Dawnview was loud.
Morning sun spilled over the tiled roofs and wooden signs as players flooded the main street—laughing, arguing, flexing gear like peacocks with menus. System chimes rang out every few seconds: trade requests, party invites, dungeon alerts.
Just outside the east gate, Riley's group gathered at the edge of the chaos.
Lumi perched on his shoulder like a smug star, tail-light flickering lazily. Luna trotted small circles at his feet, little dragon claws ticking softly against the cobblestones as she tried to act composed and nearly tripped on her own tail.
Rezion bounced on his heels, Ice Husky sitting alert by his side, breath fogging the air in tiny white puffs.
Kalyani stood with arms folded, Fire Cat coiling around her boots like a live ember, eyes narrowed at anyone who stared too long.
Jonathan adjusted his grip on his new axe and scratched Tiger Cub between the ears. The striped spirit purred, then swiped playfully at a passing butterfly icon.
Behind them, Team B clustered near a quest board—Aria, Sofia, Hayes, Hayley.
"Okay, recap," Aria said, counting on her fingers. "Team A: Riley and the Elemental Trio of Chaos. Team B: the responsible, emotionally stable adults."
Hayes gave her a look. "You are on our team."
"Exactly," Aria said proudly.
Sofia sighed, but she was smiling. Echo sat pressed against her leg, tail wagging. Les peeked from behind her cloak hood, leafy quills rustling nervously.
Hayley stroked Moggy's back as the Shadow Cat pretended not to enjoy it. Bramble, as usual, tried to squeeze onto her shoulder like he didn't weigh anything.
Riley tightened his bowstrap.
"Team A heads Azure-side for spirit hunting and levels," he said. "Team B pushes Verdant Overhang. We'll regroup tonight, compare progress, no dying."
Aria saluted him with unnecessary enthusiasm. "Yes, Captain Lightshow."
Hayes grunted. "If anything goes wrong, message."
"It won't," Riley said, more confident than he felt.
He turned toward the gate.
"Alright, let's—"
"WAAAAAAIT! DON'T GO, PLEASE DON'T GO YET!"
All eight of them turned at once.
A girl was sprinting up the street like the world was ending.
Short, wild dark hair half tied back with a scrap of cloth; soot streaks across her cheeks; heavy apron thrown over simple leather; a forging hammer slamming against her thigh as she ran. Little sparks flicked from the tool with every clumsy stride.
She nearly planted herself face-first into the cobbles in front of Riley, caught herself at the last second, and snapped upright, panting.
"I—knew—it was you," she gasped, pointing accusingly at Riley's chest. "You're—the first-clear team… right?"
People nearby quieted, ears perking.
Aria blinked. "Uh… depends who's asking. Debt collector or fan?"
The girl sucked in air, straightened her apron, and blurted:
"I'm a Forger. And I want to work with you."
That shut everyone up.
Sofia tilted her head. "A… Forger?"
The girl pushed hair out of her face with a shaking hand. "Yeah. Novice rank. I've been in the crafting sector since launch. I can smelt, refine, assemble—my success rate is decent for my level, and I learn fast, and—"
She bit her lip, shoulders tensing.
"—and nobody will take me."
Hayley's brows furrowed. "Nobody?"
The girl laughed once, without humour.
"'Forging is a guy role.' 'You'll be slower.' 'You'll be a distraction in voice chat.' 'Just go play a healer.'"
Each imitation came sharper than the last.
She lifted her chin.
"I've watched your runs. You actually use your crafters. You treat Kipp like a teammate, not a vending machine. So I thought…" She swallowed. "If any party will judge me on work instead of gender, it's you."
Rezion shifted awkwardly, Ice Husky whining softly.
"That's messed up," he muttered.
Jonathan frowned. "You shouldn't have to beg anyone."
Kalyani's Fire Cat hissed, ears flat. Kalyani folded her arms harder. "Idiots," she said quietly. "All of them."
The girl tried to play it off with a shrug, but her hands were clenched white at her sides.
"I can't fight well," she admitted. "But I can build what you need. If you let me. I'll work until I drop. I don't care if I'm stuck in town, if I never swing a sword. I just… want a forge. And a team."
Riley studied her.
Not just her words—her posture, her eyes, the raw scratch of sleeplessness in her voice. He remembered other timelines. Fledgling forgers who never got their chance. Guilds that dominated because they invested early in the right crafters.
And the blueprint sitting in his inventory waiting for the right hands.
He opened his menu.
A faint green shimmer spread between them as he pulled out the VERDANT FORGESHARD.
The blueprint hovered above his palm—a twisting knot of crystalline vine sigils wrapped around a stylised anvil.
Nearby players gasped.
"Is that—"
"A dungeon print—"
"How did they already—"
The girl's eyes widened so far Riley thought they might fall out.
"Is that… a Verdant forging design?"
"Low-tier Verdant gear," Riley said simply. "Armour and weapons infused with nature essence. Good growth potential. Ideal for the next few dungeons."
He turned the blueprint slightly; the system showed an owner-lock icon, then a prompt:
TRANSFER BLUEPRINT?
Requires: Contract link.
He opened another panel.
CONTRACT: LIFESTYLE PARTNER AGREEMENT STANDARD
• 50% of net profit from your creations goes to you.
• 50% goes to the team pool.
• Team supplies base materials and blueprint access.
• You gain access to team storage, protection, and dungeon drops.
• You are free to leave after settled obligations, but the blueprint access ends.
He projected it between them.
"You sign this," Riley said, "and you're not a side-role. You're one of us. Just like Kipp."
The girl went completely still.
"You'd… really… offer me that?"
Aria leaned over to Sofia and whispered, "She's about to cry, isn't she?"
Sofia whispered back, "If you say it out loud, she will."
The girl's hands trembled as she pressed her palm to the contract.
CONTRACT ACCEPTED
NEW LIFESTYLE MEMBER: MIRA THORNQUILL – Novice Forger
The Verdant Forges hard pinged and reassigned.
Riley pressed it into her hands.
"It's yours now," he said. "Use it well."
Mira looked down at the blueprint as if he'd just handed her a second heart.
"I… I won't let you down," she said, voice cracking. "I swear it. I'll work until my fingers fall off. No—until the hammer breaks. No—until—"
"Please stop escalating," Hayes muttered.
Hayley giggled. "We kind of need you alive."
Aria threw an arm around Mira's shoulders with absolutely no respect for personal space.
"WELCOME TO THE CHAOS, MIRA. WE HAVE POTIONS, HIDDEN QUESTS, AND QUESTIONABLE LIFE CHOICES."
Mira choked on a laugh.
Rezion gave her a thumbs-up. "If you can make my husky look cooler, you're automatically my favourite."
Kalyani nodded once, serious. "Fire respects steel. If your gear holds up in battle, so do we."
Jonathan grinned. "Finally, someone who understands the importance of weapon aesthetics."
Lumi hopped from Riley's shoulder onto Mira's forearm for a second, chirped approvingly, then bounced back into place like a glowing stamp of acceptance.
Luna toddled forward, sniffed Mira's boot, and let out a soft, chiming huff.
"They like you," Sofia said, smiling. "That's a good sign."
Mira wiped quickly at her eye, embarrassed. "Sorry. Just… never thought the first team to take me seriously would be the hard-mode lunatics."
"Excuse you," Aria said. "We are strategic lunatics."
Riley opened his party chat and fired a message.
> RILEY messaged KIPP
Got you a present.
New Forger: Mira Thornquill.
Same contract as you.
She has the Verdant Forges hard.
Be nice. She's joining the goblin bunker.
Reply came back almost instantly.
> KIPP
ANOTHER CRAFT GOBLIN???
OUR POWER GROWS.
BRING HER.
I SHALL INITIATE HER INTO THE MOSS ORDER.
Riley winced.
"Alright, Mira," he said. "Our alchemist's already excited. Head to the workshop—north side, near the mill. Look for a guy yelling at plants."
"That sounds about right," Aria muttered.
"He'll show you the layout, storage, and current projects," Riley finished. "We'll bring back Verdant materials and dungeon loot for you to experiment with."
Mira hugged the blueprint to her chest like it might vanish.
"I won't waste this," she said. "Promise. Good luck out there."
She took off running again—but this time her steps were light, not desperate. People moved out of her way as she barrelled toward the crafters' district, green blueprint trailing faint light behind her.
The nearby players started murmuring.
"Did they just… hire a Forger?"
"With a contract?"
"And give her a dungeon blueprint?"
"These guys are insane…"
Aria smirked. "Love being the main characters."
Hayes pinched the bridge of his nose. "Stop saying that where the universe can hear you."
Riley exhaled slowly, feeling the team solidify in his mind.
Two Light spirits.
A mythical bow on an upgrade path.
Healers. Shields. Bruisers. Fire and ice.
Now an alchemist and a Forger.
A real foundation.
"Alright," he said, voice steady. "Teams as planned."
He turned to Aria, Sofia, Hayes, Hayley.
"You four take Verdant Overhang. Prioritise safe spirit hunts and support-types. Don't risk any elites without a full plan. Message if anything looks off."
Aria saluted with unnecessary flourish. "Aye-aye, Captain BowDad."
Sofia smiled softly. "You be careful too."
Hayes nodded once. "Try not to solo a boss."
Hayley waved. "Bring back cool stories."
Riley glanced at his squad—Rezion, Kalyani, Jonathan—then at Luna and Lumi.
"Azure Hollow for us," he said. "Spirit hunts and light grinding. We stay together, no hero runs."
Rezion pumped his fist. "Let's gooo!"
Ice Husky howled, breath misty.
Fire Cat's tail flared with little sparks as Kalyani smirked. "Time to prove fire beats everything."
Jonathan's Tiger Cub roared—a tiny, squeaky sound that earned a laugh from everyone.
Luna trotted to stand between Lumi and Riley's boot, head high, as if declaring herself official Beta.
Lumi chirped in solemn agreement.
Riley felt a strange, quiet certainty settle in his chest.
They were still low-level. Still early-game. Still one unlucky misstep away from disaster.
But they weren't weak.
Not anymore.
"Alright," he said, turning toward the open countryside beyond Dawnview's gate. "Into the forest."
And under the watchful eyes of half the square—some curious, some envious, some already plotting—the eight of them split into their two paths.
Team B veered toward the southern trail.
Team A stepped through the east gate, leaving the noise behind as the green of the wilds rose to meet them.