This plan was crazy. Very, very, very crazy. So crazy, yet foolishly simple in a way that it shouldn’t work. But if it did, think about all the milk he might get in return.

  “Elaine, I need you to trust me,” Colby said as he closed one eye, focusing on his Core.

  “What! Are you mad? What are you—”

  “You can scold me later, Laine. Just whack a LeMonkey when I tell you to.”

  Farmer Hound burst through the bushes, lunging straight at him. Joining him were the LeMonkeys, swinging their baguettes around in revenge for hurting one of their own—either that or it was the green controlling them.

  Elaine made a wide berth, keeping as much distance between herself and the impending hound while simultaneously drawing the LeMonkeys away from him.

  They raised their baguettes, while she her sword. As she swung, eager to find out what happened when you mixed red blood and sour yellow fur, Colby yelled.

  “Defence, Laine. Defence! Don’t hit it!”

  She twisted her sword at the last second, deflecting the incoming baguette rather than slicing through it and the LeMonkey on the other side.

  “What are you—”

  Her words were cut off when she noticed that Colby was otherwise preoccupied. He raised Thornelius up again, moving him every which way to stop Farmer Hound from giving him a close-up look at his latest manicure session.

  When Farmer Hound’s nose and ears twitched, signalling the latest monster abuser, Colby yelled.

  “Now!”

  Elaine slashed with her blade, cutting the closest unlucky baguette in half, and gifting the even unluckier LeMonkey a cool scar—if it lived to tell the tale.

  Farmer Hound’s head snapped. He bolted towards Elaine on all fours.

  “Colby!” she yelled, continuing to block the rest of the LeMonkeys frantic strikes as Farmer Hound rushed over in a brown burst of furry speed.

  Colby wasn’t going to throw Elaine to the wolves—the hound? Either way, he just needed some distance between Farmer Hound and him so that he could move on to phase two of this ludicrous plan.

  Congratulations! [Cheese Pouch] has reached Level 3!

  Congratulations! [Cheese Chestplate] has reached Level 3!

  A chestplate made out of mozzarella materialized over his body. It was a specially modified one with a large pouch in the front. Colby placed Thornelius inside the pouch, giving the good boy a pat on the head as his hands were finally free enough to fire another [Cheese Shot].

  It crashed into the same LeMonkey, smashing its other hand as it let out a sour cry.

  Farmer Hound immediately turned, sprinting after Colby, who was in turn running towards that same unfortunate LeMonkey.

  Just before a claw turned him into sliced cheese, Elaine attacked another LeMonkey. This time, she hit it with the butt of her sword, finally catching on to the game Colby was playing.

  Farmer Hound switched targets, chasing after Elaine once more, who went back to the game of defense against LeMonkeys.

  Finally, Colby reached that same LeMonkey. He felt bad for it, seeing two of its hands broken and bruised. Then he immediately felt good as it stood up and tried to bite him.

  A quick step to the side caused the LeMonkey to tumble, eating the dirt. Sadly, it did nothing to gain Farmer Hound’s attention, but hopefully this would.

  To prevent the current LeMonkey from getting wise, he covered its mouth with some [Stickious Cheesious], giving its legs a similar treatment. For added security, [String Cheese] bound its limbs.

  That was enough to trigger Farmer Hound. He bolted over towards him. And Colby hoped that his plan would work out.

  Colby lifted his palm in the general direction of the group of LeMonkeys and fired another round of cheese—very special cheese.

  Congratulations! [The Ricotta Army] has reached Level 2!

  Congratulations! [ Cheese With An Edge] has reached Level 6!

  Congratulations! [Cheese Pouch] has reached Level 4!

  Congratulations! [Cheese Shot] has reached Level 10!

  Congratulations! [String Cheese] has reached Level 4!

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  Flying through the air were the ginger-cheese men—made using ricotta, not anari—armed with the sharpest toothpick-sized aged cheddar that Colby could make. On their backs was a specially modified [Cheese Pouch].

  When they began to fall, they deployed it.

  The [Cheese Pouch] unfurled into a parachute that was directly attached to the ginger-cheese men's body via [String Cheese]. Pulling on the strings, they navigated their way to their designated LeMonkey—or at least tried to.

  This was their first jump, and their training was simply the briefest of briefings. Some of the more talented ginger-cheese men managed to actually land on a LeMonkey. Most ended up on the ground. Using their [Cheese With An Edge] toothpick-sized swords, they severed the [String Cheese] connecting them to the parachute before they sprinted to their target.

  One of the ginger-cheese men who had landed on a LeMonkey’s flailing shoulder raised its toothpick-blade. It stabbed the oblivious LeMonkey, causing it to shriek and make its presence known.

  That was enough to grab Farmer Hound’s attention. He skidded mid-charge and turned around towards the offending monster abuser, only to come to another sudden halt as another LeMonkey shrieked in pain.

  One by one, the LeMonkeys yelled after having been poked with sharp cheese toothpick-blades. Farmer Hound was stuck in limbo, constantly running, stopping, and changing directions as the ginger-cheese men became the largest gang of monster abusers in all of Brinebrook.

  The LeMonkeys attention had shifted from Elaine to the ginger-cheese men climbing all over them. Definitely some odd behavior. Maybe that Macronet thing only had partial control when the monster it was controlling was still alive?

  Whatever the case, it gave Elaine a much needed breather. She lowered her sword, panting and trying her best to process the sudden turn of events. She jogged over to Colby, who had a [Cheese Pouch] in his hand and was currently hugging a very angry and squirmy LeMonkey.

  Colby was trying to lift the broken LeMonkey up and stuff him into the [Cheese Pouch], but his [Stickious Cheesious] was too sticky, and the monkey’s feet were stuck to the ground.

  “What is going on, Colby?” Elaine asked, picking up the LeMonkey with one hand and shoving it into the [Cheese Pouch] without breaking a sweat.

  “Phase three,” he said, stuffing the LeMonkey’s baguette into the pouch. A [String Cheese] materialized in his hand that he used to tie the pouch, leaving the LeMonkey’s head and its baguette sticking out.

  “Meaning?”

  “We get that thing's attention so that they can put it down,” Colby said, pointing at the see-star farmers who had been spectating the entire time.

  “Who are they? What are you not telling me, Colbs?”

  He ignored that second question. “Kind-hearted farmers. Come with me, I don’t think my troops can hold out for that long.”

  Colby ran up to the LeMonkeys, making sure he was far, far, far away from howling and confused Farmer Hound. The ginger-cheese men were dipping and dodging around the LeMonkey’s rampant baguette swings, making sure to continuously stab it lest their General—Colby—got hurt.

  One by one, Colby bound their limbs and mouth with [Stickious Cheesious] and [String Cheese] before Elaine shoved them into a [Cheese Pouch] that was tied with a [String Cheese], leaving its head and baguette exposed like a trophy. She carried each one back to the first LeMonkey as the ginger-cheese man continued to poke their designated LeMonkey's head.

  They repeated this until all but one of the LeMonkeys were bound up. Then Colby gave the signal. All the ginger-cheese men stopped stabbing except for one.

  It was the one hidden within the pile of bounded LeMonkeys.

  Farmer Hound bolted towards the pile with its fangs and claws extra long and sharp. Its paws froze mid-air as it attempted to figure out how to get to the monster abuser without becoming a monster abuser himself.

  Then the see-salt farmers moved in.

  Multiple catchpoles were thrust forward, loops wrapping tight around Farmer Hound’s neck. He began to thrash, but was quickly stopped as the gem in the center of each pole sparked with electricity as the see-salt farmers leaned their weight into the poles. Rubber boots dug into the earth as they forced Farmer Hound lower and lower until he finally crashed onto the ground.

  One particularly brave see-salt farmer darted in. His hands shook as he secured the muzzle—more like a gas mask—over the hound's snout.

  A soft hiss followed as pink gas was released, curling in slow, swirling streams. Farmer Hound’s movements slowed, claws shortening and dulling, fur receding into skin.

  The see-salt farmers breathed a sigh of relief, loosening their catchpoles around the shrinking neck of Farmer Hound. Then, panic shot through them.

  Farmer Hound was becoming more farmer than hound.

  Colby could be bought with milk.

  But could the same be said about a Knight-in-training?

  “Thanks for the help,” one of the farmers said.

  Together, they bent down and picked up the slowly transforming Farmer Hound, ferrying him away from any curious eyes.

  Elaine placed a hand on the handle of her sheathed blade. Colby could tell that she demanded answers. And she could tell that he wasn’t going to give it to her. Pointing a sword at him was hard, but not at a bunch of see-salt farmers carrying away a wanted beast for harming multiple Knights and Knights-in-training.

  Her boots dug into the dirt, calves bunching up as she prepared to give chase.

  “Colby!” Porter yelled, emerging from a bush and [Dashing] towards him. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

  “Nope, I’m Colby,” he chuckled. “Told you it was no biggie.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  “No biggie?” Elaine said, looming over them. “I’ll tell you what’s a no biggie.”

  Colby was panicking; his mind racing. Maybe he should’ve let Farmer Hound tear him to shreds. Somehow, Elaine was even more terrifying.

  “Wait. Wait. Wait.” Colby said, holding out his arms in a desperate attempt to block Elaine’s wrath. “That wasn’t the no biggie. The no biggie is that.”

  He pointed at the huge ball of mold, towering over the trees and controlling hordes of undead, half-dead, and not-dead monsters.

  “I think I know how to stop it.”