CH 10: Under the GraveSnow crunched underfoot as Grey and Oaken wandered through the Long Woods. Every breath the two kids took were visible puffs. And the snow seemed endless. Although monsters have joined the side of good, the real threat to them were Zompos, zombie moles who live underground, and only fight when they're disturbed. Unfortunately, the only way to get rid of them is to whack them with a huge hammer. The only one who has a big mallet was Oaken, given to him by Bachi in case of emergencies. But the merchant knows that the disguised princess would make better use of the weapon than him. Grey gently kicked his toes to the manor steps, knocking the snow off his red boots. Walking inside, ghosts were hovering back and forth with underhero business or hanging out with friends. The human children waved to the specters passing by. Oaken felt chills down his spine and looked at the ghosts nervously. He knew they're harmless now, mostly, but ghosts always made him anxious. He wasn't sure why. Back to treading through the snow, now was the time to really be careful. "Watch the ground as you step." Grey warned. Oaken nods. "If a Zompo pops up and grabs you, whack it with a hammer!" "And if you get attacked?" Oaken asked. "Toss it to me so I can whack it, of course." Grey answered. "Right." The brown-haired boy nodded. "Um... Hey, if you don't mind me asking, where did you get the name Grey?" Grey paused for a moment, thinking back on his first battle with Mouse and Elizabeth. *"Hold it right there!" Grey Kid snapped. He held his rapier to Mouse's throat. "You are the one who took the legendary weapon of the hero! Give it to me, immediately!" Mouse gulped, feeling a shudder go down their spine. "Ah! Do you know what this means, kid?!" Elizabeth asked. The smaller masked kid tilted their head in confusion. "You have a rival now!!! You're one step closer to becoming a true hero!" "SILENCE! I'm no one's rival! You're not strong enough to even be called MY rival!" Grey sneered. Elizabeth was clearly amused by this kid's attempt to be tough. "He's so full of himself, too!" Elizabeth joyful demeanor changed, as she sobbed happily. "I'm so proud of you, kid." "Enough!" Grey snapped. "You will give me the weapon or you will die here!" Elizabeth scoffed at this. "Sure, bring it on, Grey Kid. Let's see if you're 'worthy'." The hilt then proceeded to laugh. "Um, excuse the intrusion, but are you perhaps... fighting, by any chance?" A chubby ghost asked. Grey, unphased and unmoving just shouted, "Stay out of this, you blob." "Just like I thought! AHEM!" The ghost turned to the ghost party and shouted, "YO! YOU GUYS!!! THERES A FIGHT OVER HERE!!!" A huge cluster of ghosts gathered and started chanting "FIGHT!" over and over. Grey lowered his weapon and groaned with annoyance along with Elizabeth.* "Elizabeth called me Grey Kid when I blocked their path, and... I guess the name stuck." Grey explained. Suddenly, a hand popped out of the ground and grabbed Grey's ankle. The Zompo emerged and groaned, holding on to Grey's leg with both claws. Oaken grabbed his hammer and slammed it on the zombie mole. The undead creature let go, leaving a scratch in the process. Grey and Oaken ran for the trees as the monster was dazed. Sitting high in the branches, Oaken and Grey were able to catch their breath. Blood was dripping from the Grey Kid's wounded ankle. He noticed this and wrapped a bandage around it and downed a potion. "Thank Fate those things don't carry a deadly virus." Grey sighed. He looked at his bandaged ankle. "Think it'll leave a scar?" "If it's deep enough." Oaken said, scratching the back of his neck. "... Do you... want a scar?" Grey smiled and nodded. "They're cool! It shows how tough you are, and that you're a survivor." "I never thought of scars like that before." Oaken said. "I always thought they were just marks, not a symbol of bravery." "Whether it's surgical or from a fight, all scars have a story." Grey though aloud. Grey got up on the branch he was on and looked around, trying to remember the path he took for the icy pond. "This way!" The Grey Kid pointed, then he started jumping off branch after branch, and motioned Oaken to follow. The scarfed boy did, the best he could. I was never good at climbing trees. He thought to himself. Maybe I did when I was the hero. But, I don't want to think about that. I make a good living with Mr. Bachi and I don't want to ruin it with unwanted memories. As Grey jumped off the last tree, landing on his feet, and Oaken fell on his face. Thankfully, the snow cushioned the impact. He got up, wiping the snow off, and followed Grey to the lake. Bright flashing lights could be seen and blaring music was heard as the duo got closer to the Oblivion Party. "I'm sorry, kiddos, but only ghosts and bats are allowed in this party." The bouncer ghost said. "Princess! Oaken!" Bella exclaimed. The little candle held by a disembodied hand flew over to the ghost. "You can let these two in they're my friends!" "We're not here to party," Grey waved his hand. "We just need to pass by to the lake." "Permission to pass, granted!" The ghost moved out of the way. "The lake is dead ahead." "Thank you." Grey bows his head. The two children walked past the flashing lights and blaring music. Some ghosts were chatting happily and loudly, and others were singing horribly. Grey steps on the lake, and immediately starts slipping! "WHOA!" He shouts as he falls on his hands and knees as he tries to pick himself up, to little success. The brown-haired boy hops down, and the same thing happened! Except Oaken falls on his butt. "You- whoa..." Oaken tried to stand up as he spoke. "You fought Mouse and Elizabeth here?! How-?!" He feel on his face. "I d-didn't have this hard a time when I was here ab-bout almost year ago...!" Grey said as he slid to the other side of the lake. He sighed with relief as he got back on the non-slippery ground. "Grey! GREY!" Oaken screamed as he slid towards the Grey Kid. Slamming straight into him. "Sorry..." The former hero chuckles sheepishly. "It's fine, wasn't the first time you fell on top of me, I don't think it'll be the last." Grey got up and dusted himself off. "R-really?" Oaken looked at the rogue in surprise. "Yeah." Grey said. "But, that's a story for another day." The disguised princess started walking to the mausoleum. "How do you know that T. Bur and Stitches are under there?" Oaken asked, following him. "Best to search the obvious spots first." Grey replied. "If they're not here, we search under the bleachers near the ice skating rink." He clears his throat and speaks firmly. "This is Princess Cereza Castana, sole heir to the Chestnut Kingdom. I have a guest, Oaken the former hero." The kids waited... and waited... and waited... "Maybe you didn't say it loud enough." Oaken suggested. "Oh, maybe they're not here." Grey sighed. And as the two were about to leave, there was a loud rumble and stone grinding noise as the stone coffin moved to the side, revealing a set of stairs. The grey hooded child looked closely down the stairs. He heard a door open, followed by a voice. "Princess?" That familiar voice... That voice belonged to the once evil monster that used to terrorize the Chestnut kingdom. Of course, that was not of Stitches' choice, as he peered out of the stairwell. "T. Bur knew you'd be coming." "I found his encrypted note." Grey nodded. The patched up monster turn to Oaken. "I just didn't know you'd bring the former hero." "I didn't know it was a crime for my friend to make sure I didn't get hurt." Grey smirked. "Though..." He shows the former evil beast his bandaged ankle. "Too late for that." Mr. Stitches stepped out of the way, gesturing to the stairs. "We have a lot to discus. T. Bur suspects he's close to finding the kid and Elizabeth's location." Grey and Oaken walk down the stairs, followed by Stitches as the grave slowly shut, as if it never moved.gifgif