The workshop materialized overnight.
Riri woke to the sound of Samael already moving through the Sanctuary, boots on hardwood, and the smell of coffee brewing. She tested her body before opening her eyes. Full HP, no residual soreness, companions all present through the telepathic link the Crown provided.
She dragged herself upright and pulled on clothes. The Cloak settled across her shoulders automatically when she thought about it, which was going to take some getting used to. Legendary equipment with responsive enchantments felt less like gear and more like having opinions about when it should be worn.
The kitchen had coffee waiting. Samael stood at the counter with his own mug, reading something on his interface. He looked up when she entered.
"Workshop's done," he said. "Second floor, between bedroom and medical bay like you wanted."
"Show me after coffee."
"After coffee."
She drank standing beside him, hip pressed against the counter edge. Through the Bond she felt his contentment, the specific satisfaction of someone who'd accomplished something while she slept and was waiting for her to notice. He'd probably been up for hours.
"What time did you wake up?" she asked.
"Four."
"It's six now."
"I know." His hand found her waist, thumb tracing idle patterns against her hip. "Configured the workshop, ran system diagnostics on all our equipment, updated our mission parameters spreadsheet."
"You made a spreadsheet."
"I updated the one I made three days ago."
Of course he had. Samael's approach to survival was meticulous documentation and obsessive preparation. She'd seen the spreadsheet during Prep Phase. Color-coded tabs, calculated risk assessments, projected stat growth trajectories.
She finished her coffee and set the mug down. "Workshop tour now?"
"Now."
The second floor hallway had gained a door. Dark wood, same aesthetic as the rest of the Sanctuary but clearly new. Samael opened it and gestured for her to enter first.
The workshop was perfect.
Twenty feet by fifteen, with workbenches along two walls, tool racks mounted above them, and a central table for large projects. Weapon maintenance supplies organized by type. Enchantment materials in labeled containers. A cleaning station with running water. Storage cabinets for gear they weren't currently using. Everything functional, nothing decorative.
"System #2 configured it based on your class and equipment loadout," Samael said. "The enchantment station is calibrated for Beast Tamer gear specifically."
Riri moved to the central table and ran her hand across the surface. Smooth wood, no splinters, sized for working on companion harnesses or armor pieces. She opened one of the storage cabinets and found it already organized. Health potions on the left, mana potions center, stamina elixirs right. Below that, crafting materials sorted by grade.
"This is good," she said.
Through the Bond, Samael's satisfaction deepened. He'd known she'd approve but confirmation still mattered.
She turned to face him. "You configured all of this in two hours?"
"System did most of it. I just specified layout and priority organization." He moved to the weapon maintenance bench and picked up a cleaning kit. "Figured we should maintain our gear before the next deployment. When was the last time you sharpened Desert Viper's Fang?"
"Week ago."
"Sharpen it again. A-Rank content puts more wear on equipment."
Fair point.
They worked in comfortable silence for the next hour. Riri at one bench sharpening her blade and checking the Cloak's enchantment threads, Samael at the other cleaning his own weapon and inspecting his tactical gear for stress points. The companions wandered in and out. Loki watched from the doorway. Kirin perched on a storage cabinet. Vesper materialized on the central table. Vermillion drifted near the ceiling.
Around eight, System #2's interface appeared above the enchantment station.
[Good morning, Host!]
[I see you're enjoying the workshop!]
[Quick status update: Your Combat Power is now 23,891, which puts you in the top 0.01% of all Hub Players!]
[Samael's Combat Power is 31,247, which makes him #1 globally!]
[You're both terrifying and I love it!]
Riri set down her whetstone. "Global rankings are public?"
[The leaderboard updated this morning after everyone's stat allocations from the first week of Mandatory Missions!]
[You're ranked #47 individually!]
[As a Bonded pair your combined effective Combat Power puts you both in a category the System is calling 'Apex Threat'!]
"Apex Threat," Samael repeated. His tone was flat but through the Bond she felt his amusement. "Subtle."
[It's a compliment!]
[Most Players are still running D-Rank content!]
[You cleared A-Rank with an S-Rank anomaly!]
[The System noticed!]
Riri resumed sharpening. The rankings didn't matter except for what they communicated to other Players. Being marked as Apex Threat meant fewer people would approach them for party requests, which was fine. They worked better alone.
"New mission parameters," Samael said, pulling up his interface. "A-Rank, standard boss fight, no anomalies flagged. Six to eight hours estimated duration. Minimum twelve Players required."
"We're running it as two."
"Obviously." He dismissed the interface and set his blade aside. "Three days from now. Gives us time to drill with the new abilities and test the upgraded Shadow Step range."
Three days of preparation. Training yard drills, coordination practice, equipment optimization. The routine they'd established during Prep Phase but with Legendary gear and Mythic-enhanced Bond.
Riri finished with Desert Viper's Fang and tested the edge against her thumb. Sharp enough to draw blood without pressure. Good.
She cleaned the blade and returned it to her inventory, then moved to where Samael stood inspecting his tactical vest. His hands stilled when she stepped into his space.
"Done with maintenance?" he asked.
"For now."
His hands found her waist. "Breakfast?"
"After."
"After what?"
She pulled him down and kissed him. His response was immediate, hands tightening on her hips, mouth opening beneath hers. Through the Bond his want hit her in a wave, feeding into her own desire until the workshop disappeared and there was just heat and contact and the specific way his body fit against hers.
When they separated, his breathing had changed.
"Bedroom," he said.
"Workshop's closer."
His gaze tracked across her face, checking if she was serious. She was. The central table was the right height and they had three days before deployment. Urgency could wait.
"Lock the door," she said.
He moved. The door locked with a quiet click. When he turned back, his expression had shifted into something focused and hungry.
Riri was already removing the Cloak.
An hour later they made it to breakfast.
Loki had claimed the kitchen floor and refused to move, which meant Samael cooked around five hundred pounds of wolf. Kirin perched on the back of a chair and made pointed comments through the telepathic link about how undignified it was to be locked out of rooms. Vesper materialized long enough to judge them both, then disappeared. Vermillion settled on the light fixture and pulsed gentle amusement.
"Your companions have opinions," Samael said while scrambling eggs.
"They always have opinions."
"Loki's blocking the refrigerator."
"He knows."
Through the link, Loki's satisfaction was smug. The wolf had positioned himself exactly where he'd cause maximum inconvenience, which was apparently his way of protesting being excluded from the workshop for an hour.
Riri stepped over him to reach the coffee maker. "You're in the way."
I'm resting.
"You're being petty."
I'm a wolf. I don't understand human concepts like petty.
"You absolutely do."
Loki's tail thumped once against the floor. Point conceded but position unchanged.
Breakfast was eggs, toast, and fruit that System #2 had stocked without being asked. They ate at the counter while Samael pulled up his mission spreadsheet and updated their equipment loadout based on the workshop maintenance.
"Ring of Endless Stamina is performing above baseline," he said, reading numbers off the interface. "Your Stamina consumption during the Cathedral fight was forty percent lower than projected even accounting for the corruption drain."
"The Legendary Cloak reduces Shadow Step costs by another fifty percent on top of the ring."
"Which means you can Shadow Step every three seconds at fifteen Stamina per activation instead of fifty." His satisfaction pulsed through the Bond. "That's sustainable indefinitely with your regeneration rate."
Indefinite Shadow Step. The tactical applications were excessive. She could reposition constantly, extract Samael from danger, relocate companions mid-fight, all without worrying about Stamina depletion.
"We should test maximum range," she said. "The upgrade increased distance to fifty feet but I haven't confirmed the carry feature works on you."
"Training yard after breakfast."
"After breakfast."
They finished eating. Samael cleared the plates while Riri pulled up the Crown's telepathic interface and checked in with each companion. Loki was fine, just sulking. Kirin wanted aerial drills. Vesper had already shadow-stepped to the training yard and was waiting. Vermillion was content to observe.
The training yard had weapons racks, target dummies, and enough open space for formation drills. Samael took position at one end. Riri activated Shadow Step.
The world blurred. Distance collapsed. She materialized directly beside him, one hand on his shoulder.
"Worked," she said.
"Again. Longer distance."
She shadow-stepped to the far end of the yard, then immediately back with him in tow. The transition was seamless. His weight didn't slow her down and the Stamina cost stayed at fifteen.
"Fifty feet confirmed," Samael said. "Carry feature functional. No increased cost."
They ran drills for the next two hours. Shadow Step positioning, kinetic barrier timing, companion coordination with Loki's new Pack Guardian's Aegis. The Mythic Bond enhancement made everything smoother. She knew where he'd be before he moved. He adjusted barrier placement without her needing to call positions.
By noon they'd confirmed their effective combat range, tested ability synergy, and established new formation protocols that accounted for layered barriers and indefinite Shadow Step mobility.
"We're ready," Samael said, dismissing his interface.
"Three days early."
"Better than three days late."
Through the Bond she felt his confidence. Not arrogance. Just the specific certainty of someone who'd done the math and knew the variables were in their favor.
They spent the afternoon in the Sanctuary. Samael updated his spreadsheet with the drill results. Riri sorted their inventory and consolidated consumables. The companions scattered to their preferred rest spots.
Around six, Samael's hand found her wrist. "Dinner?"
"Restaurants are open in the Hub."
"You want to go out?"
She considered. They'd been in the Sanctuary for three days recovering and upgrading. The Hub had restaurants, vendor stalls, other Players navigating the same monthly survival calculations.
"Yes," she said. "Let's go out."
His satisfaction pulsed through the Bond. Not because he particularly cared about restaurants, but because she'd chosen something that meant leaving their secured space and he'd get to be territorial in public.
"Give me ten minutes," he said.
"Ten minutes."
He disappeared into the bedroom. Riri pulled on clean clothes and let the Cloak settle across her shoulders. The Crown stayed in her hair, thin circlet barely visible unless someone looked directly at it. All three Legendary pieces equipped and functional.
When Samael emerged, he'd changed into dark tactical gear that made his shoulders look even broader. His gaze tracked across her, lingering on the Crown, then dropping to where the Cloak caught light.
"You look like you're going to war," she said.
"You look like you're going to win it."
Fair assessment.
They left the Sanctuary together, four companions staying behind on rest day, and descended into the Hub for the first time since extraction.