The grandfather clock in the garden chimed. Midnight.
"It is time," **Valerius** whispered, his voice dripping with dramatic flair. He spun Taylor around one last time. "Prepare for the blossoming of Truth."
Above them, the massive green pod pulsed. It cracked open.
A shimmer of golden-green dust began to drift down onto the dance floor. It looked magical. It smelled like lavender and regret.
[System Message: Warning. Airborne Neurotoxin Detected. Effects include: Uncontrollable honesty, hallucinating giant bugs, and a sudden desire to confess your tax fraud.]
"Don't breathe!" Taylor shouted, covering her nose with her sleeve.
She kicked Valerius in the shin with her steel-toed boot.
*CLANG.*
"Ow!" Valerius hopped back, clutching his leg. "You wore construction boots to a waltz?! You barbarian!"
"Safety first!" Taylor yelled. "Ren! Now!"
***
[The Ventilation Solution]
"Ren!" Taylor screamed into her earpiece. "Fan! We need a fan!"
"I am busy!" **Ren**'s voice came back. "The waiter has summoned reinforcements! They are armed with trays!"
"Forget the waiter! Spin your sword! Use the **Helicopter Technique**!"
Ren, currently standing by the buffet table, looked confused. But he trusted his Captain.
"Technique: **Great Dragon Tornado!**"
Ren held his sword above his head and spun it. Fast. Impossibly fast.
*WHOOSH.*
He became a human industrial fan. The sheer wind pressure from his sword swings created a vortex. The tablecloths flew off. The wigs flew off the nobles.
And the descending cloud of green pollen was sucked sideways.
Instead of hitting the dancers, the cloud of Truth Pollen was blasted directly into the face of the Duke of Oakhaven (a fat man who had been insulting Taylor's concrete earlier).
The Duke inhaled. His eyes went wide.
"I..." The Duke trembled. "I wear a corset! And I think concrete is actually very practical!"
The crowd gasped.
"It works!" Taylor cheered. "Ren, keep spinning!"
"I am getting dizzy!" Ren shouted, wobbling. "The room is... tilting!"
***
[The Culinary War]
Meanwhile, **Ria** watched in horror as stray specks of pollen landed on the pristine roast pig.
"Contamination!" Ria shrieked. "The flavor profile is ruined! You... you Monster!"
She pointed a baguette at Valerius.
"You have disrespected the ingredients!"
Ria kicked the table. A platter of deviled eggs launched into the air.
"**Kitchen Style: Egg Shotgun!**"
Ria roundhouse kicked the eggs mid-air. They flew like bullets.
*SPLAT. SPLAT. SPLAT.*
Three of Valerius's vine-guards were hit in the face with high-velocity yolk.
"My suit!" Valerius screamed, dodging a flying tartlet. "This is egg white! It is impossible to clean out of feathers!"
"That is for the pig!" Ria roared, now wielding a leg of ham like a club.
***
[The Fireworks]
"Chaos," **Violet** giggled, standing calmly in the middle of the screaming crowd. She caught a flying egg and ate it. "I like parties."
"Violet! The distraction is working!" Taylor grabbed the small metal sphere from her pocket. It was her "Firework"—a casing filled with gunpowder and the Professor's mercury fulminate.
"Valerius!" Taylor shouted.
The Viscount looked up, feathers ruffled, egg on his face.
"You ruined my aesthetic!" he shrieked.
"I'm fixing it!" Taylor yelled. "You wanted vibrant colors? You wanted passion? Here!"
She threw the sphere at the giant pollen pod still hanging from the ceiling.
*Clink.*
It hit the pod.
**BOOM.**
It wasn't a small pop. It was a thunderclap. The mercury fulminate detonated the gunpowder instantly.
The giant green pod didn't just break; it evaporated. A massive fireball of orange and red engulfed the ceiling decorations.
Flaming vines rained down.
The guests screamed and ran.
Valerius stood frozen, staring at the fire. The orange flames reflected in his eyes.
"Red..." he whispered. "Orange... Yellow... colliding with the Green..."
He fell to his knees.
"It is... **Fauvism**!" Valerius wept joyful tears. "The raw, wild colors! The destruction of form! It is a masterpiece!"
**[System Message: He likes it. Of course he likes it. He is insane. You just committed arson, and he is writing an art critique.]**
***
**[The Escape]**
"He's distracted!" Taylor grabbed Ren (who had spun himself into a wall) and Ria (who was trying to pack the roast pig into her pockets).
"Go! Go! Go!"
They sprinted through the garden, dodging burning leaves and confused nobles.
Violet followed slowly, walking backwards, staring at Valerius. She waved a small, creepy wave.
They reached the carriage.
"Drive!" Taylor yelled at the driver.
The carriage peeled out, leaving tracks in the perfectly manicured lawn.
As they sped away, Taylor looked back. The castle garden was a chaotic mix of smoke, screaming nobles, and a very happy Valerius conducting the fire like an orchestra.
"We survived," Taylor panted, leaning back in the seat.
"I saved the ham," Ria said proudly, patting her pocket.
"I threw up," Ren groaned, holding his head.
"I had fun," Violet smiled.
[Ding!]
[Quest Complete: The Garden Party]
[Reward: Valerius thinks you are an "Artist of Chaos"]
[Reputation: +100 (Infamy)]
[Social Standing: -500 (You are now banned from all future parties)]
Taylor closed her eyes.
"Worth it."
---