Winal woke up.

Darkness still lingered at the edges of his sight. He tried to move, but he couldn't. Something bound him.

Thick, flame-resistant cords wrapped tightly around his body, crisscrossing around his carapace. A particularly dense knot was tied around his mandibles. But even that wasn't the reason why he couldn't move.

Winal looked down. His legs were missing.

All six of them.

That was enough to snap him out of his tired daze. Memories started flooding back into him. Where he was and what had happened to him. Yet, he couldn't feel the pain of literally losing limbs.

It must've been the effect of Gary Stew's spices that were still running amok in his body.

His breathing quickened. Winal looked around the room. Where was Uchronia? Where was Gus? Where was Cooper Trooper? Were they alright?

They were still in Gary Stew's private kitchen, and the scent of scorched herbs hung in the air. Winal was lying on one of the marble countertops. Next to him was Gus.

The FluffPaw was lying on his side, soundly snoring away as if nothing had happened. His mouth was sealed shut with multiple layers of strings, and to top it off, a thick black muzzle was wrapped over it.

Still, he somehow found the strength to part his lips just enough to let out a thunderous snore. The kind that rattled the hanging pots and pans.

Cooper Trooper was nearby.

The egg was placed in a large glass bowl. It floated in a nightmarish broth filled to the brim with an assortment of ingredients. Spices, sauces, and unfortunate members of the Caesar Salads that had met their fate swirled around him. Shredded Carnage Cabbages, limp strands of Lashing Lettuces, and chunks of Combat Carrots bobbed at the surface.

It was a gruesome sight. But as of now, it looked like Cooper Trooper remained unharmed, at least physically, merely soaking in a bath of horrors. Mentally, he would need a lot of therapy.

Still. Where was Uchronia?

Winal surveyed the room as discreetly as possible. Various other ingredients that he couldn't name were spread out on the various countertops. Strange herbs, glowing fungi, and twitching roots.

In the far corner of the kitchen, sat the two young masters, Hong Jian and Huang Jian. Legs crossed and arms folded, each attended by a servant who fanned them. Some time when Winal was unconscious, they had a change of clothes. They still wore crimson and gold colored robes, except these lacked the dust and grime of nearly being bitten to death by a mad Fire Soldier Ant. Their expressions were grim, stern gazes fixed on their faces.

What were they staring at?

Winal traced their line of sight. At the center workstation stood Gary Stew, knife in hand, and humming a cheerful tune. He twirled the blade around his fingers, the very same one that had put his entire squad to rest. His back was turned, blocking Winal's view of who or what the chef was about to dice to smithereens.

His mind was clearer now, it fought back against the fog of grogginess. Winal could finally put two and two together.

Right next to Gary Stew was a brown pot. Not just any ordinary pot. It was Uchronia's bio-ceramic pot. Worst of all, she was nowhere to be found. It didn't take a genius to know what was going on.

In a desperate struggle against time, Winal attempted to move to save Uchronia. He wiggled against the cords. It was useless. He tried to spread his mandibles apart, but the ties around them were too tight. Not even fire could pierce through it. Another fruitless endeavour.

If he couldn't break free with pure strength, what if he did so with a tad of finesse? He needed some Spirit Hands. Fast.

But there was a problem.

Mind Alwin was still unconscious. He was the one who normally produced the Spirit Hands. Mana shaping wasn't Winal's specialty. But he had no choice.

Gary Stew raised the knife high above his head.

Winal scrambled to shape the Mana into Spirit Hands. His control was clumsy. The result was ugly, asymmetrical, and completely disproportionate.

Worst of all, he wouldn't finish in time.

The knife came down fast. Hard. It slammed into the chopping board.

Winal couldn't see anything. He didn't want to see anything. Especially not Uchronia's chopped-up remains.

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Flaming tears streamed down his face. He had failed her and let her down once again.

Gary Stew hummed a happy tune as he walked away from the cutting board, twirling his knife as he held something in his other hand. No doubt it was Uchronia.

When the chef walked away, Winal had a clear view of the horrors before him. But he didn't want to see it. He shut his eyes as tightly as he could. Tears seeped through. He wished it all to be a bad dream. That he'd wake up in a field surrounded by nature's beauty and tranquility, with Uchronia beside him studying instead of enjoying life, and Gus chewing on daisies.

But he couldn't. He had to accept reality.

Winal willed his eyes open.

He saw Uchronia. She lay on the wooden chopping board, but she hadn't been cut into tiny pieces. Uchronia was whole. A bulbous patch of leafy greens. Completely intact.

His eyes went straight to Gary Stew's hand. In it was the piece that he had cut off. It was a part of Uchronia. It was her leaf—the part that had been charred black and couldn't recover even after using a Small Healing Pill.

Winal let out a sigh of relief only to immediately suck it back in.

Uchronia was still mostly intact, but was she alive?

He returned his gaze back to her body and held his breath. Winal stilled himself so that not even the slightest bit of movement was present. He was watching for anything. Any signs of life. A flicker of movement. Even the most minute breath. Anything.

Uchronia's round, plant-like body slowly expanded. Her leaves quivered in place ever so slightly. Barely noticeable, but definitely there. A sign that she was still alive.

Another flaming tear flowed down Winal's cheeks, except this time it was one of happiness.

Gary Stew dumped the burnt leaf into the trash and walked back to the cutting board with a pep in his step and a tune in his mouth.

"When will the dish be ready?" Hong Jian demanded. His patience was wearing thin watching Gary Stew's nonchalance and lack of urgency.

"Precisely!" Huang Jian said. "A war is being waged outside these walls. The faster you complete the dish, the sooner we can face the Tribulation. Then, we can wipe out those Monster Army troops."

Gary Stew shot them a look, which was reciprocated. His jaw shifted left and right as he ground his teeth. Then, he shrugged.

"Good food takes time," he said. "I've already served you an appetizer. Now, I'm working on the main course, which would take less time if you allowed me to focus and stopped repeating the same thing over again like a broken record."

"We are simply reminding you of the stakes," Huang Jian said. "We have been delaying the Tribulation too long. There isn't much time left until it descends upon us."

"Exactly!" Hong Jian echoed. "You are taking this too lightly."

"Oh, relax. I'm just in a good mood since the stars of the dish that escaped came back to me all on their own. The special egg. The Fire Beast. The Lightning Beast. And they even brought a lovely vegetable specimen. Things are really going my way."

"Fine! But, there also better be enough Fire Element Spirit Beast in the dish," Hong Jian snapped.

"There's more than enough. I only used the legs, which have the least meat inside. There's plenty of meat inside the body," Gary Stew said. "I trust the effects are satisfactory?"

Legs? As in his legs?

Winal's eyes scanned all over Hong Jian and Huang Jian. He found it.

There they were.

His legs. Or what was left of them.

All six of them. They had been snapped open and scooped out clean. The hallowed exoskeletons were scattered across the empty plate. Smears of decorative sauces clung to the ceramic along with tiny flecks of herbs and crushed spices.

"Good! After eating that appetizer of yours, I do indeed feel my connection with fire strengthened." Hong Jian opened up his palm and produced a large sphere of fire.

"I am looking forward to consuming that Lightning Beast," Huang Jian said. He, too, held his hand open. A ball of electricity appeared. Although it was half the size of the one Hong Jian made.

"Don't you worry. I'll make a dish worthy of the Crimson Gold Sect," Gary Stew said.

The knife was high up in the air, right above Uchronia. It was a repeat of what had just happened. Except this time, he really was going for the kill. Winal wouldn't let that happen. Neither would Alwin nor Niwla. Both of them had finally roused from their slumber.

Spirit Hands were summoned. Fists rocketed off. One knocked the knife out of his hand and sent it flying into the wall. Another bashed into Gary Stew's head.

"Looks like someone's antsy." He turned around. The punch to the back of his skull was nothing but a gust of wind to him.

Gary Stew lunged forward and grabbed Winal's head, shoving it into the countertop with all of his might. Cracks crawled up the bottom of his jaw. Winal thrashed, but Gary Stew's grip was iron.

"What is the meaning of this, Gary Stew?" Hong Jian shouted. He stood up, knocking over his chair.

Huan Jian followed suit, pointing a finger in their direction. "I thought this Beast had been subdued!"

"It just means that the ingredient is special. It'll make the dish a lot better."

"Good. We permit you to kill it now. We do not need any more disturbances or distractions," Hong Jian said.

"Yes! The Tribulation is upon us. Kill it now and complete the dish so that we may overcome any adversities," Hong Jian said.

"You heard the boss," Gary Stew said. "Thanks for coming back and guaranteeing my freedom."

Winal tried to break free, but his struggles were useless. Gary Stew shoved his head further down, deepening the cracks. He was stuck. Trapped. At the mercy of a ruthless chef.

He could feel the pressure around his skull increasing. His body was floating as Gary Stew carried him somewhere. It was the chopping board.

Gary Stew brushed Uchronia to the side and removed his knife from the wall.

"Good night. For real this time."

The knife came down. There wasn't anything he could do. The Spirit Hands were punching Gary Stew, but it didn't affect him in the slightest. So, he did the only thing he could think of in this situation.

Begin Tribulation?

[Yes] [No]

Winal selected 'Yes'

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