Revenge of the Sludge
Lunchtime.
While most people looked forward to eating, Heroes had a decided ambivalence towards their mealtimes, mostly due to the diet necessitated by their powers. Simply put, Heroes went through so much energy so quickly that they had to eat stuff that was so nutrient-dense as to be lethal to ordinary folk.
By the Year 90, the “Heroes’ Feast” mixture was more or less standardized, though the individual chef preparing it always tried to mitigate the less-than-pleasant taste with various seasonings, some more successful than others. But still, the “Heroes’ Feast” was generally known to its consumers as “that inedible sludge”, almost always sulfurously and unprintably qualified.
A fly drifted into the fumes rising from Mikkel’s pot, seized up, and fell to the ground, dead. This was far from unusual; most of the time, the pot had to be kept covered to avoid random insects adding to the seasoning (“Not that they could make it taste any worse,” Sigrun once opined).
Altogether, there were around 300 Heroes, each consuming enough to keep a dozen normals alive, but each acknowledged to be worth 20-100 normals in battle. They were classified into two distinct groups: Type I (early onset), who were born with their powers or manifested them before puberty; and Type II (adult onset), who began developing powers at or after puberty.
Sigrun was a Type I: she’d killed her first grossling while literally still in her cradle. The vermin beast had killed the cat guarding the nursery in preparation for consuming Dalsnes’ future... and had picked the worst possible crib to start with.
Mikkel was a Type II: his first surge of power had made a whole quarantine ward commit suicide--and he’d never quite forgiven himself.
Lalli was another Type I, as his mother had been, so she was ready to deal with raising him--while his parents were still alive.
Emil was a Type I who had tried for years to pretend he wasn’t a Hero at all. Once his family wealth was lost, however, he soon found that the only way he could help was to let his abilities be known.
Tuuri, another Type II, had only started showing her powers two years prior, and she was still caught up in the excitement of becoming a Hero.
Reynir was a Type I, but his power was so subtle that no one had noticed: when he was near people trying to do something, it got done much faster and more easily than otherwise. In some inscrutable way, Reynir Helped.
Right now, Reynir was helping Mikkel dish out the sludge, “a thankless task”, as Mikkel called it (right before Reynir thanked Mikkel for allowing him to help). Each teammate got one heaping bowlful of sludge.
Mechanically munching on his, Emil thought wistfully of the meals he’d enjoyed as a child. Unlike most Type Is, he’d kept his powers so well hidden and disused that he’d been rather a pudgy child. His eyes closed as the memories took hold, and before he realized it, he’d fallen asleep.
Lalli looked up from his meal at a sudden chorus of snores. All around him, the others were slumped over their meals, unconscious, leaving Lalli their only sentry against the vengeful grosslings...
