Setting Off Alarm

Tim's hunger had rapidly been gathering in his mind as he wished to eat as much food as possible, based on his love for a greatly cooked meat. He'd been leaning over a counter at a marketplace with his mouth drooling of excitement, wanting to dig his teeth into a delicious food before his eyes.

"So much food..."

People watched him with concern and bewilderment while he spectated the meat getting cooked in front of his eyes, with its aroma sensibly floating through the vicinity. He needed to get his fangs on the soft meat as he stared at it, profusely.

"This is so intense... I need to feel it inside my mouth! It's gotta be an amazing dish made by a phenomenal cook or professional! It smells so nice, it looks so good, and it's creamy to perfection! That meat, being dipped into that amazing cheese sauce wants to make me eat it constantly!"

He'd been nearly falling over the counter as he continued to spectate. The cook appeared somewhat of distracted by Tim's gaze and it completely ruined the cook's mood, as he accidentally rubbed his elbow in the edge. Tim, to a seemingly endless movement provoked the cook after his weight body crashed and demolished the counter for the food to drop and spill everywhere, creating attention to the stall, with many people, especially girls laughing the back, seeing how Tim had noodles on top of his head, sitting on the wet spilled floor.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch... That's hot! Hot!"

Tim instantly wiped away the food and stand up, scratching his hurt bottom as he looked at the cook's irritated gaze. He looked at Tim terrifyingly with a heated up face, suddenly screaming saliva into Tim's face.

"Look what you did! You ruined my entire stall and spilled food everywhere! You'll pay, immediately! No, matter what!"

"Huh? I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to cause trouble! I was just looking at your delicious food! Please forgive me, I'll do anything you want me to do! Just don't shout at me! I really am sorry!"

"If you want to apologize, you'll have to pay for the food you spilled everything! Along with my ruined stall! There's no way you can leave here without paying for your destruction!"

"I'll pay! I promise, but how much do you want me to pay?"

"For the food and the stall together, you'll have to pay $30,000! All of this is worth a lot! Especially all the food you ruined!"

"$30,000?! You're not serious! I'm sorry, but I don't have that kind of money! I'm just a sailor over the "Vast Expanse"! I can do anything you want, just please don't force me to pay when I can't even buy myself proper food! There has to be something else, other than paying, right?"

"If you can't pay, then you'll have to work here for a whole year. That's enough time to pay for the problems you've caused me."

Tim's jaw slipped down to his feet with his eyes, shaking in shock while looking around in concern. He showed proper shock and fear.

"One year?! But I have to get moving! If I don't reach the "Outer-Sea" barrier, I have no idea what will happen between! At least let me work for a month. That way I'll still have enough time to reach the "Outer-Sea" barrier. Plus, I won't need to leave my friends behind!"

"Either you work here for one year or you'll be charged with that $30,000 I've told you about..."

"Okay, then! What about a week?! Will that work?"

It infuriated the cook beyond imaginable as he repeated the circumstances for Tim, who repeatedly asked for a week, even raising from one week to two and three.

"One year! No less!"

Moments later, Tim collapsed on the floor and wrapped his legs around his stomach and fell into depression while thinking for the future ahead.

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Tim was hard at work in the kitchen, primarily washing dishes. He tried to avoid meals, but it backfired since his brain couldn't stop thinking about the food all around him. He was sweating in response to the anguish of not being able to eat.

"How did he become a cook after being a duelist?"

Finally, Tim accepted the offer, despite the fact that he would be obliged to work in the kitchen for up to a year as a cook, while his pals learned of the news and promptly assembled at the restaurant. They discovered the huge table and sat around it. "I'm irritated, bored, and annoyed." Karisa hit her head on the table while playing with the paper she had taken from the ship before it landed.

"How could someone just lean over a counter and completely damage it...? We're not going to be able to stay here for a year! It's far worse than having to pay rent...."

Ellie showed signs of apprehension. He couldn't figure out what was going on around here and indicated that a comparable friend to Tim, who had gone on the adventure with him appeared to be more intellectual and less of a problem.

"Yeah, I'd say the same. But to be honest, I think a cook works well for him since he doesn't understand how directions work in the world. Speaking about directions... I'm pretty sure Codey came with us here, but where did he go now?

Karisa responded by a side glare and tried to scout of their location, hoping that they would be somewhere around the central street of Oxfell. They were speechless and figured more stuff that couldn't understand or happened to be warned about.

"Yeah, you're right. But not just him, Elliott and Natan have disappeared as well. Maybe they just went on a boys' walk?"

Ayuka crossed her arms behind her neck and leaned on the chair, sighing and yawning upon senseless wording. She closed her eyes and prepared to take a nap.

"It doesn't matter. Whatever they are doing, I'm pretty sure that they're okay. As for Elliott, we could debate over each other to come to the senses of what he's doing. He's probably just scaring away the girls like a creepy pervert he is."

"I guess you do make a point. I'm sure they're fine..."

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Gathered in front of a "Ball Throw Game", Codey intended to receive a reward that happened to be a very well created compass that would provide major assistance in traveling across the "Vast Expanse". There was only one of them, so the possibility of getting it was very difficult. To "win it", he would need to strike a 500 point hole three times in a row, but despite his amazing accuracy, he happened to struggle.

He grabbed a red ball that was very comfortable and smooth for his hand. He stood away about ten meters from the holes, that were about three inches wide. They seemed very stable, but to avoid causing harm, he made sure to weaken his throws, but the reward was never granted as the third and final ball missed the main hole and instead bounced off, leaving Codey in disappointed. He tried for seven additional times, but there was a mystery happening. The final ball he threw always bounced away as if it was controlled by a something.

"I call this a deception! There's no way the same third ball would bounce away repetitively! I call it! It's a lie! Give me the compass! I should have got it the first round!"

"We're sorry, but there really is no deception in this game. I guess you're just unlucky."

The man giggled after throwing out a very suspicious glare. He persuaded Codey into continuing the game to lose money instead of receiving the compass.

It passed one round, then two, then three and it continued to grow in number, which completely frustrated Codey as he yelled in anger and tossed the ball in the floor. He couldn't control his fury as he grabbed the man's collar, pulling him close to his body.

"This is trash! That was 20 games in total, and the ball always bounced away for the third time I threw it! Don't you dare tell me it's not a deception! There's no way I'd be this unlucky for this man games!"

The man struggled as he continued to slap his palm over the counter, trying to inform Codey that he couldn't breathe, so instead, Codey lightened his grip and nearly rammed his forehead into the man.

"This is aggression toward sellers! It's not approved! Unless you let go of me, I'll call the agents to take you away! Remove your hands, now!"

"I won't remove them until you explain to me, what the hell is in that stupid ball?! Or better yet, what the hell is the cause of my ball constantly bouncing away at the same time and same area!"

"Like I told you! There's always luckiness and unluckiness! You can't complain! Now let go of my clothes!"

Codey continued to push forward with aggression to the point of making the man pressing the button, and immediately an alarm rushed through the town. People looked in shock and suddenly the voice of the man echoed over the megaphones.

"This is critical! Send help to the central street of 'Oxfell Arton' right away! There has been a concerted assault on my stand! It's a pirate who also happens to be an outsider!"

Codey's ears detected his voice, with everybody else that happened to be his friends. They looked confused, while Tim couldn't hear the message as he continued to stand inside of a locked kitchen, whereas Ayuka and the rest, easily did so. Elliott too, who had been kneeling in front of a girl, holding her soft hand.

"Don't tell me it's Tim..."

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"Repeat! Send help to the central street of 'Oxfell Arton' right away! There has been a concerted assault on my stand! It's a pirate who also happens to be an outsider!"

To be continued...