The Catacombs

[Motthew Clendenin]

Motthew looked down at the lake, trying to think of a better way out. Sure, the water probably want a good idea, but the more the walls began to fall, the less options they had.

He looked at Perry again, who still looked just terrified. He stepped closer to him "Perry, I need you to calm down, don't freak out. "

" You saying that is making me freak out! " Perry snapped at him.

" Do you trust me? " Perry have him a word look, but Motthew just went on, " If you want to get out of here without getting crushed, I need you to trust me, okay? Because I don't want to get crushed, but I'm not going to leave you behind. " The walls rumbled again around them. Motthew looked up at the ceiling, then at Perry again " Come on, Perry! "  

[Ronan Aalto]

This tunnel was getting more and more unstable by the minute, Ronan picked up his pace, feeling a tiny stab of guilt over driving the two boos down here in the first place.
But honestly, him dating Atomica?

Still, Motthew he did consider a friend and being partially responsible for him getting crushed really would weigh heavily on his conscience.

He didn't dare call out though, every step the walls rumbled and stones fell from the ceiling.

Ronan gulped and turned a corner, and found himself face to face with a terrified looking Perry and a worried Motthew.

The selkie paused.

Perry raised his hands defensively. "I'm sorry man ok, please don't hurt us!"

Shards of stone rained down, they all took cover.

"I'm... not here to hurt you." Ronan whispered. "This tunnel is frightfully unstable, we need to get out of here immediately."

"Yeah we totally hadn't noticed." Perry glared up at the ceiling.

"There's a small problem with that." Motthew explained. "He's hydrophobic"

"oh sure, just go tell everyone why don't you?"

"Shhh." Ronan hissed.

"We're gonna get crushed" Perry moaned. "Oh man, there was so much I wanted to do before I died. "

"I said be quiet, you continue to make a racket you'll bring that ceiling down on all three of us." Ronan snapped.

Motthew moved to stand between the pair.

"Listen, we can't stand around arguing. We need to move and the best way out is through that water" Motthew pointed.

Perry looked back the way they'd come. "Let's just.. go back that way... "

"I'm not convinced the tunnel will hold much longer, our best option is to keep going forward." Ronan pointed out.

Perry whimpered.

"You take his legs, i'll take his arms." Ronan moved to grab Perry who kicked him square in the gut.

"Don't you dare!" He shouted, the rumbling intensified.

Ronan stumbled back, winded for a moment. "It's this or we leave you here."

"We can't leave him here" Motthew protested.

"Why not? If he's going to be ridiculous. It's just water."

"Then you go for a swim, go on... " Perry retorted grumpily.

"We're ALL going." Ronan grabbed Perry by the back of his shirt and dragged him toward the water's edge.

"Dude, since when were you so strong? Ow.. gettoff" Perry protested in a low hiss, managing at least to keep his voice low enough to not set off any more rumbles.

"You'll be fine." Ronan insisted and before Perry could quite figure out what was going on, Ronan shoved him forward into the inky black water.

Perry flailed and splashed.

"He can't swim!" Motthew pushed past Ronan and reached out a hand to the flailing Peryton.

Perry however stopped splashing as his feet found solid ground under the water. "Hey... it's not that deep guys."

Ronan rolled his eyes.

"I think... we can just like.. wade across... " Perry continued, relieved he wasn't actually drowning.
"Come on... It's not... "

He didn't get a chance to finish as he suddenly disappeared from view. The ground had dropped beneath him and under he went.

"Perry?" Motthew searched the dark water.

Even Ronan now looked worried.

"Perry!?" Motthew repeated.

This time a loud gasp and loud splashing replied. "Something's got my leg!"

He disappeared under the water again and something else rose up out of the blackness, several large waving tentacles.

"You just had to push him in didn't you?" Motthew searched for a weapon, anything they could use against the tentacle monster.

Ronan pulled off his hat and unwound his scarf, thrusting them into Motthew's hands as he dropped his bag.
"Hold these."

He waded into the water as Perry rose to the surface once more screaming.

Ronan grabbed Perry's outstretched hand and pulled but the tentacles weren't giving up without a fight.

"Toss me that torch!" Ronan shouted back to Motthew who did as he was told. Ronan caught the flaming torch skillfully and brandished it threateningly.

"Drop.. the Peryton." He growled and the tentacle monster backed away with a shrill squeal.

"I don't care, he doesn't like your game. Drop him. NOW." Ronan continued.

The beast made a strange huffing sound and dropped Perry who hit the water with a splash.

"Thank you. " Ronan grabbed Perry and dragged him back to Motthew.

"Don't even think about fainting" The Selkie snapped, Perry was looking distinctly woozy.

"I.. hate you... you know that right?" Perry managed as he slumped to the ground, nice... solid... dry ground.  

[Glen da West]

Arillena

Kai Merha

Rorrim Rory Bludworth

Rory's eyes snapped open.

"GLEN! ENERGY VAMPIRE!!!"

"*snort* Hm? What's a venergy ampire?" Glen snorted sleepily as the Nachzehrer floated closer to the two boos, his field of draining energy growing closer and affecting both. Glen was being affected the most as the energy vampire's 'power' seemed to be neutralizing his high sugar and caffeind intake, making him crash the hardest.

Rory was struggling to fight off the effects, but yawned mightily as he grabbed his cousin by the shirt sleeve and shook him to keep him awake. Dorothy also wobbled by her tiny fists tried rousing him as well.

"Glen! Glen you hafta WAKE UP!" Rory practically begged. "We have to do this together!"

"Do what together?" The Nachzehrer casually asked, hextending his arms out mightily in a satisfying stretch. "Why not just have a snooze? Me and my bonies, we didn't do anything wrong. So when you wake up, this will alllll be over with."

Rory looked away from the advancing boo and gave Glen's shoulder another shake, and something bright green and shiny fell out of his jacket pocket and rolled across the bridge. It was -- a can of Red Ghoul - MOURNING EDITION! The strongest brand made -- and only one can allowed per week by order of Glen's mom! If anything would wake his cousin up, this was...

"Oh! What's this?" The Nachzehrer snatched the can away before Rory had a chance to grasp it. He peered closer at it and read, "Red... Ghoul? Hunh. Must be something new, but beggars can't be choosers! two hundred years in the pokey makes a manster work up a thirst!"

The Nachzehrer pulled the tab and immediately an ear piercing, rock shaking scream emanated from the can, blowing the Nachzehrer's hair and body back as if he had been caught in a typhoon! The Nachzehrer caught his balance and stared, wide eyed, at the can and a sinister smirk crossed his pale blue lips. He quickly raised the can to his lips...

"Um... I wouldn't do that if I were..." Rory started to warn, but the Nachzehrer ignored him, as a wicked (no pun intended mind you) boo would! The can was drained in rapid succession, faster than even Glen would have, and the Nachzehrer sighed in soft contentment.

"Ahhhhh! That reallyhitthespot..." The Nachzehrer's eyes grew wide and his body started to shake. He looked at his hand which seemed to be vibrating. "W-wh-w-whatsgingon!?Whatwasthat!?WHAT'SHAPPENINGTOME!?"

Glen sat up, now fully alert as was Rory, the Nachzehrer's power undone and he blinked before focusing on what the boo had grasped in his claws.

"Hey! That was mine!"

The Nachzehrer started to shake far more violently, becoming an unliving blur, "H-H-H-HELPMEEEEE!!!!!ICAN'TSTOP!!!"

Rory blinked, then smiled and looked at his cousin. "What do you think? Should we help him?"

"I dunno!" Glen frowned with squinty eyes. "Stealing another boo's Red Ghoul is just so... so... "

"Glen..."

"*huffs* Fiiiine!"

The two witch cousins approached the Nachzehrer who stared at them for help. Rory held out the mirror, and Glen fished his wand from his pocket.

"Okay! We're going to send you to someplace to 'dry out' from the Red Ghoul! Okay?"

"Whatever!Justhurry!PLEEEEASSSSE!"

Glen looked at Rory and the two boos were perplexed.

"We got a Nachzehrer to say 'please'!? That should be worth an 'A' alone!"

...

The mirror in the Deadtention Hall glowed and the Nachzehrer rocketed out of it, crashed his noggin' into the ceiling, then fell perfectly to a seat at a desk where a chain clamped itself around his ankle. The desk he was seated at started to vibrate and shake... and move around like an old washing machine.

The Shtriga looked at the Dybbuk and said "I don't want to know, do you?"  

[NanoAer]

show spoilerhide spoiler

Rorrim Rory Bludworth

Kai Merha

Glen da West

Ari shook her head as she followed Kai to the Tracks. "No, I've never heard of it before..." She added SKRM to the list of things she didn't recognize at this school. As they neared a bridge ( At least I think it's a bridge? ) the voices became more prominent but the Fae only recognized two of them.

Startled at first, by the sight of what appeared to be an out of control Nachzehrer, Ari made a noise that sounded like a tiny "Eep!" Oh my... I've not seen one of those in ages... The Fae hadn't noticed when it was taken away.

Suddenly feeling timid again, She shot a questionable glance at Kai and was almost afraid to ask if any of this was normal.

When the area quieted down she found herself somewhat hiding behind her Colorful friend. "Um... Hello again," She squeaked nervously to Glen and Rory, peering over Kai's shoulder.  

[Harry Herne]

After getting a message from Kai, Harry had headed to an entrance to the catacombs. There was a distinct lack of cats. Harry wondered why it was even named after cats. Why not dogs? Was there an anti-dog agenda here? He would look into this possible grimjustice later on.

Hm. I wonder where Kai is.

Whistling a banshee protest dirge, Harry set off down a dusty hall.  

[Kai Merha]

"Guys...what's up?" Kai asked. He hadn't expected a tour of the SKRM track to involve Glen and Rory sucking some other monster into a mirror. "You remember Ari, from earlier..."

"Right! Hi!" Glen grinned, although clearly a bit distracted looking around. "Say, the two of you haven't seen a Black Annis, a Strigoi or a Purple People Eater running around by any chance, have you?"

"A one-horned, one-eyed, FLYING purple people eater." Rory clarified.

Kai shrugged.

"I have no idea what any of those would even look like."

"Well, it has one horn, one eye, wings-" Rory started to hexplain, but Glen cut him off.

"Would love to chat but wegottago~!" He grabbed Rory by the arm and hopped up on his flying skateboard. "This project is sort of time-sensitive!"

"Wait! What." Kai watched the two of them take off down the tentacle bridge and be swallowed by the gloomy darkness.

"So....that's that, I guess?" Kai turned back to Arillena. "Have I mentioned that Glen's a little weird?"

"I agree, he's very weird."

"I think the shiny one'ssss weirder." Two disembodied voices circled around Kai and Arillena, giggling while they talked.

"I bet the green one is Circe's son. She was always an oddity."

"Ya think? Maybe he'ssss Emeralda'ssss kid."

"Emeralda? Do you really think a witch as wicked as her would settle down and have a family?"

"I always thought her ssso-called wicked reputation was just a big bag of tornado-wind." Kai and Arillena squished close together in the middle of the circling voices.

Finally, an olive-colored monstress popped out of nowhere, suddenly becoming visible. She grinned and tapped her teeth with one of her iron claws.

"And LOOK at these two, Black Annie. What ARE they letting enroll at Monster High these days?"

Another monstress, this one with dark purple skin, blinked into view on the other side of Kai and Ari.

"Ridiculousss, Stella Strigoi! This pale one's barely a monster at all, and this gray one's got too many monstersss going at once!"

"H-hey, are you two new to the school?" Kai asked, very confused as to what was going on.  

[Atomica Servo]

Meanwhile, back in the large Western cavern...

"Stop that!" Atomica begged a rock.

*BRRRMMMMMM*

"Stay still!" She commanded several sliding boulders.

*RRRRUUMMMMMBBBLLLLLLE*

"QUIT COLLAPSING RIGHT NOW!" Atomica shouted at most of the south face of the wall. It was to no avail. The entire wall stubbornly refused to listen to her and stop dropping onto the ground, chunks of wall and dirt skidding across the tunnel entrance where Ronan, Perry and Motthew were lurking.

"Hey HEEEY YOU GUYS! HEEEEY!" Atomica tried shouting at them over the sound of the rockslide. "STOP EXPLORING AND START PROTECTING YOUR MEATY EXTERIORS!"

She wasn't sure if she was being, heard, though. A good three-quarters of the cavern entryway was now covered with obnoxiously-continuing-to-fall rock debris.  

[Perry Hartley]

Shivering, Perry was still muttering curses in Ronan's general direction.

Motthew sighed. "Well that didn't work."

"I guess we really should go back the way we came." Ronan accepted.

"Back through... falling down... cavern... nah uh, no way man." Perry looked up, teeth chattering.

Ronan looked out over the water. "Well, I don't think it prudent to venture back out that way."

"That tentacle monster seemed pretty cooperative after you well.. threatened it a bit." Motthew mused.

"Yes, but that was only a baby. And where there's a baby, you're bound to find..."

As if summoned by dramatic timing, several enormous tentacles rose up out of the water and a roar filled the cavern.

"the mother..." Ronan finished. "I don't believe she's very happy about me threatening to set fire to her offspring. We should run."

Perry struggled to his feet. "Ya think?!"

"MOVE!" Motthew shouted as a tentacle made a grab for them.

The hurried back down the unstable cavern, the walls rumbling and shaking around them. Dirt and rock rained down from above.

"We're gonna be crushed, we're totally gonna be crushed" Perry complained as they raced on, the angry roars of the beast behind them, the grinding crash of rocks around them.

"Take cover!" Ronan yelled as the tunnel came down around them.







As the dust settled, in the darkness someone coughed loudly and another voice complained loudly "Oh man... I think that broke my camera."

"Well... at least this tunnel can no longer be considered unstable." Ronan shoved a few rocks aside, peering into the pitch darkness for his companions.

"Is everyone ok?" Motthew asked from somewhere to the left.

"No." Perry replied. "My parents are gonna flip out when they find out I broke another camera."

"Shut up about your stupid camera."

"No you shut up."

Motthew groaned.  

[Motthew Clendenin]

Motthew looked around their area as Perry and Ronan squabbled. He didn't want to admit he was happy the camera was broken so the flashes would stop, better to stay out of it. He brushed dust off his shirt and looked from one to the other, "If you two don't mind," he started, "we are now trapped. What do we do?"

With the walls caved in around them, they didn't have much to work with, Motthew looked to them both. Perry just held his camera, looking as if he were trying to pretend the rocks never broke it.

"Maybe we could dig out. Some of these rocks are a bit loose." Ronan said, brushing himself off too.

There was a little clicking sound coming from around them. Motthew looked at Perry, seeing him still messing with his camera. He sighed, "Seriously, Perry. We've kinda got bigger problems right now."

Perry shot him a look, "Dude, this IS a serious problem!" he defended, "Just look at my camera!" he held it up.

Motthew sighed, just shaking his head.  

[Perry Hartley]

Ronan muttered something under his breath about perspective and started trying to shift rocks, but they were large and very heavy.

"Well that's not going to work."

Perry continued to examine the cracked remains of his camera, hoping he'd be at least able to save the memory card.

"Would you put that stupid thing down and HELP?" Ronan snapped.

Perry glared. "Help with what? Moving rocks? Yeah great idea genius. Let's go prodding the rocks and see how many MORE we can bring down on top of our heads huh?"

"Why must you be so difficult, honestly, you're more irritating than.." Ronan stopped, hit by sudden revelation. Atomica! Maybe she could make herself useful after all.
He almost brought himself to call for help, then realised it'd involve admitted he'd been wrong. Oh he could just hear her now, yammering on at him about how SHE saved the day. No... they'd find a way out of here themselves.


As if he'd climbed aboard exactly the same train of thought, Perry piped up.
"Why don't you call that robot chick?"

Ronan made a strange growling sound.

"I uh... take that as a no?" Perry gave up on the camera and let it hang loosely from the strap around his neck.  

[Motthew Clendenin]

Motthew could feel the tension growing in the air, only this time there was nowhere to run when Ronan snapped. It was so clear he didn't want to call to her for help, but... He sighed, "Ronan, I don't think we have any other choice." he said, "If she's still nearby, she may be the only way we get out of here."

The tension really started getting worse with each word. He stepped back a bit, backing away from him and closer to Perry, "Or... not. I mean, surely someone else will come along this exact way." he scratched his head, hoping he didn't set Ronan off further.  

[Perry Hartley]

"She'll bring this roof down on us faster than anything else." Ronan protested.

Perry looked to Motthew and Motthew looked to Perry. Both frowned.

"None of us have the strength to move these rocks." Perry pointed out, no, even he, the jock, couldn't lift the largest boulders that blocked their path. Super heroic strength was sadly, not a Peryton trait.

Ronan muttered to himself as he mulled over the options. Frankly, staying here and staving to death was looking like a viable option.

Perry was shivering violently though, he didn't have the insulation of a nice layer of blubber that Ronan had. Even Ronan had to admit, being sopping wet down here wasn't exactly a great idea.
But unlike Perry, he hadn't dived into that water fully dressed. He'd pulled his coat on shortly before the beast of the deep attacked and now he shrugged it off and handed it to the redhead.

Perry stared at Ronan, sure there was some catch.

"Just take it before I change my mind" Ronan snapped.

Perry pulled the coat on, it was a bit too big for him and extraordinarily heavy, but it was very warm.

"How do you not cook in this thing?"

"What would my attire have to do with culinary activities?" Ronan asked, distracted from his bad mood by the confusion of the statement.

Perry just sighed. "forget it. "

Motthew tried to peer through the gaps in the rocks but all he saw was more rocks.
He checked his phone, but nope, no signal obviously.

Perry had had enough. "Look, if you're not gonna call her, I will!" He moved forward but Ronan clamped a webbed hand on his shoulder and shoved him back.

"Don't you dare. She'll just make things worse, she ALWAYS makes things worse!"

"How can things GET any worse! We're trapped in a small enclosed space under miles of rock!"

"She'll find a way!" Ronan argued back.

"Oh my goth you are SO annoying! Honestly, what does she see in you?"

"We're NOT DATING!"

Motthew scurried as far back, away from Ronan as he could.

"HEY ROBOT CHICK!" Perry yelled, no, he hadn't bothered remembering her name. He seldom bothered to remember anyone's name.

Ronan tried to clamp a hand over the Peryton's mouth resulting in a scuffle between the pair.
Perry won, pinning Ronan and sitting on him.

"Man, you really gotta just stop with this pessimistic attitude" Perry began, oblivious to his own hypocrisy.

"Get.. off.. me." Ronan struggled.

"Not till you agree robot chick is our best chance of getting out of here."

"You have no idea how much chaos she's capable of! She'll blast the rocks and probably us as well!"

"Yeah well it's that or we sit here in the dark for the rest of time."

"He does have a point" Motthew interjected, but he still kept his distance. He didn't really want to be dragged into this fight.

"I don't care if he has a point, his point is wrong!"  

[NanoAer]

Kai Merha

Ari was about to speak when the voices suddenly floated around them. A icy chill fell down her spine and she continued to hide behind Kai. She was getting a heavy sense that these two were not new students. Two of the words the voices said triggered Ari's memory.

"Strigoi...Black Annie...Annis..." Her eyes widened. "Oh dear..." The elf had done research on nearly every monster race and legend, (One could never be too careful when transferring to a Monster school.

"Um... Kai? Didn't... didn't Glen mention something about a few M-monsters before he and Rory ran off?" She whispered in a slightly panicky voice. The Ghouls around them grinned.

"Oh So you have heard of us?"

"Not like that's important."

Ari shivered and pointed to the one called Black Annie, "Sh-she supposedly eats children... and she.." The elves eyes met 'Stella's' "...is some kind of Immortal Vampire..." The aura's radiating from them were not at all friendly. Ari wondered why Kai didn't feel it. The Already timid and now near petrified Fae clung to Kai's shoulder.  

[Kai Merha]

Arillena

"Sh-she supposedly eats children... and she.." The elves eyes met 'Stella's' "...is some kind of Immortal Vampire..." The aura's radiating from them were not at all friendly. Ari wondered why Kai didn't feel it. The Already timid and now near petrified Fae clung to Kai's shoulder.

"What? Really? Ari, I'm disappointed in you!" Kai looked surprised at Arillena. "The normie world spreads a lot of rumors about monsters, vilifying them, but most of them aren't true!"

"That's right. MOSSSST of them aren't true!" Black Annie agreed in a mocking tone.

"But some of them ARE!" Stella Strigoi floated around the pair in a circular pattern, giggling with glee. "I guess that's why we got slammed with that four hundred years of deadtention, right Black Annie?"

"I ssssincerely think we were given deadtention because Misstresss Bloodgood was jealousss of our good looksss." Black Annie snapped her teeth near Kai's face. He wrinkled his nose.

"Or because of your breath."

Black Annie's eyes got wide and she hissed at Kai.

"Ssso, what should we do with these two utter uggos, Stella?" Black Annie asked her cohort, who floated in mid-air, looking thoughtful. "They're ssso hideous they're making my eyesss water."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Annie?"

"I ssssure am, Stella..." The two of them squished together in a dastardly, evil hug.

"MONSTEROUSSS MAKEOVERSSS!" They cried out with sinister laughter.

Kai looked at Ari.

"We should run." He informed her, taking her hand.

"Oh no, you don't!" Stella Strigoi grabbed Arillena underneath her armpits and started flying away. Before Kai could react, Black Annie had him wrapped in shadow tendrils, and no matter how he struggled, he couldn't get free! Black Annie, with the shadow-wrapped Kai in tow, followed after Stella Strigoi....

"What luck! No one's disturbed our special makeover salon in all this time!" Kai heard Stella inform Black Annie as they came to a stop and the shadow tendrils vomited him onto the floor.

"I wonder what they ussse for beauty aids today. None of it can be as effective as what we used, if thessse two are any grimdication." Kai looked up to see that Arillena was on the floor next to him. Where they were was no kind of makeover salon he'd ever seen, though. It looked more like...

"This is no salon! This is a medieval torture chamber!" Ari called out. Kai agreed with her.

"What, no it's not! See, this is our height-enhancer!" Stella showed them a long device with a crankwheel next to it.

"You mean a torture rack." Kai corrected her. Stella rolled her bloodshot eyes.

"And of course, our pore cleanssser." Black Annie floated around another device that looked like a spike-filled sarcophegus.

"That's an iron maiden!" Arillena countered. Stella made the 'blah, blah, blah' motion with one transparent hand.

"You two are crazy!" Kai accused them, looking around for a door.

"We sure are! Crazy BOOTIFUL!" Stella replied, and grabbed Kai. "Now, hold still while I set you up in our special makeover prep station.

"That's not a makeover station, that's a stocade, Ari, HELP!" Kai called out, trying to put on the brakes as Stella dragged him to the stocks.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you that it hurts to be bootiful?!"