Ch 23 Gastronomy...Gastronomy!!!

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[Many Miles North of Valewood]

A handsome Aelven man dressed in fine green clothing rode atop a large Red Hart, its razor sharp antlers glistening in the evening sun as it descended into a shrouded green valley among rolling hills....If one looked closely they'd notice a three foot tall smooth faced gnome sitting on the powerful antlered beast.

*Clip *Clop

"Woah there...." I spoke aloud while bringing the massive Red Hart to a standstill, the creature chuffed in agreement before coming to a stop beside a small glade.

Little Hirni didn't seem to pleased at my choice of camp however.

"You want to set up camp here? Isn't it too gloomy?" Hirni asked while looking around with furrowed little brows at the dreary location.

"This is a fantastic place, the Hills will block the light from our fire.....but if you don't want a fire we can go somewhere with a better view.....if you don't mind cuddling for warmth." I joked and instantly received a hard pinch to my stomach from her vicious little fingers.

"How would i cook my famous stew if we don't have a fire!!!....and anyway Gnomes don't need to cuddle for warmth since we are a superior species." Hirni chuffed while crossing her little arms in discontent.

I had to try my best not to burst out in laughter at her antics, but hearing something about a stew instantly piqued my interest.

"....You said something about a Famous stew?" I asked while dismounting, she stayed sitting cutely on the saddle but As soon as my feet hit the ground Hirni extended her little arms, asking to be set down on the ground.

I lifted her up briefly before setting her down carefully, her pinches were something to be feared after all.

"Of course, any good gnome family line has their own recipe..." She spoke with a proud look on her little face then I saw a bit of panic in her eyes.

"Can you go hunt some meat? I only brought the dried stuff in my storage stone.....Mutton works best but I can make other things work as well, I'll even settle for some human if you can find it." She spoke nonchalantly but it was completely surprising to me.

"You've eaten humans? why?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, wondering if this little gnome should be feared.

"We Gnomes eat everything if we can make it taste good... don't worry though, everyone knows Aelves make for poor table fair...too damn stringy and taste like grass ew." She spoke.

"What about the Dwarves? Do they eat humans too?" I asked curiously.

"No...Those stinking bearded drunks are no good at cooking unless you call making whisky a culinary skill...Gnomes usually take care of Dwarven Kitchens." She spoke with a little smile while remembering her life in Mount Hardbier.

"How does that society work, Gnomes and Dwarves i mean." I asked while removing the Saddle from my mount.

"They dig their mines and we grow the food and take care of the little things they cant be bothered to do....The Dwarven and Gnomish always live worse when apart so we stick together."

She spoke before taking a large kettle out from her storage gem.

Inside the kettle were various sacks and potted containers of the most delectable and mouthwatering spices and ingredients, The scent which emerged from the cauldron instantly made my mouth water and stomach grumble.

"Oh fuck...what kind of spices are those?" I asked while reaching over into the pot to grab one of the sacks, my mind overcome with a desire to eat whatever they were.

*POW!

"Ouch..." like a bolt of lightning her little hand came down with surprising power for a being of her size and smacked the back of my palm, leaving a bright red mark.

"Don't touch a gnome's spices!!!" She spoke with a vicious little snarl, almost like one of the famed vicious creatures known as Chihuahuas.

But as soon as her anger started it fizzled out into nothing as she got hold of her instincts.

"Sorry White Hair, I forget that Aelven noses are incredibly sensitive.....Each strain has been solely cultivated by my ancestors for millennia in Lichenstone." Hirni spoke with a great deal of pride.

"I've never smelled any spice so captivating let alone several..... Your family really is something." I spoke which instantly brought a smile to her little face.

"Hmm....Yes they are...." She spoke with a small nod before pulling out three sacks of varied vegetables from her dimensional storage as I finally finished removing all the tack from The Deer Mount.

I set a hand on 'Potato' before speaking.

"Hey buddy....we'll need you here in the morning but you can do as you please until then just don't wander too far." I spoke softly, the powerful deer let out a small chuff before nodding softly and bounding off into the forest.

*Clip *Clop

*Clip *Clop....

Soon after i walked over to the nearby underbrush and began collecting dry branches and twigs for a fire.

My blade cleaved fallen tree limbs and branches with ease, Before long I'd stacked the logs just as Hirni finished peeling Turnips and Carrots.

"You go find some meat White Hair, I'll tend to the fire." Hirni spoke while shooing me away.

"Let out a yell if anything comes up, I'll be right back." I spoke.

She smirked and held her hand out.

*POOF

Out of nowhere A crossbow made of polished steel and brass accents appeared in her hand, it even had a cylindrical magazine.

"Don't worry about me White Hair, A Master Runesmith can defeat a hundred trained warriors with ease." She spoke and fired a bolt into a nearby tree.

I saw the solid steel bolt fly at frightening speeds, it easily ripped through two oak trees before lodging itself into another, My gaze didn't miss that it had automatically loaded another quarrel into its firing mechanism....

"Goodness gracious that's impressive." I spoke in amazement at the runic weapon

"Her name is Candle, She's one of a kind.... Not even King Hargrave has one like it." She spoke with a giddy smile while looking at her shiny crossbow then she turned to me and spoke.

"Can you get that quarrel? I cant reach that high." She spoke while gesturing to the bolt that had ripped through two whole trees.

I walked over and grasped the bolt firmly before ripping it out of the tree.

The bolt was made of solid steel, A razor sharp barbed tip, a few fine runic engravings along its length.

I handed it back to her and she inspected it for a moment before loading it into the Candle's magazine after making sure it wasn't deformed.

"By the way Hirni, why do you call it candle?" I asked before leaving.

"Because anyone shot by it goes out like a candle...hehehe!!!" she spoke with a cute little giggle and a nearly malevolent grin.

Soon after I walked out into the dense woods in search of meat.

After finding myself deep into the dense forests My sensitive ears absorbed every critter and creature around.

The faint rustling of rabbits munching on roots ten meters away, A hawk viciously ripping into a mouse at the highest branches of an ancient mulberry tree.

I continued on nearly soundlessly, Aelven instincts made moving quietly into a second nature,

I continued silently until i sensed what I was looking for.

my ears twitched and focused in on some distant noises.

*Grunt.... *Grunt....

*SQUEAL!.... *Grunt....

*Grunt.... *Grunt....

I walked steadily toward the source of the noises, each step methodical and exact.

*Rustle...

*Grunt... *Grunt...

As I neared the rustling and grunting noises a greasy stench filled my sensitive nose, it made my face scrunch for a moment before continuing forward but the smell was a familiar one.....Boar.

After following the stench and sounds I came to a stop which overlooked about an acre of overgrown gooseberry bushes and thorny brambles.

Immediately my sharp eyes noticed movement.

I focused in on a collection of rustling bushes, a dozen shadows moved amongst the dense foliage.

*SHIIIING!!!!

My blade left its sheathe and my legs propelled me forward in a flash time slowed as I burst through the dense vegetation and found more than a dozen Boar, most sleeping or munching on nearby gooseberries.

My blade swung at one of the smaller tusked beasts.

*SLICE!!!

*SQUELCH!!!

*THUD.

One of the young boar's had its head sliced clean off, its body stiffened up and dropped onto the leaves below which awoke the others from their tranquil rest.

*REEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!X13

the others let out terrified squeals and fled with all due haste into the forest while kicking up fresh earth with their hooves.

I spread my senses just to make sure none of them decided to make their way back, an angered boar can shred flesh as easily as any blade after all.

But the animals decided to flee into the distance without a fight, I kneeled down and gutted the decapitated beast, careful not to nick its stomach or intestines.

*Slice

*Squelch

*RIP....

Once the beast was gutted I reached down and grabbed the carcass by the leg before walking back to camp as the last drops of its blood finished dripping out.

When I neared the camp I spotted Hirni who was sitting cross legged beside the burning campfire, she was grinding fragrant spices with a mortar and pestle while humming a little tune.

~HMM...HOO....HMM....MMM....~

as I approached her nose twitched at the smell of fresh blood, Hirni looked over and smiled upon seeing the catch.

"Ooh..It's the perfect size!... Huge boar's have a strong flavor while the young ones are just too tender.....this one is perfect!" Hirni spoke.

"Hand it over i'll harvest the meat!" She spoke while scrambling over and taking the carcass from my hand and scurrying back to her place beside the fire.

My eyes widened in surprise at watching her easily lift the beast seeing how tiny she was.

"Go lay down or something White Hair, my famous stew won't be ready for a while...but it's worth the wait." Hirni spoke while peeling the boar's skin skillfully.

*Slice

*Peel....

"Alright i need a nap anyway, i have high hopes." I spoke before summoning my lean to tent and setting it up not too far from the warm flames with soft pelts as a cushion.

The nearby crackling fire warmed my entire body as my eyes grew heavy.....

. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .[Unnamed Gold Cavern/Mine, Terrevon Peaks]

A Large Crimson Dragon slept peacefully atop a mound of unrefined Gold nuggets deep in a cavern.

Its huge scaled body heaved up and down with each slow breath, its vibrant scales shimmered under the faint glow of Luminous Moss, If one looked closely they'd notice one of its eyes had been lost, only a vicious scar remained.

While in a deep sleep, the distinct scent of blood reached the Crimson Dragons nostrils.

They flared broadly for a long moment and took in a deep whiff of air to scrutinize the scent more carefully.

*GRUMBLE.... The large dragon's belly rumbled in ravenous anticipation of what would soon come.

*Pitter *Patter....

After a few long minutes the dragon's sole yellow eye opened wide, its slitted pupil contracting and expanding for a long moment as it roamed around to find the source of the noise.

The approaching pitter patter of bare feet revealed a large group goblins entering the huge cave where the dragon dwelled.

the band of a dozen goblins dressed in pelts had strained looks on their faces as they worked together in dragging the cumbersome bodies of three humans and a large dog toward the mighty dragon.

"Eeep!! Eeep!!!..." the goblins squeaked out reverently while setting the corpses in front of the beast.

*GRRRRRR....

The dragons deep chest let out a low grumble before setting it's claws on one of the human corpses.

Its horrifying maw of sword like teeth moved down and ravenously tore one of the human's legs off with ease before devouring it.

*CRUNCH!!! *CRUNCH!!!

*SQUELCH!!! *SQUELCH!!!

*GULP

Before long The huge beast finished two of the three human corpses, the third it took into its mouth and lifted it up gently.

The little goblins looked on with awestruck eyes the entire time as the dragon set down the carcass somewhere behind it, in the dark depths of a small side channel.

The sounds of Faint scurrying and flesh being torn apart soon echoed around the cavern chamber.

The huge Crimson Dragon turned back and tossed the hunting dog into its mouth as the goblins dressed in pelts soon scurried out of the cavern chamber.

A wise decision just in case the crimson beast felt a bit peckish after the meal.

But they had little to fear, the dragon simply laid back down on his mountain of gold nuggets.

But before It could fall into a deep slumber, Its slitted yellow eye focused on a small female goblin that rushed in, it's face was covered in soot and carried a rawhide sack over it's shoulder

*Pitter *Patter....

"Eeep!!! Eeeeeep!!!" The little goblin chirped excitedly before taking the sack from her shoulder and opening it wide.

Inside were two handfuls of gold nuggets which were quickly dumped into the massive pile where the dragon rested.

*GURGLE....

The huge beast gurgled in contentment, it's instincts for gold sated by the ever increasing horde.

The little female goblin scurried out of the room and down one of the Luminous Moss lit passages toward where the deeper mines were located.

The chirps and squeaks of many of goblins were heard over the sounds of rocks being chipped and broken apart as they worked hard to collect more gold for the dragon they worshiped as a God.

. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .[Near The Town Of Tuskhill, South Of Terrevon Mountain Range]

A sturdy four horse carriage exited the dense forest and came to a complete stop at the crest of a large hill.

far in the distance The Terrevon Mountain Range could be seen, Nearly all were white capped and beautiful.

Between the Carriage and the Mountain range was a sprawling town with a modestly sized but well built castle.

A dozen windmills and many pluming trails of smoke from Blacksmiths and Bakers could be seen trailing into the evening air, around the town were sprawling fields, tall with wheat, rye, and millet, truly a bountiful place.

"We're finally here!!!" Alosia the big titted mage yelled excitedly while jumping up and down, her huge udders bounced heavily under her modest blue robe.

"Harry lets get to Tuskhill already, I can't stand being on the road for another minute..." Callan the group's Cleric spoke with a sigh as his girlfriend Jane massaged his shoulders.

"Callan is right, I need to visit a Church soon to partake in the holy vespers." Florence the Paladin Maiden spoke, her emotionless voice as cool as ice.

Harry blushed for a long moment under his helmet, whenever Florence spoke he felt butterflies in his stomach after all.

"We'll get there before long...Yip Yip!"

Harry urged the powerful horses forward, the carriage moved on toward the large town.

Soon enough the sturdy carriage reached the threshold of Tuskhill, stopped by its guards at the entrance.

"Hold for inspection!" A big bellied gate guard yelled aloud and held his halberd out to stop the four adventurers, the man had a stalk of wheat sticking out from between his teeth.

Harry stopped the horses and opened the visor of his polished helm as the potbellied guard walked up.

*Clink...

"Good to see you again Kenneth." Harry spoke with a charming smile, the guardsman looked at him strangely for a moment before his face lit up in realization.

"Little Harry! Good to see you again lad, you've grown quite a bit since last I saw ye!" The guard spoke with a jovial smile after remembering the blonde adventurer.

"Aye two years pass quickly, I'm glad to see you in good health." Harry spoke and patted the man on the shoulder.

"What ye doing here lad? Another bounty?" The potbellied guard asked while picking his nose.

"Aye, the biggest one yet..." Harry spoke with a meaningful smile.

The guards eyebrows furrowed for a long moment before the stalk of wheat fell from his mouth.

"No...are ye really goin' after the one eyed beast." The guard asked with shock in his voice.

"Indeed Kenneth...King Clovis himself commissioned us." Harry spoke while pulling a scroll from his storage, A Letter of Marque signed by the Therian King himself.

The guard took the scroll and squinted his eyes for a moment become mouthing the words.

[...{Let All who read this letter know, Harrion The Blue is under the purview and protection of His Royal Highness Clovis VIII Therianopolus, All good and loyal Therians shall aid and assist the bearer of this letter, A Royal order under penalty of death.}...]

The guard finished reading and broke into a fit of giggles.

"Hahahaha....to...hahaha...to think that little schmuck i met all that time ago would end up with a Royal benefactor...haha..." The guard laughed before passing back the parchment.

"Yer' free to pass, just head to Lord Billian's Castle. he'll whip me red if you stay at the Inn instead of his home before ye' kill the dragon." The guard spoke with a hearty smile before waving the carriage through.

Harry urged the horses forward through the gates and before long they found themselves in the Courtyard of Viscount Billian.

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[Elsewhere]

"Wake Up!" I heard a cute little voice shout from beside me.

Instantly my eyes shot open and I spotted Hirni standing there with a large bowl of steaming stew.

It's delectable savoury scent made my mouth water beyond belief.

"Here you go, Tell me what you think." Hirni spoke while handing over the bowl.

I pulled a spoon from my storage and scooped up a chunky spoonful of the stew and brought it close to my mouth.

*NOM...

The first bite was orgasmic, a primal groan was drawn out from me as the tender boar and rich sauce spread throughout my palate and brought me into a state of bliss....A foodgasm.

As soon as I finished chewing and swallowing the heavenly stew Hirni poked my cheek with her little finger to snap me out of my bliss.

"So?...." She asked expectantly.

"As a wise man once said....E'en the most gifted bard's rhyme can sing to the lack of her and all she isn't.." I spoke before spooning another delicious mouthful of the famous stew into my mouth.

Hirni stood with narrowed eyes as she unraveled my words, when she finally made sense of them she smiled sweetly and her cheeks blushed lightly at the compliment.

Then she brought out a bowl of her own as we sat side by side in the warmth of the campfire.

*Nom...

*Nom....

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