Chapter 7
In the front room of the dark and foreboding castle that was home to the sinister sorcerer known as Jonathan Ravenhurst, a partnership of incredibly evil proportions was being sealed. The aforementioned warlock and a carnival magician known as The Amazing Krudsky had decided to join forces in order to capture the scepter of the legendary Goblin King.
With the power of the scepter shared between the two magic users, the warlock and the magician would certainly be the two most powerful beings on Earth that is unless Scooby Doo and company could stop the evil pair.
After the devilish sorcerer finalized his plan with the carnival magician, the sinister warlock used his powers to clear the Crystal Ball he was gazing into; once that was accomplished, Jonathan Ravenhurst set his sights on thinking up a plan to get to the Goblin King's scepter first before Mystery Inc. could.
"Now that I've got someone to keep three of those meddlers busy, and someone to do part of my dirty work in Krudsky, I can set my sights on getting together an army to help me get that scepter." Remarked the evil warlock, while he smiled with a bit of a devilish grin on his face.
"Where can I go to amass an army of monsters to help me in my quest?" the evil sorcerer wondered aloud.
After thinking for a few minutes, the warlock stood a few feet away from his crystal and began formulating a fiendish plot in his head.
Finally, he had his idea, and he knew just where he was going to go to accomplish his goals, and who he was going to get to help him in his evil dealings.
"Yes, it's so perfect… in fact it's too perfect. I'll use my magic to disappear from here and reappear in the Goblin King's castle; not to mention right in the exact spot where the monsters I need probably are right now." Jonathan Ravenhurst remarked, before preparing himself for his journey to the ruler of the monster realm's home.
"Now I am ready for travel." The evil warlock said, after getting his thoughts together and figuring out what he was going to do in order to capture Velma, Shaggy, Scooby and Linda.
"I call upon the powers of darkness and the forces of evil to transport me from this castle to the Goblin King's castle, where I shall begin my plot!" Jonathan Ravenurst declared, before vanishing in an immense plume of black smoke that would make any mortal magician green with envy.
After a few moments passed, the black cloak clad warlock appeared via yet another large plume of black smoke in the presence of two very familiar and very confused goblins deep within the Goblin King's castle.
"Hey Glob, looks like we've got company!" one of the goblins declared as he got up rather suddenly and pointed his weapon towards the mysterious figure.
"Yeah, probably somebody who wants to steal the Goblin King's scepter no doubt." The second goblin said, after getting up quickly and also pointing his weapon at their visitor.
"Relax you two, you can put those accursed weapons down. Actually for now you can put them down, but make sure and hang on to them, because you might need to use them later; if you two choose to help me that is." The sinister warlock replied.
"And why would we choose to help you?" Glob asked.
"Because I've been watching the two of you, and I believe I have a proposition for you." The devilish sorcerer responded.
"Proposition? What could you possibly have to offer us?" Glum inquired.
"It's very simple you two foolish goblins. I've been watching you two be bored for most of the night; you two want something to do, besides protecting the princess, am I right?" Jonathan Ravenhurst asked.
"Well… that depends…. What would someone like you want us to do?" Glob answered.
"First, let me introduce myself: I am Jonathan Ravenhurst, warlock, conjurer and overall expert in everything supernatural and occult." The evil sorcerer replied, bowing slightly in the presence of the two goblins, who were sort of royalty because they were guards of the Goblin King.
"A warlock huh? Interesting…" Glob noted.
"Correct, I am indeed a warlock in every sense of the word." The evil sorcerer replied.
"Intriguing, go on…" Glum responded.
"First, I would like to let the two of you know that in the mortal world, I have an agent already taking care of some things, and tracking down some meddlers that have already been butting into a magician's business." The evil conjurer replied.
"A magician? Who is it?" Glob asked.
"He is a carnival magician named the Amazing Krudsky that had his act ruined by a pair of teenage sorcerers, but that's not important right now. What is important is that he wishes to get his hands on the Goblin King's scepter; which I assume you two know about." The sinister warlock replied.
"Indeed we do, but what does this have to do with us?" Glum inquired.
"Simple; I need the two of you to act as my agents here in the monster realm in order to track down three meddling kids and a dog who are after the Goblin King's scepter as well. If they get it first, or if the three meddlers in the mortal realm get to it first, Krudsky's enemies will have the power to defeat yours truly and that carnival magician once and for all." The evil warlock explained.
"So let me see if we understand this: you want us to help you get the King's scepter before those meddling mortals and the two sorcerers do, but why do you need the scepter anyway?" Glob asked.
"It's very simple: you see, once I get my hands on it, Krudsky and myself will be sharing the powers of the scepter. Then, once we have the power of the Goblin King, it will be child's play to take over both the monster and mortal realms!" the evil warlock declared, laughing evilly as he spoke.
"Interesting. What do you think we should do Glob?" Glum asked, looking over at his partner for advice.
"I know one thing's for sure Glum, I'm very tempted to take the offer. Because I'm getting sick and tired of being the king and queen's bodyguards every single year, and for what? Nothing, that's what!" Glob declared, while Glum nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, yeah I see what you mean Glob." Glum replied.
"So, do we all have a deal?" Jonathan Ravenhurst asked, looking his usual devilish self as he held his right hand out.
"On one condition Mr. Ravenhurst." Glob responded.
"Very well, what is it?" the evil warlock inquired.
"The condition is that Glob and I want a high up position when you take over. We're both tired of being the Goblin King's bodyguards, and we want to do something more with our lives." Glum replied.
"I think that can be arranged." The sinister sorcerer responded.
"Outstanding. You've got yourself a pair of agents then Mr. Ravenhurst." Glob remarked, as he shook the warlock's hand.
"Yeah, we'll take care of those mortals and that sorcerer for you." Glum replied, shaking the sorcerer's hand, once his fellow goblin let go of the warlock's hand.
"Excellent. Now, according to my crystal ball, those meddlers and the sorcerer are waiting for the Grim Reaper Railroad to take them here, to the monster world." The evil warlock explained.
"I see; so, you want us to get aboard that Grim Reaper Railroad train and make sure those kids and that sorcerer don't get here right?" Glob asked.
"Bingo. Now get going!" the evil sorcerer said, urging the pair of goblins to start on their way.
"Right boss." Glum replied, before walking out through the back of the room the two goblins and the sorcerer were inside.
The other goblin Glob, followed close behind him and within the span of a few minutes, the strange pair had made it out of a secret exit, towards the back of the Goblin King's castle.
The reason why the two goblins had chosen that exit to get out of the castle in order to start their work for the sorcerer was because if the Goblin King somehow saw them, or managed to capture them, they would be in serious trouble.
Because after all, treason in the Goblin King's realm was taken as seriously as it was in the mortal realm; of course, the monster world's ways of dealing with such a thing were way worse then anything a mortal military man or woman could come up with by far.
After Glob and Glum were clear of the castle, they took to the skies and began their search for the Grim Reaper Railroad train, and the trio of teenagers and their Great Dane.
Meanwhile, inside the castle of the Goblin King, the sinister warlock had a somewhat disbelieving look on his face after his two confederates left to do their dirty work. Specifically, right after he watched the two goblins leave, he started thinking more and more about his plan to capture the aforementioned monster realm ruler's scepter.
"I don't know why I let those two foolish monsters into my plans. I just know the two of them are going to somehow mess things up for me; well, I'll make completely sure those two idiots don't screw up." The evil warlock declared, before laughing menacingly and disappearing in a large plume of black smoke.
While the evil warlock, and his two new goblin goons were trying to make sure Velma, Shaggy, Scooby and Linda didn't get to the monster realm, the aforementioned foursome was walking through a seemingly never ending area of trees, grass, and a tombstone every now and then, in search of their transportation to the world of the supernatural.
"Phew; this path seems to go on forever." Velma remarked, panting a little, before wiping her brow as she continued walking.
"Like yeah, my dogs are barking like you wouldn't believe." Shaggy agreed.
"Rhaggy, ri'm rnot rarking." Scooby Doo noted, correcting his green shirted master.
"Like I know you're not Scooby Doo, it's just a figure of speech. It means that like my feet are killing me." Shaggy replied.
"Roh. Rokay Rhaggy." Scooby responded.
"You know, I could conjure a broom up and we could fly the rest of the way to the monster realm." Linda suggested.
"Actually Linda, that might be a good idea. Plus I've never ridden a broomstick before." Velma replied.
The teen sorceress was about to respond to Velma's statement, but as it turns out she wouldn't get the chance to. As the foursome continued walking, Shaggy could see the faint outline of a large and very unusual looking train in the distance, and decided to let his friends know about it, considering it might be exactly what the group was looking for.
"Hey, like look at that!" Shaggy declared, while Velma and the others followed the chicken hearted young man's finger to where he was pointing.
"I see it Shaggy, and I think that must be the Grim Reaper Railroad stop." The bespectacled teenager replied.
"You know Velma, I think you're right. Sorry about my offer; I didn't think we were going to find the railroad stop that soon." Linda responded.
"Don't worry about it Linda, I'm sure I'll get a chance to ride on a broomstick sometime." Velma replied.
"I'm sure you will Velma, now let's board that train and head on our way." Linda answered.
"Right. Come on Shaggy and Scooby, let's go!" Velma added, urging the cowardly canine and her equally cowardly boyfriend to follow her and Linda towards where the train was stopping.
The train that served the Grim Reaper Railroad would have been pretty much the same as your average ordinary train except for a few small differences.
The train was decorated very unusually; specifically it was decorated in spider webs, had pictures of tombstones on it, scattered around the outsides of the various cars, and oh yes, there was one important thing about it that set it apart from any other train in the world….
"Like it's floating!" Shaggy stated, albeit loudly.
"Reah, rloating!" Scooby added.
"So? I bet the world of the supernatural and monsters probably has a lot of stuff that's different from what's in the mortal world." Velma clarified.
"That's true you guys. Actually, there's a lot of things in both the monster world and mortal world that are probably unexplainable; the thing you have to remember is not to let it bug you, and to not let it ruin your life." Linda added.
"She's right guys. You have to remember that ghosts and monsters and such, while they do exist and while they are things you have to consider, are merely like everything in life. Some ghosts and monsters are good, and some are bad; remember the ghoul school? Or that stuff with Dracula? Or Crystal and Amber?" Velma replied, trying to talk sense into her companions.
"Like believe me, I remember all of that. But most of those times there were evil creatures who wanted to do us harm." Shaggy stated, with an audible gulp.
"Rhat's right." Scooby added.
"Shaggy, Scooby, so many supernatural and unusual beings are our friends. We just met a real warlock and witch, who are teenagers mind you, earlier in the evening, and both of them are really nice, just look at Linda, she's one of them." Velma replied, looking over at the teen sorceress for advice.
"She's right Shaggy. And you shouldn't be afraid of something, or someone just because they're a little different then you are." Linda responded.
"Like I guess you're right Linda. And you're right too Velma, I guess I shouldn't be afraid of things that have no explanation." Shaggy replied, smiling at Linda briefly before he looked over at Velma and smiled at her.
"Thank you Shaggy, that's very admirable. Actually, if you ask me that deserves a reward." Velma said, walking the few feet to where Shaggy was standing before planting a small, but tender kiss on his cheek.
"Zoinks… like that was… that was really nice Velma, thank you." Shaggy replied, blushing a little as he felt his cheek.
"You're welcome Shaggy. Now, let's get on the train before we get left behind." Velma responded.
So with that, Velma, Shaggy, Scooby and Linda waited for the train to the Grim Reaper Railroad to get closer to the ground, so the foursome could board it and start their journey to the monster world.
However, while the intrepid teenagers and their Great Dane were waiting to board the magical train, a pair of very familiar looking goblins were hiding a few feet away, out of the line of sight of the foursome, and watching them getting ready to board the strange locomotive.
"Hey Glob, take a look at that." Glum remarked.
"I see them Glum, I see them. I guess those are the meddlers and that sorcerer our new boss was talking about; although, I can't tell which one's the one that uses magic." Glob replied.
"Well, there's only one way to find out. Come on, let's get on that train and capture those four, before our new boss fricassees us." Glum responded.
"I don't know what that means Glum, but I agree." Glob replied.
Glob and Glum both knew that it was going to very difficult to capture this group of three teens and their dog, especially since one of them was a sorceress. However, in order to accomplish their appointed task, they were going to have to use a bit of chicanery; with that in mind, the two Goblins used their abilities to get themselves up to the train and get ready to capture Scooby and company when the time was right.
While Scooby Doo and friends were waited to start their journey, the rest of Mystery Inc. were continuing their attempts to locate the Amazing Krudsky and get the princess Fairy Willow back from his magical clutches.
"Jeepers, I have to admit that the carnival grounds are really creepy with no one around." Daphne remarked, sticking extremely close to Fred as she spoke.
"You know Daphne, you're right. And we've been in tons of scary and creepy places before; but for all the money you have Daphne, this might just be one of the most frightening places I've ever been in my life." Fred replied.
"I'll say one thing: being in a fairly deserted carnival grounds on Halloween night, and dealing with a demented carnival magician and who knows what else is a little nerve wracking, especially for someone like me." William added, keeping a close on his new friends, especially Daphne.
However, the teen warlock and his companions were about to get a bit of a surprise, as the man they were searching for was about to make a special appearance.
"Did someone mention me?" asked a male voice, which the three young sleuths heard and identified easily.
"Jeepers, did you guys hear that?" inquired Daphne, as she moved closer to the blond teen and the young warlock.
"Sure did; now we just have to figure out where that crazy magician is so we can stop him." Fred replied, in a whispered tone of voice so that Krudsky couldn't hear him, Daphne or William.
"Stop me? How can you foolish children stop me if you can't even figure out where I am?" the voice asked, laughing menacingly as he spoke.
"Don't you worry about that Krudsky, we'll find you and we'll make sure to get the princess back before the night's over." Fred replied, while growling a bit at the unseen voice that seemed to be torturing the intrepid trio.
"Fools! I already have the princess's magic, and now that I have good magic, it will only be a matter of time before I have the magic of the Goblin King's scepter. As a matter of fact, my new associate is taking care of that matter in the monster realm right now." Krudsky responded, still staying hidden from the trio's view.
"Your new associate?" Fred asked.
"Yes indeed. A very powerful associate as a matter of fact." Krudsky replied, still sounding a bit cryptic, at least that was what Fred, Daphne and William were hearing.
"A powerful associate? Who on earth would want to even think about associating with someone as crazy as you?" William inquired.
"Crazy? Crazy? I'll show you meddlers crazy!" Krudsky declared, finally making himself seen to the trio of teens, as he walked out from behind a nearby tent.
"So that's where you were hiding! Well that's going to be your last mistake Krudsky, because when I get done with you there won't be enough left to even put into a cereal box!" William declared, gathering his wits together as he extended his arms and sent a strong bolt of magic with his right hand towards the fiendish magician.
"So, that's your plan you meddler, well I'll fix that!" Krudsky replied, as he used the princess's magic to create a force field, which when it connected with William's magic caused both the magician's powers and the warlock's powers to form a large burst of energy, similar to a star exploding.
The resulting light show from the two magic users caused Fred, Daphne and William to all be blinded for a few seconds, which gave the carnival magician just the time he needed to make his getaway.
"I would say see you three later, but judging from what happened, you three won't be seeing anything for quite a while!" Krudsky declared, laughing evilly as he ran past the two sleuths and their warlock friend, headed for elsewhere in the carnival grounds.
"Ugh, I can't see, where did that two bit phony magician go?" William asked, while still trying get his eyesight back to normal.
"I don't know, but whatever just happened, it feels like I'm looking at the Northern Lights, close up." Daphne replied.
"Yeah; I hate to say it, but it looks like the Amazing Krudsky made a somewhat amazing getaway." Fred remarked.
While Fred, Daphne and William all rubbed their eyes in attempt to get their eyesight back to normal, and get back on the trail of the aforementioned carnival magician, the other members of Mystery Inc. and their magical friend were getting ready to board the Grim Reaper Railroad, unaware of the dangers that lurked in the world of the supernatural, which they were about to face head on.
Author's Notes: This might be a little late, but thank you to FairyGal11, a member of Deviant who gave me the inspiration for some of the ideas for this particular fan fiction. Hope you like it and I'll try and get it completed eventually; also, thanks to everyone for sticking with me and hopefully the cliff hanger that ended this chapter is a good one.