Ch 5
Flanoir's bitter cold was nothing compared to the icy wall that separated Wren and Caleb. Since the blonde's memories were restored, Caleb had shut himself away and remained stoic whenever Wren tried to talk to him. Eventually the blonde gave up and huddled against the wall, waiting to see what would happen next. Old Jack and the other Wonder Cooks had been recaptured and placed in separate cells to avoid another breakout.
"Caleb, it's not my fault. I didn't have my memory, remember? Why blame me for something I can't control? Isn't this the kind of thing Lloyd wanted to abolish?" Wren pointed out quietly, "Are you going to go on hating me simply because I'm the Wonder Chef? It's what I was born into; it's like hating me for being human."
"I never said I hated you." Caleb finally muttered, glaring at the far rock wall. Wren looked hopeful.
"Really? Then why do you keep looking at me like that? Why won't you speak to me?" he asked.
"Because I'm mad at myself. If I had only known you were the Wonder Chef, Wren, I would have made every effort to get the Heroes of Union to protect you. But I didn't, and I failed to keep you safe from the Dark Chef Alliance." the doll answered and his voice cracked, "I failed and now you're going to be sacrificed to the Famine Lord." Wren jerked his head up in realization and smiled widely.
"Caleb, you genius! That's it!" he exclaimed and leaped up. "I'm going to let them sacrifice me!" Caleb stared at him in disbelief.
"You what?!"
"I'm going to be their sacrifice to the Famine Lord!" Wren repeated.
"Wren... if you still want to be called that... you can't let them use you as their offering!" Caleb shot back fearfully, "Calculating the necessary requirements needed to have a suitable sacrifice, your history in regards to the Famine Lord, and the willingness of the Famine Lord to accept a Wonder Chef as an offering, you have a 99.7 percent chance of having your soul be the perfect sacrifice to the Famine Lord! Dying won't help us stop the Dark Chefs!" Wren smiled wider.
"Remember what I said? The Dark Chefs misunderstood the truth of the legend between my ancestor and the Famine Lord, because even the Wonder Cooks don't know the truth!" he told the redhead, "Listen, I have a plan, but I need your help to pull it off. First, I need you to find a way to get that gem back. Without the Famine Gem, I won't be able to seal the Famine Lord." The plot was hammered out as time for the Feast of Souls grew nearer.
Soon, the doors opened and a pair of Dark Chef grunts walked into the room, forks at the ready and aimed at them. The two captives stood up and blinked at them in confusion.
"Don't make any attempts to escape! Both of you, come with us! The time has come to serve a Wonder Chef supper at the Feast of Souls!" they sneered. Wren and Caleb looked at each other, smiled, and nodded.
"Okay. Sounds fair. I won't try to avoid my fate." Wren remarked and the two of them walked out, followed by the Dark Chefs. They were herded down the halls, past the now empty cells, and into the large chamber where the casket waited. Surrounding the auditorium-like chamber were large numbers of the blue-clad cooks, the Wonder Cook prisoners were forced to stand around the central floor in anticipation of the Feast of Souls, unwilling witnesses to the upcoming awakening of the Famine Lord. Ginger was standing nearby with the Famine Gem in her hands, flipping it into the air. Wren nodded almost imperceptibly as they were led down to the stone slab. DuGorge stood by the golden lock, Wren's fork still in his grip.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Cooks and chefs of all ages! Welcome to the Feast of Souls!" DuGorge declared in a booming voice as the crowd clapped excitedly, "On tonight's menu, let me introduce the one, the only, and the very last... the Wonder Chef!" Wren stepped forward to face the Dark Chef, a serious expression on his face as DuGorge smiled widely. The audience cheered wildly as the Wonder Cooks gasped and chattered among themselves.
"I thought he looked awfully familiar!" they whispered, "The Wonder Chef looks really different without his hat and cape, doesn't he? I heard the Wonder Chef was young, but this boy...? I used to work with his father, you know."
"But tonight is a special night! Not only are we graced with the presence of the annoyingly elusive Wonder Chef, but when the main course summons the Famine Lord, the lucky taste-tester of our new might will be none other than the Chosen himself! Say hello to Zelos Wilder!" DuGorge went on, waving a hand towards Caleb. The redhead rolled his eyes as the cheers went on. DuGorge soaked in the applause and smiled brightly at Wren. "You're going to make history tonight, Wonder Chef, just like your ancestor so many thousands of years ago. By furthering the gourmet glory of the Dark Chef Alliance, you will single-handedly destroy everything the Wonder Organization stood for."
"We'll see who holds the power here." Wren merely remarked confidently, a crooked smile twisting upward on his face, "I've studied my family history since I was a child. I can't be the Wonder Chef without fully understanding everything my family has done."
"Peh, what a pathetic attempt at intimidation." DuGorge sneered at him, "Get it through your head, boy; you've failed being the Wonder Chef!" Wren shrugged. "Well, it won't matter in a few moments. Guards! Take him to the dinner table!" Wren didn't wait for the grunts to move, instead walking to the table and climbing onto it without a word. "Hah! Look, everyone! He wants to get swallowed up by the Famine Lord!"
Caleb tensed as he watched DuGorge signal a group of chefs from around the edges of the chamber. The Dark Chefs marched forward, huge platters of delicious-looking food in their hands. Each one held up the offering and the gem on the casket seemed to glow, drawing the energy from the dishes into itself. Wren sat on the stone slab and watched with the doll in awe as the food seemed to shrivel and rot. The light of health in each dish flowed from the spoiled food and into the red orb, restoring its old shine and fire.
"That's it. Feed on the fine dishes we've prepared for you, so that you have the strength to seek the offering we bring." DuGorge whispered. Caleb bit his lip worriedly and looked over at Wren. The young chef swallowed as the recipes surrounding him crumbled into masses of rotted meat and vegetation, fit only for vermin and flies to eat.
"This is what Famine needs to live. The health and ripeness of everything that holds life." the doll murmured and subconsciously sent a prayer to Martel for strength. DuGorge watched as the chefs set down the rotted offerings and backed away quickly, their hands covering their noses and mouths in disgust. The stench was rising, swirling around Wren in visible wisps of dingy greys and brown. Wren shut his eyes and bowed his head, covering his nose and mouth with both hands.
"The appetizer has been accepted! Now for the main course!" the Master Chef laughed and held up the fork one last time before turning to place it within the keyhole of the gold lock. It fell open and the chains dropped aside, leaving the casket free. The red gem pulsed with a dull light. Wren coughed and choked, but forced himself to look up at the orb gaining strength. Though he tried to conceal it from the crowd, fear flickered over the blonde's face. Caleb could understand how he felt. Once before, he had made the very same decision; to allow an evil creature the ability to take possession of his body. But this was different in a way. Caleb didn't worry about losing his soul; at the time, the doll didn't have that. Wren, on the other hand, had his entire family and a majority of the world to worry about. He glanced over at his target once more and waited for his signal, whatever it may be.
"Famine Lord, accept this sacrifice and awaken in service of your master! I, Gluttonious DuGorge, offer to you the descendant of your mortal enemy, the Wonder Chef, on this night, the night of the Feast of Souls!" DuGorge cried out to the black coffin, "Awaken!"
At first the gem on the casket remained unchanged, and the crowd remained silent, unsure of what to expect. Each time a new sacrifice was brought before the casket and offered at the end of the ritual, this would be the furthest they got. The gem would pulse with new strength, seem to study the Wonder Cook placed on the slab as they choked on the stench of decay, and then fade back to lifelessness. Was this yet another failure?
The answer came soon enough as the red gem suddenly began to glow, dimly at first but growing brighter as its light shone out and centered itself on the blonde set before it. Wren gasped, uttered a small strangled sound, then shut his eyes tightly once again, gritting his teeth as the light grew ever stronger. Both hands went to his neck as he retched and choked on the decay around him. The Wonder Cooks cried out in horror and tried to rush to his side, only to be thrown back by the smell of rotting food that seemed to act as a shield. DuGorge watched in strange fascination as Wren's body took on an eerily blood-red hue in the light of the gem. Caleb tried to look away, but the sight held his attention completely and he jumped when Wren suddenly cried out in shock. A bright white glow surrounded the young man and shot towards the gem on the black casket, taking with it the smell of rot as Wren's body collapsed lifelessly on the stone slab.
"No! It's taken his soul!" Old Jack exclaimed, horrified. The gem on the casket shattered and the lid fell open. Everyone jumped back from it, uncertain of what would be released.
"Now!" Caleb yelled out and dashed forward at Ginger. She shrieked as the redhead snatched the blue crystal from her hands. He spun around and ran back to the slab, worried about the safety of his friend. Wren lay silent on the stone, eyes closed as if in a peaceful slumber. "Wren, I've got the crystal! Wake up!" he cried to the blonde. DuGorge stepped forward and lifted his arms up.
"Behold! The Famine Lord!" he declared as a vast black mist flowed from within the coffin and settled down before the Dark Chef, "Lord Famine, master of destruction of food and hope, hear me! I am your master now!" The mist spun and condensed, shrinking down to form a familiar figure. Caleb stared at the black and pale replica of Wren standing before DuGorge. Snapping out of his trance once he remembered his mission, he glared at the released being and held out the Famine Gem. "I command you to send your touch of death upon this idiot Chosen!"
"I will not." the Famine Lord answered in a cold voice. DuGorge stepped back in shock.
"How dare you disobey! I am your master! I released you from your seal!" he shouted. The dark figure shook its head, glowing red eyes narrowed at the Dark Chef.
"You know nothing of the events that led to my imprisonment at the hands of that wretched boy chef and his companions." it replied icily, "I was set loose upon the land seven millennia ago to cleanse the world and prepare it for destruction. However, I was sealed away by a boy and his friends, and an incantation was placed upon my power. The one who releases me becomes my master and I must do his bidding. I take into my being my master's soul and follow his commands until I am returned to my slumber."
"So that whole story about offering a sacrifice to the Famine Lord...?!" DuGorge exclaimed in realization. The shadow's lips curved into a dark smile.
"The one who sacrifices himself to me becomes my master. Life is always above death in the eyes of nature, thus I must obey the bearer of life." it clarified.
"Famine Lord!" Caleb yelled out, holding the shimmering blue gem before him. "Your awakening was far too soon! Return to your slumber by the power of this gem and release the soul of my friend!" Ginger dashed in and tackled him, sending the crystal skittering across the floor, "Hey! Get off!" DuGorge ran after the fallen gem, furious over being foiled by a misunderstood line in an ancient story. The shadow closed its eyes and folded its arms over its chest, turned its head aside in boredom.
"I am commanded to wait and observe. Whether the time of my rising was ripe or not is of no concern to me. I am awake, and I have a master. That is all that matters." it intoned darkly. Caleb struggled with the Dark Chef spy as DuGorge scooped up the gem and held it over his head. He glared at the Famine Lord.
"I spent months setting this plot up, and hours roasting a pot roast that went ice cold because of this idiot Chosen and an amnesiac Wonder Chef! I refuse to believe that I can't have what I want!" he declared in a fury, "Either obey me now, or I will smash this gem against the wall and destroy the very thing that will release you from the Wonder Chef's control!" The Famine Lord looked at him and smiled again, this time looking as evil as the legends had described.
"I refuse to obey. Do as you wish. My master cannot control what you do." he replied, eyes glowing brightly, "No matter how much he screams in protestation within me. After all, if you destroy that gem, then my master will be forced to stay with me, and once his body truly rots away, his soul will vanish and the spell on me will be destroyed. I will truly be free of all life-givers."
Caleb threw off the woman and scrambled to his feet, yelling out in near despair as DuGorge raged loudly and hurled the shining blue gem at the far wall. The doll leaped out with open arms, barely in time to catch the gem before falling against the wall. He held it out again.
"Wren! Please! Put the Famine Lord to rest!" he cried out. The shadow looked irritated.
"I've only had life for a brief period, and already I am commanded back to sleep?" it grumbled and shut its eyes in annoyance. "As you wish." it growled between gritted teeth and burst apart, swirling as mist once more towards the blue gem in Caleb's hands. It left behind a shimmering white light that floated back to Wren's body. It vanished into the blonde, who slowly awoke and sat up.
"Huh... It worked." Wren murmured and slid off the table to join Caleb. The doll held a now red gem in his hands and was staring at it in shock. "Caleb! We did it! Thank you!" He reached over and pulled his fork from the fallen lock, smiling cheerfully. "Finally! I got my fork back! My father would have wrung my neck if I lost it!" DuGorge fumed as he glared at the two cooks across from him.
"You! You spoiled everything! And cost me a perfectly exquisite pot roast!" he snarled and snatched up one of the escaping Dark Chef's metal forks. "If I can't outcook you, you half-wit Wonder Chef, then I'll just outright kill you!" He threw the utensil straight at the blonde with a feral yell. Both Wren and Caleb looked up at his direction, startled. Caleb reacted far faster than Wren could imagine.
"No! Wren!" the doll cried and shoved the Wonder Chef aside, yelling as the fork speared into his chest. DuGorge chose that time to escape and cook himself a consolation ham. The Wonder Cooks managed to free themselves and stood in shock as Wren recovered from the push and whirled around with a cry.
"Caleb!" he exclaimed, then froze. The redhead was gripping the handle of the fork, struggling to pull it out of himself. He glanced over at the blonde and hesitated, knowing that, with this scene, the truth of what he was could be seen. "Caleb... you're... not human..." Wren whispered, eyes still wide as he stared at his friend.
"Wren, I can explain." Caleb began, reaching out pleadingly as he continued to pull on the fork. The blonde dropped his own and stepped back, unable to comprehend what he was seeing before him.
"You're... an automated doll... like Tabatha... You said she was your sister. I should have known..." the Wonder Chef went on in a far-away voice and hugged himself, a hurt expression coming over his face, "You didn't just tell me when we became friends... You never told me, and you lied about what you were every time I asked about you!" Caleb finally managed to pull the fork free and clasped one hand over the torn portion of his clothes, sensing a large drop in his power source that signaled a massive loss of energy. He winced as he felt himself weaken suddenly.
"Wren... help... I..." he stammered. Wren shook his head fiercely, eyes tearing up.
"You lied to me! How can we be friends if you don't even trust me to know that you're an automated doll?!" he cried angrily. Caleb dropped to his knees, holding himself up with his free hand, his other still gripping the front of his shirt and jacket. His wide eyes stared at the floor as he began trembling. "Why?! Why didn't you tell me?!" Wren demanded, then blinked as he watched the redhead slump over.
"I... didn't... want... to... lose... my... friend..." Caleb managed to gasp out brokenly before collapsing at last. Wren cried his name and darted forward to turn him over. "Al... tess... a..." The doll whispered his creator's name with the last bit of energy he had. The glow of light faded from his eyes and the doll became silent. The Wonder Cooks gathered nearby, waiting for something more to happen, but Wren didn't bother looking at them, just sobbed and shook his head.
"I'm sorry I was angry. We were both so worried about discrimination that never existed between us..." he murmured and looked up at the members of his family's organization, "I want to take him back to Altessa. If anything can be done to save him, Altessa can do it. Seal the Famine Lord within its casket. I'll send for reinforcements to aid you and take you home." He reclaimed his fork and placed one hand on the doll's shoulder.
"We'll take care of everything and spread word that you've returned safely. Bon appétit, Wonder Chef, sir." Old Jack told him and saluted him with his fork. Wren nodded and lifted his own, focusing on Altessa's home and vanishing in a burst of smoke, the doll disappearing with him in the teleportation.