Cordelia

She nodded her head along with him. "Alright, I trust you with that, then," she murmured, laughing softly to herself. 

"Salads? What a healthy alternative," She exclaimed jokingly, her brows shooting up. "Oh, I see, that sounds fun," she remarked, giving him a nod. "So you must be pretty high leveled, huh?" She mumbled out loud. She wasn't sure if she had ever really had a decent conversation with someone at such a high level before. Maybe Baldur? She guessed that this guy must be quite a few levels higher than Baldur himself, though. 

She wondered what it was like to be that high in terms of power. You were practically at the top of the food chain at that level. She hummed. Interesting, interesting. Maybe when she could look at his face without seeing the same person who dove his hand into punch in front of her, she would ask him more about that kind of stuff, but for now, she supposed that she would just have to wait. Until she got that lasting image out of her mind, at least.

Cordelia had zoned out once again. It really didn't matter anymore. They were almost done with the quest anyway.

She honestly had to give herself a pat on the back for this. Seriously, she didn't know how she managed to stay sane during this quest, but hell, she did. Somehow. It was a miracle that she hadn't exploded yet. It really, really was. She wasn't a very patient kind of person, but hell, she did it! 

Cordelia rested her blood on her shoulder as she approached the forest along with her. . . partner in crime. "Don't mention it," she said stoically, heaving the blade off of her body as she approached the spawn point of the wasp. She could probably just throw her katana at the thing and it'd be dead within seconds, but she was pretty sure that the universe would [no-no word] her over again so she decided against that idea.

The Wasp Queen had barely just spawned before Cordelia had sliced it right in half. God, she should've done this quest a long time ago.

"Alright, loot and stuff should be in your inventory," she said, sheathing her katana as she gave Raidou a side glance. "Good luck out there," she bit out before she left without another word.

ID: 137578
BD: 6, Hit

(0) Raidou: LVL: 27 | HP: 540/540  | EN: 40/54 | 2+2=4 DMG | 27 MIT | Taunt | 3 EVA | 1 PARA (9-10) | 1 V.O. +10%HP (9-10)
(0) Cordelia: LVL: 40 | HP: 820/820 | EN: 49/80 | 14+2=16 DMG | 12 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 PARA VNM [DF] | 2 REC | 4 HLY

<The Wasp Queen> LVL: ??? | HP: 0/50 | DMG: 20

Cordelia pressed her teeth against her as she tucked a strand of silver hair behind her ear before she returned her attention back to the fight at hand. Hair was annoying, especially hers. Though, it's not nearly as bad as it was before she had cut it, thank God. She wasn't sure if she could cut it any shorter than what it is right now, or else it'd feel completely unnatural to her. 

She shook her head and scolded herself mentally. Why was she thinking about hair? She was literally fighting a fire breathing three-headed dog--

"Holy sh-- that does not look right," Cordelia exclaimed quietly under her breath as she watched the first head completely disappear from the main body, leaving the two heads and. . . an almost horrific empty space where the first head once was. It looked like something straight out of a horror film or something like that. 

She looked over to Baldur, who had been the one who killed the first head. He looked fine, however his clothes did not. 

Her gaze swerved back to the dog(s). Alright, one down, two to go. If it only took a couple hits to take down the first head, then it should be a breeze for them to get the other two gone! 

Without a moment to waste, she darted towards the two-headed dog, and by the time she was in the air, Macradon had already commanded for a regrouping. "Are you serious?" She cried, finding it too late to be backing out of this attack since she was quite literally in front of the Cerberus now. Seeing that she had no where to really go, she opted to slam her katana down on one of the dog's head. A blinding light emitted from her blade as it made contact with the creature, which left Cordelia seeing spots in her vision as she pulled away from the Cerberus, skidding to a halt on the ground dizzily. 

She looked back to where she assumed the party was and made a sheepish smile unconsciously. "Whoops?"

ID: 137532
BD: 9, [+5 DMG] 14=5= 19x15=285-75=210 DMG 500-210= 290
CD: 10, +4 EN

[-/-] Baldur: HP: 1066/1330 | EN: 99/130 | 23WF/26MM DMG | 7WF/6MM ACC | EVA 2 | MIT 79 | BH 53 | 
[-/-] Mari:   HP: 1090/1090  | EN: 102/106  | 11 DAM  | EVA 3 | MIT 43 | ACC 4 | FLAME AURA 2
[2/-] Cordelia: HP: 920/920 | EN: 66/90 | 14 DMG | 12 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 PARA VNM [DF] | 2 REC | 4 HLY
[1/1] Macradon: HP: 1765/1765 | EN: 187/187 | 19 DMG | 152 MIT | 3 ACC | 4 EVA | PHASE | 12 HLY | 6 REC | 88 BH | 36 FRTHRN | FIREPROOF

<<Cerberus, Inferno's Rage>>
Head 2: HP: 290/500 | DMG 175 | Flame Aura: 75 MIT/30 Thorns | Acc: 3 | Eva: 2
Head 3: HP: 500/500 | DMG 175 | Flame Aura: 75 MIT/30 Thorns | Acc: 3 | Eva: 2

Day 7:

+17 EXP

Oh, it's going to be colder where we're going.

She cracked a small smile. "As a guy who rolled down a whole hill of snow and become a literal Frosty the Snowman for an hour, Kite, I expected better cold tolerance from you," Cordelia joked, remembering back to that time they had slain the Avalanche.

She reached for his hand and heaved herself up. "Don't worry," she huffed, flashing him a childish grin. "I'm pretty sure I can run faster than you, anyway." She chuckled to herself and patted him on the back reassuringly before she gestured to the exit of the forest.

"Oh, that? Don't worry about it. That's what friends do, right?" She murmured, looking over her shoulder at him before she shrugged her shoulders. "Anyway, hurry up now! The surprise isn't going to get anywhere closer if we just stand her and chat all day!" She exclaimed, taking a few steps forward.

Cordelia silently sobbed as she landed on her face. "Whyyyy?!" She screamed, her cries coming out muffled due to the dirt. 

Why does this happen. She just wanted to kill a three headed fire dog. She just wanted to use her cool sword. It turns out her sword wasn't so cool after all. Not cool at all.

She scrambled to her feet. What the hell is wrong with her sword. She thought it was doing well, but no. It just had to bite her back in the ass again, huh? Just when she thought it was going to go well again? Screw you universe! Screw you sword! Screw you three headed fire dog! Though, it looked like the rest of the party wasn't doing so hot either. That made her feel a tiny bit better. Nothing like seeing the rest of your comrades fail to get your spirits back up, right?

ID: 137466
BD: 2, Miss
CD: 12, +4 EN

[1/-/-] Baldur: HP: 1300/1330 | EN: 109/130 | 23WF/26MM DMG | 7WF/6MM ACC | EVA 2 | MIT 79 | BH 53 |  -12 EN, +1 EN, +53 BH, -30 Thorns
[-/-/-] Mari:   HP: 1090/1090  | EN: 102/106  | 11 DAM  | EVA 3 | MIT 43 | ACC 4 | FLAME AURA 2
[-/-/-] Cordelia: HP: 920/920 | EN: 76/90 | 14 DMG | 12 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 PARA VNM [DF] | 2 REC | 4 HLY
[-/1/-] Macradon: HP: 1765/1765 | EN: 184/187 | 19 DMG | 152 MIT | 3 ACC | 4 EVA | PHASE | 12 HLY | 6 REC | 88 BH | 36 FRTHRN | FIREPROOF (-2)(+7)

<<Cerberus, Inferno's Rage>>
Head 1: HP: 155/500 | DMG 175 | Flame Aura: 75 MIT/30 Thorns | Acc: 3 | Eva: 2
Head 2: HP: 500/500 | DMG 175 | Flame Aura: 75 MIT/30 Thorns | Acc: 3 | Eva: 2
Head 3: HP: 500/500 | DMG 175 | Flame Aura: 75 MIT/30 Thorns | Acc: 3 | Eva: 2

Day 6:

+14 EXP

"It's. . . fine," she murmured, trying her best to give him a smile. It hurt. It hurt that he didn't trust her enough to go to her in situations like this, but that was the last of her worries at the moment. "I missed you too," she said, hugging her knees close to her as she laughed to herself. 

"You missed so much stuff in the past few weeks, it's crazy," Cordelia exhaled, her eyes widening for a split second. He had missed everything. Her getting together with Oscar. . . the Valentine's Day Gala. . . the opening of her shop. . .

"I need to show you something once we get out of here, and then we can chit-chat there, okay?" She asked, giving him a small smile. She's changed in the past month. He's changed. Both of them have changed. Maybe into two completely different people. 

She scooted closer to him and give him the most serious face she could muster. "We're going to get through this together, okay? You're not going to be alone in this, do you hear me?" She asked, her lips slightly quivering. That was the last thing she wanted Yukiro-- Kite to be. Alone.

SUMMARY:

> 400 Col
> 2 SP
> (+1) CD Tool, Hestia's Flame

"Eh, judge?" Cordelia echoed, her expression suddenly darkening. Oh crap. A judge. Stupid, stupid, stupid! It was a frekin' cooking competition! How could she forget that there would be a judge?! 

She felt stupid. No, she felt beyond stupid. It was okay, though. No, it was fine. "Ah, I see. . . well, who's the judge?" She asked. Hestia nodded over to a small table, where. . . oh my God.

Mr. Goat Man!.

Cordelia could feel herself sweat. Oh crap. She should not have made him carry her up a mountain 

[AFTER THE JUDGING]

Okay, so it turns out that he didn't even remember carrying her up a mountain! What a relief, she was pretty sure she would've lost if he had remembered. . . haha. . . Oh well. SO basically how the judging was was basically him just trying out her and Hestia's food. Of course, Hestia's food was perfect since she was a literal goddess but something about the comment the satyr had given to her made her smile. "It tasted like you put heart into it," she chuckled. Maybe the half goat man wasn't so bad after all. 

By the time the night had started to set, Cordelia was already about to leave the mountain, but before she could, Hestia stopped her. Cordelia had almost forgotten about the reward until Hestia had mentioned it. She just. . . wanted to go home.

"Here, it should help you in cooking for now on," Hestia murmured, casting Cordelia a smile. From the palms of her hands, a blue purple fire emitted, slowly circling around Cordelia before it disappeared. "May the Gods be with you, young one," she whispered, nodding her head to the player before she vanished in a gust of wind.

Cordelia placed her hands on her hips, somewhat content with how the day had been.

"Well, Mr. Goat Man, you ready to carry me back down?"

It didn’t take long before she had the whole bowl of ramen ready. She just pretty much had to put everything together. Like a puzzle! First came the noodles, then the toppings like the egg, chashu, and green onion-- which she had cut up shortly before she had prepared the bowl-- and then finally, the broth. God, by the time she had filled the bowl with broth, she just wanted to fall flat on her face and die. She wasn’t that physically tired but she was pretty sure her brain had been toaster fried. 

“Uh, alright, Hestia. I think I’m done!” She called, to which the sound of a gong being rang filled the air again.

Hestia strutted over to her counter and grinned. “Wonderful, young Cordelia! It looks simply splendid!” Hestia exclaimed, clapping her hands together as she examined the bowl of ramen Cordelia had.

“Well, shall we let the judges have a taste, then?”

By the time she had finished her time with her lovely, lovely, lovely blowtorch, the pork belly was already a nice but bold brow and gold color, not to mention how gorgeous that swirl was, yum. She set the tray aside. Now it was time to pull the baby eggs out of their container! Once she had pulled out of the eggs, she sighed in relief when the outside was a nice, sort of. . . gray-ish brown color? Okay, it wasn’t really that nice to look at but she was sure that the inside look okay! Using a small kitchen knife and a cutting board, she slowly cut open a few eggs and thank God that they looked okay. Of course, they weren’t in the marinade for long so it wasn’t as nice as it could be but Cordelia really didn’t want to stay here for more than a couple of hours.

Cordelia took a kitchen knife and began to slowly cut the pork belly into strips, which was probably one of the most satisfying things she had ever done her life. 

Once she was done with that. . . then came the fun part. She chuckled under her breath as she grabbed the blowtorch. She could’ve used other methods to cooking this, but where exactly was the fun in that? Zero. The answer was that there was zero fun in that. Everyone needed a little bit of fire in their life, so she assumed that this was the perfect time to have a little bit of it in hers. 

Searing the pork belly was a lot less cooler than she thought it would be, but she still felt pretty awesome when she was holding the blowtorch. Again, who wouldn’t feel awesome holding a blowtorch? Everyone. That was the answer. Everyone would feel cooler holding a blowtorch.

Cordelia jolted awake. 

“Hah?” She mumbled tiredly, rubbing her head with a frown. Where did she even fall asleep. . . oh, on a table. Neat. 

Everything should be ready, and she said should because she was pretty sure disaster could strike any given time. 

Cordelia blinked as she took the tray of pork belly out of the chilly fridge before she plopped it down on the table. What. . . what was she supposed to do with this again? She was pretty she spent at least ten minutes just staring at the pork belly, wondering what to do with the thing before she had that ‘aha’ moment. 

She was supposed to cut it, duh. . . when did she get so stupid? Maybe napping wasn’t the best of ideas she has had today, but hey. It felt nice. That was all that mattered. Though, her sleep schedule was probably going to be permanently effed after this quest.

While she let the eggs set in in the marinade, she moved back to the broth. By now, everything should be finished mixing together. At first, she didn’t know what to expect when she lifted the lid off of the pot. Something along the lines of a dead animal, but no, it actually smelled kind of good. Again, not perfect, but she was pretty sure it was a decent broth for a first-timer!

She turned the heat off and hummed in thought. Well. She guessed it was just playing the waiting game for now. 

She needed to wait for the chashu to freeze and for the eggs to marinade. That was going to take a couple of hours at the very least. Well. . . she really had all the time in the world here, though, right? A small nap couldn’t really hurt. Right? Yeah, yeah, it won’t. It definitely won’t.

Probably one of her most favorite parts of the ramen was the chashu, or the meat, or whatever. It was savory, it was salty, it was so many things! 

Of course, like with the noodles. She had to get these just right. Not perfect, but at least enough to be edible and somewhat good. 

She started up by rolling up the pork belly into a tight roll. Somewhat like one of those cakes. . . but with meat. She then quickly tied it together with a couple of threads of string before she set it in the fridge. . . which was apparently a thing here?

While she waited for that to get all nice and ready, she pulled out her eggs. Another one of her favorite parts of the ramen. Seriously, the egg is so underrated! 

Cordelia cackled as she prepared the marinade for it, which really just consisted of all soy sauce with a bit of other sauces, but yeah. There was her marinade.

While she was waiting for the broth to be ready, Cordelia went off to make the most important part of the ramen. The noodles! You would just have soggy meat and vegetables if you didn’t have noodles! Yeah, Cordelia was going to get right on to that. Noodles were probably one of the hardest things she was going to have to make while making this ramen. 

Trial one ended in some very liquidy. . . dough?

Trial two didn’t have enough liquid, which practically just made it really crumbly flour.

Trial three ended with noodles the size of plastic straws.

Trial four ended with noodles that were smaller than a toothpick.

It was only then did she try to make noodles for the fifth time did she succeed. They were in no way perfect, but it was good enough for her! Cordelia set the strands of flour on a strainer while she got ready for the next step.

The chashu.

Ah, well that was nice. She can probably be cooking here forever and no one would even know it.

Knowing that she literally had an eternity to do this, Cordelia looked behind her, to where all the tools were placed. She was talking pots and pans of every frekin’ kind. This was not a joke. 

Ten minutes was how long it took for her to haul the equipment back to her workspace. Thanks a lot, skinny limbs.

Cordelia gulped as she clapped her hands together. “Alright, ramen time!” She exclaimed as she began to dump a whole bunch of liquids into the pot. She was talking a whole hell lot of soy sauce, water, and whatever else you put into ramen, including the meat.

She wondered if she could’ve just gotten a packaged ramen bowl and called it a day. Would that have even worked? Was there even packaged ramen in Aincrad? Hm, she was going to have to change that.

Cordelia had barely registered the gong being bashed again before her body instinctively went to wherever the ingredients were. 

God damn, was Hestia loaded. She literally had a whole supermarket in here or something! Cordelia frowned, this was going to be hell.

It had taken her precisely an hour and twenty-six minutes to gather all of the ingredients she needed for this ramen. Keep in mind, she had only needed about ten to fifteen things. Yet, it had taken her more than an hour to get it all. That was exactly how big this mini supermarket was!

Once she was back at her work spot, Cordelia let an exhausted sigh. She wasn’t even cooking yet and she was already exhausted? Weak.

“Er, Hestia!” She called. “Exactly how much time do we have for this. . . battle of the crafts?”

“However long you want, dear!” A voice claimed by the goddess replied back.

Ramen.

How had she not seen it before? Ramen!

It was easy. It was simple. It was good! It was. . . somewhat fast. 

Cordelia grinned. Heck yeah, she was going to make ramen! She began noting down some of the things she was going to need in her super-duper awesome soup.

Noodles, wheat. She might have to make them herself if they didn’t have it.

Broth, most likely a lot of soy sauce and other things. . . mushrooms, maybe? Shittake? 

Chansu. Her mouth nearly watered at the thought. Yep, definitely going to get that! 

Ah. . . what else? Egg? Soft or hard-boiled? She always preferred soft, so maybe that was the right choice.

Maybe a lot of green onion, that was always a nice thing to have.

She laughed under her breath. This was actually going a lot better than she had thought it would be.

“And. . . the ten minutes is up!”

”No,” she replied flatly before smiling again. She raised her hand above her head and inhaled. “The ten minute planning period may now commence!” She brought her hand down and the sound of a gong being stroked rang through Cordelia’s ears.

“Ah, [censored],” she whispered, scrambling to her place, which was behind a couple of stainless steel counters with nothing on them but a small notepad and pen on it.

What would she even make? She’s never made anything before! She doubted that she would win by boiling just a couple of bamboo shoots down and plopping it on a plate! No, no. She needed to make something grand. Something big. Something awesome. She bit her lip in thought.

What was something relatively easy to make yet a fulfilling meal? Her thoughts drifted back to her childhood. To her sitting on a high chair while she watched a familiar figure handle the stove. 

Cordelia smiled to herself unconsciously, and that’s when it had hit her.

”Hm, alright, Hestia. I accept your challenge!” Cordelia exclaimed, beaming up at the goddess.

“Splendid! We shall get right to work!” The figure exclaimed, clapping her hands, and poof. Cordelia had suddenly found herself in a completely different location, but she was still pretty sure she was somewhere on the mountain, but this time, there was a whole kitchen’s worth of equipment and ingredients piled high on tall shelves.

“Oh wow,” Cordelia said under her breath incredulously. 

“I shall give you ten minutes to think of what to do!” Hestia’s voice boomed as she took a spot on the opposite side of the ‘kitchen’. “Once you hear the bell ring, you may be free to get your ingredients and tools to help you on this challenge!”

This sort of reminded her of a cooking show she had once seen on TV before.

“Hey, do I get to sabotage you?” She called towards the goddess.

The goddess looked surprised for a second before she went back to her default features. “No, no, dear. A battle of the crafts, as you might say. I have seen you have acquired a nice little shop in a small snow covered town, yes?” She asked, to which Cordelia silently nodded. “You have been getting quite good at cooking--”

“Well, if you can call boiling and drying bamboo cooking--”

“-- so I would like for you to test your skills on the battlefield. The battlefield of crafts, that is.”

Lame. Well, that was her first thought, anyway. She wanted to fight in a real battlefield. . . not whatever this was, but then she realized that this might actually be fun. She hadn’t ever really cooked before. Course, she watched Oscar cook all the time and. . . she saw Rosie cook before, a few times at least, but that was a long time ago.