As Kit exited the travel gate, he felt a tinge of emotion welling up inside him. It had been too long since he last set foot in his restaurant, and he missed everything about it - the kitchen, his employees, and the lively atmosphere. In a desperate attempt to reach his destination faster, Kit shoved a cookie into his mouth without even waiting for his friends.

As he reached the back door of the restaurant and paused to catch his breath, he could hear a commotion coming from inside. "You can't be back here!" shouted a familiar voice.

A gruff voice replied with a laugh, "Can't be back here? Then why am I standing right here?"

"Stop! Leave or I'll call the guards!" yelled Pretzel.

Kit burst into the kitchen just as the doors on the opposite side were flung open with great force. A man with fiery eyes stood in the centre of the kitchen, paying no attention to Kit's arrival. Instead, his focus was on someone else who had just entered. "Apple," he growled, "don't meddle in affairs that don't concern you."

“Damen, I need to speak with the owner when he returns. What will he think if I let something happen to his establishment while he is away?” Apple shrugged nonchalantly.

“Do you think I'm afraid of you?” Damen retorted with a wicked grin.

Apple remained unfazed by his response. “Not of me, no. But Orange will want to know that you are stirring up trouble, as he's the reason for my visit.” Apple smiled sweetly at Damen.

At the mention of the person called Orange, Damen's shoulders tensed. “Damn.” Kit overheard him mutter. “Fine, I'll leave this time.” snorted Damen. As he passed by Apple on his way out, Damen bumped into him.

Kit stood there in confusion, trying to make sense of what was happening, when Apple spoke up. “Are you and Pretzel okay? He didn't harm either of you, did he?”

Pretzel was the first to react to Apple's question. “I’m fine, thanks Apple. But who else are you referring to?”

Apple pointed towards Kit, who was still standing in the doorway. Pretzel turned his head and saw Kit, his eyes widening in surprise. “Kit! You're back!” Pretzel exclaimed with joy and ran to squeeze him tightly.

Kit chuckled and patted his back. “I missed you too, Pretzel.” Pretzel let go of Kit but kept a happy gaze on his guardian.

“What is going on? Who was that man who just left?” Kit had a feeling things may have been difficult for his employees while he was away.

"I can answer that question for you," Apple replied.

Kit's attention shifted to Apple, allowing him to finally observe the man closely. The first thing that caught his eye was the emblem of his guild on his chest; a bowl filled with various fruits.

Upon closer inspection, Kit noticed that Apple's clothes were made from high-quality materials. His staff, hanging at his side, appeared to be crafted from gold and had a large crystal embedded on the end.

Studying the man's face, Kit saw warm brown eyes twinkle back at him. He also noted that Apple was about the same size as he was.

Apple stood still and allowed Kit to scrutinise him, smiling warmly the entire time. Once Kit finished, he gave Apple permission to answer his question by saying, "Then please go ahead."

“Damen was attempting to obtain some recipes for their guild's chef. The owner of this restaurant has the potential to become a master chef, and Damen wanted to give their guild’s chef some fresh ideas.” Apple explained.

Kit's eyebrows raised in surprise, "There are guilds in Spartan Fire?" This was news to Kit; when had that started?

Pretzel tugged on his sleeve, "It all began about two weeks ago when CAL blessed started showing up in Spartan Fire. They're searching for a dungeon in the devouring ranges."

Kit sucked in a breath, caught off guard by this information. Could entering the dungeon have opened pathways for others to find it as well?

Kit's had thrown the idea around to monopolise the dungeon after seeing how profitable the soul crystals had been. It looked like this would be impossible now, if others found the dungeon the market would become flooded with the soul crystals and their price would drop.

Luckily his dream was his restaurant and not treasure hunting or this news would have been a huge blow.

His thoughts were interrupted as Apple replied, "That's correct. Our guild came to Spartan Fire because it's one of the closest settlements to the presumed entrance of the dungeon in the Devouring ranges. We discovered some clues two weeks ago that led us to believe a new dungeon had been found." Apple's words confirmed Pretzel's news.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

The news that players were coming to Spartan Fire was both good and bad for Kit. On one hand, it meant more potential customers for his restaurant and the other shops in town. On the other hand, it also meant dealing with situations like the one that had just occurred. This thought prompted Kit to arrange a meeting with Kettle to discuss security measures.

It seemed like there was a lot on Kit's plate now that he had returned. First, he wanted to find out why Apple had been looking for him. "You mentioned wanting to speak with the owner of this restaurant. May I ask what you are after?"

"Our guild leader has a proposition for the owner," explained Apple. "I stop by every day to check if he has returned and help with security."

Pretzel chimed in, nodding his head. "Apple and his friends have been a huge help to not just us, but all of Spartan Fire. They do regular patrols to assist the guards in keeping things under control." He looked at Apple with admiration.

Kit's opinion of Apple rose even higher, and he started to consider asking if their guild would establish a residence in Spartan Fire. That would greatly improve the security situation. He knew things could easily spiral out of control without proper precautions.

With all the work he had ahead of him in fixing up his restaurant, he didn't want to also worry about security issues. He decided he would arrange a meeting with Apple's guild leader as soon as possible. "I truly appreciate everything your guild has done for Spartan Fire," Kit said with a bow. "Allow me to officially introduce myself - I am Kit, the owner of this restaurant." He smiled warmly at Apple.

A smile stretched across Apple's face as he greeted Kit. "Hello Kit, it's a pleasure to meet you." From a pouch on his belt, Apple procured a small brown sack and set it on the bench beside them. With nimble fingers, he tore open a hole in the bag. "As a welcome gift from my guild leader, we wanted to give you something."

Intrigued, Kit approached and peered inside the sack. Glittering silver grains caught his eye. He attempted to use identify, but it came up with no results. His excitement grew as he carefully examined the grains, resembling rice but with a different colour. "Is this rice?"

Apple nodded happily. "Yes, we stumbled upon this unique type of rice during our exploration."

Kit could feel his excitement rise as he thought about the possibility of getting more of the rare rice from Apple's guild. "I am extremely grateful for this gift. When can I meet with your guild leader?" he asked eagerly.

"I will send him a message to let him know you have returned, but he may not be able to come back right away. Will you be staying in Spartan Fire for some time?" asked Apple cautiously.

Kit was understanding of the guild leader's busy schedule. "I have no plans to leave anytime soon. I have many things to take care of at my restaurant."

"That's perfect. Once I receive a response, I will let you know when he is expected back," smiled Apple.

But Kit waved off his offer. "There's no need to inform me of the exact date. Just tell him to come see me at the restaurant whenever he is available. Unexpected circumstances often arise."

Apple's smile grew wider at Kit's accommodating attitude. "Excellent! Then I bid you farewell."

Once Apple left, Kit redirected his attention to Pretzel and asked the question that had been on his mind since he arrived: "Why is the kitchen empty?"

Pretzel explained, "Crackers and Red went to gather some eggs. With the Piabbits absent, the chickens have been unruly and it's been a struggle to collect eggs."

It took a moment for Kit to remember who Red was, but then he realised that he was the necromancer with red eyes. It had been too long since Kit had visited the kitchen if he couldn't immediately recall all of his staff.

As they talked, Mud's head appeared through the partially open door. "Crackers, we've run out of light step cookies. Are you ready with the next batch?"

Before Kit could respond, Pretzel interjected, "She's out with Red getting eggs."

Mud's frustration was evident in his voice as he exclaimed, "This is becoming a problem! When will those Piabbits be back? Our top-selling cookies are in demand and those troublesome chickens are making our job harder!"

Kit couldn't help but hide a grin behind his hands as he realised Mud hadn't even noticed him - he was solely focused on Pretzel. "The Piabbits should return soon, and I'll whip up some more cookies now."

Mud finally shifted his gaze towards him, his expression brightening. "That's fantastic news! I never thought I'd be so relieved to hear about the return of the Piabbits." Mud suddenly stopped talking and Kit couldn't help but smile as he watched Mud's eyes widen comically. "KIT!" Mud screeched.

Kit raised his hand in a wave. "Hello, Mud. It's been a while."

"Thank goodness you're back! But where are the others?" Mud walked into the kitchen to catch up with Kit. While happily preparing a batch of cookies, Kit filled Pretzel and Mud in on everything that had happened.

As Kit pulled the cookies out of the oven, Crackers and Red returned. He had to stifle a laugh at their appearances - Crackers had twigs and leaves stuck in her hair, while Red was covered in dirt smudges.

"Ugh, this ain't fun at all. Those annoying birds need ta be plucked!" complained Crackers as she set a basket of eggs down on the counter. "But why does it be smellin like cookies in here?" Her eyes landed on Kit, who was holding a tray of freshly-baked cookies, and froze. Then, a loud squeal filled the room causing Kit to flinch.

The noise didn't bother him though, it only made him even more amused by people's reactions to his return. Soon enough, Kit was caught up in Crackers and Red's excited chatter.

Kit spent the entire day thoroughly entertained by each employee's entrance into the kitchen, confirming that he had indeed returned. Each reaction was comical.

By the end of the day, when the restaurant was closed, Kit could feel his voice starting to give out from all the catching up and laughing, but it was worth it to reconnect with everyone.

Exhaustion suddenly engulfed him, and as he prepared to return to the boarding house with the rest of his comrades, Crackers beckoned him over. "Kit, can I be havin a word with ya before ya go back?" Kit nodded, curious about what Crackers wanted to discuss. "I just want to fill ya in on what's been goin on at the restaurant while ya were away."