Monster Mash

"Alright, we're here. This looks like... nothing but bricks, and a singular food stand." pepper said, wondering where all the people are.

"Th-This brick... it's o-out of place..." Utsu said, as she walks up to the brick.

"Wow, this castle looks massive from the outside, I wonder how big it really is?" pepper said, talking to himself while he looks around.

"It looks l-like... I can p-press it i-in..." Utsu says, as she pushes in the brick. "AHHH!" Utsu screamed, as the floor opened under her, causing her to fall into it.

"Utsu?! A trap?! Damn it! Utsu!" pepper yelled, looking down the hole.

"What are we gonna do?" Kumo asked, gripping pepper's shirt.

"I'm not sure. Whatever we do, we aren't leaving without her. But I'd imagine that the hole probably leads into the castle, perhaps a dungeon or something." pepper said, trying to figure out his next move.

"Sould we fall down the hole with her?" Kumo asked, seeing if that's a good option.

"No, we don't know if we can even survive the fall, she'll probably survive if we can't since she's a living doll, not that I know anything about the species but I've been thinking about it. That's not important right now though. pepper said, getting off topic.

"So, what should we do then?" Kumo asked, worrying about Utsu.

"I guess we just storm the damned place. We'll go through the front door and find her." pepper said, as he grabbed Kumo's hand and headed straight toward the front door to the castle.

"Hey, is there anyone in here?!" pepper yelled.

"...I guess no one's home. I didn't expect it to be unlocked though, that means someone must be here, a castle can't just be empty." pepper said, trying to figure out where the people went.

"Maybe this is a trap." Kumo said, messing with an armor stand.

"Yeah, that's my guess too. They took Utsu to lure us in. But that's fine, I'll defeat them, get Utsu back and get out." pepper said, thinking of where to start.

"Utsu fell down, so I'd say the best choice would be to find a basement or something under ground." Kumo said, catching up with pepper.

"Well, I think you're right, that would be the best choice, and it just so happens that out of the 6 doors I can see, only one of them are open, and if you look, you can see stairs. Obviously a trap." pepper said, as he went through the door.

"Wait, Daddy, why are you going down there? You just said it was a trap." Kumo said, not understanding pepper's logic.

"Well, if we can find who did this then we'll probably have a higher chance of finding Utsu. To find the culprit, let's go into his trap, he'll likely be there waiting, or maybe I'm completely wrong, who knows?" pepper said, continuing down the stairs while Kumo follows behind him.

"Wait, I can... feel someone's presence again... just like I did when I fought reppep. Why can I feel presences now? Wait, not just someone's, I can feel two people." pepper thought, stopping in the staircase.

"What's wrong?" Kumo asked, tilting her head.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just thinking is all." pepper said, trying not to explain something he knows nothing about.

"And, not only the presence thing... there's something else... I don't really understand but it... I feel like something is calling to me." pepper thought, as he walked down the stairs.

"Finally, the bottom." pepper said, looking around.

"pepper! Just the guy I've been waiting for." A man wearing a lab coat said.

"What? Who are you?" pepper said, keeping his guard up. "You have blue hair, are you a pepper too?" pepper asked, ready to attack at any second.

"pepper... I can help you." A quiet voice said, echoing around pepper.

"Hold on, scientist guy, you stay there." pepper said walking past him. "Who said that?" pepper shouted.

"What's wrong with him?" The man in a lab coat ssked, Kumo.

"Not sure..." Kumo said, scratching her head. "Daddy, are you okay?" Kumo asked, getting closer to pepper.

"No, stay back, I heard a voice." pepper said, pointing for Kumo to go back.

"I can help you, pepper, just wave your hand in time of need." The voice said, as it faded away.

"What? ...Hello? It's gone." pepper said, confused as ever.

"So... anyway. I think I have something you're looking for." The man in the lab coat said, as he held an unconscious Utsu.

"Utsu!" pepper yelled, in worry.

"She must have fallen for an old trap we forgot to remove, it was from the war that happened years ago." The man in the lab coat said, handing Utsu over to pepper.

"I see, well, thanks. Is there anyone else here?" pepper asked, hoping to find someone who can bring them home.

"Oh, yes. Everyone is likely in the dining hall, it's lunch time, after all." The man in the lab coat said, staring at Kumo.

"Okay, then I guess I'll be on my way, thanks again, see ya." pepper said, letting Kumo go up the stairs first, then following behind her.

"Oh, pepper, one more thing. How did you get here?" The man in the lab coat asked, suspiciously.

"Well... the door was unlocked..." pepper said, hoping it wasn't a huge problem.

"No, I mean to the castle, where did you come from?" The lap coat man asked, looking serious.

"Oh, there's a house, it isn't anything special and I'd recommend avoiding it, but it's to the east of the castle, a girl lives there, she told us how to get here." pepper said, still holding Utsu.

"Oh, I see. I thought something different, nevermind me, carry on." The man in the lab coat said, looking away.

"Okay, he said the dining hall? Which room is that? Let's try... this one!" pepper said opening a door.

"There's just more doors..." Kumo said, looking disappointed.

"No need to be disappointed, this just gives up more opportunities!" pepper said, having fun since he was bored.

"Hehe! Yea!" Kumo laughed, going along with it.

"Alright, now that they've gone through one of the doors, I can finally leave. I didn't think that the experiment actually worked, I waited days for Maruchi to wake up, I'd thought my experiment failed. How could I, Boris, doubt my ability?" Boris said, sneaking to the wide open castle doors and then through the open gates.

"It turns out she's awake, she must have been waiting for my return, surely my sweet Maruchi missed me, I know I missed her and her adorable cries." Boris said, walking down the brick stairs.

"Ugh... Door number three hundred... and fourty seven..." pepper said, as he opened the door to find another room that wasn't what he was looking for.

"We'll find it eventually, we just gotta try every door..." Kumo said, failing to sound inspirational.

"Yea, you're right!" pepper said, acting inspired for Kumo.

"Kehe! Mhm! Open the next one!" Kumo giggled, feeling good that her inspiration worked.

"With pleasure, ma'am. Door number three hundred and fourty eight, open!" pepper said, as he opened the door.

"So, she's really in there?" Boris thought, as he looked at his old house.

"Hello? Maruchi, I've returned for you. I heard word that you've awoken, I'd like to see how my little experiment turned out." Boris said looking for Maruchi.

"Leave." Maruchi said, as she came from behind a corner.

"Ahh, Maruchi, my sweet angel, oh how I missed you're screams so much. No one ever begged like you did." Boris said, getting closer to Maruchi.

"You're disgusting, I never wanted to see your face ever again." Maruchi said, backing up.

"I can't believe that the first thing pepper did was tell Boris about me... I should have never trusted him, I should have just killed him when I had the chance." Maruchi thought, to herself, feeling betrayed.

"That look... is it... betrayal? Oh, you must think pepper told me about you, which, yes he did, but I tricked him into telling me. You see, I knew pepper was here since the moment he appeared infront of me, I was with reppep when that strange portal opened and pepper had fallen out with his precious Kumo. reppep told me he could handle it so I left it to him and went back to my lab in the castle, now I see how that was a mistake." Boris explained.

"That explains nothing about how you knew that he knew that I was alive." Maruchi said, with her hand behind her back.

"That part is obvious, my dear. pepper just followed the path in the forest after he had defeated reppep, it leads straight to the house. I assumed that if he'd followed the path he had to have made it here and if he made it here and then to the castle, that means someone gave him directions, and none of my Mistakes can talk, can they? Aside from the ones reppep modified but those ones are cowards, and they aren't at this house." Boris explained more, getting even closer to Maruchi.

"It doesn't matter. This is your final warning, leave." Maruchi said, trying to hold back the voices.

"No, I don't think I will." Boris said, with a nasty smile.

"Fine." Maruchi said as she snapped her fingers behind her back.

Suddenly, moths came out of nowhere, they surrounded Boris, causing him to flail around and fall.

"Maruchi, how dare you use your power against the one that created you?!" Boris yelled.

"Leave, or I'll let Hannah take control. You remember her, right? The girl you took the innocent life of, she lives within my mind and she only wants revenge." Maruchi said, threatening Boris.

"Oww! Are these butterfllies... biting me?" Boris asked, ignoring her.

"They're vampire moths, not butterflies. I can control moths and butterflies, that's my ability. I'll call it Monster, because it takes a monster to kill a monster." Maruchi said, ready to let out Hannah.

"Hahaha! Maruchi, dear, you wouldn't want me to remove your soul, would you? You remember my ability, right? Monster Mash, I can remove and replace any soul of any living thing." Boris said, crushing some of the vampire moths.

"I remember your ability, Boris. But they have to agree to give it up, you can't just take it." Maruchi said, watching Boris kill more vampire moths.

"Maruchi, I think we both know that I can get anyone to agree." Boris said, killing the final moth and slowly walking toward Maruchi.

"What are you even here for?" Maruchi asked, getting frightened.

"I'm here to reclaim what was once mine." Boris said, with a smile of nightmares.

"No, stay away from me! I don't want to..." Maruchi said, starting to cry.

"Come, join me once again." Boris said, trying to do it the easy way.

"I don't want to let her out... she scares me too much." Maruchi thought, as she ran past Boris and down the hallway.

As pepper opened the door, he was greeted with the sight of a long, empty table, one lone man sat at the very end of this table. "Travelers, I take it? Nevermind who you are. Come, take a seat." The man offered.

"Oh, uh, sure. Come on, Kumo." pepper said, grabbing Kumo's hand, as they walked to a chair and sat down.

"So, what are your names?" The man said, as he snapped his fingers and servants brought out plenty of food.

"I'm pepper, and this is Kumo. The one sleeping is Utsu." pepper said, trying to be friendly.

"Ah, wonderful names, you aren't from here are you?" The man asked, curious about them.

"You're right, Kumo and I are from Earth, I don't know if you've heard of it. But Utsu is from Halloween." pepper said, hoping he wouldn't have to explain Earth.

"I see, I assume you'd like to get home?" The man said, before he started eating.

"Yes, that's all I've wanted ever since I got here, this place hasn't exactly been kind to us." pepper said, beginning to stuff his face.

"Oh, I apologize, I promise that this place isn't so bad, it can be quite beautiful." The man said, with a smile. "Where are my manners? Name's Samuel T-Bone Skeletorious, and I am the king of this here castle." King Samuel continued, with with food in his mouth.

"Oh, so you're the king? If anyone can get us home, it's you, right?" pepper said, hoping King Samuel would agree to help.

"Oh, yes. But I'll only do it if you can entertain me." King Samuel said, looking coldly at pepper.

"How so...?" pepper said, suspiciously.

"Through song, of course!" King Samuel said, with excitement.

"Through song...? Of course..." pepper thought, with a sigh. "I don't dislike songs... but I've heard enough today." pepper continued thinking.

"But, if you fail to entertain me, I'll have to kill you." King Samuel said, looking into pepper's eyes.

"Fine, if that's what it'll take to leave this place, then so be it." pepper said, returning the look.

"You may rest here for the night if you'd wish, you all look tired." King Samuel said, offering pepper and the girls a place to sleep.

"Well, thank you, you may have just threatened us, but you've also been very kind, I appreciate it." pepper said, accepting King Samuel's offer.

"Ugh, finally we found our room... this place has way too many rooms..." pepper said, feeling exhausted.

"Yea... it was a bit of a pain." Kumo said, as she hopped into bed.

"Poor Utsu, I hope she's okay. She must have taken a huge fall, she's been asleep the whole time." pepper said, as he puts her in the bed.

"Well, she's got you now, if anything happened, she knows that you'll help her, I think." Kumo said, starting to get very tired.

"Yeah, I hope nothing bad happened but knowing my luck... I don't know, someone took her soul or something dumb like that." pepper said, not really meaning anything by it. "Or maybe... she's a ghost now... this is Halloween, after all." pepper continued, jokingly, as he crawled into the bed.

Kumo giggled and cuddled peppers arm. "Thanks for saving us earlier, from reppep, I mean." Kumo said, with an adorable smile.

"Well, my goal is to keep you girls safe at all costs." pepper said, rolling over to hold Kumo close. "I'll always be there to protect you, when you sleep, when you're awake, and when you're far away, I'll do my best to get closer." pepper said, falling asleep.

"I love you..." Kumo giggled, as she fell asleep.