Just as I was about to head out, Zamira stopped me. “You’re not going to the basin in that, are you?”

She looked me up and down, taking in the missing carapace plates, warped shoulder piece, burned leather, and everything else her former masterpiece had become. I looked down at myself and finally remembered that I was still wearing the aftermath of a dungeon incident. “Oh, right. I almost forgot.”

Zamira reached beneath the counter and tossed a folded bundle of leather through the air. I caught it against my chest as she said, “Take those. I’ll put them on your tab.”

“My tab?”

She raised one eyebrow over the rim of her glasses.

“Ha. Never mind. Thanks, Zam.”

I equipped the basic leather set. It fit closely without restricting my movement, which should not have surprised me. Zamira had already taken every measurement she could possibly need when she made my original armor. I removed the damaged pieces and handed them across the counter. Looking at the pile, I was not sure how much of it was still reusable. Fortunately, my helmet and boots had survived the dungeon with only scratches and a few dents. Everything between them had been less fortunate.

Ambrosia had been watching Zamira from the side of the counter. “By the way, I really like your hair. The colors are so pretty, and the horns look amazing.”

Zamira’s controlled expression immediately brightened. “Thank you! It took me forever to get the highlights right, and don’t even get me started on sculpting the horns. The ridges kept coming out uneven, so I had to...” She stopped, cleared her throat, and adjusted her glasses as the composed guild leader returned to the surface. “You two should probably head out soon.”

Ambrosia smiled. “Right.”

We said goodbye and left the shop. Outside, I opened my friends list. It was not a particularly long list, and one of the people on it was already walking beside me, but Kevin might actually be interested. The southern basin could contain unusual ore or heat-resistant monster materials, and this would give me a chance to see whether his Hammer skill translated into actual combat or only enthusiastic claims made inside a forge.

I sent him a message. Anja was online too, and the last time we spoke, she had mentioned wanting to explore Viridian Basin. I sent her a message explaining that we were planning a limited trip south and asked whether she wanted to join us. Both replies arrived within a minute, so I told them to meet us at the fountain.

Zamira had recommended six players, but we were not planning to reach the river or push through the entire southern region. Four should be enough for a short reconnaissance trip.

While we waited, Ambrosia and I headed toward Éliette’s stall. Several players stood around the main walkway eating from paper trays and talking while they waited for friends. Éliette’s stall still occupied the same place beneath its wide purple-and-cream umbrella, but the chalkboard hanging from the frame had been updated. Smiling slimes decorated the corners around the new name, Éliette’s Bites, and beneath it, bright green chalk listed the day’s special: bite-sized fish and chips, fresh lemon tea, and a combat special called fried puffball bites.

Éliette stood behind the counter with her long white hair pulled away from her face and her oversized chef’s hat balanced slightly crooked on her head. Her pointed elf ears stuck out beneath the brim, and the black apron covered in smiling slime drawings now carried a few pale streaks of flour and oil. Pieces of battered fish sizzled in a shallow fryer beside smaller chunks of puffball coated in crisp golden breading. She filled paper trays with thick-cut chips, adding fish or several fried puffball bites depending on the order, while a row of clear cups waited beside a glass pitcher of pale-yellow lemon tea with thin slices of lemon floating among the ice.

The smell of hot oil and fried batter reached us before we reached the counter. Éliette looked up and smiled. “Cloud! Ambrosia! Back for more slime buns?”

“We were following the smell,” I said.

“That’s what it’s there for.” She gestured toward the fryer. “Today’s special is bite-sized fish and chips. The lemon tea comes with it.”

I looked at the bottom section of the chalkboard. “What makes the puffball bites a combat special?”

Éliette lifted one of the smaller golden pieces with a pair of tongs. “They’re made from puffball mushrooms gathered in Viridian Basin. When they’re prepared correctly, they produce a mild regeneration effect. It isn’t strong enough to replace a health potion, but it can help with smaller injuries during a longer fight.”

Ambrosia leaned closer to inspect it. “That’s one of the restorative mushrooms I mentioned before. I was hoping we could find some today.”

“Great,” I said. “We can skip the gathering part.”

“Hey.”

“Just kidding.”

Ambrosia gave me a serious look. “I am getting my samples today. No matter what.”

Éliette placed the puffball bite back with the others. “Raw ones need to be handled carefully. The spores are useful once processed, but breathing in a cloud of them is not the same thing as receiving a healing effect.”

“Gather first, and don't sniff it,” I said. “Got it.”

Ambrosia and I each ordered the fish and chips with lemon tea, along with a separate tray of fried puffball bites to go. By the time we returned to the fountain, the food was still hot enough that steam escaped whenever I broke apart a piece of fish. I picked one up with my fingers while Ambrosia used the small wooden fork provided with her tray.

The batter cracked softly when I bit into it, thin and crisp around tender white fish that flaked apart beneath the crust. The tartar sauce was creamy and sharp, with bits of pickle and herbs cutting through the oil, while the thick-cut chips were crisp at the edges and soft in the center. After one drink of the lightly sweet lemon tea, cold enough to leave droplets running over my fingers, I understood why several players had stopped walking the moment they tried it.

Ambrosia ate another piece of fish. “This might be better than the slime buns.”

“Waaaay better!”

A heavily armored player stepped into view with a hammer resting across both hands, and the equipment made him almost impossible to recognize at first glance. Polished plate covered him from neck to boots, with broad overlapping sections turning whoever was inside into something closer to a walking wall of metal. The chest was smooth and solid, the shoulders rounded and reinforced, and fitted plates enclosed his arms and legs. Even his face had disappeared behind a full helmet, its visor reduced to a narrow slit filled with shadow.

He carried a two-handed war hammer with a long, reinforced handle resting across both palms. The hammer head was thick, practical, with enough weight behind it to cave in armor or crush through a roach shell if he landed a clean swing.

Then a green name tag appeared above the helmet.

Kevin.

I stared at him. “That’s you?”

He laughed and unequipped the helmet. The metal vanished, revealing the familiar sharp face underneath. His black hair was already tied back in its usual messy knot, and for once, there was no soot covering him. He wore the pleased expression of someone who wanted everyone to notice his new equipment while pretending he did not care. “Bro, tell me this doesn’t look sick.”

“Your equipment looks a lot tougher than you do.”

“Dude, wait until you see me with the hammer. I’m telling you, I’m strong now.” His attention shifted past me. “What are you guys eating? That smells amazing.”

“You’re not having mine,” Ambrosia said around a mouthful of fish.

I held my tray toward him. “Want some? Take one.”

Kevin took a piece and bit into it. His expression changed before he had even finished chewing. “Where did you get this?”

I pointed toward Éliette’s purple-and-cream umbrella. “Get your own. You should probably buy some of the puffball bites too. They provide a minor regeneration effect, so they might be useful later.”

Kevin was already moving toward the stall when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and found Anja standing behind me.

Her equipment threw me off for a moment. The loose blue shirt and white tank top from launch day were gone, replaced by a fitted cream-colored top reinforced with leather straps and blue trim. A short blue mantle rested across her shoulders, fastened near the collar and falling into a longer panel along one side. Leather bracers covered both forearms, while belts and small pouches wrapped around her waist above fitted shorts and knee-high brown boots.

A quiver rested against her hip, packed with blue-fletched arrows, while a small dagger sat in a sheath on the opposite side of her belt for anything that got too close. She held a curved wooden bow loosely at her side, looking comfortable enough with it that I assumed this was not her first day using one. Her long blonde hair had been partially braided away from her face and tied with a blue ribbon, leaving the pointed tips of two elf ears clearly visible.

Those definitely had not been there when we met on launch day.

The rest of her hair moved freely in the breeze crossing the plaza. She looked less like the new player who had stared across the city in disbelief and more like someone who knew what kind of adventurer she wanted to become.

Anja smiled. “Were you going to keep staring, or are you going to say hello?”

“Are we going to talk about the elf ears?”

She reached up and touched one of the pointed tips. “I always wanted to be an elf, but I couldn’t figure out the ear customization when I first made my character.”

“And now you’re an archer?”

“Haha, yep. Now I don’t have to fight gross monsters up close anymore.” She patted the dagger on her belt. “Unless...”

“Anja, this is Ambrosia. She’s our biologist. She tells us which mushrooms are safe to eat.”

“Herbologist,” Ambrosia corrected. “And I do a lot more than keep you from poisoning yourself.”

Anja laughed and offered her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Ambrosia shook it. “You too.”

Kevin returned carrying his own tray of fish and chips, a cup of lemon tea, and a separate packet of puffball bites. He slowed when he noticed Anja. “Whoa. Where did this beauty come from?”

Then he leaned closer to me and lowered his voice without lowering it enough. “Hold on. It’s not secretly a guy in real life, is it?”

Anja looked directly at him with a smile.

Kevin froze.

“Too late,” she said.

I gestured from one to the other before he could dig the hole any deeper. “Kevin, this is Anja. We met on launch day. Anja, this is Kevin. He is the best and only blacksmith I know.”

Kevin straightened. “Nice to meet you.”

Anja glanced at the tray in his hands. “Why is everyone eating fish and chips?”

“Because it’s so good.”

Éliette’s stall had gained another customer.

Ambrosia looked at me. “I thought you didn’t have friends.”

“I never said that.”

Anja tilted her head. “You told me you were a solo player.”

“That isn’t the same thing.”

Kevin looked around the group. “Dude, I didn’t know you were hiding girls from me.”

“I wasn’t hiding anyone. You spent most of the weekend locked inside a forge.”

“That’s not the point.”

“It feels relevant.”

Ambrosia looked at Anja. “He was quieter at the forge.”

“I was working,” Kevin said.

“So this is what he’s like off duty?” Anja asked.

“Apparently,” I said.

“Bro.”

Before the introductions turned into a full interrogation of my social life, I opened my portable UI. “All right. We should probably discuss why we’re here.”

I projected the route Zamira had transferred onto the map. A narrow explored path stretched south through Viridian Basin before disappearing into clouded territory near the swamp. “Zamira recommended six players for the full route. There are four of us, so we are not attempting the full route yet.”

Kevin lowered his tray slightly. “How far are we going?”

“We follow her mapped path until the dark forest part ends. We gather whatever useful materials we can along the way, especially anything that might help against fire. Ambrosia wants restorative mushrooms. Kevin can check for unusual ore or stone. Anja gives us ranged coverage, and I’ll handle navigation.”

Anja studied the map. “And the river?”

“We will probably turn around before we reach it.”

Ambrosia nodded. “So this is a short trip?”

“Exactly. We learn the route, test how well we work together, and leave before we reach the dangerous parts. That’s the plan.”

Kevin lifted his hammer. “And if we find something worth fighting?”

“We decide as a team.”

He lowered the hammer. “Right. Team decision.”

“We also gather ordinary resources along the way,” I continued. “Plants, mushrooms, usable wood, ore, monster materials. Anything we can safely collect.”

Ambrosia glanced at me. “No roach this time, right?”

“Only if it’s useful research material.”

“You wore one as a hat.”

“I had a good reason, thank you very much.”

Anja stared between us. “I feel like I missed several chapters.”

“You did,” Kevin said. “There’s a video.”

“There does not need to be another viewing of the video.”

“I’ll send it to you,” Ambrosia said, already tapping her portable UI.

Everyone agreed to the plan, and I closed the map. “One more stop before we leave.”

Ambrosia sighed. “Where now?”

“The general store.”

Kevin looked toward the city streets. “What do we still need?”

“That place is basically a fantasy Walmart. We can get most basic supplies there. Everyone should buy gathering gloves and flashlights at minimum. We’ll probably spend more time handling plants, stone, and questionable biological material than fighting.”

Ambrosia groaned. “You really like over-preparing.”

“You can never over-prepare an expedition.”