Kit returned to the Inn to find the room empty once again. Kit didn’t want to go out, so he decided to make some more beer. He used the last of the beer to fill some glass bottles. Kit reminded himself he would have to get some more glass bottles tomorrow.

As Kit was filling the barrel with the ingredients a loud pop was heard outside his bedroom door. Kit stopped what he was doing to investigate what had happened. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see Snickers standing in the hall.

“Snickers what are you doing here?”

The small girl gave him a look of grievance.

“What else am I doing, I’m here for my meal.”

Kit didn’t know what was happening for a minute then he remembered the contract he had signed with Snickers. Kit’s eyes widened, was he going to have to see her every day. Snickers answered the unspoken question for him.

“Just make me a batch of meals. Then I won’t have to come every day. I’m too busy creating a dress to worry about finding you all the time.”

Snickers walked around him and entered his room. She didn’t wait for an invitation.

“Is that beer you’re making?”

Snickers had a look of glee on her face. She leaned over the barrel to peer inside.

“Hurry up and finish. I want to try some. Quick, don’t just stand there!”

Snickers pulled him from his frozen state into the room. She manoeuvred him in front of the barrel. Kit could only continue, he knew she wouldn’t leave without trying some first. Kit finished the process and heard the humming coming from the barrel. Once it stopped, he checked to see if it had worked.

Kit took out two paper cups and filled them. He handed one over to Snickers. Snickers downed hers in one go. Kit could only stare at the small figure in front of him. She smacked her lips then held the cup out once again. Kit filled it one more time. He felt like he was selling beer to a minor. He really was going to have to get used to her face not matching her age.

Kit watched as the new drink he gave Snickers was gone before he could blink.

“That’s some nice beer Kit. The stats are horrible but the beer tastes nice. Can we make this as a substitute for a meal?”

“Um, I don’t know how to do that.”

“Just agree.”

“Ok then, yes.”

The golden thread returned winding around Kit and Snickers wrists. It pulsed once then disappeared. Kit was stunned. Had they just amended the contract by verbal agreement. Kit was going to have to be careful what he agreed to in the future.

“This is much better than food. Ok, hand me the barrel, then I won’t see you for a long while.”

Kit shook his head. Even though he didn’t want to see Snickers all the time he knew it would be a bad idea to leave her alone without contact. He had already figured out that she had come today because the contract had kicked in.

Kit guessed she was already working on some plans for his non-existent restaurant.

“Snickers, what have you been working on?”

Snickers raised her head and blinked big clear eyes at him. She put her hands behind her back and shuffled her feet. She looked the picture of a young innocent girl.

“Kit, I have not been doing anything really.”

Kit almost fell for her trap. He really was helpless with small, cute things. Kit had always wanted a little sister to dote on. He had to remind himself she was over 500 years old.

“You said something about a dress?”

“I’m just making my dress for the restaurant.”

“Ok you can show me when you’re finished. I can’t wait to see it.”

Kit really was looking forward to seeing the dress. He wanted to see what bonus it would have. Snickers eyes went round.

“You really want to see it?”

“Yes Snickers. If it’s really good, you can make my outfit for the restaurant too.”

Snickers clapped her hands and hugged him.

“This is great! Arnold and his staff never want to wear what I make. I won’t disappoint you, Kit.”

Snickers had a gleam in her eyes. Kit didn’t care what the clothes looked like, as long as they had good stats. He guessed from what she just said they wouldn’t look too good.

“Good. I’ll give you some bottles of beer. Once they’re finished you can find me and show me what you have done so far.”

Kit handed over three bottles of beer. Snickers took them, smiled, then headed out the door. Kit put the beer away then flopped on the bed. He closed his eyes for a moment to plan what he would do tomorrow.

Kit awoke to a noise at the door. He realised he had drifted off to sleep. He looked out the window and saw the darkened sky, he recognised it was night time. Mars walked through the door as Kit was sitting up.

“Well, hello sleepy head. You are rocking some nice bed hair.” Mars laughed at Kit’s dishevelled look. Kit quickly ran his fingers through his hair.

“Hello Mars, how did the chain quests go today?”

“I couldn’t finish it. I might need your help. I have to take a letter to a guy named Phi at the culinary guild. I went there today but he wouldn’t see me. I’m hoping because you are a member he might come out and see you.”

“Phi? As in instructor Phi.”

“Maybe, I got this from a man in town who used to be friends with a guy named Phi. They had a falling out over a girl. He wanted to apologise but the man wouldn’t see him. So, he gave me a letter to pass on to him. Who knew it would be so hard to get the guy to come out though.”

Kit could just imagine instructor Phi ignoring a request from a stranger. Kit thought Phi could even ignore requests from people he knew. Kit agreed to go with Mars tomorrow to see his instructor. Kit informed Mars that Phi was his instructor at the culinary guild.

“That’s great. I forgot your instructor’s name. No wonder I thought the name sounded familiar. We can go first thing in the morning.”

“Mars did Snowball come back?”

Mars grinned and pulled a sleeping Snowball out of the sling. Kit quickly retrieved him from Mars and snuck a cuddle while he was sleeping. Once he had enough, he placed him on the bed.

“He’s not even dirty. He must have remembered my warning about a bath. Did he find you on his own?”

“Yes, now we won’t have to worry about him. The little guy is good at tracking. He found me when I was in town first thing this morning.”

“That’s great! Mars I’m starved, let’s go get some dinner. Then we can share our day’s events.”

“Ok.”

Once they had their fill of food and conversation they headed to bed for the night. Kit woke early the next morning to find Mars had already gone downstairs to get their breakfast. Kit left Snowball asleep on the bed. Snowball could come and find them when he woke up.

They ate in silence then left to head to the culinary guild. Kit paused at the door of the culinary guild to see if the cat carving would come alive. When it didn’t twitch, he pushed the door open and went over to greet Cecile.

“Hello Kit. I didn’t think I would see you for a while. What can I do for you today?”

“Is instructor Phi available at all today?”

Cecile raised her eyebrows. She then glanced at Mars with a look of recognition. She gave the pair an inquisitive look. “I’ll go check for you, wait here.”

Cecile returned without anyone accompanying her. Kit was about to make an appointment to see instructor Phi when Cecile told them they could go through.

“Do you remember which room to go to?”

“Yes, last one down the hall.”

Cecile nodded then went back to work. Kit led Mars down the corridor to instructor Phi’s room. Kit stopped out the front of the door and knocked. Phi opened the door and motioned the pair to come inside.

“It is too soon for you to be here to advance to the next tier. So, what are you after? Quickly speak, I don’t have all day.”

Kit motioned to Mars to take out the letter. Mars handed the envelope over to Phi. He raised one eyebrow then accepted the letter. He started to read the contents. His face became distorted the further his eyes moved down the paper.

A pulse was seen beating on his temple. He slammed the paper down on the table after he finished reading. Kit had no clue if Mars had finished the quest or not. He peeked at Mars reaction and saw him trying to contain a smile. Kit was relieved it looked like the quest was done.

Instructor Phi headed out the door without a word. Kit was unsure if they should go or wait.

“Mars what is going on?”

“It’s ok I have completed the quests. I will need to give a parcel to the man I got the letter from. Hopefully this is the last quest. We should be able to go once he returns.”

“He looked really angry though. Are you sure it will be, ok?”

The door was pushed open once again. Phi returned with a box. He shoved it in Mars hands.

“You take that. Kit I will be leaving for a while. I am going to see a someone in the capital.”

Instructor Phi’s face was still red with anger. Kit guessed it must have something to do with the letter. Kit nodded his head in understanding.

“Well, if that is all you need, you can go.”

“Thank you for your time instructor.”

Kit got a grunt in reply. Kit was glad the instructor’s anger had not spilled over towards him or he would have had difficulty in the future dealing with him. Kit followed Mars out the door of the culinary guild.

“Do you need me to come and return the package? Or can I go set up my stall again today?”

“No, I can return the package to Hank on my own. I’ll come find you when I’m done.”

“Ok, see you soon.”

Kit left Mars to complete his task and headed over to the western gate to set up his stall. His day went the same as the previous. He finished the stall early so he could head to the market to get the barrels he had ordered. As he was packing up his stall Curt headed over to him.

“Kit did you forget about me once again.”

Kit grimaced when he heard that sentence. His brain turned to mush after a day’s work. Kit retrieved a bottle of beer and handed it over. Curt smiled at his gift.

Ding!

[CAL]

Reputation with guard Curt increased: 10 reputation points.

“Kit if you give me another bottle. I will tell you some useful information I overheard. What do you think, can we trade?”

Kit did not even need to ponder the question. He handed over another bottle of beer.

Ding!

[CAL]

Reputation with guard Curt increased: 10 reputation points.

“That’s a good lad. There is nothing like a cup of Sweet Meadow beer at the end of the day. You are just starting out as a chef, right?”

Kit nodded his head.

“When I was little there was a stall owner that sold a drink called Moon juice magic. The stats in the drink were pretty good. The vendor made quite a name for himself with his drink. Unfortunately, before he could pass down the recipe to someone else, he died.”

“I once asked him what made the drink so magic. He whispered in my ear, the moon berry fairies blessed the moon fruit to add the magic to the drink. Lots of people have tried to make the drink but have been unsuccessful. I believe the moon berry fairies are the key to the magic drink.”

“Mind you no one has ever seen a moon fairy. It would definitely be worth a try to make the drink though. Even if it’s not the moon juice magic drink something close would also be a big hit.”

Kit wanted to make the drink after hearing Curt say the stats of the drink were good. He asked Curt where he could find the moon fruit.

“This is the hard part. It is found on a travelling grove. Luckily there is a moon sphynx that has claimed the grove, so it is stationary at the moment. The moon sphynx fell in love with the drink the vendor created and has been waiting for someone else to make it.”

“If you can make the drink, you have a good chance of claiming the moon sphynx. That is another reason why it is popular for people to try to make the Moon juice magic. You can find the grove outside of the western gate in the forest.”

“Thank you very much for the information, Curt.”

“No problem. If you are successful in making the drink, I want a bottle for free for the information.”

Curt smiled at Kit then headed off. Kit couldn’t wait to head to the grove to find the moon fruit. Luckily there was still daylight left for him to explore the grove. Kit wondered if Mars was finished with his quests yet. He thought it would be too dangerous to go inside the forest without a companion.

Kit decided to pick up the barrels he had ordered yesterday then head back to the inn to find Mars. Kit quickly headed to the market to find the middle aged man. On his way to the stall, he passed a glass maker vendor and picked up some more glass bottles.

As he approached the woodworkers stall, he was greeted by Monroe.

“I thought you would have been here first thing this morning. I was worried you wouldn’t be coming.”

Monroe went over to a wooden chest and handed over five wooden barrels to Kit. His eyes sparkled at his new purchases. He noticed each barrel had a tap attached. Kit was even more happy with the new barrels. He wouldn’t have to worry about using a ladle to get the liquid out.

“Thank you, Monroe these are great.”

Kit thought about the Moon juice magic he was going to try to create. He wondered if Monroe could make a juice barrel. He asked Monroe if that was possible.

“Mmm I always have some in stock. You heard about the moon juice I take it.”

“Yes, I’m going to give it a try.”

“Don’t get too excited ok. Many have tried, not one person has been successful yet. I’m only telling you this, so you won’t be too disappointed if you fail.”

Kit nodded in understanding. If he didn’t try, then he had definitely failed. He would rather try his luck than not even give it a go because it would be hard.

“The juice barrels are only 200 bronze crowns.”

Kit handed over the money. He had made 3 silver and 850 bronze crowns from his stall today, so he didn’t feel the pinch in his pocket handing over the money today. He had also gained another level in his sub class, he was now a level 6 chef. He was happy with his progression.

Monroe went back to the wooded chest and returned with another wooden barrel. Kit thought it would be the same as the alcohol barrel. He was surprised to see this barrel also had a tap attached to the bottom of the barrel. Kit happily put the barrel in his pouch.

“Lad, you have given me so much business today I will give you some advice. To enter the grove, you will first need permission of the moon sphynx. The entrance is found around some large boulders. There is a barrier around the grove preventing entry, the moon sphynx controls the barrier. I don’t know how to persuade the sphynx. I can only help this much.”

“Thank you, Monroe that is more than enough help.”

Kit hurried to the Inn. He couldn’t wait to head out to find the grove. Once he reached the Inn he rushed upstairs to his room. Mars was playing with Snowball on the bed when he entered.

“Kit there you are. We went to the western gate to find you, but you had already left.”

“Sorry Mars, I finished the stall early. I needed to pick up a purchase I had ordered yesterday. Mars I got some information off a guard about a drink that used to be sold in town. It was quite famous and had good stats. I want to try to make it.”

Kit filled Mars in on all he had learned about the Moon juice magic drink.

“That’s great, we can head out now if you like. I’ve finished the chain quests. Before we go, I have a surprise for you.”

Mars pulled out a familiar box. It was the box instructor Phi had given to Mars. Kit raised his eyebrows at the surprise.

“How did you get that?”

“There was an option to do one more quest after I went back to Hank. I figured I had already done so many quests already what was one more. I got this as the reward.”

Mars had a big grin on his face. Kit figured Mars already knew what was inside.

“Mars why are you giving it to me though?”

“I can’t use it. I didn’t sell it because I knew you would need it.”

Mars placed the box into Kits hands. He opened the box to see what Mars was so happy about. Inside was a plain white porcelain plate. They already had plates that came with the camping kitchen Kit was curious why Mars would think he would want another plate.

Kit used identify on the plate to see if there was something special about the plate.

[Magic multiplier plate]

Every chef’s dream is to own one. Multiple’s meals by the level of the chef.

Kit felt his heat pound when he read the description. This was amazing he thought it would be a long time before he would be able to afford something as important as this. Kit ran his fingers over the smooth porcelain, it was cold to the touch.

Kit felt like he didn’t deserve a friend like Mars. How could he just hand over something so important so casually. If he sold this plate Mars could have made quite a bit of money. Kit felt emotional over receiving this gift.

He didn’t know how to properly thank Mars, a simple thank you was not enough. Kit didn’t know what he could do to repay such a wonderful gift.

“Mars this is too much. I don’t even know how to repay you.”

“Kit what are you talking about. We are friends, if you received something that I needed I’m sure you would give it to me, yes?”

Kit could only nod his head. Mars was right if had gotten an item Mars would need, he would have given it to Mars without batting an eye lid. Kit hugged the plate to his chest.

“Thank you, Mars this is wonderful.”

“No problem, we are a team.”

Kit laughed at Mars reply.

“Yes! We are a team. Have you thought of a name for us yet?”

Kit couldn’t help teasing his friend. Mars scrunched his face in reply.

“Let’s head out to the grove before it gets to dark.”

Kit picked up Snowball and took the sling from Mars. They headed out the door to go to the western forest.