A barrage of options was on her plate, jumping on her all at once as the sky opened up and called all the other players in the area to their front yard.

"I will show you the insides of the houses and what everything inside is used for, yes. First, could you open your messages and look in our party chat, and then read what the others are saying?"

Ven nodded and pulled up her own Red Box, tapping away at it and then stopping to read the text the others had left in the party chat. "Luke and Violet are apologizing for their demise. They want to know if we've succeeded - we have - and if we are okay. They want to know our next steps."

"And what are our next steps, Ven, Queen of Sweetstay?"

The Mage brought her hands to her face and absolutely vibrated with glee. She had to force herself to remember that breathing was vital. She sucked in a deep breath of necessary air before responding. "I don't know," she said loudly, as if to make up for her indecisiveness with sheer volume.

"The data I have acquired on Queens is that they kidnap unsuspecting humans to keep in their dungeon, and that they rule the land they are in. I am reconsidering whether I wish to be a Queen, or whether I simply wish to practice winning more land for when I exact my revenge on the Violet Queen." Ven fiddled with the edge of her sleeve, soft and silky against her skin in a way nothing had ever been before. This was hers too.

"Then what do you wish to do next, Ven, Land Winner of Sweetstay?" As she asked, Nikola counted how many Minor Potions she had left. The answer was one.

The pillar in the sky was solidifying.

Time was running out as they spoke. Tick, tock.

"I told you," Ven stated, "I wish for you to show me the insides of the Sweetstay houses and the function of the things inside of them."

"Ah," Nikola nodded. "I am distracted. Just a moment as I process something."

She considered asking Ven to accompany her to the Dungeon or Challenge Room that had spawned, but decided against putting her in such a very dangerous position - even if the Mythical Card had suggested an NPC could only die at the hands of another NPC.

No, she told the prompt in her menu asking her if she wanted to be the new Ruler of Sweetstay.

It asked her, then, if she wanted to give the privilege to somebody else in her party.

[Yes.]

She selected Vengelica from the list of options.

[You have chosen to allow Vengelica the option to be the Ruler of Sweetstay.]

"Ven, please check your Red Box."

Vengelica did as she was asked, and on her red rectangle was a prompt asking her if she wanted to be Sweetstay's new owner.

As she took in the words, she bit her lip harder and harder. What a gleeful thing this was. The feeling of ownership flowed through her veins and she liked it. She clicked the Yes option with the force of a woodpecker.

"I have told the game I do wish to be the owner of Sweetstay."

"Then remain here and fix the damage we've done to the village. Become acquainted with the villagers and follow them, and witness them as they enter their homes and use the things inside them. It can be great fun." Nikola grinned knowingly, darkly, at all the fun Ven was about to experience.

"I will return."

"Where are you going?" She blinked her wide scarlet eyeballs at her.

"I am going to the Dungeon or Challenge Room that is currently descending. You are to remain here and do as I told you, and tell Luke and Violet that you are waiting for them in Sweetstay."

Ven's eyes narrowed, and she shrugged with an expression Nikola couldn't read. The Mage was becoming impressively skilled at social deception in such a short time, such that Nikola was already having a hard time parsing what she was thinking or feeling. "Why?"

"Because we must retain our early lead while we still have it," she stated matter-of-factly.

"When you return, I will tell you what I have learned of the villager's objects."

"I would like that," Nikola said with a smile. She checked her health bar; it was 73 percent full.

Ven was already typing away at her Red Box with impressive speed, picking the keys even more quickly than she could speak the words she was inputting. Whatever she was doing, it had taken priority over seeing her off any longer.

Nikola set out for the beam. She had her own screen up as she sprinted in its direction, checking for details on what was ahead of her.

This time, she would be facing a Challenge Room that would test her based on her stat totals and her ability to maneuver, but it didn't elaborate on what kind of Challenge was in her future. Perhaps that would be too easy.

It did, however, offer that the prize for winning would be a Legendary Weapon. She didn't know of what sort, but since they had a Rogue, Archer, Mage and Warrior in their party, chances are they would be able to use it.

But the weapon wasn't the only reason she was speeding toward her potential death. The opportunity to feel blood instead of drying spit against her face lay just behind the bright light of the column leading to the heavens. She would be able to unleash her murderous instincts unfettered, without having to worry about the wills of her party members. And Luke's mother would benefit from her choice. She made sure that their EXP share was still set to Lowest First, and it was.

She was about to get them a whole lot of EXP, and Luke's mother a whole lot of Credits.

Nikola noticed how very close she was to Flapnap as she peered at her map again. The pillar was just between the Violet Queen's doorstep and their newly acquired village.

The Butcher climbed a hill close to her destination and before she got to the top, she could hear the voices of hundreds of Players, the noises swarming around her like bees. But as she saw them, she could see how many foes were there, clustered in groups. There were some standing on their own, apart from the bunches of adventurers - solo players that were as bold or stupid as she was in that moment.

It was very possible that she would die on this outing. Nikola looked at the possibility with a fair amount of curiosity. She was both a Player and an NPC, so which of the two would she die like? A part of her wanted to find out, and she could only hope that part would be strong enough to remain if she did get eliminated, in her NPC or Player form.

There were Players in Gold Armour, Silver Armour, and tons and tons of sets she didn't recognize. Many were flashy like hers, with its spikes and red cape, but not so practical. There were some mostly-exposed tiddies in the crowd, along with other sections of the female anatomy that stayed covered in her small hometown.

She saw a sea of her own potential murderers, but also her potential victims. Soft, fleshy humans with capillaries and veins waiting to be coaxed open by her cleaver. So many of them claimed to be ready for a Killing Game, but folded quickly upon being on the receiving end of a decisive strike from somebody who know what they were doing, knew which tendons to sever.

"Are... you Nikola Brightdark?"