Morning came with the smell of breakfast, Allen startled awake finding herself bound and gagged before she realised someone put her down inside the wagon and covered her with a blanket up to her ears, a short struggle set her free and the smells of cooking food drew her out.

Another small panic with her slinged BoomBoy holding her back but she picked it up, checked that her CuteLass was still at her hip and moved up to the front seat where Chess was brewing something on a tiny magical stove.

"Good merning lassy" Chess said stifling a yawn, "you slept so hard I called a healer when we finally stopped", taking a whiff from the brew, "chilly beans with doomsday pepper mix, best breakfast this side o the mountain", snickering at his own joke, "gimme some bowl and I'll fill ya in", searching in her inventory she finally found a 'decorated bowl' and Chess whistled in appreciation, "nice family treasure you got there" then in a whisper "wanna tell me about it?".

 "It's just something I found in my travels", Allen's attempt to diffuse the conversation only seemed to spark something in Chess.

"And you travelled much?", A glint sparkling in his eye, "seen many treasures?", his focused gaze making her uncomfortable, "maybe you have some unfinished business", he pried, "a sister to rescue?", before she could reply "a brother to avenge?" He asked.

Then Allen figured it out, Chess was prompting her for a NPC quest for the source of the gilded bowl, she knew how NPC did it, but hers was a special case, even having a Player class with stats and skills, but she started as a summoned ghost, her first action was to turn off her visual prompts, did it benefit her in any way other than not having the annoying popups?

Did she ever do that before as a NPC played by the convict Allen?

Of course not, that would make her lose a ton of credits she needed to get out of jail, what made her do it this time when she didn't have a Player running a game character?

"Hey", Chess growled at her, "answer me lass", pinching her out of her reverie, "what's gotten into you"

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Wiping her forehead and looking up and back at him, Allen had a strange feeling of being onto something important but unable to act on it at the moment he filed it away and enabled prompts, "sorry, I was distracted, what was the first question again?"

"Wanna tell me about that bowl?" He repeated with a strange interest.

< "It's just something I found in my travels" accepted, quest initiated for 500 credits>

She picked the answer "It's just something I found in my travels" and didn't receive the credit a secind time.

"And you travelled much?", Chess knew how the game was played and did his part.

 <"I come from a land beyond the sea" 30 credits>

<"Can I tryst you to keep my secret?" 50 credits>

<"I don't remember" break quest chain -200 credits>

"Can I trust you to keep my secret?", Allen whispered in fake fright to get the highest reward but also because it had piqued her own interest.

"Sure can lassie" he answered in a lowered tone.

<"I come from the stars" 50 credits>

<"I come from a different dimention" 75 credis>

<"I am a princess of a ruined kingdom" break quest chain -100 credits>

"I come from a different dimention", Allen wasn't sure whre this quest was taking him but it really didn't matter at this point in time.

"And how can we go back to your home?" He was a pro gamer and wasn't phased for a second

<"The road is be long and full of dangers 50 credits>

<"You must gather these materials" list added in appendix#2 75 credits>

<"It will take an army to break the siege on my home" 150 credits>

Taking her time to review the answers Allen decided to take a chance on a possible break of the chain, "I need you to trust me and not say anything until I'm done", causing him to raise an eyebrow, "we can try to go by ourselves to an existing portal", quickly adding as the text flickered off her vision, "or gather resources to open one", then apprehensively, "or gather an army to break a siege", her mouth was dry as she spoke out of character, like she was fighting some base instinct to play the game and she was losing the fight.

Looking him straight in the eye and nodding she raised her finger, then two, and finally three fingers, on the second go he nodded for the gathering quest.

"You must gather these materials and bring them to me, ten mithril bars, a scroll of summon elemental, seven mana crystals, vial of blessed water from the temple of Nasir, two magical shortsword and an iron bath"

"Give me one month and I'll get it", he answered, "where can I find you to deliver the stuff?"

"I will find a home in this town" she said, "you can find me there"