Verdant Inferno

“I left my rapier…” Katie whimpered.

“We’ll get you another one.” Frankie looked all around at the refreshing light of the sun beating down on the park around them, analyzing the state of the outside dungeon. It looked like people weren’t being let in and all the operators were confused.

“Bet Wolf paid all those guys off…” Serah eyed the employees in front of the cave.

“Why… why was he here?” Percy was still coping with everything he just went through, not to mention the absolute mystery around it. “I’ve heard he’s around the area often, but this park specifically?”

“Well… isn’t it obvious?” Greg hated to say it, but he had to be the one. “Wolf’s doing what he always does… he wants this land… and he set up shop there to help him take it over from the inside.”

“Why not just make an offer to Lord D…?” Frankie wondered.

“He’s too prideful, he’d never take it. Everyone’s at his throat these days- heck, I’m sure Wolf’s already made plenty of offers, and he’s turned to doing this because none of them worked.”

“So what do we think his plan is?” Percival tried to put on a stern face in the presence of this evil. Meanwhile, Serah was busy calling Rocco and filling him in.

“I’m not sure… but… and this just a hunch- if he could take over one ride… what’s to stop him from doing that again? And again? Maybe… he doesn’t need the owner’s permission to conquer this place…”

“I say we go tell him.” Frankie stepped up to bat. “The King, I mean.”

“Will he really listen to a bunch of kids?” Percy tried to rest his hand on his sword only to be reminded it wasn’t there anymore.

“Trust me.”

Dansuhonvangonvictth was excited to see the girls again because he imagined it meant they’d finished his quest. He didn’t really think about why they all looked so glum until Frankie opened her mouth to speak.

“Uh- your majesty? You’ve got a wolf in your park.”

The warriors watched as Frankie explained the situation in great (if not a little depressing) detail, their ruler’s face growing more and more distressed with ever sentence.

“But that’s- by the unknown gods, I can’t believe this… he’s not still there, is he?”

“If he is, he’s… well, let’s just say he’s either gonna be down there forever or he already got out a long while ago. Not that I’d really like to think about either of those possibilities, but knowing him I’d imagine he probably made his way out and is still lurking around in the park somewhere. To be real… honestly, we might have just stirred him on. He knows his cover’s blown, might as well make the most of it… that’s what I’d do, anyway.”

“This is horrible… has he told you anything else?”

“He said… he was gonna buy my homepark, but looking back it felt like more of a bluff than anything.”

“That is truly despicable.” Lord D shook his head. “I can make sure for you, if you like.” He motioned one of his Royal guards to hand him his laptop. “Wolf Corp always makes a big fuss about their ongoing deals on that ugly website of theirs… along with a list of the parks they already have, which I… hope I don’t have to check. What was your park’s name?”

“Merrytown.” She said it a little fast, but he should’ve heard just fine.

“Uh… let’s see- wait, which one?”

“Which one?”

“Er- why you see, on here it says… Berrytown… Merrytown… Fairytown… the list goes on, it’s all one big purchase.”

Frankie shuddered and curled up on her knees.

“O-oh.”

“What’s the matter?”

“He’s… not just buying my hometown. But… everything… every little thing that man owns…”

“Which man do you speak of?”

Katie ran up to comfort Frankie as she continued to speak, the cruelty of the situation setting in.

“His name is… Parker… Kiddie Parker.” She shivered. “Last year, his park suffered a terrorist attack… and he’s been recovering ever since…”

“Did you know him personally, by chance?”

“He was… the nicest park owner I’d ever met…”

The King stepped off his throne to set his hand on Frankie’s shoulder.

“Young Frankie. Do not fear. It sounds as though you have seen much hardship in your time. I… I will stop this mess. But I’ll need your help. Can you do that for me?”

Frankie stood at attention.

“Yes, milord.”

“Very well then.” He eyes his subjects. “Does this group of yours possess a moniker?”

“The Verdant Flames, sir!” Gregory shouted pridefully. (He was the one who came up with it, you see.)

“Good. Then from now on… as king of this land, I dub you the Verdant Inferno!”

The mage suddenly regretted telling his lordship that, his name now permanently discarded.

“Now, line up so I can knight you. Guards, bring me my knighting sword!”

After a brief ceremony and a trip to the armory, the Verdant Inferno was headed out to complete their mission.

Sixty feet underground, Travis panted atop the central console, finally stopping the madness and reverting the floor back to a basic square.

“Jesus… what now?”

Ed coughed up dust. All Morgen’s men stood around him, awaiting their next orders as he sneered at the children’s escape route.

“It’s time.” The Traumkäufer declared. “Begin Operation Dark Conquest.”