Elegy For An Epilogue

A faint smile rested on Cecillia’s lips. The sky was no longer purple, the clouds giving way to the light of the twin moons. Stars twinkled languidly in an otherworldly display of fantastical colour and a gentle, billowing breeze sifted through her hair. The wind brushing against her skin was cold enough to soothe her minor burns, but Cecillia had her mind settled elsewhere.

‘Cecillia. You are now a cook in this kitchen.’

An earnest grin had been on the Chef’s face when those exact words entered her ears. The same woman who had berated her for two entire days had just congratulated her on a feat that she had never expected to achieve. Cecillia didn’t know how to feel and had quietly exited the kitchen after a quick celebratory meal.

Now, she sat on top of an empty carriage, eyes cast into her upturned palms as the refugees began to settle down for the night. There was a lingering feeling, permeating through her chest that felt somewhat familiar. It made her feel a strange warmth that she couldn’t quite name. Something along the lines of pride was it?

Cecillia shook her head softly and shuffled her fingertips against the hem of her dress absentmindedly. Her gaze swept across the encampment before they landed on the apron and pack at her side. The uniform had a roughly sewn insignia in the middle of the cloth, a little red dragon with a silver blade slashing in a diagonal cross. It was the symbol of Willowmere’s one and only restaurant, The Dragon’s Den, and was also one of the only reasons why travelers even bothered to venture all the way out to the small town.

A shallow sigh escaped her lips and she opened up the backlog of notifications. Becoming a cook along with the apron weren’t the only rewards she had gained.

[Congratulations! Your cooking job has leveled up multiple times! Displaying level ups…]

[Job: Cook is now level 1]

[Job: Cook is now level 9]

It was the furthest jump in levels since she had been indoctrinated with the system, but Cecillia wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. No noticeable change had occurred in her body, nothing special like the stat points that were gained from killing monsters, and no new skills. Yet every time she thought of a food or dish, ideas would sprout in her mind of how to improve them and such. It was odd, but it was at the bottom of her list of worries. What really mattered was becoming a cook, and gaining access to coin.

Of course, living a life as a fulltime cook didn’t sound too bad, but Cecillia wasn’t the type of person who wanted to be confined within society. For the rest of the journey, the Chef would kindly allow her to work and she could earn a decent wage to continue along her way in Windhaven. There was a large problem though… she didn’t know what to do, or rather…

“Ugh. I’m broke.”

Cecillia buried her face in her hands before taking out a number of coins from her pocket. There were six of them with one larger than the others. The interesting thing though was that the coins were different from the ones currently stored in Bluey’s stomach. They appeared more modernistic and didn’t exactly share the intricacies of the Ellin or Merrid.

[Ignis]

[Quart: 5]

The Ignis that was slightly larger resembled copper, whilst the quarts resembled a bronze metal. This was far below the set wage for the Dragon’s Den, but with the caravan state the village was in, it was all they could afford to give her. Still, if Cecillia wanted the freedom to figure herself out, money was something that needed to be solved assuming that she’d stay within civilization.

“Or I could just live in the wild…” she mumbled.

Cecillia immediately shook her head, wrapping her arms around her shoulders as a shiver ran down her spine. The mere mention of living in the wild brought back memories of that one time an excursion had gone horribly wrong. Her thrusters were damaged, wings unable to receive power, with the only sustenance available being her dead comrades, or the alien corpses. A sour taste emerged in her mouth and the thought was flushed down the drain.

Sighing, Cecillia slung her belongings over the shoulder and hopped down from the carriage. She landed on the cool grass, giving one last glance towards the sky before returning to her designated spot. There, she found Blackie and Bluey patiently waiting for her. She received her pets with a small smile and in minutes, her tent was ready.

“Night guys,” Cecillia whispered.

***

The next couple of days passed quietly without so much as a bump in the road. Cecillia had shared in the kitchen’s duties, helping with the breakfasts and dinners. She wasn’t great compared to the others, but it was a comfortable job, and at times even fun. None of the cooks bothered to attempt random conversation with her other than the necessary words which she greatly appreciated and her skills had progressed even further. Ever since she had started to treat cooking like a battle, it had somehow gotten easier.

Cecillia had mentioned the fact to the chef, but the only reply was cryptic in nature. Something along the lines of the soul, which obviously, Cecillia wasn’t able to understand. It had left her puzzled, but in the end, she merely shook her head and continued along her way.

Cecillia frowned at the thought and glanced over her shoulder. Olivia was there with an apple in her hands, talking with Gordon. They had just finished preparing breakfast for the day and the little break that would have before it was time to go was much needed.

Olivia noticed the woman’s stare and gave a wave with a bright smile before returning to her conversation. Cecillia motioned back with a light nod of her own and shoved a spoonful of oats into her mouth. She stared down at the bowl after she swallowed, wondering how something so simple could taste so good.

‘The power of the system…’ Cecillia mused.

As she continued to eat her food, the faint echoes of conversation trickled in her ears unwarranted. During the past few days, Cecillia had been able to know the other cooks better. Either through small talk or over hearing little details, she had a general understanding of the group. Apparently, all of them save the Chef, Bruce and Olivia were born and raised within Willowmere.

Stories of their childhood had gone around about their time in the peaceful village and it reminded her of the life she had once lived. School, friends, f_mi_y—anyways, the cooks had their sentiments about losing their home, but surprisingly many of them actually looked forward to the future.

‘Those two, they definitely have something going on.’

Olivia and Gordon, the two people Cecillia thought a little odd. Anytime she was anywhere near them, the atmosphere was too pink for her liking. They had talked about opening up a restaurant somewhere, but the chef had poured the tub of cold water on their heads. After all, a contract had its terms and conditions.

Releasing a satisfied yawn, Cecillia placed her bowl into the sink and left the tent with a quick farewell. The villagers had gathered around the center and like her, were just about finished with the food. Weariness was seen on their faces, but rather than the initial despair, determination shone through. Cecillia could see it in their movements. They all wanted this to be over, to find a new home. Normal people at that, forced against their will by a war. Wasn’t that a familiar joke.

‘Just two more days right?’

It was just two more days until they would reach the city of Windhaven. The Nareth mountain range wasn’t just a speck of rock anymore, and instead loomed over them in the fair distance. Thankfully, it was an easy route as the valley would lead to a canyon that filtered into the Tunnels of Kaust. And if things ended up well, they would reach that canyon by the end of the day.

Fifteen minutes passed and they were once again on the road. Cecillia sat atop a carriage and brandished the dagger that Doran had given to her. Bluey sat atop her head and jiggled along with the bumbling path. She balanced the weapon absentmindedly as the scenery flowed past. Trees grew into blurring greens and the sky gradually turned pink as the sun headed to bed.

It was a relaxing pace, but the people below were hushed. The atmosphere was tenser than not as the gentle sunlight gradually filtered away. It was common knowledge that the worst of thoughts could appear in the night. While some brooded with fear, Cecillia didn’t mind the peace at all, rather, she preferred it to the clamorous headache she would always get.

The scouts had also reported that the land was quiet, and with Doran, she doubted that anything could go wrong. That was until a head peeked over the side of the carriage and looked at her with a grin.

“Laen?”

The boy pulled himself up and clambered into a crawl atop the carriage. Dirt could be seen on his face, and he didn’t smell all that great. Maybe he had been rolling around in the forest, but the blood staining his clothing told another story.

“Did you go with the scouts?” Cecillia asked, glancing at his shirt.

Laen sat down next to her and nodded. “Yeah, found a few bears that attacked us, but nothing crazy.”

“I see,” she returned her gaze to the path. “Then did you level up?”

“No, I haven’t gotten a level since the last time we went out together,” Laen sighed and stretched. “What about you? What did you do today with the cooks?”

“Me?” Cecillia asked. “I just made some snacks for breakfast and helped with the dinner stew.”

The boy laughed. “Isn’t that boring? Why don’t you ditch them tomorrow and we can explore the tunnels. I’ve heard there’s special monsters way scarier than the ones in the forest.”

Cecillia shook her head. “It’s okay, I have to be in the kitchen.”

“What, why?” Laen said. “Do you really like cooking that much?”

Cecillia turned to the boy, lips curled into a frown as she stared into his eyes.

“I need money.”

Laen blinked at her words. “Money? Like the coins and stuff?”

“Is there anything else called money?” Cecillia tilted her head. “Besides, the kitchen… I like cooking. It makes me warm.”

“Warm…?” The boy’s gaze turned absent as he shook his head. “Never mind. Money. My dad has a lot of it, I can ask him to give you some. I’m sure he wouldn’t min—”

“No,” Cecillia said. “He’s done enough. This is something I have to do by myself.”

“It’s fine really—” Laen stiffened when he felt her cold gaze and his mouth quickly closed. The feeling immediately ceased and a sigh left his lips.

They both stopped talking after that. Laen simply lay on his back, fiddling with a mana core, while Cecillia enjoyed the last rays of sunlight that filtered through the edge of the horizon. Their pace had slowed quite considerably as the terrain grew continuously rocky. The ride was a lot more bumpier due to the uneven path and even the people below were muttering their qualms. Although, nothing could be helped with the uncomfortableness, it was either deal with or, or walk.

An hour longer passed and the villagers came to a full stop. They had already left the forest and were now within the base of the canyon. Barren rock and stone curved upwards into massive walls layered in different sedimentary colours. The air was dry and the tang of limestone lingered in her nose. It reminded her of places in the history books, and the sight before her was comparable or even surpassing.

The canyon itself was a couple hundred meters wide, and Cecillia had to crane her neck at almost a 90 degree angle to see the top. Ahead of them, the Tunnel of Kaust could be seen. A large dark abyss, half a kilometre away was just waiting to swallow them up.

The reason why they hadn’t ventured into the tunnel yet was because of the threat of monsters. It had been a long day of travel, and the villagers were but normal humans. Thus, the plan was to wait for the next morning when everyone was rested to continue onwards through Kaust.

Cecillia yawned and pitched her tent. Lanterns were set alight as the camp grew silent, the only sounds remaining were the wind whistling over stone. She gestured a goodnight to her pets before dropping into her bed. But as she closed her eyes, only a few minutes of rest was gained before a blaring horn entered her ears.

“MONSTER ATTACK!!!”