It's set in another Earth, where magic has always existed, but magic users are rare, and tend to cloister themselves away from the Common Man, which pleases both groups. Their are magical being like spirits and monsters, but they tend to live in areas where manna, a term for magical energy, is abundant. Wizards also tend to locate themselves on rich veins of energy, because spells cannot be cast without manna. If two wizards are battling, each spell they cast drains their surroundings and themselves of manna, until one of them faints of exhaustion. In this world, casting magic is a highly structured process, and spells can only be cast with the correct words, hand movements, and physical ingredients. Schools for teaching the art of magic are also highly structured, and strict. The school does not care what spells a young wizard wants to learn, or what kind of wizard they want to be. The school is training you to be a wizard as they define it, and know certified spells they approve of. So having a uncommon magical talent is not something treasured, but shunned because it gets in the way of standardized spell-casting.
But enough of my summaries, here is the first chapter!
Levi panted as he stoked the flames burning inside the stove's huge iron belly. The massive stove was meant to provide heat to the entire kitchen, but today it was only Levi using his Uncle's canteen. The other cooks and staff had been given the day off, and the restaurant closed so Levi could complete his test in private and without distraction.
It wasn't a cold winter, and it never was this south of the New Continent's western coast, but the large copper pot still needed the extra heat. Levi stared at the pot with a look of intense concentration, as if a burning gaze could make the water boil faster. The noodles would need be added soon, he thought, and then mixed with the perche' sauce...
The sauce! Levi yelped and rushed to another pot on an opposite counter-top. The thick red sauce was frothing pink foam, and popping with heat. Levi slammed a lid on top of the bubbling perche', but not before being splattered with sauce, freckling his white jacket with bright red spots. Levi turned off the stove's heat, and moved the pan onto a cooler surface. Levi let the mixture calm a bit before he produced a long wooden spoon that was intricately engraved with kelp and small sea creatures, and sampled the cooled sauce. "It needed more pepper," he murmured to himself
Levi searched for the pepper shaker hidden somewhere in the kitchen, but his personal pepper-shaker of carved redwood and stylized with designs of strange forest spirits was not in it's usual spot next to a rather plain, and obviously unused glass salt shaker. As Levi patrolled the cream-colored marble counter-tops for the pepper-shaker, he became alerted to the the soft coughing sound of the boiling pot of water. The water was ready for the noodles. Levi had spent weeks gathering the ingredients for this meal, and had spent another two days preparing and cooking the meal. Although most of the ingredients could have been bought in any shop, Levi appreciated the value of fresh-ingredients enough to venture out or grow them for himself. He milked the cow himself (which was given a special diet for higher quality milk), picked the carrots, broccoli, and tomatoes from his personal garden, and had made the noodles from scratch, from starting by collecting the wheat, and finally rolling the noodles into fat, flat strings. But collecting the necessary parts of his meal were not all as easy as going into a garden; Levi also had to travel to find some of the rarer ingredients, such as the orange frogstool. The orange frogstool was a mushroom only found in deeper parts of the forest, so it wasn't a very common part of any meal, even among Uncle's master-cook friends. The forests are rife with danger, but Levi had wanted the mushrooms enough to risk the wrath of whatever beast or spirit that might try to stop him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The young chef had traveled into the forest with another apprentice, Stanick, a boy with a farmers frame and sensibilities who was just getting started, and Porluck Patterns, a retired soldier and assistant-cook that worked for Uncle Kor. They knew monsters and strange beings haunted the forest, and were surprised, and slightly amused to find what protected the grove where the orange frogstools grew. In the center of the grove, a huge mushroom grew from the thick compost of the forest floor, and atop the ancient fungus there lay a brown toad-like chimera. It was frog shaped, but two vestigial wings of dirty amber feathers hung from the beast's back, and a sharp beak poked out from the monster's cleft lip. As the group of nervous travelers dismounted their horses, the frog monster opened it's massive, crusty eyes and sat up. It gave a warning that was part croak, part hawk screech, and made a slapping noise from a stubby beaver tail that protruded awkwardly from it's warted bottom.
Porluck gave a grunt of disgust, and pulled a long, single edged sword from his saddle.
"Get the mushrooms, boys! I'll deal with this abomination." Porluck said, as if he was a knight about to face a dragon.
Stanick ran to a patch of fresh frogstools. "It's just an animal protecting it's home!"
Porluck only grunted, and reached for a large buckler, which may have been painted once, but now the design was long faded. The chimera hopped down from it's pulpy perch, and stretched before advancing towards Porluck.
Levi and Stanick began to focus their attention on the mushrooms, carefully scrutinizing each one for optimal size, shape and color. The sound of combat echoed through the forest as the two boys studied the mushrooms they picked. On the ride to the forest, Levi described the optimal color, shape, and size of the mushrooms, but every so often Levi would pick a mushroom out of Stanick's pile, and replant it if it didn't meet Levi' standards. This was met with an acidic look from Stanick. When they had enough mushrooms, they put them into soft pouches, which were placed in containers to prevent the frogstools from getting bruised or squished. The two boys mounted their horses and waited for the battle to finish.
Porluck was getting a good fight from the frog monster, and deep talon scratches left a permanent memory on the shield's worn wood. But the chimera leapt and slapped Porluck's hand with it's flat, leathery tail. Levi and Stanick looked in horror as Porluck slowly retreated towards his horse. Stanick's horror was the idea of losing their chaperon, but Levi's was from seeing the small pistol Porluck was pulling out from behind his back, which had been tucked snugly into his pants. Guns fired lead bullets, which were bane to any magical creature. If Porluck shot the chimera, it would die a painful death, and probably bring unwanted attention to the travelers. Levi hopped down from his piebald mare, and threw one of the canisters of mushrooms at Porluck's hand as he was about to fire. The shot missed, and the sound and smell of the gun firing caused the monster to give out another croakish screech. The creature backed up, but was now giving Porluck a hateful look.
"Levanarch, You idiot!" Porluck shouted, calling Levi by his full name. Stannick smirked, but Levi was busy pointing at the trees above.
"Look." Levi replied, and Porluck saw that the canopy was teeming with strange creatures and spirits. Most wore aggressive looks on their faces, itching to attack the intrusive humans should their guardian die.
Porluck began to stutter, but Levi was busy with his arm buried in the thick soil. Stanick and Porluck gave Levi a confused look that Levi received often.
"Aha!" Levi said as he pulled his earth-stained arm out of the ground. In his hand he clutched a wriggling nightcrawler that could have been a snake. Levi approached the chimera, whose attention was now focused on the worm that was coiling and uncoiling itself around Levi's arm.
"I'll give you this worm, King Frog, and then we'll leave. No harm done, we'll just leave." Levi said. The creatures of the forest want respect, his Uncle had told Levi. The beasts and spirits are powerful and strange, Levi had been told, and even the simplest ones can be bargained with.
The giant frog looked past Levi, at Porluck, who was trying to reload his weapon before Levi got himself killed, and then looked at Levi with the curious gaze only a bird could give. But then the chimera opened it's maw, and a tongue lashed out, snatching the slimy worm out of Levi's outstretched hand. The creature turned, and landed on his mushroom throne in a single leap as it's tiny wing flapping uselessly in the air.
"You can stop, it would be better if we just left." Levi said to Porluck, and Levi went to retrieve the canister he had thrown. Porluck stopped loading his gun, and placed it inside his saddle-bag.
Stanick and Porluck shared another look, and then followed Levi out of the chimera's grove.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It was almost sunset, and Levi thought deeply about his future. He would continue to work for Uncle, and when he was talented enough, he would open his own place. This had been his future for as long as he has been an apprentice. But Levi still worried; Was being a cook what he really wanted to do? Levi had spent so much time training as a cook, what else could he be? He had been his Uncle's apprentice since he was five (the year his triplet sisters were born) and now that he was 15, he didn't have the education or money to do anything else. At least he could travel for ingredients when he finished his apprenticeship. If he finishes.
If this meal impressed his Uncle Kor enough, Levi's apprenticeship would end, and Levi would begin his way on becoming a master chef. Levi had spent years developing the recipe for the perche' sauce and noodles, and if it failed to impress his Uncle, he would have to develop another recipe from scratch.
Levi lifted the pot of water and noodles and poured in into a large silver strainer in the sink. The noodles steamed in the cold air, and Levi gave them a splash of oil so they wouldn't dry out. Levi poured the noodle into a pan, and then dashed the noodles with a mix of shredded herbs. He produced a pair of large, red lacquered chopsticks from his cook's jacket, and lifted a portion of noodles onto an ornate plate decorated with blue clouds in a white sky.
A thick cotton cord hung nearby from the ceiling, and Levi pulled it. Somewhere, a bronze bell rang, which signaled the completion of the meal. Levi quickly ladled a splash of perche' sauce onto the still steaming noodles. Sadif, Uncle's personal assistant and waiter, came into the galley while Levi stood next the the meal. Sadif wore clothing traditional of the nomads of his home country: blue, baggy pants and a loose shirt that Levi always thought looked like pajamas.
Sadif gave Levi a looked that conveyed, "Is it done?" Sadif rarely spoke, and it had taken Levi months to figure out what Sadif's looks meant.
"Yes, the meal is complete, and ready to be served." Levi handed Sadif the plate, and the waiter turned and walked to the door. When Sadif disappeared behind the hanging curtains that lead to an outside dining area, Levi let out a sigh and slid his hands into the front pockets of his coat. His hand felt a carved, intricate wooden shape. It was his personal pepper-shaker.
The pepper!
The perche' still needed pepper!
Levi ran outside, to find his Uncle sitting at the iron table. The meal lay in front of Kor as he slowly mixed his tea. The young apprentice walked briskly to the table, and sat across from his Uncle.
Levi put the stout pepper shaker down in front of his uncle.
"It's always good to add the pepper last." his Uncle said, and gave the perche' a dash of pepper.
He took a taste of the red pasta and waited before he began to chew. Levi looked at the sun, which was finally beginning to set. One time, Levi had been told it was rude to watch people eat, but he no longer remembered who said it, or when. After a short time, Kor was finished with the preche' and noodles.
The wind tossed the uncle's and nephew's unruly hair, and stung their eyes as they stared at the setting sun.
If felt like forever to Levi. He was so unsure of what to expect. Levi knew it was the best meal he had ever made, but his uncle had a reputation for be unpredictable. But finally, Kor gave his nephew a quick look and smiled.
"You pass."
Levi slid down his chair and sighed.
"Levenarch, you should not be so stressed, do you know why you passed?"
"..." Levi wasn't sure what to say. He wanted to say that he found and grew the best ingredients, he prepared them correctly, and made a dish he was sure would impress his uncle. But...that's not why he had passed his uncle's test. "I don't know, Uncle. Please tell me."
"You passed my test because you knew you would pass with this meal. The test was to show me your confidence in your culinary skills, and prove to me you have a talent no one else could notice. But that's not to say you would have passed with any meal. Your abilities are quite beyond you."
He took a sip of his tea.
"When I took you as my apprentice, it wasn't only because you're parents needed the help, but it was also because I had a suspicion. "
"Uncle Kor, What do you mean? I thought you took me as an apprentice to ease my parent's burden; there was no way they could support the triplets and myself as artisans. What other reason could you have for taking me as your apprentice?" Levi asked with a worried look on his face.
"Well, when you were very young, I gave you a culinary test that you passed. And even though passing the test isn't proof enough; the only way to be sure you have to go through years of training."
"..." Levi was waiting for his Uncle to finish. Kor was prone tale-telling and speeches, and Levi had always had an uncommon patience for his youth.
"Only after thorough training, could it be determined if I was right. Only now, after completing your final dish as an apprentice, am I sure that you have the Taste."
"..." Levi gave his uncle a distressed look he had learned from Sadif.
"It means you have a magical gift, Levenarch, it means you're a wizard."
also, here is some art
this one I drew at the request of Kayla Noyce, but I got carried away.
This one is sort of a sequel to Twin
And this one was a doodle on the side of my physics notes, which I decided to draw fully.
it likes to crush skulls in it's hands.
