Post by Soilderp on Aug 8, 2017 16:11:49 GMT
It had been a while since Soilderp had been to the small market where he sold his spices; it had been a few months to be a little more exact. The market really didn't change much, though. It seemed to be stuck at a simpler time, in a simpler place, in a simpler world. Everyone was overly friendly to each other, no one judged their contemporaries by color or race or even the slight differences that made them all human. It was very calming to him.
As he entered the market with his latest batch of spices, he saw the people smile and give a gentle wave like they always did to him. His stall, even after his long absence, was still available to him, racks and all. It almost felt like his home.
Upon his arrival, he began to sit out the spices onto the racks and table. He had gathered an extremely large amount of spice this time, since the plants had grown in great abundance over the peculiarly warm summer that year. He always made sure to only take about half of the crop so that they could grow back.
The next few hours were the standard fare. People came and went; some people bought the spice, while others eyed it and quickly left; one even gave him a business offer, which he politely declined. The day was a normal one, almost beautifully normal.
But then the sugar man came along.
He was a stout man, about 4'11", 250 lbs, and he looked like a nice man on the surface. But underneath the soft, tubby skin of the fat man lied a heart of pure greed. He ran the sugar stall that ran directly across from Soilderp's, and his success was cutting into his profits. The sugar man wasn't exactly thrilled with this.
As he set out his stall, he began to make small talk with the stall directly in front of him.
"So, boy, how has the spice business been treatin' ya?"
"Good, I guess. The business today has been great so far, hoping to set a new stall record."
The sugar man smirked upon hearing that remark. Something Soilderp couldn't discern quickly began to spread across his face. He was up to something.
"Just dandy," he remarked, "I've got something right here that'll do the same for me, my competitor."
He slowly lifted up a bottle of what looked like some sort of brown sugar. But something was different. It smelled familiar.
"Is it OK if I have a sample? Something seems familiar about that sugar."
He quickly broke out in a cold sweat.
"I think that can wait for later," He said in a slightly worried tone.
"I don't want to spoil the surprise after all."
As the day went on, the business at the sugar man's stall began to boom. This new sugar he had concocted was a big hit with all of the people at the market. Not one person didn't notice the stall covered in people asking to try this new miracle sugar. The people said it was "near perfect", and "beautiful". Quickly the stock of the sugar began to fall down.
Eventually, he was out of the stuff, and he had to retrieve more to make some more money. As he left, Soilderp began to become curious about what this new sugar even was. Was it a spice? Was it maybe even his spice? He had to know.
As he walked to the stall, he looked around to make sure no one was watching him. This was something that, given normal circumstances, no one would ever do. It was the biggest of taboos to sneak into another's stall, but it had to be done in his eyes. He had to find out what this stuff was.
When he arrived at the stall, he saw the standard fare: a chair, an area to store the product, and some sort of weapon to defend from thieves. Sugar man, in particular, brandished a 12 gauge shotgun. It was the weapon of choice for many people in this neck of the woods.
Soilderp then saw the front table. It had a little bit of the sugar left on it.
As he dipped his finger into the sugar, he couldn't help but notice the reddish spots in the sugar. They very closely resembled the shape of the ground spice he sold. Odd.
When he tasted it, he instantly knew what it was. It was his spice mixed with his signature sugar. Only problem is, it was down to a tee.
It wasn't just the same spice plant. It was the same salt, too. There was no way he could have known how to prepare it unless he watched him do it himself, which he, quite honestly, didn't put past him. Knowing it was the same, he knew what he had to do.
When he arrived at the management stall, he rang the bell. Very quickly, the attendant came. When she saw him, a smile filled her face.
"Well hello, Seth. What can I do ya for?"
"I think the sugar man has stolen my spice recipe."
"Well, that's a big claim, where is your evidence?"
"I was given a chance to taste it. It's his sugar, of course, but he added my spice to it to create something new."
"Well, I'll call the resident taster in the village, he may be able to help us here."
Oh, the resident taster, what an individual he was. This man was actually the town chef, but he also fashioned himself as a professional food eater. He could eat entire buffets by himself and still have room for and extra serving or two. He also was called anytime any taste issue was ever presented, like this one.
An hour later, the taster arrived. The sugar man had arrived and been questioned ten minutes earlier, and was already setting out the test batch. The chef looked at the samples in awe, examining every fine detail of our craftsmanship. He then walked into a room, and did what he did best. And the result?
He could taste the spice in the sugar.
The management of the market instantly demanded that he hand 50% of the days earnings to Soilderp in order to repay him. They also told the sugar man that if he ever sold the mixture again that he would lose all of his earnings for that day and be forced to give his money to Seth. It was a great feeling.
The sugar man vehemently handed the bag to Soilderp.
It was a good day for money.
END
Taking Zeni with Hybrid Human Bonus
Sorry to whomever has to grade this
As he entered the market with his latest batch of spices, he saw the people smile and give a gentle wave like they always did to him. His stall, even after his long absence, was still available to him, racks and all. It almost felt like his home.
Upon his arrival, he began to sit out the spices onto the racks and table. He had gathered an extremely large amount of spice this time, since the plants had grown in great abundance over the peculiarly warm summer that year. He always made sure to only take about half of the crop so that they could grow back.
The next few hours were the standard fare. People came and went; some people bought the spice, while others eyed it and quickly left; one even gave him a business offer, which he politely declined. The day was a normal one, almost beautifully normal.
But then the sugar man came along.
He was a stout man, about 4'11", 250 lbs, and he looked like a nice man on the surface. But underneath the soft, tubby skin of the fat man lied a heart of pure greed. He ran the sugar stall that ran directly across from Soilderp's, and his success was cutting into his profits. The sugar man wasn't exactly thrilled with this.
As he set out his stall, he began to make small talk with the stall directly in front of him.
"So, boy, how has the spice business been treatin' ya?"
"Good, I guess. The business today has been great so far, hoping to set a new stall record."
The sugar man smirked upon hearing that remark. Something Soilderp couldn't discern quickly began to spread across his face. He was up to something.
"Just dandy," he remarked, "I've got something right here that'll do the same for me, my competitor."
He slowly lifted up a bottle of what looked like some sort of brown sugar. But something was different. It smelled familiar.
"Is it OK if I have a sample? Something seems familiar about that sugar."
He quickly broke out in a cold sweat.
"I think that can wait for later," He said in a slightly worried tone.
"I don't want to spoil the surprise after all."
As the day went on, the business at the sugar man's stall began to boom. This new sugar he had concocted was a big hit with all of the people at the market. Not one person didn't notice the stall covered in people asking to try this new miracle sugar. The people said it was "near perfect", and "beautiful". Quickly the stock of the sugar began to fall down.
Eventually, he was out of the stuff, and he had to retrieve more to make some more money. As he left, Soilderp began to become curious about what this new sugar even was. Was it a spice? Was it maybe even his spice? He had to know.
As he walked to the stall, he looked around to make sure no one was watching him. This was something that, given normal circumstances, no one would ever do. It was the biggest of taboos to sneak into another's stall, but it had to be done in his eyes. He had to find out what this stuff was.
When he arrived at the stall, he saw the standard fare: a chair, an area to store the product, and some sort of weapon to defend from thieves. Sugar man, in particular, brandished a 12 gauge shotgun. It was the weapon of choice for many people in this neck of the woods.
Soilderp then saw the front table. It had a little bit of the sugar left on it.
As he dipped his finger into the sugar, he couldn't help but notice the reddish spots in the sugar. They very closely resembled the shape of the ground spice he sold. Odd.
When he tasted it, he instantly knew what it was. It was his spice mixed with his signature sugar. Only problem is, it was down to a tee.
It wasn't just the same spice plant. It was the same salt, too. There was no way he could have known how to prepare it unless he watched him do it himself, which he, quite honestly, didn't put past him. Knowing it was the same, he knew what he had to do.
When he arrived at the management stall, he rang the bell. Very quickly, the attendant came. When she saw him, a smile filled her face.
"Well hello, Seth. What can I do ya for?"
"I think the sugar man has stolen my spice recipe."
"Well, that's a big claim, where is your evidence?"
"I was given a chance to taste it. It's his sugar, of course, but he added my spice to it to create something new."
"Well, I'll call the resident taster in the village, he may be able to help us here."
Oh, the resident taster, what an individual he was. This man was actually the town chef, but he also fashioned himself as a professional food eater. He could eat entire buffets by himself and still have room for and extra serving or two. He also was called anytime any taste issue was ever presented, like this one.
An hour later, the taster arrived. The sugar man had arrived and been questioned ten minutes earlier, and was already setting out the test batch. The chef looked at the samples in awe, examining every fine detail of our craftsmanship. He then walked into a room, and did what he did best. And the result?
He could taste the spice in the sugar.
The management of the market instantly demanded that he hand 50% of the days earnings to Soilderp in order to repay him. They also told the sugar man that if he ever sold the mixture again that he would lose all of his earnings for that day and be forced to give his money to Seth. It was a great feeling.
The sugar man vehemently handed the bag to Soilderp.
It was a good day for money.
END
Taking Zeni with Hybrid Human Bonus
Sorry to whomever has to grade this