Jaune and Courage the Cowardly Dog
Chapter 8: King Ramses Curse
It has been a month since the incident with the box and Shirley. And since, then not much has happened and as a result everything has been pretty calm. Muriel started putting vinegar in just about everything. Eustace was back outside the box and was still his greedy old self. But that was about two weeks after the incident that Courage and I finally decided to let him out.
Currently, we were all in the house watching a movie. Well, me and Muriel to be precise. Eustace was asleep with his newspaper acting like a blanket. It was late at night and we had decided to watch a movie before going to bed. Taking a sip of my tea, I looked over at Courage who was sleeping on Muriel's lap. He was currently yawing as he didn't really like the kind of movie we were watching as it was a rom-com. Turning back to the movie, I began to wonder what it would be like to be in a relationship.
'Perhaps someday I might find the one.' I thought as I took another sip. Hearing a strange noise followed by a faint ghostly voice coming from outside pulled my attention from my thoughts. Getting up, I walked over to window to have a look. With Courage joining me right after.
"You heard the same thing I did right Courage?" I asked him as I placed my hands on the window to see better.
'You mean the strange noise followed by the ghost voice.' Courage answered while shivering.
"I was hoping you didn't say that." I said I continued to look through the window. I saw nothing except a strange mark on the nearby road with the searchlight from police helicopter going down the road a moment later.
'What's going on out there?' Courage asked as he also saw the searchlight of the helicopter.
"Not sure. But it's too dark and late now to see what's out there. Let's head to sleep and tomorrow we can check it out." I told Courage.
'All right.' Courage said reluctantly agreeing with me.
We then left the window and head back to sit down next to Muriel and continued to finish watching the movie. After about twenty more minutes, the movie finished. We then headed upstairs with Courage heading to my room this time. I quickly changed into my pajamas then pulled a spare pillow from under the bed and placed it on the bed. Courage immediately dived into the pillow and went to sleep. Smiling, I patted him on the head before getting into the bed and falling asleep as well.
8:30 A.M.
The blaring sun hitting my face woke me up. Blinking, I got up and stretched a bit. Looking to my side, I saw that Courage was also stretching on the pillow. Swinging my feet over the edge of the pillow, I got up and got changed into my regular clothes. Reaching under the bed, I got my shield and sword as after checking outside to see if anything happened last night, I am planning on getting some training done as well. Even though, the training has only gone into effect partially with the lady from the puddle, you never know when you are going to need it.
'Morning Jaune.' Courage said through a yawn as he got off the bed.
"Morning Courage." I said as I made sure everything is secure. "Want to go check outside now or after breakfast?"
'After breakfast.' Courage answered as he did one final stretch.
Nodding, we exited my room and went downstairs to the living room. We entered the room and saw Eustace was sitting in his chair reading his newspaper with the tv on. Ignoring him, we were about to head into the kitchen when he told us that Muriel wanted us in the kitchen. Knowing we were not going to get anything further from him, we went into the kitchen as we were already heading there. Opening the door, we saw Muriel cooking some breakfast. I was about to walk forward and ask what she need med for, but was stopped by a sudden tackle with such a force that rivaled a freight train.
"OOF." I grunted as I hit the floor hard. Shaking my, I looked up to see what had hit me, only to be pulled into a bone crushing hug.
"JAUNE! WE FINALLY FOUND YOU!" The familiar voice of my former hyper active teammate shouted.
"Hey Nora." I said with a smile as she got off me and pulled me to my feet. Once up, she pulled me into another bone crushing hug. Smiling I gave her a hug in return before pulling away.
"Hello Jaune." A voice behind her spoke up. Looking around her, I saw Lie Ren standing there with a smile. But I could tell that he felt guilty for something.
"Hey Ren." I greeted with a smile. Walking over to him, I extended my hand and he shook my hand.
"Listen Jaune." Ren began. "I just want to apologize for how I acted back then. I was out of-"
"It's fine Ren. I'm not mad or upset. I understand where you are coming from. Let's just put it behind us and continue being friends." I said cutting him off.
"Thanks, Jaune" He replied with a smile.
"No problem Ren." I said with a smile as well.
"YAY EVERYONE IS FRIENDS AGAIN?" Nora shouted in joy as she embraced both of us in another bone crushing hug.
"Oh, it's so good see you with some friends Jaune." Muriel said getting our attention. "Here, I made some sandwiches for the each of you."
"Thanks, Muriel." I told her. She smiled and left the kitchen.
"So, Jaune. What are you doing here in the middle of Nowhere?" Nora asked.
"I live here now." I answered as I took a bite out of a sandwich.
"Wait, you live here now? What about the Arc Family?" Ren asked.
"They disowned me for not being able to live up to their expectations." I answered quickly. Even after all this time, I still do not like talking about it.
"I'm sorry to hear that and to bring it up." Ren quickly said sensing he hit a sensitive spot.
"It's fine now. It's all in the past. I'm with this family now. They took me in the same day I was expelled from Beacon." I told them.
'You sure you okay Jaune?' Courage asked getting my attention.
"Yeah, I'm fine Courage." I said as I gave him a pat on the head.
"Um, who are you talking-" Ren began to ask but was stopped when Nora suddenly enveloped Courage in a bone crushing hug.
"A CUTE PINK DOG!" Nora shouted as she basically crushed Courage. Only to jump in shock along with Ren when Courage's eyes popped out of his head and fell on the floor. Chuckling at their expression, I reached down and grabbed Courage's eyes that rolled underneath the kitchen table.
"Here Courage." I said as I gave him his eyes. Instead of immediately taking them, he pulled out a bowl of water from behind his back and proceeded to dunk his eyes in it. He then dried them on his fur before popping them back in his head. Turning to me, he let out a cackle at what he just did.
"Um, Jaune what just happened?" Ren asked.
"I'm so sorry Jaune. Is your dog, okay?" Nora asked. Seemingly unfazed at what she just saw.
'It's fine. Nothing to worry about.' Courage answered with a smile. Only for the smile to be replace with gasping again as Nora picked him up again in yet another crushing hug.
"YOUR DOG TALKS AND DOES TRICKS JAUNE! HE IS AMAZING!" Nora shouted as she lifted Courage into the air.
"Nora. He is just barking." Ren said as he took Courage from her hands and placed him on the floor. Albeit, hesitantly as he was not sure what he just witnessed with Courage's eye popping out of his head a moment ago.
'Wait, you can also understand me?' Courage asked surprised.
"SEE REN! HE CAN TALK!" Nora shouted before realizing something. "WAIT DOES JAUNE ALSO UNDERSAND YOU?"
"Yes, Nora. I can also understand him clearly." I answered as I brought Courage closer to me. So as to protect him from Nora's death grip hugs.
"THAT'S SO COOL!" Nora shouted excitedly and was about to go on a long talking spree, but luckily Ren stopped her before she could do that.
"Nora. He is only barking." He said as he stood next to her. Instead of saying anything, she just smirked at him.
"Wait, what are you guys doing here in Nowhere?" I asked them as I just realized it.
"We were on a mission with Professor Port. However, we lost him earlier today. We tried to find him but couldn't. After a while of searching, we were approached by this lady and asked if we were friends with this blond kid that moved in with the Baggs. Since we were already looking for you for a while Jaune, we decided to check it out. And luckily, we did decide to check it out as it allowed us to finally find you again." Ren answered.
"I'm kind of surprised that Port left you guys. But on the other hand, that did allow us to meet again. Which I am glad for as I did miss you guys." I said with a smile to which they returned with one of their own. But then I noticed something. "Wait. Where's Pyrrha?"
"Oh, she had a meeting with her sponsors and could not be here in time to come with us." Nora answered. This made me kind of sad as I did want to see Pyrrha again. She always brought a smile to my face and was and extremely close friend.
"Oh well. Hopefully one day we can see each other again." I said with a sad smile.
"Cheer up Jaune. You'll see her again soon." Nora said as she pulled me into another hug. This time not bone crushing but a comforting one. "But today, let us have some fun. We have so much to catch up on."
"Sure. We can do that." I answered. I then felt a tug on my pants. Looking down I saw Courage trying to get my attention.
'What about finding out what happened last night?' He asked.
"Oh right. Forgot about that. We'll do it right now." I told him.
"What happened last night? Did you guys get attacked?" Nora asked concerned.
"What are you guys talking about?" Ren asked confused.
"We heard some strange noises and saw a police searchlight on the road next to the house last night. And since that normally doesn't happen around here, we want to check outside to see if anything happened here." I answered.
"OOH. A mystery. Can we come?" Nora asked excitedly.
"Go where?" Ren asked confused and getting annoyed at not getting an answer.
"Sure. Why not? Let's go." I answered with a smile at seeing Nora's near infinite energy. It was refreshing to see again. Ren seeing that he was not going to get an answer, decided to just go along with it.
We exited the kitchen and crossed the living room with Muriel and Eustace now watching the television. Crossing the room, we exited the house and went to the street where we saw the searchlight. But getting there, aside from a strange marking on the road, there was nothing. Spreading around, we attempted to find something but still came up short. That is, until Nora spotted the well and pointed at the ground. Going over to it, we saw that there was a patch of dirt that seems to have been moved.
"Good job Nora." I said as Courage and I began to dig in that spot. After a moment, we found something buried there.
'Huh?' Courage asked confused at what he saw.
"What did you find Jaune?" Ren asked.
"This strange tablet." I answered as I picked it up for them to see. It was a stone tablet that had four symbols on it. They depicted a weird looking person or a creature that is worshipped. The other three were random items that included a locust, a record player and a symbol of water.
"Where do you think it is from Jaune?" Nora asked.
"I don't know. Do you know Courage?" I answered before asking Courage.
'No. But maybe Eustace or Muriel might know. If not, we can ask the computer.' He answered.
"Good idea." I nodded in agreement. I then helped him out of the hole before getting out myself.
Once out, we went over to the house. All the while, Nora trying to grab the tablet and give what she thought the tablet meant and where it was from. Reaching the house, Courage grabbed the tablet and knocked the door for some reason. It was opened a second later by Muriel. Entering the house, we gave her the tablet.
"Why, what's this now?" Muriel asked as she took the tablet. "This looks very old."
"We found it by the water pump. But we don't know what it is." I answered.
"Well, I'm not sure what it is. Perhaps Eustace might know." She suggested. She then turned to him. "Eustace."
"Huh?" He asked.
"Come look at what Courage, Jaune and his friends found. What do you suppose it could be?" Muriel asked as she walked over and gave it to him. We also walked closer to him with nor closing the door behind us.
"Well, judging by the markings and the obvious age of the relic, I'd have to say it would be...GARBAGE!" Eustace shouted as he threw the tablet out of the house through the window.
"EUSTACE!" Muriel scolded.
"That was mean." Nora said as she glared at Eustace who just ignored her. Ren as doing the same except he had a scowl on his face.
"Yeah. It was." Ren agreed.
"Garbage. From king garbage of the garbage dynasty. Stupid dog. Always bringing garbage into the house." Eustace yelled out as he raised his hands in irritation. He then unmuted the television. Which just so happened to be showing a report on the very same tablet that he just threw out.
'But the big story today...' The tv announcer stated. 'Million-dollar slab stolen from the tomb of King Ramses.'
"Eh?" Eustace exclaimed shocked. He then immediately rushed to the window and picked up the slab from the ground and exclaimed. "I'M RICH!"
"How greedy is he Jaune?" Ren asked with a scowl on his face. He had always hated greedy and selfish people.
"And how mean is he normally?" Nora asked as she glared at Eustace again.
*Sigh* "His greed is comparable to that of Weiss's father and he easily surpasses Cardin in how much of an ass he can be." I answered.
"Wow." Nora said shocked. Ren seemed to agree with this as his face shifted into a shocked expression for a slight moment. We turned back to see Muriel trying to convince Eustace to return the slab.
"But the man said it was stolen, Eustace. We must return it to its rightful place." Muriel told him.
"Can't we just take it from him Jaune as we are huntsmen in training?" Nora asked. Her hammer already out and ready. Only for Ren to tell her to put it back.
"Unfortunately, not. Nowhere does not recognize huntsmen in training as part of the law. Only fully fledge ones. And even then, they are restricted in what they can do." I answered. It was a sad part that huntsmen are restricted here but since there rarely ever is a single grimm here, it was eventual that they would put the law that restricts them into place.
"That sucks." Nora said not happy at that while she put her hammer away.
"I know. But's that just how it is here." I told them. Turning back to the others, we saw Eustace put down his newspaper and placed his hands on the arm of his chair.
"He said a million-dollar slab. And that means I get a million dollars. And you know what a million dollar mean?" Eustace asked. But at that moment, I heard a strange sound followed by Courage howling. "That's right! New lawn chairs."
Courage then went over to the center of the room and started transforming into different shapes. He then changed into a mummy which surprised Ren and made Nora nearly jump in excitement at seeing that. However, instead of paying attention, Muriel and Eustace ignored him while Eustace picked up a phone and started dialing.
"Nowhere News. I want to put an ad in the paper." He said into the phone. Ignoring him we went over to Courage who started bouncing and pointing to the slab that Muriel was for some reason dusting.
"What is it boy? What are you trying to get at? Is it charades?" Nora asked excitedly. This just caused Courage to stop and look at her with a deadpan look.
'I have a name. And second, I may be a dog but really.' Courage told her as he placed his paws on his hips.
"Sorry. Just got a bit excited. Anyway. What caused you to howl?" Nora apologized before asking. Once again confusing Ren as for some reason, he did not understand Courage but Nora did.
'Perhaps because Nora is already a bit crazy?' I thought as I pondered why she could understand him and Ren can't. But I stopped myself from trying to understand it as I am still unsure why I can understand him.
'The man on the tablet disappeared!' Courage answered.
"Wait. What do you mean disappear?" I asked.
'Go take a look.' He answered.
Concerned, I went over to the slab with Ren and Nora right behind me. And to our surprise and my horror, the man on the tablet had in fact disappeared. This made me nervous as it could mean something bad was going to happen.
"Hey, the man disappeared." Nora said pointing it out.
"Strange What could have caused it?" Ren asked as he tried to think of an answer and reason as to why it disappeared.
"I don't know. But I have a bad feeling about this." I answered.
"What do you mean Jaune?" Ren asked. I could see in his eyes that he was worried.
"I have a feeling later in the day you will be able to see for yourself." I answered.
"Yes, sir. You start running that ad right away." Eustace said getting our attention. We turned to him to see him hanging up the phone. But just as he hung up, there was a knock on the door. He got up and went to answer it.
"What's you offer?" He immediately yelled out. Going over to him, I got another shock of the day. Standing outside the door was a man with a large red mustache but standing next to him was Professor Port.
"Hello Mr. Arc. Good to see you doing well." He greeted me with a smile.
"Professor Port. What are you doing here?" Ren asked.
"Ah, I see you and Ms. Valkryie have reunited with your Mr. Arc. Always good to be with your friends. And to answer your question, I am here with my brother Professor Frith to retrieve the slab of King Ramses." Port answered.
"You see Eustace. I told you it was stolen." Muriel said to Eustace.
At this, Courage went in front and started trying to tell the other about what we saw on the slab. He transformed into what seemed to be an adventured that turned invisible followed by a ship sinking. He then pulled out a replica of the slab before getting on his knees as if begging that they would understand him. Instead, Muriel seemed confused while Eustace just laughed at him. Looking towards the others, I saw Ren checking his eyes to see if he was not seeing things, while Nora looked amazed. But what really got my attention was Port seemingly understanding or at least acknowledging what Courage was doing instead of brushing it off like Eustace normally does.
"Ha, Ha, ha. What's your offer?" Eustace asked after laughing at Courage.
"Sir, the Institute for Pharoh is member supported. But for every million-dollar donation. You'll receive this sporty tote-bag with our thanks." Professor Frith answered as he pulled out a tote-bag from behind him. And as expected, Eustace tried to slam the door in his face but Ren managed to catch the door in time. Growling, Eustace stomped back to his chair and pulled out his newspaper.
"Sorry about that. Eustace is exceptionally greedy. But I'll try and find a way to get it from him." I told the two professors.
"That would be much appreciated Mr. Arc." Port said with a smile.
"Professor. What should we do now? Shouldn't we be going back to Beacon?" Nora asked. Though I could tell she did not want to leave just yet as she latched onto my arm. Fortunately, it seemed Port had picked up on this.
"We are scheduled to leave in a few hours. However, I can make it so that we have to spend the rest for the day here so you two can have some time with Mr. Arc here. And that it would also allow me some time to spend with my brother." Port answered.
"YAY!" Nora shouted in joy.
"Thank you, sir." Ren said with a smile as it seemed like he also wanted to spend some more time here.
"It's no problem. Do enjoy your time here." Port said before turning to Frith. "Come brother. It's best we make our leave."
"Of course, brother. But also, now that you have some time, you must tell me about your adventures in Vale training new fresh young minds." Frith asked excitedly.
"I have many stories to share with you if you are willing to share with me some of your soties." Port exclaimed.
"Of course, I will share them with you. I even have some stories of my adventures in the lost pyramids." Frith answered back.
"Excellent. That even reminds me of the time-" Port began but I closed the door before he could continue. Turning to Ren and Nora, I saw they had similar expressions on their face.
"Professor Frith is certainly Professor Port's brother." Ren stated.
"I wonder if his stories are better than Ports?" Nora wondered.
'Either they are the same or worse. Imagine, having to listen to both of their stories will certainly be a nightmare.' I mentally thought with a shiver going down my spine.
"Eustace, we should really give it back you know." Muriel told him.
"Nuh-uh. Finders' keepers." Eustace said as he walking into the kitchen.
"So, what should we do now?" Nora asked.
"How about we go to my room and we can catch up everything that has happened." I suggested. Nora and Ren nodded in agreement and we went upstairs to my room where we began to catch up on everything.
8:30 P.M.
It was nighttime and we all were in the living room watching a movie. Well, me, Nora, Muriel and Courage were. Eustace was in his chair holding onto the slab happily. Thinking of all the stuff he can buy with a million dollars. Ren on the other hand, is still trying come to terms that he lost against Courage in both chess and cards. After we had all caught up, we decided to play some games together. I had lost against Nora in cards but won in chest. Courage then challenged Ren in both. He thought it would be an easy win. Only for that to be true but for Courage instead of him. Which caused both me and Nora to laugh at his expense. Now, we were watching an adventure movie while having some tea and snacks. But our attention was soon pulled from the movie by Eustace muttering.
"Rich, rich, rich, rich, rich. Fly swatter. Spark plugs. Shovel handle. Razor blade. Light bulb for the attic." He began saying all the things he would buy with the money as he began to rock back and forth.
"He certainly has gone crazy with greed." Nora said in disgust at Eustace.
"That's how he's always been." I told her. She seemed like she about to ask something else, but the sudden sound of the doorknob being violently shaken drew our attention and scared Courage.
'OOOHHH!'Courage shouted in terror as his legs moved back and forth at the speed of light while his fur stood up as if he got electrocuted. Which prompted Nora to giggle at how funny he looked.
Eustace got up from his chair to go and answer the door. Curious, and concerned, me, Nora, Courage and Ren walked up to the window on the side of the door. Looking through it, we saw that a strange dense fog had come about the farm.
"What's going on Jaune?" Nora asked as she continued to look around. Trying to see if she could find what is causing the fog to appear.
"I'm not sure. But it can't be good." I answered. I continued to look through the window and eventually saw a very strange but also frightening creature.
"RETURN THE SLAB!" The creature demanded.
"What?" Eustace asked confused.
"Who is that Jaune?" Nora asked.
"I don't know Nora. But he looks strangely familiar." I answered as I tried to remember why he looked familiar.
"Wait. He's the guy from the slab." Ren announced suddenly.
"That's right." I said as I remembered why he looked familiar. But then I realized something. "Courage, didn't you say the figure on the slab disappear?"
'Yes, the figure disappeared. And now it seems he is here.' He answered as he bounced up and down in fear.
"RETURN THE SLAB! OR SUFFER MY CURSE" The guy threatened.
"What's your offer?" Eustace shouted.
"THIS NIGHT. YOU WILL BE VISITED BY THREE PLAGUES, EACH WORSE THAN THE LAST. RETURN THE SLAB!" The man told us before demanded the slab be returned again.
"Jaune." Nora said getting my attention. "Do you think that guy could be King Ramses as that slab is from King Ramses tomb?"
"Nora. Don't be ridiculous." Ren told her. But you could easily tell that he was having trouble believing all this was happening.
"I think that is King Ramses Nora. And he is demanding that we return the slab or suffer three plagues." I answered.
'What do you think those plagues could be?' Courage asked.
"I'm not sure Courage." I answered as I was a bit busy being creeped out by King Ramses and how unnatural he moves and looks like.
"Maybe those other symbols that are on the slab are the plagues he is talking about?" Nora suggested.
"Nora. You're a genius." I told her to which she smiled and saluted.
"What are you talking about Jaune?" Ren asked confused.
"On the slab there were four symbols. One was Ramses and now he is here with the symbol on the slab disappearing. Maybe the other symbols are the plagues. What were they again?" I explained before asking as I tried to remember.
"Could be. I remember there was a record player and a locust but I don't remember the third one." Ren answered.
"Do you remember Nora?" I asked her.
"No. I remember the bus and the record player but not the third." She answered. I turned to Courage to ask him but Eustace stopped me by giving his answer to King Ramses.
"HAH! Nice try professor." He said before slamming the door shut. "Who's he kidding? I could see the zipper on that cheap dime store costume."
"Does he really think that was the professor?" Nora asked annoyed.
"Common sense is something people don't have when they are anywhere near as greedy as Eustace is Nora." I explained to her.
"We can discuss how greed affects someone later. Right now, we need to try and remember what that third plague could be." Ren reminded us.
"Right. Now, what-" I began but Courage's scream interrupted me.
'OOOHHH' He screamed in terror.
"What's wrong Courage?" Nora asked. But before he could answer and confuse Ren again, we all felt water hit us.
"What?" Ren asked confused as we felt more water hit us. Looking up, we saw water drop from the ceiling.
"Huh?" Nora asked confused as well. A moment later, the water increased to the point where instead of a few drops, it was basically raining. Inside the house I might add.
"Courage. Jaune. Did either of you leave the tub running?" Muriel asked. But before we could answer, water suddenly started gushing from the walls, the grandfather clock and the moose on the other side of the room in extreme amounts. Very quickly, the room began to fill with water.
"UP THE STAIRS." I shouted.
We all moved as fast as we can towards the stairs and climbed them to the second floor. Unfortunately, the water quickly caught up to us and send us crashing into my room. The water quickly filling the room and forcing us up to the ceiling of the room to gasp for air.
"Eustace. Hold on. Where's Eustace?" Muriel asked worried. Looking around, I did not see him. Feeling like I knew where he could be, I took a deep breath and went underneath the water and saw him in a corner hugging the slab to his body while wearing goggles and a snorkel. Swimming back to the top, I got to the top and took a deep breath.
'What do we do?' Courage asked as he struggled to stay afloat.
"I'm not sure Courage." I answered before remembering something that could save us. "Wait. The drainage in the basement could drain all the water."
'Good idea. Let's go.' He said as he dived into the water and began to swim to the basement.
"You guys make sure Muriel is safe. I'll be right back." I told them before diving back into the water myself.
In the water again, we began to swim out of the room and down the stairs all the way to the basement. All the while trying not to swim into any of the furniture that was floating around the rooms. Getting to the basement, we quickly saw the drain in the middle of the room. Swimming over to it, we tried to unplug the drain but couldn't as the water is putting too much pressure on it for us to be able to remove the plug. We gave it a couple more tries but still couldn't remove it. We were about to give up when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning around, I was relieved to see that Nora had followed us. She then moved to grab the drainage and managed to pull the plug off the drain. All the water in the house immediately went into the drain with a lot of furniture now covering the center of the basement floor.
"Thanks Nora. You're the best." I told her with a smile as I tried to catch my breath.
"AH, COME ON." The voice of King Ramses echoed throughout the entire house. "RETURN THE SLAB!"
"No problem Jaune." She said as she pulled me up to my feet.
'Alright. We got rid of one plague, we just need to survive the other two.' Courage said as he shook himself dry.
"Right. But first let's check on the others." I told them. They nodded and we rushed back up the stairs and back to my room. Getting there, we saw that the water was gone but the furniture was all over the place. Muriel and Eustace were by the window. Ren was to the side panting as he caught his breath and tried to dry himself off as best, he could.
"WHAT'S YOUR OFFER?" Eustace shouted out to King Ramses.
"You okay Renny?" Nora asked as she went up to him ignoring Eustace.
"I'm fine Nora." He answered as he straightened himself out.
"Okay, so that was the first plague which we did not remember. And the other symbols on the slab were a record player and locusts. Now we just need to figure out what they were." I said getting their attention.
"Can't we just go out there and beat him Jaune?" Nora asked as she took out her hammer again.
"Too risky Nora. We don't know what else he could do. For all we know, that could be exactly what he wants aside from the slab." I told her. She seemed down by this. Not liking that, I was about to cheer her up but couldn't as the most annoying and horrible sound assault our ears.
The Man in Gauze, The Man in Gauze,
The Man in Gauze!
The Man in Gauze, The Man in Gauze,
King Ramses!
(The Man in Gauze)
"AAAHHHHH!" We all screamed in pain as we covered our ears to try and block out the noise.
"What is that horrible noise?" Ren shouted.
"I don't know nor do I want to know!" I answered as I kept trying to block out the sound but it seemed to grow louder the more I do so.
"Where is it coming from?" Nora asked.
King Ramses!
The Man in Gauze, The Man in Gauze,
He's No Santa Claus!
The Man in Gauze, The Man in Gauze,
King Ramses!
The Man in Gauze, The Man in Gauze
He's No..SANTA CLAUS!
"COURAGE! JAUNE! MAKE IT STOP!" Muriel begged of us.
"And how do you suppose they do that?" Nora asked. Thankfully Muriel didn't hear that.
'Wait. On the slab, it showed a record player. Maybe that's what's causing this noise?' Courage suggested.
"Could be. Come on guys." I told them. Ren and Nora quickly got up and I led them outside the house.
"So, what are we looking for?" Ren asked as we got outside the house.
"Courage said that it could be a record player that is causing this noise." Nora answered.
"Nora a dog cannot speak." Ren reminded her. But she ignored him.
"Let's split up and try to find it." I cut in before he could say anything else.
They nodded and we each split up to different parts of the area to try and find the source of the noise. Ren went to check the windmill while Nora went to the chicken house. Me and Courage went to Eustace's truck and searched it. But didn't find anything. Next, we checked the water pump to see if it was coming from there as we originally found the slab buried there. But we still came up with the same result. We then decided to check the basement. As we ran to there, we passed by a rock and the sound seemed to get louder as we passed by it. Going around the rock, we found the source of the horrible which in fact turned out to be a record player. Exactly like that of the one on the slab.
"Did you find it yet Jaune?" Nora asked behind us. Giving me and Courage a slight scare. Turning around, we laughed a bit as we saw that she was covered in hay and was holding onto a chicken. Another chicken was on her head.
"Yes. It was an actual record player apparently." I told her as I moved to the side to show her. At this point Ren had finished searching and reached us.
"Did you find the source?" He asked. I pointed at the record player.
"CAN I SMASH IT?" Nora asked excitedly. The chicken in her arms being throw in the air as a result of her being excited.
"Sure." I said with a smile. But then I quickly remember how destructive she can get and immediately grabbed Courage and pulled him away.
"YAY! HAMMER TIME! Nora shouted before pulling out her hammer again and the completely obliterating the record player.
"Finally, that horrid music stopped." Ren said as the record player was destroyed.
'Yes, the second plague is gone. Now we all have to worry about the last one.' Courage said but shivered in fear when we heard Ramses voice again.
"RETURN THE SLAB!" Ramses demanded.
"We have to return the slab Jaune." Ren told me.
"Yes. Let's get in there, and just take it from him before he does something even more stupid." I said agreeing with him.
"ALL RIGHT. BUT A MILLION IS AS LOW AS I'LL GO!" Eustace shouted at Ramses from the second floor.
"Like that." I said regretting what I just said. "Let's head inside now and take it from him."
We all nodded and began to make our way back to the house. But before that, we stopped by the chicken house coup and put back the chickens that Nora took. Once they were safe, we went back to the house. But as we reached the door, we heard a loud buzzing sound. Turning around, we saw an entire swarm of Locusts coming towards us. The bugs eating everything in their path. Even the water pump and Eustace's truck were eating.
'AAAHHHHH!' Courage screamed in terror.
"LOCUSTS! QUICK INSIDE!" I shouted as I opened the door for the others to enter the house. I then slammed the door shut. Soon, I could hear the locusts reach the house and started circling us. We then entered the living room and saw Muriel and Eustace there. Eustace was still holding onto the slab while Muriel seemed like she about to scream in terror.
"RETURN THE SLAB!" Ramses demanded again. That did it for Muriel as she ran out of the room and towards the kitchen in sheer terror.
"Ren, Nora. Go and check on Muriel. Me and Courage will deal with Eustace." I told them. Ren nodded while Nora saluted and went to find Muriel.
"Come on Courage. Let's return the slab." I told him. He nodded and immediately dove for the slab surprising Eustace. I then went in and grabbed the slab myself but found out that Eustace is a bit stronger than he looked.
"LET GO!" He shouted as he tried to pull the slab away from us.
"RETURN THE SLAB!" Ramses said again.
We continued to try and pull the slab away from him. But it was not going well. Soon, we heard the sound of the locusts beginning to eat the house. And a moment later, we saw them slowly reaching us. Luckily, Eustace saw them and got scared and let go of the slab.
"RETURN THE SLAB!" Ramses demanded again.
"OKAY1 OKAY! You can have it." He told us as he back off. Gripping tightly the slab, we went to the front of the house and threw it was hard as we can back to Ramses. And as soon as we did that, the locusts disappeared along with the fog.
"That was a close one. Right Courage?" I asked him as I panted at how close the locusts got to us. He gave a paw thumb up in response.
'Damn. This house has is totaled again.' I thought as I saw how much of the house had been eaten by the locusts.
'Let's go check on your friends and Muriel.' Courage said motioning towards the kitchen where the smell of food is coming from. I nodded in agreement. We moved to the kitchen but the sound of Eustace shouting startled us. We turned to him and saw him looking shocked and horrified.
"NO! I CAN'T BELEIVE I DID THAT!" Eustace shouted as he ran to the slab.
Curious, we moved closer to the front of the house to see what would happen. From what we could see, the slab landed near Ramses and Eustace now had it in his hands again. Then, it seemed like Eustace was taunting Ramses. In response, Ramses summoned the locusts again to devour Eustace. A moment later, the locusts along with Eustace and Rames were gone.
'That's what greed gets you. You lousy man.' I thought as the fog lifted and everything went back to normal. Feeling a tug on my pants, I saw Courage motioning towards the kitchen. Nodding, we went to the kitchen and saw the table and counters filled to the brim with different kinds of food. Muriel was sitting on the chair with her head in the cake in front of her. Most likely because her adrenaline wore off and she fainted from both exhaustion and relief.
"Is everyone all right?" I asked as I looked around and saw Nora and Ren both covered in cooking ingredients and flour.
"Yes. We're fine Jaune. Confused on multiple levels but fine none the less." Ren answered as he cleaned himself of the mess.
"What happened to the old man?" Nora asked as she licked her hands that were covered in cake batter. Only to pout as Ren used a napkin to clean the rest before she could lick it.
"His greed got him taken away by Ramses." I answered.
"You get what you deserve. But I have to ask, what will you do now that the house is destroyed Jaune?" Ren asked.
"Don't worry. This house has been through worse and can easily be rebuild." I answered.
"Wait, this has happened before?" He asked worried.
"Not exactly this, but some strange and dangerous things have happened that nearly destroyed the house but we have managed to fix the house." I told him.
"So, what now?" Nora asked.
"Let's eat some of this food and then head to bed as it's late. Theres some sleeping bags downstairs that we can use." I answered.
"I'll help." Nora shouted as she raced downstairs. Smiling, Ren and me went down as well to grab the bags to try and get some sleep as today was a hell of a day. Yet, it felt nice being able to go through an adventure like this with my friends again.
8:00 A.M.
"It was great seeing you guys again." I said as I watch Nora and Ren get into the cab that will take them to the Nowhere airport where Professor Port is waiting for them to take them back to Beacon.
"It was great seeing you again Jaune." Ren said as he shook my hand before getting into the cab.
"Bye Jaune. Hopefully we'll see each other again soon." Nora said as she gave me a hug.
"Of course, Nora." I told her as she let go of me.
"Oh, that reminds me. Do you have your scroll?" She asked.
"Not my old one. Got a new one recently." I answered as I pulled out the new scroll. She quickly took it and dial in a number before handing it back to me.
"So, we can stay in contact." She explained with a smile.
"Thanks Nora." I told her. She smiled before getting into the cab as well. With the cab taking off a second later. Waving at them, I turned around and walked back inside the house. Inside the house, I saw Muriel sitting in her chair with Courage on her lap. They were watching a movie but it suddenly cut to a news report.
'At last, the allegedly cursed slab has been returned to King Ramses Crypt. Where it will remain buried in antiquity for all time.' Professor Frith announced.
"Oh, I wonder where Eustace is?" Muriel wondered.
'Probably buried with Ramses.' I thought with a chuckle. Only to shiver when I heard the faint voice of Eustace shouting 'What's your offer?!' Turning to Courage, I saw that he too heard it. But he ignored and laid back down on Muriel lap with a smile. Decided to do the same, I sat in Eustace's chair and rest and prepared myself for the next adventure.
Note:
Sorry for the delay. Got busy. The next chapter should be out by tomorrow.
Next chapter: The Duck brothers