Royal Palace...
After transforming into Stink-fly, he soared into the air, dodging a stream of water blades from the leopards.
Floo~ Floo~
Flapping hard, he swooped down and sprayed acidic goo between the bears and geese, creating a sticky pit that slowed their advance.
With a spin in mid-air,
He released a stinking cloud bomb right in the centre of the formation—
Disorienting the beasts, making their attacks wildly inaccurate and less coordinated.
The serpent, enraged by the interference, launched a wave of flame and poison mist toward him—
But Stinkfly zipped upward, laughing.
"Can't hit what you can't catch!"
Charlotte, noticing the support, grinned mid-swing as she impaled one of the panthers.
Grin~
"____"
The beasts were separated and could now be dealt with individually.
The Poison-Fire Serpent—
A monstrous mana beast of venom and flame—
Had made the fatal mistake of underestimating the pungent green mist that Stinkfly had released moments earlier.
whoooosh!
"____"
BOOM!
With a loud whoooosh!, the serpent's fire breath ignited the mist, triggering a massive explosion that consumed its own body in a swirl of flames and burning vapour.
BUZZ~ BUZZ~
"Hah! Bet you didn't expect Taco Tuesday leftovers to blow up in your face!"
CHUCKLE~
Stinkfly chuckled, wings buzzing as he flitted back into the air.
The serpent screamed, its body convulsing in agony, coiling wildly in the smoke.
But as the flames subsided, the garden fell eerily silent—
Until a chilling sound cut through the smoke:
"Sssshhhhhhh..."
From within the dark plumes, two sinister yellow eyes pierced through the haze, glowing like molten gold in a sea of ash and cinder.
The serpent's gaze locked onto Stinkfly with raw hatred and bloodlust.
"Oh, you're mad,"
Stinkfly muttered.
"Well, guess what, I'm just getting started!"
Without wasting a second,
BUZZ~
Stinkfly zipped high into the sky, his wings buzzing in a high-pitched whine.
THUD. THUD.
He looped in mid-air, gathered his aim,
And rained down sticky goo bombs at high speed, pelting the serpent's massive coils.
The goo landed with satisfying splats, pinning the serpent's midsection and tail to the courtyard ground.
It hissed, thrashed, and writhed, its head trying to rear up—
But its movement was restricted.
For a moment, it looked like a solid victory.
"One slimy wrap, extra stuck—coming right up!"
Stinkfly quipped.
But then, in a horrifying display of adaptability, the serpent began to shed its skin—
Literally slipping out of the goo-soaked outer layer.
A grotesque squelch echoed as it emerged anew, its glistening scales steaming from the transformation.
Growl~
"Oh, come on! Did you order the snake-skin DLC too?!"
Stinkfly growled.
Before the serpent could fully retreat from its old skin, Stinkfly swooped low, his tail, which had a sharp end.
With expert precision, he whipped his tail across the serpent's exposed back, tearing open a deep wound along its spine.
The beast let out a screech of unfiltered pain, writhing violently.
Dark, corrosive blood sprayed across the grass, sizzling as it made contact with the earth.
"There! That's for ruining my quiet breakfast!"
Stinkfly snarled.
Charlotte, battling nearby, caught the injured serpent's cry and turned to look.
A small smirk played on her lips.
"____"
"He is really pissed off…"
She murmured.
Meanwhile, the Royal Knights had already sprung into action, their teamwork and coordination flawless.
Powerful spells clashed against claws and fangs as each squad engaged their respective mana beasts.
BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions of elemental magic painted the battlefield in bursts of blue flame, crackling lightning, and sharp icicles,
Shaking the palace grounds with the sheer intensity of their clashes.
Charlotte, with her Vine Magic, had already entangled and crushed the two speed-affinity panthers,
Her eyes glowing with calm precision as she strangled the last one's breath with thorn-covered tendrils.
She turned to the sky just in time to see Stinkfly darting around the massive serpent, flicking his tail and dodging swipes as if it were a game.
"Ben,"
She shouted, one hand on her hip.
"Stop playing with it and finish the job!"
Stinkfly, mid-barrel roll, made a mock salute with one of his spindly arms.
"Yes, Captain Vines! Stinkfly, on the job!"
He chirped with a dramatic flair.
The serpent, having had enough of being mocked, unhinged its jaw and lunged—
Its mouth opened wide, revealing rows of razor-sharp, jagged teeth that shimmered with residual fire magic.
For anyone else, it would've been a nightmare.
But not for Stinkfly.
"Time to freshen that breath, you overgrown noodle."
Just as the beast closed in, Stinkfly zipped straight into its open mouth—
But not before releasing a pressurised blast of corrosive acid from his glands.
The moment the acid splashed across the serpent's tongue and throat, the reaction was immediate.
ROAR!
A muffled roar came from inside as smoke began to billow out of the serpent's mouth and nostrils.
Its body started thrashing violently, its inner lining burning and eroding with every second.
Stinkfly burst back out a split second later, spinning in mid-air with green goo trailing behind him like a ribbon.
"Whew! Smells like burnt calamari in there."
The serpent reared back to strike—
But its body faltered.
The acid had done its job.
Its insides were collapsing, its movements turning sluggish.
The beast slumped, twitched a final time, and then collapsed with a thunderous BOOM,
Sending a gust of wind across the palace courtyard.
The final, and most dangerous, of the ten mana beasts had fallen.
Charlotte landed beside Stinkfly, her boots cracking stones beneath her as she surveyed the fallen serpent.
"Took you long enough,"
She teased.
Stinkfly gave her a toothy grin—
If a bug could grin.
Grin~
"Hey, I like to give my enemies false hope. Builds character."
After dealing with the serpent, Stinkfly didn't waste a second.
His multifaceted eyes scanned the battlefield below, locking onto the remaining mana beasts still clashing with the Royal Knights.
"Alright, round two, bug-style."
He muttered with a buzzing hum, his wings flapping into a blur as he zipped downward like a green comet.
One of the ice-affinity bears was still standing, their massive paws covered in frost as they swung at a group of knights struggling to contain it.
Their roars froze the very air, forming shards of ice with every breath.
Just as one of them reared up to slam its paw down on a fallen knight—
SPLAT!
A sticky green goo slammed into its face, blinding it instantly.
The beast roared in rage and confusion, flailing wildly.
Stinkfly zipped in close, dodging an icy swipe.
"Y'know, for a bear with ice powers, you sure can't cool it!"
He let loose a burst of acidic mist at the beast's legs, the sizzling sound followed by a howling cry as it stumbled and crashed to the ground.
The Royal Knights took the opportunity to trap and restrain it with binding magic.
Next Up – The Fireball-Throwing Geese
"Alright, who let the holiday dinner mutate?"
The giant geese, still flapping about and launching fireballs like drunken cannons, were causing chaos near the palace's east side.
Royal Knights were struggling to avoid their unpredictable flames.
Stinkfly flitted through the air with precision, weaving through the fireballs like a pro.
"Time to clip some wings."
He shot a double stream of goo, catching one goose mid-flight.
It let out a confused squawk before crashing into a tree, now tangled and immobilised.
The other turned toward Stinkfly in rage and launched a massive fireball.
Stinkfly dodged upward and spun behind it, dousing it in acid mist that corroded its wings slightly, causing it to falter and spiral down.
It landed hard, where Charlotte was already waiting.
"Vine Bind!"
She snapped, her vines erupting from the ground and wrapping the goose tight like a straitjacket.
"Nice assist!"
Stinkfly buzzed.
Last Pair – Water Leopards
These creatures were more elusive, their bodies constantly shifting between liquid and solid states.
Spells passed through them, and only enchanted weapons had any real effect.
"Tricky little puddles, aren't you?"
Stinkfly quipped.
He darted above one and dropped a glob of sticky goo laced with his own acid.
The leopard hissed as the acidic compound interfered with its watery composition, causing its semi-liquid form to destabilise.
A Royal Knight with lightning magic capitalised on the moment, hurling a bolt that electrocuted the destabilised creature, knocking it out cold.
The last leopard tried to flee—
But Charlotte stepped forward again.
"You're not going anywhere."
With a sharp gesture,
She summoned a thicket of vines that grew in an instant and slammed the beast into the ground, wrapping around it until it was completely immobilised.
With all ten beasts either subdued or slain, the battlefield finally began to settle.
Smoke lingered in the air, mingling with the scent of scorched stone, torn grass, and beastly blood.
Stinkfly landed beside Charlotte, his wings still buzzing lightly.
"And that, my dear Queen of Thorns, is how you clean up a magical zoo."
Charlotte gave a slight smirk, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
Smirk~
"Next time, let's skip breakfast. Seems like the world prefers we stay hungry and alert."
Ben chuckled in his buggy voice.
Chuckle~
"Well, now I'm starving. Hopefully, whatever sent these things left behind a clue... or a lunchbox."
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(Author's POV)
(A/N)Thanks for reading the chapter!
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