The portal shimmered, and Paul could almost hear whispers calling to him from the other side. His tentacles tingled with the urge to dive straight in, but before he could, He Xiangu stepped into his path.

He had to admit he found her a little bit scary. She radiated a dangerous aura that prickled against his skin, like hot pins in cold water.

Her voice carried a low growl, though it was aimed at the Portalier, not at Paul.

“I am going to be brutally honest. I did not sign up for this. I only accepted the invitation because I had slime  to deal with in the tower. I thought we would arrive to a ready-made feast, eat it, and be gone. Now you tell me about some vague rift and give us four hours to portal-hop through strange worlds to collect ingredients.”

She elbowed Hunter in the ribs. “I know you are a half-full-glass kind of guy, but since when do we take dangerous missions with this little information?”

Hunter scratched his nose, thinking. “She has a point. We do not know anything about the worlds we are going to, apart from their names. And we know even less about each other. If we are forming an adventure party, we should at least know what everyone can do.” His gaze slid to Paul, doubtful.

Hunter straightened his shoulders and tried to look taller. “In the worlds He Xiangu and I come from, we are powerful cultivators.”

He Xiangu gave him a sidelong look and crossed her arms. “I am a powerful cultivator with a demon bloodline. You still have a long way to go before you compare yourself to me.”

Binky grunted her disapproval. Her whiskers twitched and her purple glow flared outwards until Paul felt wrapped in it. It did not feel nice at all. It was like sweating on the inside and shrinking at the same time.

“I would wipe the floor with both of you, numbnuts,” she said. “I already told you, after nerdy goggles-guy I am the most powerful here. And Paul.” Her ears tilted towards him. “You seem sweet. You remind me of my younglings. But you are about as threatening as a bowl of jelly on legs. If your body survives the portal hop, something out there will finish you. I am not here to watch that.”

He Xiangu’s patience was clearly running out. Her gaze fixed on the Portalier.“If you are so powerful and you can drag us here, why do you not go and get the ingredients yourself?”

He clasped his hands behind his back. “There are rules I must follow. I wish I could say more. Think of me as an observer. GATO will be your guide. Together we will keep the worlds you travel through stable for the short time you are allowed to be there.”

Paul sidled past He Xiangu until he stood at the very front. His lights flickered nervously along his tentacles, but his voice stayed firm.

“No. I am small, but I am mighty. I am fast. I have a great memory. It has saved my life many times. My heart tells me I must go on this quest. I know the true ingredients. But I understand if any of you decide not to come. You are still my new friends.”

His little squid heart thumped hard in his little squid chest. He really did not want to go alone. But he had to be brave. Brave for Mina. Never give up hope. Maybe one day she would come back.

“I am sorry,” the Portalier said, adjusting his goggles. “Sometimes I forget not everyone sees what I see. GATO, please fill them in.”

GATO floated higher, ears twitching. “Shall I sugarcoat it or present the less appetizing version?”

The Portalier gave her a flat look. “Tell the truth. No false comfort.”

“As you wish, sir. Without any sugarcoating, the probability of quest failure is currently at thirty-seven percent.”

The Portalier sighed.

The cat-orb spun in a slow circle around the group, her pink eyes glowing brighter. “Please check your interfaces. I have updated them with world map statistics.”

Paul had no idea what she meant until a blue box popped into his vision. Words began to scroll across it.

“This is new. How exciting. It is like reading a brand new recipe from my favorite cookbook.” He waved a tentacle, and it passed through the box without resistance.

He Xiangu frowned. “By the demon scourge, have you never had a system before?”

“No. But I learn fast, and I never forget anything I see.” Her doubt made his lights dim for a moment, but he was sure he could win her over. He was a people person.

He read the glowing words.

Map / World Stats

Name: Tutorial World

Arrival Location: Bordertown

Ingredient Prediction: The Hooded Lady

Setting: A town that has seen better days. Mixed races from different worlds come here to train.

Hazards: Roaming goblins, horny goats, local law enforcement

Portal Close: 30 minutes

Paul swallowed. The world sounded a little scary. But he had new friends now. Together, they could get the first ingredient in no time.

He clasped his tentacles together.  “Now we know where we are going. Let us go. We do not want that nasty seasonal rift catching up to us.”

GATO sent out a hot pink scan over the group.  “I now have your vitals. My recommendation is to commit fully to the portal. No hesitation. A strong commitment increases the chance you will arrive on the other side in one whole piece. I also suggest you keep interactions with locals to a minimum unless they can help you acquire the ingredient.”

Binky’s upper paws curled into tight little fists. “Not big on small talk anyway. If anybody gets wise, I will throw them across the street to save walking time.”

The Portalier inclined his head.  “I appreciate your enthusiasm for violence, but please use good judgement. Only defend yourselves or your companions. Every moment you stay in a story world where you do not belong destabilizes that world. It is my responsibility to keep that risk acceptable.”

He Xiangu crossed her arms again and stepped toward the portal. “I am only going because I am not letting that little squid face certain death by himself.”

Paul puckered his lips and blew her a quick kiss. “You have a heart of gold. Thank you, Miss He Xiangu.”

Her lips twitched, as though she was trying not to smile. That tiny reaction was enough to lift Paul’s spirits. Even the grumpiest souls could find sunshine with a little help.

Huffing and puffing, feeling the strange weight of land under him, Paul reminded himself he was a brave squid. Then he closed his eyes and threw himself into the portal.

The world twisted. For a moment he felt like someone had grabbed all his thoughts and given them a hard shake. When Paul opened his eyes again, they went very wide.

“Ooooh. It is so big.”

Bordertown stretched around them, all crooked rooftops and dusty streets. He had only ever lived by the sea, where the air was wet and soft. Here the air was dry. His tongue went dry too, followed by a burning itch that started at the top of his head and spread across his whole body.

Hunter reacted immediately. He pulled a waterskin out of thin air and poured cool water over Paul’s head. Paul’s lights flickered in grateful blue.

Hunter smiled and lifted his hand, showing off a simple metal ring. “Storage device. Not a huge space, but enough for my weapons, snacks, and some loot items I earned in trials.”

The Portalier and GATO were nowhere in sight, but a system message blinked into Paul’s vision.

GATO: I have linked your interfaces so I can send you messages. For obvious reasons the Portalier and I must stay at a distance, but we have eyes on you at all times.

The Portalier: You have thirty minutes to retrieve the ingredient. If you fail to return to the portal before time runs out, there is nothing we can do for you.

Binky thumped her foot so hard the ground trembled. Several locals turned to stare. “Then why not just portal us right to the ingredient?” she snapped. “Feels like the obvious move.”

GATO: This tutorial world contains many dungeons fed by mana springs. They interfere with portal technology. This location is the closest I can safely place you without scrambling your insides.

The streets around them were busy with morning market shoppers. Carts rattled up and down the narrow road at a worrying pace. People from different races and worlds bargained, argued, laughed and shouted, their voices mixing with the smell of dust, sweat, cooking oil, and strange spices.

Hunter frowned at his map window. “The location name is ‘The Hooded Lady,’ but I cannot see it marked anywhere.”

He Xiangu snapped her fingers in front of him. “You will never find it that way. Follow me.”

She marched off through the crowd. Paul did his best to keep up. He was fast on his tentacles, but there were so many boots and hooves and wheels in the way.

“Do you want to hop onto my shoulder?” Hunter asked.

Paul only realized he was shaking when a splatter of his ink hit the road. “I might make a mess.”

“Nothing I cannot clean,” Hunter said. “Hop on, my friend.”

Paul wasted no time. He climbed up Hunter’s arm and settled on his shoulder. The view from up here was much better. Stalls lined the streets selling skewered meat, glowing crystals, rusty weapons, and jars of things that wriggled. The air was a swirl of color-smells: sharp yellow vinegar, smoky red spice, rich brown leather, and the dull gray dust of worn stone.

Binky’s small size meant not everyone noticed her until it was almost too late. That was not a problem for Binky. 

“Move it or lose it, toots,” she said at a slow-moving merchant. Paul wondered if she was using magic to make her voice louder, because people flinched and jumped out of the way. Or maybe it was just her punishing aura.

“Easy there, Binks,” Hunter said. “We do not want to cause a scene. Remember what the Portalier said.”

She opened her mouth for a snarky reply, then got bumped sideways and tumbled straight under the long skirt of a passing woman. The woman shrieked and yanked her hem up.

“Vermin,” she cried. “I have been assaulted by vermin.” She swayed and collapsed into the arms of her companion. He kicked twice at the spot where Binky had been, but He Xiangu blurred into motion, scooping the bunny up in a neat princess carry.

“My wife has been assaulted by a dungeon bunny,” the man yelled. “Are a woman’s undergarments not safe in this forsaken town? Someone call the sheriff.”

He Xiangu took off at a breakneck pace, Binky cradled against her armor. 

Hunter dashed after her. “Hold on tight, Paul.”

Paul clamped his tentacle suckers down extra tight around Hunter’s shoulder. Wind rushed past him, turning Bordertown into a streaky blur of colors and smells. Hunter caught up with He Xiangu just as she ducked into a narrow alley off the main square.

They slowed to a careful prowl. Shadows pooled between old brick walls. Less pleasant smells gathered here: sour brown ale, stale smoke, and a greenish tang of rot.

Binky was very, very cross. Paul could tell by the way her aura buzzed and by the stream of colorful language that spilled out of her. Mina used to call that a “sailor-uncle mouth,” and it always made her mother frown. To Paul, it looked like she was spewing a rainbow of rude words.

She stopped as soon as she noticed him watching.

He Xiangu set Binky down. The warrior’s aura shifted, turning sharp and cold. Her dark hair seemed to swallow what little light there was, and the colored rings in her eyes bled slowly towards red.

“Enough,” she said. “You are here to keep Paul safe. Start acting like it. You might be powerful, but you are not a one-bunny army. I have fought demons and humans in real wars. That attitude gets people killed.”

Something flickered in Binky’s glow. Her eyes went big and round for a second, sadness leaking through her stubborn stance. For a heartbeat she looked like she wanted to punch a hole in the world.

“Feck you, Princess,” she said quietly.

The flatness in her tone worried Paul more than the swear itself.

Hunter cleared his throat. “Well, I am lost,” he said, trying to sound light. He placed a hand carefully on He Xiangu’s shoulder, offering a warm smile. “We still need to find The Hooded Lady.”

She glanced at his hand as if deciding whether to bite it off, then let it stay. Hunter’s cheeks reddened. No one else seemed to notice, but Paul did.

Aw. He likes her.

He tucked that lovely thought away for later.

A tiny message pinged in his vision.

GATO: Time check. Twenty minutes remaining.

“How much further,” Paul asked.

“Just around the next bend,” He Xiangu gestured with her hand.

“Oh, good. We are nearly there. We will have plenty of time to get back to the portal.” Paul poured as much cheer into his voice as he could. He might not be able to punch a monster, but he could try to lift everyone’s spirits when they were cranky or sad. Just like Mina used to do.

The alley opened into a small, quieter side street. A wooden sign creaked overhead in the gentle wind. The words The Hooded Lady swung into view, painted in flaking silver.

Hunter fidgeted with his ring. He looked on edge. “Anyone else a little concerned by how easy this has been,” he asked. “The hazards mentioned goblins, horny goats, and local law enforcement.”

“Why do you think I ran with Binky when that drama queen called for the sheriff,” He Xiangu asked. “We both know men like that are usually as crooked as old nails.”

Binky stayed silent, ears low, as they approached the door.

He Xiangu paused and turned to them. “Quick plan. We play to our strengths. Binky tanks anything nasty that shows up. I am melee. Hunter is ranged. We cannot rely too much on our chi. The mana in this world is not aligned with cultivators.”

Hunter nodded. “We will need to be careful how we use the chi in our cores.”

Binky snorted. “I have a beast core. More flexible. I can channel this mana just fine. Sucks to be you two.”

He Xiangu ignored the jab with a look that said she would not rise to it.  “Paul, your low light vision and senses will be useful. The place looks dark. You are our early warning system.”

“Yes. I can do that.” Excitement made his lights flare, and a glob of ink flew from his tentacles, splatting on Binky’s nose. She twitched her whiskers and wiped it away.

“Be glad I am not a white bunny, kid,” she said, then hopped after He Xiangu and Hunter. Paul stayed perched on Hunter’s shoulder.

Inside, the tavern was very quiet. Empty tables, abandoned tankards, and a handwritten sign on the bar read: Back in five minutes.

Paul clapped his tentacles with ease. “We can wait five minutes.”

“We cannot,” Binky said. “Nothing ever goes to plan. We need to save time for the trip back. We just help ourselves to the lichen berries.” 

She hopped onto the bar. Her nose twitched. “There must be a pantry. I can smell fruit.”

A low growl rolled out from a dark corner.

Paul’s tentacles snapped tight around Hunter’s neck. The sound reminded him of a very angry dog. Or a wolf. He had seen a wolf once. Once had been enough. His bones would have rattled if he had any. Instead his whole body shook as Hunter tried gently to loosen his grip.

From the shadows, a bone white creature crept forward. A skeleton, moving on four legs, claws clicking on the boards. Green fire burned in its eye sockets.

Because he was so scared, it took Paul a moment to understand what he was looking at.

“Relax, you lot,” Binky said. “It is just a skelly dog. I have used their bones as toothpicks to clean my teeth.”

Paul did not doubt it. He was very glad she was on their side. If the skelly dog’s bite was worse than its bark, she would handle the dead beast.

He Xiangu lifted her hands, palms open. “We mean you no harm,” she said in a calm voice. 

“We are passing through and looking for ingredients to trade.” She flicked a look at Hunter, as if telling him to back her up.

He flushed, his smile stretching a little too wide. “Hey there, nice doggo. How about a nice juicy bone?”

The dog only growled louder. Its paws clinked on the floor as it crept closer, eyes blazing brighter.

“What are you doing,” He Xiangu hissed under her breath. “I thought you had experience with animals. Did you not once deal with those three headed underworld hounds?”

“That was a while ago,” Hunter replied, still smiling hard. “And they were alive at the time.” He pulled a stick from his ring. “Want to play fetch?”

He threw the stick. The skelly dog watched it bounce off a table and land on an empty stool. The undead beast  did not move.

A scraping sound came from a side door behind the bar. It swung open and another skeleton stepped out. This one was upright, dressed in a fancy suit like a butler, with a towel draped over one arm. Its skull turned towards the stick. It wagged a bony finger at the group, walked over, picked up the stick, wiped the stool with the towel, then patted the dog on the head as it passed.

The dog’s tail wagged, bones rattling, and it let out a bark that sounded like a pup gargling hot stones. Paul still thought it was cute.

Hunter bowed, though his eyes stayed locked on the skeletal butler.  “I am so sorry about that. My name is Hunter, and we are here to trade for some lichen berries we heard you keep in this…”

He straightened, glancing around the dusty taproom.

“…fine establishment.”

Silence stretched uncomfortably across the room. Everyone shifted except Paul. Long quiet pauses were common back home, so he barely noticed.

“Maybe he speaks a different language,” He Xiangu said. “I learned many undead tongues growing up in the demon underworld.”

She slipped seamlessly into another language, her voice rolling like smoke. Paul didn’t understand a word, but he could have listened to her speak like that for hours. When she wasn’t frowning or scolding someone, she wasn’t half as scary. He could see exactly why Hunter liked her.

The skeletal butler didn’t react. The skelly dog eventually lost interest and wandered away with a clink-clink of bone paws.

Hunter tried again, louder this time, and with huge hand gestures, as if shouting and waving might magically fix the language barrier. Paul almost giggled but pressed his tentacles to his beak. It wasn’t kind to laugh when someone was trying so hard.

Paul whispered, “GATO, can you scan the skeleton?”

A soft blue box blinked into his vision.

[Scan Complete]

Name: OG

Type: Undead Servitor

Role: Skeleton Butler

Hostility: Low unless threatened

Speech: Non-verbal

Bound to: Sam Evans

Before he could announce it, a sudden chill swept over him.

At first he blamed nerves.

Then the cold deepened until it felt like someone had turned the whole room into a walk-in freezer — just like the magic one back in his cottage.

“Ooooooo…”

The sound drifted through the air like a sad sigh.

Paul straightened, swiveling around on Hunter’s shoulder. “What was that?”

Hunter blinked. “What was what?”

“Oooooo…”

This time it came from the wall itself — faint, but definitely real.

“It sounds like someone is in pain,” Paul whispered. “It is coming from the wall. Can you still not hear it?”

Hunter shrugged. Binky and He Xiangu both shook their heads.

“The wall is in pain,” Binky said, frowning so hard her whiskers quivered. “Paul, kid… are you sure you’re okay?”

Before he could answer, the sound swelled.

Everyone turned as the wall by the side door bulged outward. Something pressed from the inside, shaping the boards like stretched cloth.

With a soft pop, a translucent figure spilled out into the room.

A ghost — pale blue, humming with soft light. He had razor-sharp teeth, but the smile he wore was friendly and oddly comforting. His tattered leather apron floated around him like seaweed.

Paul waved excitedly. “Hi Mister Ghost. I am Paul.”

The ghost wiggled his fingers in return.

“Ooooo. I am a ghost,” he said in a singsong voice that immediately made Paul like him.

Binky crossed her arms. “What’s your name? And while you’re at it, care to explain who Mr. Bones and Fang-Face over there are?”

“Ooooo, I’m Gary the Ghost,” he said with pride. He drifted toward OG and tapped his bony shoulder. “This here is OG. He works here. Not much of a talker. And that lovable mutt earlier was Barkley. Isn’t he adorable?”

He Xiangu lifted a brow. “Thank you for the introductions. I am He Xiangu. Hunter is with me. The little ones are Binky and Paul. We need to be quick. It is life or death, and we have a ticking clock.”

“Ooooo, everything is life or death around these parts,” Gary said with a translucent smile. “I understand. The owners of The Hooded Lady are off dungeon-delving at the moment.”

Hunter looked at the sign, then back at Gary. “When will they be back? The sign says five minutes.” 

Binky grunted. “It’s been way longer than that.”

Hunter winced. “I don’t want to raid their pantry behind their backs.”

“Hey, maybe I can help,” Gary said. “OG won’t respond to your commands. Only to his summoner’s. But he will follow mine.”

He Xiangu leaned forward. “What do you need from him?”

Paul perked up. “Lichen berries.”

Gary floated in a slow thoughtful loop.

“Ooooo… lichen berries. Not sure we have any left. But let’s go check the pantry.”

Paul’s bioluminescent freckles flickered with excitement. He hoped with all his might that the first ingredient was waiting just behind that door.