With all the details ready and a single night left, it was time to bid farewell to the friends they had made in Skull City.

The King had left the party one last order, and that was to meet him in the dilapidated Golden Tavern. Melly was suspicious of this last request. Mainly because she knew that each time they had moved on from a town they often got drunk and left it in shambles.

Laughing to herself, she looked over the ruins of the Golden Tavern. At least there’s no way they’d wreck the place. Though it was a poor choice for a get together. She looked around disappointed. There were no chairs, walls or importantly, ale.

Her father looked just as gloomy as Melly felt. Tanwen’s sudden reappearance had filled Melly with an unexpected amount of rage. All these years and not a single word or message. Leaving her and more importantly her father in a sea of debt. She wanted to talk with her mother so badly, yet when she appeared in the sky the only things, she ever talked about were the players and Melly’s inadequacy.

Why was she so against Clem and Thea, and so obsessed with the Gods? Melly Wondered, grateful for her mother’s sudden withdrawal. She then silently studied her diminished father. He hung his head, deflated. At least I’m used to it. If I ever see that cow again.

The sting of abandonment faded long ago for her but she wasn’t sure how exactly her father felt. Melly walked over to him and place a hand on his shoulder. Derrick sighed and squeezed her hand comfortingly.

“Don’t worry,” he said, reassuring her. “I’ll get over it.”

She gave him a smile and bend down to give him a hug.

“Aye!” said a familiar voice.

Melly looked up and felt herself smile. Ed, alongside the head mage Jim strode towards them looking far more positive than what the rest of them felt.

“I know you told us to meet you here, but why?” Clemiticus asked.

Jim laughed, producing a strange yellow object from his robes. It was about the size of a chicken's egg but polished perfectly round.

“What are those?” the bard asked.

“This lad, is a reverse explosion ball.”

Jim then placed a yellow ball in each of their outstretched hands, then waved his arm to produce two identical buckets full of more magical balls. Pointing towards a wooden wreckage, Jim then sidestepped a shattered chair and threw the ball at it.

Pop!

A yellow cloud exploded as wood snapped back into its original shape.

“Damn,” Derrick said. His expression lightened considerably.

“How ingenious!” Nuecus added.

Jim rolled his eyes and explained, “Our forgetful Thaumaturge here was the one to invent these things.”

Clemiticus nudged the old man. “Nice work bud!”

“My glorious name is Nuecus, not bud you dolt!”

“Sure it is.”

“Can I have a go?” Dog asked, wagging his tail in excitement.

They all glanced towards Jim who shrugged, then tossed a ball towards the floating bubble. Somehow, Dog caught it in his mouth and spat it towards a large broken table. It popped into its pre-demolished state.

“Oh, stupendous fun!” Dog said.

A cheer echoed as the tavern owner, Hubert, appeared behind a shattered wall carrying a barrel of ale.

“The party has arrived!” he said. In his free hand, he managed to carry a tankard on each finger.

Hubert thumped down the ale keg and passed around the empty mugs.

Unexpectedly, Clemiticus burst into laughter. They all turned as one with curiosity.

“I just thought of a fun game,” he said.

Fun game implies tomorrow's headache, Melly thought cautiously.

Clemiticus hauled one barrel of yellow magical balls and placed it on one side of the room, then he carried the other to the opposite.

“Choose a side, ladies and gents!” Clemiticus said with a mischievous grin. “One ball requires one drink. The first team to fix their side of the room wins!”

Thea's and Ed’s eyes lit up with excitement.

Melly shrugged.

“As long as there’s ale involved, I’ll do whatever.” Derick said.

Hubert looked around the tavern, then at the single barrel of ale. “We’re gonna need a bigger float!”

“Let’s play ball!” Clemiticus yelled.

By the time Hubert had returned for the third refills, half of the tavern had already been rebuilt, although be it slightly damp from all the inaccurate chugging. Their ball game sent a chorus of popping throughout the tavern with a hailstorm of drunken confusion.

Each second a new wall, table window or bench flashed into existence from the wreckage. Even the pieces that had been partially eaten by the plant boss had materialised from thin air.

The game had no particular set of rules and team swapping became a regular occurrence. Either way, the game was a slice of therapy they all needed. The stress of battle literally vanished from sight with every projectile. Melly looked over and found Thea had sided with a certain cheerful King. The two of them busily chatting while exchanging broad grins, laughing.

Clemiticus was playing some odd game with Dog. It looked a bit like fetch, only when Dog caught the ball, he would instantly spit it out onto a randomly broken object. Astonishingly enough, she spotted the whale chug his own mug of ale each throw.

“Nice one!” Clem shouted.

Derrick and Nuecus were the only ones whose heart wasn’t into the playful reconstruction. They stood side by side unenthusiastically, tossing the magical poppers while in deep grumbling conversation. The only thing she could make from her father was, “that bloody woman.”

Then a familiar sight caught Melly’s attention.

“Ah, you have arrived!” she said.

A tall figure strode into the half-constructed door. Brian waved as silently as ever while Mistress Maim pushed her way into the establishment.

“Hiya Mell!” she said cheerfully, still wearing her iconic yellow getup. “Oh, wow!”

Melly approached the two hunters and placed a ball in each of their hands. Almost instantly, they joined in the game. Brian lending his superior reach to throw his projectiles higher than the rest of them.

Hubert returned with more Ale and tankards as the party continued.

“Don’t worry. More magical balls are on their way!” Jim reassured them when the magical buckets were emptied.

“And the Ale?” asked Derrick who looked like he was having difficulty standing.

They all laughed as Hubert worriedly rush out back to gather yet another barrel.

“We are going to empty all of his stock.” Derrick added.

“I’m sure he will be happy since we are rebuilding his establishment,” replied Ed.

A blue light flickered above as Fairy joined in the festivities. Each throw now came with its own commentary as the fairy announced the accuracy of each throw and their levels of inebriation.

Melly joined Clemiticuses game with Dog. The whale’s smile was infectious, allowing her emotions to be swept up by a swell of innocent joy.

At some point, Clemiticus whipped out his instrument and serenaded them with a new set of songs. They hadn’t yet been perfected, yet they sounded perfect for the occasion.

With reconstructed chairs, they sat around the bard as he played. Thea rolled her eyes each time Clem started playing, muttering the words, “Song thief.”

Melly couldn’t understand what she meant. Every song Clemiticus played sounded entirely unfamiliar. She leaned back into her chair, enjoying the relaxation that came with the ale. Looking over at the others, she couldn’t help but notice that the King and Thea looked oddly comfortable together.

Well, they are both technically Kings; she thought to herself. Well, Thea’s an ex-King but still.

Her thoughts then wondered towards her own peculiar circumstance. Her own prospects didn’t look as bright. There was one thing she knew for certain. Whatever her future may hold, she was not going to be a mirror image of her mother, who had abandoned her family in pursuit of something selfish.

“Nice one, Clem!” Ed said in awe. “When you finish your quest, you should move to Skull City!”

The bard’s expression changed. Melly couldn’t quite pick his expression.

Regret, maybe?

The bard laughed it off and said, “Yeah sure mate.”

A blue light flashed above as the fairy decided it was time to intrude into the conversation.

“Clemiticuses’ party has one current quest: Confront the Queen of Ashenstone City!”

Thea’s face scrunched up. “Confront?”

Fairy nodded.

The King playfully nudged the town planner with his shoulder. “I wish I could come with.”

Fairy shook its head. “The King cannot interfere with the quest.”

Clemiticus looked puzzled. “That’s a weird quest condition.”

Fairy looked nervous as it flapped its wings and landed on the bard’s head.

“Skull City must remain protected. Without the King, the city's inherent defences will surely fall.”

The sobering thought cast worried expressions on the entire group. Even through the fog of intoxication, Melly’s mind washed over this new bit of information. This meant that there was a plausible threat to the city.

Clemiticus scratched his chin in an exaggerated, thoughtful way.

“Fairy?” he asked.

The blue apparition tilted its head. “Yes?”

“Is there anyway we could increase our potential success rate it this quest chain?”

The fairy nodded.

“There is a place you can go before Ashenstone City. In fact, it’s on the way.”

“Go on,” Thea said.

“The Enraptured Woods, and the home of the fairies!”