Ignis' First Firesday of Harvestfall, 1442, at the edge of the Scalemarshes, Silvergale Strand.

Vaelith focused on the registered party interface before her.

Kaelyn Moonshadow, Encantadora, Priest 13, Online, Silvergale Strand. In your party.

Vaelith Dawnscale, Ícono, Mage 15, Online, Silvergale Strand. Party Leader.

Elyssia Windwhisper, Guardián, Martial Artist 15, Online, Dreadfrost Highlands, Partied.

Leoric Stargazer, Galán, Ranger 17, Online, Silvergale Strand. In your party.

She noticed how quickly Elyssia had reached level 15. Her brows furrowed together as she noticed the status next to her location.

Elyssia is in a party…?

The name of the distant zone made her skin crawl. Dreadfrost Highlands.

Her amethyst eyes narrowed as she dismissed the interface with a flick of her hand. Elyssia, choosing to head north on her own for her crafting profession, weighed on her mind, but she forced herself to set the feelings aside. Once she had decided on something, there was very little anyone could do to alter her trajectory. She wondered, however, who mysteriously partied up with her.

Maybe she found someone to grind enemies with?

Meanwhile, here in Silvergale Strand, her party progress had been steady, if uneventful. The remaining three party duties at Tidebreaker Watch had gone smoothly enough, thanks to Leoric's relentless focus on preparation and Kaelyn's surprising adaptability. As they left, Vaelith tallied their gains. Kaelyn had earned three levels, bringing her to thirteen, and Vaelith herself had finally hit level fifteen.

Fifteen. She let the number linger, a quiet satisfaction rising with it. Her two level-ups had rewarded her with new tools for her arsenal: a spell and a passive.

Telekinetic Pulse. The spell's description was simple: a circular, point-blank AoE, pulsing out three shockwaves in rapid succession, hitting all nearby enemies. Any individual hit was lacklustre on its own—her Telekinetic Lance would hit harder—but it had its own perk; it did not require targeting or precision. A Lazy-mode spell, as gamers would say.

But the real prize was her new Telekinetic Vulnerability passive. With it, every time she damaged an enemy with a telekinetic spell, it would stack a one-percent damage vulnerability on target, maxing out at fifteen percent. On paper, it seemed lackluster. But in practice? Pulse had changed everything. She could reach the full stack in eight seconds using this spell, instead of the thirty she would need otherwise. Telekinetic Blast's cooldown and knock-back made it impractical to use for building up vulnerability, but its higher damage meant it benefited the most from it.

Her lips curved into a faint smile. She had also made another discovery during their last boss battle against a kraken. She had finally understood the effects of her Arcane Build-up passive; every hit generated an Arcane Charge. They did nothing by themselves. But after she collected five, she would be considered Charged. This would amplify her next spell, surging with extra power. For example, casting Telekinetic Blows with five charges nearly doubled the damage of the spell!

She also had a revelation with Telekinetic Blast during the crab boss battle. The spell behaved in two different ways. It would add a Knock-back effect on regular enemies and it would deal extra damage to bound enemies. For enemies immune to both Bind and Knock-back effects, what would happen? Turns out the spell was not picky about the form of binding. If an enemy did not end up knocked-back from the spell, for any reason, it would instead apply the extra damage.

When Vaelith thought about it, it made complete sense to her; if the energy of the spell could not displace the target, then that force had to go somewhere—into raw damage, it seemed.

Physics. The law of conservation of energy. Funny how the things I teach my students turn out useful here. Next time Kevin grumbles about the lack of practical applications of my lessons, I'll be sure to tell him they saved me from getting pinched to death by a giant crab.

She smiled fondly at the memory of the giant crustacean.

What is it with evolution and crabs? Carcinisation—five separate times, nature decided crabs were peak design. If anything deserves to be called immortal, it's them.

The crunch of boots on damp soil interrupted the quiet moment of reflection. Leoric stopped walking and turned to face the group, his long ears twitching as he glanced between her and Kaelyn. The faint tang of salt from Silvergale's shore was gone now, replaced by the cloying stench of stagnant water and rot. It clawed at the back of Vaelith's throat, heavy and oppressive, as though the marsh itself wanted to warn them away. "Stay vigilant. Things will be more dangerous from here onwards."

Vaelith adjusted her hat, her fingers brushing the smooth brim as she scanned the horizon.

She noticed the stillness of the murky pools to their left—except for the occasional ripple, subtle but deliberate, spreading outward as if something beneath the surface had stirred. Her stomach tightened suddenly at an unseen threat. She looked around, trying to find anyone spying on them.

The air was heavier here, more humid, the rocky ground giving way to the earthy dampness of the marshlands ahead. The grasses were already taller, wilder, swaying in the breeze like silent sentinels, warning them to turn back. Unable to find any obvious danger, she pushed at the unease twisting in her stomach and instead focused on the dirt road ahead.

Behind her, Kaelyn broke the silence with a laugh, her felinae tail flicking in a lazy rhythm. "You really think a bunch of frogs and lizards are going to give us trouble after what we've dealt with in Silvergale?"

Leoric stepped ahead of both of them, turned slightly, his ears twitching at the sound of Kaelyn's voice. He pinched his nose. "It's not the frogs I'm worried about. It's the swamp's poison clouds, leech swarms, and lizardmen ambushes. The Scalemarshes are no joke, Kaelyn. Higher-level zones like this punish overconfidence."

He spoke with the calm authority Vaelith had grown used to by now, his voice steady, his words practical. He was not trying to scare them—just remind them. It was Leoric's way. He was always three steps ahead, always prepared.

"I've had to cross them yesterday when Elyssia and I travelled to meet you two," he said, adjusting the pack on his shoulder. "We stick together. No wandering off. No big risks." He glanced at Kaelyn in particular. "There are plenty of aggro mobs in the marshes, and as the resident lowbie, you'll be the ones they'll go for first."

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The felinae healer pouted slightly, but her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Between the three of us, I've got nothing to fear. We've got this!"

Famous last words, Kaelyn.

Vaelith frowned. Her party had shown they could work together harmoniously enough, but their experience was limited so far to party duties; scripted encounters, balanced and tested so any party composition could clear them. In an open zone like this one, they would not be neatly scripted or level-scaled. "Confidence is the first step into the lion's den," she said, her tone playful but edged with challenge. "Let's stay on our toes. It gets trickier to dodge when there is swamp muck up to your knees and enemies are surrounding you."

Kaelyn rolled her eyes but did not argue. She was learning, Vaelith had to admit. Less talk, more action. The catgirl might still have a playful side to her, but today, she had acted more seriously. Even her outfit told a story about how she felt. It was a surprising shift, actually. Vaelith wondered where yesterday's catgirl had gone. The one who told her it was okay to shine. She longed to hear those words again.

With one hand, she gently pulled at her amethyst necklace, the gift Kaelyn had given her, starting the whole thing.

Leoric slowed his pace, gesturing for the group to gather closer. "Before we move further," he said, his eyes shifting between them, "we should talk about professions."

Vaelith raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Crafting and gathering professions. That's what Elyssia's going to get, up North. If we're serious about playing together, we won't be able to just rely on shops, quest rewards or even dungeon drops for everything. We should pick up some crafting or gathering job too. Player-made items offer significant advantages. If together we cover them all, then our party would be entirely self-sufficient."

Kaelyn groaned. "Ugh, homework in a video game? Leoric, you're killing the vibe."

"Homework now means less dying later," he said, giving her a pointed look. "Unless you want to run out of potions or find your gear breaking mid-dungeon."

Vaelith smirked, enjoying the banter. She had to admit, Leoric had a point. She fidgeted with her necklace some more, the action a steadying ritual for moments like this. "Alright, professor. What's the syllabus?"

Leoric's ears twitched, a flicker of amusement passing over his sharp features. "There are eight crafting professions: blacksmith, armourer, goldsmith, leatherworker, weaver, carpenter, alchemist, and cooking. For gathering, you've got mining, botanist, fishing, and shepherding. Elyssia claimed mining, blacksmith, armourer and goldsmith already. We should split up the rest so we're covering each other's needs."

Kaelyn's ears perked up at the mention of fishing. "Ooh, I call fishing! Nothing better than casting a line and watching the water…" she trailed off, her tail curling mischievously. "Plus, come on. Catgirl fisher? That has to be nothing less than fate."

Vaelith wondered if there was something more to it than that. Kaelyn often hid the truth behind layers of humour. It sounded like she had experience with fishing in real life. She chuckled. "Just so you can call first dibs on all the raw fish?"

There was no point in trying to hunt for her secrets. She would tell if she felt like it.

"Guilty as charged," Kaelyn said, her grin unabashed. "But I'm also interested in alchemy. Keeping a steady supply of mana potions just makes sense for a healer. Plus, I can make some emergency healing potions for you, too. If you ask nicely."

Leoric nodded, thoughtful. "Alchemy's solid. Fishing feeds into that and cooking, too, if anyone's interested."

Vaelith thought about that for a moment. She could already summon magical food and drinks. She idly wondered if having levels as a cook would interact with her summon rituals. It could not hurt to experiment. Her conjured food currently did not provide any stat bonus or even the experience gain from regular food.

"I'll take cooking. I can already magic up some food, so it fits with my abilities." She could already picture herself at a campsite, combining whatever ingredients they had scavenged into something edible. "I wouldn't mind picking up weaving, either. We have three classes that use cloth armour, myself included."

Leoric's ears twitched again. "Good. That leaves me with carpenter—for bows and arrows—and leatherworker, since I'll need to maintain my armour. I'll handle botanist and shepherd, too. It will provide me with the lumber and skins I need. I can take care of getting all the wool, meat, vegetables, fruits, herbs and fibres you'll need for cooking and weaving, Vaelith."

She nodded, appreciating the practicality. As always, Leoric thought in terms of synergy and efficiency. It was hard not to respect that about him.

"Where are the guilds for all of this?" Kaelyn asked, ears twitching as she brushed a strand of her blonde hair away from her face.

"The weaver's Guild is in Umbraholme," Leoric said. "Botanist and carpenter are there, too. Vaelith and I can head there together later. For now, though, we head for Stonereach. From there, I can make a detour in Altansuun for two of my professions. While I do that, you two can head to Zephyrdale for fishing and cooking. Alchemy's back in Luminara, so you can get that on your own time."

"We still have to cross the Scalemarshes first, though," Vaelith said.

Leoric nodded, his expression serious. "Yes. We cross the Scalemarshes eastwards first. We'll eventually reach a fork in the Daggercliff Canyons. It's actually where I met Elyssia yesterday. We'll stick together until the path splits between the two starter zones. But we also need to get Kaelyn her last two levels before we get there. She needs level fifteen to unlock the non-combat professions."

The group fell silent for a moment, the weight of their shared journey settling over them. The road ahead would not be easy, but Vaelith felt a quiet sense of satisfaction. They had a plan. They had roles. This was the part of the game she loved—the preparation, the strategy, the feeling of building something together.

Kaelyn stretched her arms above her head, her tail flicking lazily. "Alright, Professor Leoric. You've convinced me. Let's slog through this swamp, kick some lizard tail so we can get to the fun part."

Vaelith smirked. "Define 'fun.'"

"Fishing, obviously."

Leoric sighed, but Vaelith caught the faintest hint of a smile on his face. Together, the three of them stepped forward, the path narrowing as the grasses grew taller, the first murky pools of the Scalemarshes glistening in the distance.

Then Kaelyn's tail flicked nervously as her ears twitched. "Is it just me, or do you feel like something's watching us?"

Vaelith let go of her necklace and anxiously scanned the horizon. Her fins did not react to any odd vibration. But she was uneasy. This place was dangerous, and danger lurked all around them. She hated this feeling—the constant uncertainty, the gnawing sense something could emerge from the murky pools at any moment. Plans and schedules were her comfort, her armour against chaos. But here, chaos was the enemy, and plans felt like fragile illusions.

Low, guttural croaks echoed faintly through the marsh, overlapping with the occasional splash of water in the distance. The sounds were distant but constant, like a chorus of unseen creatures waiting just out of sight.

Leoric squinted. "Be careful. The lizardmen who live here are almost impossible to detect unless they're right on top of you. They swim in those awful marshes, hence the name of the place. Vaelith, you're on Telekinetic Blast duty. Blast them away as soon as they emerge from the water and buy us the distance we need. If we fight too many at a time, bind as many as you can with your lance spell. Kaelyn, your new spell, Sanctuary, creates a dome around you. They won't be able to get in for five seconds, but if you wait until the last second to use it, your spell will eject them. Wait until we get swarmed before using it."

Kaelyn's tail flicked in annoyance, but as she scanned the horizon, her ears twitched a few times. Her tail stopped swaying entirely. Had the catgirl heard something?

She forced her lips into a grin. "You mean if we get swarmed?"

Kaelyn's comment fell flat, but Vaelith still caught the glint of fear behind her smile. She had seen it before—on students before an exam they were worried they might flunk.

"No, I said when we get swarmed, and I mean it. And try to keep Holy Shield up on me and Vaelith as much as you can."

Suddenly, one of Leoric's ears bent, and he raised a hand, signalling the time for strategy had passed.

Something's closing in.

He quickly nocked an arrow on his bowstring. Kaelyn did not hesitate. Her shield spell covered Leoric with a golden light, coating him with protective magic.

"Here they come," Leoric said.

Vaelith looked around, but could not see a thing. She had to trust him. His ears kept twisting and adjusting, and she recognised how Leoric tracked more than one enemy. She realised just how glad she was he was here with them. She lowered her centre of gravity, bending her knees lightly. Her tail muscles tensed up in anticipation of any sudden movements. Sparks of magic flew between the tome on her hip and her open right hand, visible arcs of power dancing between her fingertips. She knew how to adjust her rotation to deal with the lizardmen. But that did not stop her stomach from twisting into knots when the enemy had the first move.

So this is what it feels like when the mobs get the first move…

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