For a moment, Lucas wondered whether or not she was going to simply kill everyone on her own and if Meddling Minds was even needed. Then, before he had to make a decision, her twisting attack abruptly came to an end.

“Diiizzzzzzzyyyyyyyy . . .” The tip of her sword dragged across the ground as she slowed to a stop, and she clutched her head with her free hand. “So dizzzy. I didn’t drink last night, did I? Why . . . am I so dizzy?” Her voice sounded off as she stumbled about aimlessly.

My quest! Lucas was the only one who seemed to see any urgency. “Smash, pick her up and put her behind you!” Lucas ordered.

“Why?” Smash asked.

Before Dennings could recover, one of the players rushed forward and stabbed her right above her hip.

“I’ll give you a . . .” Crap, what do monsters like? “I’ll give you an eyeball after!”

“Mmm! Eyeballs!” Smash finally moved and did exactly as Lucas ordered, stepping forward and batting aside the player that had stabbed Dennings as if he were an annoying gnat. The man flew back into the hallway, and there was a loud crack as his head collided with the stone wall and burst open. Smash then picked up Dennings, set her behind the line of guards where Rowland was, and her fawning husband instantly healed her wound.

“So dizzy, Ro-Ro,” she said, collapsing into Rowland’s arms.

And there goes our Healer and our doom wheel, Lucas thought with a sigh. He had paused his channeling of Meddling Minds the moment Dennings slowed down, but now that she was safe, he began again.

The spell went off a moment later, and the man holding the two-handed maul raised his weapon up and then brought it down on the closest villager. The maul cracked the man’s head open like an unfortunate fruit. The player then continued on to repeat the maneuver three more times.

Everyone around him was briefly stunned except for two villagers, who reacted by running him through with pitchforks. They were joined by a dozen of their closest comrades a moment later, quickly reducing the maul-wielding player to a bloody pincushion.

“Crap! That wizard got our friend, Deergah! I’ve heard about that one on the forums! He’s the Enchanter that captured the princess! Kill him first!” one of the players, a red-robed Mage, shouted. “It’s the one who looks fancy! Kill him before he gets you too!”

Before Lucas could even hope to cast another spell, an Earth Spike appeared under him, forcing him to jump back.

“Smash, please! FREAKING SMASH!!” Lucas pleaded. The Archers couldn’t shoot over the peasants, but spells like Earth Spike, Rock Lob, and Raining Icicles started to build up around Lucas, forcing a quick retreat. While managed to dodge the first five or six spells, the seventh Earth Spike manifested right underneath where he had intended to move. The sharp point burst up from the floor, through his boot and into his foot, rooting him in place and dealing 97 damage.