The sunlight greeted the land with its warmth, causing a certain woman to wake from her bedroll. Cookie had gotten up in the morning all of her life, and being inside the game didn't change things. As soon as the sunlight warmed her face, she woke up. This morning, however, differed from the one before. Today, she did not need to be quiet. She got up and walked to each of her party member's bedrolls, gently shaking their shoulders to stir them from their slumber.

The party had camped out in the clearing from the previous night. They had been offered to sleep at Grunk's base, but the place was already crowded. Not to mention their bedrolls couldn't be used anywhere inside of town, including the interior of buildings.

"I still have some berries from yesterday. It isn't much, but a morning snack is better than nothing." Cookie grabbed her bag, messing with the menu system until all of her berries appeared.

Lucas and Raven sat up with a groan, and Tony turned over in his bedroll.

"Oh, come on now. You told me to wake you all up. We have to get to work!" Cookie went to the kobold's bedroll and flipped the cover over, exposing him to the cool morning air. "Eat these, it'll help you wake up." She placed berries into Tony's hands, his eyes half opened. "You two, take your share." A portion was given to Lucas and Raven, their eyes mostly open.

"Ugh, too tired." Tony groaned, eating his handful of berries in one go.

"We need to get moving, is all." Lucas stood up, popping a few berries into his mouth.

Raven did the same, eating some berries as she got up. "We were up late. I'll need a few minutes before I can function."

"Gosh, it's not even that early." Cookie checked her pocket watch. "It's only seven-thirty."

"Yeah, but we didn't go to sleep till one!" Tony grumbled, pulling the bedroll cover back onto himself.

"Wait, is it really?" Lucas's eyes opened fully, crouching down to roll up his bedroll and store it in his backpack. "We have to be at the plaza by at least eight. The goal is to start serving food at noon."

"That's a whole half hour... We can sleep five more- Hey!" Tony exclaimed, his bedroll pulled out from under him. He sat up on the grass and looked up at the bedroom snatcher.

"The sooner you move around, the quicker you will wake up." Cookie shook the bedroll, then rolled it up in her arms, buckling it together and setting it down in front of Tony.

Raven stretched, then did the same with her bedroll. "I'm not a morning person, and I complain less than you."

Tony got up, flipping his bag open and tossing his bedroll into it. "I don't usually get up this early!"

"Neither do I, but we have to start as soon as possible." Lucas finished his morning snack, then secured his pack onto his back. "Think of it this way. The quicker we get going, the sooner we can have lunch."

There was one last groan from the kobold before the group grabbed their things and headed off. The walk to the town gate took roughly ten minutes, and once inside, a Lodestone teleported them right outside the plaza. Grunk and his team were already waiting for them, waving as he stood on the fountain's edge. Lucas’s party had to be careful navigating through the area. People were lying on the cobblestone. Most were still asleep, though a small group was awake and waiting near the fountain.

"I hope we didn't keep you waiting for too long." Lucas said once he reached Grunk.

"Nah, you're good. We haven't been here long, and we have a shorter trip to get here." Grunk waved off the other's concern. "I still can't believe you all sleep outside in the forest."

"Camping is fun!" Cookie smiled, looking the most awake from her group.

"Camping is a necessary evil, but at least we have our sleeping bags or whatever they’re called." Tony yawned. "Are we going to get to work or what?"

Grunk smiled at the blue kobold. "Excited to get going?"

"Excited for lunch." Tony grumbled.

"Same thing!" Grunk chuckled. The Orc cleared his throat, then cupped his hands around the sides of his mouth. "Time to wake up!" The man roared, causing people to jump up. "If you agreed to volunteer last night, then get over here!" Grunk continued, groans filled the air as people tried to go back to sleep or begrudgingly stood up. "Even if you didn't offer to help, we are still accepting all the extra hands we can get!"

Everyone near the fountain covered their ears. The Orc could certainly project his voice. Grunk repeated his message, causing more people to get up. Some retreated from the plaza, but the majority came to join the Orc. "Sorry if I had to wake you up, but time is of the essence. The plan is to serve food by noon." Grunk motioned to the spot beside him on the fountain edge. "Art, why don't you explain the plan. You came up with it, after all."

Lucas glanced around, space being created for him to join the Orc’s side. "Uh, alright." He went forward and stepped up to stand on the fountain, turning around to face everyone. "Let's see.." The Draconian looked around the plaza to get his bearings.

"Tony and Scope are going to lead the fishers south to the nearby pond." He pointed straight ahead of him to the street. "You're going to catch as much fish as you can in three hours, then Tony and Scope will take you to the banquet hall to unload your fish. You'll then be on your own to fish and return your catches to the banquet hall."

The Draconian cleared his throat, growing more aware of all the eyes on him. "We will feed all volunteers before or at noon before opening to the public. If you're a fisher, please head over to the blue kobold and elf to head out." He waited as people broke away from the crowd, heading over to Tony and Scope, who stood at the street leading south. "Oh! One last thing. If there are fishers at the pond that aren't volunteers, let them know what we're doing, and that they can join."

Lucas turned to the rest of the crowd. "That goes for everyone. Please let others know we will start serving food to everyone at the banquet hall near the church from noon until eight." Once the fishing group had left, he continued.

"Botanists, we will break you up into four groups. Each group will head to a different gate and then be broken down into parties. Stay with your party and don't stray too far away from town. The forests around town are empty of monsters until you get about fifteen minutes away from town, where giant spiders hide in the treetops. If you run into one, run away or fight it as a group. They are more difficult than the rats you fought last night."

"As long as you don't stray too far from town, you'll be safe." He paused, motioning for Izzy, Cookie, and Raven to move out of the crowd. "For the first three hours, you'll only be foraging outside the west, east, and north gates. At eleven, you'll be going to the banquet hall to drop off everything you've foraged. You'll then be broken down into four groups for each gate." Lucas pointed to his right. "Botanists, head over to the three women over there to receive further instructions"

He paused, taking a few deep breaths as the crowd got a lot smaller. "For the chefs and carpenters that are left, we'll all be heading to the south gate. Carpenters, you'll be chopping down trees and collecting wood for an hour. You'll then take what you have gathered and return to the Carpenter Hall to craft plates and chopsticks. If you think you can manage it, then forks and spoons will be even better. We're hoping for at least a hundred plates and utensil sets, and they need to be at the banquet hall before eleven."

The Draconian cleared his throat. "Chefs, we'll all be foraging the best we can, since we won't have anything to cook until later. We're not botanists, but we can still find some ingredients. We'll get to the banquet hall thirty minutes before everyone else, so that I can teach you how to fillet a fish." He glanced to his right, seeing Izzy, Cookie, and Raven each departing with their own group of botanists. "Uh, I think that's everything." Lucas looked at the Orc.

"I couldn't have explained it better myself!" Grunk chuckled. "Alright, let's head out! If you have any questions, you can ask them on the way." The orc stepped down from the fountain, walking ahead to the street heading south.

Lucas hopped down and walked alongside the Orc. A quick glance behind him confirmed that the chefs and carpenters were following them.

"Hey, I got a question." A dark-skinned bunny with white furred ears jogged up to walk beside the Draconian. "You guys never said how long this is going to last. Did we all volunteer to help create a soup kitchen for a day, or is this for a few days?"

"Um, I guess we didn't mention that." Lucas glanced at the Orc.

"We're going to do this as long as we need to! A soup kitchen is a good way to put it. We're going to feed everyone so no one starves to death before they can safely log out." Grunk grinned. "I'm sure none of us thought we'd be working a job in this game, but we’re stuck here. We have to protect ourselves and everyone else here. By doing that, everyone gets to eat, and it gives us something to do instead of simply lying around town all day."

"So, we're going to do this again tomorrow?" The bunny asked.

Grunk nodded. "If we're still here, then yes!"

The bunny-man paused, then shrugged. "Eh, better than my normal job, I guess."

"I feel like I haven't even left my job." Lucas chuckled. "I work in a restaurant as a cook, and now here I am organizing a soup kitchen of all things."

Grunk slapped a hand down onto the Draconian's shoulder. "You're just the guy we need for this problem plaguing the town!"

"I guess so." Lucas said, head lowering slightly. "There's still a lot ahead of us."

Grunk patted his friend's shoulder, then pulled his hand back. "Yep. Good thing we have a plan and a lot of people to help us out."

"Any plan is better than no plan. Everyone has been chillin', waiting to get out. You guys are doing something to help everyone, and I respect that." The bunny-man chimed in.

Lucas glanced at the bunny chef, having forgotten the man was still there. "Thanks, guys. Let's stay positive." He looked ahead, the south wall coming into view.

With all the groups set loose, work had begun. The fishers cast out their lines, botanists and chefs scoured the forests, and carpenters swung axes to chop and break down trees. As time moved on, people who had fished the day prior returned to the pond, hoping to find the purple Draconian that had fed them. Instead, they saw even more people fishing.

Around ten o’clock, Lucas heard his name being called out. Following it led him to Tony, out on the dirt road.

"There you are! I knew you had to be around here somewhere." Tony said, lowering his cupped hands from his muzzle.

"Hey, why didn't you message me like we planned?" Lucas asked.

"I tried! The stupid player journal says you can't send messages unless you're in a town." Tony dropped his backpack to the ground.

"Really? That's a weird rule. So, you can only send messages when in town, or a safe zone, perhaps." Lucas pondered. "I wonder if people can get messages away from town if someone inside sent it."

"I don't know, dude! But I'm behind schedule because I couldn't find you." The kobold worked his pack's menu. "I have twenty fish here like you asked."

"Oh, yeah!" Lucas grabbed his backpack and crouched down, holding it open as fish were transferred to his inventory. "Thanks, Tony."

Tony stood up and slung his bag onto his back. "One of those better be cooked and waiting for me by the time I see you again!" He said before taking off, jogging back to the pond.

"Will do!" Lucas got up, watching the kobold for a moment, then returning to the trees. "Everyone, group up on me, we're heading out!"

The group of chefs returned to the town to make a stop at the cooking guild. Copper and silver coins were pooled together, buying out all ingredients the place offered. Thankfully, they could grab a decent amount of butter, oil, salt, and pepper. Lucas bought out these ingredients, and when Grunk tried to buy from the same NPC, suddenly the stock was full again. This was because some items were player specific. Each chef could buy a bowl of butter, a bottle of oil, and then two small bowls, one filled with salt, and the other pepper.

Their next destination was the banquet hall, a tall two-story brick building beside the town's church. Two arched oak doors led inside to the enormous dining room. Though the building was tall, it was only one floor with a sloped ceiling high above. Brass chandeliers with candles kept the room lit, along with colored glass windows installed high on the walls. Four columns of long, wooden tables with bench seating went back three rows. Each table could comfortably seat ten.

Lucas led his group to the back, parts of the kitchen visible through the serving hatches built into the back wall. "We're using the back door here for priority people, right?" He asked, motioning to the door on the right side. Further back was the kitchen door he walked to and held open.

"Yep, whoever has line duty will send them alongside the building to that door." Grunk answered, stepping aside to let the other chefs enter the kitchen before him.

With everyone in, Lucas closed the door and turned to his students. "Alright, we have to work quickly. Pay attention, do your best, and don't be afraid to ask questions or ask for help. I have to teach you all how to make a meal in a short amount of time, then we have to cook nonstop. I'm not expecting perfection. With that said, everyone grab a station." He motioned to the area behind everyone, waiting for them to spread out.

This kitchen was a lot nicer than the one in the building Grunk’s group were using for their base. The stoves were essentially the same, though they were much bigger. If the stove at the base was small, these were large. The stovetop could easily hold two large pots and a pan, and the oven had three wire racks, big enough to hold four fillets each. To the left of every stove was a countertop, and to the right, a full firewood holder. The back left and right corners held water barrels.

Lucas and Grunk took the first two stations on opposing walls, with Lucas's station equipped with a serving hatch. It was really feeling like work now. "Unload all your tools and ingredients, then meet up on me." He plopped his backpack onto the counter and retrieved his own supplies. A cooking knife, cutting board, cleaver, pot, pan, and then the fish, forageables and ingredients they had bought. With everything out, he then organized it. The pot and pan on the stovetop, cutlery neatly placed on the cutting board, and fish lined up. He then noticed the people crowded around him.

"Right." Lucas cleared his throat. "Okay, I will explain as I go." He grabbed a fish and placed it onto his cutting board, chopping off the head in one swing of his meat cleaver, a few chefs jumping from the sound. "You start with the head, which you won't have to worry about. I'm the only one with a cleaver, and it makes this quick and easy. So, I'll do this first step for you all." He said, tossing the head into his bag.

The Draconian continued his demonstration, removing the scales and guts. A few jabs caused the guts to disappear. The fish were then filleted and cut in half, for a total of four. "That's the hard work done, now to get it ready for the oven." He moved a bowl over, pulling the lid off to reveal the butter inside. A quick dip of two fingers collected some of the soft butter, which was then rubbed on both sides of the fish.

"Why are you using your fingers? That's not very sanitary." A female canine spoke up, one of her brown ears tilted downwards.

Lucas gave the outspoken chef a confused look for a few seconds. "It's... A game. There aren't germs or anything."

The female canine's eyes opened wide, her bent ear turning upright. "Oh, right. Sorry."

The Draconian gave a nod of his head, then turned back to the fish. "Like I said, give a light coating of butter on each side, and I mean light. We only have so much. When we run out, we'll start using the oil. With the olive oil, you'll want to dribble a small amount onto the fish and then spread it with your fingers." He paused, looking from the fish to the oven. "I thought I was forgetting something. We need to start the stoves."

Lucas knelt down as he opened the oven door, moving firewood into the bottom. "Thankfully, it doesn't take long to get this going, and it's easy. Get the bottom lined with firewood." He pointed to a red crystal embedded in the oven's bottom. "This right here seems to do all the hard work." The crystal was then covered by the last two pieces of wood needed to cover the bottom. "Once it's full of firewood, you close the door and..." He closed the door and knelt down, reaching underneath the stove.

"There is a knob you turn underneath. It'll click a few times, then you should hear the fire start." The Draconian explained. A few soft clicks followed, and then the sounds of crackling wood. He cracked the door. The bottom sides of the wood caught fire. "That's all there is to it."

Grunk shook his head. "I still can't believe Izzy figured out how to work that thing."

"It's a good thing she did." Lucas said, standing back up. "Chefs, get your ovens going. I'm going to get the heads removed from the rest of these fish, then you will prepare two fish and get them in the oven. After that, it's onto the side dishes."