Lucen stumbled forward, boots crunching on gritty sidewalk tiles.
He looked up at the faded skyline.
"God, I missed ugly concrete."
A second later, Varik stepped through behind him. Coat singed, knuckles scraped, that usual half-bored look back in place.
Lucen gave him a look.
"Next time you say 'training trip,' I'm checking your definition of 'training.'"
Varik just said, "You survived."
Lucen snorted.
"Barely."
Then he glanced at his system panel, finally back online.
[QUEST COMPLETE: UNSTABLE RIFT – VARIANT ROUTE CLEARED]
[+1240 EXP]
[+4 Class Skill Tokens]
[+1 System Flag: UNIQUE PATH – CATALYST SYNCED]
[+Compensation Stored – Retrieve at Nearest Guild Hub]
Lucen blinked.
Then whispered, "Wait. I actually got paid this time?"
Varik nodded once. "Bonus, too."
Lucen rubbed the side of his face.
'I'm buying something stupid.'
Varik turned toward the street. "Let's go. You'll want to eat before this next update hits."
Lucen squinted. "What update?"
