After a full day of mandatory rest, I was finally back in my kitchen with my hands in a bowl of dough. Watching other people work was nice for a bit, but I really did enjoy baking and I was happy to be back at it. Especially since Cole had decided to stick around for some lessons. Right now we were working on shaping bread dough into buns, but Cole's were all different sizes and a mix of round to square to flat. I laughed under my breath, covering my mouth so he wouldn't hear.

"Something wrong with my buns?" he asked, glancing sideways at me with a smile. "Also, you've got flour on your face." I tried to wipe it off, but he just laughed, warm and bright as he reached over and brushed his fingers over my cheek. "There. All better."

My eyes widened. When had he gotten so casual with his touches?

I focused on my bread, rolling it to a perfect shape as I tried to ignore the fuzzy feeling sweeping through me. Having Cole here was kind of nice, fun even. I grabbed the bowl of egg wash, brushing it over every roll before putting them in the oven.

With that done, I went to wash the extra flour off as Cole did the same, his fingers grazing over mine every so often as we held our hands under the faucet. His shoulder brushed against me and everything in me wanted to lean into him.

What had gotten into me? This was ridiculous.

I dried my hands quickly, hurrying into the dining area where Fiona was playing with the slimes and waiting for our next creation. She'd been our ever-dutiful taste tester for this baking adventure and she'd thoroughly enjoyed it.

"What's up next?" she asked, smacking her lips together. "Something tasty, I hope?"

"Fresh rolls with herb butter." I leaned closer. "If Marvin manages to pick some herbs, that is."

"I heard that!" he called out from the backyard before coming in with an arm full of fresh veggies and herbs. "And I'll have you know, the garden is doing great. The slimes are literally throwing food at me they're so happy to see me."

Fiona frowned. "Don't they throw food at anyone once it's ripe?"

"Well yeah," Marvin shrugged, "but I like to think we've got a special bond. Don't we, Strawberry?"

The little dirt slime on his shoulder cooed, leaning into him with a giggle. They really had been growing close lately, like he'd fully gotten over his fear of slimes. Or at least, his fear of the slimes here. Out in the dungeon was another story since he'd still been too afraid to leave our cozy little safe zone.

Fiona pushed a muffin his way. "Here, their muffins have gotten way better. Try one."

He sat down, breaking it apart to give some to Strawberry and try some himself. He made an mmm noise and finished the muffin up quickly. "I'm so glad you two are baking all day. The food is amazing."

"Glad you like it," I said with a laugh as Cole stepped out of the kitchen to join us.

"Marvin?" He froze, eyebrows pinched together. "What are you doing here still?"

"Uh, he works here?" I tilted my head. "Haven't you noticed him wandering around while you've been here?"

"No, I mean, I was kind of focused on you..." Cole stared at the floor hard, not meeting my eyes. "But I thought Marvin was gone on some big quest? Or did I hear that wrong?"

I tugged on my braid, not really sure how to answer that. He'd been so focused on me that he hadn't noticed Marvin at all? That was intense and kind of sweet, but more intense. Cole was so strange sometimes.

Fiona pulled Marvin's chair closer. "What's this about a big quest? Got something you need to tell me?"

"Uh, no?" He wrung his hands, looking anywhere but at her. "I mean, it's not a big deal, really."

"Oh?" She gave him a wolfish grin, leaning in even closer. "Then why are you hiding it from us?"

Marvin gulped. "Because I know it'll end badly no matter what I do."

I couldn't really refute that based on how his time in the dungeon had gone so far, but I had to try something.

"Maybe we can help?" I offered. "Like keep you company on the quest or help you through it somehow so it's not as bad."

Cole shook his head. "That's not how quests are supposed to work."

Fiona waved him off. "Who says? As long as it gets done, that's all that matters. Now spill. What's your quest?"

Marvin took a deep breath. "It's a class change quest."

"A class change quest?" I asked, kind of dumbfounded. "Do those even exist?"

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Fiona shook her head. "Nope, not that I've heard."

"Well, that's what it says." Marvin opened his menu. "Class Change Quest: Go to the ancient training grounds and prove yourself to its guardian to receive a new class. Your level will be reset to 1 and all skills will be lost."

Cole leaned back in his chair with an appreciative whistle. "Sounds like you got really lucky, especially since you don’t have many levels to lose. How great is it that the system wants to help you out?"

"Help me out?" Marvin shook his head. "No way. Did you hear the part about proving myself to some guardian? That has terrible time written all over it. I'm just going to stay here and garden. I'm actually good at gardening. Right, Strawberry?"

The little dirt slime nodded, bouncing softly on his shoulder as he pet her with his index finger.

"Is that why you didn't say anything?" I asked. "Because you thought we'd make you leave?"

He didn't answer, but he dropped his hand and looked away.

"Cheer up, Marvin!" Fiona slapped him on the back, almost knocking poor Strawberry right off his shoulder. "We'll go with you and make sure you get out of there in one piece. And if you hate all the classes still, then I'll drag you back here myself and throw you back into the garden. Sound good?"

"Sounds a little violent," Marvin said with a sigh, "but okay. If you're both with me, then I'm sure it'll be fine."

I nodded. "We'll definitely go with you." I glanced over at Cole, giving him a questioning look.

"Fine, I'll go too. But only to keep you three out of trouble." He sighed, giving me an odd look as if he thought I was the biggest troublemaker. All I ever did was bake and play with slimes! Before I could ask him about it, he offered me his hand. "Ready to go?"

I glanced back at Marvin. "I don't know, are we?"

"Not really, but why not?" He carefully set Strawberry on the floor. "You should stay here where it's safe." Marvin leaned down to whisper, "I wish I was staying here too, so go grow lots of food for when I come back."

The little slime nuzzled against his leg. Marvin really was good with them and seemed to honestly enjoy gardening, far more than anything else the dungeon had tried to get him to do. If he had the option to change his class, was it possible for him to get a unique class like mine? If he could become some kind of plant mage, I bet he'd be so much happier. But how could we make that happen?

I'd gotten my class by choosing a sandwich from the weapons' table, so maybe I should bring something gardening related with us just in case...

I led the little dirt slime into the garden, casually picking up a hand trowel and adding it to my inventory. If this class change quest was anything like the first time we'd chosen our classes, then maybe adding this to the weapons' table would change things. Give Marvin a class he actually wanted. As long as the system didn't notice me doing it, we should hopefully be okay.

As I walked back inside, Spark chirped, reminding me about the rolls we left in the oven! I hurried to take them out, cooling them on the counters. We probably wouldn't have time to eat them, so I took them out of the pans and laid them out for Spark.

"Make sure to share these with everyone else while we're gone, okay?"

The fire slime nodded, eying the buns like he had no intention of sharing. Oh well, he'd earned them after all the work he did, so if he didn't want to share this time, that was fine. I snagged a few, not wanting to leave without at least trying Cole's rolls. I split them in half and steam rose out of them along with the delicious scent of warm bread. The butter melted as I spread it across, tossing the roll from hand to hand so I didn't burn myself.

"We'll be back soon," I promised. "Don't go crazy while we're gone."

Spark giggled, nodding so hard he almost rolled over. That was not reassuring at all, but I knew Boss and Matcha would keep things under control. They always did.

Cole was waiting by the door, feeding a slime some leftover muffins, but brushed the crumbs off his hands when he saw me. "Ready to go? I think it would be better if we didn't drag this out..."

Probably good advice since the longer I took getting ready, the more anxious Marvin had gotten. He was now sitting on the floor with his knees pulled up to his chest while Fiona murmured reassuring things, staring at me with a do something kind of look.

"Okay, Marvin, let's get you a new class." I smiled at him, offering my hand to help him up. "I promise we'll make sure you like it. No matter what."

The trowel had to work, it just had to. Marvin was counting on us to help him through this, and I didn't want to let him down. Not that I minded his help at the cafe, but I'd rather him be here because he wanted to be, not because he was too afraid to go anywhere else.

"The system is giving you a chance to be happy," Cole said. "You've gotta at least try."

Marvin stared at Cole. "You really think so?"

"Yeah, why else would you get a quest nobody else has ever gotten before?" He opened the door leading outside, motioning for Marvin to hurry up. "It's time to take charge of your life."

Fiona pulled Marvin up. "He's right. This is a great opportunity for you, exactly what you'd been hoping for. Don't waste it."

"Okay, okay, I get it." Marvin managed a weak smile and walked past Cole out the door. "Let's go change my class."

When I passed by Cole, I paused, handing him a roll. "That was kind of you."

"Everyone needs a helping hand once in a while," he said, biting into the bread. "Okay, this is really good. It must be one of yours, right?"

I smiled, shaking my head. "Nope, it's one of yours. You're a quick learner."

"Only because you're a good teacher," he said softly, closing the door as we walked outside together. "After this quest is done, think you could show me how to make something else?"

"Sure, anything you want."

Baking with him had been more fun than I'd expected, and I wasn't ready to call it quits so soon. Teaching him let me get to know him better too, which was something I found myself wanting more and more of. He was strange, but somehow so very familiar at the same time. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it felt like we'd known each other for a long time. Or maybe we just got along really well.

Once this quest was over, I'd ask him if he wanted to go somewhere. Just the two of us. Maybe I could really get to know him then and see what kind of things he did for fun. He'd mentioned working with Dave once and that might be interesting to see too. I just wanted to know more about him, get a glimpse into his life like he'd experienced mine through baking.

There wasn't any harm in getting to know somebody better, right?