Mad Hatter's Guide to Clearing The Game

Jake pushed open the heavy door of Mara’s Forge - Crafts and Gear, the bell above it giving a final cheerful jingle as he and the others stumbled into the street.

The morning was already lively. Merchants shouted over each other, hawking their wares, steam carts rattled by, the scent of frying food, oil, and dust mingled into a thick, familiar fog. The city’s pulse was a living thing around them.

"Holy crap!" Jake breathed, flexing his arms inside the newly reforged armor. "This feels insane."

"Not just insane." Elise tugged on the string of her bow experimentally, smiling wide. "It feels miraculous!"

Riven adjusted the straps of his gleaming breastplate while Alric just stood there, staring down at his sword like it had spoken to him.

"We got lucky." Riven muttered, slinging his shield onto his back. "It doesn’t seem like Mara does this for just anyone."

"Luck had nothing to do with it." Cass said, catching up with them after a while, and leading them down the cracked sidewalk. "Come on, we’ve got errands to run."

Jake fell into step beside her, his mind buzzing. The fight in the [Dark Forest] still echoed in his bones, the way the [Grass Crawlers] had moved, how close they’d come to losing. He shook it off, shaking his head. Their gear was fixed, and now, off to the next mission.

First stop, food.

The five of them entered a café that still served the best fried dumplings in the eastern district. They crammed into a booth and piled their order high.

Plates rattled onto the table, steam rising, and for a while, the only sound coming from the young players was that of the steaming dumplings being chewed.