The Great Gage Village Cooking Contest!
Gage Village had seen tragedy and triumph. Lately, it had seen far too much of the former.
So, in a stunning and somewhat chaotic announcement, the Village Head declared a new initiative.
"We need healing. We need unity. We need…a cooking contest!"
The villagers cheered in confusion and excitement. No one questioned why the prize came from the ancient and mostly forgotten vault under the meeting hall. That was a problem for tomorrow.
⸻
"Why am I doing this?" Kaze asked, arms crossed as he eyed a suspiciously large cauldron.
"Because," Atlas said, tying an apron with the phrase 'Soul Chef Supreme' on it, "we need a break. Besides, how hard can it be to cook soup?"
"Your last idea of a break nearly killed us."
"Fair point. But this has food!"
Kaze tried to protest again, but the sweet scent of simmering herbs from a nearby stall was too distracting. His stomach betrayed him with a loud growl.
They were in.
⸻
The village square had transformed into a chaotic open kitchen. Stalls lined the edges, each team given firewood, a prep table, and a cauldron. Judges sat on a raised platform with blank slates before them.
The judges:
• Mrs. Larkin, the healer with terrifyingly high standards.
• Mr. Thorn, whose taste buds were apparently forged in dragon fire.
• And… Sir Nutters, the talking squirrel accidentally enchanted during the last magical experiment gone wrong.
"Today," Sir Nutters squeaked, twitching, "we feast… or perish trying!"
⸻
Kaze tried using wind magic to fan the flames beneath their pot. Unfortunately, he created a cyclone of pepper, flour, and carrot shavings that spiraled into the sky before landing directly in a neighboring team's stew.
"MY GRAVY!" a woman screamed.
"Sorry! It's… now extra seasoned?" Kaze offered.
Meanwhile, Atlas had taken a more arcane approach. Muttering soul incantations, he stirred with glowing hands.
"Atlas, what are you doing?"
"Imbuing the broth with joy."
Moments later, three villagers who tasted it burst into uncontrollable laughter. One fell over and started clapping at a rock.
"Wrong emotion, Atlas!"
"Fine, let's try this—soul of serenity!"
The next person to try the soup burst into tears.
"You're cooking sadness soup now?!"
⸻
Among the competition:
• An elderly married couple who argued every ingredient. ("I told you no turnips, Gertrude!" "You're a turnip, Frank!")
• A team of kids who tried to use ketchup in everything, including dessert stew.
• A mysterious masked chef who refused to speak and somehow created a souffle using only spoons and menace.
One unlucky group attempted to magically animate their dish to plate itself. The stew grew legs and tried to flee the contest.
The meat pie uprising had begun.
⸻
With time running out and their previous attempts either laugh-inducing or emotionally devastating, Kaze and Atlas went back to basics.
"We make soup," Atlas said.
"No magic?"
"No magic."
"No wind?"
"No wind."
"…Can I blow on it to cool it?"
Atlas rolled his eyes.
With simple vegetables, herbs, and what little remained uncharred, they created a modest but heartfelt soup. They shared stories while cooking, laughed as they tasted each other's mistakes, and finally produced a dish that reminded them both of home.
⸻
The judges sampled each dish. Some were praised. Others condemned.
When they reached Kaze and Atlas's, they sipped in silence.
Mrs. Larkin: "It's… warm."
Mr. Thorn: "Too mild. Could use fire beetle venom."
Sir Nutters: wipes a single tear "This… reminds me of my mother."
They won.
⸻
Cheers erupted. The prize was retrieved from the ancient vault: a gilded box locked by three layers of arcane magic.
With a dramatic click, the box opened to reveal…
The Legendary Spoon of Infinite Stirring™
A golden spoon that stirred by itself. Slowly. Endlessly. In one direction only. Whether it mixed anything or not was questionable.
Kaze: "…This is the prize?"
Atlas: "Hey, it's at least better than another sentient stew."
Suddenly, the ground shook.
"…You had to say it," Kaze groaned.
From the shadows, Meat Pie Prime returned with a battalion of animated baguettes.
"DEFEND THE STEW," someone screamed.
⸻
Chaos exploded across the village. Flour clouds. Vegetable grenades. Sir Nutters riding a baguette like a warhorse.
Kaze hurled wind blades at croissants. Atlas soul-bound a cinnamon roll to a tree.
Laughter echoed across Gage Village, a rare moment of joy amidst a world of danger.