Lorenz stood, sweating, in what looked to have once been an enormous greenhouse. Condensation dripped from overhead onto the grassy ground. There had once been some sort of flooring, but it was long gone, either decayed by time or pulled up by the flowerlings.
The flowerlings themselves were walking works of art. Just the thought of the goblins eating them infuriated Lorenz. They were smaller than the goblins and were essentially walking plants. Their leader was a battle scarred queen who sat on a gnarled stump near the middle of the greenhouse. Great cabbage roses bloomed across her limbs, perfuming the air.
"You rescued my soldiers. For this, you have my thanks. For what reason have you come to Charlize's Greenhouse?" The queen said, her voice both icy and warm. It was the strangest thing Lorenz had ever experienced. "Please, speak."
"We were sent on a quest to gather red daturas and perhaps some blue stone flowers," Lorenz said, glancing at June.
The queen's tiny green lips quirked into a smile. Arrayed behind her was a collection of younger flowerlings and officials clad in draping robes. They all displayed smiles.
"I think that perhaps you had the quest, and your companion tagged along?" The queen said. "Unfortunately, our poor Charlize's Greenhouse has been invaded by the Goblin King Fauwen. He slaughters our people in search of gold and glory."
"What glory is there in destroying something so beautiful," Lorenz asked, fighting to contain his anger.
The signs of war were everywhere they'd passed in their journey here. They had had to dodge patrols constantly. June hadn't minded; she'd seen some of them as purely free experience. Even Lorenz had had to take part in order to not be discovered. Now he had a bunch of experience and a lot of unnecessary equipment littering his inventory.
Charlize's Greenhouse had once been a wonderful, beautiful place. It was clear even through the devastation that the goblins had wreaked. There were patches on the walls that showed where something had once been, either a shelf or painting. The sparse furniture that was human sized was mostly destroyed, and the smaller pieces obviously looted, the only signs of their existence the lighter patches on the floors and carpets.
Lorenz had surmised that this wasn't supposed to be a fighting dungeon at all. He'd read about a few on the forums. They generally existed for craftsman quests, and you needed to have the required skill in order to earn anything significant from them. Sometimes, the dungeon would grant you the skill upon entry.
All he really knew about them was that a few of the more powerful Guilds monopolized them, charging for entry at sometimes usurious prices.
"The glory comes from our deaths and the gold as well," the queen replied. "I am the Queen of the Flower Folk, Lydia. May I ask your names?"
"I'm simply Lorenz," Lorenz said with a quick bow in her direction. He heard a hum of approval from the surrounding flowerlings.
"I'm called Juniper, but you can call me 'June,'" June said, looking around warily.
The surroundings were filled with flowerlings of various ages and states. Some of the older ones showed signs of injury, swaddled in white bandages that contrasted with their green limbs. Flower petals coated the floor, shed from the multitudes of flowerlings. The younger ones clustered behind their elders and around the colonnades that lined giant hall, peeping out.
The scene was both surreal and exciting. Lorenz shoved down the feeling of being overwhelmed. When Cora asked him to play the game, he had expected something along the lines like Fantasy Chronicles, only more lifelike. He, Heidi and Cora had wasted a summer immersed in beating that game.
"I regret that you've come at such an ill-omened time. Usually, the quest is fairly easy to accomplish," Queen Lydia said. She waved a tiny hand around her. "We will usually host a small banquet to grant the flowers you seek and send you on your way. Alas, we currently lack the time to do so this day."
"We would help you fight against the invaders," June said, one hand resting on the dagger at her waist. "It's horrible what they've done to your kingdom."
"It is, indeed," Queen Lydia agreed, nodding. She turned to one of her advisors standing by her side. "What news do we have now?"
"The goblins have retreated to the front bailey and are gathering forces. The portcullis is already destroyed, allowing them to move more troops in." The advisor said, nodding his head full of blooming violets.
"The troops are ready to sally forth, my queen," said General Dauvin, one of the flowerlings Lorenz had rescued from the kitchen and the murderous cook.
General Dauvin paced forward, coming to a stop a measured distance from the makeshift throne. He placed one hand over his heart as he bowed. Straightening, he glanced over at Lorenz and June.
"I am willing to allow them to join our sally against the forces of the Goblin King," General Dauvin said. He looked at another of the advisors, one decorated with bunches of daisies mottled with blue and pink spots. "Has there been any word from the Goblin King Vauchon?"
"I thought you were fighting the Goblin King?" June asked, her brow furrowing.
"There are several different Goblin Kings," Queen Lydia explained. "Being at war with one does not mean you are at war with all. Vauchon has a deep seated hatred of Skarane."
"Killed his father, don't you know," one of the advisors added.
"Kidnapped his sister, as well," another piped up.
"Tried to usurp his throne," the last one, the first to have spoken, ended.
"That would be worth hating," June agreed with a nod.
"If Vauchon knows that Skarane is leading his troops here, then he will come for a pincer attack. Vauchon can't commit too many forces because his own kingdom is in flux. The treasure he's plundered so far can only cover so much," Queen Lydia said. "We have sent messengers to inform him of the situation."
"We have no way of knowing if the messengers made it. There has been no sign of Vauchon's troops as of yet," Advisor One said.
Lorenz decided to simply label them according to their flowers. Otherwise, it was too difficult to keep track of them. Violet, or Advisor One, seemed to be the steadiest. Mottled Daisy was the next steadiest, constantly consulting a book in his arms. The other three－Crocus, Pansy and Carnation－were the greek chorus that was almost constantly dropping bits of gossip.
Since their arrival, Lorenz had learned not only of the reasons why the two Goblin Kings were at war with each other, but also why they'd been invaded (money and opportunity), when the goblins had come (roughly a week earlier), who was the best warrior among the flowerlings (the now deceased General Kai'in, the unfortunate flowerling they'd been too late to save and brother to the Queen), and who was now in the running to win the Ms. Flowerling beauty pageant (Dahlia Crocus, a crossbreed both her families were inordinately proud of and was being kept at the Queen's side and out of harm's way).
Lorenz quite thought that if they got captured, the Goblin King Skarane would have no problems conquering the rest of the flowerlings. He and June had only been in their presence for less than twenty minutes, and they'd already learned a ton of stuff. The Queen merely shook her head at each of their utterances, obviously used to it.
"We can take a guerrilla squad to scout the edges of the bailey to gain a count of their current troop strength," General Dauvin volunteered. He paused and glanced at Lorenz and June. "How did you get into Charlize's Greenhouse?"
"The wall near the kitchen was broken down. We dodged the patrols there and snuck in," June volunteered. She frowned. "How did your messengers get out? Was there another hidden entrance?"
"Through the kitchens?" Crocus asked.
"The walls are breached there? But the goblins got in by breaking the chain on the portcullis," Pansy added.
"We had no news of the kitchen walls being damaged," Carnation argued.
"Then I don't think your messenger got through," June said.
Lorenz glanced at her. June looked serious yet there was a faint hint of excitement hiding under her calm demeanor. He sighed internally. Obviously, she was fishing for a quest of some sort.
"We don't have anyone to spare to try again," General Dauvin mused. He tapped the hilt of the sword strapped to his waist. "My queen?"
Queen Lydia frowned. Then she looked at June, amusement flashing across her eyes. Lorenz shook his head as she turned her gaze to him. The amusement in her eyes deepened for just a second.
"You have the look of a rogue about you, Juniper," Queen Lydia began.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" June's voice was almost breathless.
"Would you be willing to try to deliver a message to Vauchon's court for me?" Queen Lydia held out her hand. Dahlia Crocus popped up from behind the throne, flashing General Dauvin a blushing look before depositing a sealed scroll into the queen's hands and vanishing again. "We would reward you for your efforts."
"Yes!" June said, bowing hastily.
General Dauvin strode forward, took the scroll and walked to June. He held out the scroll.
"Be wary of the goblins. Both Vauchon and Skarane's forces won't discriminate against you and won't hesitate to attack. Vauchon's forces are clad in berry blue and Skarane's brown and yellow like a bee." Dauvin said as June accepted the scroll.
"Though he doesn't like bees," Crocus said.
"Or honey. He hates sweets," Pansy added.
"Though I heard from someone that he's looking for Fire Bees for their honey," Carnation finished.
"You have a location. Good luck," General Dauvin said with a sigh and a shake of his head.
"I won't fail," June promised. She looked at Lorenz who'd watched the entire thing with a grain of salt. "I guess this is where we part for a bit. Good luck here."
"Good luck. See you when you get back," Lorenz said, at a bit of a loss. He hadn't expected her to go off on her own.
The flowerlings offered up a long soldier to escort June back to the kitchen where they'd entered. After she'd left, the hall became noisy.
"Are we really going to attack?" An older flowerling asked.
"Of course!" Violet responded. "We can't let them stay here. They're robbing Charlize's Greenhouse blind! Any longer and we won't be able to recoup our losses."
The other advisors nodded fiercely. General Dauvin and the queen sighed.
"We will wait until nightfall and send out our troop for reconnaissance. After that, we will decide when to attack," Queen Lydia said. "Our dear guest, although our hospitality is limited, we can still provide a place to rest and refreshments."
"I'd be happy to rest and wait, Your Majesty," Lorenz said with a hurried bow. He heard a hum of approval.
"Then, Dahlia Crocus? Please lead him and General Dauvin to a resting spot," Queen Lydia said, turning her head slightly.
Dahlia Crocus popped out, still blushing. Lorenz was hard pressed to tell whether that shade of pink was her flower's natural color or not.