9 – Fusion Chef of the Single Dish

Ren stacked the rocks to the side and placed one of the large, flat stones across them, using a spare branch to scrape a pile of glowing embers beneath it. The other stone, he sat off to the side, next to the flames. As he worked, the intense heat was a blanket of blessed familiarity across his hands and forearms; the sweet smoke of the strange wood was reminiscent of hickory or apple.

As the stone heated, Ren retrieved the large liver of the gutted musttel and held it up to his nose. It smelled pungent, but not unpleasant, with a lingering aroma of honey and rust. With his back turned to the others, he trimmed off a small amount of the organ in long, thin strips that he meticulously laid on top of the tenderloins.

Unbidden, Juliette spoke in his mind: “[Fusion successful.]”

His hands glowed faintly as a gentle vibration emanated out from near his stomach. The meat flickered a dim purple as the strips of liver merged with the animal meat. Huh, well, I guess that’s a good thing, he thought. And… he picked up one of the kidneys, trimming off some of the organ fat. Perfect.

With the cooking stone preheated, Ren brought over the two filets and makeshift animal butter, first rendering the fat until the stone glistened, then laying the meat across it. Immediately, it sizzled, and an intoxicating aroma wafted through the cave.

“Oh my, that smells incredible,” Kaylin said.

“A feast of the forest! You’re my kind of noodle chef,” Jax added.

Ren barely heard them, his full focus on the bubbling caramelization in front of him. He seared the meat, turning it so that every side developed a deep brown crust, adding more fat halfway through. As it was nearing a perfect, medium rare, he uncorked the wine bottle and drizzled the remains of the ruby liquid over the food. Once more, the dish glowed a faint purple as the alcohol was absorbed into the tenderloins, causing a sticky coating to form.

“You split your core!” Jax said.

“Ah, you saw that?”

“Of course we saw it. You infused the meat with mana,” Kaylin added. “Why would you—but you would not have…”

“Crippled from the start. I hope it was worth it.”

“Jax, he could not have known if there is no mana or nexi where he comes from, but still…”

“Yeah, I… uh, yeah,” Ren mumbled, moving the now-cooked, steaming meat off of the hot stone and onto the empty one to rest. “I think it will be okay, though. I can fight a little, cook a little, and I’m really just trying to get back home, so I plan on avoiding the fighting part if I can help it.” He peered over at the two musttels. “You know, besides a little badger vengeance.”

Jax laughed. “You’re still refined, and this world can be a cruel place. Oftentimes, the fight comes to you—power attracts power, and all that.”

“I just plan on keeping my head down. Speaking of which…” He paused. “Does the offer to stick with you all still stand? At least for a little while? The more I’ve thought about it, the more I realize how little I know about this place. I mean, I was planning on fighting the musttels with basically a glorified stick. I don’t even know where this”—he waved vaguely at the forest surrounding them—“is. The way I figure it, maybe that big city—Meridia, right?—maybe there are people there who know something about portals and ways to use them. I don’t know, but I guess that’s my best shot. So… what do you think?”

Jax and Kaylin briefly looked at one another before they both burst out laughing, Jax holding his injured side. “Ren,” the big man said, “of course you can travel with us! Shade and shadow, what kind of ridiculous question is that?”

“Exactly. We are refined of the same nexus, we began our paths together, and we fought a shared enemy. Three bonds.”

“Three bonds!” Jax echoed, then grabbed the other wine bottle, tearing the cork out with his teeth and taking a drink.

“Besides, it’s not charity. You wouldn’t know this, but it’s not every day you find an unaffiliated person. We could use you as much as you could use us. Even with a split core.”

Ren hesitated for a moment, considering how much to share. “I… Thanks.”

Throughout the entire conversation, In’dala remained quiet, pensive.

“Well, I don’t know about you all, but I’m starving. It could probably use a couple more minutes to rest, but I don’t think I can wait any longer.” Turning to the two tenderloins, he examined them.

“[Fused, stone-seared musttel meat, liver and wine bonded. Single Dish Boon: if consumed within an hour of preparation, grants minor regeneration and strength for one full day. Only one boon may be active at once.]”

I guess it doesn’t keep. That tracks, he thought. Ren wiped the hunting knife before slicing all of the first log of meat into thin medallions and gesturing to the others. “Bon appétit! Enjoy!” Though he wanted nothing more than to devour the hot food, he would restrain himself until the others had an opportunity to try it.

Kaylin rose, moved over, and grabbed several slices, keeping two for herself and passing the others to Jax. When In’dala did not move, Ren picked up one and offered it to her. Hesitating for a moment, she took it gingerly, tilting her head in what Ren assumed was thanks.

“Umm, bone apples!” Kaylin said, holding up the dripping meat in a toast.

“Bone apples!” Jax added.

“It’s… Never mind,” Ren said.

Together, they took a large bite. For a moment, their faces were curious before their eyes widened and they proceeded to stuff the rest of the first slices into their mouths, chewing frantically. Ren smiled wryly.

Jax groaned in delight. “That… that may be the finest bite of meat I have had in… in a long time.”

“It’s incredible, Ren!” Kaylin said. “We have had wild bear before, and I would have thought the taste would be similar. Dark, metallic, and gamey. But this.” She took another bite. “This is something else entirely.”

Even In’dala looked surprised. “This is very good.”

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Ren took a small bow, hands out, which must have looked ridiculous in his torn, bloodstained T-shirt. “I’m glad you like it.” With his duties as host chef fulfilled, he finally grabbed two pieces for himself. The sticky, dark-brown crust contrasted sharply with the glistening, bright-red interior. Faint lines of purple ran like tiny strands of lightning through it from where the wine had worked its way toward the center of the meat. Though he wouldn’t admit it out loud, he thought they were all overexaggerating the experience; All except In’dala, maybe. He took a bite.

Flavor, rich, sweet, salty, the faintest hint of mushrooms and metal, exploded in his mouth, far more than should have been possible with the ingredients he’d worked with. The bite was every bit as tender as any steak he had made before, practically falling apart in his mouth. “Holy cow,” he muttered, the words muffled by the steak. “Holy freaking cow.” He followed the others’ example and stuffed the remaining bites into his mouth.

They spent the next several minutes in food-induced silence, punctuated only by the various expressions of delight: a groan, a sigh, and the sound of slow chewing as they savored the rich tenderloins of the freshly slain animal. After the first swallow, a faint electric feeling coursed through Ren, a tingling that increased with each successive bite. While the energy flowed all through him, it seemed to focus both on his side—on the scabbed-over wound of the musttel claws—and around his arm and leg muscles.

“Does anyone else feel, I don’t know, like a little tingly?” Ren asked.

“I feel amazing!” Jax said. “But you’re right, there is something.”

“I feel it too,” Kaylin added. “It reminds me of how some books describe mana boons. But, is that possible? I had assumed your cooking path to simply be one of creation, not infusion.”

“Uhhh, I think maybe it’s both? It’s supposed to do something like give minor regeneration for a day.”

“Regeneration?!” Jax and Kaylin said together. In’dala raised her eyebrows, which might as well have been her shouting.

“Umm… yeah? I thought that would be a good thing. It’s a good thing, right?”

“Ren, can you make more of this? Can you make more mana-infused food, especially with regeneration?” Kaylin asked slowly.