Ignis' First Firesday of Harvestfall, 1442, at the gates of the city of Luminara.

Determined, Kaelyn looked at the zone of Silvergale Strand stretching before her. The salty smell of the ocean was stronger here than inside the city, almost assaulting her sensitive felinae nose. She smiled, regardless. Her cat ears flattened slightly in response to the loud environment, but after a moment, they perked back up, twitching as she adjusted to the ambient sounds—the distant cries of seagulls, the rhythmic crashing of waves. She had always loved the ocean.

Shame this zone is all jagged rocks. I'd kill for a sand beach…

She looked down at the sinuous path leading out of the city. Today, she would earn her gear, her levels, and her reputation the hard way. No more leaning on charm and manipulation.

A faint smile crossed her lips, more Ryan's than Kaelyn's, as her tail flicked behind her, a subconscious expression of her resolve. Maybe there was something satisfying about doing it this way, about taking on the game as a real challenge instead of a social playground. She adjusted the grip on her staff and squared her shoulders as she stepped past the city gates, the warm light of the sun casting her shadow ahead of her.

She had realised earlier how any reporter looking for her would likely end up interviewing the wrong catgirls.

Silver lining, I guess. Steal my spotlight, ladies. You're unknowingly helping me out.

Kaelyn walked down the path from the city gates to the rough, rocky terrain, gaze fixed on the horizon. She was already familiar with the area, having cleared many quests here just yesterday. The wetlands beyond would be her eventual destination, but she still had some unfinished business here.

"Alright," she said aloud, hoping to stir her silent half out of slumber. "Time to see what we can do when we get serious."

She made her way to Tidebreaker Watch. There, she knew she would find the quest-givers. Her escorts from yesterday had showed her the ropes and how to get the best rewards. They had also let her know about the group content offered at the outpost.

With luck, maybe I'll find a party in need of a healer to handle those?

Before stepping into any kind of combat, she inventoried all the spells she had access to. As a level nine priest, she had six spells. Two heals: a normal cast one and one doing its healing over-time. She had two attack spells: one direct damage and a damage-over-time. Her last two spells allowed her to remove status ailments, and to grant allies a long-duration, damage-reducing buff.

This made the priest class play-style fairly obvious to her: Keep Protect, Regen, and Burning Light rolling at all times. Spam Holy Light for damage. Use Cure when Regen was not enough to offset the incoming damage. Cleanse debuffs, as needed.

Kaelyn stepped into the outpost. A mix of adventurers walking around, chatting loudly amongst themselves, merchants displaying their colorful goods, and guardsmen standing stoic and tall filled the area. She scanned the crowd for the quest-givers until a familiar voice startled her.

She instantly recognised the voice of her burrovian party members, Leoric. "Kaelyn…?" he asked.

She turned around. Leoric's tall frame towered over her, his long, alert ears twitching in her direction. He looked protective, standing at the ready. Right behind him, she spotted Vaelith, her golden scales gleaming in the afternoon light. She held in her hands a wide-brimmed navy blue hat. Her amethyst eyes almost sparkled as she looked in Kaelyn's direction, tail swaying peacefully behind her.

Kaelyn smiled awkwardly at them as they looked her over. She immediately felt self-conscious about her current attire.

Did the V-neck really have to plunge that low?

"Oh, hey there, you two. What are you up to?" she asked, waving at them slowly. Her ears flattened just slightly as she greeted them, a subtle giveaway of her nerves.

She realised she had dropped yesterday's act and was speaking normally to them—the way Ryan spoke to friends. This was not the playful Kaelyn they had seen yesterday, and the mere idea of pretending to act like her felt ludicrous. Maybe she could play it up and fool a bystander, but not those two.

Leoric crossed his arms, but leaned his weight on his back foot, taking a relaxed stance, despite the rugged leather armour he wore.

Vaelith's scales seemed to catch the light with every subtle shift of her stance. She tilted her head towards Leoric. "We just finished chatting," she explained. "Actually… We were about to see if we could find more people to run the party duties here; Leoric hasn't done them yet, and I still have the final one to clear."

Leoric's gaze bounced between the two women, but he remained silent.

Vaelith's gaze dropped to the ground before her. After shifting her feet, the silver-haired mage raised her eyes once more, a sudden spark filling her eyes. "Would you..? Have you done them already? If not—Well, since we were going to start over from the first one, do you want to team up and get it done together? What do you say?"

Kaelyn assessed the mage and the ranger. They both out-levelled her, and played damage-dealers. They would lack a tank in their ranks, but she imagined how, between the two of them and her cures, they could probably tackle those battles without too much issues.

This is good! I can show them I'm more than just a pretty face when I want to!

"Sure, that sounds good to me!" Kaelyn said. "Once we're done, maybe we can move to the next zone as a group? We're definitely all a bit too strong for this place."

Vaelith smiled and donned her hat. With it on, she went from looking like yesterday's tiny goddess to a cute apprentice witch. Kaelyn smiled back, and then a party request appeared.

"Your registered party member, Vaelith Dawnscale has invited you to join her party. Accept/Decline."

She raised an eyebrow at seeing the dracan taking the reins of leadership, but accepted the invitation immediately.

Vaelith turned her head towards Leoric, placing one hand gently on his arm. "Let me go talk to Dutywarden Valen." She sped off towards the centre of the outpost, where she stopped in front of a tall, blonde homini in platemail armour, covered in a white and gold tabard. A shining kite shield on one arm and a sword scabbard at the hip.

Leoric approached, his back turned. "You doing okay? I saw the news earlier today. Trouble with reporters?" he asked, his vigilant eyes locked on the small dracan.

Kaelyn grimaced and turned to look up at him. He exchanged a quick gaze with her, just enough for her to feel he seemed genuinely concerned about her safety. Given how unpleasant their first encounter had been yesterday, she had not expected that level of care from someone she barely knew. She exhaled. "I'm okay. I gave them a VR interview. They stuck around a little but eventually left—"

Kaelyn was about to give more details, but Vaelith hurried back to the two of them. "We're on. The first mission is just to clear some aquatic life attacking from the beach. Two packs of mobs followed by a boss battle."

Leoric turned towards the beach. He gestured towards freshly spawned enemies, floating and skittering in the distance. He scratched his chin. "Hmm. I can probably pull with Shadow Bind. One of them will be stuck in place, the remaining three will go for me. If both of you peel one off, then this will be like soloing one monster each. You should be able to handle that much? I'll mark them. Kaelyn, you're on A, I'll handle B, Vaelith you are on C. Once your target is dead, switch to deal with the one marked X. Sounds good?"

Everyone nodded.

As they approached the beach, the salty tang of the ocean filled Kaelyn's nostrils. Walking a step behind Leoric, her fingers tightened around her staff. He drew his bow and stepped forward, but she called out for him to wait. "Oh, let me buff us first."

Kaelyn raised her staff, chanting softly as a shimmering yellow barrier enveloped them. She could feel her tail curl in concentration, a small tick of focus she had noticed in herself lately. Vaelith adjusted her hat, her silver hair falling just past her scaled shoulders, and Leoric's long ears gave a small twitch as the protective magic settled over him.

The ranger drew a special black arrow from his quiver and nocked it in the bowstring, aiming at the furthest enemy. As he released it, the string let out a satisfying twang. The arrow flew above the enemy and landed in its shadow, pinning it in place.

Teeth showing, the floating fish snarled and thrashed as it tried to swim forwards, but remained solidly tethered. Kaelyn steadied herself, her ears flicking forward with focus as she blasted her dedicated target with her Burning Light spell, a beam of light shooting from her staff. Once again, she felt how her tail matched her movements. Next to her, Vaelith's scales shimmered as she released a volley of copper-red projectiles from her fingertips. Leoric nocked an arrow, his tall ears twitching as he adjusted his aim, a look of pure determination on his face.

Kaelyn's ears locked on the sound of Vaelith's projectiles as they relentlessly pummelled her target, each hit landing in a satisfying crunch. But Kaelyn did not have time to gawk and started chanting the Holy Light spell, her primary offensive spell. She blasted her target once and then started chanting it a second time. The sea creature would be upon her before her spell had time to land. She braced herself and gritted her teeth in anticipation of the attack, hoping the pain would not be too much to bear and or cause her to lose concentration on her spell.

As the creatures charged, Vaelith's eyes glinted with fierce determination, and Kaelyn caught a flash of silver hair and golden scales as the dracan mage nimbly adjusted her position. She raised her hands, sending an explosive burst of energy toward the incoming foes. Her tail tensed, every muscle coiled tight as she braced herself for the tremendous blasts of magic, the air crackling with anticipation. The blast sent both creatures flying several feet backwards.

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Kaelyn felt the tension leave her body, her tail gently swaying behind her again. "Thank you," she breathed.

Vaelith simply beamed back, but kept her gaze focused on her target. The knock-back had bought enough time for Kaelyn to finish her second cast of Holy Light. When the chant finished and the column of light descended on the enemy, the oddly floating sea urchin simply disintegrated into fine particles of light.

"We're not done yet!" Leoric called over his shoulder as he finished his own target, a single arrow skewering it to the ground.

A stream of translucent-red missiles from Vaelith's hand impacted in quick succession onto her target, each hit pushing it further and further away, the creature having died at the second impact.

The floating fish finally broke free of the Shadow Bind effect, but did not stand a chance against the team. It fell victim to their combined assault in seconds.

Kaelyn nodded, a confident smile spreading across her face as the party skillfully dispatched the larger group of enemies, the sounds of battle fading into a triumphant silence.

They tweaked the strategy slightly for the next fight, as there were five targets. Leoric kept two enemies busy—one with Shadow Bind, and the second stepped into a Tar Trap, slowing its movement speed to a crawl. Continuously firing his weapon, he steadily backed away, maintaining a safe distance and preventing the creature from closing to melee range.

The last of the small creature fell with a hiss, disintegrating into light, once again victim to Kaelyn's Holy Light attack spell. Leoric lowered his weapon, breathing hard but grinning. "Good work, both of you," he said, clapping Kaelyn on the shoulder. She felt a rush of genuine pride at the praise. Unlike yesterday's hollow victories, this felt different; earned.

As they regrouped, Vaelith adjusted her wide-brimmed hat with a small smile. "Now it's time for the big guy."

The three of them looked at the giant crab slowly crawling out of the ocean until it settled into position, politely waiting for them to engage. Nervously, Kaelyn gripped her staff with both hands as she glanced over at Leoric and Vaelith. The two seemed completely at ease. Her fingers trembled, just for a second.

What if I mess something up?

Without yesterday's confidence to steady her, the weight of the challenge felt heavier. She straightened her shoulders. Kaelyn was absent right now. She would just have to trust Ryan's gamer instincts this time.

Leoric crossed his arms as he looked at the monster. "Without a tank, this can get tricky. Boss monsters like this are usually immune to Bind spells and Knock Back effects. If we're lucky, my slow trap could still work. The best strategy is to stay in a triangle formation. Not too far from each other—you don't want to outrun Kaelyn's heals," he explained, making sure everyone followed him so far. "The trick is to stop doing damage when the boss is going towards you, and wait for someone else to damage it enough to make it turn around. Then you can return to dealing damage. We basically play ping-pong with it as it keeps changing its mind about who it wants to kill. Got it?"

Vaelith and Kaelyn both nodded.

Sounds like Leoric's used to this kind of stuff. Players who pick rangers are often good at kiting strategies.

"I'll use Telekinetic Blast whenever if it gets close," Vaelith said, grinning. "It hits much harder than my normal spell, and if it knocks it away, then that will be helpful to know for the future."

"Just be careful. If you hurt it too much, we'll have a hard time taking it back from you."

She nodded and shrugged. "If that happens, I'll Blink away, take it for a walk, and Blink back to my spot once you get it off my back."

Agreeing with her plan, Leoric gave her a thumbs up. "That works. I'll open the fight, so he steps into my trap first."

Kaelyn doubted she had the firepower required to peel aggro from her party. However, the strategy called for them to stop dealing damage when they became the target. She worried she might eventually catch up to them in aggro, especially if she could throw attack spells back-to-back.

Summoning every ounce of confidence she could find to steady her voice, she tried to reassure her party. "And I'll keep you two alive if it reaches either of you, so don't panic."

She actually did not know if she could do it—she did not know the game well enough to understand the threat the boss represented, and how much higher a tank's damage mitigation was, compared to a ranger or mage. But keeping her party alive was the purpose of her class, so she reasoned she could do this much. Despite her insecurities, she could not help but smile back, feeling how she belonged here with them.

This feeling is why people play these games—not just for the loot or the status, but for moments like this, where you fight and triumph together.

Kaelyn took a deep breath, her cat ears twitching in anticipation as she raised her staff. Leoric's alert ears, a charming contrast to his self-assured demeanor, conveyed intense focus. In the afternoon sunlight, Vaelith's scales shimmered faintly golden, her tail swaying gently in time with her breath, poised for the impending struggle. Her fins flicked, nervously reacting to every little noise.

Leoric put down a Tar Trap halfway between his position and the boss. Then he settled into position and nocked an arrow. He steadied his aim, about to open the fight with a Vital Shot. The enemy crab waited almost entirely immobile. That made it much more likely Leoric would hit a weak spot for the extra damage. As soon as the arrow flew, Vaelith did not waste a second, and a volley of Telekinetic Blows followed, repeatedly smashing the crab on its back.

Kaelyn readjusted her grip on her staff as the giant crab charged. Her earlier confidence was completely gone, leaving only the raw weight of responsibility.

What if I mistime a heal? What if Leoric or Vaelith get knocked out because of her?

She forced herself to steady her breath. I can do this! She just had to trust herself. Kaelyn invoked her Burning Light spell, a beam of light bursting from the tip of her staff. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the concept of a holy laser delighted her, and she could not help but grin as the spell connected to her target.

Leoric held aggro; the damage of the Vital Shot had been too high for the initial spells from either casters to pull hate off of him, and he had counted on it. Moments later, the crab stepped into the Tar Trap, triggering it. His many legs impeded by the sticky substance, the crab's movement slowed down significantly.

Leoric kept shooting arrows after arrow, the health bar of the creature barely registering all of their combined efforts. When the boss monster finally reached him, it raised its pincer, preparing a crushing blow, but Leoric deftly rolled sideways, avoiding the attack. He rewarded it with a punitive arrow in the eyestalk as soon as he got up from his dodge roll.

However, the crab's next pincer came too quickly. The sharp limb went through Leoric's leather armour as if it was tissue paper. The ranger cried in pain, staggering backwards. His health bar dipped dangerously low and blood spilled out of the injury onto the sharp, rocky ground. Even from this distance, the sharp, metallic tang of blood reached Kaelyn's senses, rich and unmistakable. Without hesitation, she chanted her Cure spell. The hum of magic thrummed through her fingers as she did. The light enveloped him in time to stave off another blow. Her pulse raced—she had saved him in the nick of time.

She immediately tossed a Regen spell on him, then started chanting Cure once more to top him off. As she did, more missiles streaked across the battlefield, finally drawing the monster's attention away from Leoric. The dracan, whose face had been full of concern a moment ago, cheered proudly as she kept battering the boss with her spells. "Come and get me!"

As Kaelyn's second Cure spell landed, Leoric's health bar shot back nearly to the maximum value. When she saw her regeneration spell finally stitch up the last of his wounds, Kaelyn's pulse finally steadied, a quiet assurance settling in.

I can do this! Just need to keep a steady hand and clear mind!

She cast a pre-emptive Regen spell on Vaelith, despite the mage still being full-health. Kaelyn's focus returned to her barrage of attack spells. Holy Light, Burning Light, Holy Light… All the while, Leoric's ears twitched with each shot he fired. One after the other, his arrows relentlessly pierced the crab's armoured back.

As the battle wore on, she felt the strain in her own energy—the combined mana cost of healing and non-stop attacks taxed her mana pool severely. Without a tank to hold the boss in place, there was no margin for error.

Later in the battle, the crab's claw once again slammed into Leoric, sending him stumbling. His health bar dropped alarmingly, and Kaelyn's heart lurched. She cast Cure as fast as she could, the healing light enveloping him just in time.

Then, Leoric shouted, "Heads up, Kaelyn! It's coming your way!"

He shot arrows back to back at the giant's crab shell as it lumbered towards her. She had finally reached the point where her damage spells and heals had out-aggro'd both of them. She stopped attacking, focusing solely on healing and letting her mana recover. Kaelyn let her party members gain a threat lead over her once more.

Not only did healing draw more aggro than attacking, but it typically drained mana faster. Unlike damage dealers whose motto was "Always Be Casting", healing classes were all about mana-management—it was the measure of a talented healer. Instead of damage dealt, people often looked at the healer's Over-heal ratio; an indicator of how much mana they wasted by using their spells too soon or too often.

She glimpsed Vaelith blinking out of harm's way, her tail steadying her as she landed a short distance away. Kaelyn watched, fascinated, as the mage's spells short-range teleportation spells always left her gently floating a foot above the ground before landing gracefully.

The fight dragged on, the crab stubbornly refusing to fall. Kaelyn felt the tension building. Her mana reserves had long since dried up, her spells draining it as fast as it regenerated. She had to pace herself, switching from attack to healing and back again, every choice critical. Yesterday, she might have scoffed at this setup and demanded a proper tank before even trying.

Ryan had built her to get the pick of the litter, after all. Today's play style did not feel like hers, but his. The team kept to the plan, trading aggro with disciplined precision, and when the crab finally shuddered and collapsed into a burst of white light, the three companions let out a collective cheer of triumph.

"You have reached level ten for the priest class."

"You have unlocked the spell Holy Shield."

Damn, Holy Shield would have been so useful here!

Mathematically, the spell worked just like the Cure spell. But instead of healing damage, you cast it before an attack, and the shield provided temporary hit points to soak the damage first.

I'm sure this spell will come in handy soon!

Leoric clapped Kaelyn on the shoulder, a wide grin on his face, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Thanks for all the heals, Kaelyn. I'd be crab chow without you."

He had been the only one who took damage and had needed healing. Vaelith had been surprisingly adept at handling this battle. Whenever the boss got too close, she would blast it with her more intense, short-range spell, then blink away before it got to strike her. She had good timing and picked her destination carefully. The detail that amused Kaelyn the most was how Vaelith almost seemed to have an aversion to walking; she repositioned herself almost exclusively through the use of her Blink spell.

Leoric lowered his bow, his tall ears drooping with relief as he caught his breath. As on cue, the mage Blinked next to them, adjusted her hat, her scales catching the light in a final, satisfied gleam. Kaelyn's tail flicked behind her, a small but unmistakable show of pride. She had done this—without charm, without shortcuts. The ranger broke the silence first. "We make a pretty solid team."

Looking at her group, Kaelyn felt gratitude—grateful not just to have helped, but to be part of a team. To have comrades who relied on each other. It was not just her victory; it was theirs. She watched Leoric's genuine grin and Vaelith's satisfied smirk, and felt a surge of pride. They did not just see her as Kaelyn, the flirtatious catgirl—they saw her as a teammate, someone who had helped make this victory possible.

Kaelyn's cheeks warmed. She glanced toward the city of Luminara, where crowds of felinae players still vied for attention. This—this felt better. Earned. She had come to the game looking for one thing, but she now enjoyed something else entirely. It was real. She had proven herself, not by charming her way through, but by keeping her friends alive.

She grinned, unable to help herself. "Maybe we don't need a tank after all," she said in a joke, and they all laughed, the sound carrying over the empty beach.

Part of Kaelyn's mind went back to yesterday's video she recorded for Golden Dawn. She had forgotten about it, with all the madness of the day. She mentally wondered if there would be interest in something like it? "Golden Dawn Tackles Boss Battle Without A Tank?!"

I probably drew enough attention to myself for today…

She shook her head, knowing how she probably would have to confess about posting yesterday's video to her teammates. She wondered if either of them had seen it already.

As the group walked back to the outpost, Kaelyn glanced at her party members, tail swaying in time with her steps, and felt a new confidence settle over her. Her ears twitched with renewed purpose, and her body felt less like a borrowed one, and more like her own skin.

That was when an unexpected thought suddenly echoed inside her head.

See, gatita? I always knew you could handle it.

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