"So...there's something evil in the hallways?" I said rhetorically. "That's just fantastic. Are we even sure whatever the security system was went off? Because they robbed this place down to the studs. I feel like they would have been interrupted or something."

Chelsea shrugged. "I just read you what it said. I have no clue about the details. It's not like there was a post script saying 'p.s. the evil monsters we unleashed will be in hallway five at six P.M on the third monday of every month, oh, and they're allergic to peanut butter'. I'm running on very little info just like you. The question is what to do with the info we have? Are we still going out there?"

I blew out a breath. "I mean, we have to don't we? We need to find whatever they're looking for. Anything in the rest of the book about that?"

"Not that I saw." She said with a grimace. "I can go over it again. My Focus made skimming fast and easy, but I might be able to try to parse it for data points. I didn't see any obvious references to anything specific though. Just the reference to the headmaster's vault."

Benny groaned. "Man, why is everyone dead. Usually we'd have met someone who could give us the down low on everything. Someone involved who can tell us what happened."

My eyes widened. "Wait...what if we COULD do that?" I was starting to form the beginnings of a plan. A crazy and potentially suicidal plan, but a plan nonetheless. It would be risky, but if wanted information it might be the best chance we had. I turned to Bethy. "You can control and talk to animals you...what, enthrall?"

"Thralls are people." She said sternly. "Animals are familiars. But yeah, I can understand what they're saying for the most part. It's not really talking like humans do it. More like images. But with context and emotions. Why do you ask?"

"There's...something, out there." I pointed to the halls. "Something dangerous and terrible that wiped out everything that was here before. But whatever it is, it's a living thing. Hell, it might not even be the SAME living thing, maybe it's a descendant. Whichever monster or beast they let loose out there, it's the only thing we know of that might have some clue of what's going on or why. At the very least it knows its way around."

Jessie, being our resident monster tamer, got it first. "You want her to tame the thing." She said in shock. "But we don't even know what it IS."

"So we cheat." Callie said with a grin. She always understood me best. "We can use wishes to prepare some traps and restraints. We might not be able to wish for the information on what we're dealing with, but we can wish for the right kind of items to counter it. Then Jessie can do her thing, use lifeforce to tame it. Once it's restrained and docile Bethy can...familiarize it. However it works."

The vampire girl bit her lip. "Maybe. I don't know if I'll have any kind of innate advantage. My cats are Night Pride, shadow demons. I have some sway over the dark, so that helps." Her voice wasn't as bright and cheerful as usual, more analytical. Bethy in her serious mode was a rare sight. "But if you have it bound somehow and Jessie uses her lifeweaving...I think I should be able to tame a powerful F-rank creature."

"If it's E-rank we're fucked anyway." I said with a shrug. "We'd probably already be dead. Actually, if they had anti-invader protocols, why ARE we still alive? Any high ranked monster would have already killed us."

Chelsea frowned, tipping back her head and closing her eyes. "Spatial sanctions." She said simply. "Not uncommon in training and combat academies. Stops the higher ranks from picking fights with the newbies. The space here is structure to break if anyone past a certain point exerts any Impact here." She opened the book again, flipping through. "Got it. This is the freshman academy. This part of the building is cut off from the more powerful places."

"That's good though, isn't it?" I asked hopefully. "The headmaster isn't a freshman, or an F-ranker, so his office will be in a higher level area. The Blood Murder Palace initiates will get murdered by the defenses or whatever when they step into a higher level area."

She shook her head. "Spokes on a wheel from what I can tell. The headmaster needed to be accessible to everyone. The different classes surround the central office, and you can access it from any of them. Once they get in...well if the monsters from the other areas break past the defenses they'd be waiting in there, but without anyone to open the place it's unlikely."

"Ok. So we need to get through the defenses in the freshman section of the academy, which will be limited to F-rank threats, but probably REALLY scary ones. And when we do its possible there will be horrible monsters of an even HIGHER level. Fingers crossed the defenses on that office are still holding. But getting there means we need something to counter the monsters or whatever that are here."

"Well, then I wish we had a collar that could contain the type of monster that lives here." Callie said vaguely. "I'll pay with ten shadow travel charges."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Wish detected. Grant wish?

I confirmed, gleefully noting that I could afford it. I wasn't sure how specific 'contain' really was, but she'd been aiming for doable not perfect. I felt the electricity build in my hands, gathering before a charge exploded out, congealing into a massive pitch black iron collar with symbols carved all over it.

Three wishes left. I glanced around. "Ok, so we have something that can counter it. Probably. Anyone know what this IS?" I'd never seen anything like it.

Chelsea, luckily, had. "I recognize the runework at least. Give me a minute. It's not something I studied, more like something I saw in a book once." At my raised eyebrow she shrugged. "The Holy Dominion is fairly boring, especially when you're avoiding dozens of suitors. I mostly spend my time in the library when I'm home."

"Well, always nice to be well read." I said with a chuckle. "Especially when it saves me from getting my face ripped off. If you recognize any of the symbols, that'll be usable."

"Well that one means dog." She said, pointing to the one closest to the hinge. "And that one means hot punishment place."

We all blinked at her. "Hot...punishment place?" I asked slowly. "No context or...like there's not one word for it? Because that's not helpful."

She threw up her hands. "I'm not a linguist! I told you I saw it in a book. Something about a hot place where people are punished. That's where the dog lives. If you need more than that I suggest consulting a whatever language this is dictionary, instead of someone who noticed the symbols on a fucking pot in a reliquary text."

"So...not to interrupt." Said Callie slowly. "But do you think maybe the symbol means 'hell'? Because like...that's a hot place where bad people go."

"That would make sense." Said Chelsea thoughtfully. "So a dog from hell?" She froze, her head slumping. "Oh. I'm an idiot. Hellhound. The collar is made to contain a hellhound. Wait shit, they summoned HELLHOUNDS?" Her voice went up into a squeak as she started looking around in fear.

That didn't seem promising. "What exactly are hellhounds? Aside from, I guess, hounds from hell? But is that even a real place?"

"There are supposedly several hells, most of them defunct or belonging to vanished gods." She said with a grimace. "It's hard to tell what's legend and what's fact. Hellhounds though, are demonic animals that can be summoned with access to the right rituals. Summoned from WHERE I have no clue, because we don't have the rituals, but they're incredibly dangerous and nearly impossible to kill without a strong advantage in Impact."

I looked down at the collar. "Ok, that sounds...bad. But the collar will help right? Like it should suppress the hellhound so we can capture it?" I glanced at Bethy. "Are you sure it's even safe to try?"

Sadly, it didn't matter, because Bethy was staring at the thing with figurative stars in her eyes. I saw her open her mouth, and I knew what was going to come out immediately. My hands blurred up to my ears just fast enough to block them off as she squealed. "PUPPY!"

"Gods woman." Barked Abel with a wince. "You could break glass with that shriek. Warn us next time." He glared at me. "Or YOU could have warned us."

I shrugged. "No time, I could only save myself. Your sacrifice is appreciated. Axel." He snarled at me, and I ducked behind Callie as he made a lung, cackling like a madman. My girlfriend just rolled her eyes at us both. "So." I said getting us back on track. "Will this collar be enough? Can we get more collars?"

"Probably wouldn't do much. Necks are only so big." Said Callie with a shrug. "We might be able to do something else though. I wish for a hellhound lure that will keep the monster's attention, but only works on one creature at a time." She pursed her lips, thinking for a minute before saying. "I'll give ten shadow clone charges."

Wish detected. Grant wish?

I grinned. I was at seven shadow teleports and two shadow clone charges, so ten of each brought me up to max along with seven and two reserve charges respectively. As the power gathered in my hand again, I wondered what kind of ancient artifact we'd get this time. Some kind of incense maybe? As the purple lightning coalesced though, my jaw dropped.

A bone. A large yellowed bone with carvings all over it, but still, it looked like the kind of bone you'd get at a pet store. We all stared at the thing in surprise. "Oh. Well, ok. That's...cute?" Jessie said questioningly. "Nah, I got nothing. That's a weird looking artifact. You sure it'll do the job?"

I scowled at her. "Hey, do I come over when you're healing people and ask if you're sure they'll get better. My wishes are top quality. Sometimes they're too expensive, but they ALWAYS work."

"Yes, honey." Said Callie consolingly. "Customer satisfaction guaranteed. Now shut up and throw the magic bone out the door so we can catch the damned devil dog." I snickered at her patronizing tone, mostly because I knew she was doing it to mask the worry I could feel from the bond. I shrugged, walked to the exit of the room, jerked the door open, and hurled the bone at the wall across the hall.

"Soups on!" I bellowed. Then slammed the door shut, peeking out through a slatted viewing port on the door. "Alright, now we wait." I said, staring intently at the bone. I didn't want to risk the Hellhound grabbing it and running off. I only had one wish left today.

Before I even finished my last word though, something hit the door at top speed, smashing into the dark wood and making it buckle before bouncing off and landing on the bone with ferocious glee, digging in and tearing at the hard material with razor sharp obsidian teeth set into a mouth that glowed with a sullen red light.

"It's here." I murmured under my breath, as the rest of my friends gathered around me at the door. I waited for it to get REALLY into the bone, then I triggered pit of despair, dropping the hound into a ten foot hole made of dust...and right out the bottom into the floor below. "OH SHIT!" I yelped, darting through the door and heading for the hole as a familiar roar came from below us. Apparently Randall had met the hellhound. It didn't sound like they were getting along.