By the time the fire trucks rushed to the scene, the group was gone. Van Helsing only watched from the woods as the sirens wailed.
Poor guys. They didn't know what they were dealing with. Mere fire hoses did absolutely NOTHING against hellfire. There was nothing left of the house to enter. If they could, those who went in wouldn't come back out.
But given how large the fire was…SOMEONE had to have seen it. How else would they be called? Trick-or-treaters must've been shocked. Kids must be crying because they didn't even GET to that house for more candy.
"Is everyone okay?" Van Helsing asked.
"I…I don't know…" Cory sighed, with the rest having come to. "It's…gone. We've never been beaten so hard before…"
"Yeah. Only SLAPPY had the power to kick our asses without batting an eye." Lisa added. "And that magic…not even Conrad, Tara, and Morgred could keep up with it!"
"Slappy only wanted to scare you." Van Helsing said. "Dracula? He's not playing around. He's much more of a Menace than even The Menace is. And you know EXACTLY how powerful he is. Even worse…he got the stone."
"So?" Randy asked. "What's so good about a stupid zombie stone anyway? He can keep it for all I care…"
"It's not a SINGLE stone you should worry about." Van Helsing said. "You all SAW that Slappy could do it. When all seven of them are together, THEN you have every right to piss yourself. Because monsters will rise up and WIPE mankind off the face of the world! So if you want to give up…wait until midnight."
Suddenly, Lucy let out a scream of pain as she clutched her neck, falling to her knees.
"LUCY!" Randy rushed to her side. "What happened?! What did he DO to you?!"
She only panted heavily, stuck in her humanoid vampire bat form.
"He…he was going to bite Dina." She panted. "I couldn't let that happen…I…So I had him bite ME instead."
At this, Van Helsing froze.
"He bit you?" He asked. "Dracula BIT you?!"
"Yes, but it doesn't matter." Lucy growled. "I'm already a vampire monster…"
"Oh shit…" Van Helsing cursed, rushing over and examining her neck wound. "Lucy, you are gonna become something far WORSE than a vampire. In only a few hours, you'll end up LOSING your humanity. You'll turn into a mindless ravenous BEAST."
"WHAT?!" Lynne panicked. "That CAN'T happen! Is there a cure?!"
"Yes, but not here. We're not safe here anyway." Van Helsing said. "Can you turn back into a human?"
Lucy tried to. She really REALLY tried.
"I…I…can't…"
"Dammit, it's working faster than I thought." He cursed. "I know a place where we can find the ingredients, but the entrance is well hidden. And no humans are allowed there. So if any one of you wants to turn back, now's your only chance."
Lucy Del Rio and the Many Mysteries Club felt a bit shaken. Cory only looked at a hand…and clenched it into a fist.
"He hurt one of us. So he hurt all of us." He said. "We've already lost something tonight. No way are we going to let him take something ELSE away. We're going."
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you." Van Helsing said. "This way."
He raced off with the Midnight Society following him. Dina only helped a wounded Lucy, wincing as she regenerated her tail.
"I…I am SO sorry." She begged. "I shouldn't have gotten myself in harm's way. You must've been so worried…"
"No…I'M the one who's sorry." Lucy moaned. "This birthday is only getting worse and worse…"
And if they didn't hurry, it would get any WORSE. And it was far too late for Dina to leave this dangerous life.
Finally, Van Helsing came up to a rocky cliffside. Where, long ago, a truck carrying Prince Khor-Ru crashed into.
He put a hand against the wall. This must be the place. Cory thought. The hunter then pulled out his amulet and placed it on the cliffside. It began glowing.
"Hey, how come YOU have an amulet too, but WE don't have the cool helmets and wings and stuff?" Lisa asked.
"Morgred must've given you incomplete ones, unbeknownst to him." Van Helsing stated. "I'll give them an upgrade later. That way you have a better chance of surviving Dracula."
"Yes!" She pumped a fist.
The amulet finished glowing. He took it off the wall…and then walked right through it!
"Woah!" Cory rubbed his eyes. "Like the nine and three-quarters platform…"
First the Makai dimension having a Minecraft name, now this…
Cory put a hand against the wall. It felt like it wasn't even there. He stepped through, and everyone else followed.
"Woah…" Now it was Lisa's turn. A massive hollow chasm within the cliffside…who knew?
"So…where ARE the ingredients?" Dylan asked.
"You really think they can be found here?" Abe asked. "THAT my friend…would be deeper."
He had his amulet shine again, revealing a massive spiral crystal staircase. He began heading down as Frankenstein followed, with everyone else, in their monster forms, right behind him.
"A secret underground chamber…" Lucy Del Rio gasped. "This is…amazing!"
"Uh…didn't you say us humans weren't ALLOWED down here?" Dustin asked.
"Yes, but thankfully the monsters down here trust me and my family." Van Helsing said. "Besides, this is the only safe haven you have left."
"Wait, monsters?" R.L. Stine asked.
"Of course. Where else did you think they came from, under beds and in closets?"
"What?" Cory asked as they reached the bottom.
"I'm sure you've wondered. Where do all monsters originate from? What part of the world did they first come into existence? No one really knows, at least, not humans. In this hidden world, everything you believe to be fantasy is reality. Where magic rules rather than science. Where all monsters live, free from being feared by humans. But this is no underground world. Call it a…pocket dimension, if you will."
"A…world?"
Van Helsing only smirked and used his amulet as another key, this time to make a rock wall fade away. On the other side was…
"Wooooaaaaaaahhhhhhh…."
"Welcome, weary travelers," Van Helsing smiled. "To the Mystic Realm."
It was beautiful. A vast forest and valley in broad daylight, full of trees, flora, and fauna that seemed both ancient and mystical, yet alien and unknown. It was as if the entire world had a different set of physics entirely!
"So…it's morning HERE when it's night back up there?" Cory asked.
"Don't worry, the sun will be setting soon." Van Helsing stated. "Kinda impressive, isn't it? Any creature of fantasy and folklore exists here. Real gnomes, goblins, trolls, fairies, dwarves, unicorns, and yes, even dragons."
"You have DRAGONS?!" Lisa gasped.
"Yep. Oh. And did I mention this place ALSO has giant monsters?"
"Like…Kaiju?!" Dustin gasped. "Stop, stop, I can only get so excited!"
"Like I said, magic rules, not math and science. While kaijus wouldn't be able to survive in your world, here they're perfectly fine."
"Like cartoons…"
"Uh…something like that."
Lisa felt like she could die happy. Well…hopefully the unicorns weren't so girly…
That's when Van Helsing seemed to sense something.
"Oh great." Abe groaned. "Hang back. Let me do the talking."
He stepped forth, and something emerged from the woods. Something BIG.
Well, it wasn't KAIJU big, so that was a plus. But it was a big brown hairy ape-like creature, with a slightly old and smaller creature with a wooden staff, tan fur, and a beard riding it. Upon seeing the other humans among the other monsters, the large creature yelped and leaped back, nearly knocking the other creature off.
"Master Helsing, what is the MEANING of this?!" The small elder creature asked. "You bring HUMANS with you? HERE?!"
"Sasquatch, I'm afraid the situation is a lot more dire than it looks." Abe said. "It's Dracula. He's returned."
"Dracula?! Oh, DRAGON SCALES, this is TERRIBLE!"
"He's gotten one of the seven stones, but it's likely he's gotten more. And he burned down their headquarters just to get it."
"Wait…Sasquatch?" Cory asked. "Then…the other guy is…is…"
Awkwardly, the large creature waved a hand. "Hi…"
"Yep." Van Helsing said. "This here is none other than the legendary Bigfoot. But we just call him Big."
"Yeah, no kidding." Lisa noticed. "It's not just the feet. So's everything else, apparently…"
"The little guy is his older brother Sasquatch. Just call him Sas." Abe then turned back. "Surely you've heard of these guys. They're called the Midnight Society."
"Them?!" Sasquatch sounded bewildered. "THESE children are the Society?! The same team that vanquished the Menace?!"
"Whether you like it or not. Don't worry, they can keep this great secret."
"Well…I do sense some powerful magic among some of their members." Sasquatch stated. "I do apologize, the God of Monsters is the most formidable threat we have EVER faced. He even surpasses that of Slappy, who managed to make our third brother Everest his slave."
"Everest?" Dylan asked.
"I believe you know him by another name." Van Helsing stated. "The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena."
"Wait, WHAT?!" Zach asked. "THAT'S Everest?!"
"A yeti, and the middle brother of myself and Big." Sasquatch stated. "As an Okash, he can harness the most ancient of magical forces. He can conjure snowballs that can freeze on impact, much like how I can tap into its full power and how Big has enhanced senses, speed, and strength."
"And as a bonus," Abe added. "He has healing powers and can talk to animals. And he's REALLY good at hide and seek."
"Sneaky…" Big smiled. "Nature…friend."
"Still, we don't have time to waste." Van Helsing said. "We have to get to Vorsheer Village. Thankfully it's not far from here. Come on."
"Hmmmm….Fronkensteen…"
"It's Frankenstein, actually." Frankenstein corrected Bigfoot.
Van Helsing made his way through the path in the woods as the two cryptids and Midnight Society followed. Once they were in the clear, they saw a bustling VILLAGE of monsters! It was almost paradise.
"Oh, one more thing."
Channeling the ancient magic through his staff, Sasquatch had the humans take their monster disguises while making others invisible to other monsters.
"There. You'd cause quite a panic if you were spotted. Most of us have never even HEARD of humans."
"Well THAT sounds familiar." Primor stated.
Van Helsing kept leading the way throughout the plaza, his eyes on the lookout for a specific building. A library, a blacksmith, a few shops, some marketplaces, an apothecary, and other places that made this village look straight out of a fairy tale.
Finally, they came across a Tavern with a sign reading The Warriors' Rest. By the hunter heading inside, this HAD to be the place. The others followed him inside and…
"Woah."
The tavern was CROWDED with monsters! Big ones, small one, weird ones, even small ones! On a stage, one with three heads and ten arms was literally a one-man band. Two large monsters were arm-wrestling, and one broke the other's arm (and the table) to win, with others laughing at the loser's pain. Some of the meals were even ALIVE. When one noticed a squid was screaming and squirming, it just roasted it with fire breath to both shut it up and cook it some more.
Mirpo only gulped.
Nearby, two fighter-looking monsters tried chopping two anvils. A female one broke hers, but the other only ended up breaking his hand. Cobalt only winced at this. Meanwhile, another monster chased away a pack of what HAD to be Chupacabras.
The craft services were just as…odd. Eyeballs, tentacles, something that probably looked poisonous, and something that didn't even SEEM like food! All the while, some words were being exchanged.
"...once pounded its skull in with just my tail…"
"More steak and ale, chef!"
"...tastes better when it's still alive, if you ask me…"
"Ugh…I think I'm gonna be sick…" Mirpo groaned.
"Oh, just be glad we're not in a bar fight." Sas chuckled. "THEN things would get messy."
Big only whimpered.
"Oh, sorry. He's not one to resort to violence."
"Really?" Wargon smirked. "This seems like my kind of place."
"Of course you'd say that." Arach-Kid sighed.
Van Helsing made his way through the crowd, and managed to even drink some rum when a monster wasn't looking (when he did look back, he thought his drinking buddy did it and punched him across the face).
"Oof, this place REEKS!" Lissandra gagged. "Do they even KNOW what alcohol is here?!"
"You will never find a more wretched place of scum and villainy." Abe only chuckled. At least he knew his pop culture.
They made their way to a crowd chanting and placing some bets. When Cory got a good look, it seemed to be a gladiator arena that they all overlooked. A female troll / ogre warrior with an ax was brutally battling a giant green insect beast, chopping off one of its legs before leaping upwards and coming back down with a roar.
There was a sickening crunch of bone and ripping of flesh, making the monster crowd cheer in amusement and causing Cory to flinch. The female warrior only bit down on the decapitated head's tongue and ripped it off with only her teeth, causing herself to get drenched in more blood as green as her skin.
Speaking of green, Mirpo's face was that exact color as his hands flew to his mouth. He began scampering off, shoving his way through a crowd.
"Hey! Watch it, blarf nog!" A tiny one cried. Finally, he made it to what seemed like a yellow trash can and…
BLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGH!
He soon backed off, groaning and gagging. And that's when the yellow trash can opened its single eye and closed its upwards mouth, munching away at what was inside before gulping it down.
"Ah…Thanks! I was hungry!"
The trash can monster then rose up on its two legs and ran off, much to Mirpo's shock…
"UGH!"
And his disgust, too.
"Psst!" Van Helsing whispered, opening a side door. "This way!"
He dashed inside, with the others following. Cory expected the chamber to be quite cramped and small, but it was big enough for all of them.
Abe led the way downstairs. Eventually they reached a door. Van Helsing looked around to check if anyone else was watching. He then knocked on the door, and the slot opened to show a single robotic eye.
"The night hides all." Abe stated.
The slot closed, and the door opened. They stepped inside, and Cory was once again amazed.
The large space was akin to a massive mansion library. There WERE hundreds of books though, along with various gadgets and monster hunting technology, both ancient, modern, and futuristic. There were maps of each realm and world in the universe, and even the Van Helsing family crest on the ceiling!
"Welcome, sir!" A robot with the eye (on what seemed like a camera head) stated. "I see you've brought some buddies too!"
"Welcome to the Cryptid Keep." Abraham Van Helsing The Second told the Midnight Society. "This is only my secondary base. The primary one is back in my family mansion in Transylvania. It's basically a home away from home."
Through a watery wall, the long neck of a plesiosaur stuck out.
"Hey there, Nessie." Abe said, pulling out some fish. "Here you go."
He tossed the fish to the Loch Ness Monster, which it scarfed down.
"Oh yeah, that guy." Tara chuckled. "When King Robert was trying to open a time portal to the future, I tried to close it. Buuut I ended up accidentally opening it to the dinosaur ages, so…"
"At least Victor was able to find it before it could get hunted down." Abe said as Nessie went back into the lake. "He got moved here with the Jersey Devil for safekeeping. Plus…"
He threw a dagger towards the water, and it bounced off the magic barrier like it was sturdy glass.
"As long as you're not aquatic, you don't have to worry about slipping in and drowning."
"Oh yeah, where are my manners?" The robot chuckled. "I am I.G.O.R."
"Wait…Fritz?" Frankenstein asked.
"No no no, big guy. DIFFERENT Igor. My name's short for International Global Observation Robot. Abe here built me."
"Woah, you have an A.I. too?" Lisa asked, with the human disguises and cloaking wearing off.
"Yeah. I can do a lot more than E.M.M.I., too." I.G.O.R. said. "What? You're kinda super famous in the monster world."
"There's been complications." Abe said. "Dracula burned down the Midnight Society's base AND he got another stone. Plus, Lucy Dark here was bitten by him.
"Uh oh. That well, huh?" I.G.O.R. said. "Well, I should start locating the cure ingredients. How much time does she have?"
"About a few hours."
"WOAH, that's bad! Uh, okay, we can deal with restraint methods later, but she should be back soon."
That's when they heard something. Footsteps, echoing down more stairs and towards another door. And when it opened…no one was there. Only a lit candle in a holder, floating in midair.
Van Helsing only tipped his hat. "Dr. Griffin, I presume."