It's that time. I can tell, because I'm surrounded by excited Clans(wo)men. Yes, yes… Someone please have Mary prepare a feast. Gather the dice, the Safari Cards, and the Monster Knights… Also, find that damned Elven Councilman. He's going back on Beach duty.

"This Elven Councilman…?" [Miscare] begged the question while pointing a stalk of hay toward a particular bloody mess surrounded by a trail of Shark corpses.

...On further inspection, he's asleep. He must be exhausted… But the Tides will wait on no Elf! Conrad?

"As you command." [Conrad] exclaimed with his beak held high before snatching the unsuspecting Elf up with his claws, and dropping him directly into the jaws of another beast just moments later.

"Brilliant work, Conrad~" [Nero] happily sang before getting dressed and boarding his Broom.

And so, I am meow in the Dining Hall; showing off my new look. Surprisingly enough, the Shkullter Shades are a big hit~ People like the way that my flames fly through the shutters.

"It's like… Why does he even wear them? Can he even see out of them or do the flames get in the way?" [Penny] muttered while gazing at the Shkullter Shades.

"...Fashion…" [Kendra] haughtily sighed.

"...And Power…" [Cetilla] scoffed before whipping her hair, showing off some new marbles currently tied to her strands.

"...You found different means of gaining mana?" [Nero] asked with eyes wide.

"Yep!~ Rudou sent out a search request for crystals imbued with mana and wound up hitting a slight jackpot. I don't mean to brag, but we got them at an AWESOME price. The guy imbuing them must have been some sort of bonafide legend to be throwing around so much for so little~" [Cetilla] excitedly boasted the very moment that Ben was walking through the door.

"...New look?" [Ben] begged the question with a gruff tone of voice.

"Yeah, you like it?" [Nero] asked while side-eyeing his own cape. To which, Ben slowly sized Nero up while squinting his eyes.

"...Yeah. Shows Monster Kingdom pride." [Ben] exclaimed while nodding his head before turning to take a seat.

Ben liked my cape. He actually complimented me, and it didn't sound sarcastic~ YOSH!

"Okay~ Last night, I conjured a ton of new clothing for the Monster Knights and Clans(wo)men. It's all quite nice, so please take proper care of it. All Kings, Queens, Luna, and Cetilla will have the first pick of the lot, but after that… Please go according to your own Tier. As rewards for their growth and dedication to training, the strongest of all Monster Knights and Clans(wo)men have the chance to pick their outfits first. Black Funeral Dresses and Veils should be saved for Wendel, but if she's already chosen her outfit; by all means~ If by the time that it's your turn and there's nothing left to pick from, I give you permission to ask Clive for one free outfit from his store. Fair warning, all of the clothing there is most likely far weaker than what you will find here. Don't get your hopes up for Clive if you miss things here, there's nothing better awaiting you; but there might be something." [Nero] announced with a smile. To which, many of the creatures seemed happy; while others shrugged him off and continued eating their meals.

"I don't think that I'll ever understand the infatuation over high grade clothing…" [Conrad] grumbled.

"We could always just persuade Vigi to craft armor for us on Nero's name~" [Ben] sighed with a wry smile.

"...If you two genuinely desire armor, we'll get you armor. Just be patient." [Nero] shot back with eyes wide.

Oh god… Christina, Kendra, the Arachne, and the damned Land Shark all seem interested.

"...Yes. Anyone that wants real armor, just tell me later." [Nero] sighed with a nervous expression. To which, a roar of applause resonated throughout the Dining Hall.

And so… A decent portion of our budget just got shifted toward real armor… And weapons. Many of us are unarmed, and sooner or later; it's going to become a problem. I myself am incapable of using all of my abilities without my Lantern and Broom. Now imagine me, having never attained my Lantern and Broom yet also somehow managing a way to this level… My [Flying Broom] ability would have no proficiency. I'd literally never have had a single [Hallowed Gate], nor a [Wailing Keep]. I'd have had no way of attaining a single Clans(wo)men. Not even one single Scarecrow. Simply put, having no Weapons is not good. It could throw a wrench ridiculously deep into your progression within this realm, and within this realm… A stunted progression can prove fatal. The Skeletons lucked out. They have abilities to conjure their own weapons and armor. Roah also lucked out. He can conjure a Hallowed Hammer. I doubt that our luck will continue when helping the Scarecrows and Bats to Evolve. I'm certainly not willing to bet our Kingdom on Benji suddenly learning how to conjure whatever the hell a Phantom is supposed to wield.

"...It's a Claw. My Claws work absolutely fine." [Benji] explained with a tired expression.

...Huh. Benji's fine. He's working exactly as nature intended. If only he could tap dance like Robert~

"Solid footing has never been a requirement for dancing." [Benji] declared with a stoic expression before catapulting himself through the air and commencing with his very own style of dance alongside Vivian and Edward.

...It's those aerial maneuvers that I was talkin' about. He's learned how to fly in complete and total harmony with both Vivian and Edward. They can swirl around in vertical circles, or even horizontal ones. They can also swirl around in triangles, which seems way more impressive than it sounds. There are some pretty sharp turns in a triangle, okay?! Well done!

"Nero, are you going to practice your songs once more before the festival?" [Wendel] asked with a head held high.

"...Do you think it's necessary?" [Nero] muttered with eyes wide.

"Practice makes perfect. We won't have you weighing us down." [Wendel] shot back with a terrifying expression as she snapped her neck to face the Halloween Cat, making a cracking sound as she did.

"Welp… Practice makes perfect. I'd best be off~" [Nero] sighed with a nervous laugh before abruptly standing from his chair and grabbing his Broom. To which, Wendel displayed a slight smile.

Okay… Which one should I practice?

"All of them." [Wendel] happily enlightened the dazed Halloween Cat.

...I only have two songs, but okay~ I'll start with 'Fr*ak', and then move on to 'Cent*ries'. Molag Dregora, Miscare, you both will also be necessary for helping me this song. I appreciate the help~

"It would be an honor." [Miscare] swore with a deep voice as he casually awaited Nero in the Throne Room.

"Yes, yes… How else could you possibly practice, if not by our sides?" [Molag Dregora] begged the question with a slight chuckle.

...They were both waiting for me in here ever since we left the Beach. Okay~ We've got a little last minute band practice to do. After we arrived in the Arcade and flipped that hulkin' Scaraoke machine monster's switch on to the correct song, missing absolutely no beats; we began practicing immediately. It was game time. We were IN-THE-ZONE, okay?! I was dancing with Lianix. Wendel removed her veil during her solo as she began to seriously feel herself in a seductively slow dance. Molag Dregora and Miscare made a duet out of the deeper vocals, while Molag Dregora spun off a ton of miniature Shadows Balls and Miscare erupted into flames as he thrashed his stalks into a spinning dance. It was like ballet, only far more dangerous. If the Arcade weren't so sturdy, we might've had a few problems to deal with. Thankfully, everything just seemed… Right.

We wound up practicing the song six different times in order to perfect it, twice in the Town Circle. After calling in more of the Bandsmen for our attempt at 'Cent*ries', we began to practice the second song. We chose to practice this one in the Town Circle each time, simply because we required so many backup singers. Wilson's snarl kicked us off with an excellent start. He's been working on his snarl, one can easily tell. The Scarecrows, Skeletons, and Vampires made wonderful additional percussion… But nothing could compare to the sound of all my Clans(wo)men singing in unison. It was simply epic. We wound up practicing THIS song a whole 10 different times, but it wasn't because we needed the practice. Truth be told, I just started having fun doing it.

When we had finished, the Clans(wo)men all began to find their desired clothing, or started helping to announce the upcoming Festival. It's being forewarned that the very next Hallowed Howl will mean the coming of our festivities. We've got Crowliphistae flying to every corner of this continent, mainly to a particular Tavern and a couple of different Mountains; not to mention some distant Isles… But they're going to find our distant friends. Christina, Penny, and Molag Dregora chose to focus their attentions on the Chasms. Not a single comrade shall be left behind if this is to be the festival of our lives!~

...Me? Personally, I'm getting my pre-drinks on as I marvel at the chosen outfits of my companions. Cetilla saw fit to skip herself right to the front of the line alongside Luna and Orianna; which is what I expected… So I'm thinking that they'll all make an appearance at around the same time. Roah said that he'd go afterwards, but he wanted to warn me that his outfit this time around might not be very intriguing. He's going to be severely limited on account of his size. To be frank, his old outfit barely even fits anymore. It's ridiculously tight fitting, showcasing his game breaking muscles effortlessly. The top isn't even being used as a top anymore, it's just a flat out scarf with arm holes.

Luna arrived first. She's wearing a… What? What even is that?! DOMINATRIX gear?! It's just a whole lot of black leather pieces, straddled together to leave more than half of her skin visible. Luna… Are you sure? You'll be quite popular, but is this really the message that you'd like to be sending? Unholy Priestess? She seems confident enough, so I guess that it's fine. Cetilla came back in a far more modest style. She has a black flower in her hair, and a black dress with cut up edges at the bottom. There's a lot of higher quality black lace hiding her arms, which loosens out toward her hands; giving more breathability. The lace has a flower pattern. The lace covers a whole lot of her dress, but one can clearly see that she's wearing a white corset. The lace saw fit to the corset's visibility. Like most Princess dresses, it puffs out around her legs, though I think that the lower half might be made of polyester. The cut up edges are more prevalent toward the front of the dress, and less so near the back; making the fronts of her legs more revealed, showcasing her dazzling stiletto heels. Cetilla has chosen to have her marbles hang on threads tied to her upper legs. She can meow rip marbles from her leg as though she were a spy searching for a pistol or her throwing knives.

Orianna chose modesty. She's wearing an extremely puffy dress, and it appears to be just what one would expect of a Queen. There are fake roses literally entwined into the dress. She's got long white gloves. The dress drapes down so far, that I can't begin to wonder what kind of shoes she's wearing; but I can hear them. I'm leaning toward solid glass heels. The dress itself is of a pale red, and beautifully designed with gold thorn print.

Wendel was next, having walked out with a very unimaginative funeral dress and veil. She's perfectly content with her style, I suppose. She simply wanted it to be more resistant. After she walked out, Roah chose to begin finding his outfit alongside Edgar and Lucius. The three later returned with heavily varying costumes. Roah's wearing a Bath Towel… And that's it. Honestly, I'm just shocked that he was able to procure a Bath Towel from the elite pile. It has white Candies woven into the side, as a sort of repeated print; similar to polka dots. I could swear that I didn't see this towel in the piles at all before, but now that I'm looking at it… I can see why. It's black, and doesn't appear to be made of the normal material. I probably mistook it for a scarf. I wound up awkwardly needing to pull Roah closer for me to fully comprehend the situation at paw. It's spandex, making it not only ridiculously stretchy; but also practically impenetrable against water. It won't absorb water easily, making it actually quite redundant as a Bath Towel… But it's got high stats, so who cares? Oh? Roah's also wearing sandals. They're pretty simple, except they're orange.

Edgar returned wearing a Kilt, and a Highland Dress. By all means, he appears to be a Scot. He's got the flat puffy hat, which quite frankly; I don't know the name of. The plaid colorings for his entire outfit are all in orange, purple, and black… Making it not appear quite as traditional as it very well could have. Lucius chose to return wearing a baseball player's costume… Except it's absolutely covered in glitter from head to toe. He also has squared sunglasses with rose colored shades, and glittered sidings. The entire outfit is quite tight fitting, showcasing his often underappreciated Mousekin muscles. He's wearing a glittery baseball cap, and all of the glitter is a light shade of purple over otherwise silver clothing. There are deeper shades of purple glitter, but they were only added to the sunglasses, belt, hat, and edges of his shirt; drawing attention to his faux undersleeves, and the logo on his shirt which reads… 'Halloween Team'. Not too shabby, Lucius. Not too shabby at all. Honestly… He must have grabbed some clothing from the weaker piles. I know for a fact that there wasn't this much glitter in the elite pile.

Ritchie and George returned next. Ritchie was wearing a pair of strap-on Angel wings, a short white cloth was tied to his legs as if it were an ancient Greek skirt, and he had a white ballroom mask that only hid his eyes… But he's not wearing anything else. We're not going to go down that weird rabbit hole of far too many slutty male costumes, right?! Ugh… George is wearing a Cowboy costume. He's got the hat, he's got the plaid shirt with ripped off sleeves... It's not buttoned up, so his abs are showing... And he's brought the classic jeans. It's too late. That's 4 out of 5. If we can't have more than 20% of our men wearing a modestly styled outfit, then we've lost the war against Halloween. It's official… We're the freaks in more than one way.

Ah… It would appear that everyone else is absolutely fine with ditching the idea of using Tiers to decide who gets an outfit first, rather choosing to just pick outfits in groups separated by gender. I mean… It's fine, but this means that I'll struggle to size up each of the remaining creatures. I won't have a chance to properly dissect each of their outfits, not all at once. In one group, we have Serena, Minny, Lora, Wolrietta, Gillie, Vana, Trudy, Grenda, Echo, Rosa, Pandianna, Edith, and the Human Bard. For our male group, we've got Hugo, Jon, Mick, Steve, Andy, Missile, Unit, Rustle, the Sable Ferretkin Knight, the Mousekin Artisan, the two Human Knights, and the Human Farmer.

Strangely enough, only a few of the creatures that normally sit at Cindy's table are choosing to get clothing right meow. On closer inspection, it's probably the children who are oldest. The genuinely young kids will probably pick later. Seeing as how Rita's not present, they're probably off playing something together right meow. Gayle's also not here, so I suppose that means our Elven Countess is too good for our wares~

"So, what do you think that Edith's going to come out with?" [Cetilla] begged the question with a nonchalant expression.

"No clue… She's such a gem, though. She'll probably pick something really cute." [Nero] confessed with a sigh.

"Well, obviously… Cat's Crewomen only pick the finest of all wares~" [Cetilla] sighed as she casually adjusted the flower in her hair.

"...Is she? A Cat's Crewomen?" [Nero] shot back while tilting his head to the side.

"When I spoke with her, she claimed that you had allowed her to join your party; so I'd assume so?" [Cetilla] muttered while raising an eyebrow.

"...I guess that I kind of did, I mean… When I met her, she was seeking a party… But I kind of just threw her into the Tides because I wanted to have a high Tier Candy Woman on our side." [Nero] confessed while shrugging his shoulders.

"Ah… So she's just the Cat's Candy Woman~" [Cetilla] shot back with a snide expression.

"Just a Cat's Candy Woman or not, that little girl is simply adorable. When I met her, she fed me Candy… Not because I needed MP, it was just… For enjoyment. It terrifies me to this very night, why… I can't remember getting a moment's rest ever since." [Christina] shuddered with a hysterical expression.

"...You literally can't sleep. Edith's kindness has nothing to do with it, also… Did you get into contact with the Harpies?" [Nero] shot back with a tired expression.

"Ah… I forgot. Even so, I can't get that one moment out of my head. To answer your question, we made a slight miscalculation on that job… When we arrived, we quickly realized that I would be of no help when attempting to descend through the Chasms; so I returned to Halloween, allowing Penny and Molag to handle the rest." [Christina] explained with a nonchalant expression.

"Was it… The first time that anyone had been genuinely kind towards you? Is that why you can't forget it?" [Orianna] chimed in with a disturbingly serious expression.

"...Nah… That can't be it. Penny has always been kind to me, and Nero saved me from a life that I'd prefer we left behind." [Christina] grumbled while visibly thinking.

"Then perhaps… It was the first time that you were treated kindly by surprise?" [Orianna] suggested while shrugging her shoulders.

"...Eh?" [Christina, Nero, & Cetilla] let out with skeptical glances as they glared at the Lionesskin Queen.

"Think about it… You never wanted to befriend Penny when you met her, yet wound up stuck with her. You always knew that she'd be kind to you, but didn't care for her kindness to begin with. When Nero rescued you and decided to take you in, obviously he would be kind to you. Anyone attempting to rescue you would be kind… But there was no reason for Edith, a young and innocent girl to show kindness toward a literal Corocdae. No offense, you're slightly terrifying. Most children would probably ridicule you based on your appearance, but Edith saw past that right from the start." [Orianna] explained with a growing smile.

"Ah… So it's all about the surprise aspect..." [Nero] grumbled while thinking about the young Candy Woman.

"Precisely~" [Orianna] remarked with a satisfied look in her eyes.

"...I don't know… Most of what you said made sense, but there's one part that doesn't. When I was trapped in that damned Pyramid, I never for one moment thought that I might be saved. Like you said, I'm a Corocdae. Not very many creatures would be stupid enough to approach someone like me in the wild… So Nero saving me really did catch me by surprise… And ever since I came here and began to perform in his festivals, I've been being treated better by strangers. It's not all that strange for a child to be nice to me now…" [Christina] exclaimed as she glared off into the skies of Halloween.

"Ah… I got it. It was the Candy. She fed you Candy without purpose." [Candy Mongerer] chimed in with a wry smile.

"Umm…? No, I'm pretty sure that it's about the surprise~" [Orianna] shot back with an exasperated expression.

"Nope, feeding Candy to a Halloween Clanswomen who can't even properly heal themselves through the use of Candy, and literally has a Master who is constantly in desperate need of Candy in order for society itself to remain functioning is strictly taboo. Christina, you took the Candy; didn't you?" [Candy Mongerer] shot back before snapping his neck to face the Corocdae.

"...I-I-I… I didn't mean to… But I did!" [Christina] confessed through tears as she began to grasp at Nero's vest.

"See? What she's feeling is guilt. Plain, and simple. Guilt. I gave Edith the materials required to conjure that Candy, and Christina knew about it. Knowing that she was taking the prized belonging required to literally keep her and a large quantity of her friends alive for the sake of simply satisfying her own tastebuds has caused her an unyielding amount of remorse that she's not even capable of processing on her own." [Candy Mongerer] explained with a satisfied expression.

"...Please forgive me." [Christina] sobbed as a particular Crowliphista appeared and gave a slight nod.

Mwuahahahaa~ It's happening. It's happening right meow. They're either coming, or they're here. It's time.

"You came forward, and so; you have been forgiven. Case closed~" [Nero] sighed.

"Uh-" [Orianna] muttered with a baffled expression, but alas; the Halloween Cat hath departed while dragging Cetilla alongside him.

"So, there's something that I've been meaning to show you; but I haven't taken the time to do it for some strange reason. Now that things are balls to the walls and whatnot, I figured that this festival would be the perfect time." [Nero] remarked with a wry smile.

"...A surprise?" [Cetilla] shot back with eyes wide before snapping her neck to face a baffled Rei.

Silly Cetilla, Rei wouldn't know of THESE friends… Rei's not a first arc Clanswomen, she couldn't possibly understand. You'll need deeper connections if you hope to solve ALL of my riddles!~

"Okay, I know what you're thinking… But you're going to like this one, I promise." [Nero] reassured the Dutchess of Doom with a grin.

"...YOU promise?" [Cetilla] asked while raising her eyebrows to show her utter disbelief.

"My word's as good as it's going to get, you want the surprise or not?" [Nero] shot back with a laugh.

"I… I'm not sure… But I'll take it. Where to?" [Cetilla] declared with a determined expression as her hair began to flow violently.

"Ahaha~ Not that kind of surprise. This way~" [Nero] remarked with a wry smile. To which, Cetilla clearly lost quite a fair amount of excitement.

Doesn't matter if her guard's down now, because I still know; by fact… That this surprise is going to BLOW her MIND! Okay?! Cetilla's been wanting this since freaking-like… Day one. She's going to lose her shit. CONRAD! Where are they?! Okay… So, judging by the Crowliphista's gestures… They must be in the Throne Room. Glancing around Halloween, it seems that quite a few of my Clans(wo)men are curious to see what I've been scheming. Okay, I'll explain. You remember when I asked Conrad and the others to search for our friends? I specifically told Conrad to search through the Mountains. MountainS! Plural. How many Mountains are on this continent? We've got the Orc Mountains, and the Dragon Mountains. WOOP! There it is~ Too late to give her the heads up though, now isn't it; Rei?

Yep… As expected, upon entry into the Throne Room; facing us are quite the motley of creatures. From left to right... We've got Georgia, my favorite Tavernkeep alongside the three of her business partners whom also manage Taverns across Nidallia… Gretel and Rosine; my favorite Broom Saleswomen... Miu, the kind Witch who thought to give names to ALL of my Clans(wo)men… Lan, the Witch troubled by nightmares and her pesky friend; the Blonde Witch… Roy and Veronica Vellisroi; joined by Celine, their most competent Maid... Elliot, the missing Elven Prince's personal retainer joined by a particular Elven Woman; AND Leoric Eldenheim, my old best Clansman… Chiffona-Cya-Macaroon alongside her three daughters and their betrothed… Miller Jolfstadt, Trilby Rona, and Karen; the three stars of the Reygid Adventurer's Guild… Lisa, the Minotaur; joined by a couple other random Minotaurs… A scowling Eva Snow Elf Wrestler known as Renjulia... Lex Jeruke, joined by his entire party; the infamous Never Rest… Grescilda, Crystal, Melania, and Telliphi; the Witches who nearly broke their own laws in an attempt to underhandedly give me a way into the Witches Academy… AND Treya, my favorite of the five testing Witches that I was assigned… Several random Llamas, probably the Lunar Llamas... The Koalakin Candy Man, Clive, and Rudou… Oh! Even Sherenah came! She may or may not be my future Mentor~ And in the far back… We have none other, than the problem child Red Dragon; the ONLY one who's name I had committed to memory... Draconicolia-Chrilipsilys, and a particular elderly Komoto Dragonkin Woman… Not to mention, a few hundred Harpies, Goblins, and Orcs are standing in the distance. Honestly... Big surprise that there are so many Orcs!

It's a REAL party, meow… Practically everyone that I've ever acquainted myself with outside of Reygid… Is now here. Including, most of whom I've acquainted myself with here, in Reygid. I love it. Conrad, you've seriously… Outdone yourself this time around. You deserve a promotion. A promotion of the highest level. You're now the Senior Executive. There are things that only you can do, as you're one of my longest running Clansmen. You've been susceptible to my thoughts for such an extensive period of time, that you are meow irreplaceable. You've been in it with me, this whole damn time. With this performance, you've demonstrated your worth. Genuinely… MVC.

Honestly… It's too much for me to even attempt to mingle with in one given night. I feel bad… Having them invited to my party, based on the fact that we both know each other… And may or may not have had generally decent interactions with each other… To probably not actually have a single opportunity to spend time with each of them. No one enjoys feeling alone at a party… Yet some of them came without any friends to speak of. I should apologize before I let them down, because I genuinely never intended for Conrad to take it to this level. Right… Taking a stand, it's time for my pre-announcement. All of my Clansmen, please take to the streets and begin the legendary 'Hallowed Howl'~

"Welcome to my wondrous Wailing Keep! If you are here, then that means that you're among the VIP Crowd! That means, your presence at this current festival is a special occurrence to me… There are so many of you, I might not have the opportunity to greet you individually tonight… But I want you all to know, that I'm deeply humbled that you all saw fit to heed our call; and join us for this night of fun~ Tonight will be our largest festival yet… Some of you might never have partook in one of our festivals, but I assure you; they're the best that this continent has to offer! Waiting beyond these illustrious gates is a Town filled with activities for you all to occupy yourselves with~ On the northeast side of Town, there's a cramped building known as the Arcade. In it, you can play random games unlike any that you've ever witnessed. Ask around for one of my Clans(wo)men if you'd like an explanation. On the southwest side of Town, we've got a stand selling specially made Bath Towels… They're comfortable, and they'll probably dry you off faster than any other fabric that you've found. On the southeast side of Town, you can find a stand selling delectable foods; mostly comprised of Fish… And they've also got exceedingly cheap booze to fulfill your spirits~ On the northwest side of Town, you'll find a few of my Clans(wo)men offering you a game in an attempt at buying even more Fishy food; but if you head back into here, and take a left turn before the exit… You'll find that we're holding a gambling tournament. We offer two games, each with varying rules. One of the games uses Dice and allots up to 10 individuals to partake for each session, while the other is a one-on-one duel of sorts utilizing the popular Safari Cards that have already taken Reygid by storm. Buy-ins will vary for each match, but Safari Cards will probably tend to have a higher buy-in due to a lack in total decks, and the lesser amount of players capable of partaking in each game. Throughout the course of this event, given that you are in the Town and not simply gambling... You will be able to enjoy the sweet songs of our infamous Bands(wo)men. Dance to your heart's content, sing along if you desire; so long as you know the words~ This event will carry on throughout the night, perhaps even past tomorrow afternoon. As you are all among the VIP Crowd, you will all be welcome to drink, and eat for free… My sincerest apologies, but you will not be able to buy Bath Towels, Gamble, or partake in the game on the northwest side of Town for free. Please enjoy your night." [Nero] explained before finally taking a bow as he gestured for the creatures to enter Halloween.

Okay… Wendel, Cetilla, Wolrietta, Rei, and Vana! I'll need you all to begin performing 'I Put a Sp*ll On You' within Halloween for the VIP guests while I introduce the regular guests who are meow pouring in through the doors. After I welcome these people, I'll want you to have finished your song and returned here to sing it to them… While the other Bandsmen perform a random song or two to hold things over for the VIP guests. When both groups have heard the song, we'll move on to 'This is H*lloween'.

Cetilla's side-eyeing me with a wide enough grin that it can only mean one thing… She's beyond herself at the prospect of finally getting a chance to meet a real-live Dragon.

"Give her the show of a life-time… You're up for two back to back showings of 'I Put a Sp*ll On You', so go and meet her after your second go… By the way, her name's Draconicolia-Chrilipsilys. She's actually right up your alley~" [Nero] instructed the gleaming Catkin with a wry smile. To which, Cetilla excitedly departed into the Hallowed Gate.

Okay… This might take a few minutes. People are slow to gather without the aid of Crowliphistae. If I have any regrets, it's that I placed the Lunar Llamas and Never Rest on our VIP list… Really… What the FUCK is wrong with me?! We could've made MAD bank off those two parties… But when I saw them standing there, alongside all of my other generally poor friends… I got caught up in the moment, that's what it was. I need to stop doing that! I mean, I'm pretty sure that Roy, Clive, Rudou, Veronica, Trilby, Miller, Gretel, Rosine, Georgia, the other three Tavernkeeps, and the super elitist Witches didn't need freebies either... I'm just stupid! Conrad… How many Silver Coins were each of the Monster Knights and Clans(wo)men given for gambling?

"3 Gold Coins each." [Conrad] explained with a proud expression.

...That's pretty damn good. Decent budgeting, Conrad. I'm honestly surprised that you managed to save so much while still seeing to the fact that we could cater for 20000 creatures, AND get some decorations.

"The ladders came free of charge, we're actually just borrowing some that the Goblins have been using for construction in the Forsaken Isles. Roah paid the Mousekin Artisan to have them made. The Lanterns were nearly just as cheap. We gathered Delhn Sand ourselves for the glass, and Roah supplied us with the stone necessary. All that we needed to do was bring the supplies to Vigi and pay his lackeys to make cheap pieces." [Conrad] explained as his massive wings suddenly began to spread out.

"...What about the Bath Towels?" [Nero] asked while tilting his head to the side.

"They're being borrowed by Clive's store. All of the profits will be funneled directly back through his ledgers, so you'll never notice a difference." [Conrad] explained while continuing to hold his head high.

"...What of the Fish Sticks?" [Nero] begged the question while continuing to glare at the Crow(liphistador) King.

"All of the Fish from the Fish Sticks were sourced directly within Reygid, so they aren't actually enchanted... Hence, why we can sell them for a reduced price; and even help stimulate the local economy. Milton had connections with other Fishers in the Kingdom, so we were able to establish various deals to buy their products before they hit the streets. We actually paid them more than what they were originally earning for them, but we intend to make the investment back from the luck aspect required to win them. Cindy cooked them for us after we had made the deals, so Mary and the Sable Ferretkin weren't made even more busy." [Conrad] explained before turning his head to finally meet Nero's eyes, as if to ask him how he was faring.

"...Honestly, better than I would've done." [Nero] sighed with a blank expression.

"Thank you for giving us the opportunity, Master. Here." [Conrad] thanked before giving a small pouch to Nero.

"...What's this?" [Nero] asked with a baffled expression.

"Your Coinpurse for the night. In it, you will find 3 Gold Coins. You can have your Coins exchanged for Silver in the northwest edge of Town if you'd like to try for Fish Sticks. Otherwise, you can head straight for the Dining Hall and begin to gamble. Buying into Safari Cards will run you 2 Gold Coins, while buying into Dice will only cost 1. You can win more from a game of Dice, but the odds of doing so are far less than that of Safari Cards. May the odds be in your favor, Master. I believe that you have another speech or two to give, but please have a wonderful night." [Conrad] explained with a smile before gesturing to the crowd.

"...Thanks." [Nero] muttered with a weak smile before turning to face the crowd.

"Welcome, to our wondrous Wailing Keep. Tonight, my beloved Clans(wo)men and Monster Knights have helped me to put on a show unlike any other! If you were here the last time, you may remember some of the songs that they performed for you. Have no fear, for there are plenty more to hear! If you turn to leave here, and take a left turn; you will find that we've got a Gambling Tournament under way. To play, you'll need at least 1 Gold Coin. We're offering two different games, and you might not be well versed with them; so it may be best to observe for a little while as the pros play~ If you follow me inside of this spectacle of a Gate, you'll find an entire Town filled with attractions. Follow the signs, and you may find yourself able to buy amazing Food, cheap Booze, or even Bath Towels~ Looking for a place to sit? Try searching for a ladder to take you onto a nearby rooftop, or go to the gambling area; there are plenty of places to sit there~ But without further adieu, let me introduce you; to the one… The only, Cetilla Vellisroi; the Dutchess of Doom!" [Nero] exclaimed with an excited expression before gesturing toward the Catkin standing behind him. To which, the crowd cheered for a split moment before she took a step toward his Throne and placed her hand across the top.

"Thank you, Nero… For that MAHHvelous introduction~" [Cetilla] thanked with a nonchalant expression before taking a seat on Nero's lap as she flamboyantly ran her fingers across his face and into his hair, scrambling it greatly.

"I put a spell on you… And now, you're mine~" [Cetilla] whispered as she leaned in closer to Nero's face. To which, the crowd began to laugh.

"You can't stop the things I do… I ain't lyin~" [Cetilla] remarked as she took a stand and began to walk through the crowd.

"Been three hundred years, right down to the day…" [Cetilla] sighed with a tired expression.

"Now the Witch is back! And there's hell to pay..." [Cetilla] exclaimed excitedly as she began to point back toward Nero.

"I put a spell on you… And now… You're… MINE!!!" [Cetilla] whispered before suddenly screaming as Wendel, Wolrietta, Rei, and Vana appeared; skipping into the crowd from within the Gates.

Moments later, Scarecrows and Skeletons appeared off to the sides of my Throne, making percussion for the song.

"Hello Reygid~ My name's Wendel! What's yours?!" [Wendel] introduced herself excitedly as she began twirling around into a mad dance, showcasing just how loose her new sleeves and dress truly were.

She's like… Flowing with the Wind… Wait! Is Cetilla up to something?!

"I put a spell on you… And now you're gone!~" [Wendel] sang in complete bliss as she continued to swirl around in circles amid the crowd.

"Gone! Gone!" [Wolrietta, Rei, & Vana] chanted while flying around the room.

"So long~" [Cetilla] chimed in while winking as she flipped her hair and waved for the crowd.

"My whammy fell on you... And it was strong…" [Wendel] sang while suddenly halting in her spin to fake being dizzy.

"So strong! So strong! So strong!" [Wolrietta, Rei & Vana] chanted while continuing to fly around the room, only this time; they swirled around Wendel and pointed toward her.

"Your wretched little lives... Have all been cursed! Cause of all the Witches working… He's the worst!" [Wendel] exclaimed with a hysterical expression before turning to face Nero.

"I put a spell on you… And now you're mine~" [Nero] chimed in with a wry smile before taking a stand and beginning to dance with his Broom.

"Watch out! Watch out! Watch out! Watch out!" [Wolrietta, Rei & Vana] chanted while seeming absolutely terrified of the Halloween Cat.

"If you don't believe… You'd better get superstitious!" [Cetilla] chimed in before grabbing the far side of Nero's Broom and pulling him in closer, into a full on salsa dance.

"Ask my sistahs!" [Wendel] wailed dramatically as she fell to her knees facing the two dancing Catkin and raised her hands into the skies.

"She's vicious!" [Wolrietta, Rei & Vana] exclaimed excitedly.

"I put a spell on you…" [Cetilla] muttered as she continued to dance with Nero.

"I… Put a spell on you!" [Wendel] echoed Cetilla with vigor.

"Ah say… Into pi... Alpha, maybe upendi!" [Cetilla & Nero] screamed as they continued in their salsa.

"Ah say… Into pi... Alpha, maybe upendi!" [Wolrietta, Rei, Vana, Wendel & various other creatures] chanted in unison.

"In comma, coriyama…" [Cetilla & Nero] chanted with wide grins.

"In comma, coriyama…" [Crowd] screamed far louder than before.

"Hey~" [Cetilla] screamed while withholding her laughter as she turned to face the crowd.

"Hi!" [Crowd] roared while clearly losing their shit.

"Say bye!~ Bye, bye, bye!" [Cetilla] screamed in an admittedly sadistic laugh while waving to the crowd as she grabbed Nero's hand and began to drag him along with her into Halloween.

Ah… That was fun.

"Such a rush… There's nothing like it." [Cetilla] muttered while being incapable of hiding her smile.

"Agreed. Even so... Do we really need to partake in 'This is H*lloween'? We were both just in the last one…" [Nero] muttered while rolling his eyes.

"Nero… How could you pass up on 'This is H*lloween'?! The Band would slaughter you for missing it." [Cetilla] shot back with a very serious expression.

"One sec." [Nero] shot back before ruthlessly ripping an entire barrel away from two nearby Scarecrows desperately attempting to carry it, presumably to the Dining Hall.

And so, I have procured my emergency barrel. Taking a few massive swigs, I nonchalantly carried it toward the fountain… Before placing the barrel at the side of the fountain, taking a deep breath; and laying myself down to sleep. Thanks to one rather sharp Scarecrow named Wad, I think… I meow have a makeshift straw. It's literally just a piece of bamboo, but it allows me to breath under Punch. Don't ask me why… But the Scarecrow was wearing it as if it were a bolt drilled directly through her head. If you ask me, I did that Scarecrow a favor by taking it away. Poor thing probably didn't even know it was in there~

Ah… They've started the song. I can't really see what's going on, but they sound nice. Nice, and distorted due to the punch invading my eardrums. This is SO unsanitary… I'm pretty sure that I just broke every rule of the health code… But that's show-biz, people~ You know… I just realized, that I didn't really need to step into this thing until the song was already nearing its end… But then again, it'd be a shame if too many people noticed me casually dip into the Punch before my appearance~ Only a few children and their parents saw me this time. The parents were horrified and immediately dropped their cups, but the children burst out laughing… So that's cool.

"This is Halloween… This is Halloween… Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!" [Crowd of Bands(wo)men] chanted in unison before a particular Bat dived into the Punch and signaled the Halloween Cat's upcoming emergence.

"In this Town… We call home… Everyone hail to the Pumpkin song…" [Penny & Wendel] sang while Wendel was leaning over the edge of the fountain and Penny perched atop her shoulders.

"La! La! La! La, la, la! La! La! La, la, la! La! La! La, la, la! La! La!~" [Crowd of Bands(wo)men] chanted while Nero emerged from the Punch which suddenly combusted into orange flames as he waved to the crowd before everyone finally began cheering and laughing.

And so, taking a step down from the fountain; I procured my barrel… And continued on my merry way toward the Hallowed Gate as the next performance began. It was 'Fe*l Good Inc.' by Molag Dregora and Conrad. I'm sure that they'll nail it, but for meow; I'm in desperate need of a bath. After procuring my Broom, which I recklessly had left behind in the Throne Room… I began to fly toward the beach. Once I arrived, I grabbed the Bathtub and then returned to the Wailing Keep. While I was filling it via the sink in the Kitchen, I encountered the three Chefs and our beloved Vampire Carrier; Minny. According to Cindy, business with the Fish Sticks is absolutely booming; everyone seems to want a taste of one locally sourced piece of fried Fish. So much so, that she's beginning to debate the use of those Shark creatures gained from the Beach.

"They might not taste the same… I'd test it just to be safe, before starting to sell them. Also, you should have Roah take a look at them before you try to eat any. You never know if those things are toxic~ If they are, make sure to properly clean any surface that they touch; and have Vana heal you as an added precaution." [Nero] beckoned with a light smile.

"Got it!" [Cindy] declared with an excited expression as she raised a paw to salute before effortlessly shelling out orders to a nearby Scarecrow.

...I didn't know that she had it in her, but it would appear that Cindy's gone on a tirade. I guess… If Mary's fine with it, then it's fine? Oh. Mary's giving me a sharp look. She's probably hoping that I intervene… But nyah~ My tub's full… I don't need to stick around~

After flying my tub down to the beach, I stripped down into just my new pair of swim trunks; and my Shkullter shades. They're growing on me. The truth is, Penny's right. The flames have been messing with my vision. It's not as though I can't see, obviously… Everything's just tinted slightly orange meow, and it's probably been this way for quite some time. It baffles me that I hadn't noticed until now, but I was simply used to the summer weather. I didn't notice before because the sunset atmosphere that was normally occurring whenever I woke up outside, all of the candle-lit rooms, and the orange lighting that makes up the Wailing Keep helped to conceal the fact from me. Now that Winter's approaching, it's becoming strange that I'm still seeing vividly orange sunsets when I wake. The only possible explanation is that the flames in my eyes have begun to affect my vision. Case closed!

"Brilliant deductions, as always~" [Benji] sighed before perching atop the side of Nero's shoulder.

...I mean, I'm not nude… But if I were, I'd probably smack you into the radius of those Sharks. You looking to join the Elf?

"No, Sir… I would never have approached had you truly been indecent." [Benji] exclaimed with a solemn expression.

...Okay, so what's up?

"I was hoping that you might dance for me during my song later. Sadly, I haven't mastered the dance… But I figured that If I sat in your hood while I sang, I could still give off the impression of a far more skillful performer." [Benji] confessed while glaring up at the Halloween Cat.

...Are your eyes sparkling? Anyways… I don't know if that's a good idea. I wouldn't want anyone to think that I were the one actually singing when it's your talent that they should be getting swept away by... Besides, didn't you say that solid footing was never a requirement for dancing?

"...But Nero… Everyone knows that you're the best at that dance, and I'll never be able to master it with this form… I just want the audience to see it perfected this one time, since it's our final festival before you disappear! I may have claimed that solid footing wasn't necessary... But I was just being defensive. PLEASE?!" [Benji] begged as his eyes began to sparkle even brighter.

...Fine. I'll do it. Give me another little while to finish up in here, and when I finally return to Halloween; we'll get on with it.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you SO much!~" [Benji] cheered excessively fast before erupting into orange flames and disappearing from sight.

"Ahh…" [Nero] groaned while letting his head rest on the back side of the tub before slowly submerging into the water.

"Want to play a game?" [Weird Girl's Voice] begged the question with a slight giggle.

"AGhh! What the fuc?!" [Nero] screamed with a hysterical expression before jumping straight up out of the tub.

...There's no one here, aside from the Elf still relentlessly kicking his way to godhood in the distance. I'm deeply unsettled, and it's not just because that Elf is becoming less and less killable by the second… WHO THE FUCK WAS THAT?! Creepy little girls are not my specialty. Cetilla's enough, and she's not even creepy. She's just plain sadistic. Lianix already invades my sleep, and she's GENUINELY creepy. I can't handle another absolute creep girl while I'm conscious… But still, I'm alone. No matter where I look, there's no one here. Not a soul. Why did she sound so close?! It was like she was laughing in my ears… Hold on-Taking a closer look at my bathtub… There's nothing in the reflecti-OH FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK?!

It's the grudge. It's a girl with long black hair, and it engulfs the entirety of the tub water. Her twisted face is glaring back at me with a smile so wide that it literally rips her own cheeks open. Her eyes are pitch black, the exact same as her hair… The only reason I can even make out a face, is because it's the only part of her that isn't sheer black. I can't see her neck, or her body at all. All that I can see is her face, and the hair surrounding her… She's glaring back up at me, laughing… But I can't hear her. Are you saying… I can only hear her when I'm under the water? Under THAT water?! I'm supposed to bathe with THAT?! I'm literally getting goosebumps right now. This isn't okay. This is NOT okay. LEAVE MY BATHTUB IMMEDIATELY!

Ahem~ So, I dumped out my bathtub; and with that… She was gone. I didn't hear her, I didn't see any hair come of it… She simply… Disappeared. I'm still deeply disturbed. Clutching onto my barrel, I began to sit in the sand and glare out into the sea. That wasn't okay… There's nothing worse than a creepy girl trying to invade your rest. Whether awake or asleep, these women need to learn how to leave this Cat alone. I'm not playing. No games. None. Okay… I tried to fill my bathtub up with the water from the ocean, but the very moment that I glared into the filled tub… I began to sob before immediately whipping the bathtub across the Beach.

Oh my god… It's a CURSED BATHTUB! She was still there… Except this time, her hand was visible; and she began to wave… But when she waved, I could see the tips of her fingers emerge from the surface of the water. They were pitch white, and she had long black claws… It was terrifying. Had I kept that bathtub filled long enough with me inside… I have no doubt. She'd have found a way into Melchiodore. It's like… A portal, or something. It probably feeds mana off of the Halloween creatures stupid enough to bathe in it, and then uses that energy to open a portal to an underworld… Who knows? Maybe it would've tried to lock me away in the other realm, pulling the ultimate switch? Regardless, this thing is dangerous; and Merchants need to stop pushing their Cursed objects onto me. I'll be PISSED if this becomes a trend.

"Hey Nero, why aren't you out enjoying the festival?" [Roah] begged the question with a naïve smile.

"Part of my act was to drench myself in fruity liquid… I was absolutely required to take a break at the Beach afterward." [Nero] shot back with a tired expression before grabbing hold of his other clothes, beginning to soak and scrub them in the ocean.

"Need a hand?" [Roah] asked while beginning to kneel down next to the Halloween Cat and grabbing some of the clothing without even waiting for a response.

"Thanks… Also, would you mind telling me what that thing is?" [Nero] begged the question with a slight laugh as he gestured toward the distant bathtub.

"...The tub?" [Roah] shot back while tilting his head to the side.

"The tub." [Nero] sighed while nodding his head.

"Uhm… Sure?" [Roah] nervously laughed before taking a stand and approaching the bathtub.

Moments later, upon Roah's closer inspection… He literally fell backwards into a stumble and gasped in horror. Yup… It's Cursed.

"Nero… Don't bathe in that." [Roah] muttered before returning to wash the clothing with a blank expression on his face.

"Wait until you pour water into it..." [Nero] shuddered as he ruthlessly scrubbed away at his fleece armband.

"...I can only imagine… With a Curse called 'Damsel of Deprivation and Drowning', it likely consumes those who dare to wield it." [Roah] remarked.

"The Damsel of Deprivation and Drowning, huh?" [Nero] muttered before getting lost in thought.

So she's capable of depriving someone, and drowning them. Depriving probably means to suck away their energy, so I was right about one thing. But if she can only drown someone, then how the hell did she manage to reach through the water? Something's not right about that girl… Also, she's NOT a Damsel! She'd have my head, I'm almost certain. Halloween Cat or not, that girl wanted to slay me. She's probably a follower of Hoen, desperately awaiting the other Cat to save her from the bathtub… But totally capable of saving herself by consuming an Allwe Cat instead. Maybe… That's why that Merchant pushed the bathtub onto me? To keep it away from Hoen, and in safer hands? Or maybe… He genuinely thought that I could force the girl into submission? I'm not so sure…

But thinking about it… I'm genuinely in a sore need for an aquatic Halloween Candidate. Gluttatosk can sort of manage, but he's going to need backup. We can't let it all hang on his fins when we eventually need to put an end to the Tides… We'd never survive if we left it to Gluttatosk. Is that girl really the answer that we've been waiting for? One disturbing answer… But an answer nonetheless? Okay… Let's hypothesize. If we were to allow that thing into Melchiodore, could we even stop her if she chose to resist Capture? We need more information.

"Okay… So, give me a chance here… But what if we let her poke her head out of the bathtub, and then you Appraised her before we shoved her back in; and dumped the tub?" [Nero] asked with eyes wide.

"...What? WHY?!" [Roah] shot back with a baffled expression.

"Hear me out… What if she's the Halloween Clanswoman that we've been needing to face the Tides properly? What do you think he's going to do when he gets back to shore?! I'm not sure how many more times Conrad will be capable of pushing him back again!" [Nero] asked with a hysterical expression as he began pointing towards the Elven Councilman.

"Time's of the essence, huh?" [Roah] muttered while glaring at the Elven Councilman. To which, the Master of Time vehemently nodded.

"Hey, guys~ They just pulled out the Fish Brulet, so I made sure to grab us all some. What are we doing?" [Gluttatosk] chimed in with a jovial expression as he frolicked down the Beach toward the two.

"...Okay, so… Where is it?" [Nero] begged the question while sizing the Land Shark up.

"Eh?" [Gluttatosk] let out while tilting his head to the side.

"...The Fish Brulet?" [Nero] asked once more as one of his eyes began to twitch.

"...OH! I was having trouble carrying it, so I placed it in my mouth; and then I must've accidentally swallowed it. My bad…" [Gluttatosk] muttered with a dejected expression.

...What the... Gluttatosk?! Actually, no… I'm not even surprised. At all.

"Better luck next time, Champ~" [Roah] sighed.

"Well, since you asked… We're currently debating on getting a new Clanswoman." [Nero] confessed while side-eyeing the bathtub.

"...You can just sit around and debate on getting new Clanswomen? I thought that it was challenging since there were only around a hundred that you'd found or something?" [Gluttatosk] shot back while tilting his head to the side.

"Special case. This one's probably pretty tough, too." [Nero] explained before switching to a new piece of clothing.

"Can I help?" [Gluttatosk] asked while assuming a combat stance.

"I mean, yeah… But I don't know how you'll help if not to just be there in the event that we let her get loose~" [Nero] sighed.

"We're doing it, then?" [Roah] asked with eyes wide.

"Just tell me what Tier she is the moment that you get a chance to appraise her. I'll handle the rest." [Nero] declared with a solemn expression.

"Alright~" [Roah] sighed before taking a stand.

Okay… Putting the drenched clothing aside for a few moments, I took a stand and marched on over to the bathtub before picking it up.

"Mini party at the Beach? What's up?" [Cetilla] chimed in with a wry smile. To which, Nero groaned.

And so… After another excessively long explanation, and five rounds of shots... Cetilla has hopped on board, and Penny decided to sing us a [Song of Time Slow]. Clanswoman hunt! After filling the bathtub with water and bringing it further inland as I glared back at the horrifying face… I reached into the bathtub, and desperately tried to grab hold of her… But I had no such luck. She was holding back meow that there was a crowd, but I knew better. Stepping one foot into the water after another, I slowly submerged myself into the tub… And finally, as I opened my eyes beneath the water… I was able to view her hair, and her twisted face directly beside my own…

"Picked up a few friends, and now you're all sorts of brave~" [Creepy Girl] giggled before continuing…

I can feel her hair… It's everywhere, and it's coiling around my body.

"I bet you think this game can be played with more than two…" [Creepy Girl] whispered while seeming to be out of breath before continuing…

Yeah, no… I really don't… I've actually already very quickly learned that this is not something that I can face alone.

"BUT YOU'RE WRONG!" [Creepy Girl] screamed before her mouth began to open so wide that it enveloped her entire face; and everything in the water went pitch black.

The hair… I can't move. I can't move… Is this it?! Is this how I die?! On the night of a festival, in a freaking BATHTUB?! [Pumpkin Bomb]! [Clansmen Capture]! [Pumpkin Bomb]! [Clansmen Capture]! [Pumpkin Bomb]! [Clansmen Capture]!

I've been trapped. No matter how hard I try to break free, I can't move… I think the worst part about this is that I know Roah, Cetilla, Gluttatosk, and Penny are all standing right there beside me… But I can't see them, or feel them… It's like they're… Just… Gone. Wait… I can hear Penny's voice. I can still hear her song… So Time must still be being slowed… I can keep trying… But sadly, I really don't have much MP right now. This was a mistake on all accounts. I don't know what I was thinking, it was stupid to begin with. This… Thing… Could never be one of my Clanswomen. She's not genuinely a Halloween Candidate. She can't be. To slay a Halloween Cat before their time would be the worst of all crimes for such a being, she couldn't possibly… She simply wouldn't. If she were TRULY of Halloween, she'd know to save me for Hoen. She'd know that her genuine Messiah were coming for me; and that she would never be forgiven if I died by her hands… I mean, my head's basically spoken for by Hoen. Don't mess with Hoen, Satan hath no wrath worse than that bred of jealousy.

...Ah? The hair's loosened… [Clansmen Capture]! Upon further inspection… It didn't work, but I WAS able to finally stand up and release myself from the water… So, take what you can get; I guess~

"Nero!" [Cetilla & Penny] frantically screamed before joining together to embrace the Halloween Cat.

"We were trying to pull you out… But the hair was so thick and sharp…" [Roah] muttered as he glared down at his own bloody, mangled fingers.

"I kept needing to sing even though I wanted to scream, and I could hear your thoughts the entire time…" [Penny] sobbed while recalling the horrific events that happened just moments ago.

"Wha?! Find Luna immediately." [Nero] shot back at the (Hob)Goblin King.

"I'd feel bad leaving you right now… It must have been so terrifying…" [Roah] muttered while withholding tears.

"It was…" [Penny] cried.

"NOPE! No worries about me, get your hand fixed right now!" [Nero] shot back with a hysterical expression.

"Okay…" [Roah] sighed before slowly walking away.

...Gluttatosk's entire face is mangled?! Why didn't anyone say anything about the nearly dead Land Shark laying in the sand?! Also, who let the damned Land Shark dive head first into a razor sharp bundle of hair?! Oh god… After kicking the bathtub over to empty it, I grabbed all of my clothes, my Barrel, Broom, and Lantern before attempting to juggle them with one hand as I carried the battered up Land Shark with my other. It's time to return to the Wailing Keep… Though I have no idea what we're going to do with the Land Shark. It's a party, can we really walk in with fatal wounds and expect to not kill everyone's vibe? I still can't believe that the Hoen card worked… That was some next level pleading~

Once we arrived at the Wailing Keep; Luna appeared through the fire and flames of my Lantern… And immediately began tending to the two wounded Cat's Crewmen. We stayed with them for a little while, pouring them as many drinks as they desired. We're currently sitting outside of the Wailing Keep, near the front doors. People are still slowly streaming into the Keep, so we're getting a few strange looks; but with each one that passes... A Skeleton guides them inside before explaining the layout for the festival. It's exceptional work, and hopefully; it's professional enough to sway them away from the horror scene at the entrance. At first, Gluttatosk could barely get the booze down at all; but once he did… He was uncontrollable. He wouldn't stand still for Luna to heal him, and he kept trying to pick fights with Skelde. Something about how Skelde's always getting what he wants from Mary, but… Uhm… Skelde's a Skeleton. What he eats… Uhm… Doesn't it just fall right out of his stomach? There's nothing to stop Gluttatosk from still eating what Skelde takes… Right? Apparently not!

So, after a Skeleton attempts to consume food, they often get bits of bones and moss into the food; and if you're REALLY unlucky… Maggots. Absolutely revolting, I know!~ Gluttatosk used to try and eat Skelde's droppings, but later found out the truth; and the reason as to why so much of the food sent down to him in the basement was littered in Maggots. It was because Skeletons aren't supposed to eat food, and so they should just glare at it for a few moments before handing it to the nearest Land Shark. Ever since Gluttatosk figured out the truth, there's been a growing rift between the Skeletons and the Shrake. The Skeletons don't want to give up on eating, and the Shrake doesn't want their droppings. The Skeletons don't know how their droppings keep getting to the Shrake's room, and quite frankly; neither does the Shrake. Come to think of it… Who's actually the one grabbing trash and dumping it into Gluttatosk's room? Like… Who started this? Anyways, at this point; the two parties practically hate each other.

Choosing to protect my own sanity, I've decided to put more of my focus into Roah's troubles; and not the walking Food Incinerator. Roah's also getting pretty tipsy at this point, but is taking a far different attitude than Gluttatosk. He's still emotional because I almost lost my life and he was absolutely incapable of protecting me, even though he stood right at my side throughout the entire ordeal… It's troublesome. I genuinely don't know how to console him, because frankly; I'm still kind of shaken up about it myself. I almost died tonight. I came very close. If not for Penny's [Song of Time Slow]... I wouldn't have been able to get myself out of it. She's genuinely my reason for escape right meow. Thank you, Penny. I owe you my life.

I don't know what terrifies me more… The fact that I almost died tonight, or the fact that I now owe Penny my life… Truly, a frightening turn of events.

"You were almost nice to me there for a second…" [Penny] grumbled while crossing her arms.

"Yeah, I even showed up just to make sure I was hearing things right… But as it turns out, you're still just a little rascal~" [Christina] laughed.

"I'll be a Hero one of these nights... Just wait!" [Penny] declared while raising a finger to point toward the smug Corocdae before continuing...

"Also, if it wouldn't be too much… Could I hear it once more?" [Penny] asked with an overjoyed expression.

"...Thank you, Penny. I owe you my life." [Nero] sighed while rolling his eyes. To which, the Pixie excitedly squealed before returning to Halloween.

"You'll spoil her." [Christina] scoffed before returning to Halloween.

"Roah… I know that it was close, but we're not there yet. I'm still alive, see?" [Nero] said with a gentle voice as he placed an arm around the (Hob)Goblin King's back.

"Heh… Yeah, you're still here." [Roah] laughed with a weak smile.

"Damn straight… So what say we go ahead and try to enjoy a little bit of this festival before we die for real this time?" [Nero] begged the question with a smirk.

"Alright." [Roah] accepted the invitation with a nod before sniffling his nose and regaining his composure as he took a stand.

"Cleared to go?" [Nero] asked while glancing toward the struggling Unholy Priestess.

"Just don't go punching anything, unless you want to become the Hobgoblin Vampire King~" [Luna] grumbled before leaping onto the Land Shark and beginning to wrestle him into submission with the help of her trusted Vampire Knights.

"Thank you Luna!" [Nero] called back as he helped Roah open the doors to the Wailing Keep.

"...Where did Cetilla go?" [Nero] muttered with eyes wide after the two entered the Wailing Keep.

"Hmm… She disappeared a few minutes after we got here. Probably had a song to perform." [Roah] remarked with a shrug.

"Makes sense~ She's got a lot of songs." [Nero] sighed as he offered a spot for Roah to ride behind him on Lianix.

"If it isn't any trouble… I'd like to walk?" [Roah] suggested with a weak smile.

"Not at all, sometimes it can be nice to take your time." [Nero] replied with a smile.

"Thank you." [Roah] whispered.

"Anything that you'd like to talk about?" [Nero] asked as the two walked.

"Nothing in particular… If you could, would you try to keep my mind off of what just happened?" [Roah] asked with eyes wide.

"...Yeah. I can do that. Uhm… How about a story?" [Nero] suggested while shrugging his shoulders.

"That sounds perfect." [Roah] said with a smile.

"Okay… So, once upon a time… Uhm... Oh! There was a Candle Maker. He was a young man, just beginning to set out on his own in an attempt to open a Candle Shop. He was raised by other Candle Makers, but growing up; they never quite liked his work. The young man kept trying, working hard to perfect his wax… Until one day, when scouring some old documents at his father's Shop… He came across a tattered up scroll depicting a recipe for a legendary wick; the Everflame. This wick was said to burn so bright, that it could light for a thousand years; with, or without wax. Feeling compelled that his wax was already far below the standards set before him, the young man chose a new option. He sought to craft the Everflame. He followed every step of the recipe, searching high and wide for all of the ingredients… But later realized that the recipe was incomplete. The scroll was burnt at the bottom of the page, so he figured that it must've just been one step that was missing. After studying the list of ingredients and steps before comparing it to all of the other wick recipes passed down throughout his family… He figured that the one missing step would be to add a Wick Sustainer. Wick Sustainers help Candles burn evenly, but thankfully; making a Wick Sustainer is normally a relatively easy job. But still, after he made the Wick Sustainer; his Candle would not burn forever. It burned a moderate amount of time, not unlike any other Candle." [Nero] recalled the story with a gentle smile before suddenly taking a stop as he turned to face Roah.

"...So? What happened to the Candle Maker? Did he find a way to craft the Everflame?" [Roah] begged the question while tilting his head to the side.

"Eh? No… He realized that a trick to produce an endless flame was just that… A trick. No flames burn forever, that's just not how a flame works... And in the end, having a flame that burns unevenly; or that burns out far before its' wax does… Doesn't actually matter, because the source of the light that the flame provided when it was lit; was all that was ever required of it in the first place." [Nero] explained while glancing up toward the glowing orange gems adorning the ceiling before turning to face Roah once more.

"Word of advice?" [Roah] shot back as he glared deeply into Nero's eyes.

"Hm?" [Nero] let out while tilting his head slightly to the side.

"...Go for the Everflame." [Roah] exclaimed with a slight laugh before leaning in closer and kissing Nero on the cheek.

There's another side to that story… But I'm not sure that I'd want to tell it to Roah. The Candle Maker doesn't give up, and continues attempting copious amounts of different recipes for crafting the Wick Sustainer, tampering and adjusting each recipe… Until one day, he grows old; and finally achieves it. By the time that he's finished… He's already thrown his entire life away. He never had any children to pass his knowledge on to, and he blew through his inheritance. With no means to produce more Everflames, and no family left to call his own; he dies a lonely death… Having never even managed to sell a single Candle in his life. Some Candle Maker... He ended his legacy in a desperate attempt to impress his already deceased parents.

If I were to try and translate the story into my own prophecy the way that Roah did… I guess that I'd be aiming for immortality. I'd keep trying to find a means of inflicting myself with the Curse of Vampirism more than likely… Until one day, I achieved it; but by the time that I had finished… I'd have lost the war against the Dungeons, and there would be no life left on Melchiodore for me to save. I'd always have my Clans(wo)men… But I'd probably struggle with producing the Candy required to keep them alive, and so they'd be eternally confined to Halloween. Eventually, I too would be consumed by the wrath of the Dungeons; regardless of my Immortality… At which point, we would all be trapped in Halloween and forced to join the never-ending war for Allwe; while being completely aware that we'd already failed Melchiodore. Some Holiday Leader… Ending countless legacies in a desperate attempt to halt my own inevitable decay. Screw the Everflame.

"I'll try my best." [Nero] replied with a weak smile before gesturing for Roah to continue walking.

"...Promise?" [Roah] asked behind watery eyes.

...Instant regret. Why did I lie?!

"...I promise." [Nero] whispered as tears began to fall from his eyes before Roah grabbed hold of him, and took him into a warm embrace.

...Welp, now I've certainly done it. I've sworn to attempt Immortality. To genuinely attempt Immortality. It's impossible, right?! It can't be possible… For a Halloween Cat?! I mean, come on… It would be absolutely world-breaking if a Holiday Clan Leader could attain Immortality! Janus, have anything to share?! No?! It's either impossible, and he doesn't want to make an instant liar out of me… Or it's possible, and he doesn't want to spoil it for me while making too much of an unfair advantage against the other Clan Leaders… UGH! It could go either way! Either Janus or the Allwessistant Dott once told me that finding a Curse which could afflict me would be challenging… But not impossible. No one said that it would be impossible. They said it would be difficult. Lianix afflicted me, the Damsel definitely afflicted me; even if only for a few moments… So it can happen. We simply need a strong enough Vampire… Jeez. Things would certainly be different if even I needed to fear the sun… I'd become genuinely defenseless during the day. At least now, I can sort of function; or just sleep through it… But if things actually went down, WHEW~ That's the sweet sound of my carefully stacked house of cards crashing down. It's risky… But is the risk worth the reward? Avoiding death by Mana Guzzling at the cost of my subtle tan? I guess~

"Hey… There's no need to strangle me~" [Nero] laughed as Roah continued to clutch onto him.

"...Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away~" [Roah] apologized with a slight laugh before releasing the Halloween Cat and beginning to walk with him once more.

"No big deal… You ever miss him?" [Nero] asked while glaring across the room, at the scattered flames lighting up the floor.

"Goddin?" [Roah] asked with eyes wide.

"Yeah." [Nero] muttered quietly.

"All the time… Why?" [Roah] asked.

"I see a lot of him in you… When we're together, I often remember the last time that I spoke with him." [Nero] confessed as a tear fell from his eye.

"...What did you talk about?" [Roah] asked while tilting his head to the side.

"It was stupid… It really doesn't matter, but I can't help it… It was the very night before I last saw him. I was supposed to be heading into Reygid… But first; I was conjuring more clothing in the Throne Room. I conjure clothing while nude a whole lot of the time, so I don't enjoy others in my presence as I do it. Even so, I was bored… So I asked Penny to blindfold him before having him come to spend time with me. While I frolicked around the piles of massive clothing, he sat on my Throne as we discussed the Demon Kingdom. It was about how he managed to get you all into that Bar…" [Nero] remarked before Roah chimed in to exclaim…

"The Tippler Tavern~ I remember it." [Roah] chimed in with a smile.

"Yeah, anyways… I went over all of my future plans with him. I explained Hoen, Allwe, the Tournament of Night, and even wound up introducing him to Janus. We spoke of the future, regarding the reclamation of the Monster Kingdom, the rebuilding of the Harpy and Goblin homes, the Cobra Caves being my next challenge, how Dwarves are heavy drinkers, and even about you and your rivalry with Cloaked Monk. When I finally finished conjuring the clothing and was about to set out for Reygid… He surprised me, and chose to come along. He wanted to see what all the fuss was about over leaving the Lost Kingdom so frequently… So I was going to introduce him to Roy and Clive. He helped me count my Coins, and we ventured to Reygid together. When we got to the Vellisroi Estate in search of our Carriages, we found that Roy had company. It wound up being Ivand Bernardi… And I'm pretty sure that you can imagine where all of that led to…" [Nero] recalled the events before continuing…

"I just… I wish that in our final shared night together, that we spoke more about random… Unimportant things. We didn't absolutely need to talk about Hoen, Allwe, the Tournament, or the future… We should've just dove into some long, drawn out topic on Dwarves… We should've got so lost in time that we missed the shipment entirely; and never accepted Ivand's quest… You know?" [Nero] exclaimed with a dejected expression.

"...You missing a shipment to talk about Dwarves?" [Roah] laughed.

"Okay, fair enough… Maybe not Dwarves~" [Nero] sighed while rolling his eyes.

"No… Nero, I think that what you shared on that night was special. What you spoke of was exactly what he needed to hear." [Roah] declared while slowly nodding his head.

"...What do you mean? Business to death?" [Nero] shot back while stifling a small laugh.

"You speaking about all of your plans with him… It gave him the chance to hope for a future that he otherwise might not have. He got the opportunity to meet with Noblemen of an actually thriving Kingdom, and see just what his life may have been like had the Demons not destroyed the Monster Kingdom… You gave him something to yearn for on that night… And it might've been part of what urged him to lay down his life protecting your Keep." [Roah] exclaimed with a solemn expression.

"...But if I'm what led him to sacrifice himself, then why was it a good thing?!" [Nero] screamed as tears began to fall from his eyes.

"It could never have been a good thing… But it wasn't in vain. Their deaths sent the message. Because of their sacrifice, we knew to return and avoid unnecessary risk. He knew that your Keep could protect itself, but he didn't know if it could tell you about the battle itself." [Roah] explained as he withheld tears of his own.

"...Thanks, Goddin." [Nero] whispered before turning to face the Hallowed Gate now looming over him.