As a writer, I owe it to my readers to give out some fair warnings. My story will include violence, deaths, dark themes, and sex scenes. (The sex scenes won't come until much later but will be mild at best.) If my story ends up offending anyone in any way, you don't have to read the story anymore if you really don't want to. But just so you know, my story will contain pretty scary parts so brace yourselves! Okay that's enough rambling, here's the new chapter. Happy reading!
It must have been hours. Squidward had no idea where these villains were taking Squilliam Fancyson. Squidward's managed to crawl underneath the carriage and keep out of sight. Now Squidward spent most of the trip wondering where they were taking Squilliam. And to think he could be home right now enjoying a warm bubble bath, but no… Here Squidward had stowed aboard and was being taking Neptune knows where. The carriage went over another bump and not for the first time, Squidward bumped his head and he groaned in annoyance. This was crazy. Why was he even doing this?
"Well at least Squilliam is having a smooth ride," Squidward mumbled. However he was concerned for Squilliam who was most likely being held against his will inside that carriage.
Squidward must have dozed off because the next thing he knew, the carriage was coming to a complete stop. Squidward kept quiet and listened as the doors opened and the saw-sharks along with Squilliam, Lionel and Drago exited the carriage. Squidward could hear the squelching footsteps of his rival who was moving further and further away. Once he was absolutely sure it was safe to come out, Squidward was able to crawl out from underneath the carriage and felt relieved to be out of there. But one look around told Squidward that he was miles away from Bikini Bottom. Night-time was over and it was daytime again. They've traveled the whole night.
The carriage was empty and the leafy sea dragons were busily munching on bushes of seaweeds. And standing there before Squidward was a large towering underwater castle. From the looks of it, it was a Victorian-styled castle with its tall towers and turrets. The castle was surrounded by stone walls which seemed meant to keep intruders out and even had its very own moat. Squidward couldn't stand around for long because he could see other saw-shark soldiers patrolling around the grounds. Squidward quickly ducked out of sight and hid behind the bush of seaweeds, causing the two leafy sea dragons to stare at him curiously.
"Don't mind me fellows," Squidward said, reaching out to pet the leafy sea dragon's snout. "I have not the slightest idea what I'm doing. But I just can't leave Squilliam behind." Now Squidward gazed over at the front-entrance of the castle. Squilliam Fancyson must have been taken in there. Who was the owner of this castle?
Inside the castle, Lionel and Drago escorted Squilliam down the hallway. If he hadn't been kidnapped, Squilliam would have enjoyed the sightseeing under normal circumstances. The castle was more posh than his mansion. So far he's seen 11 rooms, seven bathrooms, a formal dining and sitting area, beautiful stain glass windows, and a grand staircase and 7 bedrooms, quaint and cozy. But instead his two captors led him into the courtyard. The courtyard was the size of a baseball field and was filled with lovely hibiscus flowers, a sparkling ruby-red yard-globe; a bird-bath with buzzing jellyfish bathing themselves in it, millions of whirligigs were blowing in the ocean current. It was a shame Squilliam couldn't take the time to appreciate the lovely garden. Instead he saw the silhouette of a large sea animal patiently waiting for his arrival.
"My lord, Squilliam Fancyson here to see you," Lionel formally addressed the owner of the castle.
The lord stepped forward into the sunlight and Squilliam steeled himself to face the one who ordered the kidnapping of him. It was none other than a tiger-shark. A shark that was bigger than Lionel and Drago combined. He too was wearing expensive clothing and he was surprisingly old-fashioned and grandfatherly for a villain. And he even carried an exquisite walking cane. The tiger-shark looked down at Squilliam and he grinned, showing rows of sharp jagged teeth. Squilliam tried to keep a neutral expression but he could see that this shark was not someone to cross. Squilliam wanted to get this meeting over and done with.
"Squilliam Fancyson III, the latest heir to the Fancyson fortune," the tiger-shark greeted him in a refined manner. But his black-eyes showed no trace of kindness. "I'm familiar with the Fancyson family and their renowned reputation for the culture arts. I see that hasn't changed…" The shark studied Squilliam's face. "They also say that all the Fancyson males have the trademark unibrow, even bastard children can still inherit the Fancyson unibrow."
"If you don't mind my asking, did you bring me here to talk about my family heritage?" Squilliam asked coolly. "I don't appreciate being kidnapped for trivial meetings such as this one."
"You're right. It's time for us to talk," the tiger-shark agreed. Then he turned to his cohorts Lionel and Drago. "You two may leave us. Thanks for delivering Fancyson." There the moray eel and lionfish both turned and left Squilliam alone with the tiger-shark in the courtyard.
"You'll have to forgive the way I've summoned you here. But this is rather urgent. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lord Ty Stripes the 4th." The tiger-shark held out his hand for Squilliam to shake, but Squilliam refused. Lord Stripes chuckled and was amused. "As you wish…"
"Why am I here? You said this was urgent," Squilliam said impatiently.
Lord Stripes motioned for Squilliam to come walk with him in the courtyard. "Tell me Mr. Fancyson, or may I call you Squilliam? How familiar are you with your family background? Do you know where you come from? How well do you know about "Squilbert Fancyson?"
...
Meanwhile… Squidward was able to keep out of sight and sneak by the saw-sharks patrolling around the entrance of the castle. Now Squidward was walking across the moat and finally entered the castle undetected. The whole time Squidward kept telling himself how crazy he was for doing this. One wrong move and he could end up getting himself killed. But he had to find Squilliam and fast. Squidward hurried down the dark empty hallways and checked some of the rooms. He saw some pretty strange things along the way.
"No, no, Tim! Keep your saw-nose up and try to stay on your toes! How else are you going to learn how to become a professional swordsman?" Two saw-sharks were in the middle of a swordfight practice.
Checking some of the rooms, Squidward found some of the saw-sharks reading, cooking in the kitchen, having a secret pillow fight. Squidward rolled his eyes from the absurdity of it all. Unfortunately when Squidward turned around the corner, he almost bumped right into Drago whose back was to him. In a fit of panic, Squidward went and quickly hid behind a large hanging wall tapestry with the words "Supreme Society" written on it. Just in time too, because Drago turned his head when he thought he heard squelching footsteps nearby.
"Huh? Is somebody there?" Drago called out into the seemingly empty hallway.
Squidward stood perfectly still and prayed that the moray eel wouldn't find him cowering here. He was beginning to feel safe until Drago let out a hissy laugh. "I may not be able to see you, but I can still smell you!" Squidward gulped nervously when he heard Drago sniffing the air. "Hmmm…it's that common smell again. And it also smells…like somebody crawled out from a grease-spoon?"
Squidward sniffed his armpit and seriously wanted to kick himself. He didn't have time to wash the Krusty Krab smell off of him! Squidward held his breath as Drago slithered by the tapestry and he appeared to be heading toward the kitchen where he thought the greasy smells were originating from. Lucky break. Now Squidward moved away from the wall tapestry and hurried down the hallway and as far away from Drago as he could get. He had to find and save Squilliam. But along the way, something ended up distracting him.
There was a large painting that caught Squidward's eye. Out of curiosity, he approached it to see what it was. The painting depicted a fancy-looking octopus, dressed in a bottle-green 19th century Frock coat, wearing a noble but warm smile, and he had a bushy unibrow on his forehead. At first Squidward thought it was Squilliam, only to realize that it couldn't be. Written at the bottom of the portrait was a name, "Squilbert Fancyson." Before Squidward had a chance to figure out who it was, someone snuck up from behind him. Squidward froze when he felt something sharp around his neck. It was Lionel Leo.
"Now this is a surprise," Lionel said sneering. He caressed his venomous fins against Squidward's neck. "If it isn't the lowborn. It's what we call those who were born to a family with low social status."
"Thanks for the definition," Squidward said sarcastically.
Lionel tightened his grip around Squidward's neck, causing the cashier cephalopod to wince. "I never thought you'd follow us all the way here. So you've come for Mr. Fancyson, right?" Lionel asked. "Perhaps you ought to stick around." Squidward tried breaking out of Lionel's grip, only to feel the spines poking into his delicate skin. "Struggle once and you'll get a nasty sting…," Lionel warned him.
...
"Squilbert Fancyson was my great-grandfather," Squilliam was telling Lord Stripes. "He passed away years ago. Why are you asking me about him? Did you know my great-grandfather?"
"I guess you could say that…," Lord Stripes said bitterly. There was sudden coldness in his eyes and the way he looked at Squilliam, it was with utter loathing. "After all these years, the Fancyson family hasn't changed at all. Still going around and acting like they're better than everybody else. But the truth is the Fancysons are nothing but opportunists, they seek perfection and the finer things in life, and they'll crush anyone in order to make themselves look good."
Ignoring the offended look on Squilliam's face, Lord Stripes continued on. "My ancestor was Lord Ty Stripes the 1st. He was from a family of nobility. Back in those days, there were only two kinds of people in the world. The rich and the poor… Naturally the rich ruled over the poor with an iron fist, preying on the low-class by enslaving them. The Stripes family prided themselves on earning their riches from pearl oysters and building palaces, temples and holy cathedrals with jewels of the sea."
Squilliam didn't interrupt and allowed for the old shark to ramble on. "The Stripes family wasn't the only noble family. We had a rival…," Lord Stripes grinned unpleasantly. "The Fancyson family… Your great grandfather Squilbert Fancyson was a nobleman. He used to live here in Coral Kingdom. Squilbert Fancyson was a powerful cephalopod back then and the first leader of the Supreme Society. But he shamed the rich community by doing something truly unforgivable."
"And what exactly did my great grandfather do that was so unforgivable?" Squilliam wanted to know. Despite his wariness of Lord Stripes, Squilliam realized he was fascinated with the story. He grew up never knowing what kind of person his great grandfather was. And admittedly, Squilliam wasn't familiar with his family history. Maybe he should listen to what the old tiger-shark had to say.
"Your ancestor Squilbert Fancyson…he gave money to the poor!" Lord Stripes said distastefully, as if saying the words left a bad taste in his mouth. "Squilbert Fancyson pitied the poor families and became their champion. He helped them get jobs, cared for orphaned children, built houses for them to live in! It was a disgrace! The rich and the poor should never mingle. It caused scandals back then like you wouldn't believe! And yet, Squilbert continued to defy society and care for the poor and needy."
Squilliam began backing away and started fearing for his life when he saw Lord Stripes looking at him like an actual enemy. "My ancestor and your ancestor were sworn enemies," he explained. "I guess that would make us enemies as well. After all, Lord Stripes the 1st opposed what Squilbert was doing. It caused a lot of power clashes and frictions between them. It wasn't long before Lord Stripes the 1st started plotting against Squilbert."
Lord Stripes grinned again. "Lord Stripes the 1st was from a wealthy family, he was able to gain respect from the other Supreme Society members. He began to gain powerful allies, corrupt families, and was determined to overthrow Squilbert as leader. For you see, my ancestor wanted the leadership post for himself and be at the top of the food-chain. In order to do that…he needed to get rid of Squilbert. I suppose you're wondering…"
"Where is this story going?" Squilliam interrupted rudely. He was liking this story less and less. And it didn't help to know that this Lord Stripes was a family enemy.
"My ancestor was able to require his very own army and managed to manipulate everyone against the Fancyson family. I remember the story well, my father used to tell it to me," Lord Stripes said. "My great grandfather came to this very castle where the Fancyson family used to live, and he forced Squilbert Fancyson from his very home and banished him from Coral Kingdom."
Squilliam stared up at Lord Stripes in shock. And then he gazed around the courtyard, the castle's stained-glass windows, the tall towers, and its fields. All of this used to belong to his family? The Fancyson family was the real owner of this castle, Squilliam never knew that. Was that the reason why he was brought back here? Lord Stripes read the confused expression on Squilliam's face and knew what must be going through his mind.
"Yes. It's true. This castle originally belonged to the Fancyson family," Lord Stripes told Squilliam. "My great grandfather usurped power from yours and he took over this castle. That's right. My family stole everything from yours. The Fancysons lost everything…their home, their friends, their possessions. Squilbert was cast out of the Supreme Society and he was forced to pack up his life and leave. And the Stripes family had everything… We took everything from the Fancysons."
But then Lord Stripe's arrogant grin faded and he was frowning down at Squilliam. "Everything… except for one thing…," Leaning on his cane, Lord Stripes turned and started heading for the door. "Come with me, Squilliam. I will show you the reason why I brought you here."
Having no other choice, Squilliam followed Lord Stripes and wondered what the old tiger wanted to show him. Walking through the castle corridors, Squilliam spotted saw-shark soldiers everywhere, so trying to escape was out of the question. Instead Lord Stripes led him down a long dark corridor, which led to a staircase leading down. Going down the stairs with Lord Stripes, Squilliam's senses were on high alert. He didn't trust Lord Stripes, there was no doubt that this shark wanted to do him harm. The stairs led to a basement where it was cold and musty. Squilliam shivered while walking by a row of stacked barrels; he wondered what they were filled with?
That's when Squilliam first saw the big vault. It was bigger than both him and Lord Stripes, and it had the most unique designs he's ever seen before. The vault appeared to be locked tighter than fort-knox, yet the center of it is what drew Squilliam's attention. At the center of the vault, there was an indentation of something that needed to be inserted into it, perhaps to open it? Other than that, the vault was perfectly ordinary-looking. Lord Stripes was studying the vault too and he was staring angrily at it. Now he turned to Squilliam and gestured to the vault.
"This is the Fancyson vault," Lord Stripes explained coldly. "When my great-grandfather stole this castle from the Fancysons, he stumbled upon this vault and became determined to open it." Lord Stripes looked back at the vault and Squilliam saw the bitterness in his expression. "But Lord Stripes the 1st couldn't open the vault. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out how to break into it. The vault held priceless treasures and heirlooms that belonged to the Fancysons, and my great grandfather wanted it all for himself."
As if to prove it, Lord Stripes banged a fist on the locked vault and bared his teeth viciously. "This vault has haunted my family for four generations," Lord Stripes said angrily. "It drove my great grandfather crazy, and soon it passed onto my grandfather, then my father. It was the ultimate insult. The Fancysons made sure we wouldn't break into their vault and steal their legacy. And now the curse has passed onto me. I want to crack this vault. I will be the one to break into it! I'll end the Stripes obsession!"
Squilliam frowned upon seeing how crazed Lord Stripes sounded. "So that's what this is all about? You brought me here to show me this vault?" Squilliam shook his head and didn't feel sorry for Stripes at all. "I'm sorry to hear that, really I am. It's too bad that you can't open the vault up."
"Maybe I can't…but you can." Suddenly Lord Stripes turned and looked eagerly at Squilliam. His black-eyes flashed menacingly. "Isn't it obvious? I've realized the reason why my ancestors couldn't open the vault. It's because only a Fancyson can open it. You, Squilliam Fancyson, are the key to this vault."
Squilliam didn't like the fanatical glint in Lord Stripes' eyes. This guy wasn't just dangerous, he was also insane. Suddenly it was all starting to make sense. This was nothing more than a big scheme for this greedy tiger-shark to break into a family vault he didn't know existed and hoard whatever treasures was inside. Squilliam turned to run away but was cut off by five saw-sharks coming to block his escape attempts. He was trapped here. Squilliam turned in time to see Lord Stripes pointing his cane at him, and two saw-sharks stepped forward to grab Squilliam by the arms and hold him still.
"W-Wait! This is a mistake! I can't help you! I don't know how to open this vault. I don't know about any of this. Honest!" Squilliam protested.
"Do you think I'm a fool? I'm sure you Fancysons were having a good laugh while my family has been trying to bust into that vault for years," Lord Stripes snapped. "But it ends today. I will be the one to open the vault. And I'll do it by using you, Squilliam. You're going to tell me what I need to know." Squilliam trembled fearfully as Lord Stripes stood over him.
"How do you open the vault, Squilliam?" Lord Stripes asked calmly.
"I told you! I don't know how!" Squilliam insisted.
Without warning, Lord Stripes slapped Squilliam across the face with his cane. "I'll ask again. How do you open the vault? Do you need a key? A password? An item?"
"I…I said I don't know," Squilliam said weakly. "I'm telling you the truth. I don't know anything about my great grandfather. He died years ago!"
Again Lord Stripes slapped Squilliam across the face hard with his cane, causing Squilliam to spit out blood. "You're not telling me what I want to hear. If you don't know how to open the vault, what about your family members? Your father? Your grandfather?"
"N-No good… My grandfather is dead too…My father…he's far away…I can't think of anyone else. I swear I don't know anything about this vault. I can't help you," Squilliam said near tears. He collapsed onto his knees, only for the two saw-sharks to force him back up.
This time Lord Stripes nailed Squilliam in the stomach with his cane and the saw-sharks guffawed heartlessly as they released Squilliam to allow him to grab his gut in pain. "What a waste of time," Lord Stripes said, eying Squilliam pitilessly. "You really are useless. Just what good are you?"
And then a familiar flamboyant voice rang out. "Maybe I can help, my lord? Maybe Squilliam's lowborn friend here can motivate him to talk to us?" Lionel Leo arrived on the scene and he held Squidward prisoner in his arms.
"Squid…Squidward?" Squilliam cried in surprise.
Squidward looked over and became horrified to see his rival lying on the ground badly beaten. He was relieved to see that Squilliam was safe. Squidward realized how genuinely concerned he'd been for the unibrow octopus. But unfortunately he couldn't do anything to help on account of Lionel having a good grip on him, not to mention that Squidward wasn't a big fan of getting poisoned. Squidward's heart pounded nervously when he saw the tiger-shark show interest in him and now came over to meet him. Oh great, another villain, Squidward thought. Now Squidward lifted his head to look the tiger-shark in the face.
"A lowborn? Here in the castle?" Lord Stripes eyed Squidward in disgust. "You mean to say this commoner is a friend of Squilliam Fancyson? That can't be right. The rich never mingles with the poor. So what's Squilliam doing with a forgettable bottom-feeder like him?"
"Uh, I can hear you?" Squidward said rudely, frowning up at Lord Stripes. "What's going on here? Why did you take Squilliam? Squilliam, are you okay?" He called over to Squilliam.
"Would you look at that? The lowborn actually cares about Squilliam," Lord Stripes remarked. Now he turned to Squilliam and asked him. "Who is this octopus? Who is he to you?"
This was the last thing Squilliam expected. He never thought to see Squidward of all people here. What was Squidward thinking sneaking into the castle like that? But still, he couldn't let the others find out about the relationship between them. "He's um…he's nobody," Squilliam said quickly.
Squidward looked absolutely affronted by this but Lord Stripes was smiling cruelly. "Well if that's the case… Kill him."
"NO!" Squilliam burst out. Then he realized he gave himself away. He also saw Lord Stripes looking at him knowingly. Squilliam didn't care how it looked to the others; he didn't want Squidward getting killed because of him.
After a tense silence, Lord Stripes spoke first. "Perhaps this lowborn may be of some use after all. Throw him into the dungeon, Lionel. We can always use an extra servant around here," Lord Stripes ordered. Then he turned to Squilliam who was climbing shakily to his feet. "As for you, Squilliam, I'll have a nice bedroom picked out for you to stay in."
"I don't want a bedroom. I'd rather you throw me into the dungeon too," Squilliam said disdainfully to the tiger-shark.
"Suit yourself, Squilliam," Lord Stripes said with a sigh, and then he scowled at Squilliam with disapproval. "What a shame, associating yourself with that lowborn companion of yours. I thought you had more class than that. Apparently I was wrong. You're no different than your great grandfather."
Squilliam tried to walk with dignity while being escorted away by the saw-shark soldiers, one of them thought it was funny to poke him in the keister with his pointy nose to make him walk faster. Squidward struggled angrily in Lionel's grip, earning a wicked snicker from the lionfish. The dungeons were also on the basement floor. A saw-shark went and pulled opened a sturdy-looking door with a barred window and Lionel frog-marched Squidward toward it.
"You're feisty one," Lionel whispered mockingly into Squidward's ear. "Maybe Lord Stripes will let me keep you. I'll make you into my little servant boy. I can think of some chores I'd like for you to do." The lionfish caressed Squidward's neck suggestively.
"Yeesh! I'd rather live in the dungeon!" Squidward said outraged. "Just throw me in already!"
"Oh well. At least I know where to find you if you change your mind!" Lionel said disappointed.
With that, Lionel tossed Squidward into the dungeon where the cephalopod landed flat on his face. Next Squilliam marched into the dungeon and turned around to see the door slam shut and the sounds of it being locked. Once Squilliam was sure their captors was gone, he hurried over to Squidward and helped him up from the ground. The dungeon had no windows and was filled with fish-bones, making the dungeon smelly. Squilliam has never been so happy to see his ex-classmate. But unfortunately this meant they were both prisoners here at the castle. What was going to happen to the two octopuses now?
I'm proud of having made some scary villains. And I'm glad how well these chapters are coming along nicely. Thanks for reading for today!