Chapter 63

  With Aaron hopefully out of my life, though I doubted it, my first thoughts were to sit down, relax from a long day of walking, and try whatever the D.F.C. was.

  I kicked off my shoes, freeing my feet from the leather boots, and quickly undid my bra as I made my way to the table. Even in another world, bra’s were no more comfortable than those on Earth, and there was nothing quite as relaxing and freeing as taking one off. Seriously, the act alone helped me feel an immense sense of relief. That particular piece of clothing, along with my socks, and boots, were then promptly turned back into their crystals, to undergo the automatic cleaning magic that belonged to the world.

  A few moments later, I was sitting in a chair, the D.F.C. crystal in hand, an ice-cold lemonade-style drink… complete with a splash of liquor, already in hand. I turned the crystal around absentmindedly, wondering why it wouldn’t tell me what exactly it was. All that was labeled on it, aside from the name, was that it was a Grassland’s specialty. Didn’t help at all, but also, I figured, when in Rome, or whatever that saying was.

  I summoned the food a moment later, not too worried about what it would be. I wasn’t really picky, and honestly, after walking for an entire day, a hot meal was pretty palatable no matter what it was. A few sips of my lemonade in, well, anything would be palatable soon enough. Whoever had made it had been extremely generous on the liquor portion of the drink.

  From the crystal, a wooden plate appeared first, the magical system of the world still taking my by surprise, even after what, a month? Had it already been a month? Hard to believe, honestly. Time was going by so quickly.

  Atop the plate, a piece of, what I was going to assume was meat, appeared. Steam rose from it, the hunk of food nearly the size of the whole plate, though thinner than a steak normally would be. It was covered in a yellowish breading, with red and black flakes all throughout. My mouth watered immediately at the aroma, which confirmed to my senses that this meal was going to have some kick to it.

  I picked up the utensils, which had also appeared alongside the plate, as I prepared to dig in. Lightly I tapped the meat with the fork, noting the resistance of the breading. The outside was crispy, crunchy no doubt. Like a perfectly deep fried piece of chicken.

  Cutting into it, I found that while the exterior was crispy, the inside nearly pulled apart like butter, as if i were cutting into a perfectly done filet mignon. If my mouth was watering before, now it was a fucking waterfall, as I saw the juices flow freely from the meat. However it had been cooked, the fact it had that crispy exterior meant all of the juices had remained inside.

  Between the breading, and the… I was going to assume steak… er… calfer or bullow meat most likely, there was another layer of coloring. A red that reminded me almost of chili paste, but thicker, like it had been mixed with some sort of fat or other substance.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  My stomach told me I was pondering the meal far too much. As if guided not by my mind, but by my stomach itself, I cut a bite sized piece of the D.F.C., marveling at the beautiful contrast between the golden browned exterior, the vibrant red of the paste layer, and then the slight pink tell-tale sign of a medium rare steak within. The fork floated up to my mouth, which opened on its own accord, to take the tasty piece of food off the fork.

  The moment the breading hit my tongue, hints of buttery goodness, mixed with the slight bite of pepper and chili danced across my tastebuds. I bit once, the crunk satisfying, making me moan slightly as the juices of the steak were released, mingling with the breading and layers to send me somewhere completely different.

  Crispy, fried breading danced with each bite, sending crunch after crunch to the tempo of their rhythm, while the meat itself was so soft, so tender, so filled with flavor that it threatened to flood my mouth. The paste between the two, a spicy paste I could easily confirm, helped merge the breading and meat together into perfect harmony.

  It was all I could do to swallow, before another bite was coming up to my lips. This time around, I tried to savor it even more, but found I couldn’t. Each bite, intensified the flavor. Every little crunch, every single bit I put in my mouth, released more and more of the magical food. Before I knew it, the paste had coated my tongue in its special blend of spices, causing the flavor profile to shift subtly with each bite. Within my stomach, I could already feel the warmth from the peppers of the breading and the chili paste flowing through me, reinvigorating me.

  I was practically sweating by the time I finished the D.F.C., and my drink’s sweety, icy nature was perfect for washing it all down. However, before I knew it, the D.F.C. was gone, as was my drink. I’d had no self-control as I’d chowed down. Had I been back on Earth, surely that meal would have been reserved for fine dining. Deep fried breading be damned, that was exquisite.

  Another reason why I loved this world already. Anyone could eat something like this, and it barely cost anything. I’d have felt guilty overeating something that fancy, so quickly, if not for the fact it had cost me all of, what, the equivalent of 20 dollars? For what could arguably be some deep-fried take on a Beef Wellington. Maybe a weird cross between country fried steak, and a Beef Wellington?

  I wasn’t a foodie, and I’d never actually gotten to try a Beef Wellington… but, this had to be close, right?

  Fully sated, my new problem from the food arose as I made my way towards the bath in the room. My feet weren’t as… stable as they should have been. And my vision was already starting to blur as I brought up the prompt from my gauntlet to, being extremely lazy here, return all of my remaining clothes to their crystalline forms, instantly putting them in storage and stripping myself bare.

  Next up, even as my head swam from the liquor that was hitting me way too quickly, was a well deserved soak in the tub. I smiled to myself as I turned on the water, setting the temperature to a very comfy… slightly less than a boil I am sure some would claim. Was it really a bath though, if your skin wasn’t red from the heat when it was all said and done?

  I dipped a toe into it hesitantly, the heat of my body, courtesy of my spicy food, and the numbness from the liquor telling me the temperature was totally fine… which sober me probably would have questioned.

  Easing myself in, I pulled up my menu once more, summoning in one hand another lemonade, sans the liquor this time, before I got to my other task for the night. Even though I was definitely tipsy…maybe, okay maybe drunk, I wanted to be at least somewhat logical for this next bit.

  It was time to look over the fifty augmenting stones I’d received.