An enormous skeleton burst from the cocoon. Twice as large as a human, covered in bone spurs and spines, it gazed at them with burning blue eyes. A golden crown ringed the bare skull, and gems glittered on its bony fingers. Loose, tattered robes hung around the skeleton, obscuring its true form. It stood on inhuman recurve legs that ended in massive reptilian claws, and a long bony tail swung from its rear.
“The reptilians are in charge! They are taking over!” Vivian shouted, mock-surprised.
“Huh?” Isa asked.
Kyung frowned at him. Noah tilted his head.
Vivian looked at them. “That died out?”
“I guess…?” Isa said.
“Thank goodness,” Vivian muttered under his breath.
The skeleton leaped forward, past the chandeliers. They buzzed, but didn’t discharge.
“Noah! More Static!” Vivian shouted. He sprayed the skeleton in the face.
The skeleton ignored the spritz. It swept its claws at Vivian.
Vivian rolled backward, using all his speed to dodge. The skeleton’s claws bit into the marble floor, cutting deep gashes into the perfect, shining surface.
The King paused. Staring at the gashes, his eyes burned bright. He growled, deep in his throat.
“Oh hey, hey! You can’t blame me for that. You’re the one who scratched your own floor!” Vivian protested, preparing to dodge again. Hmm, he doesn’t like when we mess with the interior décor? Interesting… He shot a look at Kyung.
Kyung nodded back. He leaped in, spraying the King in the face.
The King roared. He swept backward, striking at Kyung as the Hairdresser hung in midair.
Kyung twisted improbably, arcing his body away from the claws. They barely clipped his side. He struck the ground and stumbled, pulling up beside Vivian.
“What was that? Pure agility?” Vivian asked.
“It’s my skill, [Cut from Any Angle],” Kyung replied seriously. He nodded at Vivian. “For when I need to contort myself to cut hair perfectly.”
Vivian furrowed his brows skeptically. “Really?”
“Really,” Kyung said.
“Shut up!” the King shouted, slamming a bony hand down toward them.
The two of them darted in opposite directions. The King’s hand smashed down onto the marble, sending up a blast of chips. The shrapnel struck Vivian in the back, and he stumbled.
HP: 11/13
Vivian whirled and shot his spritzer at the King. From the opposite side, Kyung fired his spray bottle. A fine mist of water settled over the King’s skull.
The King burst up, wiping his bare skull with a bony hand. The bones barely wiped anything off. Annoyed, he shook his head. “Stop with the water, dammit!”
“Huh? I didn’t hear you,” Vivian said, pulling the trigger as quickly as he could.
Throwing his head back, the King roared. Fire burst off of his body, rolling over the ground. Vivian darted back, dancing away from the fire.
Kyung spun around behind a pillar and vanished.
Eyes wide, Vivian nodded. He darted behind a pillar as well. Crouching, he put a hand on his chest. “What is lost, et cetera!”
Nothing visibly happened. Vivian furrowed his brows. Did it work…?
Peeking out from behind the pillar, he caught sight of a number rolling over the King’s head. 50… 49… 48…
At last, it settled on a 42. The flames in the King’s eyes flickered. He gazed around the room, turning left and right. “Where did you little mice go?”
Oh! I think it worked, Vivian thought to himself. He ducked back behind the pillar. Now, for my next move…
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“Bind!” Isa shouted.
Vivian stiffened. Shit! I forgot about the support squishies. Damn. I can’t hide for long.
The King jolted. He turned, slowly. Although his skeletal face always grinned, it seemed intentional now. Lifting his taloned feet, he stomped toward Isa.
Isa backed away. She spread her fingers at the King. “Bind!”
Threads darted toward the King. They twisted around his body. For a moment, he froze in place.
Vivian charged out of hiding. Across the room, Kyung dashed toward the King. The two of them hurtled toward him.
Fire burned over the King’s bones. The threads snapped. He laughed, slamming a claw at Isa. “Watch as your friend dies.”
“Lightning!” Noah shouted.
The static built up on the chandeliers crackled. A thick bolt of lightning fed from Noah’s hands and the chandeliers both flew at the King. It struck him in the back, and he stumbled forward, his arms flying out.
“Good going, kid!” Vivian called.
Isa ran, brown curls bouncing after her. She fled blindly toward the throne, where the soil still laid, splayed out here and there.
“Not there! Behind a pillar!” Vivian shouted.
She jolted and turned, spinning toward one of the pillars.
Kyung swung low, aiming for the backwards joints of the King’s legs. Vivian called out his clippers and smashed them at the side of the King’s head, closed, swinging for the fences.
The King stumbled from Kyung’s blow, falling toward Vivian. His own weight plus the weight of Vivian’s swing both smashed into his skull, and his skull went flying. It tumbled toward the dirt and the waiting Lady’s Vine.
Vivian threw his arm out. “Activate!”
Syncing with the Lady’s Vine.
Checking attributes…
location source: Garden of Lost Souls, PASS
character type: Gardener, PASS
character attributes: Human, FAIL
“Hey. I’m a Gardener. Are Gardeners not allowed to handle plants for being human? You aren’t making sense,” Vivian argued.
“What?” the King’s skull asked as it flew through the air.
“Shut up! I’m not talking to you!”
character attributes: Human Plant Carer, PASS
character class: NPC, PASS
SYNCING WITH LADY’S VINE
SP SOURCE DETECTED: HUMAN FERTILIZER
SP COST DEDUCTED FROM SP SOURCE
“Hell yeah!” Vivian said, pumping his arm. I can use them for free as long as I have an SP source? Awesome!
The King’s headless body swiped at Vivian. His claws dug into Vivian’s side, and he flew off to the side and smashed into a pillar.
Vivian’s vision flickered. He laid there, stunned. Fuck. I should’ve seen that coming.
HP: 8/13
HP: 2/13
“Put my point into SP!” Vivian shouted, struggling back to his feet. Warm liquid trickled down the back of his neck.
HP: 13/13
His wounds closed. Vivian heaved a breath. Phew. It would’ve sucked to have to run all the way here from the Garden.
Shaking his head, he pointed at the Lady’s Vine. “Burst forth!”
[Bloom]
Seedlings appeared in the fresh earth, pushing through. In the next instant, they burst to full size, jabbing their roots into the marble. The marble cracked beneath them, and the roots dug deeper, reaching into the earth below. They trembled, growing plump, then charged up.
Vivian closed his hand. “Grab it!”
The vines darted out. They wrapped around the King’s skull and bound it in place. Bearing it to the ground, they trapped it against the marble.
The King’s body turned. He stomped forward and raised his hand. “Fir—”
“Tripwire!” Isa shouted triumphantly.
Midstep, the King’s ankle caught on something. He tripped and fell flat on the floor, his bones clattering down.
“Good going, Isa!” Vivian sprinted toward the King’s head, mentally running through his inventory. The broken rake… the claw and hand spade… the scythe… yeah, I think my best bet here is still the clippers!
Kyung leaped out and sliced at the King’s downed body, using his thin, agile blades to sever the magic strands that served as the King’s tendons. From the ankles up to the knees, he danced back and forth, neatly cutting one after another. The King howled in fury, his fingers scratching at the floor.
“You’re ruining your own marble! Jeez. I bet that’s crazy expensive,” Vivian shouted in mock-shock, still running for the King’s head.
The King howled louder.
The second he reached the King’s head, Vivian stomped down on it with all his might. The head struck the marble and rebounded, and a crack bit across the skull. Fiery eyes shuddered. Across the room, the King’s body stiffened.
“That big body of yours is just a decoy, right? I always wondered about that. Why put your weak point in your head? Won’t everyone go for it anyways?” Vivian asked, tapping his temple.
“Release me!” the King snarled, struggling against Vivian’s vines. The vines twisted tighter, holding him stiffly against the floor.
Ignoring the king, he raised his clippers in both hands. “But I guess they can’t make it too hard for Players.” With all his might, Vivian brought the clippers down on the King’s head.
The King howled. The cracks in his skull grew wider, and the flames in his eye sockets dimmed.
The King’s beheaded body struggled upright. It kicked. One of the clawed feet scraped Kyung.
Kyung went flying. He rolled head-over-heels down the marble floor. Rolling to a halt, he went limp, came to long enough to push himself to his knees, then fell to the ground again.
“Kyung!” Vivian shouted. He bit his lip. Dammit, he can’t use a potion if he’s knocked out!
Gesturing wildly, the King’s body summoned flames to it. Bright blue fire burned in a tight ring around its waist. With a gesture, it sent the flames flying out.
“Everyone, get down!” Vivian shouted, squatting low.
Isa ducked behind her pillar. Noah dropped to the ground.
The fire twisted in midair, then dropped, surging toward the King’s skull. Vivian’s eyes widened. “Shit!” He jumped for the skull.
Fire struck the vines. They recoiled, dropping the skull. Vivian grabbed for it, but it rolled away, bouncing over the marble. Giving chase, he sprinted after it, half-bent over, arms extended.
The King gestured. The skull flew into his hand. He lifted his hands and settled the skull on his vertebra, clicking it in place with a twist. The fire in his eyes burned bright once more, flickering through the fresh cracks in his skull.
Bright blue flames surged up behind him. They danced down his shoulders and arms, dancing at his fingertips and swirling in the air. Searing heat burned forth. The Lady’s vines withered. Vivian flinched back. Hot!
Looking down at them, the King harrumphed. “And you thought you could win?”