Chapter 197: “Pie Harder: The Great Escape”

The Pie of Power glowed faintly in Kazuya's arms as the group sprinted through the dark forest, their breaths visible in the cool night air. Behind them, the Culinary Cabal's forces gave chase—an army of chefs, servers, and sentient rolling pins crashing through the underbrush.

"Who knew Michelin-starred villains were so relentless?!" Kazuya yelled, narrowly dodging a flying spatula.

"I told you stealing the Pie would cause chaos!" Sylvara snapped, her eyes glowing faintly as her magic simmered under the surface.

"You didn't say they'd send a soufflé golem after us!" Ravynne shouted, pointing at the lumbering mass of wobbly custard and egg whites barreling toward them.

The golem let out a gurgling roar, the air around it filled with the scent of slightly burnt sugar.

"Not gonna lie," Crustopher said, clutching his baguette, "this smells amazing. Should we eat it?"

"We're not eating the monster!" Sylvara yelled, yanking Crustopher forward before he could take a bite.

Quackleton, glowing faintly from his Pie-enhanced powers, squawked indignantly and launched himself at the soufflé golem, landing a tiny but explosive roundhouse kick to its wobbly midsection.

"Quackleton! No!" Kazuya shouted as the duck's impact caused the golem to explode in a cloud of powdered sugar and caramel drizzle.

The Bridge of Breadsticks

The group burst out of the forest and skidded to a halt at the edge of a massive canyon. A rickety bridge made entirely of breadsticks stretched across the gap, swaying dangerously in the wind.

"This… feels like a trap," Sylvara said, eyeing the bridge suspiciously.

"We don't have a choice," Ravynne said, glancing back at the approaching Cabal forces. The chefs were riding on bizarre food-themed mounts—a man on a giant rolling pin, a woman on a massive cheese grater, and what looked like a velociraptor made entirely of shrimp cocktail.

"RUN!" Kazuya shouted, leading the charge onto the bridge.

The breadsticks creaked ominously under their weight, and Quackleton quacked in protest, flapping his wings as if preparing to abandon ship.

"Don't you dare leave me, you glowing loaf!" Kazuya snapped at the duck, clutching the Pie tighter as the bridge began to crumble behind them.

Battle on the Breadsticks

Halfway across the bridge, the Cabal caught up. One of the chefs, a towering man with arms like ham hocks, leaped onto the bridge wielding a massive rolling pin.

"You think you can steal our Pie and get away with it?!" the chef roared.

"Uh, yeah?" Kazuya said, before ducking under a swing of the rolling pin.

Sylvara stepped forward, her tail flicking dangerously. "You picked the wrong bridge to fight on, pal."

With a wave of her hand, she sent a burst of magic at the chef, causing the breadsticks beneath his feet to sprout garlic butter vines that wrapped around his ankles.

"BEHOLD THE POWER OF GARLIC!" she shouted dramatically, as the chef toppled into the canyon with a scream.

"Did you just weaponize seasoning?" Ravynne asked, both impressed and slightly horrified.

"It's versatile!" Sylvara snapped.

The Pie's Mysterious Power

As they reached the other side of the bridge, the Pie of Power began to glow more brightly, casting an eerie golden light.

"Why is it doing that?" Kazuya asked, holding it at arm's length.

"It's reacting to something," Crustopher said, squinting at the Pie. "Or… someone."

The group turned to look at Quackleton, who was glowing faintly and staring at the Pie with wide, suspiciously hungry eyes.

"Oh no," Kazuya said. "No way. You're not eating this thing."

Quackleton quacked defiantly, flapping his wings.

"He's right," Ravynne said, crossing her arms. "We can't trust a duck with infinite power. Imagine the chaos."

"Imagine the memes," Sylvara muttered.

Ambushed Again

Before they could debate further, the ground beneath them rumbled, and a trapdoor opened, sending the group tumbling into a hidden underground lair.

They landed in a heap on a soft, doughy surface. As they stood and dusted themselves off, they realized they were surrounded by walls of rising bread dough.

"Okay, this is officially too much bread," Kazuya said, pulling a piece of dough off his sleeve.

The Pâtissière of Peril appeared, stepping out of the shadows with a smug smile. "You didn't think you'd escape so easily, did you?"

"Lady, do you ever quit?" Sylvara asked, her hands crackling with magic.

The Pâtissière ignored her, focusing instead on the Pie of Power. "That artifact belongs to me. Hand it over, and I might let you leave with your lives."

"Or," Kazuya said, "we could smash it and ruin your whole evil plan."

The Pâtissière's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, I'd dare," Kazuya said, lifting the Pie over his head dramatically.

"Wait!" Crustopher shouted. "If you smash it, we'll lose its power forever!"

"Good," Ravynne muttered under her breath.

Quackleton, meanwhile, was inching closer to the Pie, his beady eyes locked on it like a predator.

To Be Continued…

As tensions rose, the room seemed to vibrate with the energy of the Pie of Power, its golden light casting eerie shadows.

"Choose wisely," the Pâtissière said, her voice dripping with menace.

And as Kazuya hesitated, Quackleton made his move…