Dawnview hadn't seen a morning this busy since the Stormfront first dropped.
Vendors were wheeling carts into place. NPC guards were tightening armor straps. Players were running around like headless chickens trying to pack. And in the middle of it all…
The Dawnforged caravan assembled.
Riley stepped out of the workshop, Arcial at his side, egg carefully tucked in a padded sling Mira had made "so the baby wouldn't rattle."
In his HUD, a flashing icon pulsed:
> Guild Requests (21 new)
"Applicants from Dawnview wish to join Dawnforged before the Emberton caravan departs."
Aria peeked over his shoulder.
"Twenty-one? Already?! We aren't even out of the village!"
Dot flicked her leg. Yes, obviously.
Rezion ran up, looking like he'd been awake since dawn.
"Riley—those twenty-one are already outside! They want to march with us."
"And they brought snacks," Kalyani added, holding a suspicious muffin. "I don't trust free carbohydrates."
Jonathan lifted two huge packs onto his back. "They want to prove themselves."
Sofia smiled gently. "Or maybe they want to feel part of something."
Riley nodded.
"Either way… we said anyone brave enough to walk the road can join."
At the eastern gate, a small army waited.
Not soldiers — beginners. Hopefuls. A few crafters. A mismatched crew of nervous faces, rusty gear, and too-small backpacks.
One waved as soon as Riley approached.
"Good morning, guildmaster!"
Riley blinked.
"I'm not—"
Hayes clapped him on the back hard.
"You absolutely are."
Aria cupped her hands around her mouth.
"HELLO DAWNY BABIES! WELCOME TO YOUR FIRST DEATH MARCH!"
Ether bonked her coldly.
One of the new members stepped forward — a teen with a shield too big for him.
"We heard what Riley said yesterday," he said. "If we can travel with you, we can be Dawnforged."
The others nodded.
Riley gave them a long, steady look.
Then he smiled.
"Alright. Terms stay the same: You walk at your pace. You keep each other safe. We'll watch the front and the rear. We're not babysitters — we're a caravan."
The group nodded vigorously.
Kipp raised a hand.
"And if any of you find mushrooms… bring them to me!"
"No," Mira said immediately.
"Why—"
"Because last time you boiled them we nearly died."
The newbies collectively took a step away from Kipp.
The mayor arrived with a small entourage, carrying a carved wooden emblem — Dawnview's seal.
He pressed it into Riley's hands.
"For the road," he said. "May it open more gates than it closes."
Hayley grinned. "We'll bring the story back with us."
Mira pulled the tarp open on her biggest creation:
A wagon.
A ridiculous, overengineered, Mira-special wagon.
It had compartments.
Fold-out brewing racks.
Hidden armor drawers.
A collapsible roof.
And a decorative metal chicken on top.
Riley pointed at it.
"…Why is there a chicken?"
"It deters wolves," Mira said proudly.
"It absolutely does not," Hayes muttered.
Aria burst into sparkly tears.
"It's beautiful."
Dot patted her.
The mayor raised his hand.
"Dawnforged — may the road treat you kinder than the storm."
The eastern gate opened.
The journey began.
The path to Emberton wasn't straight.
It wound through low forest, cut across a shallow river, and climbed steadily toward distant copper-green hills.
The caravan stretched out naturally:
Front Guard: Hayes, Terror, Jonathan, Stoneback, Bramble
Core Team: Riley, Sofia, Aria, Kalyani, Rezion, Hayley
Crafting Wagon: Mira, Kipp, and four alchemists whose names Riley still couldn't reliably remember
New Members: …trying their best
Aria walked backward, narrating dramatically:
"And lo, the Dawnforged caravan marched! Their spirits high, their eggs secure, their snacks plentiful—"
Ether tapped her, warning.
"FINE," Aria corrected. "Snacks moderately plentiful."
The new members laughed nervously.
Sofia adjusted her egg sling and looked back at them.
"They're scared."
"Good," Riley said. "Fear keeps you alive."
"Optimistic," Sofia teased.
Riley's mouth quirked.
"Realistic."
Arcial padded beside him, scanning the woods.
Lumi drifted overhead like a glowing scout.
Everything felt peaceful.
Which meant—
Something was about to go wrong.
They hadn't gone far when Lumi froze in midair, pulsing sharply.
Riley raised a hand.
"Stop."
The caravan halted instantly.
Hayes stepped forward. "What is it?"
"Something in the trees," Riley murmured. "Right side."
Aria whispered loudly:
"Is it bandits? Wolves? Sentient shrubbery?"
Dot slapped her forehead.
The brush rustled.
New members tensed.
Rezion formed an ice shard.
Kalyani lifted her Gecko.
Jonathan raised his shield.
Hayley drew her daggers.
Sofia braced Ether.
Riley readied Dawnstring.
The bushes burst open—
—and out stumbled...
A single, extremely fluffy, extremely lost sheep.
Everyone stared.
Bramble roared in confusion.
The sheep baah'd dramatically.
Kipp burst into tears.
"It's BEAUTIFUL."
Mira held him back with one hand. "Don't touch it."
Aria pointed accusingly.
"AMBUSH SHEEP."
The sheep baah'd again and headbutted Aria square in the knee.
"OW—IT'S HOSTILE!"
Dot leapt onto the sheep's head like a conquering general.
The sheep immediately surrendered.
Riley sighed.
"It's not an ambush."
"Thank gods," the tank recruit muttered.
"No," Riley added, scanning the treeline…
"It's a distraction."
A whistle split the air.
Arrows flew from the left.
Bandits.
Six of them — red-tagged players, laughing like idiots.
"Newbies and eggs!" one shouted. "Jackpot!"
Hayes stepped forward.
"Absolutely not."
Jonathan slammed his shield into the ground.
"Stoneback!"
Stoneback barked, creating a mini-wall that blocked the first volley.
Sofia lifted Ether.
"Threads!"
Three threads of protection snapped across the front line.
Rezion fired frost shards.
Kalyani unleashed a streak of fire.
Hayley darted forward with a Root-Cleave strike.
Arcial appeared in the bandits' backline in a flash of lightning.
Their laughter stopped very, very fast.
Aria yelled, "DOT—DEPLOY!!!"
Dot jumped dramatically into battle.
One of the bandits screamed,
"WHY IS THE SPIDER SMART—WHY DOES IT HAVE EMOTIONS—"
Thirty seconds later, the fight was over.
The sheep baah'd triumphantly.
The bandits ran for their lives.
The new members stared at Riley's team with awe usually reserved for religious experiences.
Rezion exhaled.
"They were… actually bandits."
Hayley wiped her blades.
"And not very good ones."
Kipp patted the sheep.
"We shall name him FRAUD."
The sheep bit him immediately.
They set up camp near the river, lanterns glowing softly.
The new members cooked a questionable stew.
Aria tried to help and was banned.
Dot supervised everything like a tiny eight-legged foreman.
Sofia sat beside Riley, egg in her lap, Ether humming quietly.
"You handled the ambush perfectly," she said.
Riley shook his head.
"We got lucky. If they were stronger—"
"They weren't," Sofia said gently. "Because we prepared. Because you saw the signs. Because you kept us safe."
He went quiet.
The river ran softly.
Arcial curled beside him, tail flicking in contentment.
Riley looked at the glowing egg in his hands.
"We need to reach Emberton," he whispered. "Fast."
"We will," Sofia said. "Together."
The caravan settled.
The fire crackled.
The forest grew quiet.
Riley looked toward the distant hills — where faint lights shimmered like a city waking.
Emberton.
Opportunity.
Danger.
Change.
Tomorrow, they would reach the halfway point.
Tomorrow, their guild would be tested again.
But tonight?
Dawnforged rested under the stars.
And ten eggs pulsed softly beside them — as if dreaming of the future.