contents, seemingly unimpressed. "What the hell is this thing?" The Satyr squints and then looks at the sword, rolling it around in his grubby paws. 

"It's a Japanese styled curved sword." Black says as he crosses his arms with a smirk. 

"A japa-what? Why the hell is this sword looking like the blacksmith broke it. This is just ridiculous. Swords are meant to be straight. Take the strongest fighters. You think Hercules fought with a crooked sword? Hell no!" The Satyr commented in a disgruntled manner, staring at the weapon like it was a foreign object. "Look, bud, out here..we honor the Gods with good old Athenian steel. " He warned the man with a look of caution. 

[Black 0]

"Athenian steel? Black questioned as he turned looking at the Satyr curiously. The atmospherearound him was calm and tranquil, but the Satyr seemed keen on causing a disrupting scene as he tossed the sword into the tall grass behind him like it was a worthless piece of junk. 

Black outstretched his hand as his eyes twitched in dismay at seeing the weapon Macradon had forged for him thrown around like garbage to litter the streets. Black remembered paying a great deal of materials were needed to craft  such perfect weapons. The labor he endured in gathering those resources day and night. "Alright, okay...so..we shouldn't just go-" Black stumbled over his words as he took in the sight of what was happening. 

"What? Hey kid, what's the matter with you? I'm going to hook you up and you're worried about this crap. Here, put this on." He instructs as he tosses a temporary plate mail armor that looked like the armor of Hercules from the movie. 

[Black 0]

"Uh, what the hell is that?" Black blinked as he pointed an ebony digit at the armor. It was of a bronze fashioned material marking the ingenuity of the bronze age. It held sharp contrasts to the man's own heavy plated ruby armor. In the Marine's head he began to think differently in terms of how stone age, bronze age, and other gear worked in terms of durability. He felt that while the notion of the idea was all well and good, it still would be a difficult endeavor for him to substitute his heavy platemail armor for something that would only merely be of little practical use in the field. 

"So....you know...I probably would be better of it what I got on. Thanks though," Black chuckled nervously waving his arms to the side in refusal. He eyed the skirt looking portion on the bottom of it and winced, thinking that it looked very weird in comparison. 
 

Edited October 10, 2018 by Black

[Black 0]

 

"Look pal, are you just going to give me a hard time? Quit being a knucklehead, I'm trying to help ya. " This here is quality armor." The Satyr slaps his hand against the bronze armor with a confident scheming grin like a shady car salesman. "Just a little something I picked up from my good body Ares. You know? Big guy upstairs. Big man of war that guy. " 

Black blinks his eyes in wonder and disbelief at the dubious Satyr. "Whoa, whoa, hold up. Let me get this straight . So you're telling me that the armor you're carrying around with you was made by THE ARES?" 

"Did I stutter?" The Satyr exhaled in an annoyed breath. 

"Like here...Ares is here?" Black asks as he looks around with ravenous curiousity. He had not expected to actually witness actually Gods being brought to life in this realm. This was without any doubt, absolutely  amazing. 

Edited October 10, 2018 by Black

[Black 0]

"Kid...did somebody hit you in the head with rocks as a child?" The Satyr squints at him like he is a fool. "Not here here...up there you freaking numbskull. Atop Mt. Olympus with the other Gods and Goddesses. They're living it up with good ole boy Dionysus. That guy can really make a good brew, let me tell you!"

 

The Satyr suddenly goes to materialize a drink in his hand. "Best liquor ever hands down." He says as he downs the entire mug and lets out a huge belch before tossing the armor at Black. 

 

Black catches it and looks perplexed as his simply looks to the Satyr, stunned from what he was holding. 

" Well, what are you waiting for. Hurry it up princess. Hestia is waiting for you on top of Mt. Olympus. She says you have a special invitation to come challenge her. "  The Satyr informed the aspiring chef with a look of seriousness. 

Edited October 10, 2018 by Black

[Black 0]

Black was weary and confused. He had wondered why Hestia would waste all this time to challenge him to a cook off with the Ichiban was on floor six. He began to wonder why she would even allow risking him to even be here. Floor seventeen had all types of terrible hordes of monsters from mythic legends. All of which could most likely destroy Black in an instant just by looking at him. 

 

However, the young Marine chose to don the armor and set himself on a path of glory. The Ruby platemail was exchanged for an Athenian hero's garb. 

 

"Now, you're looking like a real warrior of legend. Go ahead and flex. Let's see some teeth. Get in your war mode." Black let out a vicious cry as spit flew from his mouth onto the Satyr's shirt as he spun around into a glorious masculine flex, expanding his biceps. "Here comes the gun show!" 

 

 

[Black 0]

The Satyr wiped off the spit from his shirt, then darted up to measure the size of Black's muscles before shaking his head in disappointment. "Damn kid, are you getting enough protein?" He arches a brow. "What the hell. My gosh..if you're that scrawny, you're going to need this. " The Satyr instructed as he handed off the sword to the ebony skinned man. "Go on take it. It's perfect for hunting the little beasts up here. " 

 

Black takes the sword by the hilt and nods following the Satyr. "Now we got training to do. It will take long, but trust me. Once we get this done we'll have everything you need to compete. 

 

After Black followed the Satyr. He would begin to study under the woodland creature every aspect of the earth. Learning the different ingridents of the seventeenth floor. Fierce amounts of repetition would be brought about until it was firmly branded into the man's memory. The woodland creature would show him every herb and spice. Which foods to avoid and which blended well. 

[Black 0]

The next challenge would lie in his ability to be an excellent hunter. Blacl spent days without rest going on on expeditions to hunt and kill the lesser minions of the seventeenth floor along the satire. He would instruct him on how to hit critical weak points. How to manuveur the blade in a way that would preserve the higher quality portions of meat. He taught him which foods were edible and which animals were poisonous and could not be ingested. 

 

For a month, the ragged Marine was brought through the ringer and tested beyond his limits as he cooked different recipes over and over. With every failure, his food was slapped to the side and he was verbally condemned for it and sent back out to get more meat. 

 

His eyes were bloodshot as he began to cook a stew for the Satyr to sample. "Hmm...this is good. But it needs bread. You got to have all your food groups buddy. The Goddesses love a full course meal. The Gods, too, especially." 

[Black 0]

Black then began to get taken under the Satyr's wing as he spent weeks learning about agriculture and how to farm. He learned to appreciate livestock and their generous contribution to the soil. He learned how to make the fastest growing healthy plants. He endured the labor of pulling up weeds so the wheat could be saved. He would bundle up the wheat and cast it into the fire. 

 

He would then learn how to make milk and bread and honey. The Satyr coached him along the way. Once he had learned all three of these fundamental aspects: Living off the wilderness, hunting, and agriculture. He felt the man was finally ready. "Alright, kid, you ready for the big challenge? Here it comes. We're headed up the big mountain. It'll take some weeks. Keep your sword close. " 

 

Black gulped looking up the arduous mountain. He had no clue how many feet high it was, but he knew he would know the true meaning of agony soon enough. 

Edited October 10, 2018 by Black