Midgardian

-Edgemont: Jontral, Vera, Ivana, Janse, Jeremy, Jacob, Oliver, Etanya

-Sea Witch: bosun:Maurice, helmsman:Liam, quater:Noah and mate:Ezra, mate:Arturo and mate:Theo, nester:Adrian, crew: Morgan, Daly, Cabin:Hurly

-Patron: Paul

Maurice, Liam, Noah and Ezra, Arturo and Theo seemed normal, I was expecting them to look like Pirates of the Caribbean movies with Captain Jack, not, people, I mean they did have a layer of grime from cleaning the ship, but still, it doesn't match imagination.

Walking in they asked about grabbing something to eat and getting a tankard or two to celebrate their Captains return, I shrugged at Auntie when she looked at me, I couldn't eat yet in this stench, but, I'll go with them.

Maurice said it was the Broken Axe, though it had no sign, "this is the Temple district," looking around I could see robed individuals lurking around shadowed alleys with a sign two buildings down that said the Sanctuary of Spirits.

The Inn was two stories, it looked sturdier than the buildings that made the ring around the city, a shiny lacquered floor and well made tables and chairs, behind the bar was a shelf with tankards of various makes and designs, they took a seat as I wandered around, there were dozens of hammocks in a room just past the eatery section.

"Oliver!" Auntie calls me over, the waitress was Ewith, a very well-built Elf.

"We have vegetable stew, mug of Perry (5cp)

Spelt porridge, a mug of mead (5cp),

Boiled sausage and buckwheat bread, a tankard of stout (10cp) or

Pickled crab and whey cheese, tankard of stout (11cp)"

All of that sounded awful, "Vegetable Stew, water for him." Auntie says, the rest of us will have the crab and tankard."

"Yes Captain," she looks at me and winks.

I follow Ewith most of the way back and stop at the bulletin board and start reading:

-Hedge Witch outside the town of Camor, proof of kill for 50gold.

-Brigands off the Twilight Vale turned undead, proof of kill for 75 gold.

-Find the chancellor of the courts, attempted to overthrow the queen, if we catch him 50gold, bring back his head, 1000 gold.

-Something has been delving a network of cysts beneath Raguza, 250 gold to clear it out.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and jump, "Sorry, those might be a little too big for you, yet." I look, down at a halfling soldier, with blonde hair and hazel eyes, wearing studded leather and has a sword and spear. "Sabenn," she says.

"Pleased to meet you," I look over and see Auntie is watching us, she gives me a little nod.

"That is an interesting shield, it looks more like a turtle shell?" She says and I nod, that was the model the forger and I decided on, we also made the pack I was wearing.

"There's a hook on the pack, I reach over my shoulder and pull the shield up and around, and then reach back and drop it on the hook again.

"What!? Mind if I see that?" she asks, so I pull the shield up and she jiggles the hook, it looks like a big fishing hook with a rounded point attached to the strap at the top of the backpack.

"That, is, brilliant! Not too hard on the shoulders? OH! You are strong for your size," she exclaims when she hefts the shield. "here", she hands me hers, it is less than half of what mine weighs. Hers is wooden with steel bands around it, mine is thinner, but solid metal.

"How old are you?" Sabenn asks, she thought he was a cute little kid until she saw the two knives and the sword and shield, better equipped than she is. "Oh, sorry, that's too much," she says when I look hesitant to answer. "Nobody is going to believe me back at the barracks."

"It's okay, I'm Oliver, with my Auntie, I point back to her, and she looks pointedly at Sabenn.

"I saw, I work for Captain Ivana and the council," Sabenn replies. Now I know why Auntie nodded when I looked back at her.

Looking back up at the board, "Except for the Chancellor, they look very difficult."

"Oh, you 'can' read, yes, it is why they are still up there, the easy ones are taken the same day, different Inns have different quests, but the big ones like these are everywhere, it costs money to post them so the little ones are only at a few places."

"Makes sense," I say and we get quiet.

"You don't mind if I get something like your hook there?" She asks.

"What, no you can't, I make these and sell them," I say and she looks shocked. "I'm just kidding, go ahead," I say and her laugh is super girly.

"I have to go eat, nice meeting you Sabenn," I say and walk back to the table, "You also," she gives me a little wave.

"Good job on looking to me, don't talk to just anyone here." Auntie whispers when I get back to the table, backpack and shield on the back of the chair. "Under the table, feet on it," Auntie shakes her head, so I move the pack, and put my feet on the shield.

"Sabenn says she works for you, she was interested in the hook that holds the shield to the pack. I was surprised you have guards here."

"What? We can't let chaos reign unfettered, we are not barbarians." She huffs and starts cracking her crab apart, I've never seen pickled crab, the shell seems much softer to pull apart without needing the metal nutcracker and the picker I was used to back home.

The vegetable soup, tastes like water with vegetables thrown in it. I take a few spoons and then push it away, the only good thing was I'd already forgotten about the smell.

"Not good?" Ewith asks checking on us now that most of them have full mouths. "Needs a few potatoes to thicken up the broth a little, and some carrots to offset all the leafy vegetables."

Her eyebrow shoots up, and everyone at the table stops and looks at me.

"Sorry, I like to cook," I say and shrug.

"If you are not going to eat it, want to show me?" she asks and I look to Auntie.

"Go," she rolls her eyes, her hands are covered in crab juice and bits as she waves me away.

Ewith slaps a new pot on the stove and steps back ushering me forward, "Okay, whenever possible you want to roast the onions, potato, carrots on the bottom of the pan first and if you have meat, sear both side here also."

I don't talk about washing all of the items first as there's no running water and probably no pesticides, she brings the ingredients for the stew with a few large potatoes and carrots, "Dice them into bigger chunks so they don't get too mushy after cooking. Bring some meat also, you don't have to put it in the soup, but it helps with the flavoring."

I start cutting while she runs another order to the table, when she returns I have the meat searing on the bottom, once done, dumping the potatoes onions and carrots sizzling in the bottom of the pan, "this makes it so much better and the bits it leaves on the bottom, see here," I move everything around and she nods, "this and the potato, help to thicken the broth up and add flavor. I repeat the most important part, for a couple of coppers extra you can do the same thing with any meat, sear it on the bottom like this first, dicing it up before adding anything else for the soup/stew,"

They have more lamb than anything else, so I pour out the vegetables and show her the gunk on the bottom "and then sear the meat of the day, even if you aren't going to have it in the soup, it adds flavor.

Anytime you cook any meat, once removed from the pan, try to add vegetables, stir in some water and strain it through cheese cloth to use later that day or the next mornings pots instead of just water, don't store it longer than the next morning though as I don't know how long things last here."

"Doing this, and then using the strained broth, and you'll have a line out the door," I say and hand it all back over to her.

"If your Aunt is okay with it, I'd pay you to cook here." Ewith says looking into the pot and then at me.

"Maybe on days when she is busy doing Pirate Captain things?" I say back.

"Oh, I have a twin, she works the opposite shift from me, her name is Ewithe with an e." I start and she cuts me off. "E at the end, sounds the same though, and makes it easier for the patrons." I walk back to the table thinking she is pranking me.

"Captain Ivana, Oliver is welcome to stay here when you are busy, we will pay him to help in the kitchen?" Ewith said more as a plea than a question.

"Good, he can earn his keep, like everyone else." She says looking down at me sternly.

"She acts like this sometimes, but she's the funniest person you'll ever know," I whisper to Ewith.

"This is why I never had a family," Ivana says reaching for her gear under the table.

"See," I say to Ewith, she smiles and turns away giving us room to dig under the table for our stuff. The four guys next to us laugh, I turned putting my pack on and nodded at them, they got it.

Walking down the street we stopped in a few shops and even an old woman's home to let her know she was back. Looks like she made her own family, I know the looks she gets, they probably have more right to her than I do.

After a quick look around on the main deck, I got a hammock in a room of six, next to hammocks in another room of six, I put all my stuff in an empty one and came back out.

Maurice was giving me the tour and was going over the daily schedule, while at port

"New Cabin boy?" Hurly stops in front of me, not that much older than I am and already a crewmember.

"Captain's Nephew," Maurice says clapping him on the shoulder, "at port he has a job cooking at the axe, and working with me."

"What!, that's," Maurice taps Hurly's hip with the back of his hand. "Ahhhhhhhh!" Hurly walks away.

"Cabin boy a rough job?" I ask as we walk, Maurice has his own office, storeroom, he has all the tools and stacks of replacement parts with two hammocks in his room, one full of what looks like sail material.

"The worst," Maurice chuckles.

Auntie had a meeting on deck letting everyone know what I was doing there, they had a week before they went hunting.

"Noah, Ezra, Theo, Adrian, one round against Oliver here, we will be doing our normal new crew training, I'll take over on occasion, the first time Oliver?" She pauses looking down at us from what I later learn is the Poop Deck, "Buffed, and also stay buffed when not on the ship or in front of the stove."

"Yes, Captain." I answer, she smiles and nods.

"Do, not, kill them," She says to me.

"What?" Noah takes a few steps back.

"It'll be easier if you surround me," I pull out the knives.

"Not kill us by accident? Should he have wooden knives," Noah is looking at Auntie, and when his people are in place he gives a slight nod to Ezra and Theo behind me, he was stalling and keeping my attention.

Nobody has ever grabbed me with two hands before, the two behind me that I never bothered to even glance their way after seeing they aren't armed to grab me, I kept my eyes on Adrian and Noah in front, I held my arms out wide to make it easy for them and the moment I felt their grip, I cast air ram at the two in front, turned and tap the legs of the two on the deck hugging themselves, at least they weren't wearing armor, this feels like cheating, but against real enemies, I don't care about fair.

Two daggers held in front pointing at both Noah and Adrian, I called Adrian in, "come on now, don't be shy," I say waiving my knife for him to come in.

"Bet them sticks do the same," Adrian says indicating my knives.

"Nah, just the shield does that, stop stalling," I say and he looks at me like I'm crazy.

"I don't really want to, I know a trap when I see it." Adrian takes another step in while I step forward, I can see him tense up, but I had to do it, using air to force his hands out to the side, I tap his chest with one of the knives and step back.

"I knew it!" Adrian says, "could have been worse," he says looking at Theo.

Noah looks a me, "Just knives, no magic?"

"Sure," I say, and he almost smiles, "tomorrow?" stepping forward I go to attack and he is pulling his knives away, not blocking or letting anything touch him or his knives.

"No, stop, get away from me you little shit." Noah turns and starts running down the deck.

Auntie stops everything, "Ok, listen up, Oliver is to have the buff up at ALL times off the ship, don't touch him, don't let anyone else touch him, and from now on, there will be no more magic in the sparring unless asked for."

I visit her cabin that night,

"Quarters okay, you are not used to so many people," Auntie asks opening her door.

"Getting in and out of the hammock is difficult, but it's comfy enough," I answer.

"What do you need?" Auntie asks.

"Thank you for upending your life to take me in, those people we saw today missed you," I step in and hug her.

"Oh, uh, yeah, sure," she hugs me back.

"Do you want to do some work at the Inn?" She asks.

"Yeah, I think we can increase prices for much better food, and the chicken pie I made for Mom, should have a line out the door," I answer.

"Hmm, we should change your income to a percentage of their rise in profits," Auntie says.

"Sure, I have a bunch of ideas, whatever you want to do with them."

"Sounds good, off to bed with you," Auntie sends me on my way.

Everyone snores, every single one of them, I passed out eventually.

The ship had a routine and I was now swabbing the deck, Adrian showed me how he climbed up the mast to the nest. The view is amazing, looking into the city and out to sea.

Adrian gave me a class after noticing I was using right and left, starboard, port, aft, we were on the rear mast or the mizzen mast, the main mast was the middle and the foremast was the front mast, main deck, poop deck, forecastle. I eventually hold up a hand, Fast Learning works if she doesn't talk so fast while nodding in general directions. Once done, they let Adriane take me up to the 'nest' to get the view.

"Most get nervous up this high," Adriane says during a break in the conversation.

"I am trying to learn how to fly and this might be the perfect starting spot, Father said I could only practice over water."

"Fly?"

"I have air magic, but I think the first time, I should just jump to get a baseline," I say looking down, hmm, I have to clear the deck," as I start to climb out onto a horizontal mast bar to get closer to the side of the ship, Adrian grabbed me.

"You trying to get me killed!? Ask the Captain before you do anything like this." Adrian whispers, he has a point.

Adrian showed me how to use my feet to let the rope through, it is rough on the shoes, but doesn't burn your hands.

For Lunch we went back to the Inn, it is apparently the ship's kitchen when in port, the crew only had to pay to drink so as not to bankrupt the Inn.

The Menu:

Salted Lamb and Dried Parsnip, Tankard of Stout (10 cp)

Boiled Eggs and Dried Beetroot, Tankard of Cider (9 cp)

Stewed Grouse and Soft Cheese, Tankard of Bitter (12 cp)

Roasted Carrot, Mug of Mead (5 cp)

That's just gross and sad, and a lack of understanding of food, why would you sell a boiled egg with dried beetroot or a roasted carrot by itself?

They have bread everywhere, I use my basic attack, the air slice Alarek taught me when he switched my basic attack to wind blade instead of my air bullets. Which I immediately went back to, but in this case, the large round bread cut to different thicknesses.

After testing them I find thinly sliced bread smashed and layered is a stronger fake tortilla than a thick slice of bread smushed flat. I can't make real tortillas as I don't know how to make bicarbonate soda and the flour here is brownish, not high quality enough to get fancy, and smushing works.

Serving the breakfast burrito, with scrambled eggs, diced potatoes, and melted cheese for (10cp), I show them how to eat it over the second flat bread so it catches whatever falls, as it is very messy and then you have your second burrito ready to go.

Add thin sliced Lamb or some shredded stewed grouse to the burrito for an additional (9cp).

I also created a thinner serving of the burrito for (5cp) as a roasted carrot should only be used as an ingredient. The menu changed based on what could be got, if we could only get lamb and trout, that was on the menu. Eggs were plentiful as they both had chickens and bought eggs.

Auntie showed up with Maurice and had a burrito, she asked if we could make this with any combination of meat, does it need egg?" I answered all of her questions and she said to make this, "And the Meat Pies" I say quickly.

"And the meat pies? What is your menu?" Auntie asks.

1. Vegetable soup or thin burrito with a drink (5cp).

2. Burrito with drink (10cp), add meat (19cp)

3. Meat of the day Pies (Lamb,Chicken, Grouse) with a drink (20cp)

"I don't want to send the 5cp people away, but a roasted carrot is not worth it, you'll make more on the small amount of meat added to the burrito for the 9cp, and then the higher item with whatever meat pie deal you have for that day.

"And you don't have to try and cook 4-5 different dishes every day, if no eggs, replace with beans, if."

"Beans!?" Auntie perks up, "You can get people to eat beans?" That is when I learned Auntie owns this place and every business she stopped at on the way to the ship yesterday.

"Sure, beans, meat or egg would be the differences each day." I answer.

"Sounds good, can you make a few pies as a test?" Auntie asks.

"Sure, I probably need to visit a few bakeries to learn more though," I answer.

"I'll talk to them about you, visiting," She shakes her head, "you sit tight." I find out that Bakery means 90% bread, 10% pies, no real sugary pastries.

Ewith said after Auntie left that the expensive Inn's serve meat pies for higher prices. I ask where they are so I can go look, to an absolute no, I'm not allowed to leave for any reason except back to the ship with an escort. She sent someone and brought back their menu for that day at "The Cracked Goblet"

Baked Lamb and Wheat Bread, Glass of Mead (3 sp)

Braised Grouse with Pepper and Spelt Bread, Glass of Rum (2 sp)

Roasted Griffon and Poached Eggs, Glass of Wine (4 sp)

Braised Dragon and Artichoke, Glass of Mead (3 sp)

Steamed Partridge with Clove and Pear Pie, Glass of Mead (6 sp)

That is when I learned Griffon and Dragon meat exists for what I consider cheap prices, no way I'm fighting a dragon for a 1 silver piece meal, should be gold! The drink seemed to determine the price, more than the food.

The people loved my breakfast burritos, it was heavy enough for them to feel like they got their money's worth while being cheap to make, many would order the cheap one and then order a second one with meat to try the difference. Cooking is more about organizing the ingredients than it is cooking as that part takes care of itself. You just don't want to have a missing item, when you need it.

Ewith walks over and leans over my shoulder, "You make the eggs different."

"Fluffier so they take up more room, whisk until the eggs are foamy, do the same with the butter in the pan, let the butter melt and wait until it shows bubbles so the eggs cook on the butter and not just absorb it."

"Pour in the egg and let it sit for a count of 7, then use the spatula and pull a clear path from the edge to the middle, tilt the pan to let uncooked egg take that spot, turn the pan and do the same all the way around leaving the same sized gap to do the second time around."

"You should be able to then section it out into about 8-10 burritos worth with this pan. With the cheese, potato and meat, one egg per person, if by itself, two eggs, and Thin burritos, cut a third off.

Ewith took over and tried it, I took the plates and drinks to the tables, washed dishes and sectioned up the next ingredients, while she practiced while also making more meat flavored, vegetable soup, now that all of the soups had some meat seared bits in the broth, not wasting anything that will flavor itself. The 5cp people were surprised at the difference in the soup they were forcing down almost every day.