Night had fallen on Sage's Isle and it was primetime for any Magicam Monsters present at Night Raven College to make their move. All the dorms were eagerly awaiting their chance to put their countermeasures into motion if need be, but none of them were more excited than the residents of Diasomnia. Groups of students hid in the shadowy or wooded (the Plant Wisp, Aloe, had even gone so far as to spawn new bushes and trees to allow for more hiding places) spots around Ramshackle, lying in wait for troublemakers.
"There it is-Ramshackle dorm, the original ghost spot," said a man as he and a woman approached the building in question.
"It'd be a shame to come all this way and miss out on Ramshackle," the woman replied. "Besides, the Draconia Challenge started here, right? If Malleus Draconia really does hang around here, maybe we'll get a chance to try it ourselves."
The man smiled. "Oh man, that would rule! Do you really think we'll get a chance to see him out in the open like this?"
Unbeknownst to the pair, the Diasomnia residents were listening in on their conversation from their various hiding places.
Lilia scoffed. ""Out in the open", they said. As if Malleus is some sort of rare animal.
"Of all the insolent- I shall put them in their place at once!" Sebek whisper-yelled. Thankfully, the Magicam Monsters didn't appear to hear him.
"Hold on, Sebek," Silver spoke up, putting his arm out to block Sebek's path. "These people haven't done anything to break the rules. We need to give them a fair chance before we act. And need I remind you that Lord Malleus himself is the one who insisted we follow this plan?"
"True. Malleus is just itching to give any miscreants a good scare," Lilia chimed in. "If you jump the gun, you risk putting him in a foul mood."
"Ah! Yes, of course. My apologies," Sebek replied, shaking his head.
Lilia watched the pair eagerly, resting his chin on his fist. "Now then, time to see if we're dealing with truly esteemed guests or Magicam Monsters just asking for Malleus' vengeance…"
The man looked around the yard. "I don't see any ghosts around. That's laaaame." He took another look at the dorm. "Ya think they might be inside?"
The woman shrugged. "It couldn't hurt to go in and check, right?" As they approached the front door, their eyes fell on one of the signs Diasomnia had set up. "Hang on. This sign here says: "DO NOT ENTER-PRIVATE RESIDENCE"."
"Psh. Oh gimme a break. There's no way anyone lives in a run-down hole like this," the man scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "Unless…" His eyes lit up with excitement. "Maybe it's talking about the ghosts haunting this place!"
"A haunted house! That's so cool!" the woman squealed. "I've just gotta meet those ghosts and get some cute pics!" She nodded resolutely. "That settles it; we're sneaking in! We should be fine as long as we don't make too much noise."
The Diasomnia students waited until the man and woman had eased the front door open and walked inside, shutting the door quietly back in place in an attempt to avoid be spotted and leaving it slightly ajar in case they needed to make a quick exit.
"Annnnnd right into Ramshackle they go! Magicam Monsters confirmed!" Lilia chirped. He let out an excited "Woop!" as he bounced on his heels.
"Father, is it just me or do you seem…happy that those people have broken the rules?" Silver asked.
"Oh pish-posh, you're just imagining things," Lilia replied, his oversized sleeve flapping as he waved his hand dismissively. "I am most certainly not over the moon at getting the chance to scare people to my little heart's content. Now then…," He turned to the Diasomnia students with a mischievous smirk on his face, "I trust everyone is ready to give our guests the full Diasomnia Halloween experience?"
"Yessir!" the Diasomnia students chorused in reply.
"Night Raven College really goes all-out, huh?" the woman commented as she and her companion looked around the Ramshackle lounge, their phones and selfie sticks at the ready. "Just look at all the jack-o-lanterns! It's so cute that they even decorated this abandoned building for Halloween."
"It really sets the mood," the man agreed as he readied his phone. "Let's snap some pics!"
The pair posed for a picture, the flash on the camera illuminating the room as they did so. The instant the room was plunged into darkness again, the woman could've sworn she heard someone giggling.
"Hmm? Did you say something?" she asked the man.
"Nope. I didn't say a word," he replied.
"Huh… Guess I must have imagined-"
Another giggle sounded from somewhere nearby.
"Hang on. Was that…laughter? Did you hear where it came from?" the man asked.
"That's, like, a haunted house staple though, right? Maybe it's a prerecorded track or something," the woman offered. She gasped in delight. "Or maybe the ghosts are nearby!"
"It's too dark in here to see anything," the man commented. He thought for a moment and held up his phone. "Maybe I can catch them on camera." He snapped a quick photo of the lounge, causing a bright flash to illuminate the room. The pair caught sight of something…or someone…hanging upside down and smirking at them, causing them to scream in surprise.
"W-WHAT IS THAT?!" they shouted together.
The man quickly turned her phone's flashlight on, but whatever was there had vanished. "O-Okay, please tell me you saw that thing too…"
"Totally!" the woman replied, nodding emphatically. "Looks like it's gone now, though."
"That picture I took came out all blurry too," the man added. "I can't tell what's on it…"
"…uuuuursssssseeddd…," whispered a voice from right next to the man.
"Eeek!" the man shrieked. "Something just blew on my ear!"
"Cuuuuurssssseedddd…," the voice repeated, louder this time.
"Who is that?!" the woman demanded. "That voice sounds like it's coming from everywhere!"
"Foolish humans…," the voice continued ominously. "You cannot comprehend the wrath you have brought down upon yourselves."
"W-Wrath?" the man repeated nervously.
"I get the feeling we're not dealing with those cute ghosts we saw on Magicam…," the woman mused.
The voice cackled menacingly. "You truly are such deluded creatures! Do you really think us the same as those kindly specters? There are many types of ghosts in this world and the next, mortals, and you'll find that some of us are far more sinister than others. We came to this island from the East in search of a peaceful resting place. We have chosen Ramshackle dorm as our home and we guard it as such…"
An ominous rumbling could be heard in the distance. The woman looked out one of the large windows in the lounge to see what was going on. "What the-? Where did those dark clouds come from? The sky was clear just a moment ago."
A bright flash of lightning cracked just outside the window, causing the intruders to scream and the woman to jump back from the window.
"Are you okay?!" the man asked.
"Y-Yeah," the woman replied as she turned to face the man, leaving her back to the window. "The lightning just spooked me a little, is all."
"Well that's g-" the man began. He glanced behind the woman to look out the window and immediately froze, his eyes widening in fear. He slowly raised his hand to point out the window. "Ah… A-A-Ahh…"
"What's the matter?" the woman asked. "It was just a little lightning, nothing to freak out about."
The man shook his head. "N-Not the lightning. J-J-Just outside… I-I saw… There was an eyeball even bigger than the window out there!"
"What?!" the woman exclaimed. She turned around to look out the window again, resting her knees on the couch to get closer. "I don't see anything. Are you sure you didn't just imagine it?"
"I know what I saw! It glinted during the lightning flash and everything!" the man insisted, keeping his distance from the window.
"Khe heh heh," the voice cackled again. "What you saw was our king, the greatest of all creatures who has lived for millennia and rules over endless legions of followers. A most fearsome and mighty-"
There was another flash of lightning and Lilia suddenly appeared before the intruders.
"-DRAGON!" he bellowed, causing the pair to scream and jump away.
A sea of green flames suddenly erupted from the floor around them. The intruders could feel the heat from the fire, but for some reason nothing seemed to be getting burned.
"What's going on? Is this really a dragon's curse?" the woman asked.
"This is getting waaay too spooky! Let's get outta here!" the man exclaimed, tugging on the woman's arm and all but dragging her out of the lounge. Thankfully, the flames seemed to be contained to one area and they were able to make it out safely. They charged down one of the long hallways, huffing and puffing as they tried to avoid tripping over the debris in the dark. "I can barely see where I'm going!"
"I know, right! And is it just me or does it seem like this junk is moving on its own, like it's trying to trip us up," the woman commented as she dodged around a coatrack that she was positive had just rolled out in front of them.
"Cooooommeee baaaaack," Lilia called out. "Yooou caaaan't leave uuuussss…"
"Are you serious?! That thing's still chasing us?!" the man shouted.
"Let's hurry and get to the entryway," the woman said. "I think it should be just around here…" They rounded the nearest corner and were nearly overwhelmed with relief when they saw the front door. "Oh, thank goodness! Look, the door's still propped open and everything-"
As soon as they were close enough to touch the door, it immediately slammed shut in their faces.
"HUH?!" they shouted in unison.
"What just happened?!" the woman asked.
"I dunno! It just shut on its own!" the man answered. He grabbed the doorknob and tugged as hard as he could. "I-It's not opening! I can't get it to budge!"
"Oh, move over!" the woman ordered, nudging the man aside as she grabbed the doorknob and pulled. She strained for a moment but the door still wouldn't open. "What gives?! This door's not giving an inch!"
"There's no escape for you noooooowwww," Lilia called out.
"Eeek!" the woman shouted. "The voice is getting closer!" She began banging on the door as hard as she could. "Let us out!"
"Seriously! This isn't funny anymore!" the man yelled.
As the Magicam Monsters inside Ramshackle struggled to open the door, Silver and Sebek stood on the other side, holding it shut effortlessly. Malleus and Lilia had instructed the Diasomnia students to handle barricading the doors so Regina could focus on creating obstacles within the dorm to (hopefully) trip the intruders up.
"Listen up, Silver!" Sebek thundered. "Lord Malleus and Master Lilia have entrusted this door to us! We cannot let it open under any circumstances! We must hold the line, even if all the bones in our bodies are broken!"
Silver resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, I'm well aware of that. You've only reminded me about eight times now. In any case, we're not like those people inside. We could probably take them one-handed."
"Even if, I said! Even if!" Sebek reiterated.
"Aaah! Something just brushed against my neck!" the man shouted as he and the woman fled back down the hallway, having given up on the door when it still refused to open.
"It just brushed against my leg!" the woman squealed in fright. "Is that the dragon?! Where is it?!"
"Keh heh heh! You fools! I am far from finished with you," Lilia boomed. He suddenly appeared directly in front of them with a menacing snarl. "Rawr!"
The intruders shrieked again before scrambling away.
"Well, Father certainly seems to be having a grand old time in there," Silver commented as the sounds of the Magicam Monsters' screams echoed inside the dorm.
"Master Lilia always has enjoyed going all out for Halloween," Sebek agreed. "I still have nightmares sometimes about the ghost costumes he wore for previous years. He has over a decade of experience just scaring us. I'd say he's more than just in a whole different league than the average layperson-he's in a completely different dimension!"
"The Magicam Monsters inside Ramshackle right now must be shaking in their boots," Silver mused. "We've got the front door covered and Diasomnia students are stationed at the back and side doors as well as the veranda. The only way those people can escape is…"
"Look! I see an open window!" the man said as he pointed toward the far wall of the hallway.
"Hurry! Let's get out through there!" the woman replied.
The pair scrambled out the open window and slammed it down behind them. Once they'd made it into the yard, they slowed down to catch their breath.
"Th-That…was…terrible…," the woman wheezed.
"Yeah… But we should be okay now," the man reasoned. "I doubt they'll chase us now that we're outsi-" Lightning flashed right at that moment, striking the ground just a step in front of them and knocking them both to their knees. The man spoke up a second later in a daze. "Th-That was… That was right in front of us!"
The woman tried to stand, but was unable to make her body respond. "I…I can't get my legs to work…"
"GRRRRRR…"
A low growling sound could be heard coming from somewhere nearby, followed by the sound of heavy footfalls that sent tremors through the ground; whatever was coming towards them was big. The Magicam Monsters looked every which way trying to figure out what was going on, but they couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.
"What now?! Why is the ground shaking?!" the man asked.
"GRRRROOOWWR!"
Another growl answered him, this one much louder than the first and accompanied by floating green lights. An instant later, green flames erupted around the pair again.
"Eeeek! Not the fire again!" the woman wailed.
"You humans would dare disturb this place?" demanded an angry, authoritative voice. "No, not human. When one intrudes into the domain of another despite all warnings to the contrary, one isn't human at all-you two are less than dirt. And you will know your place!"
The flames grew higher and more intense, causing the Magicam Monsters to scream in fear and search futilely for a way to escape.
"Being sealed away for so long has left me famished," the voice continued. "Tell me, trespassers: how would you prefer to be cooked tonight? Baked? Roasted? Or perhaps flambéed?"
"I-Is it me or do those footsteps sound like they're getting closer?" the man asked nervously.
"What fools these mortals be. 'Rude' doesn't even scratch the surface…," the voice growled.
"Wait… Does that mean all this lightning and fire belongs to-" the woman began.
"You shall learn what fate befalls those who anger me!" Malleus thundered as he appeared from amidst the flames, his green eyes alight with rage.
The intruders screamed again, startled to their feet, and began tripping over each other trying to get away. "It's the dragon's curse!"
"Please, we don't want to be roasted alive!" the woman shouted as she and her companion raced down the steps toward the gate.
"We'll never ignore a 'Do Not Enter' sign again, we swear!" the man promised as he followed just a step behind.
"We're sorryyyyy!" they wailed together as they rushed toward the main gate of the school.
Malleus held his glare until the Magicam Monsters were well out of sight and earshot before smirking and crossing his arms. "Hmph. Like taking candy from a baby." He heard the sound of running footsteps and turned to see Sebek, Silver, and several other Diasomnia students rushing toward him.
"SIR!" Sebek bellowed after skidding to a stop. "I wasn't aware you were coming to handle this yourself!" His eyes widened. "Don't tell me… Did I do something wrong to necessitate you getting involved?"
"Those humans have already fled," Malleus informed them, chuckling to himself and paying no mind to Sebek's question. "You should've seen the looks on their faces."
"Most impressive, Lord Malleus!" Sebek gushed. "You sent those meddlesome monsters running for the hills in no time at all. I am in awe of your power!"
"I'm just glad the plan went off without a hitch," Silver added. The other students began cheering and chattering in agreement, congratulating themselves.
"About that…," Lilia chimed in, having emerged from Ramshackle just a moment prior. "The way I understood it, the plan was for me to scare any Magicam Monsters that entered Ramshackle dorm, Silver, Sebek, and the other residents to cut off all possible exits save one of the windows, and then, once they'd fled through the only exit we'd allowed them, Malleus would use his magic to animate the eastern dragon from our display. That was the initial idea, yes?"
Malleus nodded. "Correct."
Lilia smirked, his tone playful and teasing. "Malleus, were you so angry with those Magicam Monsters that you decided to come scare them yourself?"
"I was going to revert to my true form and swallow both of them whole…," Malleus began, "but they were so pitifully scared just by the sight of my fire that I took pity on them and let them go."
Lilia chuckled. "I never took you as such a fan of surprises."
Malleus turned his attention to the gathered Diasomnia residents. "I owe all of you my thanks as well for herding those two directly to me. Seeing their pathetic sobbing was just the catharsis I needed. You've done well."
"Thank you, sir! We hardly deserve such praise!" the residents chorused.
"Now then, I think that ought to set the stage for a rather enjoyable Halloween," Lilia said. "In fact," He pulled out his smartphone, "why don't we take a little celebratory picture of our own? Malleus, Silver, Sebek, all of you stand together now." He lined up the camera. "Smile, everyone!"
The trio smiled for the camera as the flash went off. Lilia checked the picture eagerly.
"Mhm, mhm~! Quite the lovely snapshot, if I do say so myself," he gushed.
"Thank you, sir!" Sebek shouted. "I shall build an alter in my family's home just for this picture! It shall be a treasure passed down the Zigvolt family line for generations to come!" He gestured to Lilia eagerly. "And now we should get a picture of you and Lord Malleus together, Master Lilia! It would be my greatest honor to take it for you."
"Nice idea," Silver agreed. "It'd be nice to have a picture of both of you in costume."
Lilia beamed as he stepped up next to Malleus. "Well, who are we to refuse such a kind offer?"
"It's been quite some time since you and I have had a picture taken together, hasn't it?" Malleus asked.
"Indeed, it has. I can't recall the last time we did so," Lilia replied. "That reminds me, Malleus: have you considered opening a Magicam account of your own? If you did, we'd have many more occasions to take pictures together."
Malleus shook his head. "Not interested. I've no intention of reducing myself to a curiosity for humans to gawk at."
"Really? Even though Devon uses the app as well?" Lilia pressed, the teasing look in his eye again. "In fact, I think…," He tapped on his phone for a moment, "Yep! She and I are friends on Magicam." He turned his phone toward Malleus to show him Devon's Magicam page. Her profile picture was a selfie of her smirking at the camera while an angry Deuce dropped a cauldron on Ace's head in the background. "If I'm not mistaken, she's friends with Sebek and Silver too. If you made an account and added her as a friend, you'd get to speak with her much more frequently."
"I won't deny that it's tempting," Malleus admitted. "However, I'd like to remind you that she remains unaware of who I really am and, for the time being, I'd like to keep it that way. If I were to open an account, I'd run the risk of her learning my true identity before I'm ready to reveal it to her."
Lilia nodded. "Very well. I'm not so sure why you're so hesitant to tell her, exactly, but I respect your decision." He glanced up. "Hold on a moment, Malleus. Your hat is crooked. Here, I'll fix it for you."
"I'm not a child anymore, Lilia. I can fix it myself," Malleus huffed as he straightened his hat.
"Ah, yes, yes, forgive me. Old habits and all that," Lilia replied with amusement.
"Are you both ready?" Sebek called out as he held the phone steady. "You know the magic words!"
"Happy Halloween!" Lilia and Malleus said in unison as they smiled and posed for the picture.
Lilia turned to Malleus after making sure the picture was satisfactory (at Sebek's insistence). "I doubt we'll be seeing any more Magicam Monsters. What do you say to heading down to Main Street?"
Malleus quirked a brow. "Why do you ask?"
"Cater informed me earlier that Devon and the rest of the Ramshackle crew will be safeguarding the statues of the Great Seven since the other dorms are busy with their own venues," Lilia explained. "Apparently Devon already had a plan in mind for dealing with any potential troublemakers and was rather excited to put it into action. She told him she was inspired by various horror movies from her original world and I've been quite curious to see what she's been planning."
Malleus thought for a moment before nodding. "Very well." He smirked. "I'll be interested to see how she plans to punish any who would dare deface the Great Seven's statues again. We'll need to leave most of our students here to see that there isn't any more trouble, but I don't see why a few of us couldn't slip away for a moment."
"ALLOW ME TO ACCOMPANY YOU, MY LEIGE!" Sebek loudly volunteered. "Rest assured that the statues will not be defaced a second time! I, Sebek, shall step in at the first sign of the human's failure!"
"I'll come along too," Silver chimed in. "Someone's going to need to make sure Sebek doesn't ruin everything for Devon before she actually gets a chance to put whatever her plan is into action."
Lilia nodded with a smile. "Mmhmm, very good. Let's be on our way then!"
Ending Notes: Alright guys, the next chapter's gonna be Ramshackle's time to shine! I really hope it lives up to your expectations!
Just as a fun little aside since I brought up Devon's Magicam in this chapter, the idea of her putting the hashtag #That'sAMoray in any picture she posts with Jade and/or Floyd in it has been living in my head rent free lately. Obviously this wouldn't happen until after the tweels are no longer contractually obligated to make her life as difficult as possible, but I can see already: She posts a picture of Floyd biting someone because he's Floyd and that's how he rolls and then she tags it with #WhenAnEelBitesSomeGuy #AndHeBleedsOutAndDies #That'sAMoray or something stupid like that (the dude Floyd bit totally doesn't die BTW; Devon's just being a gremlin). Floyd is immediately reduced to incoherent wheezing as soon as he sees the tags.
Thank you all so much for reading! As always, feedback and constructive criticism are welcome. Geekinthepink, out!