"Every revolution makes enemies. Even one built with cheese."
Scene 1 – The Challenger Appears
The morning after Zayden flipped Brimvale on its head, Core Bites™ had become the loudest place in town.
The square was packed. Peasants stood in lines that wrapped around cottages. Merchants offered sheep in exchange for fries. Kids beatboxed after hearing Zayden's futuristic tracks pulsing from a hologram speaker floating above the stand.
Even the pigeons were getting bold, dive-bombing leftover buns with new attitude.
Zayden stood behind his sleek, glowing counter, dressed in a sleeveless vest that projected the Core Enterprise logo like a living badge. The sleeves were off. The charm was on.
"You want the melt-stack deluxe or the synth-meat supreme?" he asked a stunned noblewoman, his tone half-casual, half-cocky.
"Yes," she whispered, though she had no idea what any of it meant.
M.A.I.A.'s voice chimed softly in his ear, invisible to the rest of the world.
"Note: 79% of villagers now believe you're either a prophet or an alien. One blacksmith thinks you're a cursed frog prince."
Zayden snorted. "Frog prince with five-star taste."
The good vibes, however, were about to burn.
From across the square, the crowd parted like a wave before a storm. Whispers swirled, riding the rising tension.
"It's him…"
"The Iron Vow…"
"He's come to challenge the future…"
The footsteps that followed were thunder in metal. Clanking. Impossibly heavy. Full medieval drip.
He emerged.
A knight, head to toe in dented silver armor, broad as a bear and twice as grim. A long crimson cape dragged in the dirt behind him. His sword—almost as tall as the man himself—hung from his back like a warning.
Sir Garrick Ironvain.
Knight of the Realm.
Defender of Tradition.
Enemy of Sandwiches.
"You," Garrick growled, pointing his blade toward Zayden's booth, "are disrupting the sacred order of food and flame."
Zayden raised an eyebrow, casually tossing a fry into his mouth. "You mad I didn't bring soup?"
The crowd gasped. Somewhere, a chicken squawked in horror.
"I challenge you," Garrick declared, voice booming, "to trial by combat. For spreading chaos. For disrespecting the flame. And for dressing like a glowing jester."
Zayden glanced down at his glowing boots, then back at the walking tin can with a raised brow. "I accept," he said with a grin. "But I don't fight for free."
---
Scene 2 – Combat of the Ages
Ten minutes later, a circle formed in the center of the village. Villagers ringed the impromptu arena, whispering, pointing, watching history unfold.
Garrick stomped into the dirt, sword drawn, posture perfect.
Zayden strolled in a few seconds later, twirling a… frying pan.
"You're mocking the code of knights!" Garrick thundered.
"Nah," Zayden replied smoothly. "Just updating it."
M.A.I.A.'s voice whispered in his ear. "Combat probability 31%. Recommend evasive maneuver if he does a jump spin."
"He can barely bend, Maia."
And then it began.
Clang!
Garrick's sword slammed down. Zayden ducked, smooth and quick.
Swipe!
Zayden retaliated with a pan strike to the shin. It made a sharp bonk sound that made several onlookers snort with laughter.
Slice!
The knight roared, swinging wildly—Zayden backflipped like a parkour-trained ninja at a carnival.
"Try the fries, man! You're clearly hangry."
Garrick charged.
Zayden pressed a button on his belt. A pulse of blue energy exploded outward with a low hum. Gravity rippled, and Garrick flew backward like a sack of potatoes. He landed flat on his back with a grunt, sword flung across the ring.
The crowd went still.
Zayden walked over, crouched beside the groaning knight, and held out his hand.
In the other hand, a double-patty burger gleamed with melted cheese and destiny.
"No hard feelings," Zayden said. "You can be the first knight on the Core Bites loyalty program."
Garrick blinked.
Then, slowly… reverently… he took the burger.
He bit into it.
His eyes filled with tears.
"By the gods…" he whispered. "This… this is better than glory."
The square erupted. Cheers. Laughter. Gasps. Someone fainted. One of the guards threw his spear aside and sprinted to order onion rings.
Even the priest paused mid-sermon, sniffed the air, and murmured, "Perhaps… not all flames are sacred."
---
Scene 3 – The Enterprise Expands
That night, the villagers worked side-by-side to build Brimvale's first Core Bites Pavilion—a sleek structure of smooth black stone and silver supports that glowed faintly beneath the moonlight.
It looked like it didn't belong.
But no one wanted it gone.
Lines formed even after nightfall. Children sang strange melodies from Zayden's world. A young couple proposed over a shared synth-soda.
The future wasn't invading.
It was blending in.
Back at the bakery base, Zayden leaned against the old brick wall, sipping a cold cola, watching sparks from the construction flicker across the sky.
"Day two," he murmured to himself. "Won the public. Beat a knight. Sold sixty-three burgers. I've seen worse Mondays."
M.A.I.A. chimed in.
"Warning: Multiple kingdoms have now marked Core Enterprise™ as a foreign threat. Surveillance spells detected from the east. Hostile curiosity rising."
Zayden smirked.
"Good. Let them watch."
He turned to the back wall of the bakery and pressed a hidden button. A holographic blueprint lit up the room—a map of the continent, now dotted with glowing markers where Core Bites could rise.
He studied it for a long moment, then pointed to the next city.
"Tomorrow begins expansion," he said, grinning. "And we start with… music."
He walked off into the glow, humming a beat the world had never heard.
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📘 END OF CHAPTER 2
Next Chapter:- Chapter 3: The Bard and the Beat Drop.