The announcer declared, "To make up for this oversight, we will allow you to decide her fate."People immediately started to discuss different ways to torment her. 'Kayla' grimaced in disgust at all the crude things coming out of the audience's mouth, while Grace shuddered and curled in on herself. Luke, on the other hand, had hoped for this very scenario, but it looked like he underestimated just how bloodthirsty the audience was. Many of them wanted to see how long she would last against the staff or how long she could endure torture before she broke.That wasn't his goal. He needed to save her and somehow convince her that they were on the same side. Unfortunately, he doubted she could do that latter easily and within the black market. He would need to transport her to a safer location before revealing just enough to convince her to trust him.As he was about to shout out his suggestion, someone else beat him to it. "Why not keep her as a pet? She would make

Things had gone smoothly after that. After seeing all the money laid out on the table, he had no excuse to continue to treat them poorly. Seeing him get on his knees and apologize for his actions had amused Luke greatly. The other two, on the other hand, had looked at him with an unreadable expression.Now they were walking away with Laurel in their possession, but the quests regarding saving Laurel hadn't been resolved quite yet. He assumed it was because they were still in the confines of the black market. She wouldn't be safe until they left the place and returned back to the Kingdom of Shadarwen. Unfortunately, they had to wait for Samuel in order for that to happen.Luke scowled as he thought back on how the announcer had believed they were poor. He hadn't been wrong. They had actually spent all the money they had. The look on 'Kayla' and Grace's faces after he told them this once they were out of earshot would have been hilarious if it hadn't been so serious and

The moment they reappeared in the Saintess's meadow, Laurel moved. She shoved herself off of 'Kayla' who cursed at the sudden movement and stumbled forward as she regained her balance. Laurel, on the other hand, took the opportunity to lunge for the weakest person in their group, Grace. Unfortunately for her, Luke had expected this and grabbed her by the wrist and flipped her onto her back. She gasped as the wind was knocked out of her.Luke kept a tight grip on her hand. "I suggest you don't try that again, or else I will take matters into my own hands."She glared up at him, which he ignored, as 'Kayla' stomped her way towards them, obviously intent on getting payback for what happened. He rolled his eyes at her behavior. The both of them had known she was awake, so she had no excuse to be surprised by Laurel's stunt. If 'Kayla' had not known about it, then she was a complete disgrace for being both an angel and human. She had been the one literally carrying Laurel o