"Blegh, there's no way I'm washin' 100 windows," Ace muttered to himself as he made his way to the Hall of Mirrors. He couldn't help but curse his luck; all he wanted to do was have a little fun at someone else's expense. Okay, so mayyybe the blue-haired cutie he'd met a 'magicless nobody' was a little much and mayyyybe he was the one who knocked the fire toward the statue but come on! It's not like the statue was permanently damaged or anything, so why should he have to waste his time cleaning?! "I'm just gonna mosey on back to the dorm. Those two can manage without me."

"HEY! SPIKYHEAD!" a voice yelled, echoing through the Hall of Mirrors.

"Hmm?" Ace turned toward the voice only to be met with the pair from earlier charging toward him. "Oh perfect... Didn't expect 'em to find me this quick."

"Get back here, you jerk!" Grim shouted. "You're not gonna be the only one to get outta cleaning duty!"

"Ha! You really think I'm gonna stop just because you tell me to?!" Ace yelled back. "I'm outta here!"

"It's not fair that you get to skip out!" Grim protested as Ace turned and made a break for the mirror portal to Heartslabyul. "I wanna ditch too!"

"Aye, you're both hopeless," Devon grumbled to herself. She noticed a boy with short navy blue hair a little ways ahead of them making his way to the Heartslabyul mirror as well. When he turned around at the sound of the commotion behind him, she saw he had a black spade near his right eye. She also noticed his eyes were the most brilliant shade of turquoise she'd ever seen.

"Move it, move it!" Ace shouted at the boy. "Outta the way!"

The boy was too stunned to move, trying to figure out what exactly was happening. He recognized the redhead as one of his roommates but hadn't had a chance to talk to him much. He also recognized the monster as the one who made a mess of the entrance ceremony but he had no clue who the human with it was. Given that they weren't wearing a school uniform, he could only assume they weren't a student, but then he had to wonder what they were doing on campus.

Devon waited until the boy met her eyes before she called out to him. "Hey bud! Do us a solid and grab that guy, will ya? He's trying to skip out on his punishment!"

"Y-You want me to capture him?" the boy stammered. He took a breath, trying to think of the fastest way. "Magic to capture someone… Should I freeze his legs? Or…maybe restrain him somehow? Or… Hmm…"

"It doesn't matter how! Just do something! And be quick about it!" Grim yelled.

"Anything, huh?" the boy muttered. He straightened up and pulled out his magical pen. "Well, if anything goes… Come forth, something heavy!"

There was a flash of light and Devon's eyes widened when she looked up and saw a cauldron materializing out of thin air…and then immediately crashing down on Ace's head.

"Gyahhh!" Ace shouted in pain as he and the cauldron landed on the ground with a thud. "What is this thing?! Some kinda pot?" He leveled a glare at the blue-haired boy. "What the hell, man?! We're supposed to be dormmates!"

"Nyahahaha!" Grim cackled as he and Devon finally caught up. "Check it out, Devon! Ace looks like a pancake trapped under that cauldron! Pfft, so lame!"

"I…didn't think I'd get a cauldron," the boy commented dazedly, his magical pen still pointed at Ace. "Maybe I overdid it."

"Ya think?!" Ace growled as he rubbed the top of his head. "Damn, this hurts." He turned his glare on Devon and Grim as he struggled to get free. "Why do I even have to be a part of this?! I'm sure you guys can get those 100 windows clean in a flash without my help!"

"First of all, that's not something that gets done "in a flash", ya big dillweed!" Devon countered, crossing her arms and leaning down so she was closer to his face. "Second of all, whether or not we could do it alone isn't the point. You were ordered by the headmaster, same as us, so get off your high horse."

"Wait, you guys have to clean all those windows as punishment?" the blue-haired boy asked. "What in the world did you do?"

"Yeah, Ace. What happened?" Devon echoed as she straightened back up with a smirk on her face.

Ace grumbled something unintelligible as Devon stared at him expectantly, the smirk never leaving her face. "So I may have gotten into it with that furball there," he began as he finally struggled free of the cauldron and stood up. "And the Queen of Hearts' statue may have gotten kinda-sorta-just a little bit…charred." He crossed his arms defensively. "Sue me."

"You burned one of the statues of the Great Seven?!" the boy exclaimed. "No wonder the headmaster got upset." He shot Ace a disappointed look and shook his head. "You managed to get into a prestigious school like Night Raven and then you go and pull a stunt like that on the first day? You really are an idiot, huh?"

"Shuddup," Ace growled. "Who even are you, anyway?"

"I'm Deuce. Deuce Spade," the boy answered. "You should at least be able to remember your own roommates' names…umm…"

"You don't remember mine either, you hypocrite," Ace pointed out.

Deuce quickly averted his gaze. "T-That's not the point. If the headmaster gave you a task, you need to take it seriously."

"Yeah, yeah, fine. I hear you," Ace conceded. He turned to look at Devon. "Let's just get this done and over with." He glanced around the room. "Hmm?"

"What's up?" Devon asked. Then it dawned on her. "Hang on. Grim's been awfully quiet."

The trio looked toward the doorway to the Hall of Mirrors in unison, just in time to see a grey ball of fluff scampering off toward Main Street. "Heh heh! I'll just leave the cleaning to you guys, then! Bye-Bye!"

"Uugh, he's such a little brat!" Devon shouted.

"Stupid cat's tryin' to make me take his place!" Ace growled. He looked over to Deuce. "Hey, umm…," He snapped his fingers a couple times, clearly drawing a blank on the guy's name. "Juice!"

"It's not Juice! My name is Deuce, you moron! Deu!" Deuce shouted in exasperation.

"Whatever! You're partly responsible for this so help us catch that furball!" Ace ordered.

"What?! Why me?" Deuce asked incredulously.

"This deadweight can't use magic so she doesn't count!" Ace replied, jerking a thumb toward Devon. "Let's go!"

""She?!"", Deuce repeated, looking over to Devon with wide eyes. "You're a girl?!"

Devon shrugged. "Yeah." She held up her hand when Deuce opened his mouth to speak again. "Before you say anything, please don't ask me why I'm here even though I'm a girl with no magical power. I don't know and I'm as confused as you are."

"Hey, can we do this later?!" Ace shouted impatiently. "Your monster buddy's gettin' away!"

"Right, let's go!" Devon agreed, grabbing Deuce's arm and dragging him along as she followed after Ace.

"Oi! Get back here, you furry menace!" Ace called out to Grim as he led the charge down Main Street.

Grim looked over his shoulder and smirked. "No way, losers! Have fun cleanin', though!"

"Looks like we gotta chase him, after all," Ace grumbled. "Follow me, Devon, Juice!"

"For the last time, my name is Deuce!" Deuce protested. He looked over to Devon as they ran. "So you really have no idea why you were chosen by the Dark Mirror?"

"Not a clue," Devon replied. "One minute I was runnin' errands, next thing I know I'm locked in a coffin. Haven't really had much time to dwell on it, though. Just trying to keep my head down until I can go home."

"And where is home for you?" Deuce asked, facing Grim again as he and Ace fired off spells to drive the feline in the direction they wanted him to go. "I can tell you have an accent but I can't say I've heard it before."

"Fgnya?! A dead end!" Grim's shout pulled Deuce and Devon from their conversation. They'd managed to back him into corner.

"Alright, just a little more and we'll have him!" Ace told them.

"Now if I just stop him with my magic…," Ace and Deuce began in unison before glaring at each other.

"Uh hey, so can you not try to steal my thunder here?" Ace asked. "Just back off and let me take care of this."

"Oh sure, because your magic is soooo much better than mine!" Deuce argued back.

"Focus up, guys!" Devon shouted. "If you give Grim an opening he'll-"

"This is my chance!" Grim cheered before slipping past the two bickering freshmen.

"-get away again," Devon finished with a sigh. 'Yep. Really should've had Zephyr tag along.'

"Ah!" Ace cried in exasperation. "Get him! And stay focused this time, you two! I can't be doin' all the heavy lifting here!"

Devon rolled her eyes as she and the boys took off again. "Anyway, thanks for helping us out, man," she said, sending a small smile toward Deuce. "I know this whole mess really didn't have anything to do with you."

Deuce smiled back. "It's fine. I'm gonna be an honor student here, so I can't look the other way when someone needs help."

"Well I appreciate it either way," Devon replied. "Pretty much every person I've met since I woke up in this world has been either really shady or a total ass so it's reassuring to know there's some decent people here too."

Deuce nearly stumbled at her words, just barely catching himself in time to fire off another spell towards Grim and driving him into another corner. "What do mean by-"

"Look alive, people!" Ace ordered. "We've got him now!" The trio moved to form a semi-circle around Grim, each ready to grab him if he tried to dart away again. Ace smirked down at him. "You remember your promise about cleaning all 100 windows yourself if we catch you, right?"

"Whaaat?! I never promised anything like that!" Grim objected, eyes scanning frantically for an opening.

"Pretty sure ya did, bud," Devon argued, a smirk on her face as well.

"W-Why are you agreeing with him?!" Grim demanded, looking betrayed. "You're supposed to be my henchman! Besides, you don't even like him."

Devon shrugged. "Yeah, but right now I don't like you even more."

"Alright Deuce!" Ace called out as he readied his magical pen. "Time your magic with mine while she's got him distracted!"

"R-Right!" Deuce replied. Unfortunately, luck was not on the poor boy's side. He summoned a cauldron almost as soon as he raised his magical pen. He, Ace, and Devon could only jump back to avoid getting hit as it hurtled toward the ground.

"That was way too early, dude!" Ace yelled as he rounded on Deuce. "Were you trying to flatten us too?!"

"You said to time my magic with yours; I thought you were ready to go!" Deuce shouted back.

"Better escape while I can…," Grim muttered to himself, running around the cauldron and away towards the cafeteria.

"He slipped away from us again, y'all! Move it!" Devon ordered as she took off after Grim, the boys close behind her.

"Ah damn it, he's darting all over the place!" Ace said, trying in vain to follow Grim's path and figure out a way to grab him.

"Catch me if you can!" Grim taunted as he ran this way and that through the cafeteria.

"He's more nimble than I thought," Devon mused. She took her eyes off the feline for a moment to try and work out a plan with Ace and Deuce. When she looked back, she could only stare in disbelief; Grim had somehow managed to climb onto the ornate chandelier hanging down from the cafeteria ceiling. "Oh, come on! How did you even get up there?!"

"Climbing onto the chandelier is an underhanded move," Deuce agreed, watching as Grim moved between the many softly glowing candles with ease. "I don't know how to use flight magic yet but there's gotta be something we do to catch or trap him." He put a hand to his chin, muttering to himself in thought, his eyes never leaving Grim. Finally, he brightened. "I've got it!"

"Okay, guys, we need a plan to get-" Ace began, only to cut himself off when he saw Deuce raising his magical pen. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What gives, dude?! Why are you pointing your magical pen at me like that?"

"I'm gonna throw you," Deuce replied, as if this were an everyday occurrence.

"Huh?!" Ace exclaimed, looking at Deuce as if he'd grown a second head. "You're kidding, right?" There was a flash of light and some sparkles and suddenly the redhead began rising higher and higher into the air. "You cannot be serious! Don't make me float!" He kicked his legs in a vain attempt to break the hold of Deuce's magic.

"Hold up, man," Devon interjected. "There's no way this ends well."

"Do you have a better idea?" Deuce asked.

"Listen to the normie, dude!" Ace butted in. He shot a desperate look at Devon. "Looks like you might have a brain in your head after all."

Devon shot Ace a withering glare before looking back at Deuce, her voice icy. "I changed my mind. Throw him as hard as you can."

Deuce smirked. "Now you're talkin'." He looked up at Ace. "You catch him, ya hear?!" He lined up the shot, doing his best to make sure Ace's trajectory would allow him to snatch Grim up. "Aim…" His arm shot forward. "FIRE!"

Devon couldn't keep the satisfied smirk off her face as she watched Ace hurtle through the air at top speed, helpless to do more than let out a scream. Grim could only stare in disbelief for a moment from his perch on the chandelier before letting out a scream of his own as Ace collided with the light fixture. It certainly was a comical sight to behold…until a loud metallic-sounding groan filled the room. The smirk immediately dropped off of Devon's face. The chandelier's fastenings, unable to withstand the force of the collision or the new-found weight, gave way almost immediately. Before any of them could react, the chandelier had come loose from the cafeteria ceiling and crashed to the ground below, the candles adorning it snuffed out in an instant. Thankfully, the cafeteria was still empty so nobody was caught under the light fixture when it fell. Ace and Grim appeared to be dazed but didn't look to be injured.

"Mierda," Devon said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Ace struggled to prop himself up on his elbows, choking on the dust the chandelier had kicked up when it fell. "I can't…believe you guys!" Ace shouted in between coughs. Grim let out a dazed groan beside him but didn't move to sit up.

Deuce was rooted to his spot, his magical pen still extended as he stared in shock. "I was so focused on catching Grim that I didn't think about the landing at all." He stared at the wreckage. "Oh damn, what did I do?!"

"Are you stupid?!" Ace shouted, focusing his glare on Deuce. "We caught Grim but if the headmaster finds out we busted the chandelier-"

"Yes, Mr. Trappola," came an icy voice from behind them, causing the group (sans Grim) to turn nervously toward it. "What happens if I find out?"

"Ah hah hah," Ace laughed weakly as he began to struggle free from the tangled mess on the ground. "Hey, headmaster. Nice day today, huh?"

"What. Is. Going. On. Here?" the headmaster ground out, clearly struggling to keep his anger in check.

"Mmmngh, why is the room spinning?" Grim asked unhelpfully as he tried to sit up, clearly still dazed, before face-planting back onto the ground.

"So now you've gone and destroyed the chandelier?!" the headmaster shouted. "Was damaging the statue not enough?!" He leveled a menacing glare at all four of them, causing the three conscious ones to shrink back under the intensity. "This is the last straw. I'll see all of you expelled immediately!"

Deuce's turquoise eyes widened. "Y-You can't! Please! I still have things I need to do at this school!"

"Headmaster, please. I can understand tossing me, Grim, and Ace out but could I ask you to spare Deuce?" Devon pleaded, risking a step closer. "He only got mixed up in this because I asked him to."

"What the actual hell?!" Ace yelled. He'd managed to get himself free of the debris and marching toward the blue-haired girl. "You'll stick up for him but not for me?!"

"Um yeah," Devon replied matter-of-factly. "The whole reason we got into trouble in the first place was because you decided to go out of your way to be a dick. You deserve whatever you get." She sighed. "And I could've done a better job looking after Grim, so I'm not blameless here, either." She looked back at the headmaster. "Of the four of us Deuce is the only one who doesn't deserve to be punished."

"Well yeah, but… I mean… That's…," Ace stammered, but he was unable to form a coherent argument.

Crowley held up a hand. "That's enough." His tone had lost a good deal of the anger it held before; Devon's plea seemed to have placated him at least a little. "I can appreciate both your desire to help your friend and your willingness to take responsibility for yourself, Devon. But the fact remains that Mr. Spade chose to help you of his own free will." He studied the scene before him. "Given that you cannot use magic, am I correct in assuming that he was also the one who threw Mr. Trappola at the chandelier?

"I… Yes, headmaster. I did," Deuce answered, his head hung low and his tone defeated.

"Then you have no one to blame but your own idiocy," the headmaster replied firmly.

Deuce's head shot back up. "Please, sir! I absolutely cannot get expelled! I-I'll pay for the damages myself if I have to!"

"This is no ordinary chandelier, my boy," the headmaster explained as walked closer to the debris. "It is powered by magic and its candles were supposed to burn for all eternity. We commissioned a legendary craftsman to create this masterpiece and it has been a treasured part of Night Raven College since the school was founded. Taking into account its historical value and the time and materials it took to create it, I would estimate it would cost no less than a billion Madol to restore it." He turned to look at Deuce. "Is that an amount you would be able to pay?"

"A b-billion?" Deuce repeated, defeat washing over his features again.

"But headmaster," Ace piped up. "You became headmaster because you're the top mage here, right? Shouldn't it be a cinch for you to fix it up with magic?"

"Magic is not all-powerful, Trappola," Crowley replied. He reached down to pick up what looked like a dull crystal about the size of his hand. "More importantly, the chandelier's magic crystal was shattered when it hit the ground. Magic crystals are the heart of any magic tool and no two crystals are exactly alike. This chandelier will most likely never be lit again."

"But… How can that…" Ace trailed off, the gravity of what had happened hitting him like a ton of bricks.

Deuce buried his face in his hands. "Dammit, what have I done? What am I gonna tell my mom?"

Devon reached out to pat Deuce's back, offering him what she hoped was a comforting smile. He lifted his head and offered her a weak smile in return but the despair never left his eyes. She looked back up at the headmaster. "Please, sir. There has to be something we can do."

Crowley hummed, holding his chin between his thumb and index finger. "There might, might be one way to fix the chandelier."

"What?!" Ace and Deuce exclaimed in unison, Ace quickly stepping up to join the other two.

"The magic crystal used to power this chandelier was mined in the Dwarf's Mine," Crowley told them. "It might be possible to repair the chandelier if we obtained a crystal similar to the old one."

"I'll go and find one!" Deuce volunteered eagerly. "Please allow me to go!"

"Hold on," Crowley interjected, halting the boy's attempted to run out of the cafeteria. "I cannot guarantee that you'll find anything in the mine. It's been closed for some time now and it's very possible that there aren't any magic crystals left."

"I'll do anything to get the expulsion rescinded!" Deuce assured him.

The headmaster sighed. "Very well. I'll give you one night. Bring me a magic crystal by tomorrow morning or face expulsion."

"Thank you for this chance, sir!" Deuce shouted happily. "I promise you that we'll succeed!"

"Uuuugh!" Ace groaned, shaking his head. "Fine, whatever! Let's just get this over with already."

"You may use the Mirror Chamber to travel directly to Dwarf's Mine," Crowley told them.

"Yes, sir!" Deuce called over his shoulder, having already turned and charged out of the cafeteria.

Another dazed groan followed by the rattling of the chandelier drew the remaining trio's attention back to the wreckage. "Nnnn… Wha… Wha happn'd?" Grim asked as he finally sat back up.

"You might have been happier staying unconscious, bud," Devon told him as she walked over and picked him up. She turned back to look at Ace. "You ready?"

Ace heaved a sigh. "Yeah, I guess." The pair made their way to the Mirror Chamber to meet up with Deuce (Grim had come back to his senses for the most part but didn't leave his perch in Devon's arms), Ace complaining the entire way. "Today has been nothing but a pain," he mumbled as he and Devon walked into the chamber.

"We don't have time for your whining," Deuce admonished before turning to face the Dark Mirror. "Let's go. Dark Mirror, light our way to the Dwarf's Mine!"

The group closed their eyes as a blinding flash of light erupted from the mirror, followed by a brief feeling of weightlessness as they were pulled into the light.

When the light faded, the group found themselves in the middle of a serene woodland. The birds and other woodland creatures seemed to have settled in for the night; there wasn't a sound aside from the gentle babbling of a nearby stream and the occasional 'whoo-whoo' of an owl. There was just enough moonlight for the quartet to see where they were going. Devon breathed in deeply through her nose and caught the scent earth and wildflowers. 'Huh. This place is pretty nice. If we're able to get that magic crystal thing and stay on campus, I might have to find a way to sneak back down here.'

"So this is Dwarf's Mine," Deuce said quietly as he took in the scenery as well. "It used to be a really prosperous area thanks to all the magic crystal mining but looking at it now…"

"Now it's more like a ghost mine, wouldn't you say?" Devon observed, taking care not to stray too far from the others as she looked around.

"Mmmmn," Grim whimpered with a shiver, pressing himself closer to Devon's leg. "It feels like something could pop out at us any second…"

"There's a house over there," Ace pointed out, nodding toward a small cottage a short distance away. "Maybe whoever lives there can tell us more about the mine."

As the group carefully made their way over a small bridge to cross the stream, they noticed that the cottage seemed a bit…dilapidated as they got closer to it. There were cobwebs all over the outside walls and what roof tiles weren't missing were covered with green moss. The likelihood of anyone actually staying there was slim but Deuce knocked lightly on the door regardless.

"Anybody home?" he called out. The door opened easily on its own despite Deuce putting very little force behind the knock. He peeked inside but there was no trace of anyone inside. "I guess it's abandoned." He waved the rest of the group in after him as he looked around the front room. "Geez, it's a mess in here." The front door opened up into what looked like a combined kitchen and dining room. A large black cooking cauldron sat in the middle of the fireplace, a small wooden table and some chairs placed nearby as well as a staircase leading to an upper level. There was dust everywhere and even more cobwebs than they'd seen outside. It almost looked as if the place had been ransacked given the amount of knick-knacks strewn about the room.

"Puwah!" Grim shouted as he stepped back suddenly, knocking something in the room to the ground with a clatter. The other three whipped around to see what had startled him, only to see him rubbing at his face. "I just walked through a spider web and now it's on my face." He made a "peh, peh" sound as he tried to get the web out of his mouth.

Deuce shook his head. "Don't scare us like that, Grim."

"Hey, don't these tables and chairs look a little on the small side to you guys?" Ace asked as he inspected the furniture. "I wonder if they were for kids or somethin'." He began counting them under his breath. "One, two… Hang on, there's seven?! What gives?! Why are there so many?"

"I'll bet this was a really lively home when the mine was still in operation," Deuce mused as he ran his hand over the cauldron.

"Well I don't think we're going to find anything helpful here," Ace pointed out. "The mine's gonna be our best shot at finding a magic crystal, so let's head that way for now."

Devon nodded. "Yeah. Hopefully there's at least one left."

"There will be," Deuce assured her. "There has to be."

After exiting the cottage, the group took a winding path that led them a short distance away. Thankfully, there were still signs, visibly worn but still legible, in the area pointing them in the right direction. They reached the mine's entrance in a matter of minutes. A small railway track, presumably for the mine carts, led into an opening built into the mountain. It was clear that nature was well on its way to reclaiming the mine; the entryway was covered with moss and a large tree was growing over the wooden doorway, some of its roots dangling down so they were almost eye-level with the teens.

"W-We're seriously going in there?" Grim asked fearfully, once again hiding behind Devon's legs. He gestured to the entrance of the mine. "But it's pitch-dark in there! We won't be able to see anything."

"Aww, what's wrong? Ya scared?" Ace taunted, his signature infuriatingly cocky smirk back in full force. "Pfft. How lame."

"Wha?! I-I'm not scared of anything!" Grim protested as he glared up at the redhead. He stepped out from behind Devon and marched in front of the group. "I'm taking the lead! Everyone, follow me!"

It was indeed dark inside the mine; the moonlight was just barely able to reach the entryway but it faded as they walked deeper inside. There was no telling how sturdy the ground was or where any sudden drop-offs might be, so the group waited for a few minutes so their eyes could adjust to the darkness before following the railway track further inside. Fortunately for them, the cavernous area was dimly lit by the glow of hundreds of small crystals embedded into the wall; they were much smaller than the one the headmaster had shown them earlier, so there was no point in taking them.

Suddenly, Deuce froze and held up a hand. "Hold up, guys."

"What is it?" Ace asked impatiently but he, Devon, and Grim followed Deuce's lead and stopped. "We don't have time to play red light, green light here."

"Just shut for a sec!" Deuce whispered harshly. "I think there's something over there!"

"Eeek!" Grim squeaked, freezing in place.

No sooner had Deuce spoken than two ghosts suddenly materialized before them. The had a similarly cartoonish look as the ghosts haunting Ramshackle did, Devon noticed, but these ghosts were missing the top-hats. Instead, they wore faded grey cloaks. The first ghost floated over to them and cackled. "Eeeheehee! Well would ya lookie here! Our first visitors in ten years!"

"Please make yourselves at home," the second ghost added. "For eternity!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Ace shouted as he and Deuce pulled out their magical pens. "This place is swarming with ghosts!"

"I wonder if that's why the mine was abandoned," Devon mused.

"We can save the theories for later! Right now, we gotta book it!" Deuce ordered. He charged down through the tunnel, following the railway tracks, while the others followed close behind.

What followed was a chase through the mines very similar to the chase after Grim from earlier that afternoon; the main difference, of course, was that the chasers were being chased as well this time. Ace, Deuce, and Grim fired off spells as best they could to distract the ghosts and allow them to put more distance between them. Devon was able to keep pace with them easily, even vaulting over the occasional mine cart that had been left on the tracks. Beyond the occasional call of "Look out!", there wasn't much conversation; the group was focused more on traversing the unfamiliar terrain and outmaneuvering the ghosts than bantering with one another. Not that it was doing them much good; the ghosts came right back no matter how many times the boys spells made contact.

"Argh! We don't have time to deal with these guys!" Deuce shouted in frustration. "Hurry up, everyone! Let's just focus on out-running them for now!"

"Stop ordering me around!" Ace shouted back. "The whole reason we're in this mess to begin with is because you couldn't rein in the stupid for five seconds!"

"No, we're in this mess because you decided you were too good for cleaning duty!" Deuce fired back, slowing to a stop.

"Oh, so you wanna point fingers now?! Fine!" Ace jerked his head toward Grim, slowing to a stop as well. "That overgrown raccoon was the one that burned the Queen of Hearts' statue in the first place!"

"That one's on you!" Grim deflected. By this point, the entire group had stopped to bicker. "You shouldn't have tried to make a fool outta me!"

"GUYS!" Deuce shouted. "Do you understand the situation we're in right now?! We're all as good as expelled if we don't come back with a magic crystal by morning! So less yelling, more searching!"

"Uh, I don't remember voting you mission leader," Ace growled. "So stop acting like you're the one in charge here. It's really ticking me off!"

Devon could only close her eyes and pinch the bridge of her nose as the boys continued to argue. She was about to yell at them to shut up when she heard…something. She wasn't quite sure what it was but when she opened her eyes to look around, she noticed that the ghosts that had been chasing them were nowhere to be seen. 'Well, that doesn't bode very well for us. I've watched Dom play enough video games to know that when the lower-level enemies vanish like that, it usually means you're in for a boss fight.' She noise sounded again, closer this time, but she still wasn't able to make out what it was. She thought she also heard the sound of something shuffling and dragging along the ground but her idiot companions were arguing too loudly for her to know for sure. She reached out and smacked Ace and Deuce on the backs of their heads.

"Dude, what the hell?!" Ace shouted as he turned to glare at her. "What-"

She covered his mouth with her hand. "Shut up for a sec. I think something's coming this way."

The dragging sound was getting closer every second, but nobody dared to move. All four of them strained their ears to catch any other sound. After a moment, they were able to make out a distorted voice. "…ton…on't…ive…"

Everyone froze. "W-What was that?" Ace asked, his red eyes darting around frantically to find the source of the sound. "Was it…someone's voice?"

"…stone…'s…mine…" the voice sounded again, much closer this time.

"It sounds like it's getting closer," Deuce observed.

The dragging noise continued to get louder and louder and, soon enough, a creature came into view further on down the tunnel. Nobody present had ever seen anything like it. Its head looked like a cracked ink bottle; in fact, the brown hat it was wearing would've looked almost comical had it not been for an inky black substance that appeared to be leaking from its head. It was wearing what looked like some sort of reddish coat with yellow buttons and a black belt at the waist. The creatures' entire lower body looked to be made of some kind of inky goop as well, but the creepiest thing to Devon was that this thing didn't have arms. Instead, it looked as if its' right arm had been fused with a lantern that gave off a pinkish-red glow and, more disturbingly, its left arm had fused with a large pickaxe. Devon surmised that the pickaxe was what had been making the dragging sound as the creature hauled itself through the mine. When the creature spoke again, it sounded equal parts exhausted (likely from dragging itself around) and aggressive. "The stone…is MIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNEEE!"

"What the hell?!" the group shouted.

Ending Notes: I'm planning on going back through and cleaning up the formatting on the previous story chapters. I didn't realize how bad it looked so hopefully cleaning it up will make it easier to read.

I've gotta say, I'm super pumped to get into the individual dorm arcs but I'm really excited for the Pomefiore arc. I'm excited to write the Pomifore trio (and maybe the Scarabia duo) reacting to seeing Regina…be Regina. I haven't decided if Kalim and Jamil will know that Ramshackle's alive prior to VDC or not but obviously it'll be the usual for Ace and Deuce by then. Regina 100% plays favorites too (all the Wisps do but since Regina's the one that makes the dorm sentient, it's really easy to tell who they like and who they don't like) so, like, if Vil's being too hard on Epel, he'll probably end up with a door to the face at some point.

I know this is probably giving away who one of Devon's love interests is but, I gotta say, I absolutely love the enemies to friends to lovers trope and I think it's starting to show already. I had only intended for her to have this dynamic with one of her LIs but it looks like she's gonna have it with two now.

Thank you all so much for reading! As always, feedback and constructive criticism are more than welcome! Geekinthepink, out!