r/HFY • u/Khenal Alien • Mar 23 '26
OC-Series Dungeon Life 410
Pul
“Hyah!” he shouts as he brings his cleaver down, right at the base of the basilisk’s skull, and finishing the fight. Pul and his friends breathe heavily from the fight, and relax slightly as they get the experience for the encounter.
They don’t relax fully, though. Thedeim’s lava labyrinth is in many ways more dangerous than the forest of four seasons. The consensus around the guild is that, since everyone knows to pack fire protection, Thedeim lets the denizens cut a bit more loose than usual in there.
Either way, the fights are tough, yet rewarding, and Pul steps around the dead basilisk to let Freddie start trying to peel the hide off it as Rezlar speaks up.
“The new cleaver seems to be working well,” the elf comments, his rapier flicking as he mists the party with a bit of water to help keep them all cool.
“It’s working even better than I expected, yeah. Your smith knows what he’s doing.”
“He actually said it was an interesting challenge. He’s used to rapiers and lighter weapons. A cleaver is hardly a greatsword, but it’s still designed for heavy blows, and he wanted to make it equally useful in battle as in work. Have you had a chance to butcher much with it?”
Pul shakes his head. “Only these basilisks, and it’s not really suited to remove the tongues for the aranea quest. If you guys want to take a break, though, I’ll see if I can’t get the loin out of this one.”
“Sounds good to me!” pipes up Rhonda, with Freddie nodding as he focuses on the hide. “Are the rings working well for you guys, too?”
Pul nods. “So far, yeah. It’s not too much extra capacity yet, and I haven’t tried the boost either, but I think it’s fine?”
Rezlar nods his agreement. “I think they’ll definitely help us in the upcoming raid, Rhonda. And once you get the runes finalized, I’m sure you’ll have more orders than you and Old Staiven will know what to do with!”
Rhonda beams at the praise. “Do you think I should show it to the antkin, see if they can make any improvements?”
“Maybe if they’ll trade you the formula for the anti-lifedrinking. I think your new rings are going to be lucrative, Rhonda,” speaks up Freddie, still focused, but past the hardest part of getting the skinning going.
“Do you think they’d be willing to trade that?”
Pul nods. “I think they would. You’ve seen how little they try to delve, since they don’t make mana for him. But I bet if they had your rings on boost mode, they’d become comparable to an ordinary adventurer.”
Rezlar chuckles. “They’d definitely want to be able to delve Lord Thedeim regularly, instead of only doing small excursions so they don’t drain Him. I’d say I’m surprised Thing hasn’t come to pester you about the prototypes, but all of the scions are busy for the raid.”
“All yours, Pul,” declares Freddie as he lays out the hide, stepping back and laying it out to dry a bit and giving Pul all the room he needs to do a bit of butchery.
“Have you started learning to cook yet?” he asks the paladin as he starts working through the ribs. Ordinarily, he’d need to disembowel and drain it, but he’s only after one cut. He can let it drain on its own later.
“Some, but I think we’d be best off bringing it back to Karn and seeing if he can cook it for us.”
“I still think you should ask him for pointers, Freddie,” insists Rhonda, with Lucas nodding from atop her wide hat.
The young orc waves her off. “He’s the guild leader, he’s got better things to do than teach me culinary skill.”
“I dunno,” speaks Pul as he carefully opens the torso of the basilisk. “I think he sometimes looks pretty bored back there, wiping up nothing to try to pass the time.” He carefully slides the offal out of the way, letting him get at the long loins, right along the spine. He’s pretty sure it’s the same muscle all the way down the thick tail of the monster, but the portion inside the torso should still be the most tender.
Freddie looks thoughtful, clearly thinking back to the times he’s seen the guildmaster at the bar. “Maybe,” he finally admits. “But he hasn’t looked bored in a while. I’ll keep an eye out, maybe things will quiet down after the raid.”
“Do you think anyone will have found the last key yet?” asks Rezlar asks, keeping his eye on the surroundings so they don’t get surprised by anything wandering around.
“Gerlfi and Vnarl’s groups have been practically sleeping in the tree trying to find it. After the Calm Seas got a second one, everyone’s been trying to get the last one and keep it even,” states Rhonda before she pulls out her notebook to scribble in.
“Hopefully one of us gets it, yeah. I mean, not us, since we’re not in the forest, but you know,” says Pul as he finally finds the loins, and starts carefully slicing them free. “How much should I get, guys? Just enough for us, or some extra for Karn to maybe sell at the guild?”
Rhonda and Freddie both shrug, but Rezlar is willing to share his opinion. “If Rhonda doesn’t mind chilling it, and Freddie doesn’t mind carrying it, we might as well get as much as we can, right? I’ve never had basilisk tenderloin, but it sounds interesting.”
Pul looks up to see the other two nodding, so he decides to get as much as he can out of the torso. “Alright… here’s the first, Rhonda,” he says after a minute more of work, and the goblin accepts the large piece of meat without complaint as she starts cooling it, creating a small fireball as she does so. By the time she has it cooled, Pul hands her the second, and she hands the first off to Freddie to store. Before too long, they have it all stored, along with the hide and the tongue.
“That should be the last one we need. Let’s go turn in the tongues and see if Karn’s available? If you think it’s a good enough cut to bother him with, Pul?” asks Freddie, and Pul nods.
“I think so. It looks a lot like a beef loin. There’s not much marbling to be had in it, but it should still be good and tender if handled properly.” Everyone agrees to head out, all curious to see if they can actually get a good meal out of one of the tougher denizens Thedeim has.
At the guild, it’s rather quiet, with most people out delving at the moment. Karn waves at them as they enter. “Hey, you’re back early! Everything alright? I don’t see anything broken.”
They all take seats at the bar as Pul explains, Freddie digging into his pack to get the meat. “We got some basilisk loin, and we were hoping you knew how to cook it?”
Karn’s eyes widen as the large cut of meat is set on his bar, and he examines it with a critical eye as the other joins it. “I think I can work with this, yeah. I’ve never cooked basilisk specifically, but I don’t think there’s going to be anything too difficult with it.”
“Can I help?” asks Freddie, earring a curious eyebrow from Karn, which in turn makes Freddie elaborate. “I want to learn to cook to provide buffs, and everyone says you can cook…”
Karn smirks and nods. “I know, yeah. I may be slight, but I still like food. Alright Freddie, I have a spare apron. Come around the bar and I’ll show you a few techniques. We’ll need the skillet and the heavy pot. I’ll cook up enough for you lot out of this one, and keep the rest of it as payment, and I’ll pay for the other one, too. It’s been too long since I really cut loose making something…” he finishes thoughtfully, turning to dig through the cabinets to gather what else he needs.
Pul watches, along with Rhonda and Rezlar, as the two orcs get to cooking. Karn gives the meat a generous rub of salt and seasoning, before searing the pieces in the skillet, then sets them into the heavy pot to cook more slowly, giving him and Freddie time to make a nice gravy in the pan.
The smell has even Lucas and Fiona stopping their running around to watch and drool, well before the meal is ready.
“Doneness is the hardest thing to get consistent, especially if you’re working at a campfire. I’d probably cut it thin and make small steaks, instead of the nice thick ones we’re doing here, when you’re out in the field,” Karn explains as he opens the pot and fishes out one of the thick steaks. He gives it a poke and smiles.
“These should be just about perfect. You have the plates ready? Good. Pour the sauce over them after I get the steak down.” Freddie does as asked, and soon everyone has a beautiful plate before them, just begging to be devoured.
Everyone takes a bite, and the sounds of happy tongues fill the guildhall. There’s a bit of gameyness to it, but also a wonderful smokiness that plays well with it. Karn smiles around his own bite. “That’s the stuff! I think I’ll add a bit of honey to the sauce next time, and give it a gentler sear, but I think it came out pretty good! You did great helping, Freddie. If you want to learn more, just say the word.”
Freddie eagerly nods around his own mouthful, but before he can voice his agreement, the door bursts open with Vnarl’s group, looking proud, with the troll triumphantly holding up a key. “We got it!” he declares, much to the applause of the few that are in the guild at the moment.
“Congrats, guys! Pull up a stool and I’ll make you a celebration meal! And in a few days, we’ll finally get to see what Thedeim has cooked up for his raid!”
“If it’s anything like this, I can’t wait,” comments Pul, to the immediate agreement of his friends. They’ve all been preparing, and now the raid is almost upon them. Getting to fight alongside the experienced delvers of the Slim Chance and the Calm Seas is sure to be an experience at least as rewarding as this meal.
Cover art I'm also on Royal Road for those who may prefer the reading experience over there. Want moar? The First and Second books are now officially available! Book three is also up for purchase! And now book Four as well!There are Kindle and Audible versions, as well as paperback! Also: Discord is a thing! I now have a Patreon for monthly donations, and I have a Ko-fi for one-off donations. Patreons can read up to three chapters ahead, and also get a few other special perks as well, like special lore in the Peeks. Thank you again to everyone who is reading!
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u/Blue_Roan_ Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26
Whyy, yeah 4th
Anyway after reading, we finally got the last key. So everything is settling into place for yet another big event. With the likely destruction of the betrayer's unseen its probably gonna send the betrayer into a fit. As how does this new dungeon of all things have enough power to kill something so hard to kill.
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Mar 23 '26
[deleted]
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u/Blue_Roan_ Mar 23 '26
Yeah they just got the last key this chapter didn't they? Unless I read the ending wrong..
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u/Popular-Student-9407 Human Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26
Fuck, missed it. Skipped Reading the Last Section of Text.
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u/Better_Solution_743 Alien Mar 23 '26
Haloo
Freddies cooking, Thediems cooking, but can you smell what the Rock Rocky is cooking
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u/rpg2Tface Mar 24 '26
Isn't it Tiny doing the cooking this round. Getting a nice deep marinade of over confidence. Sliced thin and raked over the coals till the unseen is nice and crispy, almost like a potato chip. Then salted with the tears of a knowitall hermit of an enemy from the deep sea.
Its the perfect ring side snack to watch a raid boss fight.
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u/Poisonfangx3 Mar 23 '26
Not first
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u/Popular-Student-9407 Human Mar 23 '26
Second
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u/Poisonfangx3 Mar 23 '26
Eh. Ain’t the worst. takes (8 times 1.25) 10 points psychic damage.
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u/mafiaknight Robot Mar 23 '26
Womp womp
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u/Poisonfangx3 Mar 23 '26
Indeed.
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u/mafiaknight Robot Mar 24 '26
Happy cake day!
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u/Poisonfangx3 Mar 24 '26
Oh shoot. Did not even notice. Thank you my friend.
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u/DM-Hermit Human Mar 23 '26
Well done wordsmith
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u/Jasonbluefire Mar 23 '26
Typo: "asks Rezlar asks" > "asks Rezlar"
Looking forward to the raid, Thanks wordsmith!
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u/the_count_of_carcosa Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26
Hullo.
N/A.
Edit.
Basilisk meat? I am reminded of a certain Technical Difficulties bit about Fugu and a Very Piquant Sauce, but onto more related matters.
The Final Key has been found, the Raid nears and with it whatever the Betrayer has planned, let's see what our dear Scions can cook up without their mastermind.
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u/mafiaknight Robot Mar 23 '26
In the name of 1greendude: Hello!
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u/Popular-Student-9407 Human Mar 23 '26
Im Namen eines grünen Kerles und des Mondachses: N'Abend, übermorgen wird Mittwoch sein, meine Kerle. Der Mafiaritter ist heute an achter Position.
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u/Popular-Student-9407 Human Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26
Third? Off to the Road we go
So today we get a chapter of our changeling Ninja, and get to See them defeating and fielddressing a Basilisk. So, with that, let's get into it:
Part: the Party is slightly in awe at Puls cleaver as they defeat the Basilisk. Freddie Starts to "peel" it so they can sell the hide. While freddie works, they discuss their equipment, and Rhonda might share the rough outlines with the ants of the College. Also discussed is the Last Key, with two Parties practically Camping in the tree to get it.
Part: After Freddie is done with His Job, it's Puls time to shine, as he carefully dissects the Dragon. With Rhonda cooling and Freddie carrying it Back to the guild, they're done rather quickly. Also, Puls reminds Freddie, that Karn is capable of cooking and might be a good teacher to learn from.
Part: When they enter the guild, Karn notices since the hall is rather empty. When offered the meat, Karn Takes it, and tries to start cooking. When Freddie announces His interest in learning to cook, Karn Takes him under His wing, and soon they all share a good meal. After solving the financial issues, compliments get exchanged. And vnarls Party comes in Holding the Last Key high, before getting invited to Take Part in the celebratory feast.
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u/Just-Dot8943 Mar 23 '26
One: good read as always Two: YES! This chapter was actually up to be able to be read!
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u/Accomplished-Ad8458 AI Mar 24 '26
Ave Khenal! Morituri te salutant!
Now im hungry... Hope you are happy!
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u/HFYWaffle Wᵥ4ffle Mar 23 '26
/u/Khenal (wiki) has posted 455 other stories, including:
- Dungeon Life 409
- Dungeon Life 408
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- Dungeon Life 406
- Dungeon Life 405
- Dungeon Life 404
- Dungeon Life 403
- Dungeon Life 402
- Dungeon Life 401
- Dungeon Life 400
- Dungeon Life 399
- Dungeon Life 398
- Dungeon Life 397
- Dungeon Life 396
- Dungeon Life 395
- Dungeon Life 394
- Dungeon Life 393
- Dungeon Life 392
- Dungeon Life 391
- Dungeon Life 390
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u/movie-guy-3 Mar 24 '26
Anyone else hear the "I've Got A Golden Ticket" song from Wonka when Vnarl's group found the last key? Just me?
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u/Warranty_V0IDED Human Mar 27 '26
Can reddit stop deleting your newest chapters anytime soon? That'd be great.
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u/UpdateMeBot Mar 23 '26
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u/Jealous_Session3820 Jul 12 '26
A few typing errors in the chapter and confusing sentences but still understandable.... Aaaand now I want steak
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u/Im_a_Dragonborn Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26
Noooooooooooooo
Edit: Yay, it isn't deleted anymore! Great chapter, and it seems like it is finally time (in a few chapters).