31I DO NOT OWN MONSTER ALLERGY
It has been six months since Moog Magister and the Dark Tamer Hector Sinistro attempted to infiltrate the Ancient Armory via the 101st door. Six months since Moog Magister met his demise by falling into the lava and Sinistro turning into a monster due to an unforeseen side effect of the Scepter Dom. With the defeat of two of the greatest threats to monster kind, life for young Tamer Ezekiel (Zick) Zick and his friend the young Monster Keeper in training Elena Potato had returned to normal. Or about as normal as it got for them. Right now they were just leaving their monster training class, temporarily held at the old abandoned pier while the Ancient Armory is being repaired, and heading home.
"Holy spit, it's bad enough we have to study for a big math test at school, but also big monster test as well. Not to mention I still need to feed and change Bombolo." Elena complained as she looked through her notes on various monster types.
"You wanted to be a Monster Keeper," Zick said dryly. Although to be honest he did share her views on this matter.
"I don't believe it. After all this time, after all I've done for you; you still don't think I belong do you!" Elena taking offense to his tone.
"What? No that's not what I'm saying." Zick objected. Feeling a bit confused to why she would think that.
"Oh, then what exactly then?" Elena demanded with her arms crossed. Ever since they first met, Zick has shown very little appreciation for everything she has done for him. Often blowing her off to hang out with the other young Tamers or to fawn over Lay Mamery (not that she's jealous or anything); and it's not just Zick either. Even now the other Tamers and Tutors still give her the cold shoulder. Treating her more like an outsider rather than a colleague. In fact the only ones that seem to accept her were the monsters at Barrymore Detention Oasis. As Bombo put it, 'they've always like her even before she was given the gift of Sight'.
"Well...I...um..." Zick hesitated since he knows fully well that the wrong words would incur her wrath.
"Excuse me young man, but aren't you Ezekiel Zick, Mrs. Emily Vermeer nephew?" this man in a fancy suit asked.
"Who wants to know?" Zick asked cautiously but thankful for the interruption. Since the man mentioned Emily Vermeer, Zick worried this could be some sort of trap from his hateful aunt who is also known as the Anguana of Er, the leader of the Anguanes witches and sworn enemy of the Zick Family and monsters in general.
"My name is David Grant, I'm a public attorney and I have important matter to discuss with your parents concerning your aunt." Grant informed him handing the kids his business card. The two kids eyed each other suspiciously wondering if they can trust this guy. Never the less, they agreed to lead him to Zick's house.
Later at the Zick's residence, Greta and Zob were having tea with Mr. Grant, while Zick and Elena along with the other monsters, were just around the corner trying to eavesdrop. "Well allow me to get to point. When was the last time you or any of your family has seen or heard from Mrs. Vermeer?" Grant asked.
"If I never see that old witch again it will be too soon," Greta sneered. Causing Grant to crook his eye curiously.
"We haven't seen her in awhile now, for several months actually, but that's nothing new, as you can see we didn't really get along that much." Zob said trying not to escalate things.
"Yes well, it has been over 6 months since anyone has heard from her, so the state has no choice but to declare her legally dead." Grant informed them.
"Too bad we can't know for sure," Greta huffed.
"Well not yet, but you see the problem is that she never made a will. Therefore as her only known living relatives, you are her sole beneficiaries to her estate." Grant said.
"When you say estate?" Zob gulped.
"I mean everything; the mansion, her property, her money," Grant confirmed.
"Absolutely not! I want nothing to do with her or her ill gotten gains!" Greta protested.
"Uh honey let's think about this for a moment," Zob trying to calm his wife down. "We don't have to keep it, we can give most of it to charity."
"No means no!" Greta insisted.
"Keep it or get rid of it either way there is a lot of paper work I need you to sign. I just came here as a courtesy to inform you of the situation. I'll be back with the documents in about a week or so. You have until then to think about it." Grant said before leaving.
"Mom, are you sure you don't want to you know," Zick hinting at the idea of keeping Emily's wealth. Even though he hated his Aunt Emily, he had to admit that is a lot of money.
"It's not about the money, Zick. It's about the principle. I refuse to have anything to do with her." Greta snapped.
"Well I think you should reconsider it," said their pet a hairless Sphynx cat who in reality is the Monster Tutor Timothy-Moth or just Timothy in disguise.
"Timothy what are you saying?" Zob asked.
"Emily is the leader of the Anguanes witches. Who knows what sort of secrets she has hidden in her house. This is a golden opportunity we can't afford to waste." Timothy reasoned.
"But Timothy, this is Aunt Emily were talking about. Who knows what sort of booby traps she has around in that place." Zick reasoned, recalling how he and Elena barely got out of there with their lives when they went there to find a cure for vampirism.
"Besides, didn't we burn that place to the ground?" Elena remembering how Zick burned Emily's books when she threatened to turn them all into lizards.
"We only burned her lab," Zick reminded her. "So I'm sure that any information there would have been destroyed."
"That may be, but there's a good chance that she may have replaced them since then. Either way this may be our only opportunity to study a witch's lair." Timothy argued. "Don't worry about traps. I will have a team of specialist to investigate the place from top to bottom to make sure that there are no unpleasant surprises when we get there."
"I still don't like this," Greta voicing her objection but promising not to get in their way.
A few weeks past and after signing all the legal documents, and settling all the fees and debts; the Zick family along with the other Tamers, Elena, and a few Tutors arrived at Emily's mansion. "Whoa, I could get used to this digs," Teddy Thaur said.
"Hey maybe we can crash here. You know until the Ancient Armory is fixed up." Bobby Clash suggested.
"What absolutely not! This is a witch's home after all, it's far too dangerous." the orange tabby cat known as the Tutor Jeremy argued.
"You know after we secure this place, it might not be a bad idea to use it for temporary lodgings for the Tamers from out of town. We can even assign members of the Guard Tutors to watch over them." Timothy suggested.
Jeremy considered this. True they have needed lodging for the Tamers who came from out of town, and this place is definitely better than the old pier. Of course having a team of Guards to keep an eye on the Tamers would be a plus. "If all goes well with the investigation, then I will think about it." Jeremy decided.
The Tamers and Tutors broke up into teams as they started their investigations. As Timothy surmised, Emily has restored her lab and replaced some of the magic books and items that Zick destroyed, giving the Tutors valuable information on witch's magic. Zob and Terrence manage to find Emily's contact list in her study giving them the names of other witches not only in the area but around the country as well. But not all was going well, Teddy and Bobby would often find themselves falling down some of Emily's trapdoors. Luckily for them, Zick remembered where some of the trapdoors were and was able to rescue them. After laughing at their expense of course.
As the Tamers and Tutors searched the mansion, Lay and Elena decided to check out the back yard. Not too surprisingly her yard was a proverbial garden of herbs and other plants, some poisonous, that were most likely used for magic potions. The only other thing they found out there though was this strange structure made out of stone.
"What do you think this is for?" Elena asked.
"If you ask me it looks kind of like a crypt," Lay said is a spooky voice.
"Well Emily is a witch so I guess something like that wouldn't be too surprising," Elena said calmly.
"You want to check it out?" Lay asked.
"I don't know, maybe we should wait until Timothy of Jeremy examine the place first." Elena suggested.
"What are you scared?" Lay dared her.
"As if!" Elena scoffed running first into the building, with Lay chasing after her. Inside were a long spiral stairway that led them several feet underground. Treading carefully so as to not trigger any traps, the two girls slowly advanced, examining everything twice with their flashlights. Before long they found themselves before a creepy looking double door with strange markings all over it.
"Any ideas what this means?" Lay asks.
"Not sure, but I think this is suppose to be a warning to keep out." Elena recognizing some of the markings from the monster history class.
"What do you think Emily kept in there?" Lay asked.
"Knowing her, it's probably where she keeps her gold." Elena joked. Pulling out an old book and reading some of the markings on the door.
"What is that?" Lay asked.
"This?" Elena indicating her book. "Just a little something I picked up the last time I visited the Anguane Fair. Before you know, burning that place to the ground." Elena explained as she continued to dabble with the markings.
"Wow is there any place that you and Zick been to that haven't burned to the ground?" Lay teased.
Elena simply stuck her tongue out at her companion. "If I'm not mistaken, one of these symbols should unlock the door." Elena figured
"Um, is that really such a good idea?" Lay gulped.
"I'm sure there's no harm in looking. Besides I'm sure whatever is in there, we can handle." Elena said confidently.
"Famous last words," Lay said rolling her eyes.
"I think this is it," Elena said pressing on one of the symbols. As she suspected, the symbols started glowing and the doors opened. Inside they found an empty room with only a single coffin inside. "Well that's a let down," Elena pouted. She really thought she found something of value.
"Yeah great, now can we get out of here? This place is giving me the creeps." Lay begged. She wasn't quite sure why, but Tamer senses were tingling. She was certain that it wasn't any kind of monster or a Dark Phantom, but she was definitely sensing something dangerous here.
Ignoring Lay's warnings, Elena walked up to the coffin and tried to read the inscription. "All is say is 'Char'. I wonder what that means?" Elena said as she brushed away some of the dust, not realizing that she was also rubbing away some of the runes.
"WHO DARES BREAK THE SEAL UPON MY TOMB AND DISTURB MY SLUMBER?" a mysterious voice echoed around the room. The lid of the coffin slowly opened and this grey fog started to leak out. The two girls were paralyzed with fright as this tall figure rose from the coffin.
Inside the mansion, the Tamers and the Tutors were comparing notes of everything they found. "Say where are Elena and Lay?" Zick wondered after noticing that they were absent.
"They probably up in bedroom trying on all the fancy jewelry," Teddy laughed while admiring the diamond ring he was wearing.
"Yeah you know how girls and trinkets are," Bobby agreed sporting a new gold necklace.
"Take those things off, we don't know if they're cursed of something!" Jeremy demanded hissing at they two young Tamers.
"Alright sheesh," the boys griped taking off their bling.
"But we better go find them. Who knows what might happen to them in this house." Timothy suggested.
"I'm sure they're fine. We haven't found anything too dangerous and those two are the most dependable out of this lot." Jeremy said glaring disapprovingly at the boys' antics.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!" they all heard the girls screaming.
"You were saying?" Timothy said sarcastically.
"Come on we got to go!" Zick running in the direction of the screams. The Tamers and the Tutors quickly followed. Concerned over the fate of his friends, Zick activated his Sight Dom to see where Elena and Lay were. Allowing him to find the crypt quickly. By the time they got to the entrance to the crypt Zick gave off a loud sneeze.
"Uh-oh that's never good," Teddy commented. Whenever Zick sneezed like that usually means a powerful foe is nearby, or his dust allergies were acting up again. You can never tell with someone who's allergic to almost everything.
Inside the tomb, they found Elena and Lay laying on the ground with this strange man standing next to them. He was wearing the traditional robes of the Anguane and the skin on his scalp was sagging over his eyes. No doubt about it in anyone's mind that he is a witch.
"My more Tamers," the man mused before noticing the cats along with the humans. "And Tutors as well. This place has certainly has gotten a lot more lively since I was imprisoned here. Jeremy-Joth is that you? It's been awhile hasn't it. My you've let yourself go."
"Char? No not you." Jeremy choked.
"You know him?" Zick asked.
"We have to stop him now!" Jeremy ordered.
*ENERGY DOM* The Tamer and Tutors began firing their Dom Beams at Char. However being a witch, Dom powers where completely useless against him. Fortunately Zick learned that while he can't effect witches directly, he can still hit them indirectly. Firing his Dom blasts at the ground, Zick set of a minor explosion that should have knocked Char back, but to his bewilderment, Char just stood there as if nothing happened.
"Please stop this. You're just embarrassing yourselves." Char laughed since the Dom beams were about as effective as a flashlight.
"This isn't working," Zob commented.
"Keep firing! We cannot allow him to escape!" Jeremy ordered, still firing at Char.
"Well maybe I just need a power boost," Zick said taking a pair of sunglasses out of his bag. The double layered sunglasses that Elena made specially for him to cover his eyes so that no one would notice them glowing when he's using his Tamer powers. However they also had an added effect. Somehow the glasses also enhances Zick's Energy Dom making his beams even stronger. Putting on his glasses, Zick fired another brighter Dom Blasts. This time the beam manage to knock Char back!
"What the?" Char sputtered in confusion since not only that shouldn't have worked on him, it also effected him in a strange way. As he got back up, Zick blasted him with another enhanced Dom Beam that blew Char all the way to the wall. That second blast just confirmed his suspicions, causing Char to laugh as he got back up. "Well that was quite an impressive display of power young Tamer," Char applauded. "So I shall grant you victory for now, but don't think for a second that you've won. For we shall meet again." Char laughed as he phased through the walls.
"What the? Is he a ghost?" Zick wondered since it would explain that weird vibe he was sensing from him.
"Holy spit what hit us?" Elena groaned as she struggled to get back up. With Lay getting up as well.
"Elena, Lay are you alright?" everyone asked.
"Yeah we're fine. It's just that guy from the coffin. He used some kind of sleeping spell." Lay explained shaking the dizziness from her head.
"Who was he anyway?" Elena moaned still having a headache.
"Well Jeremy?" Everyone turning to the fat cat since they called each other by name.
"I'm sorry but that information is top secret. Protocol demands that a meeting with the Maximum Tutors is required before I can divulge any information." Jeremy argued. Everyone groaned since they know how much of a stiff Jeremy is when it comes to following the rules.
"I believe current circumstances kind of circumvents rules in this case," Timothy argued.
"I suppose so," Jeremy conceded. "His name is Char. He's a former lord of the witches."
"You mean like Moog Magister?"
"No, he was far more powerful, and much more worst." Jeremy gulped, almost afraid to continue.
"I saw him phase through the wall. Does that mean he's a ghost or a Dark Phantom?" Zick asked.
"No none of those I'm afraid. He's in a different class of his own. He is what we call a Wraith." Jeremy finished.
Meanwhile somewhere out in Old Mill, a small fouler was running about making a mess of things as they prefer filthy environment to a clean one. As it was rolling around in some mold, a dark figure snuck up behind it. Before the fouler knew what happened, Char snatched it up and swallowed it whole. "Ah young monsters, delicious as ever." Char said licking his lips. "But still never satisfying," he griped since he still felt the hunger inside him. The same hunger that has plague him since becoming a Wraith. A hunger that he couldn't appease no matter what he ate or how much. Leaving him forever feeling starve, but that is a problem for a later time. "No matter, my salvation will soon be at hand. But first I must awaken my brothers. For our time has come."