Air bubbled away from the man running out. He swam towards something racing against time before danger caught him. The fish tank in the factory was frigid, full of plastic props, and Bootlicker eggs. It was going to be drained if he could reach, and pull the plug.

“hahah” laughed the giant crab.

The creature’s large claws clacked, as it dove down like a diver blocking the path to drainage. The many attached skulls hissed laughing like a hot tub on the fritz.

“Where are you going?” laughed Ned.

His head had been previously fused into the rest of the monstrosity.

Edward’s hook had been previously cut off by the claws that threatened his crown. He aimed the empty hook launcher, and fired wires through the water, underneath the crabs shell, and towards the target. The crab slammed downward in a special move toward the bottom. It intercepted the wires with the hard shell of an entire graveyard fused together. Edwards' arm was ripped forward, and he was trapped flung towards an underwater bottomfeeder.

The remaining oxygen was sucked from him, as he used his last strength to angle his stump hand launcher. He started winding himself in like a fisherman with a bloodied key twisted into his veins. He sprung forward into a flying sucker punch directly into the creature. The big claw snapped like a guillotine in front of his face, cutting his cables even smaller. It was quickly rising again to separate a head. Edwards' head pulsed warning signals of fading consciousness. He ignored them and raised his stump. His muscles ached and twitched threatening to give out. The stump fell like a sledgehammer. The crab was smacked forming small cracks. Edward aimed at the filtration system and fired the remaining wires. Nearby the cut hook had fallen overboard and trapped in the current. It flew towards a giant target. The crab was hooked, and then harpooned like a fish with thrashing claws. It couldn't reach the man in their blind spot of reach.

“Plunk!” The hook completed its cut and began to unclog the drain.

The impact of the giant creature pulled the cord, and knocked off what remained of the stopper.

The drain sputtered, beginning to suck in anything close. The crab’s shell was caught in the vortex. The claws wildly swung as the creature was trapped in the drain too small. The water began to rush through the shell of leaky bones, pulling them slowly apart under pressure.

“Ooof” said Ned, his upper shell cracking apart.

The creature broke apart running down the drain in pieces. The last claw disappeared,as the water level rapidly lowered.

Edward was out cold zooming to the surface. The fish tank floor was rapidly emptying itself. Plastic seaweed, and kelp hung in the air from wires. The drain gargled, drinking the remainder of the small pool of fish eggs on the incline below him.

Nearby the two remaining Bootlickers clung to the hanging props sobbing.

“We have failed to continue our species” cried one.

“We have failed our computer lord,” cried the other.

It was deafly silent outside the factory in the underground graveyard. The two knights were still as mice hiding on their stomachs. Frozen beatles leaked from underneath a large sarcophagus where breath also froze. They both shivered.

"Psst it looks like the coast is clear" said Vito.

Mooseman let out a multi stage rumbling cough in acknowledgement. "It's getting colder every second might as well keep waiting on the king to return and conserve our energy" he said, hacking snot at a cobweb. It was iced mid trajectory to target.

Vito was trying to crawl, but his legs weren’t cooperating.

“Well I better un-sleep my legs, and warm my body before danger presents itself again” he said, limping to his feet.

Mooseman struggled, groaning to climb from out under the hiding spot.

“Yeah I'd rather die on my feet than my stomach which does not have the same insulation levels as yours in this frigid temperature” said Vito.

“Ok boss” said Mooseman, dusting off a coating of mummy dust.

The pair emerged from the tomb to a large entry. The walls hung with thumb tacked posters full of strange symbols. A row of staging ran the wall, and reached the stone ceiling in two sections. Wires ran over everything originating from three large spools scattered around, and a fuse box half installed. Many piles of construction materials took up the middle of the floor running to the exit.

“Well there’s the door, err in this case permanently open engraved rock archway” said Vito, taking the lead.

The snowflakes fell here in this small radius area through a hole in the ceiling directly above. The previously walking dead who had terrorized the living had been absorbed into the crab creature. This spot was farthest away from where the creature had chased after the King. The two knights stood on the steps looking over a dead yard below them. A giant statue of a muscled figure stood clad in jester uniform among the standard graveyard features.

“Well no sense wasting anymore time, let's find out if the king has joined the dead '' said Mooseman, double checking his boomstick by sliding down the slide an inch to see a red shell.

He looked at his comrade who was fidgeting and pacing, while eating a caramel protein bar that matched his beard. He looked to the ceiling, and all twelve crystal types sparkled a grimy rainbow.

“Well the dead are dead again, and the picture has been restored to color vision” said Vito, extending a fist.

“Don’t jinx us with your mouth fool, jeez” said Mooseman, completing the fist bumping.

“It’s all emo with you haha let’s celebrate a return to normalcy” laughed Vito.

They crossed an iron rung bridge over what looked like quicksand camouflaged underneath dead flowers. A rotten rat darted in between a nearby stack of identical coffins. The wind howled and moaned above driving hairs on end with cold spookiness. Mooseman ducked, having spotted a moving skeleton at the edge of his vision. He ran tackling oblivious Vito and lugged him behind the coffins just in time. There was additional armor creaking on the other side of the hidden knights aiming their weapons.

“I can’t let him see me like this hehe” I hoarse voice cackled as red torch light cast moving shadows. “I will see again soon including a dead husband forever with me"

“What do you intend to do mama, paint your skull with pretty patterns to attract him” a shrill voice called.

“Just call me Nancy or I’ll lock you up again little leprechaun” she cackled. “If you want an invite to a dead wedding among these tombs”.

“Uh huh, for now just follow holding my hand I’ll protect you” said Rotom leading her as a seeing eye zombie.

The blind witch found herself led smacking into a stack of coffins. The stack crashed over crushing something tiny. The knights stared into the empty sockets and lunging bones attacking. Mooseman some the broomstick, while Vito crouched underneath and covered his ears.

“Where did your brother runoff Mickey? We just got him sewed back together” she said.

“You're a good seamstress if only your eyes were working” said the leprechaun.

“Soon a trade will be performed with witchcraft, you see if I take a King’s eyes he won’t see my skeletal features” she sighed.

A growling noise responded as Mickey launched himself for the shadows. The leprechaun was stuffed with zombie crystals and had more stitches onboard than a sailboat. His face looked like it had been lifted off a scarecrow, and he even had patches of straw sticking from his overalls. He jumped with mouth open to bite Mooseman. He successfully latched on but had no teeth or tongue to dig in with.

“AAA” he cried struggling with the attacker biting above the shotgun.

“Boom!” Went the broomstick knocking the broomstick from the skeleton witch and launched her away. She flew underneath the moon and impacted somewhere in the cavern. Mooseman pumped in another red shell while fighting off the small zombie latched to his back. The pellets he just shot had wedged deep inside Nancy’s Elven plotting armor also cushioned the fall from breaking any bones or grace.

Mooseman head butted the small zombie that remained undeterred. The second leprechaun jumped from the shadows, and bit into Vito.

Vito kicked the attacker ¾ his height directly at Mooseman.

“Oops,” he cautioned.

Mooseman’s reflexes punted the creature with a kick into the coffins, as he continued to be bitten by its brother. Vito slammed the dead wood over. “Crunch”

“Boom!” Went the broomstick blowing apart the stitched together body.

It exploded into raining goose feathers and other stuffings onto the men.

“What the farc” exclaimed Mooseman, sitting.

“First aid coming up,” said Vito, reaching into his backpack.

“Give me the kit, I'll do it myself,” said the injured knight, relighting his cigar.

“Ahh smart thinking to cauterize the wound” said Vito, tapping his head.

He removed a tackle box like tin marked “medical stuff” from his pack.

“Huh?..” Mooseman began puffing. “I’ve got one item on my bucket list and that's to finish this stogie before I’m dead so I figure I need to finish it now ” he said.

“Nonsense I’ll patch you right up there stay still” said Vito.

A bandage was ripped for the roll, and descended. A larger hand intercepted the motion to rip it from helpless fingers. Mooseman ripped off his torn shirt to reveal wounds in his muscles. He began to wrap bandages through a jungle of hairs. When he finished he outstretched his arm.

“C'mon give me the medical gear” he said, looking mean.

“Alright” said Vito, handing over the tin, and bandages. “How about a puff of that for myself?” He asked.

Mooseman grunted, and turned in the other direction with an open tin on his lap, and scissors in one hand.

The last water trickled down the drain of an empty pool. A man with one hand lay like a starfish hanging to the former waterline. His boots also leaked as both were removed. The man’s stump wedged in the pool filter he hung from. The sounds of crying and licking grew in scope. He woke to two Bootlickers lugging off his boots. Edward choked heaving liquid snot preventing breathing.

“Hey back here” “unless you want to become extinct in this place” he yelled

Two fish finished climbing a ladder out of the pool. They ran along the poolside into the guts of a dark factory. The King wearing stolen knights armor ripped his arm from the suction but no matter how hard he tried he was left hanging. He unsheathed a knight's sword he had borrowed and forgot about cutting the retractable wires recently attached to a hook and much longer. He landed on bare feet, and promptly inspected himself briefly to confirm he was still living. He reinserted the sword, winded in what remained of the wires into a spring shooter, and placed the winding key in his pocket. He sprinted to the pool's ladder to chase. Two lives to catch for sacrifice here, and if he was lucky the third one he had in mind was still living.

The Bootlickers had disappeared into an office maze of cubicles. He had lost them in the sprawling room.

“Eeer” he sputtered in frustration, with a good hand holding his head from collapsing.

He spotted what looked wrinkly royal leather sticking around the bend in one path. “Hah” he said, slipping it on.

The path continued around a set of desks full of family portraits of fish. A degree for acceptance into a fancy looking Bootlicker school hung on the wall. Cobwebs and dust covered an empty desk by a janitor's closet. The area changed to a hallway full of battle scarred tack boards lacking papers but full of damage. A sign read “safe houses access entrance”.

An alarm started blasting around the corner as the building's sprinklers activated overhead.

He sprinted around the corner with an uneven gait.

The Bootlickers could be seen through the glass slit in a metal door trying to reinforce with objects. They jumped as a stump sized dent blew out above their flippers

“Ah ha” cried Edward, clearing the sharp shards away from the pane with his boot.

His eyes spotted his other shoe dropping, as his enemies fled to a control panel and began slapping buttons with fishy fingers.

“Grrr” said Edward arm stuck through the entry unlocking.

“Oh no he’s coming” called a fish.

“Don’t hurt us” they cried hugging near a ledge marked with yellow tap warnings.

The door slammed open and the king walked in to a bare platform overlooking a void underneath railings. The place began to shake. A tiny home on rails was descending behind the Bootlickers. The porch pulled up and they jumped onboard. Edward finished tying his laces to look up in surprise.

“Where do you think you're going?” He called, sprinting forward.

A shriek loudly penetrated eardrums. A flipper slamming the main entrance followed by loud bolting. The room began to rumble as gear moved the floating mobile residence swinging back into motion. The deck was pulling away from the platform leaving a rapidly expanding gap to fall into darkness . Edward lunged forward like a madman jumping at the last second. He slammed into the deck webbing grabbing onto a railing. He pulled himself onto the decking. A panel of the main door was splintered apart by a stump sledgehammer.

“Here comes Eddy”

Fishy shrieking before the back door slammed.

“Nowhere to run I’m coming inside” he taunted, smiling as he retracted his stump launcher from the opening.

Edward ran towards the edge of the deck to find it wasn’t a wrapping porch.

“Here I go overthinking myself when I’m destined to be brutish” he said.

The tiny entrance busted apart into pulp, as he entered ducking. The living room greeted him with a small couch and a loveseat covered in plastic. The floor was shag carpet, and there was strange looking lighting due to embroidered lamp shades. A bookshelf was empty, and the walls were bare with no windows. He walked past a mint kitchen sparkling with clean. The back door was pulverized and kicked into the void below with a combo. The Bootlickers quivered in fear at the edge of the back deck.

“I’ve got you now” said Edward, his long black hair being attacked by the sharp wind.

The two fish stared back in fear. They turned holding hands, and walked over the edge.

“Nooo you were my tickets out of this prison” cried Edward, rushing forward.

He looked below to see them plopped on the roof of another floating tiny home directly beneath. One of the fish stuck a tongue out at Edward, and he jumped, smashed into the dwelling's roof, and crashed into the living room. He lay motionless over a shattered glass coffee table, collapsed legs, and book that matched. The ceiling fan hung sideways sparking lightning overhead. The fish flapped into the kitchen. The nearby couches had feet sticking out from them. Edward threw himself to his feet. In the living room corner a body was wrapped in tarp. It sat completely still with a head sticking out that looked like a dead elf under a plastic bag.

“You've picked the wrong party to crash!” a sly voice called.

“Who are you?” asked Edward spinning around confused.

An Elf was clad in layers of exotic cloth, and held a green glowing wine glass. The business tie was a pyramid with their image, and likeness on top of the triangle. Gathered around them on the coaches, less stylish elves lounged.

“I believe you tried to kill me before,” said the standing Elf boss.

“Oh goody your prisoners so let’s get this mobile home to a teleport station immediately” said Edward clapping. “Chop, chop.. well I can’t really threaten that anymore, but bash bash I can” he finished.

“No I don’t think so” said the fancy Elf sipping. “You must meet our species' latest technological marvel, an obedient cyborg soldier. I have fixed the Elven species main exploitation”

“What?” said Edward, pausing.

“Look behind you” said the boss Elf.

He spun, and the tarp had fallen. The plastic head bag remained on the armored body that was light in neon tubes, and gears beginning to turn. It jolted to life with a plume of steam, sitting up in the medical chair. Underneath the bag a motherboard revealed itself in RGB strapped over one of the eyes, the other was brown.

“I am Them Cyborg Brains at your surface” it said in a 16 bit tone.

“T.C.B.” would you kill King Edward.

“Roger,” it replied.

On one of the robot hands was what looked like a hand mixer. A much bigger and sharper looking one than the kind used by royal bakers. It began to spin as the cyborg laughed in a robotic fashion. Ironically the King had done a very similar thing after tiring of a former needy husband always hogging the bathtub.

The elves scuttled out the back entrance after their boss who had fled first. The cyborg stomped forward threatening to derail the building due to its heavy armor.

“Let’s investigate how to kill a King of humans' ' laughed the cyborg maniacally.