Chapter 2: A Forest and a Hag

The path up through the Giant's Forest was surprisingly navigable. Erik had thought that having been left abandoned, it would have grown into an impenetrable tangled mess. To his pleasant surprise, this was not the case. Sure, most of the foliage was dense, but a bit of a clear path had been created by the river, and by the numerous Hollows that hacked away at anything in their path. These two factors gave the chef a decent path to follow. So far, he'd only had to set a few Hollows on fire with his Combustion pyromancy. At first, he'd felt a twinge of regret and hesitation at attacking something that had once been human. That faded somewhat after he was nearly hacked to pieces by a few Undead soldiers, though he still couldn't help but shout "Sorry!" after each kill.

All the chef had to defend himself with was a dagger, the ladle, the wooden shield, and his magical flames. He did surprisingly alright, though. The ladle was stronger than it had first appeared, made of some sort of stone-like wood, making it an effective club. He winced every time he used it as a weapon though. Erik doubted this was what the maid, Milibeth he believed her name was, had given it to him for. Or maybe it was.

Erik also couldn't help but flush in embarrassment the first time he'd stopped at one of the old bonfires scattered about. The flames had called to him, and he'd felt invigorated after resting by it. After he stood though, he found that the green bottle the woman had given him back at the ruined settlement was now fully of pulsing golden fluids. Liquid flames, he realized. The legendary elixir known as Estus that could mend the wounds of an Undead with just a sip! He felt foolish having thought it was just another simple container. When he got back to Majula, he'd need to apologize to the person who'd given it to him. And ask for her name. He hadn't remembered to ask for it.

Here and there he also found some interesting plants, some of them detailed in his ancestor's book! Brightly colored chestnut-like burrs, in colors of red, yellow, and blue, were plucked from the ground here and there. According to the book and his own experience the colors represented what elements the burrs could resist once ingested. These Elemental Burrs were common in Lindelt as ingredients. Fire and Lightning were considered Holy elements to the priesthood, so consuming them was a part of rituals, while the magic resisting Blue Burrs were prized by clerics who went on witch hunts. He'd prepared dishes with these plants before. They were thorny and hard to use when raw. Elemental Burrs had to be boiled in water to soften them up first. Once this was done they made an excellent substitute for chestnuts and walnuts.

A lot of Common Fruit was also found along the way. They might be bland, but there was a secret to preparing them and giving them a sweet taste. Just dry it. The juices are what prevent the flesh from obtaining a succulent flavor. If dried and pressed, the Common Fruit was a good ration for long journeys and a sweet treat for children. Fond memories of his own childhood brushed against Erik's mind, before he shook them off and continued walking. Other simple, none magical herbs were found here and there, such as lavender, mint, sage, rosemary, and even basil! He'd be able to make some excellent dishes once he got back.

Hours passed as he trekked through the forest. But his travel was nearing an end now! Before him stood the crumbling ruins of a massive castle, overgrown with vines and moss. In spite of the state of decay, Erik was impressed. Not even the greatest cathedrals of Lindelt could match the size and scope of this fortress! And this was just a forward base! Erik could only imagine what Vendrik's palace looked like if this was what his generals commanded from!

He quit gawking with an effort, and made his way up the crumbling stairs and a rickety ladder. Soon he found himself high on a battlement, overlooking a run-down courtyard. He could vaguely see some Undead infantrymen wandering about, and wondered if he'd find anything of interest down there. He chose to put it off for now, and instead turned around and pushed open the large doors behind him. They parted surprisingly easily. Must have been used recently if they were so loose.

And that seemed to be the case! Sitting by a bonfire was a withered old woman, shrouded in long, dirty black robes and carrying a giant backpack stuffed to the brim with items.

"Oh? What's this? A traveler? My name is Melentia, a humble merchant! You a stranger to this land? All we get is strangers these days. Everybody's gone and run off! Drangleic's been a pile o'rubble since the war was fought, long ago, when the Giant's crossed the seas…" A demented giggle escapes her lips, and Erik unconsciously steps back. She simply continued speaking as if he hadn't moved. Or was even there. "Seemed like the battles would never end. Poor folk like myself had nary a place to sleep. That's why I keep all me things with me. You may travel light, but methinks you bear a burden of your own!"

"Pardon me, miss, but it sounds like you were here when the Giant's invaded. But that was centuries ago!"

"Oh yes it was, oh yes it was! I was just a slip of a girl, one of the scullery maids keeping this place clean and tidy. Met my handsome husband here too, you know, though he was a squire and I but a servant. I was actually here when the battle was fought, you know? Almost died! Keh heh heh!"

"I was not aware that the Curse of the Undead had been around so long," Erik admitted, sitting down across from the old woman, warming his soul with the bonfire.

"Oh that thing was around for a while, even before the war, but it was isolated and low key. That iron loving king in the valley had his fun by torturing them in grand coliseums, you know. It was only after the Giants were all defeated that the Undead Curse started to spread more widely. So many blamed the Giants for it, then poor king Vendrik, then each other! Oh, those were bad days!" Melentia chuckled, her attitude in opposition of her words. "I caught the Curse when I was an old granny, you know. So I ran, hiding here and there, wandering around as a poor little merchant. But now here I am, back at my home… do you think it's my fate to go Hollow here? Where it all began?"

"Don't say things like that!" Erik shouted, jumping to his feet and startling the hag. "You should never give up hope! Sure, you've lost so much, and I can only imagine the heartbreak from seeing your children and grandchildren die before you, but please! Don't give up! If you go Hollow, what would they possibly think of you?!"

The pleasant mood vanished like mist in the dawn, and a tremor wracked the old woman's body. She glared up at Erik, and he flinched back from the decayed face that stared back at him with furious eyes.

"You've only been alive for what, twenty summers? Who are you to tell me my sorrows are so light?! My husband, my children, my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren all died and all I could do was watch! To see them look at me with fear in their eyes?! How dare you tell me to go on living! How dare you?!" Melentia shouted, balling up her fists as she shook with rage. "My Dear Renard! My little Annie, my Callia, my Sierra…"

Tears fell from her hood, and her rage morphed into sadness. Erik said nothing. Instead he removed his book and started to flip through the pages, until he came to a section and quickly read through it. Then, he threw off his backpack and began to root through it, removing pots and pans from within. He then rushed out and began filling the pots with water taken from a trickling stream just outside the doors. It was clear and looked safe to drink, and once the metal container was full, he hurried back and set up a spit over the bonfire. Carefully, under the suspicious and confused watch of the merchant-hag, Erik started to boil the water with the dancing flames coming from the sword and pile of bones. He dropped some Blue Burrs into the water as it came to a boil, and then started to chop up some vegetables on the floor nearby. After a few minutes, he carefully removed the burrs with the Handmaiden's ladle, before removing a pair of Common Fruits, slicing a long cut along their sides, and then impaling them on the spit over the fire, letting them roast. The juices from the fruit dribbled out and were caught by the pot of boiling water below. Then, slowly, Erik added in the chopped vegetables. He stirred lazily while peeling the Blue Burrs, revealing the kernels inside.

This fairly unassuming brown and blue seed was the source of an Elemental Burrs magical effects. Most people just popped the whole thing into their mouth if in a hurry, but for maximum effect the kernel was what you wanted to eat, not the spikey sheath. It had the consistence of a chestnut with the crunch of a walnut, but with a very unique taste of its own; cool yet sweet, with a faint tingle on the tongue. Like mint, though much more mild.

After a bit, he proceeded to cut the kernels into smaller pieces, then tossed them into the water with the vegetables. Finally, he removed a slab of dried beef and sliced strips off of it, adding them to the soup. After a bit, he removed the spit, taking the pot and two Common Fruits away from the flames. The fruits had crisped nicely, the green flesh becoming dark with brown splotches. At last, it was done! Erik removed two bowls from his pack, filling each with some of the soup before passing it to the old woman. Melentia took it suspiciously, sniffing it as if she could detect poisons with her nose alone.

"Please, eat it, Mrs. Melentia. This is a soup recipe my great-great-something-great grandfather wrote about. He said that a kindly housewife gave it to him when he was passing through. Apparently, it had been taught to her by her own mother."

A sniff is the only response. She reaches behind her, and takes out a dirty, rusted spoon, and takes a bit of the soup. With a slurp, it is consumed. Erik took his own bowl and spoon and proceeded to eat as well, watching out of the corner of his eye as Melentia froze up at the taste. Her hands started to tremble, and more tears fell, a few splashing into the bowl before her. She started to rapidly shovel more of the soup into her mouth, weeping as she did so, muttering something to herself over and over.

"The Common Fruit's juice is bitter, which is why its normally sweet flesh tastes so bland when it is bitten into. However, this juice can be used as soup stock if you add sweet carrots, turnips, and sage to the mix. Boiled and chopped Blue Burr can give the soup a stronger flavor…" Erik said, as he explained how he made the meal.

"…by bringing out the sage's earthiness, while some nice dried and salted beef finishes the meal off, as it absorbs the myriad of flavors and adds its own meatiness to the concoction," Melentia replied, continuing Erik's explanation. "Serve hot, and with the roasted Common Fruits the juice was extracted from as desert."

"This is your recipe, isn't it? Your daughter, Annie, told Donovan that she was also waiting for you to come home. She didn't care that you'd become Cursed, she didn't hate you. She was just angry and sad that you ran away without saying a word." Erik looked at the woman as she ate and wept, muttering "I'm sorry," over and over again. After a bit, she quieted down, and finished off her bowl, before reaching out for the dried Common Fruit. The young chef wordlessly passed her the fruit, and she consumed it with trembling hands.

"What will you do now?" Erik inquired after a moment of silent eating.

"I'm going to leave this place, and return to Majula. I've been travelling too long, and I think its best I find a place to call my own once more. This ruin has naught but misery here for me," Melentia said after swallowing a mouthful of fruit. "Besides, I found that senile blacksmith's door key, and I suppose someone should return it. What about yourself?"

"I'm going to keep going and explore the rest of this castle. I'm not sure why, but something is calling to be. I feel like there is something I need to do here, something important."

"Well if that's the case, here's advice for you. Watch out for a man with a long spear and a big shield. He looks nice, but he's a little sketchy. Oh, and try not to go to the top. There's an old knight that patrols the battlements, and he utterly despises the Undead, despite being one himself. The Pursuer, a knight of Alken and demented soldier of the Old Iron King. He slew a number of Giants all by himself during the war, so do not underestimate him. So if you value your souls and humanity, keep away." Rising from the ground, Melentia removed a ring from her finger and tossed it to Erik, who caught it with a surprised look on his face.

"Payment for the meal. I won't need it anymore, but you might find it useful. It's a Covetous Silver Serpent's ring, which draws more souls to you. Be sure to spend some of them at my store when you stop by Majula again! Keh heh heh!" With another disturbing chuckle, the old hag ambled away, her figure and laughter fading into the distance. Erik smiled after a moment, before cleaning up the dishes. After he put it all away, he stood with a determined look on his face.

"Great-great-something-great grandfather… thank you. This book you wrote has allowed me to touch another person's soul, and perhaps save them from themselves. I can't thank you enough. But you know what?" Erik thrusts his ladle into the air. "I'm going to surpass you! There might not be any kings to cook for any more, but know this! My cooking will save lives! When I found the Darksign on my flesh, I despaired, because I thought it meant my life was over. But no! What it really means is I have all the time in the world to become the greatest chef to have ever lived! My name will echo through history! Cook for kings? Hah! My dishes will makes the gods themselves weep with joy! Thank you for the book, Donovan! And watch as I take Drangleic by storm!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Notes: It won't be all fun and sunshine here in Drangleic folks. Expect healthy doses of drama, darkness, and Cooking Manga/Anime inspired wackiness in this Dark Souls 2 fanfiction. There will be lightness of course, but one can't have Dark Souls without "Dark."