[SP|F17] <<Challenge of Olympus: Cook>>

[Sv3n 0]

And while he was busy practicing his cooking in his store, would you look at that! Some UI had the gull to show up in his kingly presence and pester him about a quest. If it were just for that, he'd turn it down. However, the details of it quickly intrigued him and he got to packing up, preparing to go right over to the seventeenth floor from the first or wherever else it might take place. Stepping onto the teleporter, he looked over at his stashed card somewhere near the gate of the first, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. With a shout of words he could barely pronounce right, he disappeared and emerged back into the... oddly themed area?

What was this? Ruins, forests, and some more ancient names. He wouldn't even bother trying to speak them, but from what it looked like, this was mythology of sorts. Probably Roman, if he had to tell. "Hmph... So I've been asked right here by who again? The quest said quite little, just that I would get a very useful tool for cooking."

Spoiler

Name: Sv3n
Level: 4
HP: 80/80
EN: 8/8

Stats:
Damage: 1
LD:2

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: <<Plain Longsword>> (Vanity/OHSS)
Armor: <<White Suit>> (Vanity/Light Armor)
Misc: <<Golden Crown>> (Vanity/Trinket)

Skills:
Searching [Rank 2]

 

[Sv3n 0]

Before he could do much, the satyr showed up right before him, looking up and down his form. For as unique as his appearance was, what baffled him the most was he looked like a king, but... not quite the sort that he'd see around these parts. With a deep sigh, he declared the reason he'd been summoned over to this floor. "Listen carefully mortal. Further down this path, lies the base of Mt. Olympus. At the very top, the goddess of hearth Hestia is awaiting your challenge. Shall you emerge victorious, she will bestow a gift upon you. Do not take long."

And with that, the Satyr quickly took off again. He let out a deep sigh and looked at the dust trailing up the path he was going, frowning and giving it a bit of thought. Now a part of him was all too curious about what would happen if he left them waiting, maybe even for too long. And that's ultimately what he wanted to do, just not overdo while he's at it. 

[Sv3n 0]

He waited a short while, tapping his foot on the ground and looking around the stores of this floor. They seemed to be much more akin to stalls, but poorly set up ones. There were plenty of forms of pottery, all unique in the way that they'd been painted. He knew not what culture they belonged to, maybe... Nah, still Roman. And about that goddess Hestia, where had he heard of her before? It was on the very tip of his tongue, but it just wouldn't come out. He shrugged it off, continuing to waste time.

He looked about left and right, humming lowly to himself as he did and continuing to dillydally so that the goddess would get as pissed as humanly- or divinely possible, in this case. He checked the time, only to see that about an hour had passed since the satyr met him. Now he began to wonder, would he come back to order Sven to get moving or?

[Sv3n 0]

Disappointingly enough, the answer was no. He wasted another half hour before starting to get on the move, grunting and keeping his arms crossed in front of him while he headed to the base of the mountain he was meant to hike- or at least trek up. The path was empty, and various animals could be seen walking around the ruins, warily looking at the blonde's form with a suspicious looks, unsure whether to be careful with approaching him or completely avoid him as a whole.

Ultimately, he saw none by the time that he stood before the gates to Olympus. That must have meant that even now, they never even made a single effort to approach him. What was so menacing anyways? The big '4' when it came to his level, or was it the king-like appearance? Speaking of which, Sven silently let his own eyes run up and down his figure as he nodded slowly to himself.

[Sv3n 0]

"Damn, you look like a god yourself Sven, you handsome bastard.", he joked to himself and almost began to laugh. He would have, really, if the satyr didn't show up with an unamused, straight face like before. Were they not bothered by the fact he took so long whatsoever? "You're here, mortal. Please, step onto the path to the very top of Mount Olympus and make your way towards Hestia. She's been waiting for your arrival.". The very specific wording used gave him some hope that he'd succeeded in pestering them, but he had to push it just a step further.

He walked up to the satyr, scratching his chin and looking to the side at the winding path before he decided to ask. "I'm going, but I took an hour. Did none of that annoy you at all?", he sounded almost disappointed, wearing a slight frown on his face. "I thought Kayaba would have tried to make his world this much more immersive, but it seems you lot barely have any time perception to begin with. He kind of half-assed you, didn't you?"

[Sv3n 0]

Of course, the response he got was a completely blank look from the satyr. Not only did he get bombarded with speech he hadn't been made to expect, but he also got completely caught off guard with the most unfamiliar name. If Sven's appearance wasn't as bewildering as it already was, he would have attempted to make up a response other than the default one. "... I answer to nobody but the gods. Now, mortal, please head up to the mountain. Don't keep Hestia wating longer."

Whatever the case, he had to heed her call sooner or later. With a deep sigh, he began to head up the mountain, hands both in his stuffed pockets once he'd waved behind him towards the man-beast. "Whatever you say cap, see you later alligator.", he rather disrespectfully greeted him once again to get the final confused stare he would be from the speechless satyr. His confusion was beyond words and absolutely unsolvable by now, which just made Sven's chest puff out with pride.

[Sv3n 0]

And after a bit of long walking, hearing the relaxing birds chirp and treking up the mountainside, he eventually ended up on a platform a comrade of his was quite familiar with- the same one where Chase and Athena had done their face off, except the gear around was different. Not that Sven knew of course, but... Ovens could be seen all over the place, various ingredients placed on the tables and benches with all the necessary utensils. Rather outdated at that, but... it would be rather odd to see electrical ovens or whatever in the hands of a damn goddess.

And there she was, looking over to him in between the two 'benches' that each would use, with her hands weaved together as she waited for his arrival. With the red hood gently pulled over her hair and soft red eyes looking at him, she gave a gentle smile and bowed slightly when the man arrived. "Welcome, mortal. My name is Hestia, the goddess of hearth. I've summoned you here today for the sake of competing with me- if you prove to me that you're worthy, I will bestow one of my most valuable tools upon you."

[Sv3n 0]

Of course, Sven already knew that. Otherwise, like he'll he'd have left the safe crevices of his cart's back counter. "Oh, so I heard. I do have to ask though, my humble goddess, did you not notice how I was sadly late due to some... rather unsavory, if I do say so myself, business about the settlement a bit further aback?". His theatrics definitely had no place here, but he could very well say the same about these cheap imitations of gods that Kayaba had created. "I do apologize if my demeanor is not proper, I am simply astounded by the chance that's been presented to me. To be in the presence of such a beautiful maiden such as yourself, let alone a true goddess and being of divine power- I'm truly grateful that you picked me of all the players, that I am. Please, do tell me what you require and I shall deliver as much as you wish, milady.". Nah, his theatrics were definitely not doing it, and the goddess herself was cringing.

[Sv3n 0]

"I... would like you to hold your horses for a moment, dear. I've been tasked with looking for the competent cooks, this isn't about you, but about your skills when it comes to craftsmanship. You have not let me down, but I am a bit taken aback by what could have held you back. Mind elaborating? If possible, of course. I understand that you yourself are quite a busy man. Your choice of attire tells me as much.", she replied rather neatly, keeping things nice and simple- or so she thought. This was yet another chance for Sven to continue wasting time, tricking a fucking goddess of all beings. This was hilarious to him.

"Ah, you see... It is my status as the king of an unruly group, that I wear this crown, this snow-white garb and the mane of a tough opponent I once battled nail and tooth to take down. I'm but a busy man, a 'king' if you may! However, I do sincerely apologise. One of my foolish subordinates made a mistake taking orders and as such, came up here to pester me just after your own servant informed me of the deed you wanted to task me with."

[Sv3n 0]

The reply she got sounded believable if not a bit theatrical, but now that's... Well, out of the question. King of thieves could also stand for king of hypocrites, and if anything he knew how to utterly fail at being charismatic when he most tried. Trying to scam others by nature came off as normal, but now that he was making a conscious effort to mask his greedier side, he was failing rather badly at it. Would be if this NPC was designed any better, but it challenged his words at face value. Only the vocabulary and ways that he addressed him threw her off. Even so, she let out a deep sigh and simply nodded it off. King of sorts was good enough for her- it fit the clothes, his demeanor and arrogance if those were anything to go by. "So then, may you please repeat the task once more? I doubt I'll be able to best you, however I shall, truthfully, try my absolute best to.", he tried to fake some humbleness, failing even worse.

[Sv3n 0]

"Of course. What I want of you is to cook your absolute best- I shall do so alongside you, and once we've both finished our crafts we shall put them against one another in terms of quality. If I find yours to be truly above mine, I shall bestow you with my flame. Using that during your cooking is bound to give you the most precise of cooking, and I can guarantee you that wholeheartedly. So then, shall we? And in case you trust not in me, our dearest satyr can be called in to give us his own opinion. We will rely on him, if you feel the need to summon them.". Now the last part was quite a great deal to Sven and there was no denying that. He stretched his neck to relax it a bit, smiling and taking a deep breath as he moved to behind his own bench. He cracked his fingers, ready to get down to work for that crafting tool. Better crafts meant more customers, which meant more sales, which was more people to trick and deceive!

[Sv3n 0]

As soon as they got started, they both began to work hard at it. They worked on and on, with one putting in the materials to their own craft after the other. This was a fight between cooks, one kitchen being set at a higher speed and temperature than the other. Watching them go at it, it was truly a battle among gods. And after a short while, it was finished. Hestia sat in front of her bench with a beautifully smelling apple pie ready, decorated with a weave-like crust and jam alongside cream right under it.

Sven on the other hand, sat with two scrambled omelets on his own bench, keeping an eyebrow cocked up and looking with a smug smirk over to the absolutely flabbergasted goddess. "What did you-... Putting aside the fact that making two crafts in that little time is nigh on impossible, I challenged you to a battle of one craft and one alone- not two or more!"

[Sv3n 0]

Sven's eyes almost glimmered at that point with a sly happiness. His coy smile took over as he held his hand out, palm facing the sky, keeping the same eyebrow cocked at Hestia and pointing at his meal as if it was some form of abomination. "Why, I thought that you and the rest of the gods controlled this game? Surely you must know that us players- no, I in particular have a special skill. It allows me to make two or more foods through a single craft. Once I hone my skills even further, I can even make four per single attempt I give at a consumable! What do you have to say to that? Did you not know about the ins and outs of your craft? Surely you must be trying to trick me right now, because I refuse to believe you wouldn't know the fine art you take so, so much pride in, same as I!", he let out his villainous monologue, looking at the awestruck Hestia.

[Sv3n 0]

"I... What is this skill you speak of? There is no way that something such exists, what is it called?! I was absolutely unaware of this, that is preposterous! You wouldn't dare lie to a goddess such as myself, would you? You've shown the utmost respect thus far, bar your creepy phrasing or nicknames every so often- but those are quirks every mortal I've met has! So tell me!". It was hard to tell if this was Sven spinning his own narrative and daydreaming or if these were truly the words that the confused goddess uttered. 

"I'm slightly hurt, by the little trust you show in me. My skill has no name, however. It appears to be intrinsically linked with cooking's inner workings. It's called a double, triple or quadruple, if you may, yield. I am unaware as to whether I can teach this to others or exhibit it- it happens with chance. Surely, you must be aware of what chance is? It's 'luck' as you call it."

[Sv3n 0]

"Luck? You wouldn't happen to mean-", she tried to say, cut off by her gasp. Sven simply shook his finger left and right, wagging it in disapproval in front of her. "No, not quite what I mean. Let us assume that some higher force than even you, exists, and it's called Cardinal. If it were in charge of everything that took place in this world, then it would be the ultimate driving factor for my special skill, if I may even call it that. My cooking is inherently determined whether it'll be good, bad or if I'll get more than one product as a result, all by Cardinal's hand."

The goddess simply nodded, ignoring the fact that such a higher power may in fact truly exist, she agreed with his theory crafting. He'd present it that way to not get some unsavory result of the goddess glitching out or getting outraged and kicking him all the way back to the first floor with his head first to plant in the ground. 

[Sv3n 0]

"So then, if Cardinal really existed it would be the one at fault for my skill. I could exhibit it once more for you if you'd like me to?", he asked after having sneaked in an ingredient or two among the pre-selected once that Hestia had laid out for them. Sadly for her, she ended up agreeing to his more than just kind offer and that resulted in her ultimately witnessing the boy make another double consumable. This time, it was just bread buns. Ones with a rather worse taste but that wasn't easy to tell just from looking at them and glaring them dead.

"I see... You were in fact not lying. And what would the chance be to get some result like this, if I may ask?". Now, what he had to do was start playing around with all the numbers. If they were small, if she even knew what numbers were and how to count all of them, she'd be very well aware that forty is much better than four.

[Sv3n 0]

So, he put it out as simply as he could. "Let us say, my dear goddess Hestia, that I am to cook a grand total of a hundred foods! I would get a total of a hundred and forty, since my chances to get a double yield from a craft sum up to around forty out of a hundred. How does that sound as a skill- quite useful, wouldn't you say? However, I shall still leave it up to your judgement, whether or not I am truly worthy of the sacred relic of a flame you hold in this workplace of yours.". Numbers were fancy, but the big ones were even fancier than just the usual ones. As such, he wanted to surprise her as much as possible. Be it because she understood none of what he was talking about or because she was completely dumbfounded by his explanation, Hestia simply gave a nod.

[Sv3n 0]

She went off to the higher parts of Olympus, trekking up the unstable and rather scary pathways that connected them to their current middlepoint. Was it to get the flame? His mind began to wonder. Before he even had enough room to imagine what she was going to gift him, she was already back holding a flame in her hands. That flame disappeared into a small jar, where it burned inside brightly. She held it out towards Sven, bowing her head and smiling pleasantly. "Despite your theatrics and desperate attempts to get my approval, I have to say that you did quite earnestly earn it. Be it you dared think of deceiving me or otherwise, you are a truly taleneted cook. No matter what I can make, you seem to be able to make it in quantities much higher than mine, even if the quality is not on par. These numbers are a great blessing and joy to you and the rest of the mortals, I'd assume.

[Sv3n 0]

Sven nodded his head to her assumption, smiling and accepting the container before hiding it into his inventory. "That it is. And I promise you, I will not let you down whatsoever, Hestia. If anything, I swear upon your name I will always continue to improve my crafts and strive forwards, for the better of the mortals and gods of this world.". This was the one time that no matter who heard him, they couldn't see any even remotely malicious intent. His words were perfectly honest, and that was partially because he didn't want to even reconsider how angry Chase would be if he saw him drop out of cooking. With that, Hestia eventually greeted Sven off and sent him back down to the gates of the mountain, wandering off to find the Satyr. Before he could though, he was already off of the mountain's base and headed back to the path for the main settlement. Off to the teleporter and then back to the first he'd go.

[Sv3n 0]

What a trip this was too, huh? A grand total of an hour wasted, but all not for naught. He got a very useful tool out of it that would just help him level up faster and make more bank even sooner than expected. This was nothing to be scoffed at- if anything, he'd have little reason to even supply the materials from Chase, who he still sold his stock to for half the normal price. A deal was a deal, but... speaking of prices, he'd have to quickly start working on getting those out of the way and dealt with, wouldn't he? "Maybe until I'm ready to cook tomorrow again, I should start considering what to price my items... They should of course be enough to pay off the materials, otherwise I'm scamming myself and that's no good. Getting scammed doesn't feel good any, only doing the scamming does. Speaking of which... I do wonder what the goddess will do with the foods I left behind."

Spoiler

Thread Rewards:

• 3 SP (1 quest, 1 page, 1 event)
• +1 CD Tool, Hestia's Flame (Cooking)
• 400 Col