AN: Before you read this, I really want to apologize for any and all typos in this piece. It was a hectic weekend with massive amounds of multitasking. I'll fix it during the week.

Anyways, I love this chapter simply because being a DM (known properly as the Keeper) for Call of Cthulhu is a great way to let out any and all sadistic feelings. And as a person writing about a CoC game with some of his favorite characters... Let's just say the more I write fanfiction, the more I come to realize how much fun it is to screw with the characters I love.

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"Are we there yet?" John piped up. Karkat glared at him, then back over to Rose.

"Are we there yet?" The troll asked.

"You have indeed reached Ross's Corners," Rose nodded, "The area known as Ross's Corners is very spread out, with many farmhouses dotting the countryside. Most of the farmhouses are disused at this point. The actual city of Ross's Corners is only two real buildings: a church and a combination general store, gas station, and post office. You can choose to stop in town or continue to the farmhouse."

"I say we stop and buy some supplies." Vriska suggested.

"Supplies for what?" Jade countered, "We don't even know what we're facing."

"I say we keep going." Karkat said, "This is my car, and we're going with my decision as a driver because I'm a dick like that." The others looked around, muttering in agreement with the logic.

"You drive through the town and head straight on to the farmhouse. It takes a little longer since you didn't ask for directions," Vriska raised her arms, her body language screaming 'What did I say', "But nothing too out of the way. The farmhouse is brick, but the windows and doorframes are wood. It's one story, but there is a window to what looks like an attic, and there is most likely a storm cellar or root cellar or something like that. Assuming you all get out of the car, what do you do?"

"I draw my gun and approach the door," Vriska said. Jade and John looked at her weird.

"I also draw my revolver and approach the door, but I'll be checking around and watching her six." Karkat said. John threw his hands up in the air.

"Why are we all drawing weapons on an abandoned house?" He yelled. While the trolls did their best to form a calculated response, Rose cut in.

"As you approach the door, Steven can make me a Spot Hidden check, and…" She looked up around the table, "Anyone else who is looking around as they approach the door." Karkat and Jade picked up their dice and rolled.

"I spot what is hidden!" Jade said.

"Me too." Karkat said.

"You both notice something lying in the tall, uncut grass nearby. And once you notice it, you also notice a faint sickly sweet smell." Karkat pointed the nonexistent gun.

"Hey guys, I think we found something!" He looked at John and Vriska, "Then I approach the thing in the grass."

"I run over quickly." Jade said. Vriska held her finger up to her mouth and motions to John to approach, who nods.

"The thing lying on the ground is the carcass of a raccoon, recently dead by the looks of it." Rose explained.

"What happened to it?" John asked.

"From the top you can't see anything, but you kick the body over and you can clearly see the gaping hole in its chest." Rose explained. Jade gasped and Karkat grabbed her and pretended to shield her.

"Since you two are looking," Rose pointed to John and Vriska, "You two can make me Natural History and/or Medicine checks." The two roll some dice.

"I got nothing." John said.

"And I've got Natural History." Vriska said.

"Okay then, Professor Satchford, you can tell that the cause of death was from something gnawing open the chest and eating the heart out. This could have been done by a fox or something, but the edges of the wound are disconcertingly smooth." Rose's evil smile looked out from behind the screen. Vriska bit her lip.

"You okay Professor?" John asked.

"I'm fine Nick," She said, "It was probably killed by a fox or something. Anyways, to the inside!" She dramatically motioned.

"The front door is locked," Rose said, "The doorframe is covered in strange symbols which you can identify with an occult check."

"The journal said that Allen carved protective symbols on the door, right?" Jade asked to Karkat, who nodded, "Then those are the protective symbols. I take out the key and unlock the door." Rose nodded and looked at the notes.

"The door opens easily. Who's going in first?" Rose looked straight-faced. Karkat and Vriska looked at each other.

"Ladies first?" The male troll shrugged. Vriska nodded, and pretended to push the door open with her drawn.

"With the professor on point and Mr. Walker behind her, you all go inside to find yourself in a room. It is covered in dust from many years of disuse. There are empty bookshelves lining the walls and leaves and detritus cover the floor. The wooden floor is warped from rain leaking through the roof. Rot has eaten away at a couch and matching chairs," Rose said, pausing as she made a few rolls and looked over at the players' sheets. She calmly smiled and folded her hands.

"Nothing important," Karkat said, "Next room." He hand signaled forward to the next room. Vriska nodded, and then motioned opening the door.

"Near the entrance to the room is a set of stairs going to down. Also nearby is a ladder leading up to an attic, of which the trap door is covered in the earlier mentioned occult symbols. The back door is slightly ajar and there is a large fireplace on one side of the room."

"The room is clear," Vriska said as she lowered her gun, "You want to split up? You take the basement, I'll take the attic?"

"Sure. I'll take Sally downstairs, and you can take Nicolas into the attic," Karkat suggested.

"Woah, hold up there!" John cut in, "We don't get a say in this conversation?" He motioned to himself and Jade. Jade shrugged.

"I'm fine with the plan," She said, "It seems okay. John looked at her.

"But they've been in charge ever since we've been to this house!" He said, "They've been making the decisions."

"We're older than you and I'm your superior," Vriska said.

"We've got the guns," Karkat added. John sighed in subservience.

"So Steven and Sally make their way downstairs, I assume Steven in front?" Rose asked. Karkat looked over at Jade, and then nodded, "But first we'll start with Nicolas and Professor Satchford. Who's going up the ladder first?"

"Ladies first?" John smiled innocently. Vriska gave her best demeaning smile.

"Dear John, the Ladies First rule only implies on doors that are being held open by young men. So, dear Nicolas, you better go on up there and hold open that door for me. Now get a move on and earn that A," She motioned John up the ladder, "Don't worry, I'll catch you if you fall." John sighed.

"Okay then, I guess I go up the ladder," He said. Rose looked down at the notes.

"The trap door is kind of heavy and is rusted. What's your strength?" She asked.

"My strength is…" He looked all over his sheet, "Here. It's actually 12. A little bit above average." He smiled. Rose rolled some dice.

"Yes, the door opens into a dark room," Rose read.

"Do I have a flashlight that I could look around with?" John asked. Rose bit her lip and thought for a few seconds.

"Sure, why not," Rose said with a frown, "I'm not going to be that big of a jerk. You look inside and see nothing. Then you suddenly hear a growl as something rushes towards you. Cut to the basement!" Her frown turned into a smile, "You walk inside with Steven in the lead. Karkat, make me a Spot Hidden check."

"And the lucky number is…" Karkat rolled his dice, "Oh come on! I had my highest scores in that skill!" He slammed his head on the table in frustration. Rose smiled again.

"You walk in, not as cautious as you might hope, when suddenly you get hit in the face by a table leg for," She rolled some dice, "Nine damage." Karkat, his head still face down on the table, bonked the back of his head with his fist.

"Ow." Rose looked over at his character sheet.

"I do believe that's over half your hit points in one go. Make me a Constitution times five roll to stay awake." Rose said. Karkat got back up, rolled his dice, and slammed his head back down on the table again.

"So, Sally, you've just seen a man jump out of the darkness and bash your new friend in the head with a table leg, who just fell over, and now the guy is running towards you," Rose explained the situation, "What do you do?"

"I step into the corner and scream in terror!" Jade shrunk back, hands on her face. Rose looked over at Vriska.

"Angela, you hear a cry as though someone is exerting themself, then the cry of someone getting injured, and then you hear a female scream. What do you do?" Rose continued.

"I…uh…" Vriska wasn't ready for the situation to go this fast already, "I point my gun at the stairs and prepare to shoot at whatever comes up that isn't those two."

"Okay then," Rose looked over to John, "Nicolas, you sense something running at you, and it doesn't sound happy. Make me a Dodge check." John gulped as he looked at his sheet.

"I can do this…" He rolled the dice, and then threw his fists in the air, "I made it! I dodged it!" He danced on the spot. Rose smiled.

"Okay, you drop off of the ladder just in time to not get hit by whatever it was. Good thing the professor was ready to catch…" Rose suddenly had a clearly fake realization, "Oh! The professor was going to shoot at whoever came up the stairs. John, take," She rolled some dice, "Three damage as you sprain your ankle landing on your professor." Vriska glared at John, then at Rose.

"You're a horrible person Rose," She said.

"You see a person run past Sally and up the stairs, armed with a table leg, when you are suddenly assaulted from above by someone landing on you. If you shoot make me a check at a plus thirty penalty to hit him," Rose smiled. Vriska glared as she rolled her dice.

"That's a miss," Vriska sighed, before slamming her face on the table. She then got up and glared at John, "'First of all Nick, you know I like being on top' and then I push him off, 'Second, what the hell was that?'"

"Something tried to attack me!" John yelled, "'And you said you were going to catch me!' At which point I rollup my pants and check my leg."

"Guys!" Jade yelled, "Mr. Walker has been hurt!" Then she looked over at Jade, "Can I first aid him?"

"Yeah, it should be fine. Since we're on the subject, remember you can make one check per injury so if you get hit multiple times..." Rose explained the rules. Jade then rolled the dice.

"Okay then, so that means he recovers d3 damage," Jade rolled some dice, "So he recovers three damage and I guess wakes up?" Rose nodded. Karkat looked up from the table.

"What in gob's name just happened?" He asked.

"I help him up. 'Some guy jumped out and got you in the face.'" Jade said.

"So I walk back upstairs and look for the guy." Karkat said.

"There is no sign of the guy," Rose said, "He most likely ran out the back door. You two also see the other two lying on the ground, Angela looks pissed and Nick is grabbing his leg." Jade raised her hand.

"I guess I can look at it then. First aid," Jade rolled her dice, "Two health back to you."

"And I get back up and run outside to see if I can see him." Vriska cut in.

"I guess I'll take a thorough look around the room," Karkat shrugged.

"Actually, first, things first," Rose said, "When you get to the top of the stairs and gathering your wits, you suddenly hear the trap door slam shut above you. Then there is growling and the like. Make me Sanity checks. Those who pass lose one; those who fail lose a d2." The players rolled some dice, followed by many sighs and grunts.

"Anyways, Angela, you don't see anything outside. He ran off pretty fast," Rose turned over to Karkat, "As for the room, the fireplace still has some dying embers in it. There are various foodstuffs around it, most likely from the guy that ran out you would guess. On a shelf you find a cigar box. In the box there is a brown powder, a smaller box with a small amount of a silvery powder that you honestly can't identify at all. It seems not of this world. Next to it are a bunch of papers. There are a few copies of a Latin chant, three sheets that discuss the random history of the ritual, followed descriptions of the ritual along with a note that says if you do the chant in reverse it might dispel the creature." Karkat nodded.

"So there is a strange otherworldly powder?" Karkat asked. Rose nodded. Karkat looked around, and then slowly pretended to bring a pinch of powder up to his mouth.

"It tastes horrible." Rose says, straight-faced. Karkat spazzed out, sputtering. Everyone chuckled.

"Anyways, now that that's over, I wait until we regroup and explain the situation." He followed up.

"So we have the ritual," Jade said, "Do we have the components?" They looked at Rose.

"Yeah, the components are all around the barn. The brown powder is to be sprinkled in the middle of a special symbol drawn in chalk. As for the silvery one you don't have a clue. The only thing is the ritual is done at midnight." The group looked at each other.

"Alright then. Let's do this," John put his hand in, "Hands in everyone." They all looked at him. Jade put in her hand, soon followed by Vriska.

"I am not putting my hand in." Karkat said. There was a moment of staring, before they knew he wouldn't move.

"Buzzkill." John muttered.