Chapter 15: Quite a Pickle

Chapter 15: Quite a Pickle

Even though she took all my money, Miss Aires didn’t disappoint. She loaded up plates with enough food to feed an army. I stuffed them, one at a time, into my newly minted bag. It wasn’t until the seventh bag that Miss Aires finally noticed.

“Where are you putting all the food?” She asked, looking under the table. “I thought I was going to have to help you get it home.”

“I made a special bag,” I said, showing it off to her.

When she looked into the opening, all she saw was darkness. “Um, does your bag have any food preservation upgrades?”

I stared at the bag. I hadn’t even known that was possible.

Suggestions: Imbue the outer bag with Pickler skin or create an Arcane Circle for a temporary effect.

“What is Pickler skin?” I asked out loud.

Miss Aires chuckled. “Picklers are monsters. You were right to think of them for food preservation. Their skin contains special qualities that slow the decomposition of consumable items. They also have uses in medicine.”

“Interesting,” I replied excitedly. “Where can I get some?”

She shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. I don’t think Picklers are native to this continent. I got mine from an auction.”

“Oh well,” I sighed. “I guess I’ll just have to use another Arcane Circle. Can I borrow your pen?”

Miss Aires watched as I sketched out the Arcane Circle on a napkin. It was different than the one I used back at Miss Spencer’s shop. I wasn’t sure how to get it onto the bag until I Analyzed it again with the thought in mind.

Suggestion: While a temporary buff may be achieved by placing the bag inside of a circle, a permanent enchantment requires a partitioned compartment with the circle stitched into it. Pickler skin enhances the effect.

Your Research skill has increased: +1 (3)

“Do you mind if I draw a circle on the table?” I asked, remembering how Miss Spencer had done it on the wood countertop in her workshop.

“Of course, I mind!” Miss Aires shrieked, covering the countertop with her hands. “People eat off of this table.”

“Okay, well I suppose I’m going to have to find some other place to do this,” I mumbled, getting up to go. “Thanks for the food. I’ll see you tomor…”

“Wait!” She called out, rushing around the bar to stop me. “I didn’t say we can’t figure something out. I just don’t want you marking up my table permanently.”

Suggestion: Creating an Arcane Circle using a paste made out of Pickle Juice will make the enchantment more powerful.

Your Research skill has increased: +1 (4)

I froze. Making an edible enchantment sounded interesting. The Analysis followed up with a recipe, so I hurried back to the notepad to write it down before the words faded.

“How do you feel about pickle paste?” I asked, grinning from ear to ear.

“Doesn’t sound very tasty,” she replied, giving me the stink eye.

“We’re not going to eat it,” I explained. “We’re going to draw an Arcane Circle with it.”

Suggestion: Mix half cup of plain yogurt, a quarter cup of ketchup, and a teaspoon and a half of Dijon mustard per 2 tablespoons of pickle juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Her expression changed when I read the recipe to her. After rummaging around in the back, we were ready to start. Miss Aires carefully mixed the ingredients, tasting after each step.

“It doesn’t matter how it tastes,” I said after watching her sample it for the third time. “I’m just going to use it as ink.”

She shook her head. “Taste matters when you’re a chef. I don’t make things that taste bad. You might not realize it but that recipe you gave me is actually quite good. At least so far.”

Once she’d stirred all the ingredients together, she tasted it one last time before offering me the spoon. “Here, try this.”

I looked at it hesitantly.

Pickle-Juice Sauce

Grace: C

Made by: Aires

“It doesn’t have any special effects,” I whined, wondering why all food didn’t.

Miss Aires laughed. “Not all food does. Only magic food. There’s a difference. One I’m willing to teach you if you become my apprentice.”

“I’ll think about it,” I said, still not sure I wanted to commit to a single profession.

When I tried the sauce, I was surprised to find that, while it was still tart, there was also a sweetness that would probably go well with meat.

Miss Aires read my mind. “I’m willing to guess that sauce suits fried chicken. I’m going to try it out tomorrow.”

To make the Arcane Circle, Miss Aires put the sauce in a plastic bag attached to a funnel. From there, she gently piped the sauce onto the table, making it look exactly like the diagram id prepared. Any time she made even the tiniest error, she reached down with a napkin and wiped it up. When she finally got it just right, she stood back to let me appraise her handiwork.

“Okay, now show me the magic,” she said, licking her fingers.

To make sure the bag didn’t get sticky, we placed it on a small wire mesh stand she normally used to display pies directly above the Arcane Circle. Once it was in place, I placed my hands over the circle the way Miss Spencer taught me. It took a few tries to get the mana flowing but once I did, I knew it worked.

The sauce evaporated off of the table and the smell of cooked pickles wafted into the air. I was never a fan of pickles but the smell kind of made me want one.

Then it was gone. The smell and the sauce disappeared into the bag.

Void Bag of Preservation

Grade: A

Made by: Spencer and Evans

Owned by: Evans

Usable by: Evans

Effect: Item Preservation (8 Hours)

Note: Recharge by adding more Pickle Juice Sauce

I stared at the description. “How am I supposed to add more sauce? Just pour it in?”

“I beg your pardon?” Miss Aires asked with a huff. “Whatever are you talking about?”

“The instructions,” I began. “It says I should add more sauce to prolong the preservation.”

“That works for me,” Miss Aires announced. “I’ll whip you up a fresh batch tomorrow. It’s easy to make. Did the instructions say you have to smear it all over the counter?”

“No,” I said with a shrug. “It didn’t say anything. Just add more sauce to recharge.”

“Excellent,” Miss Aires said, scooping up the diagram I’d written earlier. “I think I’ll be making quite a few of these for myself.”

“Hey!” I stammered, realizing I’d just given away something valuable. “That’s mine!”

Miss Aires was halfway to the kitchen when she stiffened. She slowly turned around, still gripping the piece of paper tightly. “Fine! I’ll make you a deal. You give me full rights to this preservation charm and I’ll see to it that your friends at the orphanage never go hungry again. In fact, let’s see if we can’t fatten them up a little. Just those twenty-seven though. I can’t feed all of New York.”

“Deal!” I exclaimed, excited to have some high-powered assistance in the food department. “Does that mean I don’t have to work for you?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” she replied, waggling her finger at me. “This deal is predicated on you working with me. If you go, so does my food. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you for your work. I think it’s safe to say you won’t be doing any dishes. Not so long as you invent things like this. Extraordinary!”

Armed with a newly pickled bag full of food, I made my way to my next stop, the quest board. I was surprised to discover it was already restocked with quite a few delivery quests. I took them all to the quest window.

“You again?” The boy asked while picking his nose and looking largely disinterested.

I crinkled my nose in disgust. “Can you show me the packages for these quests please?”

“Another cherrypicker, eh?” He said, not realizing that he was, in fact, the cherrypicker. “Whatever, hold on.”

I waited for what felt like an eternity while the kid took his time rounding up packages. When he returned, he carried a stack similar in size to the one he’d presented me with in the morning. Watching him struggle under the weight of the boxes made me wonder if he’d worked all day. I knew everybody ignored child labor laws but it must have been at least ten hours since the last time I was there.

“I assume you’re going to cherrypick the light packages that are close by,” he droned, placing the smaller ones on the countertop. “That’s what everyone does. Once they learn, that is.”

I pointed at a medium-sized package. “Let me see that one.”

He scooped it up off the floor, struggling with its weight before plopping it on the counter with a grunt. “I don’t know. That one weighs a ton.”

I opened my bag and pulled it around the package. It was just small enough to squeeze through the opening in the bag. It vanished as the bag swallowed it up. I hefted the bag for good measure once it was inside. There was no difference in the weight. The bag still felt empty.

“How did you…” he stammered. “Wait, is that a magic bag? Are you rich or somethin?”

I shrugged, opening the bag back up to tip the smaller packages inside. Unfortunately, there were three on the floor I’d have to leave behind. They were just too big for my bag.

“Where did you get that bag?” He went on, not taking his eyes off it. “Do you want to sell it?”

I shook my head. “Sorry. It only works for me.”

“What do you mean, only works for you?” He asked, looking at the bag.

I opened it and showed him. “See, nobody else can access what’s inside.”

He reached into the darkness and held his hand there for a moment before yelping and pulling it out.

“It’s cold!” He shouted, arousing the attention of a few late-night adventurers in the area.

“Is it?” I asked, reaching into the bag to see if the food was getting cold.

It was strange. Just thinking about Miss Aires’ meals caused them to appear at the top of the bag. The packages somehow shifted deeper inside. When I thought of them, they appeared at the surface. It felt as though I was connected to it on a subliminal level.

“It isn’t cold to me,” I finally said, taking my hand out of the bag.

“That’s one strange bag,” the kid said with a sigh. “I wish I had one.”

I managed to pick up another six delivery quests. It was more efficient to get them at night so I wouldn’t have to drag Sam to the guild in the morning.

With that out of the way, the only thing left to do was go home. Even though I arrived later than the previous day, I had a bribe that I was confident would get me out of trouble. Serious trouble in any case.

***

There was only one light on when I got back to the orphanage. Deciding there was no point in avoiding the inevitable, I marched in the front door and up to her office.

“Come in, Oliver,” she called when I rapped lightly on the door.

“I know I’m late,” I began as I stood at attention in front of her. “But I made a deal to feed everyone.”

She eyed me suspiciously for a long time. “I see. However, that doesn’t excuse you from your curfew. We are going to have to do something about your coming in late. Do you have any suggestions?”

I looked at my feet while I answered. “I don’t know, Ma’am. I did bring food back. Just like I promised.”

“Let’s see it then,” she replied with a smug look on her face.

I took one of the bundles out of the bag and set it down in front of her. She took her time unwrapping the cloth cover and laying out several plates in front of herself.

“This is your punishment,” she finally decided. “I am confiscating your dinner. Everyone else has already eaten and gone to bed. If you want to eat, be sure to come home on time tomorrow.”

I gaped at her. Did she think that was all I brought? Then again, my bag did look empty.