Shaggy and The Professor cut there way through the dark grounds. A few magical lamps were the only source of light on the school paths. The Professor kept his arm up, his weird scanner warning them whenever another guard was nearby. There were a surprisingly few amount of guards watching the school. But Shaggy figured that was because it was night and the school was so far removed from society.
Whenever they did see an approaching guard, The Professor would signal and they’d hide. Thankfully the school was ostentatious enough to have a lot of foliage. Though, Shaggy was getting sick of diving into bushes. But the grounds were amazingly big, and they first few buildings they’d examined had been dormitories. The school itself was deeper in toward the center of the grounds. At least, that’s what a helpful directory map they had found said.
“Incoming.” Prof whispered.
Shaggy sighed, but leapt off the path and behind a large hedgerow of bushes. He hugged the ground as the Professor did the same a few feet ahead. The sounds of steady footsteps filled the night air. Shaggy listened as the guard wordlessly walked by, his steps disappearing into the distant. He waited for the all clear from the lizard before he got up. Once it was given Shaggy grunted and jumped back to the walkway.
“This is getting old. We have to be close right?”
“That’s what the map said. The building we want is on the left hand side as soon as we exit this long-ass winding path. So we should almost be there.”
“I don’t think I believe you anymore. It feels like we have been walking forever. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the same exact topiary repeating. Are we trapped in a curse or something.”
The Professor opened his mouth before snapping it shut again. He said nothing as his eyes did that strange glowing thing again. When the glowing stopped, the lizard shook his head.
“Nope. All clear from what I can see. Probably just your imagination. Let’s go.”
The Professor hurried away before Shaggy could say anything more. Shaggy growled softly and followed. He was sure they were trapped. What kind of dumb school would have repeating topiaries down a long walkway leading to the school’s main building? That’s just crazy. Shaggy grit his teeth and got ready to whisper-shout as much to the Prof, but the sudden appearance of a multistory brown building stopped him.
The main building was a three-story tall, brick building in the shape of the letter C. From the directory, Shaggy knew the side in front of them was the main office building. The long side to their right was a library and cafeteria, and the left side was for the classrooms. Which meant the Analysis Lab was in the left section. Shaggy veered that way, but the Professor’s robotic hand grabbed his shoulder.
Shaggy pulled to a stop and looked over. The lizard player’s eyes were glowing again as he scanned all three buildings. Shaggy waited for the Prof to snap out of it, keeping his eyes open for more guards. When the glow faded the Professor grimaced and started walking toward their building. Shaggy quirked an eyebrow and followed.
“I think we’re good to go…” The Professor trailed off.
Shaggy kept his head on a swivel as he responded. “You don’t sound too sure there, Doc.”
“Yeah, well, there’s no protections on any of the buildings. Other than traces of magic in some areas, there’s nothing.”
The Professor checked his arm’s scanning tool as the walked. There were two large double-doors at the center of the building. Shaggy spotted a keycard reader on the door and smiled. If nothing else, they were here. Which meant that Shaggy’s patented fast in, loud out strategy was paying off. All they needed to do was hurry up and find their lab.
“No guards either.” The Professor stopped before they reached the doors.
Shaggy could almost here the other player’s brain spinning. The lack of guards was concerning, but not something that concerned them. At least not yet.
“The school probably has other protections, right? So all we have to do is stay on our toes and deal with problems as they come.”
“Yeah, that’s how you get caught flat-footed with no escape plan.” The Professor sighed.
Shaggy grumbled as he waited by the door. But soon the Professor shrugged his shoulder and joined Shaggy, clearly unhappy. Shaggy tried not to look too pleased with himself. The sooner they got this done the sooner they could start sneaking back out. The Professor swiped the card at the reader and a green light came on. Followed by a quiet beep.
Shaggy eagerly pushed through and stepped into the building. Faux-wood walls and checkered tiled floors met his gaze. Hallways stretched on either side of him, while a staircase leading to the upper floors was straight ahead. Plaques were attached to the walls were the hallways met the main foyer. Shaggy rushed over to the right hand side and started reading calling over his shoulder.
“See? Piece of cake, Doc. We’re in.”
He scanned the plaques listing the various classrooms down the right hand hallway. But soon, Shaggy realized he didn’t hear the Professor respond or the large lizard-man’s steps. Shaggy spun around and blinked confusedly at the sight that met his eyes. The tiled foyer and the entrance were gone, replaced by a dark cave.
The pink light in the sky and the half-constructed cabin told Shaggy that he was back in the cave under the Deli. He groaned. The damn magic school was hexed or cursed or whatever. Shaggy grew his claws and waited. He didn’t know what kind of trap the game would throw at him, but he was ready.
“Shaggy?” whispered a soft feminine voice.
“Damn it.” Shaggy swore as his ears perked up at the sound.
Levy was stepping from the half-constructed cabin. Smiling down at him from it’s deck. A wave of annoyance hit Shaggy as he knew what the spell was doing. It was a standard in a lot of fantasy games. Make the player feel all warm and cozy with images of a happy life and then hit you with the scary terror. If your mental fortitude wasn’t enough, you’d lose control of your in-game faculties. Becoming a plaything of the spell.
Shaggy closed his eyes and ignored the fake-Levy. Even as she tried to usher him inside. He need to find a way to push against the spell. Normally a Player would attack the caster or the object maintaining the spell. But Shaggy could see out of whatever glamour he’d been hit with. He tried to recall the room, but that might have been a trap as well. Shaggy grunted rushed toward where he thought the door used to be.
He had only gone a few steps before the cave he was in shattered. The walls and world seemed to crack into pieces around him. Shaggy found himself back in the dark foyer. The lights from outside filled the tiled floor with ghostly shadows. Shaggy spun on his heels looking around seeing the two hallways and the staircase. He gave a sigh as he seemed to be back in the real world for some reason.
But then the black and white-checkered floor started to twist upward. It spun into a funnel and Shaggy had to crouch low as the ceiling and walls curved around him. The checkered pattern spread itself along the walls and ceiling. Soon, Shaggy was crouching in a long tube of black and white colored tiles. He growled under his breath as he tried pushing his way out, but the walls felt like cement.
Shaggy knew that none of this was real. It was all just another glamour or illusion created by the school’s protections. That didn’t mean it wasn’t annoying though. He started crouch-walking done the tube. Not really knowing which way he was going in the foyer. Hell, for all he knew he was staying in one place in the real world. He fought the urge to wolf out. While that would probably solve the issue, it would also make him easier to spot. Especially if he broke a wall or something.
Instead he crawled onward, the tube of tiles getting tighter and tighter. Eventually Shaggy had to use his claws to pull himself through the narrow tunnel. If it wasn’t for a bright light at the end, he would’ve turned around and tried the other direction. But with a goal in his vision, it made it easier to continue. The light grew brighter as he crawled closer, it’s light almost blindingly white. But when Shaggy finally got so close that the light was obscuring his vision he found that it wasn’t the end of the tunnel. It was an actually large glowing orb of white.
Shaggy growled angrily as his long claws tapped against the orb’s surface. It felt slightly malleable in places under his sharp claws. So he dug his claws in and tried to dig his way through. Instead the light wrapped around his claws and gripped onto his arm and shoulder. He tried to use his considerable strength to get his arm back. But the light stayed stuck and started to travel over his body. He gave a muffled grunt as the warm semi-liquid whiteness crawled up his face and head before covering his vision completely. He tried to shut his eyes to the brightness, but it penetrated his eyelids so fully that it was pointless.
Shaggy opened his eyes again to find himself in a bright white void of nothingness. He swore loudly, before marching around. He was getting pissed. This damn spell was annoying. Couldn’t it pick a theme and stick to it. Shaggy raked his claws through the air a few times. But nothing happened. He walked for a bit in various directions, but the white void was the same. He couldn’t even tell if he was moving within the void. Frustrated, Shaggy sat on the floor and tried to center his mind.
He sat and waited trying to push against an invisible force with his mind. But nothing came of it. Minutes passed, which he was sure turned to hours. Shaggy started to wonder what was going on in the real world. Was the Professor trapped too. Were they just standing dumbfounded in the foyer of the classroom building? Would they be found this way in the morning? He was seriously considering wolfing out, when a sharp blow hit him in the face.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Shaggy was in a seated position on the floor so he pitched sideways from the blow. It stung a bit, but Shaggy quickly righted himself. As he did he found himself staring into the glowing orange eyes of the Professor. The lizard was crouched down glaring at him. His metal hand was raised ready to strike Shaggy again, but Shaggy quickly stood.
He was back in the foyer of the class building. The tiled floor and hallways were illuminated from outside again. Shaggy spun around, expecting the world to change. But when it didn’t he sighed loudly. But then he quickly remembered how long he sat in the void. He turned back to the Professor almost shouting.
“We have to hur… hrmp-glmph!”
The professor pressed his hand hard on Shaggy’s face, whispering. “Keep it down. What the hell is wrong with you? I close the door and find you rolling around on the floor like an idiot.”
Shaggy pulled the Professor’s hand away, confused. “The spell? How did you break the glamour? And how long has it been?”
“It’s been a few seconds. I was right behind you as we entered. But then I heard you rush off, so I closed the door and turned to find you crawling on the floor.”
“A few seconds?!” Shaggy shouted in a whisper. “I was stuck in that spell for hours!”
The Professor put up both of his hands. “Dude, I just turned around. You stood in the entrance here for a bit, rushed that way, then back this way, crawled on the floor, started struggling, and then just sat down. I felt a rush of magic as we entered so I turned on my magic vision to be safe.”
Shaggy blinked. “Magic vision? That’s a dumb name.”
“Really? That’s the conversation you want to have? Come on. The spell is still up and I don’t want to keep slapping you to knock you out of it.”
Shaggy grumbled but stuck close to the Professor. To him, the whole series of events had seemed like hours. But for the Professor it was barely a few seconds. Shaggy really didn’t want to get stuck in that type of spell till morning. That would be almost literal Hell. Probably designed to hold an intruder until the morning or something. Damn sociopath Wizards.
The Professor checked the left hand hallway first, quickly finding the lab they needed. Shaggy almost started grumbling again, but the Professor glanced back to see if Shaggy was still there. He gave the other player a smile as they moved. The professor shook his head and lead the way down the long hallway. Shaggy kept his eyes on the lizard’s back trying to use it as a focus to stave of whatever spell was in the air.
It was a decent jog down the hallway until the Professor stopped in front of a classroom. He tried the doorknob, but all it did was rattle. The Professor grunted and stood back examing the door. Shaggy tsked, and readied a kick. But his companion got in his way. Shaggy quickly had to catch himself as he almost fell.
“What are you doing?” The Professor asked.
“What are you doing? We need to get in, don’t we?”
“Yes. But how about we start with a softer answer then just bullrush our way in. We still have plenty of time and the guards don’t seem to come around here.”
“Yeah, because of the mind-manipulating glamour in the air, Doc. How about we say fuck subtlety and just get this over with.”
“Dude, we already know I can slap you out of it. So how about we calm down and not do anything drastic until the situation calls for it?”
Shaggy grunted, but said nothing else. Instead he moved to the opposite side of the hall and waited. The Professor went back to pondering the door, hand on his chin. Shaggy did his best to keep his mind on what was front of him. Afraid that any slip would put him back in the spell. It felt like minutes before the Professor tried something. But that was just to push against the door in various spots. He studied the hinges, tapped the doorknob, checked the frame of the door, and even got on his knees and looked at the bottom of the door. Shaggy grimaced.
“Come on! It’s a door, break it and move on.”
“I’m beginning to see why your bounty is so high. How many times have your just barrel into something where you could’ve snuck in?”
“My bounty is high because I’m a badass. But probably every time, now that you say that. Still though, if you can get away fast enough it’s a valid strategy.”
“Uh-huh.” The Professor said, not sounding convinced.
Shaggy moved back toward the door. The Professor was kneeling in front of the doorknob, waving the hand around. Shaggy spotted an orange glow emanating from the hand. He quirked an eyebrow.
“What’s with the orange, by the way?”
“Just the color of my magic. Apparently everyone has their own. So when I do magic stuff, orange color everywhere.”
“So your doing magic stuff?”
“Yep.”
“To a magic door in a magic school?”
“The door itself isn’t magic, but I get why you’re worried. Honestly though, I think I’ve got this. I just need to unlock the lock with magic and we’re in.”
“Wait so there’s no alarm or magic trigger on the door?”
“Nope. Not that I can see.”
“Oh, what the hell!?” Shaggy growled angrily punching the door near the lock.
The doorknob broke inward along with some of the door frame. There was a loud crash as the door rocketed inside and smashed against the wall. It bounced back on it’s hinges making the Professor stand and back away. He shot Shaggy a dirty look as they stood in silence. Shaggy was waiting for an alarm, while the Professor was looking up and down the hallway. When nothing came, Shaggy sighed. But the Professor hissed through clenched teeth.
“That was risky.”
“Dude, we’re fine. No magic mojo, right? So we can just punch our way in and then sneak back out.”
“Yes, but now they know someone was here.”
“So what? Maybe it was one of the magically nerds who go to the school? We can steal some quiz answers or something on our way out. Throw off the scent.”
“Shaggy, they could cast a scrying spell to find out where we are.”
“Could. But will they?”
The Professor grunted and stayed silent. Shaggy took the win and marched into the classroom. He took one look at all the equipment and various machines and spun back to the Professor. Shaggy waved a hand at the room, and the Professor sighed as he moved into the room. The lizard glanced around before finding what he was looking for and moving to it. It was one of the only silver pieces of machinery in the room. The rest of the arcane tools and machines had more earthy tones and were covered in markings. The silver machine also had some weird marks on it, but Shaggy didn’t really care enough to try and make them out.
Instead Shaggy moved to the large, oaken desk that stood at the front of the room. It was covered in various binders and books. But was mostly tidy enough. Shaggy tested a few drawers finding them locked. Figuring it was a safe bet that the drawers weren’t trapped he wrench them open. The sound of wood and metal snapping filled the room and the Professor turned to regard him again. Shaggy waved off the other player as he peered into the topmost drawer. Stacks of papers meet his gaze and he read the title.
“Hey!” Shaggy called. “What is the study of Magical Permanence in Relation To Non-Terrestrial and Non-Dimensional Materials? Is it important?”
He heard the Professor sigh. “It means how long a spell can graft onto any type of material. Spells can have a hard time with some over others. Can you stop whatever the hell you are doing and bring the vial here. I need to put it into the arcane spectrometer.”
“Nerdiest fucking machine I’ve ever heard of.” Shaggy grumbled as he continued to rifle through the drawer. “I’m trying to find something a student might steal. You know so they know not to blame us?”
“Give it up, Shaggy. They are going to scry us because of the broken door. They’ll know what we look like and probably alert the authorities.”
Shaggy grunted but left his place at the desk. “You seem pretty calm about that. I figured you’d get all pissy about me fucking things up?”
“Do you think you fucked things up?”
“Hell no!”
“Then why would I get mad if you’re not even going to be sorry about it? You did fuck up, by the way. But at least I have an idea to combat the scrying.”
“What’s that?” Shaggy asked retrieving the vial and moving next to the Professor.
The Professor chuckled. “Hehehe. Yeah, no. I ain’t telling you shit. They can chase your damn ass all over Under-Town.”
“Aww, come on, dude.”
“Oh look! Consequences.” The Professor laughed as he grabbed the vial and set it into a seat on the machine.
He closed the lid of the machine and stuck his lizard hand against a panel on the things side. It glowed orange for a few seconds and then the machine whirled to life. The Professor orange eyes glowed and he went stock still as the machine did it’s thing. Shaggy glanced around for a printer or anything else. But he saw nothing. He was getting a sinking feeling in his chest when the sound of the machine slowing filled the air. Shaggy thought it was way to fast to be over already. But the Professor removed his hand from the plate and stepped back. Shaggy was about to ask if they had succeeded, but a sudden onrush of information filled his head.
Shaggy yelped as information on formulas, ingredients, various temperatures, and base to ingredient ratio filled his brain. He tried to memorize each detail. But they quickly slipped from his mental grasp falling into the sea of his mind. Surprisingly, Shaggy noticed his inner wolf gobbling up the ideas. He wanted to worry about that, but the sudden stop of the all the information jarred him again. Shaggy looked over and found the Professor hunched over a desk and panting.
“Glad to see that wasn’t just rough for me.” Shaggy muttered as he pulled himself up.
“It was a bit much. But I think I got it all. It’s a very interesting formula. You can see why the gang you were talking about used some of the chemicals they did though. But if it’s my group, we can get access to better tiered stuff and…”
“I don’t have it.” Shaggy said, searching his brain.
“What?”
“I don’t have it. It’s gone! The information was flowing through my head and I could see it. But now, it’s not there! My fucking wolf ate it!”
“Pfft!” The Professor brought his metal hand to his mouth and suppressed a laugh.
Shaggy glared at him. “It’s not funny, dude! What the fuck am I going to do now?”
“You mean now that your wolf has eaten your homework?”
Shaggy stifled his own laugh. “Fuck off. Damn it. This sucks.”
“Calm down Shaggy. I still have it. I’ll write it down for you after we get back. But for now, lets go.”
Shaggy tried to keep the grin from his face as he nodded. Together, they turned to the door and started walking out of the lab. But a sudden light in the hall made them both stop. Shaggy groaned quietly as the Professor reached into a pocket on his lab coat. Shaggy moved to the door just as the footsteps outside started to hurry. The Professor, however, stayed where he was. Removing another yellow egg from his pocket.
He raised it up, giving Shaggy a nod. Shaggy nodded back as they prepared to escape the school.