Ch 4
The prison door swung open as the Dark Chef guards entered the cell. Before they could move, the Wonder Cooks rushed them, knocking them down and stripping them of their ingredients and utensils. They raced out of the cell with Wren and Caleb following Old Jack down the corridor to what he recognized as a storage room. Everything the Dark Chefs needed to prepare for the Feast of Souls was stored within several storage rooms, and this was one of them. The cooks broke in and searched around, gathering supplies and forks to use in their escape. One of the Wonder Cooks picked up a pot with a shoulder strap and gave it to Caleb.
"This is the latest in cooking technology. This pot self-heats when you turn the dial here on its belly. You can cook with it without a fire." she told him. Caleb thanked her and slung it over his shoulder, allowing the pot to rest comfortably at his side. Old Jack walked up to him with a short-sword sized wooden spoon and a Lid Shield.
"You'll also need these to help protect yourself and Wren. That boy may be our best hope at stopping the Dark Chef Alliance." he added. Caleb stared at the spoon, its bowl spanned the length of his open palm.
"A wooden spoon? Why not a sword, or an axe?" he asked in exasperation but accepted the weapon anyway. Wren grabbed a large wooden fork and paused in confusion. Caleb walked up to him in concern, the shield on one arm and the spoon held loosely in his left hand. "Wren? Are you okay?" The blonde snapped out of his trance and blinked at his friend.
"I'm fine, but I'm not used to this kind of fork. Mine was different from these. I just wish I had it back." he assured the redhead and held the fork more confidently, "Ready?" Caleb lifted the spoon in salute and with a smile.
"Ready!" he answered and they ran out of the storage room, the Wonder Cooks following after them. By then, news of the breakout had spread and Dark Chefs came pouring into the corridors with buckets of rice pudding. The Wonder Cooks held up pot lids and spoons to ward off the pudding as they made their way to the entrance of the temple. Wren shoved aside the grunts with his fork as Caleb cooked up stews and soups to heal the tiring group and replenish their strength. In the chaos of the food fight, they eventually became separated from the other prisoners and Wren looked around in a panic for them. The narrow halls were swarming with blue-clad chefs and the dirty white of the Wonder Cook captives was nearly lost in the masses.
"Jack! Where are you?! Hurry! This way!" Wren cried out into the crowd.
"Forget us, little one! We'll hold off the Dark Chefs as long as we can! You must escape and give your message to the rest of the Wonder Organization! Help them stop the release of the Lord Famine!" the old cook shouted out, "For the sake of the Wonder Chef's ideals! Bon appétit!" Wren tried to rush in and help the vanishing old cook but Caleb grabbed his arm and pulled him back towards the final hallway.
"No! Jack! Hang on! We'll make something to force the rice apart!" he cried, "Caleb! Let me go!"
"Let's go, Wren! You heard the old man! Let's make like bananas and split already!" the doll ordered and rushed down the corridor with Wren in tow. The blonde kept looking over his shoulder at the seething mass of chefs surrounding the Wonder Cooks and felt his heart ache for them. They put their faith in him to save them, the same faith they put in the Wonder Chef to protect the people and their food. Could he reward that trust when the Wonder Chef had failed?
The entrance room had a single gaping maw as a doorway. Just outside of it were Elemental Carriages that Caleb could commandeer to help them escape. Caleb ran faster, pulling along Wren as they made for the exit.
"We're gonna make it, Wren! We're almost home free!" he exclaimed happily, then skidded to a halt as a burst of smoke appeared before him. The smoke cleared to reveal another Dark Chef scowling at them with a fork in one hand, aimed straight at them. Wren blinked at him and suddenly yelled in anger as Caleb stared at a near perfect mirror image of Wren in Dark Chef garb.
"That's mine!" he snapped as the chef glared even more fiercely.
"I am the Master Chef, Gluttonious DuGorge. And you will not escape this temple." the man declared haughtily. Caleb stepped back in uncertainty as Wren stepped forward to face the new threat.
"I know you! You're the guy that chased me through the forest near the Ozette Ruins and stole my fork!" he accused, "I demand that you give it back!" The Dark Chef blinked at him, then looked at the fork in his hand.
"What? This old thing? You must be mistaken; this fork belongs to the... Wait, did you say Ozette Ruins?" DuGorge asked in confusion.
"You heard me! You chased me right off a cliff and stole my fork! Hand it over!" Wren clarified. DuGorge peered closely at him, then widened his eyes in shock.
"It can't be! You were supposed to be dead!" he exclaimed and growled viciously, bringing the fork to bear on him. "I don't know how you survived that fall, but you will tell me the Ultimate Recipe now or I will run you through and ensure this time that it is lost forever!"
"What are you babbling about?! I don't know the Ultimate Recipe; the Wonder Chef does! Now give me my fork!" Wren yelled. DuGorge blinked again.
"But, you are... aren't you... you have to be..." he stammered, then lit up in realization, "You... you don't remember... anything... do you? Not even who you really are!" He began to laugh as Wren took on a confused look.
"Who I really am? You know who I am?" he asked. DuGorge wiped away a tear and smiled evilly at him.
"My dear young idiot, of course I know who you are. The entire Dark Chef Alliance knows who you are! And you are... the perfect sacrifice for Lord Famine!" he declared and charged at him, "Hiyah!" Wren cried out in surprise and threw his fork aside to block the attack. Caleb lashed out with his spoon, beating at the Dark Chef as the forks tangled prongs and the two chefs struggled to dominate one another. "How fitting that you should fall by your own heirloom! Prepare to give your life for the glory of the Dark Chef Alliance!"
"No! Never!" Wren retaliated and cried as the metal and wood fork DuGorge wielded suddenly flashed a brilliant white and snapped his completely wooden fork in two. A prong bit into his arm and shot a burning pain through him that stole his breath. In that moment, a flood of images and voices, memories of his past, rushed into his mind in a jumbled confusion. He was dimly aware of Caleb's shriek of fury, DuGorge being knocked away from him by the redhead's self-heating pot, falling into Caleb's outstretched arms. The fork clattered away and he reached blindly for it as the redhead raced for the entrance.
"Wait... I remember..." Wren whispered before fading from awareness.
When he awoke, Wren found himself lying on a makeshift bed in the back of an Elemental Carriage. His mind had sorted through a majority of the memories that had flooded him in the temple and he lay in a dazed awe at his newfound knowledge. After a moment, he found his voice.
"Caleb, where are we?" he asked. He was relieved to hear his friend call back from the driver's compartment.
"About an hour from the city of Flanoir. There's a doctor there that can help you. You lost quite a bit of blood back there. What were you thinking, crossing a wooden fork with a metal one in battle?!" Caleb remarked irritably, "I lost my spoon, too, no thanks to that idiot that stabbed you! Gah, we're weaponless and in no condition to fight a bunch of stupid cooks. What are we gonna do?" Wren lifted the blankets and studied his bandaged arm.
"My arm looks fine. You did pretty well patching me up. I'll make some stew to help me heal and we can pick up new utensils in Flanoir." he remarked and sat up. Caleb looked back at him from his seat, a strange expression on his face.
"You sound different. Are you okay? Did something happen when that fork lit up?" he asked in concern. Wren began pulling together ingredients for cooking and nodded.
"Yeah, I remembered the legend of the Wonder Chef and the Famine Lord. I know how he sealed it away and I know how to release it too." he answered. Caleb gave him an incredulous look as the city came into view.
"Wren, the Dark Chefs want to release Lord Famine! Don't tell me you're gonna tell them how to do it! They already know!" he exclaimed. The blonde smiled and shook his head as the stew began to cook.
"They have it all wrong. I know how to release it and how to seal it. I just need to get a special crystal from its hidden room in Altamira." he corrected, "We'll use that to seal away the Famine Lord when it gets released. Then no one will be able to call on it again. At least no one but the Wonder Chef himself." Caleb looked confused.
"But the Wonder Chef is dead, isn't he?" he asked. Wren only stirred the stew. Sighing in exasperation, Caleb continued driving into Flanoir.
Flanoir proper offered places to rest, eat and recover after a long journey. It was the place where Lloyd and his companions had grown closer and strengthened their bonds for the next to final attack on Cruxis. Caleb and Wren wandered the city after purchasing warmer clothes for the young chef. Again Wren asked why Caleb refused to get a coat for himself. The doll ignored the question and instead asked how they were going to reach Altamira from Flanoir when they had no Rheairds and no ship.
"There's a shop not too far down this way that sells utensils for the Wonder Cooks. We can get replacements there and then make our way south. There's a secret village where we can get passage on a ship and make our way to Altamira." Wren answered and trooped on, "Once there, we'll get the crystal and make our way back to the Famine Temple." Caleb stopped walking and yelled out.
"Wait, we're going back there?! Back to the place crawling with cooks that can bomb us with riceballs?! Back to the big ugly thing that's going to suck the soul right out of your body?!" he screeched, "Are you insane?! Have you lost your mind as well as your memories?!" Wren grinned back at him.
"C'mon, Caleb! Trust me on this! I know what I'm doing!" he laughed and entered the shop, a small bell tinkling his arrival. Caleb groaned but jogged to follow his friend into the shop.
The first thing Caleb thought upon entering was 'There's too many forks in here.' The second was 'Where are the knives?' He mentioned this to the shopkeeper. She waved her hands and shook her head.
"Oh, no, no! We don't carry knives! They are far too expensive and too dangerous for amateur cooks to wield! Why, even the Wonder Chef himself refuses to use a knife! The fork is much classier and more versatile than a knife, while spoons are mainly defensive in nature but have greater durability than the fork." she explained, "We have many kinds of forks and spoons made from different materials, and we can also customize utensils!" Caleb stared at her, then turned to look at the other cooks examining utensils, one tested out the balance of a fork, and Wren was judging the weight and feel of another fork. He turned back to the smiling woman and seemed to break down in tears.
"Am I the only one who finds this to be very ridiculous?" he whimpered as the manager stepped into the store and walked up beside the counter girl.
"Young man, utensils are very important to any good cook and chef of the Wonder Organization! They are the very symbol of their dedication to the culinary well-being of Symphonia!" the portly man boomed out, "When you see a cook and his utensil in town, you know that things will be all right. A Wonder Cook knows just what you need when you need it and doesn't overdo his work. That's what separates a Wonder Cook, any good cook, from the Dark Chefs." Caleb raised an eyebrow at him.
"Um, yeah. Right." he drawled. The manager slapped a plump hand on the counter and smiled widely.
"So, what can I interest you in, young man? A fine china fork from the city of Sybak? Or a classic steel salad fork from Meltokio? Guaranteed not to rust or alter the taste of your cooking!" he launched into a sales pitch. Caleb looked around helplessly as Wren walked up to him with a steel and wood fork in one hand. He smiled.
"Having trouble, Caleb?" the blonde remarked and set the fork on the counter, smiling up at the manager. "He's more of a spoon type. Something lightweight and easy on the hands... he's a very agile and fast person." Caleb blinked at him as the manager pounded on the counter again in triumph.
"Ah hah! I knew it! A spoon man! I knew it the minute I laid eyes on him! You're the kind of guy that votes for a good defense that doubles as your offense! I have just the thing for ya!" the man declared and reached under the counter, producing a light steel spoon the length of a rapier. "This spoon is built to block incoming attacks using the speed of its wielder to increase its power. Good reach and handy for serving out stews in a soup kitchen, this beauty is perfect for someone with speed and agility! Only 2,000 gald, it's a steal!" Caleb stared at the spoon as Wren plunked down several coins.
"Perfect! He'll take it. I've got the fork, and we're good to go!" Wren declared and they left the shop. The counter girl waved and laughed.
"Come back anytime!" she called, "I'm single!"
The two friends made their way towards the snow sculptures that were the main attraction of the town. Though Wren insisted that they make their way to the secret village right away, Caleb managed to convince him to at least allow a quick visit to the sculptures, promising it wouldn't take much time to explore. They wandered about the square, poking fun at the sculpture of a Bigfoot, staring in utter confusion at the 'Pac-Man' and exclaiming in surprise and awe at the giant snow castle. Wren dashed away to circle the monument, running smack into another statue tucked in a corner. He stepped back and looked up at it, blinking as it dawned on him how much it looked like him.
"How weird." he muttered and turned back when he heard his name being called. "Coming!" He glanced back at the statue in suspicion. There was his hat and his fork, but what was up with the cape? Wren shrugged and ran off to rejoin his friend. "Where to next?" Caleb had tucked the spoon under the shield on his arm. He waved his hand towards the stairs.
"We've had some fun, but I think it's time to head out. We might not have much time left to get that crystal and stop the Dark Chefs." he told the blonde. "Let's go!"
Within a few minutes, they were on their way out of Flanoir and speeding across the snowy tundra towards the secret village to the far south. Wren told Caleb about the village as they drove. Like the Katz Village on Sylvarant's half of the world, the village on Flanoir was populated by Katz. The houses were made of ice and snow and they fished by digging holes in the ice of a frozen lake. The trip took the better part of three days at the speed Caleb pushed out of the carriage, but it was the best that could be done. Caleb took some time to rest and recharge whenever Wren took control of the carriage, something he sorely needed after expending so much energy in the escape from the Famine Temple. He came to with a start when Wren loudly announced they had arrived at the Katz village and hopped out of the carriage.
"Come on! Let's hurry and get to Altamira!" he declared and made for the docks. Caleb sighed and set out a makeshift sign, offering to sell the carriage for a reasonable sum. After a few bad sales pitches, he finally sold the carriage and chased after Wren.
"Hey! Wait for me!" the redhead called out and joined up with the blonde as Wren chatted with a Katz about a nearby ship. He didn't seem to be doing too well at his negotiations. There was one ship bound for Altamira to send new actors to the Katz Theater and it was too small to carry more than the replacement actors, a basic crew and the supplies for them all to survive the trip. The captain, a Katz with a pith helmet and bushy eyebrows and whiskers, shook his head adamantly.
"Meow! Absolutely not! We don't have the room! We don't have the food! We can't support two extra passengers on this ship!" the Katz yowled, waving his fist at Wren, "Find another way to Altamira, but not on my ship! Meow!" Wren looked as desperate as Caleb had seen any human get, and the redhead had seen his fair share of desperate faces.
"We'll do anything! We're cooks! We can cook your meals for you! We won't eat much ourselves! We'll stay out of the fish! Just please let us have passage!" the cook begged, "I must get to Altamira and Caleb is my friend! I can't leave him behind, not after all he's done for me!" The Katz shook his head again.
"I'd like to help, normally, but I'm running late with the new troupe and I can't spare the room! Now go on, meow! Shoo!" he declared and turned to walk away, "Meow... I could use a slice of anchovy pizza right about now..." he grumbled under his breath. Caleb picked up the sound and smiled brightly.
"I'm sorry, Wren." Caleb apologized loudly as the blonde looked at him in confusion, "It looks like we won't be able to open up our pizza shop in Altamira after all! And we would have hit it big with our ocean pizza special!" Wren blinked again, completely lost as the Katz up ahead froze in his tracks and looked back at them suspiciously.
"Meow, did I hear that right? You two are pizza chefs?" he asked lightly, trying to look unimpressed. Caleb looked embarrassed and shrugged his shoulders admittedly. Wren finally caught on and folded his arms over his chest, trying to look bashful.
"We're cooks but we were trying to specialize in pizzas, so we planned on opening a pizza shop somewhere. Altamira seemed as good a place as any." the blonde threw in, following Caleb's lead. The Katz seemed interested, but he glanced back at his ship hesitantly.
"And your special is... ocean pizza, meow?" he inquired.
"Yeah. Basically, it's a pizza pie with lots of different kinds of fish on it." Caleb remarked, "I was looking forward to making lots of it, but oh well..." He turned to walk away, deftly motioning to Wren for him to follow. They only got as far as the end of the dock before the Katz captain broke and raced after them.
"Meow! Wait! I might have some room for you on the deck, if you can make that delicious-sounding pizza! Meow!" he cried out and tugged on their sleeves, "Meow! Come on! We don't have much time, meow! Get on board and I'll get you some cushions!" The two men rushed up the gangplank with the captain scampering after them. Within a few minutes, the sails were up and the little ship was on its way to Altamira.
For the first day or so, Wren refused to speak to Caleb. Despite the fact that it had gotten them the passage they needed to reach Altamira, Wren had a major issue with lying. He sulked in the galley as Caleb scrambled to create fish covered pizzas on his own. The passenger and crew loved the dishes and kept the redhead busy with orders. Often Caleb would look over at the corner where Wren sat and silently pleaded for forgiveness, for help, for some sign that the blonde hadn't just frozen to death somewhere along the way. Wren merely glared back, legs pulled up to his body in efforts to keep warm. After one particularly hectic day, not too far from their destination, the redhead finally sighed and apologized to the amnesiac for his actions.
"It was all I could think of at the time, Wren! At least we're almost to Altamira and I did make the pizzas, so it wasn't entirely a lie!" Caleb protested. The blonde continued glaring at him. Caleb sighed. "But that's not the whole story... is it?"
"I've been freezing ever since we got on this ship, and you act like it's a day at the beach." Wren grumbled, "How do you ignore freezing temperatures?!" Caleb looked at him, seemed to consider something, then sighed.
"I told you already. I exposed myself to extreme temperatures to get used to them. I don't feel any different in hot or cold." he finally answered. Wren didn't fully accept the answer, but he did accept the apology and the two were once again friends.
Upon arriving in Altamira both Wren and Caleb managed not to look like complete idiots when the Katz cheerfully offered their hopes that the pizza shop business would be successful as they both went their separate ways. The two made their way towards the railcar, stopping only when Wren stared at the tall hotel near the entrance of the resort.
"Giant pumpkin. And someone dressed in red." Wren muttered under his breath as they walked on. Caleb looked back at him strangely and he smiled back. "Ah, nothing. I was just thinking to myself about something." the blonde covered quickly. The redhead looked as if he was going to ask further but didn't, turning back instead to continue leading the way. Wren looked glum, feeling bad for not telling the truth, which was the same as outright lying in his mind. He bumped into Caleb's back suddenly and shook himself out of his thoughts. "What? Why'd you stop?" Caleb pointed up ahead silently and Wren followed his arm, then gasped in shock. Members of the Dark Chef Alliance wandered the area, some getting on the rail car as others kept watch for intruders.
"Ack! A patrol!" Caleb squeaked and grabbed Wren's arm, dragging him into a nearby booth to hide. "What are the Dark Chefs doing here?" he asked once the group of blue-clad cooks had passed by. Wren shrugged, then looked worried.
"You don't suppose the traitor in the Wonder Organization told them where to find the crystal, do you?" he asked. Caleb's expression darkened and Wren sighed hopelessly. "This whole resort is crawling with Dark Chefs! How are we supposed to get past them to the crystal without getting caught?" he wondered aloud.
"How could the spy know where the crystal is, anyway? Isn't that a guarded secret only the Wonder Chef would know?" Caleb muttered and blinked, suddenly looking at Wren strangely, "And if so, then how did you know where it is yourself?" Wren looked startled at the subtle accusation.
"I... I don't know. I just know that there is a dwarven-refined crystal here that can contain the Famine Lord. The Wonder Chef might have told others about it and I might have been one of those other cooks." he mumbled glumly, "Don't you trust me? Do you think I'm the one who betrayed the Wonder Organization?" Caleb studied him silently and sighed.
"I trust you, Wren. I don't think you are the traitor, but the one who is must have been someone who could hear or know where the Wonder Chef goes in his travels and where the crystal is, as well as the legend and the location of the temple. Once we seal the Famine Lord, we'll find that traitor and turn him in!" Caleb finally assured him and peeked over the booth's counter. "The patrol has passed by, but we can't use the rail car like this. We'll need to find another way to the crystal." he added and cocked his head. "Where is it, anyway?"
"Under the teacup ride in the amusement park. It slides open to reveal a hidden chamber where my father put the crystal." Wren answered and furrowed his eyebrows again. "I remembered that just now. Whatever happened to me in Flanoir is bringing back more and more of my memories. Like, I remember the crystal we're going after is one that dwarves used to refine and use as sources of fuel long ago. They held the mana of the earth and fire from deep below the earth. They could also absorb new sources of mana and other types of energy to store it." Caleb blinked at him.
"Really? It's one of those crystals?" he asked and gazed out at the water. "Well, the park is on one of those smaller islands over there. I think we can swim over to it." Wren gaped at him.
"Swim?! But we'll be roast duck out there in open water!" he cried and uttered a muffled squeal as the redhead's hand clamped over his mouth.
"SSH! Not so loud! And knock it off with the cooking puns!" Caleb ordered and looked around to be sure they were still safe. "Sometimes, the closer you are to the enemy, the safer you'll be. Look." He pointed at the Dark Chefs crowding the rail car's loading area and walking up and down the many bridges and wharfs. "They're so busy looking for us on land they'll never suspect us in the water. We'll keep to the shadows of the water and make our way to the park. It's not very far from here. We can make it." Wren reluctantly nodded and they crept towards the water's edge. Caleb unloaded his self-cooking pot and carefully eased himself into the water, panicking for a moment when he began to sink. Kicking, he resurfaced in time to see Wren plunge in after him, coming up with a splutter as his hair clung to his face.
"Ugh! This isn't one of the greatest ideas you've had so far, Caleb." he stammered through his chattering teeth. Caleb tread water as he reinforced his hair with the green ribbon.
"Yes, well, at least we get baths doing this. I haven't had time to clean up since having to play pizza chef to all those Katz." he remarked.
"At least you put your heart into it. You ever considered joining the Wonder Organization?" Wren asked brightly, warming up to the water now, "Maybe we could be partners and open a resturaunt somewhere!" Caleb shook his head.
"It sounds great, but Master Altessa needs me. I can't abandon him." he apologized and tossed his head towards the direction of the park, "Come on! And try not to splash." Carefully, the two cooks paddled through the water, ducking under the surface and clinging to the walls surrounding each mini-island whenever they feared detection was imminent. They paused under one bridge to check their bearings.
"Hey, Caleb? I hadn't mentioned this earlier, because I thought it was stupid, but..." Wren began uncertainly.
"But what?"
"Caleb, have we met before? You look awfully familiar." The red-head looked at him strangely, hair loosened from his ribbon and swirling on the water surface around him.
"No, I would have remembered you if we did. I never forget people I've met personally. Or anything else for that matter." he answered, "Why?"
"Because I'm almost positive that I once met a man with long red hair and green eyes just like you, but he wore different clothes." Wren added. Caleb winced.
"Oh, him. That was Zelos Wilder, the former Chosen of Tethe'alla. Where were you when you met him?" he asked. Wren shrugged.
"That part I haven't quite remembered yet. Is it safe to continue?" he answered vaguely.
The amusement park attendees didn't ask questions as Wren and Caleb pulled themselves out of the water and flopped onto the ground, exhausted. Caleb tried to wring water out of his hair as Wren gasped for air and sat up. Looking back out at the expanse of water, he blinked and shot Caleb another glare.
"'Not that far off', huh?" he growled. Caleb laughed sheepishly as he tied his hair back.
"Sorry, I never actually swam the distance myself. I probably miscalculated and forgot to include that you get tired swimming after a certain amount of time." He stood up and held out a hand. "Well, at least we're here. Let's get that crystal and get back to Flanoir!" They rushed to reach the teacup ride and looked around quickly. There weren't any Dark Chefs around yet, but it was only a matter of time before they would arrive. Caleb studied the ride carefully, but couldn't see how it could be moved. "Wren, now what?" He turned to the blonde as Wren walked up to a pair of footprints carved into the stone just beside the entrance to the ride. Once there, he reached around his neck and produced a thin silver chain with a small clear sphere hanging from it. He held it up and stepped in place on the footprints.
"Father, open the path for me." Wren whispered and watched as the sunlight hit the crystal, then was reflected onto the center of the ride. The center shone brilliantly and the entire circle that contained the ride shook and lifted straight up to reveal a tall chamber. The doors within it opened as Caleb walked up beside Wren in shock.
"That was hidden under the ride all this time?!" he exclaimed. Wren smiled sheepishly.
"It appears so. This glass pearl was given to me by my father long ago. It opens this chamber and that's where the special crystal is." he answered, "I think it was called the Famine Gem. We can use it to seal away the Famine Lord." he added as the doors opened. A Wonder Cook holding a large blue gem in one hand stepped out from within, followed by DuGorge still wielding Wren's fork and a small group of Dark Chefs.
"I think not. The Wonder Organization can't stop us from taking our rightful places as Masters of the Kitchen!" DuGorge declared with a laugh, and signaled his grunts to rush forward. Wren and Caleb barely managed to cry out in surprise as they were surrounded and grabbed. The woman with the gem smiled brightly and held it close.
"Well, well, looks like it's time to toast these two cream puffs." she remarked, pulling off her white Wonder Cook hat and tossing it aside. Wren growled angrily as Caleb blinked in shock.
"The woman grunt on the ship..." he whispered.
"I know you... But, how...?" he demanded. The woman shrugged.
"Oh, that's right. You have amnesia. DuGorge told me about your condition. I'm the new recruit you picked up several months ago. My name is Ginger Spicewood, and my specialty is sugar-coated espionage." the dark-haired woman replied, "A few bites of my Truth Taffy and your closest confidantes spilled everything they knew about your secrets and legends."
"But how did you get inside that chamber?!" Caleb exclaimed, "Wren's crystal is the only thing that can open that path, right?!" DuGorge lifted the fork and laughed.
"That's why I have this! This dwarven-crafted fork is the ultimate symbol of the Wonder Organization and overrides all the safety protocols placed by the Wonder Chef and his amateur cooks. As long as I have it in my possession, I have the power of the Wonder Chef himself!" he declared and smiled at the two cooks. "Isn't that right, Wren... the Wonder Chef?" Caleb blinked in surprise and looked over at the startled blonde.
"Wren?" he questioned in confusion. Wren shook his head in horror, eyes wide with disbelief.
"No. No! It can't be! I'm a Wonder Cook! My name is Wren!" he cried. DuGorge looked annoyed and held the fork out towards him again.
"I'm tired of this. It was funny for a while, but now we gotta get serious. The pot roast is getting cold!" he declared irritably, "Wonder Fork, heed my commands! Restore the memory of the Wonder Chef!" The metal and wood gleamed white, bathing the young man in its light. Caleb stared in shock as the light faded and Wren drooped in sad acceptance. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked aside at his friend.
"Welcome to the end of your catering career, Wonder Chef." Ginger snickered, "Too bad we didn't get much of a chance to get... reacquainted."
"Wren?" Caleb echoed hollowly. Wren closed his eyes with a pained expression.
"I'm sorry, Caleb." he whispered. The doll looked faintly betrayed as DuGorge signaled the Dark Chefs again. They moved the group along back to the rail car.
"Finally, we can start the Feast of Souls and awaken the Lord Famine." DuGorge sighed, "All this wandering around to get ahold of a proper sacrifice is such a pain. But, hey, what better offering can we give the Famine Lord than the Wonder Chef himself?"