“Seriously, how many of these things are there?” Melly shouted over the cries of battle. Slashing diagonally, she clipped a plant monster's stem, killing it instantly.

She then moved to the window and looked down.

Like a fresh wave of death, the magically strengthened crowd had continued their murderous onslaught throughout the city. Each flippant swish of a wooden sword delt a fresh deathblow to a new monster. Since the safety of their families was in question, every member of the audience split up, sending ripples of death in every direction.

Melly turned to see a dejected Clemiticus climb the stairs to the royal suite.

“Everyone has run off. Was I that bad?” he asked, looking quite disappointed.

The King burst out laughing.

“Son! You were incredible!” Ed said raucously.

Clem grinned at his newest fan, then asked, “Um, what’s with the garden gang?”

Outside was a mess. Rotten plants littered the streets while the rooftops were teeming with angry sentient weeds.

“How many of those swords have you got left?” Melly asked while scanning the battle outside.

Thea swore as she examined her book. “I’m all out!”

They looked down at their weapons. They would have to make it work somehow.

“Aw no fair, I want a special sword too!” Clemiticus whined.

“I can’t conjure any more Clem.”

“Awww…”

“Hang on,” Melly interrupted. “Dad, didn’t you just collect an insane amount of stuff from the dump?”

Derrick smiled. “That we did!”

“To the wagon?” Melly asked.

“To the wagon!” yelled the King, who was having a grand ole time despite the city being amid an invasion.

Crash!

They all spun around as an immense verdant vine plunged its way into the tavern.

Suddenly Thea screamed. An anaconda sized appendage lashed around her ankle and yanked her from the suite.

“Oh! Hear that?” Clemiticus asked.

“Huh!” Melly shouted. “Get her down!”

The tavern's roof ripped away, revealing a humongous flower that leered over at them with a gaping maw.

“Music!” Clemiticus said. “It’s a boss battle!”

“Clem focus! Thea!” Melly shouted in panic. “What do we do?”

Thea hung upside down, screaming and clutching as the vine tightened around her leg. It was dragging her ever higher, towards the mouth and imminent death.

The King roared a battle cry. Charging towards the terrified town planner, Ed the guardian, and monarch of the city jumped into the air and off the high balcony with his toy sword in hand.

“I’ll hit it – with my sword!” shouted the King as he severed the vine, sending Thea into a spiral. The King caught her mid-flight then landed, shouting, “Huzzah!”

Thea squeaked in his arms and a nearby peasant standing to the side clapped excitedly and lisped the words, “He split the flower’s vine in twain!”

“Clemiticus?” asked Melly, sounding more concerned than usual.

“Yeah?”

“Are you by any chance related to that guy?”

Clemiticus eyed Ed the King, then shook his head. “No way! He’s way cooler than me!”

The King chivalrously placed Thea on her feet then charged back into the fray. Every swing of his sword sliced another vine in half.

Melly spotted the cowering shape of the blue poet. He was hiding while clutching one of Thea’s swords. Abruptly a new larger vine flew into view and was just about to crush the whimpering performer when the King dashed forwards and cut the deadly limb mere inches from the pompous man’s face.

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“Oh, my King!” Ulberto cried. “You came to see my genius and have now saved me! You must love my wondrous talent!”

They all stared silently at the over dramatic noble.

“Um, who are you?” asked the King.

Ulberto’s mouth trembled, looking close to tears.

Clemiticus swung over the rails and fell in beside the King then turned towards his quivering rival.

“Yoink!” Clemiticus said, snatching Ulberto’s wooden blade. “Hey Ed, I got one!”

Bing!

“Clemiticus has looted the conjured item: Wooden sword!” Fairy announced.

“Congratulation’s son!” the King said cheerfully. “Hey, wait who is that!”

The azure apparition waved at the monarch, then smiled.

“I will tell you later,” Clemiticus said. “First, we got a battle to win!”

“Um excuse me?” Ulberto said. His face now red with embarrassment. “I need that to protect myself thief!”

The loot hungry player examined the poet, evidently affronted. He pointed up towards the gasping chasm of the plant monster above them.

“So, you want to take that guy on?” Clemiticus asked.

Ulberto’s face blanched.

Hubert ran into view, looking overtly depressed.

“My lord, please! My tavern!”

The King smiled kindly at his subject and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“No worries, my man! We got this!”

“Oh, wait you hear that?” Clemiticus asked.

“Yeah, we know it’s boss battle music.” Melly replied.

“No, no, wait!” Derrick said, searching the sky above them. “It’s something else!”

A string of disgruntled ramblings echoed from far above them. “Damn! Beautiful! Stupid! Fresh! plant BASTARDS!”

Nuecus had arrived.

They ran outside narrowly dodging the collapsing Tavern around them. Ulberto had been yanked along by Clemiticus who tossed the poet unceremoniously on a pile of compost. The young mage Junior appeared from a side street with a wooden sword in hand. He quickly despatched an innocent bystanding branch, then ran to his uncle's aid.

Flying above the party high in the sky was the recently repaired magical vessel in its zeppelin mode with its bright red balloon and crew of sea hardened adventurers.

“Fire!” shouted Rupert.

A volley of cannons peppered the boss flower’s face, forcing it to retreat slightly. Melly watched as the ladder fell and skidded towards the party.

“Here you go your Majesty!” Melly said, catching the rope of the ladder and offering it to the royal.

The King looked up at the flying ship with starry eyes and quickly ascended.

“You know we’re all quite lucky.” Clemiticus said while watching the monstrous weed turn the remains of the tavern into twigs.

Hubert looked horrified at his destroyed business. “How so?”

“We haven’t aggro'd the boss yet!”

“What? But my tavern.”

“Ignore him,” Melly said, holding the ladder for Thea. “We will get Jim to magically fix your tavern or something later.”

Hubert’s expression brightened somewhat as he watched the remaining party members climb up the ladder.

“Damn young stinking handsome dolts!”

The Thaumaturge was having a particularly difficult senior moment, amplified by his unique curse.

“Nuecus?” the King asked. “I thought you were dead?”

Melly and Clemiticus looked between the fanboy King and the deranged old man.

“You know him?” she asked.

The king nodded. “This brilliant man was once a Wizard of Skull tower!”

“What?” asked Clemiticus. “Was he someone special?”

He’s special alright, thought Melly.

The King nodded. “Of course, he was the Chief Wizard! He built the tower!”

“He what!?” Thea asked. “I mean. Nice work old man!”

Nuecus eyed the young girl through squinted eyes, then gave the King a suspicious look over.

“Who are you again?” he asked.

The King looked over towards the other party members who were all shaking their heads.

“He was cursed,” Melly explained.

“Boulder plop! I’ll give you a fun curse!” Nuecus shouted.

“Oh, I see.”

Turning their attention from the Thaumaturge, they looked over the side towards the flower below. Music confirmed that they indeed were about to begin the boss' battle. The floating ship may give them leverage but all it might take was one massive vine to drag them down.

“We will need more weapons,” Melly said.

Thea who sprang into action shouted, “I got this! Keep the thing busy!” She ran towards the door of the ship with Ed following closely behind her.

The blue fairy materialised on deck watching the war-torn city below. It looked at its master excitedly.

“An optional quest has popped up. You have gained the opportunity to accept this quest!”

“Have I now?”

The fairy nodded.

“Ok, accept and give me the deets!”

A crescendo of music echoed over the magical ship's deck as miniature fireworks display flashed in a collage of colours.

“Clemiticus party has accepted the optional quest: Save Skull City!”

“Quest details, Save Skull City! To complete the quest, you must…”

“Save Skull City?” asked Melly.

The fairy nodded furiously. “Yes!”

Clemiticus and Melly looked at each other with an instant obvious understanding.

Kill boss. Save city. Gain rewards.

“Incoming!” Rupert shouted from behind the helm. He steered the floating vessel around to dodge an inbound barrage of enemies.

“What the heck?” Derrick said, “They can fly now?”

The boss flower had somehow empowered the nearby savage shrubberies, granting them wings and sending them sky bound. Pink petals flapped as the ravenous plants soared towards the ship.

“You know I sense a hint of Déjà vu!” Clemiticus said as he ran to the side of the ship. He back handed a flying enemy then cut it in half.

Melly looked at him puzzled. “Dey ja what?”

“I mean, we have seen this before. Big boss, flying adds.”

“Ah, I see what you mean.” She replied with a dry smile. “What did he say again? No! What are you doing?”

Clemiticus laughed, “Yeah that’s the lines!”

A plant monster fell at Melly feet as she slashed it three times across its face. “At least this time they smell a lot nicer.” Melly added.

“True!” replied Clemiticus. “Maybe I should learn a song that makes all of our enemies smell a tad better!”

Melly scrunched up her nose. It was a ridiculous idea, but she couldn’t deny its merit.

“As long as we win as well!” she added. “Next time lets pick a fight with a cake beast!”

Clemiticus nodded with a smirk.

Suddenly Thea burst out of the door, grinning from ear to ear followed by a bedazzled King.

“Killing time?” Clem asked Thea who nodded.

“Summon items: Conjured armoury!”

A mound of weapons appeared before them. From axes to pole arms and hundreds of arrows there was a little something for every occasion. The crew surrounded the pile and picked out their favourites while Melly collected a bundle of projectiles.

Black leather armour appeared over her limbs as she strung her bow. “Let’s do this!”