Daphne had to fight back against the growing fear she was feeling as she beheld the creature. It all made sense now; Vincent had arrived to protect them all from this thing. She was certainly grateful, but now there was a new problem—how were they going to deal with it without Velma and Fred finding out the truth about Vincent and the Chest of Demons? There'd be too much to explain if they found out about that—that Vincent was a warlock, and that the last two years had been spent on all sorts of dangerous adventures… and then they'd have to explain why they hadn't told them the truth.
The beast now lunged for the banquet hall, prompting everyone to back away from the windows and doors, screaming—
"Protect!" Vincent hissed from the back of the room, casting the spell to cover the whole building.
Unobserved by everyone staring at the Time Worm, Vincent put up the protection spell in time for the worm to bounce off of it. Frustrated at being thwarted and unwilling to remain aboveground for long, the worm moved to retreat.
"Like, what is that!?" Shaggy asked, as the worm leaped through the air in an arc, burrowing into another hole. The hole it had jumped from, as well as the hole it had gone into, had begun to refill themselves as sand and dirt sunk into it.
"A Time Worm," Vincent said. "No one knows where or when it came from, as it can tunnel in and out from anywhere in the space-time continuum—but the first record of it in our world was from 3200 years ago…" He exhaled. It had been during the war between the mages and the fae, in which Asmodeus—then still known as Asamad Van Ghoul—had rose to power. His ancestor was said to have tamed the beast—perhaps this Time Worm was the very same one he'd tamed, if he'd set it loose on them now…
"Well, someone's recreated it from whatever legend or sighting that was!" Fred exclaimed. "It looked so real! You'd never guess it was mechanical!"
Vincent gave Fred an incredulous look, but after noting Daphne's pleading expression, decided against correcting him.
"We shall have to be careful," he said, instead. "It will be back."
Scooby gulped.
"Rherrific…" he moaned, trembling in Shaggy's arms.
"You did bring the…?" Daphne trailed off, quietly, indicating a rectangular shape with her hands.
"I did," Vincent nodded. "However…" He silently indicated Velma and Fred, who were now heading outside with the crowd to see what had been left behind by the Time Worm. "How will we explain it to them?"
"I'm still trying to work that one out," Daphne admitted.
"Come on!" Fred called back to them. "Whatever it is, it's gone—but it might've left some clues behind!"
Daphne exchanged a helpless glance with Shaggy, but they followed Fred and Velma outside, along with Flim-Flam and the dogs. Vincent lingered behind long enough to cast two more barrier spells over the holes to ensure that no one would fall in, even by accident—if they sank into the center of the hole left behind and into the tunnel, there was no telling where in the space-time continuum they would end up once they made it out the other side. He knew it would be only a temporary fix, as there'd be more holes when the thing returned, but, for now, it would do.
He rejoined the others outside.
"It's gone now," Velma said, looking upset. "I can't believe someone would try to sabotage Dr. Midori's project!"
"You really think it's sabotage?" Dr. Midori asked, stunned, as Mr. Solo and Dr. Kuryakin supported him.
"What else could it be?" Velma asked. "Someone must be trying to scare you into postponing the launch, or even canceling it."
"I can't imagine why—it's a research mission; it's not as though we're attempting to colonize Mars. Not yet, anyway," the scientist frowned.
"Could be someone making a statement by interfering with a NASA project," Mr. Solo frowned. "Takeshi, you've got to decide if you're going to delay the launch or proceed."
Dr. Midori shook his head.
"I can't imagine this being tied to the launch; there's no evidence that it is," he pointed out. "…I have devoted my life to this project; I simply must see it through, if only for my own satisfaction."
"Let my friends and I look around for evidence, Dr. Midori," Velma volunteered, deciding that he had a point after all. "If we can't find anything tying that thing to the launch, then we might as well proceed with tomorrow's plans."
"You?" he asked, surprised.
"Well, it's like I told you, we used to do all sorts of investigations all the time in high school," she said, with a shrug. "I've got my security pass, and I can vouch for the others if we need to go into restricted areas…"
Shaggy and Daphne turned to Vincent as Velma continued to try to convince Dr. Midori to let them help.
"Like, it's got nothing to do with the launch, right?" Shaggy gulped, quietly.
"Exactly," Vincent sighed. "It's after you—to get to me."
"…Asmodeus," Daphne realized, a forlorn look crossing her face. "I knew it was too much to hope that he had given up after Tucson. So, now he's sent this thing?"
"Yes… and, according to Lady Pallas, he himself is here in Florida."
"What!?" Flim-Flam and the dogs also joined in as Shaggy and Daphne reacted in stunned shock.
"But… that's all we need!" Scrappy realized. "We can find him and use the Chest on him!"
"It won't be that simple," Vincent warned. "His powers are far greater than any of the other 12—he will need to be weakened before he can be drawn into the Chest. And, at the moment, he refuses to confront me directly, because he knows I'll sufficiently weaken him in a duel. We need to focus on the Time Worm—if anyone falls into one of those tunnels, they'll be lost to the space-time continuum."
"We need to close them up!" Daphne realized.
"I've got barriers on them now, and once people disperse, I'll close them with the Time Scepter—I brought that with me, too," Vincent promised. "The problem is, if you wish for my powers to remain a secret from your friends, you'll need to keep them away from me while I do this."
Daphne looked troubled, and she nearly jumped as Fred called out to them—
"Hey, Guys!"
He and Velma walked back over to them.
"Dr. Midori said we can investigate and let him know what we find," Velma said.
"Okay, great," Daphne said, getting ready to take charge with a determined nod. "We need to stick together—"
"—We need to split up," Fred said, at almost the same time, also intending to take charge, as he used to do.
There was a very awkward silence. During the times before meeting Flim-Flam and Vincent, when Fred and Velma would catch up with Daphne, Shaggy, and the dogs, Fred would seamlessly slip back into the mantle of leader. Daphne hadn't minded too much at the time, but things were different now.
"…Well, that's how we've always done it?" Fred pointed out, not too sure now.
"We do need to cover two areas," Velma pointed out. "We need a group to stay here and look for any clues on the beach, and I need to use my pass to let the other group onto the base and double-check that nothing has been sabotaged."
Shaggy exchanged a glance with Scooby, and they both gulped and nodded as they realized what needed to be done in order to capture the worm and make sure that Fred and Velma were safe—and unaware of Vincent's powers.
"Scoob, Scrappy, Flim-Flam, and I will check the beach," Shaggy volunteered.
"Rheah, we've got rhis," Scooby promised.
Fred and Velma both stared.
"Wow, you weren't kidding about getting braver," Fred noted, sounding impressed. "But, for old times' sake, have some Scooby Snacks anyway!"
He pulled out a box and tossed them to Shaggy; Scooby and Scrappy immediately swarmed him for some while Shaggy tried to procure a couple for himself, prompting Vincent to look away in amusement as Flim-Flam just stared.
"Looks like you're with us, Daphne," Velma said. "Also like old times, huh?"
"Yeah," she said, with a wan smile, realizing why Shaggy had done what he'd did. Truth be told, however, she would have wanted to be with Vincent and the others, helping them capture the worm—considering that Vincent was planning to take her on as an apprentice, teaching her to cast spells with magical objects (since she had no mana of her own), she'd felt as though her place was helping her mentor face that beast. However, it couldn't be helped—not if they wanted to keep Vincent's magic a secret.
"I've got the old Mystery Machine in the parking lot," Fred grinned. "We can head to the base in that. Shaggy, let me know if you need a ride to Velma's place later—we'll meet there afterwards."
"Right," Shaggy nodded. He knew they wouldn't need a ride with Vincent around, though he hoped he'd get a chance to ride once more in the old Mystery Machine before their time in Florida was through.
"Let's go!" Velma exclaimed, excited for another mystery.
She and Fred headed off to the parking lot, with Daphne following right behind them; Daphne glanced back, unsure at first, but she managed a smile as Vincent gave her an encouraging nod.
She was still doing her part.
Elsewhere, concealed in a cliffside cave that had been magically furnished with comforts and essentials, Asmodeus, the Demon King, scowled as he observed the happenings at the banquet through his scrying pool. Beside him, Bogel and Weerd stood, trembling as they waited for more orders.
"Bah!" Asmodeus hissed. "Athena once again intervenes—she, no doubt, warned that traitor to my bloodline about the Time Worm!"
"Isn't that what the Olympians do best, though—intervene with stuff?" Bogel asked, innocently.
"Indeed," Asmodeus growled. "Since the days of my youth, the Olympians have found it necessary to interfere with absolutely everything—and they still do so even now, after their time has long passed. I will have my vengeance upon them in due time—on Athena, who locked me into this form, on Hephaestus, who crafted the Chest of Demons to contain me, and on all the others, who scoffed at my power, only to band against me when I turned out to be more powerful than they anticipated… I will make them all rue the day they turned on me. And I will get back at Athena first by bringing her prize acolyte to my side."
"Vincent Van Ghoul," Weerd realized. "Look, uh, I know he's your great-great-great-great-great-great… uh… I-dunno-exactly-how-many-great-grandson and all that, but he doesn't really think too much of you."
"I am aware," Asmodeus snarled, rolling his eyes. "It enrages me to see how quickly he spurned me. He is the first in generations of the Van Ghouls to awaken his mana and reach his full potential as a warlock, and what does he do? He gives his allegiance to the most insufferable of the Olympians, and when he could set himself as a master over mortals to be worshipped by them, he chooses to coddle them instead! Those mortals should be bowing whenever they are in his presence, and yet, he allows them to treat him with such familiarity—even allowing them to embrace him!" He snarled again in disgust. "And he has chosen that mortal girl to learn how to cast his repertoire of spells—an honor that should have only gone to flesh and blood progeny! He dares to make a mockery of our proud family line by choosing a mortal girl as the Van Ghoul heiress!?"
"To be fair, that redhead is a quick learner," Weerd pointed out.
"Yeah, if any mortal could learn to cast those spells, it'd be her," Bogel agreed.
Asmodeus glared at the two of them, prompting them to cringe.
"He can try to do whatever he wishes; whether he likes it or not, I am the only true family he has—he can try to claim that the mortal girl is his heiress, and claim that she and those other mortals are his 'kids.'" He scowled at the very notion. "But it changes nothing! He and I are bound by blood magic—he has no such bond with those mortals!"
"Um…" Bogel began. He recalled something that another sorceress had mentioned back in April; she had tried to seal Vincent and the mortals in another dimension, behind a gate that could only be opened by blood magic—and Vincent and the mortals had opened it together, despite not being related by blood.
"What!?" Asmodeus snapped.
"Nothing," Bogel said, thinking better of it. Sure, it meant nothing—their "blood magic" couldn't be anywhere near as strong as the blood magic between Asmodeus and Vincent… right?
"Right, it's nothing," Weerd agreed, though he was thinking about it, too. "Just tell us what you want us to do, Boss."
"His so-called 'heiress' is going with two other mortals to allow the traitor to cast whatever spells he needs to on the Time Worm," Asmodeus said. "Bring the girl and the other two mortals with her to me while I keep him busy with the Time Worm. Once she is in my grasp, I will bend the traitor to my will easily enough—and I'll use her to break him, if necessary. Go, now!"
"Yes, Sir!" they said, in unison.
They saluted Asmodeus, and then flew off into the night.