Hi guys, this is RjBoss12 coming back at you with another chapter. I gotta say, the last chapter was wild. The fact that Zac had his first battle and almost died in it is crazy. Though, speaking of almost dying, I now have to keep an eye out for angry people from the BQ community. That stunt I pulled was grounds for a bounty on my head. A whopping $122,000 reward for my capture. Enjoy the story while I disappear for a bit.
( Please don't turn me in. I wouldn't last a minute against them.)
Chapter 4
To say Zac was tired after his match would be an understatement. Zac was completely and utterly bushed. Decoding under those conditions would be stressful for anyone. Almost getting cut up by what could basically be called a zombie was more than what he had bargained for. Zac still thought back to the cursing and the ruckus she had made when they'd left through the exit. The calls for revenge and an aura of pure malice still lingered in his mind. If it hadn't been for Helena, who was doing her best to support both him and herself on her cane, Zac would have fallen over and collapsed. After walking away, the two of them came upon Emma and Tracy, both having a worried look on their faces. "That was a pretty dumb move. It could easily have put you both in more danger." Tracy stated, her mouth twisted in a frown and her eyes showing nothing but concern. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I did what I did. Yet, if I'm going to be honest, I don't regret it. I did what I thought was right." Tracy stared at him for a few more seconds, then simply shrugged. "You better be glad I was still within range to use my bot. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure your first day here would have been your last." Zac broke into a cold sweat after hearing that, he was starting to get worried about future matches. Then Zac felt something hitting his torso, causing him to fall. Looking forward, he saw that Emma had wrapped him in a hug. There were tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. Zac started to smile back before a look of complete shock overtook his face. Emma's smile had gone from a smile to the scariest frown Zac had ever seen. " Tracy may have let it go, but I'm not going to. We're heading to see Emily right now." With those words, Emma once again grabbed Zac by the collar as she dragged him back to the manor. "I'm going to make sure you don't ever pull a stunt like that again." Hearing this, Zac looked back at Tracy and Helena, a hand outstretched as if he was seeking for help. Both of them just stared at him with a look of pity on their faces as he was dragged into the manor. " If I'm being honest, I'd rather make all the hunters mad than make Emma mad." Helena said as she began to clear off her glasses. Tracy only nodded as they both made their way to the manor as well.
The return to the manor was quite the interesting one. With Emma lecturing Zac the entire way back, Zac felt worse and just a little scared. Upon entering the manor, everyone there seemed to have nothing but praise for his actions. Many people commented on how funny the ending was. Even Naib couldn't help but smile at the events. As much as Zac wanted to revel in his newfound, he was quickly dragged towards Emily's medical room. If Zac thought Emma was mad, then she was nothing compared to Emily's anger. She spent about 25 minutes scolding Zac for what he did. Outside the door, all of the survivors listened in on the verbal tongue lashing, wincing at every word. When the lecture was over, Emily simply went over the group and patched up any gashes or cuts they might've had. Tracy and Emma got out 1st and went to have dinner. Helena and Zac, however, were covered in scratches and cuts. Helena had a big one over her arm while Zac had a huge cut on his back and some scratches on his leg. Emily seemed to shudder when looking at those wounds. "I've never once seen a hunter act like that. Usually they are calm and snarky, never downright murderous. What did you do?" Emily asked, giving Zac a stern look. "It was only a banana cream pie. Emma watched as I made them. I didn't put in anything extra," Zac said, shrinking under Emily's continuous stare. Emily simply sighed and proceeded to bandage up the two. Helena just sat there, seeming to be lost in thought. " Well, whatever it was, make sure to use those pies more responsibly. We don't want another incident like this. Hunters are supposed to simply catch us, but Mary seemed to want to actively kill you. Be very careful the next time you use those goods." With that said, Emily sent both Helena and Zac out of the room as she began to clean up her office. Zac and Helena agreed to go change clothes before heading down to eat. When Zac got to his room, he immediately showered. As the hot water ran down his skin, his worry and anxiety seemed to fade. Any thoughts he had previously were simply gone. Coming out of the shower, he decided to pick out some casual clothes to wear to dinner. He ended up wearing an all black t- shirt, brown cargo pants and black sneakers. Grabbing his cane, he began to walk downstairs to grab a bite.
As he made his way down the steps, Zac began to hear voices and what sounded like complaints. "What do you mean this is all there is tonight?! We can't just have this for dinner!" "Look little lady, it's my night to cook and this is what I've made. Now you can eat or go upstairs hungry." Stepping into the dining room, he saw Kevin, Vera and who he believed to be, Demi. Kevin and Vera were doing all the arguing while Demi just seemed to be glaring at Kevin. As Zac came into the room, he accidentally stepped on a loose floorboard, letting out a creak. The sound caused the three to look in Zac's direction. Vera seemed to brighten up as Zac came into view. As soon as he was in front of the three , Vera rushed over and grabbed his hand. "Zac, you're a baker, are you not?" Vera asked with pleading eyes. Zac casually shook his hand out of her grasp before answering. "Yes, at least I believe I am." Vera held a confused expression for a second before returning to her original train of thought. "Excellent. We need your help. You see, Mr. 20 seconds over here wanted to serve beans and hotdogs for dinner and none of us want that. Sooooo, we were wondering if you could whip up something a bit better for dinner." "Wait, why did you call him Mr. 20 seconds?" Zac asked, before he said yes or no to her question. Zac looked over to Kevin and Demi, trying to get some answers. Demi took a drink from her bottle and smiled. "It's because that's how long he lasts in… mmph!" Before Demi could finish her words, Kevin covered her mouth and looked over to Zac. "It's because my kites are usually only 20 seconds. That's how long it takes before I get tripped up or something. Now, excuse me compadre." With that, Kevin hefted Demi on his shoulder and left the kitchen. Zac could only look after them with a puzzled face as he felt Vera tugging on his shirt again. "Hello? Is anyone there? Can you do it or not?" Zac turned to look at Vera, who wore a scowl at having to wait for him to answer. Zac shrugged his shoulders, figuring he didn't really have a choice in the matter. With that, Vera brought him into the kitchen and told him to start cooking. "Please make the dinner nice and ready in about 2 hours. Thank you!" Zac then faced Vera with a shocked expression . " Two hours?! There's no way I can cook for twenty something people in 2 hours by myself!" "Which is why you won't be alone. You have these three to help you." Vera called back with a grunt. "Wait, what three…? With that, three large objects and one small object were shoved through the door. As they came crashing through, they fell on Zac who was sent into a dazed state.
As he attempted to recover himself, he felt a licking sensation on his face. Looking forward, he saw a little dog with a hat on his head. The dog kept licking until he was pulled away. As Zac looked up, he saw a gloved hand reaching down to him. As Zac grabbed it, he looked upwards to see the face. A brown haired individual in what seemed to be a prison suit began to say,"Hey, sorry about the fall. Lousy good for nothing Vera grabbed us and tossed us in here. You met us before, but just in case you forgot, my name is Luca, the prisoner." Luca held a bright smile as he motioned towards the other two who had been thrown in with him. "Over there is Victor, the postman. He doesn't talk much, but he's the nicest person around here. Well, depending on who you ask. Some say Eli is nicer but I don't see it." Looking over he saw Victor waving one hand as he held a dog in the other. The dog let out a small bark and was wagging his tail. "Oh, that's Wick. He's Victor's traveling buddy. They never leave each other's side unless they're in a match." Zac then saw Victor pull out a letter from his bag and give it to Wick. Wick then jumped down out of Victor's arms and walked over to Zac to deliver the letter. Zac gently took the envelope and opened it. The letter simply read "Nice to meet you." Zac smiled at Victor and said " It's nice to meet you and Wick too." Victor smiled as he motioned at Luca over to the third member of the room. Luca looked over to the third person in the room who seemed like he was quietly trying to sneak out of the kitchen. "Oh, no you don't. Come back here." Luca called as he grabbed the third man's arm and brought him back in front of Zac. As Luca pulled him back, he smiled and said "His name is Andrew. He's quite shy, but he's more dependable than most of the people here. He's someone you can always count on." Zac went to shake his hand, but Andrew seemed to back up a bit. Victor came over to pat him on the back, which caused Andrew to wince, but then smile a bit. Zac looked over, thinking he had done something wrong. Luca caught the glance and decided to dissuade his worries. " You didn't do anything bad. Andrew just has a tough time trusting people. He still doesn't trust some people in the manor now, people like Vera." At the mention of her name, both Andrew and Victor seemed to shudder at the same time. Wick went to hide behind Andrew's legs upon hearing the name as well. "So, you've met the members of team Val. Now, how about we start cooking before the dragoness herself comes back?" Zac winced at the name they had given Vera, thinking she might still be around, but eventually began to look through some cookbooks that were lying in the room. All of these recipes seemed to hold delicious secrets, yet Zac wasn't sure which one to pick for dinner. Luca seemed to look over his shoulder as Zac read through the book. "Soo, you're a baker, but can you make anything else besides baked goods?" Zac pondered about the question and thought of something. He wasn't sure how to make them. The only way he made those other treats was simply because of his intuition. Almost as if it had been second nature. These dishes though, caused Zac to worry. He had no memory of how to make these. The situation made Zac's head throb in pain. Zac then suddenly collapsed on the floor. The last thing he heard was Luca calling his name and the barking of Wick.
Zac found himself in a dark realm. As he used his cane to balance himself, he heard a coughing sound coming from behind him. Turning around, he saw the figure of Miss Nightingale sitting on what seemed to be a throne. He began to approach her but found that his arms were chained to the sides. Zac began to thrash about until he grew tired. He heard the sound of laughter as he faced forward. Ms. Nightingale laughed with her hand covering her mouth as she attempted to regain her composure. " Struggling is pointless. This is the realm of the host. Nothing happens that the host doesn't allow. This would have taken place later tonight, but I suppose this will be a two part sequence. The host has seen fit to make you more useful in your daily endeavors. The host has also believed that it will do good to restore a part of your memories, only pertaining to cooking and preparing food. Now then, we shall meet again later tonight." With those words, Zac felt a surge of knowledge in the things he previously didn't know fill his mind. At the same time, he also began to lose consciousness once again. As he did, he heard the voice of Ms. Nightingale one last time. "Oh, before I forget, well done during your match today."
As Zac opened his eyes again, he noticed that he was surrounded by different people. Team Val was still standing around, but Emily and Emma were also there. They all had worried expressions on their faces as they helped him up on his feet. "Are you alright, Mr. Flaine? Luca told us you suddenly fell unconscious." Emily asked, worry written all across her face. Zac moved his shoulders a bit before he began heading towards the cookbook. "I feel great actually. I feel like I'm ready to cook up a storm. Would you guys be willing to help me out?" At the question, two thirds of team Val gave him a thumbs up while the third simply nodded shakily. Emma rolled up her sleeves and began to wash her hands as soon the question was asked. "As much as I would love to help, I have other patients I need to take care of. Please don't push yourself too hard in cooking, Mr Flaine." Emily called as she began walking back to her office. As soon as Emily left, Zac decided they should get to work immediately. He started assigning everyone to a different section of the meal. He would be taking care of the main course and the dessert. Zac appointed Emma and Luca to salads. He was about to assign Andrew and Victor to the drinks before Demi stormed into the room. "Nobody in this manor handles drinks but me. It's something that's already been agreed to." Zac looked around and everyone nodded their heads in confirmation. So, Zac put Demi on drinks and Victor and Andrew were to be on dish duty. The next hour was filled with nothing but noise and the aroma of good food. Zac, having regained his knowledge as a cook, had been whipping up a storm as the others attempted to help where they could. Being the first time he is cooking for everyone, Zac wanted to make the meal extra delicious. All the while trying to make sure everyone was able to go through their jobs quickly and with little to no problems. He had to stop a few times to prevent Emma from adding some of her plants from the garden to the mix. As well as stopping Luca from supercharging the cooking machinery. Every few minutes, Zac would hear crashing and clanging over by the washing section. Looking over, he'd see either Victor or Andrew had dropped something. Every time they'd glance back at him with nervous expressions, thinking he would yell at them like some megalomaniac head chef. Every time, though, Zac would just smile and help them clean up the mess. Then he'd just assist them for a bit before going back to his cooking. After about an hour and thirty minutes, they had finished all the preparations and were now just setting the table to get ready to eat. It was around then that Vera came around to check on them. " Ok, so how is the meal? Is everything all set and ready?" she asked, looking around trying to see if the food was anywhere to be found. "The meal is ready, but we're waiting on everyone before we present it." Zac answered, beginning to head back into the kitchen. Seeming satisfied with the answer, Vera sat down at the table in preparation for dinner. After about thirty minutes a call was made to tell everyone the food was ready. All the survivors made their way downstairs, a bit sluggish, as if dreading the meal. Zac listened quietly to hear what made them this way. " Man, it's Kevin's turn to cook, isn't it? I'm getting kinda tired of hotdogs and beans." he heard a voice, which sounded like William's, comment. "No, No Kreacher enjoys Kevin's cooking. It is good. Very good." Said Kreacher, sounding quite convinced that Kevin's food was great. The whole atmosphere of the room changed when a smell wafted from the kitchen. A thought came to everyone's mind " Hey, that's not the smell of hot dogs and beans. It smells…. Really good!" At that, everyone rushed to their seats and awaited the meal. Zac looked out the door to see everyone waiting eagerly at the table to eat. He then turned to his staff, getting ready to have them go sit and eat as well. Only to see them grabbing the trays and getting prepared to bring them out. "You guys don't have to do that. I can carry those out myself." Luca just stared at him and gave a shrug. " Dude, you're doing all you can to balance right now. I don't think you can carry these out with one hand. Besides, we have no problem helping, right guys?" Victor and Andrew gave a thumb's up, though Andrew's was a bit shaky, while Wick simply yipped while balancing a dish on his back. Emma patted Zac's back and smiled as she and Luca took the salad out to the table. Zac could hear everyone ooh as they looked at the presented salad. The starter dish consisted of spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions and a pinch of chopped celery. Wick came out shortly, carrying croutons and dressings. Everyone was about to dig in before someone suddenly said, "Wait, wait before we eat, shouldn't we say grace?" Zac looked over to see the voice coming from a woman who wore horns and carried a strange disk he had seen from earlier. Zac had forgotten her name, but was quickly reminded as William's voice spoke out. "Alright, Fiona, can I do it this time?" Fiona seemed shocked at this, but simply smiled as she bowed her head. Zac noticed while some people groaned, Naib and a few others were quietly snickering. A few seconds had passed before William spoke again. "Ahem….. Rub A Dub dub, thanks for the grub. Gg." Half of the table broke out in laughter while the other half just seemed to shake their heads. Fiona looked like she was about to explode before another woman had her take a seat to calm down. This was around the time that Andrew and Victor brought out the main dish. One giant platter of spaghetti and meatballs with sides of garlic bread and oven roasted asparagus. As they brought this out, Demi followed with drinks for everyone. Zac noticed that not all survivors had the same drink. Many people got what looked like a strong wine or a beer while a few people got what seemed to be juice. He simply shrugged at this as he prepared the final parts of dessert. Since everyone was still eating dinner, he decided to join them and eat as well before revealing the final dish. As Zac propped himself up on his cane, he slipped on some water and was about to fall when something suddenly caught him. Zac peered behind him, yet saw nothing. He kept looking around until he felt nudging at his leg. He looked down to see Wick whimpering, most likely checking how he was. Zac smiled as he patted Wick on the head and smiled, which caused Wick to wag his tail happily. Afterwards, he walked out to the dining room and looked around for somewhere to sit. As soon as he came out, everyone at the table turned their attention towards him and smiled. "Hey, it's the master chef, come on and have a seat over here!" he heard William shout, waving him over to an empty seat next to him. As Zac walked over, he heard people thanking him for the meal and patting him on the back. When Zac sat down, William pulled him into a one armed hug. Though it was one arm, Zac felt he was being crushed to death. William seemed to notice this and let go, apologizing while he did. " Man this food is good. Way better than most of the stuff we usually make. You have a gift my friend." A smile appeared on Zac's face until another voice spoke up. "Yes, while the meal is nice, it's definitely lacking in some areas. This asparagus is overcooked and the bread is too buttery. The meatballs are quite chewy as well." Everyone looked over and saw the voice belonging to Freddy Riley. He didn't know why, but as soon as Zac met Freddy, his skin had immediately begun to crawl. Freddy gave off the aura of someone who would do anything to get ahead, no matter who got hurt in the process. Not only that, but his name seemed to cause Zac to wince as well, as if he knew the man from the past. Yet nothing ever came to mind. " Oh hush Freddy, everyone knows you aren't satisfied by anything! That's why no one wants to team up with you during matches." Emma called out, with many people shaking their heads in agreement. Freddy was about to retort, but stopped as Kreacher stole his glasses and ran off. Freddy stood up immediately and gave chase " You illiterate reprobate, give those back!" " You will have to catch Kreacher to get your glasses back!" As everyone laughed, Zac began to take a bite of the meal. As he ate, he felt the food was alright. Zac was about to have a sip of the glass next to him before a hand snatched it away in front of him. Glancing up, he saw Demi gripping his arm and giving him a stern look. " Sorry, you're too young to have any of this," she said as she gave him a different glass. "Ah, come on Demi, let him have a drink. He put all of this meal together. Besides, you're too young to drink as well!" Luca said, somewhat slurring his words. "Nope, I don't want him ending up like some of you. Besides, you know the rules and so do I." As Demi talked, Zac looked around the room to see what she had meant. More than half of the people at the table were falling over and sleeping in their dinner. A few other survivors were drinking a bit and holding conversation. Zac shook at this and gratefully took the juice. After a bit, Zac felt it was time to bring out the dessert. As he got up on his cane, Emma and Luca grabbed his shoulders. " Easy there pal, you don't wanna hurt yourself. We can go get it for you." Luca said, giving a genuine smile. "No, no I must be the one to do this part. I call myself a baker, so I must do the honors of showing off my masterpiece. You can help me out though." They both shook their heads and followed him into the kitchen. Those who were still somewhat sober looked on in anticipation while others were lying down. After a bit, Emma called William and a few others into the kitchen to help out. After they went in, it was a few more minutes before they came back out. In their arms, they carried huge platters of different kinds of desserts. They had random assortments of cookies, chocolate and caramel cake, Cannolis, macaroons and old fashioned apple pie. The people at the table salivated at the sight of all of those desserts. As they were placed on the table, it would have been a free for all if Emily hadn't stepped in and had Zac serve the desserts first. As everyone had a taste of those treats, it felt like an explosion of flavor in their mouths. By the time dinner was finished, there were no deserts left on the trays. Vera removed a smudge of icing on her mouth before standing up. "Well, this has been a wonderful evening, but I must be going. Tata." As she was about to go up the stairs, she was lassoed back onto Kevin's shoulder. "Nice try, Vera. You had Zac cook, so now we'll help by doing the dishes. We can at least do that much." Kevin said as he walked towards the kitchen. Vera's eyes widened as she began to struggle. "No, I just finished my nails! I can't do them now! Someone, help me!" she yelled as they went through the kitchen doors. Chuckling to himself, Zac was about to head upstairs before he was approached by team VAL. "Man, that dinner was amazing. You really can cook. We just wanted to say thank you." Victor and Andrew nodded in sentiment. " Oh, no problem. Cooking is pretty fun for me. I have no problem making stuff for everyone. If you'll excuse me though, I'm going to go take a nap." Team Val nodded as Zac continued his way upstairs. After a while, he finally made it to his room and began to change clothes. He went from his casual clothes to just an undershirt and a pair of shorts. After changing, he immediately plopped down on the bed and began to snore.
Zac didn't know how many hours had passed when he was woken up. Opening his eyes, he saw an outline in front of him. It was dark outside and Zac couldn't tell who it was. "Who are you?" Zac asked, attempting to reach for his cane. The figure said nothing, but only waved its hand in front of his face. As soon as it did, Zac was immediately knocked out. The figure then left without another word.
As Zac opened his eyes, he noticed he was in a void. There was nothing there like when Ms. Nightingale had visited him before. This place was pure black. As he began to stumble around, he noticed a light coming from afar. The light began to get bigger and bigger as it surged towards him. His mind told him to run but his body wouldn't listen. Within seconds, he was swallowed by the brightness. Within the light, Zac found himself in an old town. Everything around him seemed old and decrepit as he walked on. After a bit, he heard a noise. A crying sound coming from a child. Zac then rushed as fast as he could towards the noise. There, he saw a horrifying sight. A child was weeping over what looked to be the bodies of 2 people. In front of the child, three men stood over him with sneers. Zac went to comfort the child, but found he couldn't touch him. The three men walked forward and immediately passed right through Zac. "Look kid, your parents ended up this way cause they messed with the wrong people. Our clients always get what they want. Maybe you'll be smarter and actually do what you're told." The child, to both Zac and the men's surprise, turned around and bit the leg of one of the men. The man yelled as the other 2 threw the child off. "Well, I guess we need to teach you a lesson as well. We won't kill you, but we'll make sure you know not to mess with us again." Zac tried to reach out to the child as the three men surrounded him. Though, as he did, he felt himself being pulled back from the scene. The last thing he saw was a child, with tears in his eyes, being attacked by three grown men.
As Zac opened his eyes, he noticed he was not in his room. He was in what looked to be a massive cave. The markings on the wall and the scratches made Zac feel nervous. "Such a poor child. Burdened by the loss of memory, yet their memories aren't ones that someone would want returned." Zac turned around to find the speaker, but couldn't see anything. " You do not know me, for we have not met, but I am one who has seen all. Nothing happens that I do not or will not know. I am the dream witch, yet those who serve me call me Yidrha." The voice seemed to echo around the entirety of the cavern. If Zac had been scared before, he was completely freaking out now. As he attempted to move around, he felt something coil around his feet. Nothing was there, yet he found he wasn't able to move. "Dear child, rest is not far for you. Come, join me, and you will not face any more trials. Forget your past and pledge yourself to me." Zac continued to struggle as he felt a purple glow surround him. His will felt as though it was slipping away from him. Zac almost completely gave in when he felt himself get tugged away from whatever held him. A hiss escaped from whatever the monster was as the cave faded from view. As it did, a voice came in slowly. " We shall speak again," it said.
When Zac finally awoke, he quickly sat up, smacking his head into another person. The other figure fell to the floor and quietly cried out in pain. Looking down, Zac saw Fiona on the ground. " What are you doing in my room? Wait, how did you get in my room? I locked the door." As Fiona winced, she immediately got up and glared at Zac. "Firstly, oww, that hurt. Your head is harder than it seems. Secondly, I entered your room through my portals." As she said this, she gestured to the disk she held in her hand. As she did, Fiona then used the disk to create a shape on the floor and instantly disappeared. This startled Zac for a second before she instantly reappeared from the same pattern on the floor. Fiona then touched the pattern and the portal disappeared. Zac was about to ask how she did that when she held up her finger. "Thirdly, be thankful I did arrive. As I was going to my room, I sensed an evil presence as I walked past. Seeing as your door was locked, I braced myself and portaled into the room. Thankfully I did, as your body was covered in a purple aura. The purple comes from a hunter known as the dream witch. Seeing this, I acted quickly and used the divine powers gifted to me to pull you from her clutches. You're welcome." As she said this, she immediately left the room before Zac could thank her. Bewildered, Zac was about to get up before someone else came through the portal. As Zac looked upwards, he flinched as an owl flew through the room. He almost screamed before a hand covered his mouth. The man with the blindfold stood before him, a serious look on his face. " So, Zac is it? I'd like to talk."
This chapter is super long so I'm cutting it here. A lot happened in this chapter. Zac survived his first match, cooked a splendid dinner, met Team Val, saw a look into something mysterious, almost got turned into a follower and is about to have a chat with our resident birdman. Things are looking exciting for our favorite baker. See if you can piece something together from what we've seen in the past few chapters. I've left clues for a hidden backstory everywhere in these chapters. Try to find them all.
Also, since I feel someone will say it, there will be time somewhere for ships to happen. When will it happen, IDK, but it will happen. Maybe. Possibly. IDEK, in all honesty.
Also, I went a chapter without angering any fan groups. Maybe they'll take down the wanted poster. Anyways TTFN: Ta Ta For Now.
