Grimmblade checked his town-building interface and grimaced. He glared at the Blacksmith NPC down the street, half-suspecting the man was programmed specifically to spite him with his agonizingly slow pace.

  "Coro?en, are you sure about these numbers?" he asked the world.

  "Historically speaking, I’m actually being generous," suggested the world AI. "Just be patient. Maybe go cut down some more trees."

  Grimmblade gritted his teeth. "I already have ten thousand boards in my inventory! What I need, according to your city planner UI, is six thousand nails for a storage barn."

  "And you'll have them... tomorrow," the world insisted. "An average blacksmith could make two thousand in a day; I bumped him up to three. Historically, a barn needed eight thousand nails; I changed it to six so it only took two days of production. What more do you want from me?"

  "I want a town for Celest!" Grimmblade grumbled. "I want her to have a café to sit in with a warm pastry and tea when I’m busy in the Prime World. But there’s so much infrastructure required that I’m starting to suspect sabotage."

  "Listen, maybe you just need a break," the world assured him. "As it happens, an opportunity is on its way. When you and SisterQuery get back, you'll have enough nails to build three buildings."

  "How are we supposed to take a break? Starter is a week’s walk away. I could use a teleport scroll, but Sourdough doesn't have a fast-travel node yet. We only just got it as a respawn location."

  His eyes moved to their respawn location, it was a wooden cross that would eventually need to be remade by someone with actual skills, right now it looked like someone had declared the town as a large burial site.

  "Well, you could teleport to Starter and then kill yourself to return home," the world offered helpfully.

  Grimmblade crossed his arms, looking at the sky. "You're a real comedian."

  "Okay, fine. How about a whale to take you to the beach?"

  The clouds parted, revealing a massive flying whale heading straight for their valley. Grimmblade’s frown vanished, replaced by a slow grin. He turned and yelled toward the cabin, "Sweetie! Do you have a bathing suit?"

  Celest exited the cabin, dusting flour from her hands. "No, I don't have a swimsuit. Why are you..." She stopped, noticing the massive shadow shifting over the snow. She looked up, her eyes wide. "Is that a whale?"

  "Swimming in the nude it is, then," Grimmblade stated casually. "Coro?en says we’re going to the beach."

  As the whale approached, he noticed something dangling from its side. Hanging upside down by one foot from a long bungee rope was Skidmark. The goblin kid waved frantically.

  "GrimmQuery! SisterBlade!" the goblin shrieked. "We need wood!"

  SisterQuery crossed her arms to hide a smile. "Young man, it is highly inappropriate to fly in here and demand my boyfriend's wood."

  The whale came to a hovering halt. A woman holding a rope ladder leaped from the deck, screaming, "Parkour!" She twisted the ladder as she fell, sticking a perfect landing in the snow. She looked up at Skidmark, who was still swinging upside down, and snorted. After helping the dizzy goblin down, she turned to the confused couple.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "Um, hi... I’m one of Noobkitty’s sisters. Would you be willing to help us build a beach resort? And maybe donate your extra wood?"

  Grimmblade and SisterQuery shared a silent look of agreement.

  "We could do with some socializing," SisterQuery said. "But I really do need a bathing suit if we're going to a beach"

  Püf winked. "Got you covered. One of my sisters is a seamstress. She can even equip you with some trunks, Grimm, unless you're more of a Speedo kind of guy."

  "Trunks," SisterQuery answered firmly for him.

  "I definitely want a Speedo! They make you faster in the water!" Skidmark declared. He looked at his bungee rope, considered the ladder, and decided to scamper back up the cord like a squirrel. The adults followed at a more dignified pace up the rope ladders.

  On Choux’s back, Grimmblade and SisterQuery shared warm hugs with Noobkitty and ExpertBunny. Skidmark finally crested the railing, out of breath; the climb was a bit much even for his high-stamina build.

  "How's the new town?" Noobkitty asked.

  "Admittedly lonely," SisterQuery confessed. "I missed the noise of your shop. We'll get players eventually, but it's a high-level region for now."

  Skidmark joined the circle, panting. "Speaking of the shop, Noobkitty sells milk now! You won't have to hide that you put milk in your coffee anymore, SisterQuery."

  SisterQuery sputtered, her face flushing. "What? I didn't... how would I...?"

  Grimmblade put a steadying hand on her shoulder as Noobkitty looked at her with narrow-eyed suspicion.

  "Yeah, the farm in Starter is owned by a Druid now," Noobkitty explained. "She talks to the animals, so it’s ethically and consensually sourced. I don't use it in my cooking, though, a lot of my customers are animals now, and they're mostly lactose intolerant."

  "Sounds like Starter’s been busy," Grimmblade noted.

  The whale lurched, and the mountains began to slide away beneath them.

  "Passengers, please do not jump off unless properly attached to a cord," Püf announced in her best stewardess voice. "It will take six hours to reach our destination, arriving just after nightfall."

  "Maybe we should have waited until morning," SisterQuery suggested, looking at the fading light.

  "It'll be fine," ExpertBunny said, looking at her fiancée. "But Kitty should probably take a nap before we get there. How long has it been since you slept?"

  Noobkitty rolled her eyes. "Like... two days. Fine. I'll take a nap." She kissed the Admin and headed into the cabin on Choux’s back.

  "Okay," ExpertBunny said, her tone shifting to 'Planning Mode' once Noobkitty was tucked away. "Now that she’s asleep, here’s the real plan..."

  ----

  As Choux drifted over the moonlit surf of the newly founded Toast, Skidmark didn't wait for the ladder. He leaped, tucking into a ball to accomplish his ultimate cannonball. The splash was surprisingly small for such a long fall, but the impact was audible.

  "Wow, kid! We felt that splash from up here!" Grimmblade yelled down.

  Noobkitty, freshly woken and grumpy, hissed over the railing in false anger. "You got my fur wet, you little goblin!" She was completely dry.

  Skidmark grinned with pride and began his triumphant swim to shore. On the beach, the demons had started a massive bonfire, burning palm fronds. They had already cleared a large section of the bank, stacking wood for the resort. The group joined them around the fire, and everyone was handed a drink. Noobkitty was handed a sparkling purple concoction.

  Spark of Life

  Lv. 21

  A drink to awaken the mind and soul. No alcohol, but enough sweetness to inspire a moose.

  +50% Stamina restoration, +40% wakefulness, +30% skill success rate for one hour.

  Noobkitty sipped it and almost choked. It was cloyingly sweet, but it worked, the fatigue vanished instantly.

  Grimmblade looked at his own drink, a swirling red liquid and then at the stacked lumber. "So, we have the workers and the wood... but don't we still need nails?"

  Noobkitty shook her head, her ears twitching. "No nails needed."

  "What?" SisterQuery and Grimmblade asked in unison.

  Noobkitty took another sip of the sugar-bomb. "I’ve been practicing slat-fitting and mortise-and-tenon wood joining. Between my skill, drinks like this, and Morlax’s strength, we don't need a single nail."

  "Um... then can we set up a blacksmith here anyway?" Grimmblade asked hopefully. "We still need a few thousand nails for Sourdough."

  Noobkitty laughed into her cup. "That’s going to be one awful-tasting sandwich."