Bawk, the rooster shared with the Party.

  Oh neat, there’s another threshold at 200 Attribute points, good to know, Bridget responded. Not that I’ll hit it in anything but Dexterity any time soon: being tiny sucks sometimes.

  It’s a shame that we don’t have sufficient rewards to get all of your Attributes over 200, Phatagin mused, hoping that Charlemagne wouldn’t notice that this technically wasn’t true. Why don’t you check your class choices again and see if any have been changed?

  Charlemagne asked the Squiggles about his Attributes instead. Unlike his Party, they always answered the question that he asked, not the question that they wished to answer.

  After taking a look at his reward options, Charlemagne ran off without a word.

  What’s going on, boss? Bridget called as he screeched to a halt in front of the object he was seeking. It was the remaining half of the Dungeon boss. Like the corpse of the Bald Bull, Charlemagne wanted the System to make an item out of it for him. He let the Squiggles know that he wanted an item made from the corpse.

  Charlemagne gave his assent instantly.

  Charlemagne watched with barely restrained patience as the newly-created item appeared on the ground in front of you. It resembled the stylish black barrels that important humans wore, with the exception that his did not have tubes for the deformed wings that the pitiable creatures possessed. The vest (for that is what it was) was black with buttons made of polished rabbit bone set in two rows of five down the front. Around the back and sides of the neck, the material was turned down onto itself, which confused Charlemagne since it did nothing to protect his neck. There was also a silver-colored chain hanging from one of the buttons. A small grey fuzzy item was connected to the chain. Looking closer, the rooster realized that it was a small rabbit’s foot.

  Charlemagne quickly agreed. The vest vanished from its spot on the Dungeon floor and appeared on his body a moment later. He could see it in his peripheral vision, but it did not otherwise impinge upon his senses. The Squiggles continued to give him updates as he moved experimentally to see how the strange piece of cloth felt on his body.

  Charlemagne took in the massive wall of text from the System a bit at a time, stopping and going back to reread as needed. It appeared that grabbing the item first from the list of rewards had been exactly the right thing to do. Not only did the Attribute bonus push him over 200 in the other three Attribute Categories, but he also received several new Skills, and all of his existing Skills received a big boost. He could already feel new strength coursing through him, similar to the times when he had been completely remade by the System. His entire body hummed with energy that responded perfectly to his desires and his mind felt clearer than ever before. Even the needs of the flesh, although still compelling, were easier to put off through the promise of gratification. But the rooster wasn’t the only one who noticed his massive power boost. The other two Champions both gasped through the Party link as they couldn’t help but feel the waves of power that emanated unconsciously from Charlemagne.

  Wow! I can’t believe how much stronger that new vest is making you, boss. What does it do? Bridget asked as she buzzed closer to get a good look at Charlemagne’s new item. It looks pretty good on you, respectable, even.

  I must agree with our comrade here, Phatagin added with approval. Your vestments are quite fetching and seem to be useful as well. I confess I am just as curious as Bridget as to their function.

  Bawk, bawwk, bawak, the rooster explained.

  How utterly fascinating, the pangolin responded. I will certainly choose the item reward as well: I had no idea that the System was so generous. But, before that, you said that all of your Attributes are now over 200?

  Bawk! Charlemagne gloated.

  That’s Charlemagne for ya! He never does anything halfway, Bridget cheered. So, did you get any Achievements too?

  Bawk.

  Two! Bridget and Phatagin exclaimed at the same time.

  Quickly now, check your Class options again, please, Phatagin requested.

  Before doing so, however, the rooster asked the Squiggles to show him his new Attributes. The notification arrived almost instantly, but it displayed the Attributes in a strange format.

  He gave the Squiggles a piece of his mind and received an updated message right away.

  With that out of the way, the rooster once again pulled up his class choices, hoping that there was something different this time around. To his disappointment, the same four options appeared.