Avi felt the cycle reset and found himself back in his room. The cycle message popped up, explaining that the parties would have to be of five people, all from the same group. Also, food magic had been upgraded. That would make Nikki excited.

He waved the screen away, then waved away the customization prompt.

He glanced at himself in the mirror, taking in the silver-scaled half-dragon looking back. Avi assumed he’d be staying behind with Nikki and Kimi for Y’s sake, and wondered who the fifth person would be.

Unless Y felt up to traveling through the dungeon. They might be able to go slow.

Avi walked out of his room and went to Nikki’s room. He knocked before opening the door, and found her staring in horror at a screen he couldn't see.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, walking in.

Nikki burst into tears, throwing her arms around his neck to sob into his chest.

Avi held her up, almost panicking himself. “Nikki, what…”

“Whoa,” Kimi said, stopping in the doorway. “What happened?”

Nikki turned to look at her, tears streaming down her face. “She took my food away!”

*****

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Dear Diary,

New cycle.

We’re half-dragons.

Everyone is back to their normal colors.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

The Director said that since I'm a player I'm not supposed to have access to all the food.

So she took it away.

I…

Goodnight, dungeon

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Admin 6 stared at the wall, tapping his teeth on the rim of his glass.

“Wait. Waitwaitwait,” Admin 5 said. “The Director took away Nikki’s food ingredients? So no more cupcakes?”

“Yup,” he muttered.

“No more food from her at all, I'd assume,” Admin 2 said, frowning.

Admin 5 was nearly hyperventilating. “I don't even know what those white things were, but I need more of them! And now the person who makes them has no access to food?!”

“Nope,” 6 said.

4 took a deep breath. “It… is reasonable.”

Admin 5 spun to turn a death glare on him. “You shut your damn mouth.”

“She’s a player; players shouldn't be able to access raw ingredients now that they have magical potency,” Admin 4 said carefully, putting himself at serious risk of dismemberment.

“I don't know,” 3 shrugged. “It was good food.”

That got everyone to stop. They looked at him.

“Was that a compliment?” Admin 1 asked. “With no qualifiers? No sense of someone forcing you to say something nice?”

3 rolled his eyes. “You act like I hate everything.”

“You do hate everything,” Admin 2 pointed out.

“Oh go to hell,” Admin 3 told him, summoning a soda. “All I said was her food was good. Not praising it to the hilt. Not calling it some kind of ambrosia. Just good.”

There was another pause. Admin 6 knew the rules, even if the one that might apply here had never been invoked.

If they all agreed Nikki should get her food back, the Director would have to return it. A formal statement, signed by the six of them, would overrule any decision she made.

“Are you by any chance sad you’ll never be able to eat her food again?” Admin 6 asked 3.

“Sure,” he said, and drained his glass. “Real torn up about it.”

Admin 5 moved closer to 4. “You agree that this is bad, right?”

Admin 4 scooted his chair back. “Uhh… Yes. I am in full agreement.”

She clapped her hands. “Excellent! So all six of us agree the player known as Nikki should get access to her food ingredients back! 1, write the petition.”

Admin 1 smiled, summoning a pen and paper.