Monsters Uprising

The woman entered, heading straight to the counter, followed by Sief, who was taking in the interior, which belonged to a restaurant.

Inside, there were the same round tables, along with several chairs around them, all seemingly having the same metallic system that attracted Sief. He touched the table again, trying to move it, realizing that something was preventing him.

"As I said, it's better to give up," said the woman from the other side of the counter, cleaning a plate with a clean cloth before entering a room behind the counter. "This metal locking system was made by my genius husband. Even if you manage to unlock it, you'll just end up with more problems."

"He did all this to help with a restaurant? How does that make sense?" Sief frowned as he approached the counter, seeing a high stool that required him to support himself to climb up. "He told me this was an inn..."

"And it is an inn," the woman said, coming out of the room carrying a slightly deep pan and a basket with ingredients, a light smile on her face. "Just look over there."

With a large spoon, the woman pointed to the left side of the restaurant, where Sief noticed it was much longer, with a staircase at the far end slightly hidden by the darkness, making him frown slightly until he heard the sound of something breaking.

When he turned back to the front, Sief saw a large metal griddle where the woman was breaking some eggs, pouring a clear liquid onto it, which made a strange sound to Sief's ears as the smell of food began to rise.

Again, she reached into the basket and cut a piece of strange meat, which was heated on the griddle, releasing steam, and the pleasant smell spread as other ingredients were thrown onto the griddle, creating a mixture with some colors and a smell that made Sief swallow hard, already feeling his mouth water.

The woman gave a slight smile as she continued stirring and said:

"The locks are there to prevent the tables from being moved. Drunks are quarrelsome, so to avoid having to repair our workspace and since we can't beat up our customers, my husband's solution was this." She lightly tapped the spoon while stirring the food. "Besides, even if they move these tables, my husband made them heavier than a broadsword. Whoever tries to throw one will end up with a sore back."

"A sore back? And what about not being able to beat up the customers?" He looked at her with suspicion, noticing a light, almost contagious smile on her face. "It seems like a form of entertainment for you too..."

"Changing the subject, about your group, shouldn't you have one?" She grabbed a bowl and began filling it with the food. "Are you also one of those weirdos?"

Sief furrowed his brows at that adjective but soon sighed and continued speaking.

"Your husband belonged to one of those weirdos, from what he told me..."

But before he could finish, the bowl was placed on the table, and Sief widened his eyes, realizing that the food was almost overflowing from the bowl, but the steam released carried a complete aroma, more than any meal Sief had ever had in his life.

Even Tom's stew wasn't as enticing, and Sief continued to admire the meal until a wooden spoon was placed on the table, and the woman said, still with a smile on her face:

"We've talked enough; now go eat before it gets cold."

The smell continued to spread, and the heat hit Sief's face directly. He trembled slightly as he picked up the spoon and, after scooping some food, brought it to his mouth.

Sief's eyes widened, and he quickly scooped another spoonful, blowing on the hot food as he devoured the meal voraciously, which gradually disappeared.

The woman approached with a smile and placed a full glass of water on the table.

"Take it easy; the food isn't going anywhere."

But despite her warning, it was useless. Within minutes, the food was gone, and Sief let out a relieved sigh, his eyes slightly watering as he grabbed the water, tilting the glass and gulping down the liquid in a few swigs.

With the end, another relieved sigh came, and Sief licked his lips, his head slightly lowered and his face warm to the point of reddening.

"I told you to take it easy; you probably didn't even taste the meal, did you?" She continued to watch with a slight smile, and the young man lowered his head slightly. "You haven't eaten something like this in a while, have you?"

"A long time... My sister and I were terrible in the kitchen... and we didn't have much to cook." He raised his head slightly with a smile, his face still slightly flushed. "But I did taste it. For the most part, it's light and creamy, but the salty meat leaves some explosive points... it's the best thing I've ever eaten in my life... thank you, ma'am."

"The best thing you've ever eaten, huh? What a great compliment." The woman continued with a slight smile and finally sighed, returning to the room and saying, "I'll make another dish as a courtesy for you, but appreciate the food as it should be appreciated; otherwise, I'll take it away before you finish it."

Sief lowered his head, giving a slight smile, and in moments, the woman returned with the same ingredients as before, putting them back on the iron griddle, and again the smell rose.

When he lifted his head, Sief noticed that the smell had spread throughout the place, and he turned towards the exit, noticing a calm and atypical rhythm from what he was used to, as if there was no reason to hurry.

"I haven't seen any other explorers around here; it's quite different from Dokkel."

"They've all prepared and left during this period. It's not common for your type to stay away from the capitals and the guild." The woman continued with a slight smile. "I remember the time when my Gideon used to travel a lot. My father said we wouldn't form a couple because there might come a day when he wouldn't come back, especially since he traveled alone, but here we are."

"Gideon was his name..." Sief turned towards the table where the dish seemed almost ready. "I puzzled an explorer when he found out I hunted alone. I imagine it's because of the danger. I have my reasons, but what about your husband? Why did he hunt alone?"

When questioned, the woman's eyes gleamed slightly, not like an aura but as if it were a feeling of nostalgia that made her light smile become a bit more distant.

"He didn't always hunt alone; he and his brothers were from a family of talented explorers. You might come across one of his brothers in the cities or even in the territories... We haven't had any news of them anymore." She sighed and placed the meat on the metal griddle. "They were talented hunters with many expectations. My husband doesn't talk much about his journey, but I know they encountered a wall too difficult to overcome or climb. The brothers gave up after that, but he didn't want it to be the end... until he faced that wall again..."

"Was that wall... a monster?" Sief leaned slightly forward.

"Probably... You see, we have several main families of explorers and guilds that help fight the monsters, but even so, the beasts are still difficult to defeat." She finished cooking and picked up the bowl, saying, "Humanity should unite a bit more, but in the end, killing monsters and selling their materials has become a very lucrative job. Maybe they don't want to live in a world without monsters anymore... but maybe that will change after everything that's happened..."

Sief lowered his head slightly as he remembered the incident in Dokkel and the Forta village. In the end, he sighed, imagining how everyone had already gotten used to the monsters in their territories.

It might not even be possible to imagine a world where they didn't need to live armed or within walls. Even the weapons they carried had become much more common.

In the midst of his reverie, Sief saw the bowl being placed in front of him again, steaming, and with a smile, the woman offered another spoon.

Sief sighed, smiling awkwardly and accepting the spoon, placing it over the dish and scooping some food while blowing on it.

He brought the food to his mouth and once again felt an explosion of flavors. Chewing calmly, he could appreciate it a bit more, and the woman smiled.

"Now you're doing it right."

"Yeah, maybe I didn't notice how good it really was with that first one." He swallowed and scooped another spoonful into the bowl but soon remembered something and asked, "It's true, they say there are no monsters here, but I noticed that this place is doing pretty well for a city that was attacked... did you have strong explorers here?"

"We weren't attacked; from the rumors, the monsters that appeared mostly came from nearby territories. I don't know if we were lucky or if it's because the city is hard to access, but we didn't go through that problem..." She grabbed another glass of water and placed it on the table, showing a slight, proud smile. "And as for our explorers, they're good, but I'm sure my Gideon is the strongest, even after all these years of retirement."

Sief saw the woman place her hand on her bicep with a proud smile that made the young man smile awkwardly, returning to eating while daydreaming.

'So those monsters really were an anomaly?...'

The rest of the day passed peacefully, and when night fell, Sief climbed the stairs and turned back, hearing the voices of some people entering the restaurant, along with the sound of an instrument that began to fill the place.

Sief gave a slight smile and headed for one of the doors, inserting the key given to him by the red-haired woman who had bid him farewell with a smile. As he entered the room, he thought:

'A kitchen so close to everyone, yet I didn't get burned... so...' He sighed, contemplating the room. 'It must be another strategy by that blacksmith to make people buy more by smelling that good aroma.'

In front of him, he could see a window that allowed the light of the full moon to fill the room, illuminating a simple bed with clean sheets, along with a small table in the corner where Sief placed his backpack.

He took off his shirt, which had more cuts than he could remember, and finally sat on the bed, noticing how it sank slightly under his weight. Once again, he felt the heaviness of sleep settling over him.

The meal had surely contributed to this, but as if weakness was overtaking his body, Sief let himself fall back and sink into the sheets, noticing once again the difference between a warm bed and the hard ground he had grown accustomed to during much of his life while traveling through the territories.

Slowly, his surroundings darkened rapidly, and Sief furrowed his brow, thinking:

'Was I poisoned?... No... It feels more like something to make me sleep... Could it be used in combat?...'

Gradually, the aches in Sief's body began to prevent him from moving as he remained trapped in his thoughts.

'I'll collect some materials so you can have a bed like this... Beatrice...'

He sighed and turned his face, falling into a deep sleep.