The loud sound of a horse's neighing jolted Kit awake. The pungent stench in his nostrils made him fully alert. "What is that awful smell? What caused it?" He groggily wondered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Kit looked over at Mars, who had covered his face with a large black cloth. "Why are you wearing that?" Kit asked confusedly.

Mars chuckled in response. "You just complained about the smell, and now you're asking why I covered my face? I don't want to lose my appetite, so I put this on. Do you want one too?"

Kit shook his head. "No thanks, but we should probably go inside the Inn and find Iris to escape the smell. What do you want to do today? We have some free time until dinner."

Mars pondered for a moment before suggesting, "Let's explore the village for a quest."

After finalising their plans for the day, they cautiously made their way down the ladder, hoping it would hold their weight. As he descended, he could feel the rungs bending under him and heard a slight creaking noise. When he safely reached the bottom, he looked up and saw Mars watching him from above.

Mars flashed a wide grin at him and then gracefully leapt over the railing of the loft. Kit's heart skipped a beat as he watched his friend land on the ground with a soft thud in what could only be described as a superhero pose. With one leg behind to balance, a palm flat on the ground, and his other arm outstretched, Mars looked like he was ready to take on any challenge.

"Wow, that was amazing! How did you do that?" Kit couldn't help but stare at Mars in awe, impressed by his incredible agility.

Mars beamed at the praise. "I've been involved in various sports since I was little - my family is big on fitness."

Kit didn't think that simply being involved in sports could explain Mars' impressive abilities. He felt slightly skeptical, but decided to let it go. After all, maybe Mars' skills were just amplified by the game. Who knows, maybe one day Kit could achieve something similar himself.

The thought filled him with excitement, and he blurted out, "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"I think if we increase some of your stats in the game, you'll be able to do it too," replied Mars casually as he wiped his palms on his pants.

Kit's excitement grew at the prospect of learning such cool moves. But suddenly, the smell of manure hit his nostrils once again and he couldn't take it anymore. "Let's head inside and find Iris," he suggested.

"Lead the way!" said Mars with a smile. They walked through the back door into the restaurant but couldn't see Iris in the dining area.

"I'M IN THE KITCHEN!" came her voice from the back.

Kit made his way to the kitchen, eager to see what was inside. He hadn't been in here yesterday and his eyes widened at the sight before him.

"Do you like what you see?" asked Iris with a chuckle, noticing Kit's expression of pure joy.

"Yes!" exclaimed Kit, unable to contain his excitement.

His gaze darted around the room, taking in all the amazing sights. A knife was cutting vegetables on a wooden chopping board all by itself. "This is incredible! I want one," said Kit, pointing at the knife.

Iris couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Oh Kit, I wish I could keep you just for your reactions."

Kit didn't mind being laughed at - he had gotten used to Iris' sense of humour and knew it wasn't mean-spirited. His eyes then fell upon the stove where a large wooden spoon was stirring soup in a huge silver pot.

He could even see a faint blue light coming from the pot. His excitement only grew as he imagined all the money he could save by cooking large quantities of food without hiring anyone.

He couldn't help cackling like a mad man in his head at the thought. But then he turned to Iris and saw that she had finished cooking a burly rabbit over a stone pit in the middle of the kitchen.

The pit was about the size of a small coffee table, surrounded by glossy black stones. Inside the pit, glowing purplish green coals emitted intense heat that could be felt from where Kit stood. He moved closer to see what Iris was doing.

On either side of the fire pit, a silver spike held meat over the flames. Iris had just removed a cooked portion from the spike. The rich aroma of fresh meat made Kit's mouth water and his stomach growl in response.

Iris laughed at him once again and walked over to a marble stone bench along the kitchen wall. She placed the meat on a wooden chopping board next to a plate of freshly cooked vegetables on a white porcelain dish. With surprising speed and skill, Iris sliced the meat into thin pieces with a carving knife.

Kit couldn't believe his eyes. "How is that even possible?"

"Skill and speed, my dear," Iris replied with a warm smile. She had grown fond of Kit quickly. "And I think you'll like this next part too." She chuckled softly as she continued working.

Placing three slices of the roast meat onto the plate, something unexpected happened - a soft blue light began swirling over the food, continuing until the entire meal was covered in the glow. Then, with one pulse, the blue light vanished, and a number 37 appeared above the plate in white light. Before he could ask about it, Kit's attention was drawn to Iris' next move.

She picked up the plate of food, but beneath it remained another identical meal. How did she do that? Was it some kind of magic trick? He didn't see her replace the plate.

Iris laughed uncontrollably at Kit's confused expression and quickly set down the plate. Tears streamed down her face as she grinned joyfully. "Oh, Kit!"

It took her a moment to compose herself enough to speak. And she wasn't the only one laughing - Mars was in the same state, and Kit couldn't help but click his tongue. These two were too much sometimes. Anyone would be just as confused if they saw this for the first time.

Although he wanted to be grumpy at being laughed at, Kit was still too excited and amazed by all the magic happening around him.

"It's alright, Kit love," Iris said as she patted his head. Her amused smile remained. "I'll make it up to you with some breakfast. How does that sound?"

Mars spoke before Kit could respond. "That sounds great, Iris."

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"Honestly, you two, I wish I could hire you permanently." Iris shook her head before handing them each a plate of roast burly rabbit. They stood at the bench and ate their meal while chatting with Iris.

"Iris, what was that number that appeared above the plate just now?" Kit couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. He had so many questions but didn't want to draw too much attention to himself. So, he decided to start with the number and save his other questions for later.

“That’s my chef level, which determines how many dishes I can make at once. With the help of this plate, I can magically turn one meal into 37. It's a huge time and money saver,” At Iris’ words Kit felt excitement rising in his chest. He couldn't wait to start levelling up his cooking sub-class.

“What's the name of the plate, Iris?” he asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

“It’s called the 'magic multiplier plate',” she replied with a laugh.

Kit couldn't help but think that they could have come up with a more creative name. Nonetheless, he was eager to learn about all the other items in the kitchen.

“Could you show me how to make your famous roast burly rabbit, Iris?” Kit pleaded with hopeful eyes.

Iris shook her head apologetically. “I'm sorry, Kit. If everyone knew how to make it, I wouldn't be able to make a living off it. Plus, making a meal with stats takes a lot of effort and time. Some chefs never master it in their whole lives.”

Kit's mood deflated slightly, but he understood her reasoning.

“What about the special water?” he asked.

“Oh, that's not a secret. I own the land where the spring is located, and it naturally produces stat-boosting water. Although, collecting it is a bit of a hassle,” Iris explained with a sigh.

“We can do it for you!” Mars piped up eagerly.

“That's very kind of you, dear. But there are two Spectral Nile Reptiles guarding the spring, and they've been there for two years now. I usually hire someone to distract them while I collect the water,” Iris said with a hint of frustration.

“Why don't you just kill them?” Kit asked curiously.

“It's too expensive. They're strong creatures, and the more powerful they are, the more money it costs to get rid of them,” Iris replied with another sigh.

“We can do it, Iris! I'll distract them while Kit collects the water,” Mars exclaimed excitedly at the thought of a quest.

Iris studied them both for a moment before nodding. “Alright, but if it becomes too difficult, you must leave immediately.”

Ding!

[CAL]

Quest accepted.

Iris’s Spring Water, uncommon.

Distract/Kill the Spectral Nile Reptiles. Bring the water back to the Inn.

Acquired: Horse lead rope + 10 speed to mount.

“Leave it to us, Iris.” Mars puffed out his chest and spoke with confidence, assuring Iris that she could leave everything to them. The idea of going on another quest filled Kit with excitement, but he couldn't help being curious about the horse lead rope they had just acquired.

While Kit and Mars enjoyed their meal of roast burly rabbit, Iris went outside. Once again, they received a stat boost - 100 HP for 5 hours. Kit noticed a strange feeling from eating last night, as if he had become more physically capable. This newfound strength gave him more confidence in taking damage - it was like how fit people must feel.

As he examined the long brown leather rope with a silver clip at the end, he couldn't help feeling disappointed at its ordinary appearance. While Kit pondered over the use of the rope, Iris returned from outside looking red-faced and out of breath.

“Good, you found the lead rope. Pint is out the back, I just attached the wagon to him. The barrels are loaded onto the wagon already.” At Iris words something suddenly clicked - the rope was for leading the horse!

“Iris, you should have let us do the heavy work.” Mars scolded Iris.

“That’s nice of you dear, next time I’ll let you young boys do it.” Iris gave Mars a soft smile.

“Iris before we go, how do we get to the spring?” queried Kit.

“I forgot, you don’t know your way around. I will get you something to help navigate the way.” Iris walked inside then returned with two rolled up parchments to help navigate their way there.

Ding!

[CAL]

Received: Map.

Kit noticed a Map appear in the upper right corner of his vision. He saw a blue dot indicating his current location, but there was no destination marked. “CAL, can you add our destination to the map?”

A red dot appeared on the map, but Kit wasn't sure how far away it was since there was no scale on the map. “CAL how far away is that?”

[information not available]

Fudge sticks! He must have to unlock it somehow. While Kit was cursing, Iris was giving Kit a strange look. “Kit dear, who are you talking too?”

Kit suddenly remembered that CAL was not a known entity to Iris, was he about to break on of CAL’s rules, he felt his dream start to crumble. Tears welled up in his eyes as he realised, he had made yet another mistake.

Mars stepped in to save him “Since the accident with the potion, he has an invisible friend. His name is CAL, Kit forgets that no one else can see him. So, he looks a little funny conversing with him.” Kit was grateful for Mars' quick thinking but felt like a toddler having an imaginary friend.

“I didn’t realise you had brought your friend with you, as well Kit. Umm …” Iris was lost for words.

He felt so embarrassed, but it was better than having to leave the game. So Kit went along with Mars crazy idea. “He is a little shy Iris, he only comes out sometimes. He was curious about the map. If I am lucky sometimes, he will give me information. That’s why I was asking him questions about the map,” Kit plastered a large smile on his face.

Iris glanced at him like he had gone mad. Well at least being mad was better than not being able to play. He hoped Iris would still let him stay in the loft tonight.

“Oh ….” Bewilderment was clear in Iris expression. “Um .., well it’s nice to meet you CAL, I’m Iris.”

Surprise flashed across his face, he had not expected Iris to accept this excuse, she really was a warm-hearted lady.

A noise next to him caused him to turn his head, Mars was trying hard not to burst out laughing, he could see Mars face turning red from holding his breath. Kit’s eyes thinned, he would get Mars back later for this!

Kit decided it would be best to change the topic, so he brought up the horse standing in front of them.

Iris took the bait and led them over to the horse. “let me introduce you boys, this is Pint!” Up close the horse was much larger than Kit expected. Now that the horse had his undivided attention he realised it was massive! Pint was more than just oversized; he was twice the size of a regular horse.

Just like the muscular rabbit, Pint seemed to have layers upon layers of muscles. Kit couldn't help but question the logic behind this game: why were all the animals so built? He couldn't help but wonder if he was developing an inferiority complex.

The horse's coat was a rich chocolate brown, with a glossy sheen that made it sparkle in the sunlight. Its mane and tail were a striking white, providing a nice contrast against the deep brown colour. But what really caught Kit's eye were its huge round doe eyes.

Pint snorted and stamped his front hoof, causing a small tremor beneath Kit's feet. He silently prayed that the horse would be friendly; he doubted he could survive a kick from such an enormous beast.

Feeling slightly intimidated, Kit glanced over at Mars to see him moving behind Iris for protection. It seemed that Mars didn't want to get too close to the horse either, which gave Kit some reassurance about his own reaction.

"Don't worry about Pint, boys. He's really just a big cuddly cat; he's just showing off." Iris took the lead rope from Kit and attached it to Pint's harness. "So, who wants to lead him?"

Both Kit and Mars remained silent.

"He really is gentle as can be. All you have to do is give him some beer, and he'll be putty in your hands." Encouraged Iris.

Iris pulled out a bowl and a glass bottle filled with a dark brown liquid. She poured some into the bowl and held it under Pint's nose. The horse eagerly drank it, sloshing some of it onto the ground. Once he had finished, he began rubbing his head against Iris affectionately.

"See? Big softy." Iris offered the bowl to Kit and Mars. Mars tentatively took a step closer to the horse, eyeing it warily. When Pint didn't move, he cautiously approached Iris and followed her instructions in filling another bowl. To Kit's surprise, the horse treated Mars the same way he had treated Iris after finishing his drink.

"Now that you boys are acquainted, you can head off. But first, you'll need some more bottles of Pint's favourite beer." Iris handed Mars five bottles of the dark liquid.

"Is that really beer?" Kit couldn't believe it; he thought Iris was joking when she said the horse liked alcohol.

"Yes, dear. Pint is a special breed of horse; I can't remember which one now. I won him in a poker game from a stable owner. The instructions I received were that he will only behave with alcohol. And it turns out, it's true – he's quite feisty without his daily rations of beer."

This game just keeps getting weirder; now there's an alcoholic horse involved. Does he actually get drunk too?

"Don't worry about me not being here; Pint doesn't care who takes him as long as there's beer," reassured Iris.

"Okay, well we should get going then. See you tonight, Iris." Kit waved goodbye and watched as Mars led Pint out of the courtyard without any issues. They followed the map towards the southern exit of town.