Bets, Lies, and Goblin Hunts

While Lynn was recovering from her superstition episode, Freako was soaring high overhead, keeping his eye on the goblin far below. Unfortunately for him, the conniving little monster had noticed him giving chase. Being the clever little pest he was, he made a mad dash for Laruba Woods; one of the many dark, dense woodlands that surrounded Dracula's castle. "Oh no you don't…" Freako muttered to herself, diving down to follow him into the woods. Even though the sun was high over head, the woods were as dark a night. However, the ghost in the yellow hat was used to the dark, but so was his quarry. The goblin darted between trees and bushes, while the spirit went through the trees. About two minutes into the chase, the mini monstrous humanoid just disappeared. "Huh?" Freako came to a stop amidst the thick vegetation, his eyes scanning around the area. "Where'd he go?" He wondered, completely lost. He knew the goblin had to be in there somewhere; and he was right. He had been using his small size to his advantage to slip through the thick underbrush, allowing him a chance to continue his escape at his own pace and unnoticed. After a few minutes of searching, the thick built ghost was about to head back to the castle when he heard some voices not far away. Curious and hoping they might have seen his quarry, he floated over for a look.

A few yards away, on a well beaten path through the woods, the Hex Girls were taking a little nature walk, since they had quite a wait before their bus could be fix. Thorne and Luna were simply enjoying the peace and the darkness, while Dusk was reading through a travel brochure. "Huh. Isn't that interesting?" She commented.

"What is?" Thorne asked, looking back at her blonde haired drummer.

"It says here that legends say that a fabled ring of Dracula was once hidden in Laruba Woods."

"Dracula's ring, you say?" Luna asked with a smirk. "You mean the same ring we saw him wear at the party?" The raven haired band leader chuckled at that, while Dusk looked rather salty.

"...I didn't say it was so...the legends did." She grumbled.

"Oh..hey ladies." Freak said as he levitated into sight.

"Oh. It's you again. Hello." Luna said, smiling at the ghost.

"Freako's the name, and right now, goblin hunting is the game. Have you seen one run by here, by chance?"

"Can't say we have." Thorne replied, crossing her arms and frowning slightly. "What this goblin do to deserve being hunted?"

"He was caught lurking about Castle Dracula." The leader of the Boo Brothers explained, jabbing a thumb back toward Dracula's castle. "We can't be certain till we question him, but we think he was trying to pull some funny stuff with Lynn." This got the undivided attention of the Hex Girls.

"Lynn? What does she have to do with it?" Dusk inquired, her eyebrows raised.

"Long story short, we think someone is attempting to sabotage her." Freako continued to expand upon. "The LeatherWing Clan had tried to mess with her the other day, and someone tried to give her food poisoning and break her legs. All in one day. So, naturally, we're all kinda jumpy about suspicious folks lurking where she is."

"...yeah, I can see that…" A horrified Luna said, her fellow bandmates rendered speechless.

"Well, if you see the little sneak, would you let us know, ladies?"

"Sure thing. We have Luna Loud's number, so we'll send her a heads up if we see something." Thorne told him with a nod.

"Thanks. I knew you ladies were a class act." He said with a smile. "I'm gonna do another sweep of the area, then head back to the castle. See you around."

"Later Freako." The Hex Girls responded as the ghost flew off. In truth, they weren't entirely sure if they fully believed him or not. However, they did remember he seemed really friendly with Lynn when they met a few days back, and he did help them with their tour bus, along with the other ghosts. As they were debating this, they saw a rustling in the bushes ahead. Thorne stopped Dusk and Luna in their tracks, and they all went silent for a moment. Seconds later, the goblin in question scurried across the path, jumping into the bushes on other side like he were a rabbit headed for cover.

"Did you guys see…?" Luna asked quietly, pointing to the shrubbery.

"Yeah…" Came the hushed response from Dusk.

"Should we call Little Lu?"

"Not just yet." Thorne said softly. "Not saying that Freako wasn't being honest, but wouldn't it be good to have all the facts before shooting our mouths off?" Silence. "That's what I thought. Let's follow him and see if he's the right goblin...and maybe who's been messing with the kid."

"...and here I thought we were the Hex Girls, not Josie and the Pussycats…" Dusk muttered before she followed Thorne and Luna in pursuit of the creature. The three of them followed the little chaos causer as carefully as they could through the woods, and then out into town. This wasn't easy, as the goblin was a little paranoid after having just lost his ghostly pursuer and checked his back pretty frequently. He did spot them once, but as they were in town and looked like they were doing the tourist thing, he paid them no mind. By the time he arrived at Mr Rotters' summer home nearly a half hour later, he was feeling both relieved and very cocky. He strutted right up to the front door and knocked, waiting for the spectral servant to let him in. Once inside, he made his way to Cerano's office, knocking on the dusty old door.

"Enter." The ghoul called out, looking up as the goblin stepped inside. "Ah. Welcome back my friend. I trust you have good news for me?" Cerano said with a smile, setting his pen down.

"Ja. Miss Loud has been broken." He answered with a sinister grin. "A few bad omens, followed by some misfortunes, and she cracked like an egg."

"Good. Good." The undead man said, rubbing his hands together. "And you're sure she is no longer a problem?"

"I heard ze news right from ze horse's mouth. She screamed zat she would not be running ze race to her family. Ze fraulein is broken." The green skinned, pointy eared creature said with a smirk on his face, pressing his fingers together.

"Very good...that is a load off my mind." Cerano replied, chuckling with relief. "You've more than earned your keep. I will be cutting you a check right after the race is over. Must make sure the job is done, you understand."

"...I understand." The goblin answered, though he didn't look happy about it. "We will be in touch zen, Mister Rotters. Until ze race."

"Until the race." Cerano responded cheerfully, watching as the irked little creature departed the office.

"Did you get all that?" Thorne asked quietly, as Luna held her phone close to the window into Cerano's office (which they had managed to open a crack), recording what had transpired just a moment ago.

"Sure did." The scarlet haired keyboardist whispered with a smirk.

"Good. Now let's get moving. Lynn and the others are going to want to see this." Dusk commented, when they heard the door inside slam open.

"Hold up...something else is happening now." Luna said in a hushed voice, the three going quiet so they could listen in.

The well to do ghoul jumped from his seat as the door was kicked open. In the doorway was a very stern faced Razortooth Thrasher, his sharp teeth bared. "M...Mr Thrasher...to what do I owe-"

"Shut it, Rotters." The shark man snapped, causing Cerano and all three Hex Girls to wince in fright. "You have some serious explaining to do!"

"W...What do you mean?"

"I mean that massive withdrawal you recently took from the 'Monster Marathon' account…" The hook nosed corpse's eyes shrink when he heard this. The money he took to pay Zeral's hospital bill. But how did he know? "...Seriously, Rotters...you put the money into a business account in MY BANK and don't expect me to notice something like that? Especially an investment I am STRONGLY interested in?" He asked him with a furious sneer, as if he could read Cerano's mind, moving closer to his desk.

"N...N...Now, Mr Thrasher...you have to understand...Zeral was put in the hospital by an unknown assailant…" This was a bold faced lie, but no way was he telling his carnivorous investor that he KNEW who did it and why. "He is the star of the race...it's vital that he…"

"I understand that much. What I don't understand is why you took it out of the account you set up for the marathon. The account made to pay for your race, to gather the funds and profits...to hold the money you intended to pay ME back with…" He growled this last part, clearly the most angry about this. "Why not take it from your own, personal account!?"

"...Mr Thrasher, you must understand...I was caught short at the time as a result of-"

"I'm not interested in any more excuses, Rotters. The way I see it now, with the time you have left and the remaining seats left to be sold...there is no way you can pay me back for my investment…" He leaned even closer, his scowl showing off even more teeth. "...what do you think we should do about THAT!?"

"Mr Thrasher! Wait! There….there is a way I can pay you back!" Mr Rotters suddenly shouted, holding his hands in front of his face.

"...I'm listening." He growled, staying in the ghoul's face as he leered at him.

"I bet a small fortune on Zeral to win the race! It'll make me more than enough to pay you back! I swear!" Cerano squealed in fright, hoping it would make the shark back up.

"...you honestly expect me to accept that? That you intend to pay me back with what you hope to win on a gamble?"

"It's not a gamble! It's a sure thing! My cousin is sure to win! He's unbeatable in a race!" The wight pleaded. "I can easily double my money! And you can too! Look!" He hastily handed him a sheet of paper with the odds for each racer, his hand shaking terribly. The shark banker snatched the paper away and glanced down at it. Sure enough, the odds for Zeral were 2 to 1. He could easily double his money...if Zeral won. His eyes travelled down the list as he only considered the proposal in passing...until he saw the odds of Lynn Loud winning. Her odds were a shocking 50 to 1. This amazed the bank CEO, as he knew what Lynn was capable of. She had darn near beaten the four legged ghoul in a foot race.

'They must not know…' Razortooth thought, tapping his snout. "...you know, Cerano...I think we may be able to do something here…"

"...Y...Yeah?" The ghoul asked with a trembling voice, slowly lowering his arms.

"Indeed. It is unorthodox and risky...but investment itself is a gamble sometimes. So here is how it will go down. I will accept your offer to place a bet with regard to your loan with us. Should I win, I will count it toward what you owe. But should I lose, what I lost will be added to what you owe...and you BETTER be able to pay. Do you accept these terms?" The shark man asked, leering at Cerano.

"Y...Yes, Mr Thrasher….don't you worry...you will get your money, and then some." The frightened undead man told him, about one step away from hiding under his desk.

"Very well." From inside his fine sport coat, the banking thresher shark pulled out a blank sheet of paper and started to write on it; creating a contract for them both to sign. It was a little rough and rushed, but it would hold up in court if need be. He signed it himself, then allowed Cerano to sign it as well. His signature was a little sloppy as he couldn't stop his pale hands from shaking. "Fine then. As ever, a pleasure doing business with you, Mr Rotters." Razortooth said as he pocketed the contract and took the betting form with him. Mr Rotters breathed a sigh of relief once his fearsome investor had departed. He knew just how close he ended up to becoming chum, and felt pleased with his quick thinking. Granted, if Zeral lost, he would be in the deepest of soup, but with Lynn Loud out of the way (as near as he knew), he felt everything would be just fine. Little did he know that Mr Thrasher had no intention on betting on Zeral. His eyes were on the fifty to one odds connected to Lynn's victory. Between that, and the fact he knew Zeral was in the hospital and would be out of sorts by the time he got out, he felt she was the far safer and more profitable bet. He wasn't going to tell Cerano this. Why not let him squirm a little, the investing aquatic predator thought with a smirk as he walked down the path. So focused on the paper in front of him, he never saw the Hex Girl's still hidden by the window to Cerano's study.

"Well...that escalated in a hurry…" Luna commented quietly as she stopped the recording.

"No kidding...come on, girls. Let's get lost before that rotting creep gets wise." Thorne whispered, motioning the others to follow her across the yard and off the property, making tracks to their hotel while the red headed musician sent the video to Luna Loud.


"A goblin, you say?" Lynn and Luna's Pop Pop inquired, after hearing what Dracula had to say with regards to the goblinoid intruder on the grounds earlier. "You think he was the guy who triggered my granddaughter?" Albert asked, cracking his knuckles.

"That vould be a safe bet...ve von't know for sure until ve question him…" It was around this point when Meeko, Shrieko, and Crunch had returned to the hall. They had gathered as much evidence from the grounds as they could and left it all in the entrance hall for Vlad's perusal later...except for the sprayer, which the hunchback brought to them. "Ah. I see your search vas successful."

"Sure was, Drac. We found all kinds of stuff. The broken mirror, the table with the salt…" Shrieko started.

"...the cage for the cats, piano wire tied around the gargoyle…" Meeko continued, tapping a finger for each item listed.

"...bland blis bling." Crunch concluded, holding the nozzle of the pesticide sprayer closer to the master of the castle. The vampire father took a slight whiff of the sprayer and winced.

"Ugh. Fish and catnip…" Dracula groaned in disgust.

"Well, that certainly confirms that someone was trying to get in Lynn's head…" Luna said, leaning against the wall as she sipped her lemonade. "...but it doesn't quite prove the goblin did it…"

"Nor does it prove that Mr Rotters was connected either…" This much really irked the nosferatu. Say what he would about the ghoul, he did a pretty darn good job of covering his tracks so far. "I can only hope Freako can catch him…"

"Sorry, Count, but no can do…" Freako confessed sadly as he phased through the wall, shrugging his shoulders. "I lost the sneak somewhere in Laruba Woods."

"Curse it all…"

"It's not all bad, though. I ran into the Hex Girls out there and asked them to keep an eye out." He added. "If they see anything, they'll let us know."

"...vell, that is something, I suppose." Vlad said with a sigh. It certainly wasn't what he wanted to hear, but it was better than nothing. Besides, all was well with Lynn again, so he was willing to take that as a win.

"With that out of the way, I think I'm going to hit the showers...so I can stop stop being a magnet for mangy alley cats." Lynn said, walking back into her room, with Luna, Kaspa and Francisco snickering a little.


About an hour later, The two Loud sisters, the young man and the gorgon teen were relaxing out on one of the many balconies, chatting animatedly about various subjects: previous shenanigans the Louds had gotten into, some of the places Kaspa explored in the past, and eventually, dating. Luna primarily led the conversation on this subject, as she was the only one among them who had any real dating experience. She told them about a few guys and at least one girl she had dated once, but didn't lead anywhere, and one guy she dated a few times before she met Sam. "...he was a fun guy, don't get me wrong, but...I just couldn't feel the love tonight, know what I'm saying? So we decided to part ways. We kept it touch for a little while, but soon enough lost contact."

"That's unfortunate…" Kaspa commented, leaning against her tail like it were a throw pillow. "But at least you found happiness with Sam."

"Yeah. He must be a great guy, the way you talk about him." Francisco piped up.

"She." The rock and roll Loud corrected him. This made the young baseball player blink. He had no idea that was even a thing. Before he could question it, the gorgon teen spoke up, looking at Lynn.

"How about you, Lynn? Have you ever dated before?"

"Me? Nah. Between school, sports and occasional babysitting, my calendar is pretty full." The sporty werewolf replied. "...not that I wouldn't be open to trying…" She added, glancing slightly at Francisco, blushing. Kaspa's eyes darted between the two for a moment, the gears turning in her head.

"I see. What about you, Francisco?"

"Huh? Oh…Uh...I haven't really dated a lot either…" He admitted sheepishly.

"You're kidding. A good looking guy like you?" She said in faux surprise. "I'm sure there's someone you have your eye one...or has their eye on you." The moment she said that, both teens looked away from each other, their cheeks bright red and silly smiles on their faces. Kaspa smirked, her suspicions confirmed. Luna covered her mouth with her hand to keep herself from giggling so much. "Well, whoever you have your eyes on...I strongly recommend you tell them how you feel sooner rather than later. I'd offer the same advice to whoever may be admiring you from afar as well, whomever they may be." She added slyly. Their eyes kinda shift toward one another for a moment before some hard rock music started playing.

"Oops. Sorry. Just my phone telling me I got a text." Luna chuckled apologetically as she pulled out her cell. "Hey. It's from Luna from the Hex Girls. Looks like a video…" She is silent for a moment as she narrowed her eyes, looking closer at it. "Sweet mother of all that rocks...we need to show this to Drac!"

"What? What is it?" Lynn asked as her sister ran for the door.

"I think they got the goblin on film with Mr Rotters!" The musically inclined Loud shouted back as she continued to run. Kaspa's eyes widened and she slithered off after Luna. Lynn was about to get up and follow them, but then a thought hit her. She reached out and gently took hold of Francisco's arm.

"Huh?" The young man stopped, looking up at Lynn. "What's up, Lynnsanity? Don't you want to see the video?"

"I can see it anytime." She pointed out. "I share a room with my sister, after all. But this...I gotta do now." He slowly turned to face the werewolf girl, wondering what she meant. "Francisco...as my...uh...letters before probably clued you in on...I...er…" She stammered, becoming more and more nervous with every word. "Dang it, Lynn...you've faced bullies much bigger than you, fought an armed, murderous monster hunter, and didn't even flinch in the face of some of the biggest monsters in the world...yet you lose your nerve talking to him!?' She scolded herself mentally. 'He's just a boy...a handsome, awesome, sweet…..'

"...had a crush on me?" He finished her sentence for her, bringing her out of her own head and bringing an even deeper blush to her face. "Yeah, I remember-"

"Actually...it's not had. It's have." She interrupted him softly, having difficulty looking at him. Francisco paused mid sentence, his eyes set on her. "I...still do really like you...a lot." She admitted, her whole face turning red through her fur. "I mean, how can I not? You're awesome. You're an incredible baseball player, a really sweet guy, the kinda guy I can rely on in a tight spot, really cute…" She probably could have gone on, but she was red enough in the face as it stood. She wasn't the only one either. Francisco's face was glowing as well.

"R...really? You mean that, Lynn?"

"Every word of it." The sporty werewolf replied, slowly turning to finally look him in the eyes. She was surprised to see his face so red; just as much as she was.

"This may not come as a surprise to you, Lynn...but I feel the same about you." Francisco told her, a smile spreading on his face.

"Wait. Seriously!?" Lynn asked in utter shock. Her crush chuckled lightly.

"Very seriously. I mean, how can I not?" He said, attempting to imitate her comment earlier, making her laugh lightly. "You're one of the bravest girls I know. And tough; even guys twice your size are no match for you. Not only that, but you have a good heart. I've seen how you stand up for your family and friends."

"Francisco...do you think I'm cute?" She asked him, her eyes starting to mist up.

"No..." He answered, which caused Lynn to blink. However, before she could say anything, he followed up with "...I think you're beautiful." At that, she couldn't hold back anymore. She pulled him into the biggest hug she ever gave, tears of happiness spilling from her eyes.


Meanwhile, Dracula was seated in his library with his four wives, sipping on a glass of blood. They were discussing Vanna Pira's involvement with providing commentary during the race, just like during the Monster Road Rally. "Are you sure you vish to do this, Vanna?" The vampire lord inquired, swirling the liquid in his wine glass.

"But of course, Drac, honey. It was lots of fun doing commentary during the road race. Besides, it pays quite a bit as well. It never hurts to have a little extra money." Vanna replied cheerfully.

"Hmmm. Fair enough, I suppose." He said flatly. He knew how popular Vanna was with the tv audience before, and that would be good for the race itself. Plus it would be another expense for Cerano, so that was something else. He was about to take another sip of blood when the door to his library burst open and Luna came rushing in, nearly out of breath.

"You there! How dare you simply barge in on Lord Dracula like that!?" The blonde haired vampiress yelled indignantly at the teen rocker.

"Calm yourself. I am sure Miss Loud has a reasonably good reason for this intrusion...right, Luna?" He turned to look at her, a stern look on his face.

"Sorry….Count." She said between deep gasps of air. "But...I got a message from the Hex Girls...that you need to see…" His expression became one of interest as he beckoned her over. The brunette guitarist moved over inside the vampire's large cushioned chair and turned her phone to face him.

"Is that Mr Rotters? And a goblin vith him?"

"I think so. Here. Have a watch." She tapped her screen and the video started to play. The five vampires huddled close together as they watched the conversation between the scheming monstrous humanoid and the conniving ghoul. The more they watched, the angrier Dracula got...and yet he was smirking.

"Vell vell...seems the Hex Girls have handed me just the evidence I needed to nail that smug son of a slimesucker to the wall." Vlad said toward the end of the meeting, a vein throbbing in his head. "And all the more reason to do so. I must thank-" He was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Razortooth Thrasher in the video. "Vhat the?"

"Looks like there's more to the story…" Luna said as the clip played on, revealing the chin wag the ferocious bank president had with the cowering Cerano. This was even more interesting to the vampire lord, his smirk growing as he witnessed the thorn in his side sign the contract with Mr Thrasher. The moment the clip finally ended, Dracula just started laughing. It was soft at first, but then grew louder and borderline maniacal. This seemed to worry his brides and left Luna utterly lost.

"Oh ho ho! This is too perfect." Dracula said after his finally ceased his laughter. "Cerano Rotters has finally dug his own grave."

"My lord?" His red headed bride inquired.

"Think about it, my dears. He's basically signed a pact saying that if Zeral loses the race tomorrow, he'll be in so much debt…" Dracula explained, grinning from ear to ear. "...and have no method of recovering from it. And Mr Thrasher is vell known for being...unpleasant to those who cannot pay their debts."

"Karma's coming to bite him in the can, it seems." Luna said with a smirk of her own.

"Karma. Shark teeth. Tomato, tomahto." The now delighted vampire said with a cruel snicker. "But for that to happen, Zeral vill need to lose the race. Miss Luna, it is probably rather unnecessary for me to say this, but I need you to tell Lynn to train like she has never trained before. Mr Rotter's egotistical cousin may be too cocky to really train and will no doubt be weakened by his trip to the hospital, he is still very fast."

"You got it, Count." The hard rock gal said, giving him the thumbs up.

"Also, be sure to stress that she remain on the castle grounds more than ever now." Vlad added. "Ve don't vant to lose the element of surprise, after all." Luna nodded to the vampire father before she hurried off to go find her sister passing Kaspa at the door.

"Camilla, dear. Kindly get a video camera before the day of the race. I want to make sure the look on Cerano's face when he sees Lynn at the race, and when Mr Thrasher comes for him, is recorded for posterity." Dracula requested of his red headed bride with a toothy smirk.


Over the next few days, Lynn really pushed herself harder than she ever had before. Not only was she running around the castle grounds, but she was attempting to run while pulling more and more weight. By the evening before the race, she was able to pull both hunchbacks, Luna, Francisco and Albert behind her on a sled while still running. As busy as she was with her training, however, she still made time to spend with Kaspa (after her own exercises. She had every intention of trying to win the race too, after all), her grandfather and sister, and especially her new boyfriend, Francisco. She wasn't the only one keeping in practice, naturally. Almost every other participant in the race was during their own last minute training and preparations for the race the next day. The only one who wasn't, as Dracula predicted, as Zeral. After he had gotten out of the hospital with his brand new leg, he had hardly done any training. He jogged around the village, yes, but it was hardly pushing himself, and it was more to bask in the praises of his 'fans'. He was spending more time celebrating a victory he hadn't even achieved yet than he had working to achieve it. He had barely even broken in his new leg. However, much like his cousin Cerano, he was convinced that the only competition he had was with Lynn Loud (not that he really considered her a threat), and that she wasn't going to even be there.