“Looks like it’s time to take these merits and cash in,” Lucas said as he read the pop-up and the list of gains. He had hoped for a more useful item, feeling that the Bobble Bubble Helmet would be completely useless on an island with only a few lakes here and there and no monsters of significance in any of the lakes, but he shrugged it off. Either my roll was bad, or the loot gods know best.

“I love when you talk dirty to me, boss,” Bonnie cooed sarcastically. “That sweet smell of extra money and loot from completing a tough quest, it’s going to be wonderful.”

“I hate agreeing with the greedy gal, but I do love some fine post-battle booty,” Nick said. “I hope I get a shield. Those shields the Alfars were using were great.”

The two of them kept their conversation going about what they wanted, but Lucas was occupied with what the line “in front of the eyes of those you saved” meant. His right lip curled upward as he considered exactly how he was going to get out of the town intact with his cargo in tow. Web of Deceit was probably one of the best items for Bonnie’s class, and with the right application, it would help him with sneaking in and out of town. Unfortunately, he didn’t know the layout of the town yet, and his prisoner was almost guaranteed to go screaming.

He also had Meddling Minds, which he’d be able to use often again now that his Arcane Energy had recovered, but the system was holding his experience hostage until he had his audience with the king. This meant that he didn’t have any additional points to dump into Arcanum or Charisma, which would have let him ensure the princess’s cooperation if only for a while. Truth be told, he wasn’t even positive exactly how she would react under the spell. He had only ever used it in combat situations where there were clear enemies around to target. Without anything to attack or defend, his puppet might very well do nothing at all. Furthermore, even if he were able to use Meddling Minds, it would be hard to convince players to try and rescue her if she appeared to be a willing victim.