The barge rocked gently in the evening tide, lanterns glowing against the incoming fog. Ashlander stood at the prow, hands braced on the tiller, eyes scanning the dark water. Kaiden and Naō boarded with six other players, each in their own mismatched party attire—Botanist, Chemist, Guardner, Arboreaper, Reaper.

  Someone in chat typed: [Local]: “So, anyone else’s FPS tanking in this mist, or is it just me?”

  A Guardner with a spiked bark helmet snorted. “Get off Wi-Fi, bro.”

  A Botanist waved, bright flowers blooming from her wrists. “If we wipe, I’m blaming lag, not the DPS.”

  Naō grinned. “You all actually read the patch notes for this zone?”

  Ashlander just muttered, “You’ll see,” and twisted the tiller. The barge lurched forward, foam bubbling at the hull. The city lights of Port Thalos faded behind them.

  Fog closed in, thick as wool. Lanterns revealed only snatches of water and tangled kelp. Kaiden stood at the port rail, scythe slung on his back, Photosphere pulsing quietly under his cloak. Chat pinged with the first alert:

  [Warning: Hostile Activity Detected]

  From the gloom, thick green ropes uncoiled. Kelpcoil Eels erupted over the rail, snapping serrated fronds at the nearest player. A Chemist tossed a glowing flask; green smoke flared, dissolving two eels at once.

  Kaiden swept his scythe in a low arc.

  [Critical Hit: -134]

  A Botanist player called, “Pop your anti-root if you’ve got it!”

  Naō was already hurling a vial—Mistbreaker Draught—dispelling pollen dropped by a hovering Brineblossom Drifter. Its flower-lily body hovered above, raining toxic mist. A Guardner shielded half the party with a wall of interlocking thorns.

  “Can I loot the fronds, or do we need them for the trial?” one Arboreaper asked.

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  “Leave it. Adds incoming!” shouted the Botanist.

  Kaiden slashed an eel in half, breathing hard as the first wave retreated. Chat exploded with loot rolls, emojis, and jokes about RNG.

  Ashlander, stone-faced, rammed the tiller hard, pushing their barge ahead. The local chat was filled with banter and good-natured trash talk.

  Quiet fell after some time, broken only by the slosh of water. The party shared stories, one Chemist complained about grind rates, a Guardner traded tips on “not dying in root traps,” and another Reaper tried to get Kaiden to admit if he was really a dev alt.

  Kaiden ignored the PMs, focusing on the trail ahead. Naō nudged him. “You realize your clip from the last raid is up to 40k views?”

  Kaiden just shook his head. “Let’s focus.”

  A sudden jolt rocked the barge. Something massive twisted out of the water, a colossal Brinebarrow Mangrove, roots splaying like kraken arms, trunk pulsing with glowing seed pods.

  [Boss Encounter: Brinebarrow Mangrove]

  Roots whipped across the deck. Kaiden dove, rolling under a lashing branch.

  “Break the pods!” shouted a Botanist.

  Naō hit the closest pod with a vial; it exploded in a cloud of steam, temporarily stunning a mangrove arm.

  Kaiden’s Torrent Mode activated. He and an Arboreaper double-teamed another pod, water and wind slashing in sync. Acidic sap splattered the planks. A Guardner blocked a trunk slam, their HP bar dipping fast.

  “Hold the heal, Botanist!” someone yelled.

  After a frantic few minutes, the last pod burst, flooding the mangrove with light. The boss recoiled, roots shredding as it sank into the surf. Loot windows popped up—Brinebarrow Husk, Tide-Seed, Salt Blossom Nectar.

  [EXP gained | Loot Distributed]

  Players spammed emotes and thanks in chat.

  The fog thinned, revealing the black coral shore and ruined silhouette of Fort Blackcoral. Ashlander brought the barge to a grinding halt at the battered dock.

  He disembarked first, hood low. “Crow’s last crew ran this route. He’s deeper in, but the coral’s a maze. Word is, he’s making moves with a new group. You want him, find the tunnels, and don’t get caught by root traps.”

  A Botanist waved a vine. “GG, all. See you in the forums!”

  Naō clapped Kaiden on the shoulder. “You ready?”

  Kaiden watched party members scatter toward the looming coral towers. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  As they stepped off the dock, wind howled over the bone-white reefs. Somewhere ahead, the truth waited.