When Jay logged into Tumultua Online the following day, Sarah was the only one online. She was already brewing up new potions for the evening’s adventures.

“Did you have that Assassin’s Balm for me?” Jay inquired. He looked forward to the potion, especially with the boosted critical rate.

“Yeah, I had it,” Sarah said, inspecting the central fusion chamber of her strange table. “And then I gave it to Ken?”

“Et tu,” Jay said, mocking a stab to his heart. “I was hoping for some older brother priority on the cool potions.”

“Yeah, sure,” Sarah said sarcastically. “And I want to get off this island sometime before I’m your age. So I’m going to put the potions to the most efficient possible use.”

“That’s… a fair point,” Jay admitted. “How’s it been going? Find any interesting nocturnal Mercura Island wildlife?”

“Nah, I completely slept through the night. Just like a baby,” Sarah said proudly. “I woke up about an hour ago. Been brewing potions since then. Mostly some statistic enhancement potions in case we run into another elite.”

“Hopefully, we do,” Jay said, holding back snide baby sister comments after her use of the word. “Farming those crocodiles is practically useless. We could farm all day and only gain a single level. Actually, I have an idea.”

Jay realized he was criminally underutilizing one of his resources: the Dissimu alligator town. He already had a quest from the Elder, Pami, but plenty more could be available. Sarah could join him since he was allowed two guests. They could resupply while seeking out more quests. Even if they only found crocodiles during the tasks, the bonus experience rewards would greatly help their leveling speed.

“I’m dying of anticipation here,” Sarah said, her voice oozing sarcasm. She was only halfway paying attention to Jay, the rest of her focus on bottling up her completed potion.

“Let’s try and grab some quests and resupply from the alligator village,” Jay suggested. “We haven’t been there since killing that Assassin took precedence. But I bet there are quests there. We might even be able to trade some of the extra island ingredients for some gold.”

Sarah nodded emphatically. “Sounds good to me. I’m going stir-crazy cooped up in this camp all the time. Also, I want to catch a glimpse of the alligator monstrosity form, if I can.”

“I’m not sure they’re going to be suited up for battle in the middle of their town,” Jay commented.

“But a girl can dream,” Sarah added. “We can leave soon. I just want to make one more potion. I think I sorted out how to make your water-breathing potion or whatever.”

“Cool,” Jay grinned. “That’ll be useful. I’m unsure what’s out there, but I’m curious to explore the underwater areas. Do you think you can make more than one potion?”

“We’ll see,” Sarah stated absent-mindedly. Her attention was wrested away from the conversation by her potion-making. The alchemical process she undertook was one of the most complicated things Jay had seen in the game.

The brew seemed to encompass the usage of every piece of equipment on Sarah’s table. She was heating several different things, cooling some of the others, charging the central combination chamber, and a few other things Jay couldn’t even identify. It was no wonder her concentration was torn away.

“So,” Sarah finally said, looking up from her work and cementing a grim expression. “While we wait for this last potion to brew, what didn’t you want to discuss yesterday? We’re alone now, and I’m not letting you run away from this. Explain yourself.”

Jay debated not telling her, but her advice was usually good. There was no sense harming himself out of pride. Holding nothing back, he replayed the whole story from meeting up at their old spot, the meaning of that particular location, and even the texts she had sent him the night before.

Sarah’s expression remained relatively passive as he told the story. She sat carefully, adjusting the things on her table, returning her eyes to Jay every time she shuffled the potion tools around. The tale gripped her attention, but she spoke as soon as it ended.

“I’m not sure if I should high-five you or slap you across the face,” Sarah said. “I’m considering doing both. Man, what an absolute–”

And then Sarah used a word she would typically refuse to wield against other women. Maybe, her advice wouldn’t be so helpful this time.

Watching her expression as she continued to rail against the audacity of Taylor Lynn made Jay crack up, which helped. After another two minutes dedicated to a tirade, Sarah finally stopped. “Wait a minute, she’s behind me again, right?”

Her eyes opened wide in horror. Unable to stop himself, Jay grimaced, nodding solemnly. It was totally possible since Taylor Lynn’s work involved the game. With a rapid spin, Sarah turned around and found nothing but air behind her.

This started another two-minute tirade, but it was about Jay this time. Her rant allowed enough time for him to zone out and consider other things. The idle wanderings of his mental landscape led him to questions about Claire.

Since Tumult Corp. was watching him, who was doing that job? Was it Claire? Jay had just told the entire story of Taylor Lynn kissing him, which was being recorded for someone there to watch. That person could know Claire. That person could know who the Monster Hunter was. There was a good shot someone could connect the pieces if they were paying attention, even if Claire wasn’t personally watching the story replay.

Once Sarah’s second rant was complete, she pulled several vials of completed potion from the Alchemy table. When all was said and done, she had four vials of potion. Jay inspected one bottle.

System Message: Potion of the Seas. This potion lasts twenty-four hours, allowing the imbiber to breathe underwater. Additionally, the water does not impede the movements or weapons of users of this potion.

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“That’s amazing, Sarah!” Jay cheered. The potion was definitely useful. There was only one problem. “But there aren’t enough potions for everyone to have one.”

“Good eye, Sherlock,” Sarah poked at him, rolling her eyes. “Did you need a magnifying glass for that? Here, I’ll keep two for now, and you can have the other two.”

Jay accepted the two potions and stored them in his inventory with the patented shower of sparks. After that, they quickly checked their inventories and made their way to the next destination.

The Dissimu alligator village’s entrance was close to the party’s campsite. It would be faster to travel there by air, but that wasn’t an option for Jay anymore. The siblings easily managed the walk over to the entrance and safely entered the worn but well-maintained village using his ring.

Jay was lucky enough that they found Igno right by the entrance. He was on his way out the exit. As finding quests went, that was super convenient. He could help the siblings find people looking for help.

“Hey, Igno,” Jay said, inclining his head politely. “How’s everything going on your end?”

“I think it’s alright,” Igno confirmed. “I’m on my way to investigate some suspicious activity. It’s probably nothing, but we must remain diligent. That is the only way we have remained safe for so long as we have. Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“We were looking for other ways to help while we seek out the crocodiles’ home,” Jay explained. “Did you have anything for us? Do you know anyone in town who needs help?”

“You’ll have to ask around town seeking the needs of others,” Igno stated. “But there is something you could help me with.”

A quest offer popped up, which Jay accepted. His quest log showed him and Sarah as both being on the quest.

System Message: Quest Accepted! Thinning the Flock. The crocodile faction of the Dissimu has gone completely rogue. One of the alligator warriors, Igno, has asked that you eliminate some crocodiles to ease the burden of protecting his village. Crocodiles Slain: 0/50.

“If that’s all,” Igno continued, “I must return to my work.”

Jay bid him farewell, and Igno took his leave. Jay turned back to Sarah. “Alright, that’s one quest we can share with the others.”

“That dude is so cool,” Sarah said as soon as Igno was out of earshot. “We can definitely complete the crocodile kill quest, but I was hoping we could find something more interesting.”

“You and I both,” Jay agreed. “Let’s keep looking through the town. Keep your eyes peeled for anything with shop signs, too.”

Sarah and Jay spent half an hour traveling through the town and looking for different shops. They discovered an interesting quirk of the local culture. None of the Dissimu used money, so everything was on the barter system. Luckily, the local ingredients were worth something. Jay even learned that several local herbs could be used as spices for food from a very patient restaurant operator.

All of the available potions were types Sarah could already produce. Some exciting weapons and armor were available, but the owner would only do business with the siblings if Pami or one of the warriors gave the green light. Apparently, weapons were in huge demand.

Sarah and Jay did get to see a unique weapon on display. The sword was crafted from the fin of a giant sea monster. It was designed for use while the Dissimu were in their battle form since the bulk was too much for most people to lift with normal strength. The item’s information was hidden from display, which Jay supposed was a power merchants had over their wares.

The best find was from a local hunter named Kamala, who specialized in jungle-specific tracking devices. It took Jay a while to negotiate an acceptable deal with her, but eventually, she took an interest in his magical moss lamps. The island didn’t have the moss, so she was willing to part with a tracker for one of the lamps.

System Message: Kamala’s Jungle Tracker. This is a trinket item. Increases the effective Survival skill tier of the user by a single rank. Current Effective Rank: B tier.

The item would only operate while the party remained on Mercura Island, but the full tier increase was invaluable.

Sarah traded herbs to a local villager, who worked as a seamstress. The dress was actually sewn by incorporating local herbs for ornamentation. Jay didn’t bother asking what the point of the dress was, but he hadn’t seen his sister wear anything other than her super special Paladin armor.

After acquiring her dress, Sarah and Jay started walking back to the entrance.

“Looks like there’s not too much going on for other quests,” Jay said mournfully. “The people here are obviously under pressure because of the situation with the crocodiles. I guess they don’t have time for much else.”

“It’s kind of disappointing,” Sarah confirmed. “Understandable, but it’s sort of… weak. From a design perspective. It’s like this zone is only half-finished, tailored to push us towards dealing with the conflict so we can go.”

A middle-aged man with the spark of adventure still smoldering behind his eyes called out to the siblings. “Hail! Hey! Wait, stop!”

More so out of surprise than anything else, they stopped at his urgings. The man wore thin and frayed leather armor. He wasn’t carrying a sword, but a bandolier of darts was strapped across his body.

“You must be another one of the warriors,” Jay noted. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Jay, and this is my sister Sarah.”

“You flatter me, sir,” the newcomer stated, slightly breathless from the haste he made approaching them. “But no, just an old man who’s been told to stay out of trouble. I’m a woodworker, but the guard duty has gotten thin. I sneak away sometimes to explore.”

The man’s level showed only 25. Jay bit back his stinging remarks that the newcomer was probably better off staying safe. The island could eat him alive.

“Oh, I nearly forgot to introduce myself,” the man said. “I’m Olar.”

“Find anything interesting out there, Olar?” Sarah inquired. Her angle was to seek out another quest.

He looked Sarah up and down, a flash of recognition passing over his face. “You’re those people who are going to take care of the crocodile problem once and for all, aren’t ya!?”

“We usually go by Jay and Sarah,” Jay chuckled. “But yeah. I guess that’s us.”

“Why do you ask?” Sarah pushed.

Olar gave them both an appraising inspection this time. He was clearly trying to determine whether or not he could trust the siblings. “On my most recent adventure, I stumbled upon something pretty interesting. There’s a tunnel hidden underneath one of the other oasis areas. I noticed this big hole, so I got closer, of course. Well, I thought I heard something moving around in there. You should figure out whatever it is and slay the beast! Just bring me back something cool.”

Olar started to scrawl together a map, showing how to get to the other oasis from the hidden Dissimu alligator village. Jay was glad the troublemaking adventurer had decided to lean on the side of trusting them. A new quest notification popped up.

System Message: Quest Offered! Something Cool. Olar the Rambunctious has given you the location of an unknown monster residing somewhere on the island. Slay the beast and find a trophy to bring back to him.

“We’ll look into it,” Jay confirmed, which was enough to accept the quest. The new task popped into his log.

From there, Olar prattled on unceasingly about what sort of monster might be hiding in the oasis tunnel. Sarah managed to slowly disengage her and Jay from the conversation, which Jay was immensely grateful for.

The gear search had been a bust, but the party was sporting several new quests. The crocodile quest, at least, would be an easy boost to something they were doing anyway: murdering any crocodile they saw. Jay also remained hopeful that the oasis tunnel Olar had marked would lead to another elite island monster.

After returning to camp, Jay assigned himself two tasks before the remaining party members came online for the grinding session. The first was to cook more crocodile meals to be utilized during the grinding session. He made them differently this time, testing out different spices based on the tips he had gotten from the cook earlier that day.

The second and more important task was to farm another batch of local herbs. This batch was for the singular purpose of raking in tons of gold Prints in rare ingredients once Jay was back on the mainland.