“You played C&C?” Bonnie asked, and she sounded somewhere between skeptical and disgusted.

“Yeah, what of it?” Nick said. “I like games that use my mind more than my reaction speed.”

“Nothing. I just . . . Never mind.” Bonnie just shook her head and fell silent rather than throwing out the barb Lucas had expected.

“I—” Katie started to speak up, but before she could get her second word in, Viola loudly continued.

“That’s right! That’s right! See? Nick’s a good villain: he’s thinking creatively. We just need to figure out how to design a dungeon that lets each type of class shine, and you”—she stared directly at Lucas—“need to figure out how to get some monsters.”

“That shouldn’t be hard. The last time he needed a monster to sign a contract, he just fed her some NPCs and then threatened to torture her for hours,” Nick said. “It was super effective.”

“Even scared me a little,” Bonnie added, her floating head bobbing along. “But not as much as he—”

“Easy, you dirty, old lecher,” Nick said, cutting her off and receiving a sharp glare from Bonnie.

“I’d like to see a forest monster . . . something that can let my fox eyes shine,” Bonnie said wistfully, changing the topic. “I mean, instead of dirty Imperium guards, something big and mossy or— Oh! Something tree themed. That’d be great.”

Beastmen like Bonnie were known for having varied advantages based on their hybrid. Were-Foxes were known for having either physical speed boosts at the cost of Stamina or an advantage in sight and reflexes. Since Bonnie’s skin was clearly visible, and she lacked the copious amounts fur that typically came with the increased Stamina-usage penalty that many had, it was clear she was of the latter type.

“Something weaker to magic too,” Viola said. As an Alfar, her race boosted magic in exchange for a penalty to physical abilities. “Especially since the Humans in the Imperium, unlike nearly every other race, have no magic weakness at all.”

Lucas nodded. From the Mere people to the were-people to the subterranean Dwarves or even the Alfar, every race had a weakness—a very crucial weakness that could be exploited by a savvy player. “Right. So, what we need is something that is weak to magic and more forest-like but that can still somehow fit in my manor?”

“Also, umm—” Katie began, but Bonnie cut her off.

“We could plant trees!” Bonnie exclaimed. “There are plenty around here. All we have to do is get some of the farmers in your area to help move them. We could use them to direct the players as they enter the mansion, like walls. If a player doesn’t come inside via underground, they have to either go through a miniature forest or through all of your guards, who will be conveniently sitting at the gate! Wouldn’t that be great, boss?”