The yellow of the shining sun, blue, and the all-consuming black as the light shirked further and further away, till it wasn’t even a pin prick to the darkness above.

And then…





Maybe you let yourself rest before you awoke, or maybe you pulled yourself out of the unconsciousness in order to investigate the cold at your back, maybe the throbbing pain of in injury instead. All the same, the opening of your eyes does nothing for you, as the area is almost entirely pitch black, the only light happens to be coming from the faint outline of a mouth of the cave.

How did you get here?

For a moment, you might be letting your eyes adjust, or you may be taking a moment to calm yourself…but the faint sound overriding what seems to be dripping, pouring water is the sound of shuffling, movement nearby. You doubt that there would be any large animals in this sort of cavern, then, you recall what you were doing before, remember the rest of the crew.





The water lapping at your side is cold, very cold. Upon awakening, you find yourself in a decently lit cavern. Everything is quite cold, but not freezing, not yet. Nearby, your companion might be still unconscious, or may also be stirring. With enough light, you are able to see some equipment, strewn about.

How did you get here?

Thankfully, two heads are better than one, and some equipment is better than none.



????

At present, you’re cold, tired, possibly scared, and more than possibly hungry. Your diving equipment is gone, but the personal possessions you have kept on your person remain. You have preserved through all of this, and still managed to avoid the monsters that stalk these dark passages.
How long can you last?

Where will you go?





Unable to stop herself, her expression soured some where she caught sight of the pin the grocer wore. The tacky looking eye drawn on the pin in permanent marker, some of which had rubbed off at some point. Making her way back up through the narrow street, to the higher parts of the city, Eyeclopsiel couldn't help but look up at the vast darkness.

She had never known what a city street might have looked like in the day, but she certainly knew what it looked like at night, not that she knew what either was. She had never seen the surface world. A few flying monsters zoom far over head, from what she could hear, but focusing back to her return, there was some faint relief.

That lower part of Stalac Heights. After all, she didn't like her hooves getting soaked.

"Motherf**ker, I can't believe it!"
Ash manhandled the paper in front of him. He was behind in the poles again, just barely. How? He had seen his opponent's, if he could even call her that, ads. They looked like a child drew them. For some reason people considered this "charming" and she was "the peoples' champion." It was... it was-

"AARRGH!"
"Something wrong, Master Ash?"
"Nelson, write this down!"

Ash's mind began racing with ideas on how to get ahead. He thought about espionage, more posters, more buttons, a public figure, a racy new hypersexualized campaign direction. (He certainly did have the thin, sleek body for it...) But nothing particularly came up. He'd need to scour the streets for fresh ideas.

"Actually scratch that!"
"There's nothing to scratch sir."
"Shut up! I need some... inspiration. We're going out on the town!"
"If you insist sir. Anything you want to bring?"
"Just my Drillsaw. Never know when you'll get in a fight! Sides, maybe fear is the way to bend the masses..."

---

System sat quietly in her dual office and abode. It was a quiet day, since she had just finished her last request. (Turns out the carrots had simply been misplaced by the delivery boy- a big misunderstanding.) Currently she was enjoying a nice romantic novel while at the front desk. She really did need to clean it off, the only things actually relating to her job on the table were a registry book to keep in contact with clients and a bell to ring her if she was off somewhere else in the house. The rest of the desk was assorted supplies and the such. Sticky notes, tape, some cute fountain pens and a few bored doodles on a scrap sheet. Along with a photo of her and her big bro of course. She wouldn't take that off. He'd be mad at her when he came back if she did that, she was sure.

Xaria groaned as the water washed against her dry suit. Apparently her regulator had fallen from her mouth, and it was now lying on the slate, the mouthpiece sticking up into the air. Her head ached and she removed her goggles quickly, groaning as some of the pressure was relieved. How long had she been out? She unstrapped herself from her BCD, rolling over onto her back. From here, Xaria got a good look at what appeared to be the inside of a cave of some sort. Deciding it was time to move, Xaria pushed herself into a sitting position. From what she could see, she was fairly unharmed, no cuts, no bruises. Unclipping her fins from her feet, she removed her boots, dumping out an inch of lukewarm water from each. Then she started to unzip her wet suit, peeling the bottom half of the farmer jane first, the sensation of the cool air stinging her arms. She stomped her feet as she removed the upper half of her wet suit. Instant regret. She'd never been one for cold.. and this.. this was just ridiculous. She shivered, squeezing the water out of her hair, after which she removed her soaking under armor shirt so she was wearing just her simple two piece bathing suit. Dangit. It was too cold for this. Why hadn't she decided to wear a dry suit instead? Those things kept out the water and kept you really warm.

"Should have brought a fucking jacket." she whispered to herself. But she would have never thought to bring a jacket or spare clothing in a million years. She did some warm up exercises for Muai Thai, knees up, elbows in, weaving back and forth until her heart was beating quickly in her chest.. and she felt.. slightly warmer. Pausing to check her surroundings she noted one of the divers she'd come down with. This was the older blonde guy.. the one who was probably the oldest guy in the diving team. "Hey dude.. you gotta get up. Get out of the water." She rolled him onto his side, tapping his face lightly with her hand.

Then she moved over to her equipment to see if anything had been damaged. Her oxygen tank was fine... and according to her dive computer, she had enough air for another short dive. Her BCD was intact, no scrapes or tears and the weights inside the vest were secure. She unzipped the pocket of her BCD. A pad of paper, a pencil, her gum. And then.. her dive knife. She unsheathed the blade, admiring it in the light. Like most dive knives, it had a serrated edge for sawing through thick rope, and a thin, hook-like protrusion on the opposite side to the saw. This was for cutting thin things. Wire, fishing line.. whatever. However, unlike most dive knives.. her's had a pointed tip. This part of the knife wasn't needed for any kind of cutting she could do while diving, but she had thought it looked cooler than the others.. and secretly always dreamed of stabbing a shark in the eye. Sheathing the blade, she pulled out her dive light. Flicking the switch on and off, she found it still worked.

Xaria brought her hand absently up to her chest to fumble with her pendent, only to find it wasn't there. She felt a pit in her stomach as she glanced down at her neck. She sprinted back to her BCD, tearing open the pockets and searching for her lost pendent. "Shit shit shit!" Panic driving her to extremes, she started looking under and behind rocks. What if her pendent fell from around her neck while she was in the water? Reaching for her flashlight, she flicked it on and aimed it at the water, looking for that familiar glint of metal. "Where is it?" she hissed.


Feeling something touch his face, Eli groaned, bringing his hands up to his face. His head hurt, and it was rather dark and cold wherever he was. Sitting slowly up, he groaned, removing his prescription diving goggles and blindly feeling for the plastic bag with his glasses sealed inside. By the time he managed to slip on the glasses, his companion was sprinting back and forth across the ground, cursing and throwing things.

Blinking twice, Eli shook his head, scattering drops of water. Staring up at the ceiling, he admired the stalactites stretching down towards them like fingers. He unstrapped himself and started to remove his equipment, watching the younger girl sprint around the room. She was wearing nothing but a two-piece bathing suit. Normally he'd take off his wet suit as well, let it dry out or something to keep himself warm.. but.. he was one of the divers who chose to go commando under their suits. It was far more comfortable and less objectifying than wearing a speedo, and bathing suit shorts bunched funny under the wetsuit and made his legs fall asleep. So.. he was stuck in his wetsuit. Unless he wanted to go streaking around the cave. Which was innapropriate on all levels. He stared at the girl for a moment longer, adjusting his glasses before he spoke. She had been on the diving team. She'd come late, and not said a word as they had jumped into the water and made their descent.

"What are you looking for?"

The girl whipped around, her blonde braid flying through the air. "My pendant!" her voice echoed back, sounding panicked. "Its small, like the size of a quarter, shaped like a triangle and it has a silver chain!" she practically shouted. "Get off your ass and help me look!"

She certainly had.. a dirty mouth. If she was his kid.. he would not had let her get away with talking to a stranger so roughly. Though she wasn't his kid. His kids were back at home.. Safe and sound. He reached for his bag, pulling out his mulitool, digging around for his photograph. His stomach jolted as he realized that it wasn't there. It was his turn to act like an idiot, tearing apart his BCD to look for his photograph.

"Listen, kid."

"What?" she bit back ferociously, glaring over at him.

"Turn that flashlight off to conserve the battery, and lets do this rationally. We are going to sweep from one side of the room to the other." Eli stated calmly.

The girl stared at him for a while before grunting angrily and switching off the flashlight. "Fine."

The two combed the entire room looking for the girl's pendent and his photograph. But they came up with nothing. Not even a hint of where their stuff could have gone.

"DAMNIT." The feisty blonde female kicked a rock, anger lining her face as she started punching the air. Eli flinched as powerful jabs seemed to crack through the air, her face contorted with anger. Whatever she was doing, it kind of scared the crap out of him.

"Calm down..." he offered meekly.

"Calm down. CALM DOWN? WE ARE TRAPPED IN AN UNDERWATER CAVE IN THE MIDDLE OF GOD KNOWS WHERE AND SOMEWHERE ON THE WAY DOWN I LOST MY ONLY PICTURE OF MY BROTHER!" She was shouting now, red faced in anger.

Eli backed away slightly, putting up his hands. "Come now.. we don't know its gone for gpod." he offered kindly. "We can follow the river, because if your.. picture is anywhere, it would have been washed downstream.. right?" he was upset about losing his family photo.. but he was more sad than anything... she was.. seething.

The girl stared at him for a moment, the redness in her face faded and she stared at the ground. "yeah.. i guess." she grumbled. Without another word she started to gather her things.

Eli just held his multitool in his hands for a minute before starting to move his equipment as well. He lay his BCD and tank right beside the girl's, helping her surround the two tanks with rocks so they couldn't roll away, not that the valve in the top would let them roll anyways, but one couldn't be too careful with expensive equipment. The two then stacked their fins on top of the pile.

"I'm Eli by the way." He watched as she pulled her feet into her scuba fin boots. They weren't designed for long running or walking for a long time, but the thick neoprine was better than nothing.

"Xaria." the girl stated, shoving her flashlight into a small airtight bag with what looked like a pencil and a small pad of paper. What she'd brought that with her on a scuba trip for was beyond him.



Shadow sprinted across the caves at full speed, drool flecking from his mouth as he scented something delicious in the air. He paused for a moment to take in the scent of what seemed to be bread. Delivering an energetic bark, Shadow's claws scraped helplessly against the ground for a moment before he gained traction and was off like a shot. There it was.. his prize. Sauntering up to the window of the shop, shadow eyed the bread in the window hungrily. He stuck his head through the glass, solidifying his mouth on the other side in order to grab a loaf in his teeth. However, as he attempted to retreat, the bread remained on the other side of the counter. Shaking his head, Shadow tried again. But this time he leaped through the case with his entire body, grabbed that same loaf of bread and came out inside the shop. The loud screams and shouts of the shopkeeper were heard as he scampered through their store, knocking over display cases on his way out the door.

Scampering down the streets, he fled far away from the shopkeeper, who was still shaking her fist angrily. He headed up towards the city, on his way to Monster's Mirth Forest. He stopped sort as he saw a monster with one eye wandering up the streets. He paused mid step, tilting his head to the side as he surveyed her before shaking his entire body and continuing home.



Amarante chopped a vine down with a flick of her sword. Living out in Monster Mirth Forest suited her. Not a lot of monsters tended to come through, and it was relatively peaceful. Best of all, it was far away from her home village. She perched on a twisted root, resting her chin on her knees. She'd have to go into town today. The only downside about living in the middle of nowhere was the lack of supplies. The trees did grow fruit and there were nuts.. but sometimes she needed something more. Something.. more filling. Just as she paced up her bag, Shadow came sprinting back from who knows where, dropping a soaking wet, half chewed loaf of bread on the ground. He barked twice, wiggling his butt excitedly.

"That looks delicious. Unfortunately.. i am on an all fish diet." Amarante grinned, patting him on the head. "The shopkeeper is going to be mad again, thanks to you."

Shadow just stared at her blankly, tilting his head down to the bread and then looking back up at Amarante. Then he picked it up again and sat up tall so his front claws were resting on her thigh.

Amarante sighed, breaking of a tiny chunk of bread and stuffing it in her mouth. Eeghh. "delicious." she stated, rubbing his head. "I'm going into town. You should finish that. I'm all full."

Upon hearing the word full, Shadow snapped the bread up into his mouth, rows of sharpened teeth grinding it into submission. Before long he was at her heels and the two were on their way back to Stalac Heights.



Shrubmarine stood beside his submarine, heaving a heavy sigh. He was bored.. exceedingly bored. Nothing exciting ever happened in the underground. No one new had shown up since that weird wolf woman.. and everyone seemed so busy with the election. No one had talked to him about taking them around in his submarine. Slumping against the side of the tentacled ship, Shrubmarine started to hum a haunting melody as he waited for something to happen.

Skylar groaned as she sat up, just pulling herself out of unconsciousness. She rubbed the back of her head and muttered, "Ow...! That hurts...Where are we...?" As soon as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she took in the scenery around her. There was a cave mouth nearby...maybe she could investigate that area once she was done with checking everything in this area?

She then looked to her side to see an older man with blonde hair lying nearby...! The policeman who joined the search party...Rodney! She pulled him out of the water and she shook his shoulders and tapped his face calling in a concerned and somewhat hushed tone, "Hey! Hey, are you ok?! Wake up!" After a bit without a response, she checked her supplies to see if there was anything she could use to help wake him up.

She frowned at the sight of most of her diving gear was damaged to the point they couldn't be used. The only thing that was spared was a tank of oxygen. She was glad to see that her cell phone was still intact. Good! Maybe she could try and call the others and call for help? ...Nope. There was no reception. Her photo was still here, and her lucky earring was still on her ear. So maybe luck was still with them...

Wait...where were the other members of their search party? Oh no...it was just her and Rodney here...

Then she noticed the sound of shuffling and she widened her eyes. She looked towards the direction of the sound and then looked to Rodney. She couldn't just leave him there. Maybe she could hide him and herself behind a rock? ...No, he looked too heavy for her to lift or even drag.

She settled for standing in front of him in order to block him from the view of whatever was coming.

---

Lorelei huffed as she studied over the information System had gathered over the Mr. Hare case, within her own home. It was her duty as the celebrity to give everyone all of the information they may need in order to make a well informed decision. So far, it looked like Eyeclopsiel was going to be the winner considering that she is a stoic and responsible mother, who is sweet enough to let her son handle her own promotion pins (so cute!), but who knows what skeletons are hiding in her closet? And on the other hand, there was Ash Hare...an ill tempered and violent fellow who is suspect in the Mr. Hare case. There was still much for her to do before the election, and there were her many performances to do.

They never said being a star was easy. And this was certainly what she thought when they said it.

Her agent soon came in just as she put the file away in her high security safe, and he whined in that usual nasally, whiny voice, "Angel! We have to go! Your show starts in half an hour!"
Lorelei gave her annoying agent a sweet smile as she stretched her arms and wings, "Yes, yes Jeeves. I know Dahling. Don't get your panties in a twist now~," She couldn't help but laugh while she sauntered out with a madly blushing, sputtering, and embarrassed agent who was sure to be silent for the rest of the day.

'Ghhhhmph...'

I wake up to the sound of somebody moving around near me. It's nearly pitch black, so it takes me a moment to figure out what's happening... last thing I remember is the light in the water fading as we all got deeper down, and then my eyes opened in here. I suppose, given that I'm practically dry, that we've been down here a while. "We" being myself and my team, of course!

...and Skylar. "We" being myself, Skylar, and as becomes apparent after a bit of looking round myself, literally nobody else that I can see.

Crud. If we're the only survivors, then... wait, what happened to my equipment? Looking around myself and checking my body reveals that all of my diving gear is destroyed save my wetsuit; the harpoon gun I was carrying is outright missing, with no trace; and whilst my pistol is apparently intact and sealed within the bag I brought it in, all the ammunition stored with it is just gone. Even the clip loaded into the gun proper. How odd. And as for my glasses...

Hah, yes. They're still as cool and undamaged as ever. Though I should probably leave them in the bag for now, given that they won't help me see in the dark. Glancing over at where Skylar currently is - standing, I note, meaning she's probably been awake longer than me - I can see that her equipment is scattered around her, nearly as beaten up as my own stuff. I think one of her oxygen tanks is still in usable condition... so that's going to make getting back the way we came a bit difficult, isn't it.

It's about this time that I register that shuffling noise, partially hidden by my own movement and Skylar's, as well as by the sound of dripping water. The only other humans likely to be down here are members of the other diving expedition and our own team, and if it's not them... my training pushing me into high alert almost automatically, I leap to my feet, unsealing the heavier of my two plastic bags and drawing the pistol from it. I don't know that it's going to be useful in any way without ammo, but... I guess I can pistol whip whatever's down here with us? Or make sure they have no intentions to hurt us, at least. I can use the dark as cover to pretend it's useful, or... just roll with whatever needs doing, Rodney. Step one: protecting the more vulnerable member of my group.

'Get behind me, Skylar,' I say quietly, stepping forward and round her so that I'm in the defensive position rather than her, empty gun aiming into the shadows. I continue in a louder voice: 'Right, uh... whoever, or whatever is hiding over there, come into view slowly and calmly. I'm sure nobody here wants to get hurt; do what I've asked, and nobody needs to get shot.' Honestly, I feel kind of stupid saying all that into the shadows, but better safe than sorry. Really, we should both be moving toward the light, but then what are we going to do with our gear? We can't just leave it here... well, we can't just leave the one functional oxygen tank here, and it may be necessary for us to make a safe return at some point. So it needs defending, plain and simple; we can probably move it around later on, once this situation is dealt with.

And after all, if whatever's out there isn't... human... it may be the first step to figuring out where the other team went...

Dorkle Stein was working at the library today. He was feeling rather bored. There weren't a lot of readers in today and not much for him to do except sit on the counter and wait. He thought about all the other things that he could be doing instead of wasting his time and brain power here. He could be working on new inventions for a certain monster that he shouldn't tell anyone about. He could be out researching the wildlife in the ecosystem nearby his home. He could even be discovering a strange new chemical by now! Anything would be more exciting than sitting in the library.

He glanced over towards his mother who was rearranging the books in the nonfiction section. His eyes widened and his bottom lips quivered. He kept that face until his mother finally turned in his direction, shook her head and waved him off. She had no sympathy for him. She didn't like how he was doing all those crazy experiments. Why couldn't he just be happy working in the library like his parents? It was a safe, cozy job and someone had to take care of the books.

Dorkle sighed. He was counting the minutes until his freedom.

Bow the spider was drinking tea and sowing some clothes for his little spiders when one little spider came towards him,Relaying a message that they saw a group of human's walking around in the underground."Oh thank you...mhm i wonder why they would be here of all places" He thought to himself as he put his sowing things on the table beside him.

"I wonder if i should wait or check it out" The spider had a bit of problem on his hands which was easily solved by a flip of a coin."I will check it out but of course i hope they are friendly.He said to no one as he got his clothes on and headed out the door to studying the humans.

“While it’s real touching that you two are falling all over to save each other…” In the darkness at the outline of what seemed to be the mouth of the cave, a figure leaned against the nearest wall for moment, and the feel of being watched in the darkness was strong. Finally, the figure seemed to come closer, a slow approach as hands were raised,

“I’m turnin’ on the light I got…alright? Don’t…” There seemed to be a pause, and some slight movement, “Don’t shoot.” Click. With everyone having probably adjusted to the darkness to varying degrees, the light is blinding, but it is certainly a man standing before them. Wincing, then staring at them with one eye watering and the other shut because of his own bright light, he let out an uncomfortable sound, holding the light up higher, “I’m not an enemy, surprise~! Can you put that thing down now?”

The cave, now illuminated, it now visibly quite large and empty. There is a small puddle of water nearby, and a rather large, black hole to the ceiling, an abyss in its own right. There is a slight hole to the right of Skylar’s feet. If she had taken a side step, she probably would have broken her ankle. The man before the two waits on expectantly as everyone’s eyes adjust to the bright led light.







As the two went about searching, and eventually thinking on their situation…just out in front of them, something oblong and pure white fell from the ceiling. For a moment, it seemed to quiver on the cold floor, but eventually it stopped and seemingly twisted over, “hOI!” While it’s body was still, a tiny face on the now exposed side seemed to constantly vibrate.

“hhhhoi.”





Hopping along the winding passage, before looking back at the ‘monster with the weird hat, the grey rabbit monster frowned, “Hurry along with those books, there are still a few more I need you to pick from.”







Picking up the paper bag, Eyeclopsiel noted the near heftiness to it, letting a sigh leave her as her attention went to the shop keeper waving her over. Hooves clicking on the floor as she came forward again…

“G’day Miss Eyeclopsiel, how’s that son?”

Looking away for a moment with an almost lazy disinterest, the pale monster literally just shrugged as she murmured out loud, “He’s out playing with his friends, probably.” Eye going back to the shop keep, she noticed the finger pointing at the bag.

“Is that for the little guy?” Shrugging again, the shop keep merely laughed at this, before nodding heartily, “Very well. As always, thanks for your patronage.”

Stepping back onto the street, a few young monsters glanced at her as she came out...she noticed one of them wearing that rival's button on their shirt, this made her eye twitch, and her gaze trailed after...

Skylar was about to protest to Rodney when he told her to stay behind him, but she didn't speak up when he addressed the figure nearby. She blinked at the new voice, and she squinted at the figure, trying to get a good look at them through the darkness. She also couldn't help but feel as though they were being watched, and she looked around trying to see if that outline was the only one here besides her and Rodney. She looked back to the figure when he seemed to approach, and he seemed convinced that Rodney was going to shoot him.

She winced as he turned on the LED light, and after blinking a few tears away she got a clear look of the man in front of her.

...Dang, was it the LED light, or was he just hot? She shook her head, now was not the time to be flirting!

She looked down in order to give her eyes a break from the light, and while she looked down she noticed the hole near her and she moved away from it a bit, to make sure that she didn't break her ankle before looking at him again. After he said that he wasn't an enemy, she raised an eyebrow in confusion. She asked him in curiosity, "Who are you? Are you...one of the original crew members who got lost on the lake? And what do you mean by 'enemy'?"

---

Jeeves had tried to convince Lorelei that walking through the streets of Stalac Heights to her stage area was going to attract attention. Of course, that failed. Lorelei walked through the streets, and she was immediately greeted by adoring fans as she walked on. She walked on with her fans following her, asking her to autograph her albums and other Angel Brand Merchandise. She loved the attention and the adoring fans, and how they trampled over her agent. She easily noticed that Eyeclopsiel was nearby, and she gave the candidate a smile, before continuing on her way with her fans. She figured that the candidate may appreciate some privacy since the monsters who may have been looking at her were now focused on her.

A final small shriek of fear escapes the small bird-like monster as Nina sends its last attack she had caught back at it, turning the creature to dust on contact. She'd not meant to get into a fight, but the little monster had definitely seen her, and no way was she going to let it get away and tell some bigger monster where she was hiding. She didn't feel like getting killed just yet, thanks.

She was slightly glad she'd fought this monster now though, as she sifted through the small pile of dust to find a brown paper bag with a sandwich and a small fruit she didn't recognize inside. She was extremely hungry, not knowing how many days it had been since she and her team arrived here, and thus the last time she had eaten a real meal. She bit into the sandwich and kept sifting through the dust for another moment as she reminded herself not to eat too quickly, finding a couple small silver coins as she took another bite, the sandwich already half gone.

She has killed every monster to see her so far, thanking whatever higher power there was that none of the larger or smarter monsters had really discovered her yet. She knew that the monsters were aware of at least one human around, she was certain that there were other members of her team still alive somewhere because of that. The only reason she was still alive was because she didn't let any monster that saw her get away. She quickly learned how to FIGHT on her own, and has scavenged whatever items she could to keep herself from collapsing.

She still had her wetsuit, and the simple navy blue one-piece swimsuit that she had worn underneath during the dive, although she had ripped the sleeves off of the wetsuit to use as make-shift bandages, and other tears in the suit from monster's attacks made the top part not really worth wearing so she just wore it like a pair of pants now, tying what was left of the top in a knot at her hips to keep them from slipping down. Her hair was a mess, not having really been brushed in days, it took three of the hairbands she kept around her wrist to keep it all out of her face.

She had taken a grey jacket from a monster she had fought within the first day or so of her being separated from her team, and it was probably the only reason she didn't have hypothermia right now. Sure, it wasn't totally freezing in the caves, but... She never really takes the jacket off. Sometimes if she put up the hood, monsters would just walk past her. There was a logo on the back, reminding Nina of some kind of political ad, a picture of an almost-skeletal rabbit giving the camera a thumbs up. She couldn't read the words on it, but she trusted her gut about the political feeling.

Finishing the sandwich, she put up her hood and scattered the dust around as much as possible, trying to make it not totally obvious that a monster died here. Once she was satisfied with her work, she walked down the path to where a small branch-off led to where she'd been doing most of her hiding and sleeping. It was and area maybe a meter high and wide, with about a 5 foot depth and a 2 foot by 2 foot opening to the path she was on now, almost totally hidden in the jagged wall of the cave. She brought the strange little fruit with her, not sure if she should try eating it.

As she crawled into her little alcove, she tried to remember how to tell if a fruit could be poison or not. She was drawing a blank, and after a minute or so of arguing with her stomach, she took a small bite. It was sweet, a taste kind of like an apple mixed with a fig, and the flesh had a texture like a pear. Deciding that something so good couldn't be poisonous, she ate as much as she could, a core like an apple's all that was left behind when she was done. Putting the core in the corner of the alcove, she scooted as far away from the entrance as she could and curled up on her side to sleep for a little bit, her head resting on her arm and facing the entranceway as she closed her eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.

---

Her eyes darted from side to side, searching for the source of the next attack. Isa was training with her father in Mirth Lake, away from the lights of the city. He always pushed her to be able to predict the enemy's next move, and so he was being unpredictable, hiding in the shadowy water around her and throwing magic spears her way, all made of orange magic of course, so as long as she was at least trying to dodge she wouldn't be hurt.

She noticed a ripple of movement to her left and dodged backwards just in time to avoid her father's next flurry of spears. She quickly formed a knife out of blue magic and threw it at her father, watching as it passed right through his chest. He clapped a little, his expression slightly less indifferent than normal. That was a lot for him.

"Alright, that's enough for today, I think." He started, swimming over to her side and putting an arm on her shoulder. "I have my duties in the city for the next shift, and you should probably go patrol the lake perimeter now. Don't forget to patrol above the water, too." With that he swam off towards the city, leaving her to swim up to the water's surface alone.

"Sure, dad. 'Cause I always slack off on that part." She said out loud as her head broke the water, her tail splitting apart into her legs and the outer scales condensing into an armored-skirt type thing. She was wearing a plain black tank top that sort-of flared out at the bottom, making it almost a dress, although the skirt barely reached past her fingertips if she let her arms hang at her sides. She didn't really need to cover the lower half of her body in the water, or out of it for that matter. Her scales still covered up everything that needed covering, though she'd been told many times that other monsters thought it weird when she didn't wear something to cover herself. As far as she knew, her dad got the same reaction, along with every other monster of her kind.

"Well, I think it's weird that you guys can't swim." She said with a laugh to herself as she started walking around the perimeter of the lake, noticing the few monsters walking up ahead. As they passed her they said hellos to each other and kept going their respective ways, her reminding herself not to think out loud when having imaginary conversations in her head.

The patrol was uneventful, until she was almost 3/4 the way around the perimeter of the lake. She sneezed. But, where did any dust come from in this wet cavern? Looking carefully at the ground around her she noticed a faint layer of dust, scuffed in places as if someone was trying to spread it all out. Forming a normal magic knife in her hand, she started looking for anything that might show where the killer had gone. After looking around a bit and not being able to find anything, she growled in frustration and threw her knife at the wall, it digging in a few inches and sticking there until she let it fade out of existence.

"Another one, and again no trace left of the killer." Isa wanted to yell, scream at the top of her lungs. This made 11. 11 monsters that she knew had been killed in the area of Mirth lake and the monster's Mirth forest. She looked down at the lake, and then down the path that led to the forest and eventually to Stalac Heights. Where to go and tell people first? The city in the lake was safe from any human, being completely underwater and all, so Stalac Heights and the forest is the more logical choice, right?

Isa made a knife out of blue magic so it glowed in contrast with the stone around her, lighting up the area as she walked, looking carefully for any sign of movement or attack from the shadows created by the uneven wall of the cavern. She got all the way to Stalac Heights before she dared let the weapon disappear, not seeing anything else suspicious along the way. She went to the city's library. What better place to start spreading information around than a library? Also, there were likely to be less people around to panic in the library than in the middle of a busy street.

"I found the dust of another monster just now, out on the perimeter of the lake." She said, probably louder than she should have, as she walked towards the first familiar face she saw in the place, Dorkle Stein. "I don't know who it was, but there wasn't much dust there. I almost didn't spot it. It was probably a helpless little guy, like a Whimsum or something, and that just makes it that much more infuriating to me. There's a human, somewhere between here and the lake, picking off those that they think they can! That's eleven now! 11 monsters that we know are dead, and how many more that've been missing?" Isa took a breath to calm her voice a little, this is a library after all.

"We need to start searching for this human constantly, no one should ever be out alone, ever. This is getting too..." She trailed off, not really being able to think of the right word to finish that sentence.

Oh, wow. I am so glad he's human. I mean... he looks human, anyway, so I assume he is. I mean, he's... well, he's half-naked, and showing very human-like skin (at least so far as the abrupt LED light is letting me see, that thing is really bright), so chances are, and all... I wonder what happened to his wetsuit? He had to have had one, after all... well, either way, our mission is one-seventh of the way to completion. Huzzah!

'It's, uh, good to see you,' I start in a kind of lame fashion, slightly thrown off by the unexpected circumstances, but eventually bringing myself back to normal to lower the gun and return it to its bag. 'Name's Rodney, and my companion is Skylar. Not gonna lie, I'm pretty sure I couldn't shoot you even if I wanted to. The clips for this thing have vanished, actually,' I continue, waving the gun in its bag slightly to indicate, 'and I have no idea where they went. That said, uh... alright, I'm going to copy Skylar here: I'm guessing you were part of the previous dive team? And when you say "enemy", are you suggesting that... there... are...'

And the reason I've trailed off like that is because, all of a sudden, some weird pixellated ghost has emerged into the light of the LED. What the hell...?

---

Holy butts there are humans here. Three of them. This is such a fun time! I will finally be able to talk to people who do not dislike me!

'hello my name is eeeeeeeeeeee how are you are you humans how did you get down into this area what are your names tell me about yourselves this is extremely exciting we have never had humans in this area before i think i dont remember exactly but i assume you are the first humans to be in here in a long time what are your names please tell me'

---

Oh my God, that ghost thing will not shut up. It's like a verbal motorboat or something. In an effort to interrupt it, I call out 'Uh, okay, so my name is Rodney, and these two are... uh.' I stop talking as I realise its own speech has continued on regardless of my own. I let a second or so pass, before deciding to disregard the ghost's incessant talking and saying to my human companions (loudly, so I can be heard over the ghost) 'Alright, so maybe you want to tell this ghost guy your names. I don't think we got yours yet, anyway, friend?' This last sentence is directed at the half-naked guy specifically, because otherwise, he's going to become "half-naked guy" in my head, and that'll end up sticking for way too much time.

Dorkle was surprised to see Isa come into the library. He was even more surprised to see that she was approaching him of all people. It would be normally be a great honor, but she didn't come with good news.

"Out of hand? Precarious? Hazardous?" Dorkle offered to the young Royal Guard member who was clearly feeling distressed. He gave her a weak smile in attempt to comfort her. "But you and the Royal Guards are on the case, right? Surely you can put an end to this."

But a human was down here? If it wasn't so dangerous, Dorkle would like to try to capture it and perform experiments on it. He imagined himself as a hero for capturing the human. His experiments on the human would allow for great advancement in science and technology. He would win awards and finally be taken seriously as a scientist. But now was not the time to be dreaming such wild fantasies. A murderous human was out on the loose!

"And if you ever need any help, I'll be sure to lend a hand," he added as his eyes fell to the ground and his cheeks flushed slightly. He was not very good at talking to girls. Nor was he very confident. He instantly regretted offering his help.

"Not that she would ever need help from a lame, weak monster like me..."

Bow was following close behind the humans watching them for the most part not sure if he should make his appearance to them or not."I don't know if they will kill me or not...perhaps i am worrying too much" He said to himself as he started walking to another rock hiding behind it peering out form the rock.Unknown to him he would be noticeable since peering his head out of the dark his bright blonde hair and bright white suit would be noticeable in the dark.

Nothing. Ash could not think of a damn thing to help promote his campaign. He had been around the city for like an hour now. Spotted a glimpse of Loriel, avoided her. Grabbed some groceries and then realized how little he had accomplished. Finally he had decided to bounce on over to the library and 'convince' Dorkle to get him some books off the record again. He began walking towards the monster who was currently having a conversation with a member of the guard, but stopped short as he heard her speak. He quietly hid behind a shelf and listened in.

"...out on the perimeter of the lake. I don't know who it was, but there wasn't much dust there. I almost didn't spot it. It was probably a helpless little guy, like a Whimsum or something, and that just makes it that much more infuriating to me. There's a human, somewhere between here and the lake, picking off those that they think they can! That's eleven now! 11 monsters that we know are dead, and how many more that've been missing?"

Ash's ears perked up like mad and he grinned like a fool. "Nelson, did you hear that?!?" He whisper-shouted. Ash's butler was inspecting a book, but quickly put it down and turned to his employer. "Yes, Ash. Please do not tell me you're after that human." Nelson sighed. Ash grinned somehow even wider.

"Of course I am!... But, what's a human?"
"Maybe when you're older, Sir Ash."
"I am an ADULT!"
"If you insist master Ash."
"Whatever, I'm gonna go find it!"

And with that, Ash stormed out of the building, grabbing his Drillsaw by the door. He used his favorite mode of transportation, hopping inside of it and propelling himself with his flame magic. It was much faster than walking, and would get him to the forest, through the forest, and to the lake fairly quickly. As long as no one in the lake killed the human, it'd be his for the taking.

"Free glory, here I come!"

---

System 'Hmph'ed at the empty carton of milk. Damn, she'd have to get more. She sighed as she slipped on her blazer and slippers and walked out the door, not bothering to lock the door or put up the "Closed, return soon <3" sign she had made for situations like these. Business was slow, she wouldn't need it.

She got her milk but decided on the way home that it would be a good day to return her books. She set the carton of milk down on her desk and picked up the book she was reading, as well as a few others she had. Again, she set out, this time her destination being the library. Maybe she could talk with that nice fellow who had recommended her some books before? This time, before getting too far away from the house she made sure to put the sign back on the door; she was probably going to be gone for a little while this time, she just felt it in her bones.

When Nina woke up, she felt like she had only slept for 5 minutes, though it probably had been at least an hour. As much as she wanted to close her eyes and curl back up, a rotting smell wouldn't let her. The smell was sickly sweet, and after a minute she realized that the core form the fruit she had eaten earlier was the source. "God, i'm such an idiot!" She spoke out loud, clapping a hand over her mouth immediately. She picked up the rotting core and peeked out of her little alcove to see if there was anyone nearby who could have heard her.

Thankfully, there wasn't. She sighed silently and crawled out onto the path, walking quickly towards the lake. She would throw the core into the water, and hopefully the smell would dissipate soon enough, but until the smell was completely gone she couldn't go back to her hiding place. Once she had watched the fruit's core sink to the bottom of the lake, she looked around for a place that was a little less in the open. Maybe she should have tried to go into the forest in the other direction from the lake, it would have been easy enough to hide there, among the foliage.

But no. She was here now, and the paths to anywhere else were too dangerous. Too much of a chance that someone would see her, and too little space to run or fight back properly. She pulled her jacket hood up and started walking around the perimeter of the lake, her head down so her face couldn't be seen. After walking a little way, she found a place on the shoreline where the rocks were tall enough that if she sat with her feet in the water, she was only visible from directly behind. With the hood of the jacket up, no one who saw her should be suspicious enough to bug her, hopefully.

She listened carefully to the sounds of the few monsters who walked by as she tried to think of how long her hideout would be unsafe to return to.

---

Isa smiled, if even just a little. "Yeah, that's great Dorkle. That you wanna help. And I really, appreciate the offer, but I can't let you." She sighed, not wanting the a-dork-able monster to misunderstand why she said no. "It really is getting out of hand, and the royal guard should be on top of things. But, there are so few of us and there are so many other things that need to be done 24-7 that we're too spread out to spare anyone to go hunting for humans."

"So, even though we could use a little help, we can't allow anyone who hasn't been trained to fight to put themselves in that kind of danger." Isa backed off from the counter a little, her face half-serious, half-sad. "Even I'm supposed to be patrolling around the lake right now, but when I found the dust I rushed here to start warning people to stay away from that area. I have to go back, so can you tell everyone you see to stay away from the lake area until the human is found for me please? I'll be telling people on my way back, too."

Letting out a string of rather colorful swear words, Xaria flinched away from the white thing as it fell from the ceiling and onto the floor. She'd instantly dropped her wetsuit and was pointing her knife at the creature.

Eli had dropped his multi tool when the creature spoke, his eyes widened as he could have sworn that.. whatever it was vibrating on the floor said 'hoi.' He fumbled with the multitool, picking it gingerly off the ground. "Don't go near that thing!"Eli protested.

"Don't be such a sissy!" Xaria retorted, approaching the creature and staring, her eyes squinting as she made a disgusted face. It was a mass of white goo with a face which was rapidly vibrating in her direction. She kept the blade poised in case the thing decided to attack.

“hhhhoi.” it repeated.

Acting quickly now, Xaria reached into her ziploc bag and pulled out her flashlight. she prodded the creature in the side with her flashlight smoothly, and the creature's ooze-like flesh took hold of her flashlight, rapidly sucking the light into its body.

Cursing loudly, Xaria jabbed the creature with her knife, yanking her flashlight from its grip only to hear it give a slightly strangled "hoi..." its face was twisted into a pained frown and it seemed to be genuinely hurting. Xaria had never felt so awful in her life... as if she'd just kicked a puppy or something. And then, to make matters worse, the creature turned to ashes, scattering across the floor.

Eli crept up behind Xaria, using his superior height to get a better look at the thing. He was both shocked and surprised when the thing started to try and eat Xaria's flashlight... and her quick reflexes jabbed it right in the gooey body. He stared at the creature in fascination as it dissolved into ashes. "Did... did you just kill it?" he asked warily.

Xaria stared at the place where the creature had been moments before and then rapidly allowed her knife to clatter to the ground."I.. I don't know." She admitted, feeling a twinge of guilt surging through her body. She hadn't meant to kill the thing.. she'd just been startled and reacted.. and then.. it was.. ashes. "I.. it turned to ashes." she commented. Then she closed her eyes as a strange sensation echoed across her body. Power, spreading from her toes to her fingertips like pins and needles. She'd never felt this before.. and it.. felt good.

"What did you do that for?" Eli protested. "It had a face! It could have been harmless!"

Xaria just ran her fingers through her hair quickly as Eli assaulted her with an accusatory glance. She recoiled from his gaze, shaking her head. "I didn't mean to!" She snapped sharply. "It grabbed my flashlight... and i just.. kind of panicked! I'm not perfect, alright?" she bent to pick up her equipment. "If i could take it back i would, but what's done is done."

Eli just gave Xaria a disapproving stare, like a mother might give their child after they'd done something wrong. "Well.. whatever that was, i sure hope it didn't have friends.. because if it did, they might hunt you down."

Xaria hadn't even thought of that. She adjusted her equipment, brushing the last of the dust off of her hands. She still felt guilty.. but at the same time.. the power she'd felt after its death... she didn't know what to think anymore. "I... lets get out of here." She stated, moving to lead them from the room.

Surveying her warily, Eli followed slowly behind the younger woman. He didn't like her response at all.. but.. she was right.. they couldn't change anything now.





Amarante had finally reached the city, Shadow on her heels, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he panted excitedly. "First things first... paying back that shopkeeper you stole bread from."

Shadow just gave her a broad smile, letting out a happy bark.

Shaking her head, Amarante smiled, ruffling a hand through his cold fur. "come one then." She stated

The two headed towards the shop, but Amarante stopped when she saw a somewhat familiar face in the streets. Eyeclopsei... one of the two candidates running for mayor of this underground city. Amarante had never been one for politics, especially considering her kind had their own hierarchy system and sort of ignored the rest of the underground. Still.. since she had left her kind, she had to make an effort and at least vote for someone. She might as well start by talking to each candidate.. right? If she didn't like either of them, she could always just forget to vote.

Wandering over to Eyeclopsei, Amarante stared down at her fellow monster, her eyes focusing on Eyeclopsei's giant eye. "Greetings." She gave the monster a friendly wave of her tail and ears to make sure the monster knew she wasn't going to attack. Shadow tilted its head, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he heard himself get introduced. He let out several strangled barking sounds as he wiggled his butt excitedly at the newcomer. The monster smelled familiar, like dusty books and chocolate chip cookies. Which he liked. He didn't move from Amarante's side however, instead waiting for a command as he used his back foot to scratch behind his ear. Ghost fleas were the worst kind of fleas.. Because nothing Shadow or Amarante could do would keep them from living on him.

"I wished to speak with you on the matter of your.. leadership of this place." Amarante stated calmly.



Shrubmarine wanted so badly to just abandon his post. No one had shown up in an hour, and he could really use a drink.. maybe a snack or two. Maybe no one would notice if he snuck off for just a little bit.

Looking left and right to make sure no one was coming, Shrubmarine abandoned his tentacled submarine and headed into the nearest town for some refreshments. Just for a little bit. No one would ever notice he was gone.

Skylar was startled to say the least when a ghost suddenly appeared. But she calmed down as the ghost asked its...or rather, his (she guessed) questions. This ghost wasn't here to hurt them. He was curious! At least that's the impression she got. She was glad to see that Rodney had answered Eeeeee's question instead of resorting to his gun. Then again, a gun couldn't hurt a ghost, now could it? After Rodney told them to introduce themselves, it didn't take Skylar long to comply. She smiled at the ghost cheerfully and she greeted with a wave "Hi! I'm Skylar! It's nice to meet you, Eeeee,"
She was a bit curious as to who the half naked hot guy's name was, but she was fine with dubbing him 'Hot Stuff' in her head. In the meantime, she was trying to get a word in so she could socialize with the ghost (just like that one Disney song! Grim Grinning Ghosts come out to socialize!)



Lorelei managed to catch a glimpse of Ash, and she grinned mischievously before following him and after she excused herself from her fans. Jeeves followed her hissing "Where are you going?!" She hissed back at him, "Just get out the camera, dear! And get it broadcasting! Chop chop!" From her hiding place, she managed to hear what the Royal Guard said about humans, and Ash's words about going after the human that was out killing small innocent monsters. Lorelei kept herself from laughing at Ash's words and as soon as Ash took off in his hot ride.

She turned to the camera and spoke to the camera with a microphone she always kept on hand, "You heard it right there folks! Mayor Candidate Ash is now off to go and find a human! Tune in everyone! For we are going to follow the candidate and see how he handles the Human Quandary! LIVE!" Jeeves then turned off the camera, knowing the 'Cut!' look that Lorelei was giving him.

He asked in deadpan "Not to rain on your parade Angel, but how are we going to catch up to him?" Lorelei stretched her wings, and she answered him, "That's easy dear!" The small walking eyeball of an agent widened his eye and whimpered in fear "Oh no..." With a wide grin, the siren cheered as she grabbed Jeeves and took off flying "OH YES! LET'S GO MY AGENT! No screaming now!" Jeeves cried silently as Angel flew off after Ash's car, with Jeeves in tow.

The fast spinning Drillsaw carved a line in the ground as it sped through the forest, closely clipping many a tree and destroying much flora along the way. Ash had to get through the forest first. Earlier he was sure he had caught some feathers falling from above, though he couldn't slow up. A monster was definitely tailing him. Whether it was trying to defeat the 'humon' before him or trying to grab his autograph afterwards was unclear, but he couldn't slow up. Not when, surely, this last boost would give him the edge he needed to win.

And finally, he reached it. The Monster's Mirth Lake. He took a second to catch a breath and admire the scenery when he realized whoever was following him was at least a little behind him. It seemed whoever this 'humon' was they didn't want to make themselves known. Ash couldn't find, even squinting off in the distance, the signs of anything out of the ordinary. He'd have to look around personally. He hated having to do stuff!

Taking a peek around the area, he decided to walk the lake's perimeter, looking for any nooks and crannies the creature could be hiding in. He was beginning to feel like his effort was wasted when he spotted someone with a VERY stylish jacket looking out on the lake. They were hiding in a quiet place with their feet in the water. Must not've heard the commotion, but Maybe they knew special spots to look out for? They did seem to be a master of making themselves unknown after all. Ash almost missed them! He approached them.

"Hey, you are aware there's a 'humon' on the loose right? You should probably be somewhere else. But, seeing as you're out here, do you know of any spots said 'humon' could be?"

---

System gently pushed open the library door and entered, taking in all the sights and smells. The library was always a great place to relax and wind down, with that soothing paper smell. She took a small stroll over to the counter to return her books, but noticed a Royal Guard member talking to that nice boy who was the clerk. Isa, if she remembered right. System placed her books down on a table near them and walked up to the two.

"Hello Ms. Member-of-the-Royal-Guard, hello Mr. Guy-who-runs-the-counter. How are you two?"

Nina jumped to her feet at the sudden voice behind her, whirling around to face the monster and her hood falling away from her face as she did. The few monsters that had been around when she first hid there had all dissapeared after a while and she'd ended up zoning out, thinking about how she'd ever get back home.

"U-um, I..." She had started to try and lie, but no matter how clueless this guy seemed- who cant even pronounce 'human' correctly?- he would already know just by seeing her face that she wasn't a monster. Instead, she smiled coolly, bluffing her confidence. "Yeah. Right in front of you. Congrats, you found me." She wasn't sure what would happen next, but she took a fighting stance either way.

---

"Oh, hey System." Isa never had trouble with remembering people's names, even if they only ever spoke once before. It was a good skill to have as a royal guard, it helped the people to trust you if you could call them by name. "I'm fine, but I should probably be leaving soon.. How are you?" She glanced at Dorkle, wondering if she should stay to tell System about the danger, or if he could take care of it.

"I understand. I'll spread the word for you. But please be careful, Isa. I know you're a royal guard and all, but I- no one would want anything to happen to you," said Dorkle. His eyes momentarily looked into Isa's before returning its gaze back onto the ground. Isa was easier to talk to than the other royal guards and Dorkle was fond of her, as all monsters here were. She could be described as the ultimate older sister type.

Then System came in and placed some books she was most likely returning onto the table. "Oh hello, System, Dorkle smiled before explaining to System what was going on. "Well personally I am okay, but Isa had just shared with me some unpleasant news. Apparently, well, you see, there is a human here that is... killing monsters in the area. And so we have to spread the word and try to make sure everyone stays safe."

"I'm going to make some signs and hang them up around the library and the rest of the town," he added decisively.

"And maybe try to build some kind of security robot," he thought to himself.