FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Mic check zero, respond one through five," the rat said into the microphone. It had been hooked up to an intercom before, but it was a simple matter for the rat to repurpose it, even with one hand. She switched the broadcast over to short-range radio, not trusting the wireless network to hold.

"Keller, live on one," the dog said, his voice coming from the rat's left. The equipment on the side table had previously been used to monitor vital signs of explorers, now the speakers were hooked up to the same short-wave feed as the rat's mic.

"Alice, live on two," the mare's voice followed.

"Nathan, live on three," the stallion said.

"Gull on four," the hyena said flatly.

"Uh, Gabriel here on five," the bear answered nervously.

The rat relaxed just a bit, and turned her gaze to the sphinx in the chair. She lounged with one paw over the other knee, The Master's cane lay across her lap. Her green eyes were narrow, but her lips bore a satisfied smirk. One hand held the top of the cane, the other clutched a hand-held radio. "Jade, live on zero," the rat said, "Mic check, six"

The sphinx raised her radio and pressed the button on the side. "Lucille Galleus, live on six."

The rat turned to her laptop, and fiddled with the feeds. Twelve monitors sat in a line behind her, with another row of six above it. Thirteen showed various angles of the Manor's interior, the last five on top each showed its front from slightly different angles and heights.

"Mic check, seven through fifteen," the rat said.

The rest of the team chimed in, barely enough for each station. Med tent was online with two people. Two others had been conscripted to replace the missing Engineers, and relayed the status of the equipment lining the expanded exclusion zone. They had enough fuel to keep the camp powered for eight hours. They had less than that however, after four the sphinx would make good on her word and seal the area, regardless of the state of the Manor, or whoever happened to be inside. The other teams were all single-person or worse.

"Mics live, all sounding clear. We move on your word, six," the rat said finally.

The sphinx didn't move at first, and regarded the monitors coolly. Something in her eyes shifted, and she lifted the radio to her mouth. "Ladies and gentlemen, we stand here now at the end, your final mission. Will you succeed or fail? Frankly, I don't care either way. One through five, remember what I told you. You're here for personal reasons, but you must not let your emotions rule you. I have little faith, but offer my guidance regardless. Move in at your own discretion."

Outside Galleus Manor, set back from the porch by a full thousand feet, the exploration team exchanged a knowing look. Their gear was far different than they were used to. Their reflective vests were eschewed for the daylight operation, though they kept their flashlights. Each wore a backpack with a camera mounted on the shoulder strap, broadcasting their rough field of view constantly. Each had a radio receiver pinned to their front, and with a chord trailing up to an earpiece.

"Alright," the dog said, "Our goal is the basement, past that we're going blind. Our primary method of engagement is retreat. If you see the spear beast, beat feet and take sharp turns." he said. The team nodded, and together they regarded the house one last time. It stood unusually quiet, no screams or laughter echoed within. Each time before, when the door opened, it was an invitation calling them to the grave, daring them to steal its secrets if they could. Now the open door seemed something else, almost incidental. It was unclear if it had been forgotten, or if going inside no longer mattered to it. The team stepped forward, over the hastily redrawn chalk line, and into what they knew was almost certain doom.

---

Nathan took point in the foyer, feeling calm despite the brain fog. The afternoon sun streamed through the window, painting the furniture in a semi-orange light. It struck him funny, how normal it looked. For the first time, he considered the space as somewhere people had lived in. The house had been a place of comfort before, not of death and pain. Keller brought up the rear as the others followed inside.

"We gonna bother with the upstairs?" Nathan asked, eyeing the staircase dubiously. Last time he had braved them, it hadn't gone well.

"I want to check the master bedroom at least, I'm still suspicious of it," Keller said, "There's got to be a reason knifey hangs out there."

"Knifey?" Alice asked incredulously as she panned her light around the room. Silence filled the hall in an uncomfortable way. "Don't get cute on us. This is serious."

"If you have a better name, I'm all ears. Stabbed three of us so far, one nearly to death."

Alice huffed, and stayed quiet.

"I like it," Jade said. Her voice crackling through the radio. "Fucker doesn't deserve a real name."

"We're wasting daylight," Gull said. Nathan nodded, and made for the stairs. The canines brought up the middle, followed by the bear. Alice brought up the rear, her hooves making the wood creak beneath her weight.

"I'll cover the bottom," Alice said, and took up position. She kept her light trained on the back hall as the others made their way up. Keller and Gull held back at the first landing, watching the stairs in either direction as Gabe and Nathan advanced down the hall. Gabe grew visibly more anxious as they approached the double door leading to the master bedroom, and Nate couldn't blame him.

"You take the door, I'll go in," Nathan said. Gabe nodded, relief plain on his face. Nathan stepped inside as the bear took up watch in the hall.

It was Nathan's first time seeing the room in person, at least that he remembered. He was familiar with the blueprint, and had seen stills taken from the camera feed. It struck him that this was where his girlfriend had lost her arm, nearly lost her life. He tried to picture it, the shade bringing the knife up and down, over and over, reducing her limb to jelly while she bled out on the floor, bringing the blade ever closer to her middle with each stab. Had it intended to do the same to the rest of her? Pulp all of her limbs, leaving her in agony until it finally put her down? Or had it even thought about it? Was it intelligent at all? Was her survival just a fluke of it's ineptitude? Nathan couldn't say. What he did have to say was simple.

"Fuck," it was low, barely making it past his lips. The knife stood upright below the camera in the corner, it's point was buried in the wood floor. Nathan was shocked at the complete lack of blood, but he saw its passage after a moment. The crimson may have left, drank in by the house, but the outline of the pool could still be seen in the dust it had washed away. Nathan marveled at the size of it, wondering how Jade could even hold that much blood, let alone survive losing it.

"Nate, stud, talk to me," Jade's voice came through the radio. Nathan shook his head clear, surprised at his own calm. The drugs were doing their work.

"Right. Yeah. I'm okay," he said, and cautiously stepped towards the knife. He expected it to leap at him, to start flying through the air. It wasn't until he had it in his hand, felt the cool wood of its handle, that he let himself relax. He slipped the knife under his belt and surveyed the rest of the room.

Nathan's eyes glossed over the ruined bed at the center, and skimmed the bookshelves lining the walls. Hundreds of tomes packed each cranny. Nathan suspected that with enough time they could learn anything they wanted here, but time was not a luxury they had. One book stood out to him, looking much newer than the rest. A small leather journal, unmarred by dust, and uncracked by age. Someone had added this to the pile, it did not belong. Nathan pulled it from the shelf and opened it to the first page.

If blood were money, we'd own the world.

Nate cocked an eyebrow, and turned the page, finding it blank. He leafed through the rest of the journal, finding nothing else.

"Cryptic bullshit, nothing much else," Nate declared, and returned to the hall, journal in hand. The team regrouped and took turns reading the passage.

"That's helpful," Gabe said with a scoff.

"Anything stick out to you, Jade?" Alice asked.

"Nothing to me, other than being creepy."

"No, I know what this is," Gabe said, holding his hand up. "It's just wrong."

"Care to explain yourself big bear?" Gull asked.

"The line's supposed to go 'If money were blood, they'd drown the world', it was part of an exhibition. Old hippie dude named Erza, guru type. The whole thing was photographs of coastal towns now underwater, melted glaciers, all this depressing shit from climate change."

"Subtle," Gull said, nodding appreciatively.

Gabe shrugged. "Dunno what a climate activist has to do with a haunted house, but that's what it's from."

"It might be from an earlier team, it's newer than the rest of it at least," Keller said.

Alice shook her head. "No dice, been here since day one of the op, we screen radicals out, and gear bags. Nothing was left in the house on purpose besides the cameras, not unless they had some other way of getting in here."

Nate crossed his broad arms, thinking.

"Something on your mind, hoss?" Gull asked.

"I mean, it's a message for sure. The only question is for who, and why?"

The group fell silent, considering the implications. Finally, the hyena broke the silence. "How about you, miss witch, any thoughts you'd like to share with the class."

"Not my wheelhouse," Lucille's voice crackled through the radio, "I deal with lingering regrets. This is an outright malevolent occupation."

Gull rolled their eyes. "Thanks, chief," they sighed. "Well, we're just stalling at this point."

"I don't like how quiet it is," Keller said, then shook his head, "you're right though."

They made their way into the back hall slowly, and found the kitchen without incident. The door to the basement was shut, but slightly ajar. Nate didn't like the look of that, it seemed deliberate. It felt like a trap.

"I'll go first," Alice said, and stepped forward. Nate fought the urge to speak up, to take the lead, but thought better. She was the strongest on the team, she could handle herself.

The knob turned easily in the mare's hand. She inched the door open, looking ready to bolt at a moment's notice, but nothing happened. The door opened, revealing the black throat of the stairwell.

"Camera looking good?" Alice asked.

"Feed still online, looking clear," Jade said.

Alive nodded once and looked back at the team. "I'll go first. Stay a few steps behind me, if it collapses I don't want to take you down with me."

The mare put one hoof down on the first step, testing her weight against it. The wood creaked and groaned, but held. She grabbed the door frame and lowered her other hoof to the next step. She tensed up as the wood popped, clinging to the frame for dear life. The noise passed, and it became clear she wouldn't fall. She shared a look with the others, one part relief, four parts resignation, and began her descent in earnest.

Keller went next, then Gabe, then Gull, and Nathan brought up the rear, each keeping about ten feet apart from the next. The stairs descended at a steep angle, and seemed to narrow as they went. The cramped hall was well lit by their combined lights, but only Alice could see what lay ahead. Seconds stretched into minutes, and Nathan began to worry.

"Love, what's the camera situation, I feel like we're pretty far underground now," he said.

There were a few agonizing seconds of silence before the radio crackled to life. "Feeds are live, signal clear," Jade said, trying to sound reassuring. "You're right though, you've been walking for six minutes. Something's not right."

A different voice came through the radio, Lucille's. A high single bark of laughter through Jade's mic. The radio crackled again. "You've seen literally ghosts, and you're spooked by a big hole in the ground?" Lucile asked through her own mic, her voice much louder now.

"Ignore her," Alice said from the front. Nate sighed and nodded. They were both right, he supposed. They had seen much worse before, and Lucille was not their friend. He let his guard down just a bit.

A deafening crack rang through the stairwell like a shotgun blast, dry wood finally cracking and caving. Everyone ahead of Nate ducked, and Nate covered his head. Panic sunk its teeth into him, his stomach lurched, and for a moment, he worried Alice had fallen through. He opened his eyes, and realized as the world rose around him, that he was the one falling.

Gull dove for him and Nate scrambled to catch their hand. Their fingers touched, then locked together. Keller's own hands dwarfed the Hyena's by a good margin. Gull landed on their stomach, their dive coming up short. Their arm clapped the ledge of the chasm, just below the elbow.

Nathan's full weight cracked against the hyena's arm like a whip. It snapped instantly, bending the wrong way over their elbow. "Gull screamed, high and loud, and Nathan let go from the shock.

Nate counted the seconds as he fell. Realizing he was in for worse than the last time. He hit the ground, and yelled. The floor gave way, crumbling beneath him like sand, and swallowed him. The stallion thrashed against it until his thigh crashed into hard stone. He twisted and got his hoof under him, then launched free, gasping for air.

Nathan wiped his eyes clear, and realized it wasn't sand he landed in, it was sludge, dark and chunky. The cool wetness of it sank through his fur, stealing his body heat away from him. He had no idea where his flashlight landed, its light was gone. It didn't matter though, he pulled his spare from his belt. Something bit into his hand as he reached down, and he remembered the knife. He was lucky he hadn't impaled himself in the fall. Nathan flicked the light on , and surveyed his surroundings.

Stone walls, oozing dark sludge made a circle around him, it looked like a natural cave. Something about the light seemed wrong though, not white but red. Nate looked at his flashlight, saw the red smear across the lens, and realized what it was he was standing in. The blood came up to his waist, and he could feel solid bits bumping into his calves and thighs.

Far above him, familiar voices echoed down, distant and incoherent. The radio crackled, and a clear voice came through, though garbled.

"Fuck I don't know, camera says no signal!" Jade's panicked voice snapped Nathan to his senses, all pain left his body.

"I'm alive!" he shouted, trying to sound calm.

"Wait, wait, Nate can you hear me?" Jade's voice came again.

The voices above lulled. "Nate, baby, I need you to set your mic to 'three', just turn the dial at the top." Jade sounded near tears already.

Nathan tugged at his radio, pulling it from his backpack strap. He wiped the film of blood off it as best he could, then turned the knob on the top over twice. "Test test, on three?" Nathan paused, a nasty taste had invaded his mouth as he spoke. He spit disgustedly, and wiped the blood from his mouth.

The radio crackled again. "Oh thank fuck," Keller said. In the background, Nate could hear Gull groaning.

"Nathan, where are you? Can you move?" Alice was next, using her Doctor's voice. In a different context, it would have gotten Nate's motor running, but not now.

"I've got my hooves under me, my legs and arms are working, no breaks as far as I can tell. Cut my hand on the knife. But otherwise intact. There's... fuck there's like a whole pond of blood down here, there's chunks in it too, I think bone."

"Fuck, infections..." Alice said quietly, unaware the mic still picked it up. The thought wasn't comforting, having all this blood in an open wound.

Someone retched through the radio, and Keller spoke up. "Woah woah, not down the hole!"

Nate scowled, and stepped closer to the wall. Several seconds later, something splashed down into the pool with him. Nate covered his mouth to keep from puking as well.

"Sorry," Gabe's miserable voice came through.

"Nate, where are you, can you see a way out?" Jade asked, somewhat calmer now.

Nathan sighed and scanned the cave with his light. The walls formed a near perfect circle around him, and beneath his hooves. He felt the floor slope up to meet them. If not for the drop in. The room would have been nearly spherical. What was clear, was that there was no way out but the way he came. "Looks one-way, babe," Nathan said, trying not to sound scared, "big round bubble full of shit, basically."

"You're in a stomach then," Lucille said, startling the stallion. He looked around the space again, and couldn't disagree.

"We'll get someone there with rope, don't worry," Jade said.

"Should we wait?" Keller asked.

"No," Lucille answered. "Consider Nathan lost for the time being. He's right where the Manor wants him, it's only a matter of time before he succumbs. Your own levels will continue to rise regardless, the mission hasn't changed.

"Fuck you, lady," Gull spat, their first coherent words in a long while.

"No, she's right," Nate said. Silence fell among the group, only Gull's ragged breathing broke through the static. Nathan continued, "I'm out of the running, but I'm alive. You need to go on without me. We'll worry about a rescue when we're done."

"Fuck," Alice said.

"Sit tight love," Jade said, her voice raw. "We'll get you out of there."

"I trust you, Jade. The others need you more now though."

There was a long silence before anyone else spoke. "Fuck," Keller said, voicing everyone's thoughts, or so it seemed to Nate.

"There, that should help," Alice said, and Gull's voice thanked her. "Are you good to walk?"

"Apart from the screaming agony? Yeah. Can't move my fingers though," Gull said

"Alright, we're moving on," Keller said reluctantly. Nate watched the pinprick of light above dim, then fade entirely. He let out a sigh, part relief, part resignation. He hated this. He wanted to help, to protect the others, and it was over before it started. He leaned against the sticky wall, and tried his best to be patient, but something broke his focus. A noise, breathing.

Nate brought his light up slowly, towards the center of the pool. Something stood there, dark and vague. A shade, its edges far sharper than any other he'd seen before. It lifted its face to regard him, it's eyes burned yellow, like amber fire. Nate thought to yell, to warn the others, but something held him back. They were already reluctant to continue without him, and no one could hope to save him. All he could do was make them worry more. He turned his radio off.

---

Gabe didn't feel better after letting it all out, in fact his stomach felt worse. He was never cut out for this scary shit, never cut out for hard work in general, really. He wanted nothing more than a cold drink and a hard bar to slump over. With every minute that passed though, he became more sure that he had already had his last drink.

The stairs led down to a small room, stone brick made up its walls. Everyone was relieved to have solid ground beneath them again. The way forward was a single door by the looks of it, old and wrought iron. Gabe thought it looked straight out of a castle dungeon, rather than a mansion's basement, but he wasn't much of an architect. The Doc tried the door first, finding it stuck fast. She looked to the dog and Gull. Big mistake, Gabe thought.

The dog shrugged, but Gull didn't hold their tongue. "Oh yeah, let me," they said, their voice dripping with vicious sarcasm. "When should I stop, when I break the other arm? or when I snap my leg trying to kick it down after?"

"Oh fuck off," the mare said, "I wasn't asking you-"

Gabe stepped forward between them and held his hand up. He knew the Doc well enough to know she wouldn't take Gull's shit, and he knew Gull like the back of his hand. Once they were in fight mode, they did not dial back. Gull saw the look in his eye, and turned away, silently steaming. That was better than before at least, he'd earned that much of Gull's patience

"I'll take a look at it," Gabe said. He didn't sound confident, because he wasn't. He wasn't an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but he was the closest they got when it fell outside the others' wheelhouses. The mare stepped back, and let him at the door.

Gabe's appraisal wasn't good, an inch thick by the looks of it, and unblemished by rust. The hinges looked old but sturdy, equally problematic. "Well, we sure as fuck ain't breaking the door," he said.

"Stunning power of observation," Gull said.

Gabe didn't let it bother him, and continued studying the frame.

"We've got hammers and some pry bars for tools," Keller said, looking through his pack. "Think we can maybe break the stone around the door?"

Gabe shook his head. "Too long, don't need to." he said, and knelt down. The handle was an old ring-pull affair, above which sat the keyhole. He shone his light inside trying to see how complicated it was inside. He didn't know the first thing about picking locks, but he could tell the assembly was set up to move some serious weight. Meaning the bar was equally unbreakable.

"Hey Keller, you got a screwdriver?" Gabe asked, getting back on his feet.

"Plus or minus?"

"Little."

"Like short?"

"I need the one you use for battery compartments, the real little one, doesn't matter which."

Keller blinked, but dug through his bag. He found a small case, with a sticker label that read "COMPUTER". Reluctantly he rose, and handed it off to the bear. Gabe thanked him, and helped himself to the hammer from Keller's bag as well.

"You picking the lock?" Keller asked, more confused than concerned.

"Nope," Gabe said. He went to the other side of the door, where the hinges stuck out.

"Oh fuck, right," Gull said, finally catching on.

"Care to share?" Alice asked.

Gabe positioned the head of a screwdriver over the hinge pin on the top hinge, the began tapping at it rhythmically with the hammer. "Big door doesn't want to move. Lock is too thick to snap, and too tricky to pick. Big door is very heavy though," Gabe said as he worked. Slowly, the pin emerged from the bottom of the hinge, and inched its way out. After five minutes, it plinked to the floor. The door groaned, and sagged forward slightly. Two more hinges held it up still.

"First thing they teach you with a lever is distance amplifies force. Tweak where the fulcrum sits, you change that distance, meaning..."

Gabe hooked a claw over the top of the door, and gently pulled it towards him. It resisted at first, but Gabe was a bulky bear, and insisted. The metal groaned, then shrieked. The door tipped forward, its remaining hinges tore themselves from the wall. Stone dust popped out of the wall as the bolts ripped themselves out. The door twisted in its frame, and the bolt bent and popped free of the other side. Gabe stepped back with a smug grin, and let the door finish its descent to the floor.

"Heavy door opens itself," Gabe said, and grinned.

The other shared a moment of relief, Alice dared to laugh, breaking the tension. Gabe turned back, feeling much safer somehow, then froze. Two lights pierced the dark, bobbing down the stairs behind them. Something glinted below them, metal, a knife.

"S-shit!" Gabe shouted.

The others followed his gaze.

"Run!" Keller shouted.

Alice was off in flash, disappearing through the door. Keller made after her, but Gull tripped, and fell on their bad arm. Gabe looked back and forth between the advancing shade and the downed hyena, his gut clenching tight.

"Fuck if I'm gonna die a coward," Gabe roared, and dove for his friend. Gull was surprisingly light, and the bear yanked them to their feet with ease. The hyena's eyes were bleary with tears, their face a grimace of pain. Gabe realized Gull was gone. He would have to carry them.

The bear tipped the hyena over his shoulder like a sack of flour, and they screamed as they barked their arm. Gull flailed as best they could, but it was meaningless against Gabe's thick arms. Gabe took off at a jog, the best he could manage with his short legs. Through the door, and into the darkness, he followed the wildly flailing lights of the others. Up ahead, voices echoed down the stone hallway. First screams, then laughter, then familiar ones.

"Shep!?" the mare's voice reverberated, overlapping with the dog's.

"No Alice!"

A crash blasted through the hall like a shotgun, deafening Gabe. He ducked, and ran faster, but something sharp caught at his legs. He looked down and screamed. Shadows extended from the walls, reaching arms with razor claws. Panic gripped the bear, and he broke into a lopsided sprint. Pain lanced up from his calves and thighs in cold spears, not immediate agony, but laced with the sickening surety of serious injury. His legs felt weak, and he didn't know if it was blood loss, or the cuts were that deep. He didn't dare venture another look.

Light came in to view ahead, not the bright flashlights of the exploration team, but something warm and yellow. Gabe tried to run faster, but his legs were sluggish and unresponsive. The light grew clearer, a hooded lamp on a table, seen through a doorway ahead. Shadows crowded the walls like moss, the whole hallway swarmed with them, but inside was clear inside was safe. Gabe could see a face through the door, at first another shade, but the image resolved quickly into something familiar. It wasn't a shadow, but a dog with black fur, silhouetted by the lamp.

"Gabe run!" Keller shouted. Extending his hand through the doorway.

Gabe tried, but his legs were cold and numb. He looked down, finally, fatally. His throat tightened and his stomach leapt. He could see bone. The bear raised his eyes, catching Keller's own.

"Gabe no!" Keller pleaded.

Gabe smiled. He was afraid, terrified, but he wanted that to be his last image. He tipped forward, and threw the hyena. Claws and talons grasped for them, tearing superficial cuts and gashes, but none could slow them. Gull crashed into the dog, bowling both over through the doorway. Gabe tipped forward, first to his knees, then onto his face.

---

"Respond, mic zero, mic six. Jade, Nate, fucking anyone?" Gull had been trying for minutes, but still only static. The only other noise was the quiet chatter of the shades, and the slow breathing of the dog.

The room was a study, both out of place and perfectly at home inside the Manor. There wasn't a spec of dust to be found, and it was illuminated by its own light by the soft glow of the table lamp. At the same time, the heavy leather chair, and wall of old books fit the decor and era of the Manor perfectly. It was as if time had not touched the space, that it was somehow both outside and within. That would explain the shades' reluctance or inability to enter, Gull thought.

Keller sat in the chair in the center of the room, his eyes glazed over. When Gull regained themself through the pain, Keller had been busily patching their wounds, but panic was clear on the dog's face even through the focus. Gull made him take a second and third dose of the mood stabilizer, and he didn't object. Keller had the highest corruption among the team, and Gull had no idea how long they'd been out. Conveniently, their watch had stopped at some point, as well as Keller's. It seemed the house did not want to be measured in any way.

Gull had asked about Alice, but they'd been too afraid to ask after the bear. On some level, they knew what must have happened, but they didn't want to learn. Not now, not here. They still theoretically had a mission to accomplish, though it was clear now more than ever that it was a fool's errand. Still, Gull did not consider that line of thinking particularly useful, and busied themselves with the distractions of finding a way forward.

The study was a dead end at face value, but they'd already cleared one of those so far. No other doors led from the room, and the hall still swarmed with the desperate arms of the shades. Alice had disappeared somewhere in there, not to the shades, but into the wall. Keller could elaborate little past "it ate her," and Gull found little desire to know more.

A fireplace sat cold and clean of soot before the chair, with shelves to either side of it. Above it hung a large coat-of-arms Gull recognized from orientation long ago, and behind that hung two crossed blades. They were ornamental, with bolts put through them and unsharpened. Gull wouldn't be surprised if the blades were actually one object, fused where they crossed beneath the banner. Such things were common, Gull rarely saw a sword that was meant to be used these days.

Gull's eyes glazed over the books, refusing to read, instead the scanned height, color, and pattern on the spines, looking for anything out of place, anything to catch the eye. They scowled after a couple minutes, realizing the collection was simply a chaotic mess. There was no pattern to find, no out of place artifact, everything was out of place, nothing seemed to belong.

The table was next, it was big and heavy next to the chair, perfect for hidden compartments or secret devices. Gull knew they were grasping at straws, but they needed to do something. They didn't bother looking for switches or levers, they simply knocked on the wood in intervals, listening for hollow spots. Another few minutes went by, and still with nothing to show. The table was solid, no tricks. The only thing strange was the lamp, an oil-fueled affair that had never seemed to actually use its fuel. It had been burning for a while now, and Gull had not noticed any measurable dip in the reservoir. The only interesting question about it was whether it had been lit recently, or if it had always been burning down here.

"How are we feeling, pup?" Gull asked as they scanned the rest of the room. It was no good, apart from the bookshelves, the walls were bare stone brick like the rest.

"Blood itches," Keller said, his voice scratchy. "This was a trap."

Gull sighed. "Yeah," they said plainly.

"We should have just left, they waited for us to get too deep, that's why it was quiet."

Gull said nothing. They were in agreement, but they weren't about to rub it in.

"Should we have just let her do it?"

"Look, if you can trust the witch for anything, you can trust her to keep her word on that. No matter what we do, Galleus Manor ends tonight."

Keller nodded. "You know what I told her, the first night we made love?" he asked, almost to himself.

Gull stopped their search. It didn't feel like the right time for this, but then again it never did. "No, I don't."

"I told her I was afraid. I was afraid, because I'm fragile."

Gull looked over at the dog, searching for anything in his face. His expression remained blank, and Gull couldn't tell if it was the drugs, or the shock. It was dangerous to have this conversation here, dangerous to court emotions inside the Manor, at least according to the witch, but they were already doomed. "Keller, we're all fragile, the only difference is the level of denial we're in. You're honestly one of the stronger Explorers I've seen come through here. Normally I'd chalk that kind of bravery up to stupidity, but I've been around you long enough to know better."

"Should I have just left?" Keller asked, "just moved on without her? She chose me, but she didn't know she'd be trapped here, she couldn't know."

Gull stepped over to the dog, and sat down on the table. Hesitantly, they put a hand on Keller's knee, and felt it trembling. "You tried," Gull said. It wasn't comforting, but it was honest.

"I did," Keller said, "and I'm still here, I guess." He took a deep breath and let it out through his teeth. There was some relief in it, but something darker. "That's the bitch about life, I guess. No matter how broken you are, it can keep going. It's cruel like that, but maybe it's for the better."

Gull looked away, fixing their gaze on the wall. "Yeah. I..." they trailed off. It didn't feel right, this wasn't story time, but it was likely their last few hours. "Fuck it," Gull muttered, "my first partner raped me when I came out as asexual. They thought they could fix me, but really I just went from sex positive to sex repulsed. It's funny, they were so concerned I was 'missing out', and now because of them I really have. So yeah, I get that."

Gull stared hard at the wall, struggling to keep their emotions down. Something warm fell on their hand, and they jumped. They looked down to see Keller's hand covering their own. It was nice. Gull took a shaky breath, and smiled. Something seemed off though. The room was quiet. Gull's gut dropped, sensing danger, and they dove into the chair, bowling Keller to the ground behind it. Something whistled through the air above them, and cracked against stone before clanging to the ground.

Gull's arm screamed, but they were getting used to the pain. Cautiously, still holding Keller down, they peeked over the upended chair at the hallway. Two amber flames burned in the doorway, pressed right up against the threshold. They regarded Gull almost casually, then wicked out. Gull rose, letting Keller go, and looked behind them. A knife lay in the hearth of the fireplace, the same one Nathan had found. It must have missed them by inches.

Gull rolled into a sit, and groaned. "Man, fuck today."

"Gull," Keller said quietly, not rising from the floor. Gull looked down, and saw he was staring at the knife. No, that wasn't quite it. Gulls got down on the floor again, leveling their gaze with the dog's. It wasn't the knife, there was something in the fireplace.

Gull rose and stuck their good arm inside, feeling for the object. It was long and metal, a lever. They shared a look with Keller, and pulled it. The hearth lurched, and fell back from Gull. They rose, and saw the whole wall between the bookshelves had opened like a door.

"Open sesame," Keller said dryly.

"Well, we're officially where the house doesn't want us," Gull said, and grinned down at the dog, "wanna see what all we can fuck up?" Keller smiled back, despite himself, and got his paws under him.

Their lights didn't penetrate far into the gloom of this new hall, but it didn't seem they had far to go. Pipes and wires hung overhead, and crowded the walls to either side. A churning thrum could be heard from within. Keller reached out cautiously to touch one of the pipes, but Gull caught his hand.

"No no don't touch, great way to get a burn," they warned. "We have enough gimps on the team as it is." Keller nodded silently, and they continued. The hall narrowed, then widened into a round space, marking the end. The pipes and wires twisted into a mass of iron at its heart, covered in rivets and vibrating noisily. Dials and gauges stuck out at all angles, and a single round porthole sat in its front. The glass was dark.

"What the actual fuck," Keller said quietly.

Gull inched closer, studying the seams in the pipes, and where they entered and left the machine. It was leaking badly, something black ran from nearly every port, but the device thrummed on, still doing whatever it was it did. "This is... This was a boiler," Gull said, "Fuck if I know what it is now. Something moved beneath their paws. They looked down, and saw a manhole set in the floor, the old square kind. "Well shit."

"What?"

Gull gestured to the plate with their good hand. "Your call bud," they said, "want to go any deeper, I ain't coming with. Also going further down too, meaning you'll have to come back up."

Keller looked between the manhole and the machine. "Think you can figure this thing out?"

Gull scoffed. "No. I can figure out how to break it though. I'd need to know what it's doing before figuring out how it works."

Keller frowned. "Well, it doesn't want us here," he said, "probably doesn't want us down there either."

Gull nodded. "I'll try to figure this thing out in the meantime. I think we're still safe here, we haven't been mobbed at least."

Keller nodded. "Switch your radio to 4, we should at least be able to hear each other if we can't reach base."

Gull nodded, "Fuck, Jade must be freaking out," they sighed. It was depressing. They shook their head, catching themself. They decided to risk another pill once Keller was gone, they had overdosed to begin with already. Gull knew the risks for the drug all too well, their liver couldn't handle much more. Still, they had a job to do. This time at least, it would be for someone else. "I'm sure the witch isn't helping her either, not in any meaningful way."

"She can still hear Nate," Keller reassured, "that should be enough to keep her grounded."

Gull nodded, and looked up at the dog. For the first time, he didn't look like staff to Gull. He looked like a person, someone with purpose and personality, someone they wanted to know. Gull smiled despite themself and chuckled.

"What?"

"Sorry," Gull said, "It just struck me. I never asked Jade how it went with you."

Keller leaned back, and scratched his head. He looked embarrassed, but the hint of a smile graced his lips. "Well... We had a good talk, she helped me deal with some things I'd been ignoring for a long time."

Gull grinned, but it faded quickly. "Does it feel any better?"

Keller was quiet a long time, seeming to think very hard. He nervously gripped one arm with the other. He looked down, coming to his conclusion with a frown. "No, it doesn't hurt less. It kinda hurts more actually. It's still way too soon, and now I have all these thoughts I can't ignore, like turning up what you thought was radio static, only for it to be screaming, and now the dial is broken. I hadn't realized how much I hate my body, and that is what it is. I thought I hated me, but... It's just parts of me, parts I have no control over, or rather, parts I can take control over now. It feels awful, but liberating in a way."

Gull nodded, "So she cracked your egg good, yeah?"

Keller smiled and chuckled, "Yeah, I guess. We're supposed to go shopping after this, if there's an after this. We kinda ruined some thrift store clothes that night."

"Solid plan. If you end up swinging towards the middle, I'm happy to help you out too. I've had a lot of practice forcing the question, if you catch me," Gull said.

"I'd like that actually, never hurts to try other things. I still don't know where I am myself, but it's good to know I'm not alone."

Gull grew quiet. Their arm throbbed with sharp pain, and they realized how much time they'd wasted. "Well, you should get moving. We like each other too much, we'll get afraid to die."

Keller chuckled and shook his head. "Fine," he said. He knelt down and pulled the manhole up, revealing hundreds of iron rungs embedded in the stone brick, heading down into the darkness. "Well, shit. I was kinda hoping I could see the bottom."

"There might not be one," Gull said.

"Real comforting, aren't you?"

Gull shrugged. "Look, only go half as far as you think you can make it. If you don't find the bottom by then, you'll need your strength to make it back."

Keller nodded, "Radio four, remember," he said, and turned the dial on top of his own.

Gull grinned, and did the same. Keller disappeared into the dark. For a long while, Gull could hear the clank of his paws against iron, and his labored breathing, but both sounds faded with distance, leaving Gull only with the thrumming of the enigma machine behind them. Almost reluctantly, they turned to face it.

They were a car person. While they understood the basics of machining and engineering, none of their training carried over to the task at hand. That was nothing new, they supposed, they'd been dealing with that since they took this job. Gull reached into their bag for the pill bottle, their hand shaking much more than they thought it had been. They were lucky Keller hadn't noticed. The dog might not have continued if he knew how scared they were. Gull didn't believe in fate, but they did believe something waited for them down there, something that didn't want to be found. They knew Keller was the one most fit to face it. Gull downed two pills, and set to work appraising the boiler.

The hyena worked for minutes that may have stretched into hours, hearing nothing from their radio. They hoped no news meant good news, but didn't check in. They didn't want to startle Keller, not while he had a drop of unknown distance below. As they worked though, a new noise rose above the rumble, something like a voice. Gull paused, and stepped back to listen better. It came again, and they made out the word it carried. "Hyena."

Gull laughed to themself, and shook their head. It was bait, pure and simple, but they were curious. They wanted to know why it was getting personal. They retraced their steps back to the study, and found the knife still on the floor where they'd left it. The doorway on the far wall housed a rippling shape in the dark, clearly something big. Gull flinched, realizing they were in a bottle neck. If it was the spear beast, they were fucked. No red maw opened, instead a pair of eyes burst to yellow flaming life.

"Knifey," Gull said matter of factly. They reached down and grabbed the blade, holding it up for the shade to see. "I suppose you want this, eh? Can't take another swing without it, right."

The eyes flickered, dimmed. A groan came from the hall, deep and low, but not without some mirth. Gull felt uneasy, it sounded suspiciously like laughter.

"Yes," the shades' voice was a rasp, stretched too thin. It clearly struggled to make the words. Gull didn't like that, didn't like the idea that something in the house needed to struggle. They'd been operating with the assumption that everything inside acted with impunity. Nothing had voiced more than laughter or screams before, they didn't like it articulating this late in the game.

"Well, fuck off."

The eyes narrowed, the shade groaned. "F-for me-"

"It's mine now, and I say fuck off,"

The eyes wicked shut, and the groan turned to a yell. Gull winced back from it, covering their ears as best they could one handed. The eyes opened again, burning with less color now. "Meant for me." The shade gasped.

Gull's eyes widened. "Wait..."

"It was..." the shade growled and sputtered, the words blending together.

Gull looked at the knife, then back at those amber eyes. They sighed. "Fuck, I'm gonna regret this," they said. They hesitated, then lobbed the knife underhanded into the other hall. It flicked through the shade, and clattered against the stone beyond. The Shade made no immediate move, and regarded Gull silently for a while. "Glass..." it said, it's voice much softer.

Gull nodded, and the shade drifted back into the hall, its eyes fading to black. Gull turned, and marched back with purpose. They reached the boiler, and fixated on the porthole once more. That black smear resisted investigation, but Gull shined their light on it up close and direct. It wasn't soot, or dirt. The black, was what was inside. The sludge swirled in on itself, pulling ever downward. Gull now understood where all the blood went when the doors shut, when the victims melted. They dropped their bag, and pulled out the only tool that mattered now. They took aim, standing to the side to avoid the blast, and brought the hammer down singing into the glass, there was a crack, then a bang, as centuries of pressure finally escaped.

---

"Shep!' Alice said, pleading. The wolf would not wake, no matter how hard she shook him. The altar was set back in the wall, a relief carved into the natural stone with a single wooden pillar at its center. Alice had the impression the whole manor rested on this one column, that she was looking at the very foundations of the nightmare house. Chained to it, strung up almost as if crucified, was the wolf, his eyes shut, and his breath faint.

Alice needed to get him down, but she'd lost her bag in the fall, lost her tools. As strong as she was, as big as she was, she couldn't break chain. She felt powerless. Desperately, she looked around for something, anything to use as a hammer. Something large and heavy. A table sat before the altar, ignored initially in the panic. On it sat four canine skulls, and three empty gold bowls between each. Gold was heavy, but a shit metal, what she needed was a brick, or a rock. She ran back the way she came, finding the wall solid now, despite admitting her before. The walls here were natural, cavelike, and worn smooth. There was no chipping, no fractures, no pieces to break off and smash with.

She completed her circuit with nothing gained but more anxiety. She had promised herself she wouldn't let it get to this, that she wouldn't care for him. She had been a fool. Shep needed a hospital, needed immediate medical attention, needed everything Alice had to offer, she could fix everything if she could just get him down, get him out. Her mind screamed over and over, "Not again."

Her face grew hotter and hotter, her fingers itched. Suddenly, it dawned on her, why she was here, why she had been let here. She grit her teeth and turned, feeling her blood boil. "Fuck!" She shouted at no one. It wasn't fair. How could they know, when she didn't even know herself? Maybe they didn't have to. Maybe Shep did. She looked back to the wolf, the final question burned in her mind, one she'd meant to ask from the start, but couldn't confront. She stepped up to him, and put her hand on his cheek. She wondered briefly if she had time to take a sedative, if it would do enough in time to stop it, or if she even had enough time to overdose before the Manor claimed her. She brought her hand up to the wolf's face, and stroked his cheek. He felt so small beneath her hand, so frail.

"Are you here because you want to be? Or because you need to be?"

Shep said nothing, didn't even stir in whatever torpor had claimed him. Alice was fine with that. She'd said her piece, that was all she needed really. She slumped down against the pillar, resting her head against the Master's thigh. "Maybe it was a trap from the start, from before you started," she said, "Maybe we were only feeding it this whole time, and you and I just thought we were winning, that we could beat it," her gaze drifted to her hooves, "We've been trapped this whole time then, already doomed. Did we deserve this?"

A rustle came from near the table. Sluggishly, Alice lifted her eyes, and saw the intruder. A shade, its edges sharp and clear, stood before her, knife in hand. She felt relieved, in a way. It felt more right to meet her end like that, rather than lie down and rot, digested by the house while she still lived. "I know you," she said, not caring if it could understand her. "You're the one that hurt Keller, that took Jade's arm. I'm the one that saved them, that cleaned up after you. I guess we're twins like that, you hurt, I heal."

Two flames flicked to life in the shade's face, burning yellow and bold. Alice scowled. "No, their eyes were red. What are you?"

"Sacrifice," The shadow's voice came harsh, through intense agony.

Alice gasped, "Max!?"

"You feed him," Max croaked, "Reset cycle." She jammed the knife into the table, sticking it upright in place. "Without him, it dies. Slow, painful."

Alice eyed the knife, then Shep. Her stomach clenched as the terror gripped her, "No, no no! I can't, not to him! Not again!" Alice sobbed.

Max shook her head. "Master, gone. Brain dead. Perfect puppet."

Alice's heart sank. The terror ebbed, replaced with grief. She rose, and strode to the table as the tears started. She let them fall. Alice took the knife, showing no fear next to the shade, and turned to face her lover. "I never got to apologize to him," she said to herself, "I made him wait six years before I let him go. Six years, trapped in a helpless body, because I needed him. Six years in the same bed, six years peeing in tubes and shitting in bags, six years I watched his body shrivel and rot from the pureed gruel they fed him through a tube."

The mare closed the distance, stepping close to Master Galleus. She could smell his cologne, and realized this would be the last time. "Not for you. I won't make you wait for me to let you go. I learned my lesson." She brought the knife up, feeling her blood fizz. Her vision doubled as something inside her writhed, fighting her, but it wasn't enough. She was a strong mare, it would take more than a little bad blood to stop her. She slammed the knife through his chest, and buried it in the wood beneath. Shep convulsed as blood soaked the front of his shirt.

Alice grit her teeth, blinded by the tears and dizziness. "I love you," she sobbed and collapsed against him. Shep stilled, and silence fell upon the room. Alice waited for the house to take her, wanting nothing more than for this moment to end, but it dragged on. Seconds turned to minutes, and she rose, blinking. Her vision had cleared, her blood no longer itched. She was feeling better.

She turned, and met Max's eyes, though the shade's form was growing indistinct. "Max," she said quietly, "please, go rest,"

The shade looked down, hesitating. "Doc," she said, her voice much clearer, but still exhausted, "Don't tell him."

Alice said nothing, then nodded. "I understand," she said, feeling even worse.

"Thank you," Max said, sounding both relieved, and sad.

"He loved you, and you deserved it," Alice said softly, "Wherever you're going, remember that. You did right by him."

The shade flinched, and looked away. She choked back a sob quietly, and her eyes wicked out. Her form shimmered, then faded without another word.

Alice closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steady herself. When she opened her eyes, she gasped. The wall was open again. She wondered if it was the house, or if it was Max. She chose to believe the latter, and took off at a run. The others needed her, she still had a job to do.

---

Keller knew he should have listened to Gull, should have turned back long ago, but something drove him. He wondered if it was the house, the poison in his blood drawing him deeper and deeper. That made sense, but there was something else. This was their last mission, the last expedition, so many others had died to get him here, it felt wrong to turn back, to spare his own life. No, there was a deeper reason he was here. This was personal, and this was a mission he was willing to stake his life on. For once, that drive wasn't self destructive, he knew he wasn't expendable, knew that there was a future for him to take, to become someone he liked. He had earned the right to personhood. And still, he placed himself here, now, betting everything against the unknown. Some things never changed.

He became aware that he wasn't really descending anymore at some point. He stopped counting the rungs on the ladder after a thousand. This wasn't a chute to some physical place, this was no longer conventional reality. He was inside, in a way no one else had been before, no one living at least. This was the true Manor, a folded space hidden in the mundane, where any horror could hide until it was called upon and set loose in the house above. Keller knew this instinctively, and knew it was his blood talking. Something had touched him, was reaching for him, and whispered these secrets to his mind.

In the same way he knew its nature, he knew he was to climb until that something was satisfied. It wanted him tired, exhausted and worn down. It needed to make him ready, to prepare him for the delivery. What that meant, was still hidden. Keller let it guide him, partly out of curiosity, but partly because he sensed something else. It was afraid of something, afraid of him, of something he could do. It wanted him weakened, needed him dull, so it could do something. It's plans hadn't come together, and now it was scrambling, trying to recover. Keller wondered if that too was part of the trap, but realized it didn't matter.

Minutes stretched to hours, and Keller's legs grew sluggish. He knew he would fall any minute, and wondered if it would let him. His paw struck solid ground, and he knew it was time. The stone was gone, replaced by sheer black, Keller's flashlight stopped working long ago, he wasn't sure if light could exist in this place. The rungs of the ladder slipped from his grip, pulling away from him, and left him standing alone in the void. Keller looked around, trying to find anything his eyes could shape, but found nothing in the dark. He closed his eyes, and centered his thoughts as he caught his breath. The air shifted. It was here. It was time. Keller opened his eyes.

The shade stood out against the void, blacker than anything should possibly be. Its shape was round, haunched, and massive. Keller recognized it immediately from it's lesser aspect. The spear beast was just a hand, a personal touch from the true master of the Manor, but now Keller beheld the whole.

Meat. Blood. Offering.

Keller laughed, surprising himself. "No," he said simply.

Price. Paid. Her.

"Fuck off, it's far to late for that," Keller said.

The shade screamed, vibrating Keller down to the bone. Keller ducked, covering his ears until it was over.

Settled. Bargain. Agree.

Keller shook his head. The thing was right about one thing, the matter was settled, there would be no debate. "You don't seem to understand," Keller said, "I'm not like them. I'm not like him. You've picked me out, pulled me here, thinking you could save yourself, save this place, but just like everyone else, you don't know who I am, so let me tell you."

The shade recoiled, and Keller knew it was confused, bewildered. Keller pressed on. "I am not a wolf, I am barely a dog, and I am not a man. I am Keller for now, and I will never hurt anyone. I am tired of pretending otherwise. Maybe I'm weak, but my strength is in that commitment, my strength is in that defiance. I refuse to play your role, to play their roles. I am myself, and I will never be what you want me to be. You might think I'm perfect, that I'm another canine to place as Master, but you've already doomed yourself by choosing me. I can feel you dying, and you've wasted your last breath drawing me here. So let me tell you what your options are then, either kill me, or die so I can go home."

The shade roared, and Keller felt blood dribble down the sides of his neck. He didn't wince, didn't duck, a strange sensation took him. He knew he was in danger, but it wasn't bravery that came to him. It was something else, something he'd only just found. Suddenly he understood what had made Nate special, and what it took to move the immaterial.

The shade lunged, and Keller leapt back. A limb swung towards him, and he brought his arm up to intercept. Claws struck fur, then flesh, the blow rocked the dog, made his bones creak, it should have taken his arm from him, but somehow his skin held. The shade shrank back, and Keller felt its fear. He stood tall again, and stepped towards it.

"So that's your weakness then," Keller said, surprising himself with his own calm. "Such a simple thing." Others may have called this state faith, but Keller disagreed. He didn't believe in a god protecting him, didn't believe in any higher powers, but he did believe in something. He believed that the shade's time was over, that past him, it would never hurt anything else. His head was clear, his heart was light, and he was possessed of a certainty that did not touch emotion, gave the shade's tendrils no purchase to hold him. That was why it dealt in fear and pain and corruption, this was what it feared. Nate had lucked into this state as a panic response, his brain simply shut down, and he did what he knew he could. The house couldn't stop him then, and the shade couldn't touch Keller now.

"It's over now," Keller said softly, "Time to go."

---

"Time's up," Lucille said, and flipped her pocket watch closed.

"No, No!" Jade pleaded. The cameras in the house showed the orange light of the setting sun, the five monitors above, all read "NO SIGNAL" in white letters on black.

The sphinx rose, and let the wolf's cane clatter to the floor. She grabbed her bag from the floor, and strode towards the flap. Jade ran after her, struggling to keep up with her short legs.

Outside, the sun beat down at a harsh angle, red and angry like blood. In the distance, the windows of the Manor glowed with its reflection like eyes piercing the woods, seeing them in their hiding spots. Others began to follow, murmuring to themselves as a small convoy formed behind the witch.

"Please, Lucille!" Jade sobbed.

"I gave you your promised time, and you've failed," the witch said.

"They're still in there, Nate's still in there! Keller, Gull, Gabe please!"

"They'll have company."

Lucille reached the new exclusion line, drawn well inside the camp, and crossed at a brisk pace. Jade halted as if hitting a wall. Her stomach clenched at the sight of the chalk line, feeling her blood itch. "Lucille!"

"Jade," one of the new Engineers said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. jade shook it off.

The sphinx stopped, and huffed. She turned to face Jade, cold fire burning in her big eyes. She wore a cuel sneer, but it was untouched by any trace of satisfaction. She was not happy either, Jade realized.

"They're gone, girl. Your lover, your friends, they're dead. They were dead the moment they stepped into the basement, and you'll never see their bodies yourself, because it wants you too. This house, it eats and eats and eats, and uses pain and attachment as a line to reel in more and more catches. I cannot allow this to continue, and no words will change that! Hope is pointless in the face of evil when you have the means to end it. No matter the cost. It's over, girl. Move on. Hate me, but you will not stop me."

The witch turned, and resumed her march. She came to a stop at the old exclusion line as Jade fumbled for words and breath. Her fist shook, her tail stood on end, and something new flooded her, some emotion she'd denied for years.

Lucille pulled something on a silver chain from her bag, and held it up high. The sun glittered off of it as it dangled, more drops of blood light. She yelled something in a language Jade didn't know, then switched to English. "Party's over, fucker."

The witch began chanting in that first language, short rhyming couplets at first but building in length and speed with each verse. New light glittered from the chain, blue and green. Glimmers, then flashes. Some power was building, convalescing in the sphinx's grip.

"Jade she's right," someone said, trying to sound reassuring. It was clear they just wanted it over. Jade whipped around, venom in her eyes and mouth, and the crowd recoiled. Good, Jade thought. She dove for the nearest tent as the others muttered. She looked around frantically, unsure what it was she needed until she saw it. The central mast of the tent, a thick length of solid wood. She didn't think about how to remove it, she just tackled it with all her weight. Canvas fell all around her. Heavy with Kevlar patches Gull had added. She dragged herself and the rod out through a vent hole in the top and glared at the crowd. No one dared move towards her. She got her paws under her, and was off. The chalk line flew beneath her feet, ignored even as her blood set ablaze.

The witch continued chanting, unaware as the gap between them shrank. Someone was screaming, high and shrill, and Jade realized it was her. Yards became feet became inches, and finally Lucille turned. Her face, annoyed, her mouth open, more pointless words nested on her tongue, ready to take flight. There was no moment of recognition in those big eyes, Jade simply smashed them.

The force of the blow took Jade off balance, and sent her tumbling into the grass. Blood flew from the sphinx's face, and she crumpled face down and still. Jade didn't know if she'd killed her, she didn't care. She looked to the house, getting to her knees. "NATE!" she screamed with the last of her voice. The mumbles turned to shouting behind her, then footfalls as the others rushed the line. They covered the rat and sphinx like flies, dragging them back in a panic. Jade let them. She had done all she could.

Minutes went by as the medics went over Lucille, Jade didn't bother looking. She wanted to cry, to scream, but had nothing. Fatigue sunk its teeth into her in a way she hadn't felt since surgery. Her body refused to move, refused to feel, and yet refused to collapse. She dragged her eyes to the Manor, and saw the last of the evening light fading from its windows. A crackle broke through the air, then static. Everyone looked to the witch, Jade leapt to her feet. The sound came from her pocket.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Someone muttered repeatedly. A squeal and crash rang through the receiver, "Shit!"

Jade bowled the medic over, and yanked the radio free. "Mic uh... Fuck, it's Jade, respond!"

"Oh shit, you have no idea how-" a crack cut them off, the radio squealed for seconds before quieting, "Jade, lines are back up, something happened, we're getting out!"

"Who's we!?"

"Ponies and Gull," there was a moment of silence, then some muttering between two other voices. Heavy footfalls came, "Fucking run run run run!"

A shuddering groan ripped through camp, drawing all eyes back to the Manor. The ground vibrated subtly, and a roar started low, seeming to come from the earth itself. The windows on the third floor exploded outwards, then the second and first. Through the door, Jade saw the wall, gushing gallons of blood. The base boards bulged, and snapped. Wood gave way with a shriek, letting geysers of blood rush free, and yet the pressure only increased.

"Give me your fucking arm!" the voice came not from the radio, but from within, barely heard above the chaos.

"Nate?" Jade asked, "Nate!"

Hoof falls broke through the din, growing louder by the second. Someone splashed through the spray, and stormed into the front hall, a horse, more followed behind her. Alice burst through the door and went sprawling across the lawn. Blood covered her from the waist down. Someone else burst through the door, completely soaked black and red. Gull rode the Stallion's shoulder, clinging desperately to his neck with one arm. Nate stopped briefly to yank Alice back to her feet, then saw Jade. He broke into a full sprint, Gull wailing with every bounce.

"Where's Keller? Where's Gabe?" Jade asked.

"Gabe's gone," Gull shouted, then smacked Nathan upside the head twice. "I can walk!" Nathan dropped them, almost absently, then collapsed to his knees before Jade, scooping into his arms. He squeezed too hard, but Jade didn't care. She sobbed against him. His own breath was ragged and gasping with relief.

Gull picked themself up, and averted their eyes from Jade. "Keller's... I'm not sure, he didn't come back."

The house groaned, rising to a shriek. Blood flooded from the front door, and fell from the broken windows in crimson waterfalls. The walls shuddered, and splintered, tipping to one side. The weight became too much, and it fell. The first floor crumpled, the upper levels surfed over the remains, until they caught in the earth, and broke into pieces. The shattered wood surged and groaned for minutes after as blood continued to push itself up through the ruin, as if the earth itself were wounded. Eventually, the groan quieted, the earth stilled, and finally the blood cooled.

The survivors looked at each other, and the ruin. A few dared to hope, some voiced their relief, but it didn't feel right to celebrate. Looking at it all, looking at the blood, they couldn't forget those they'd lost. It didn't feel like a victory, it felt like survival, like escape. The witch rose, dazed and sluggish. One eye was swollen shut, the other burned with rage. She opened her mouth, ready to breathe fire, but upon seeing the ruin, her mouth snapped shut.

"It's over." Jade said sadly. She wanted to feel good about it, she'd wanted this for so long, but it all felt so hollow.

Movement came from the rubble. A few people gasped. A single arm broke free of the wood, black and dripping with blood, its edges jagged and sharp. The shade rose, pulling itself from the ruin, first a head, then its shoulders, then it stood free. The crowd pulled back, edging on panic. It opened its eyes, but they did not burn. Two brown eyes regarded the exploration team, deep as oceans. The dog stepped free of the rubble, limped to the remains of the porch, and collapsed.

---

The banner read "Good Fucking Riddance", and that just about summed the mood up for everyone. The bar had been rented out for the night, a negotiation that took some effort in such a small town. The doctor eventually convinced him to pay overhead, on top of drinks for the night, and in cash. Alice was first to arrive, and helped the caterers unload. Purple and orange lights bathed the bar, giving a soft, ethereal feel to the space. Half the bar was covered in horderves, platters of snacks and party food, and she spent the next few minutes chatting up the cat bartender as she waited for the others to arrive.

Cameron was next in, and Alice hugged him tight as soon as he was through the door. They spent a few minutes catching up on the past two years, asking how work had gone, then the others began to trickle in, one by one the rest began to arrive. Not everyone came, and no one could blame them. Many wanted to just forget and move on with their life, but many more needed the catharsis. They couldn't talk about the Manor in therapy, but they could here. It only took a few minutes to find the jukebox, and the soundtrack for the night began; loud, thumping and chaotic with so many mixing tastes.

A head broke through the crowd, standing a full foot over the rest, and everyone cheered. Nathan waved bashfully, blushing at the attention. It took a few seconds to realize he wasn't alone. Jade was buried by the crowd, but as they made their way in, everyone got a good look at her. She wore a black silk dress, making her look refined and sexy with her shimmering grey fur. Her body had filled out much more now, and she wore the changes with pride. Nate wore a button up shirt, with the sleeves pushed up, and black dress pants. A tie hung from his neck, askew and deliberately low. He had grown his mane out, and wore it swept to one side now.

Alice rushed over and hung each of them in turn, lifting Jade giggling all the way off the ground. "You're looking good!" she said, making Nate blush.

"Same to you!" Nate said bashfully.

Jade dragged them to the bar, eager to get a drink, and they sat down. Alice and Nate caught up, while Jade flirted with the bartender.

"Any luck so far?" Nate finally asked after dancing around the question for a half hour.

Alice sighed, and Nate worried he'd upset her. She gave him a hangdog grin, and he relaxed. "I did have something steady for a few months, but it didn't pan out. He wasn't ready for anything serious, and after I asked he got cold on me."

"Shit I'm sorry," Nathan said.

Alice grinned. "Hey, it is what it is. I didn't eat my feelings this time at least!"

Nate laughed, "It's good you're putting yourself out there, though. I'm happy for you. I was really worried for a while there," Nathan took a long drink from his beer. He used to hate these conversations, but somehow it felt natural with the Doc.

"It's been scary, but I feel alive now, like I deserve it," Alice said, then smirked. "On the bright side, I'm not tied up now, so I can suck your dick later tonight."

Nate choked, and Jade burst out laughing. She slapped Alice on the back as Nate tried his best to look cool while he recovered. The crowd erupted again, and all eyes went to the door. A hyena had entered, wearing a purple pantsuit, fastened by a single button in the middle. They bowed with a grin, and everyone began clapping.

"You fucks, I only did one mission, clap for them!" Gull yelled, gesturing towards the trio at the bar. The crowd turned, clapping louder. Nate blushed even more, and Jade grinned like an idiot. Gull made their way to the bar and took a stool next to Jade. "Two whisky!" they barked.

The bartender racked up the shots, and set them out for the hyena. Gull took one in each hand solemnly, and clinked them together. They tossed one down their throat, and the other over their shoulder. Jade's smile faded, and she leaned back against the bar.

"I still miss him every day," she said sadly.

Gull nodded. "I wish it was me a lot, but I know he'd slap me for thinking that," they said. They shook their head, and sighed, "You know, if I were the romantic type, I'd want to marry a man like him," they said.

Jade laughed. "Did you have a few before coming here already?"

Gull rolled their eyes, and motioned for the bartender, "Just give me the bottle, actually."

"So, what have you been up to since then?" Alice asked, turning away from Nathan.

"Gull smirked and raised the bottle to her in a toast. "Whatever the fuck I want. Been bumming around college taking classes, and invested the rest."

Alice raised her glass, a martini of some description and tapped it to the bottle. "Nice!"

"So what have the ponies been up to?" Gull asked, and took a swig from the bottle.

"I've been working in Physical Therapy," Alice said.

"School for me too," Nathan said, "Don't laugh, but I'm actually majoring in engineering."

Gull laughed anyway, "Fuck yeah, regretting that every step of the way, I'm sure!"

"He's cried a few times over his homework," Jade teased.

"You want a real laugh, ask her what she's up to," Nate said.

"Well?" Gull asked.

Jade looked down bashfully, "You're really gonna laugh at this one," she said, "I've been flipping houses."

Gull blinked, taken aback. "No shit, got your own team?"

Jade shook her head. "No, just me. I like to work slow, I like fixing things," she said, "It's been kinda therapeutic, turning these old haunted nests into homes."

Gull smiled, "Shit, yeah, I can see that," they said. They paused, scanning the crowd. "So where's...?"

The door opened, and the crowd went quiet, eyes pulling to the door.

"Holy shit," Alice said.

Lucille Galleus, stood in the doorway, wearing a black-lace dress that went to her ankles. She regarded the crowd coldly, clearly uncomfortable. For a few seconds, the only noise was the overtuned jukebox, then someone clapped. Reluctantly, the others joined in, and the sphinx relaxed the smallest bit.

"You know when I sent the invitation, I didn't think you'd actually come," Alice said as the witch approached.

"I didn't think I would either," Lucille said briskly. She met Jade's gaze, and something passed between them. Jade saw the scar she'd left above the cat's brow, a jagged line that had healed puffy. Lucille ordered a single shot of vodka, the expensive kind. She stepped back and held up her glass. "I'm not staying, but I figured I'd stop in. I don't think you need me, but I thought it'd feel more... complete if I was seen," she said. Somehow, she said it without sounding arrogant. She seemed genuinely reflective in that moment. "So, I toast you all: to proving me wrong."

Gull was the first to raise their drink, the others followed and smiled. Lucille downed her shot in one go. "I knew you were a bitch, but the respectable kind at least," Gull remarked. Lucilled rolled her eyes.

"I had another thing," she said, "and feel free to ignore me." She pulled a business card from her handbag, and gave it to Jade. "If any of you ever want to get back in the business, just give me a call. You've already cleared what I'd call an interview. I promise, it's usually far less exciting."

Jade read the card front and back.

Gull grinned, "Fuck off lady," they say jovially.

Lucille smiled back, "Was on my way. " She turned and walked a few steps, then paused. "I'll send her in, she's hiding in her car outside."

The sphinx left. The crowd returned to chatting noisily as the music thrummed on. It didn't last long though. The door opened again, and a gasp went through the crowd. As if on cue, a slow quiet song began to herald her arrival. An old folk tune about learning to love again, performed as a last hurrah by a rock back everyone thought had washed up.

She stood there nervously, her black fur shimmering in the colored lights. Her blue blouse was cut low, showing off her new cleavage. She wore a silver pendant that nestest between her breasts. She wore a tight skirt, which drew the eye to her burgeoning hips. Her only makeup was two pink cats' eye checks off the corners of her eye, sharp and bright. The dog looked terrified, but also excited. Once the crowd realized who it was, they drowned out the music, roaring and clapping.

Jade hopped off the stool, and ran over to her. "Oh my god, you did it!" she said, and jumped into the dog's arms. "I'm so proud of you Amber!"

Amber swooned, but stayed upright, she wrapped her arms around Jade, and Jade kissed her. The crowd cheered even louder, and Jade took her by the hand, leading her back to the bar. Hands fell on her back and shoulders as she passed the others. They shouted their thanks and congratulations the whole way. Alice smiled, seeing her, and Gull gave her a dopey grin with one thumb up, their other hand was busy with the bottle.

"Holy shit," Nathan said, starstruck. He managed to pick his jaw up as the others started laughing at him. He laughed too, and grinned. "I'm glad you made it, you look good!"

"Thanks," Amber said, bashfully. "I'm still terrified, but I feel good."

"Get my girl a drink!" Jade called, "Hard lemonade!"

Amber rolled her eyes, "Really?"

Alice laughed, "It seems appropriate, no?"

"I'm just shocked you remember," Amber said. The bartender returned with a bottle, and handed it to Amber with a wink, before trotting off. Jade giggled, and Amber looked around confused. "What was that? What did I just see?" she asked.

"That's called flirting, doofus," Gull said.

"With me?" Amber asked, panicked.

Nathan sniggered, "She's gay too," he said.

Amber's mouth flopped open, and she covered her face. She ducked her head low, trying to hide, but the constant thump of her tail wagging only drew more attention to the embarrassment. Jade laughed, and hugged her tight, getting Amber to peek out from her fingers.

"Y'all are so mean tonight," Amber said, pouting.

"We're just proud of you," Alice said, "You're really killing it. Is this really your first time out?"

"Well..."

"Out of the bedroom at least," Jade said, kissing Amber's cheek. Amber hid in her hands again.

"Oh fuck off!" Amber said, and sighed, "You really want to make sure I don't do this again, don't you?"

"I wouldn't mind seeing you more like this," Nathan said.

"Wow, perv," Jade teased.

"I mean, yeah that," Nate said, flustered, "I mean you look happy. I think this is the first time I've seen you smiling on your own."

Amber pulled her head up reluctantly, "Well yeah, I feel better like this," she said.

"That's good, you should keep doing it," Nate said, and grinned. Amber smiled back, and relaxed a bit. She took a drink of her lemonade.

"So I'll be the bummer I guess," Gull said, derailing the conversation, "You already told them, but I never heard what the fuck happened in that hole."

Amber laughed, "See that's the thing, I'm not really sure."

"You'll have to do better than that, or I'll make you keep drinking until you do. I'll give you the hard stuff too."

Amber put her hands up in surrender, "Didn't say I wouldn't tell you, I just don't know what I did."

"Well?"

"There was something at the heart of it, I think it was intelligent. It wanted me to take over as Master."

Gull whistled, "Now that makes a bit more sense."

"I can tell you from experience, Amber is no one's master. Quite the opposite," Jade teased.

Amber rolled her eyes. "Anyway, It was no dice. I think I killed it, or drove it off, or something, it's a bit hazy. The ladder took me somewhere outside the house, outside reality I think, so getting back was simpler than it sounds. I just thought of the front door, and I was there. Well, I was there, the door wasn't, you saw me crawl out."

Gull took a long drink from their bottle, "Well good fucking riddance then, you did good."

Amber shook her head. "I did what any one of us would."

"No, you did what only you could," Nate said, and clapped a heavy hand on her back, "We'd have been fucked without you."

"So what have you been up to since?" Gull asked, "You probably have the fattest wad after the Doc here."

"Well, we bought a house," Amber said,

"Oh, shaking up I see? Must be going well then." Gull said, grinning.

Jade slid her arm around Amber, reassuring her. Amber smiled and continued. "I thought about school, but I'm just not cut out for it. I just bought a bunch of federal bonds, and have been living off the income. It's not fancy, and it's not building any wealth, but I'm comfortable."

"Smart, sounds just like you," Gull said.

"Is that a compliment?"

"Yes."

Amber smiled, but it faded. "I never stopped missing her though," she said. "I wonder a lot, if she'd still like me like this. We never really talked about her sexuality, but... I think we still would have been close."

Alice stared into her drink for a while, then suddenly finished it. Nate also went quiet, pointedly looking away. Alice rose, and marched off to the jukebox. After queuing up her songs, she returned and pulled Nathan off his stool into the crowd.

Amber finished her drink slowly, watching the two horses dance together, a bittersweet smile on her lips. "It really is just like that night," she said dreamily.

Jade grabbed her chin, and pulled her in for a kiss. "I'll wreck that skirt for you later too, if you'd like."

Amber snickered, and leaned against the rat. Gull leaned back against the bar. "You're both fucking adorable, you're gonna give me diabetes."

Jade smiled, and flipped the hyena off.

The rest of the night went by in a blur. The crowd left in pairs or trios as the party wound down. Alice took Nathan with her to her hotel room at around midnight. "I promise I'll have him back before bedtime," she teased Jade as they left. Gull made for their room around one, when their bottle ran dry.

"It was nice seeing you again," they said to Amber as they left, "We should make this a more regular thing. Maybe closer to home next time."

Amber smiled, "For sure," she said. Gull waved backhanded as they stumbled out of the bar.

Eventually Jade snuggled close to Amber, and gave her the look. She was getting good at it, now, and every time it turned the dog to butter. As Jade blossomed more into herself, she became more confident in her womanhood, and more and more comfortable taking the lead, something Amber was powerless to resist.

"Lets go, pup," Jade whispered in Amber's ear, sending shivers down her spine, "We have a bed to ruin."

Amber nodded giddily, and let Jade take her by the arm out the door into the night.

They crashed through the door to their room, glued to each other. Despite her size, Jade overpowered the dog easily, and pressed her up against the wall. Amber's breath came hot and heavy as Jade kissed and sucked on her neck, letting her hand roam all over the dog's curves. Already, the front of Amber's skirt was rising, tented by her swelling member. Jade pulled back, grinning, and gave Amber's shaft a squeeze through the fabric, drawing a whimper from her. Amber's frantically wagging tail betrayed her excitement.

"Are you a good girl?" Jade asked, sending shivers through Amber's body. Amber nodded desperately. Jade smiled, biting her lip. "Then it's time for my good girl's treat." Jade stepped back, taking her seat on the bed like it was a throne. She locked eyes with Amber, and lifted her dress, showing that she had been wearing no panties. Amber's eyes glazed over, seeming to enter a trance. "Now, be a good girl and sit."

Amber was on her knees in a flash between Jades' knees. From here she had a full view of Jade's pussy. Amber's mouth began to water. Jade had been far more dominant ever since her surgery, and Amber had been putty in her hand ever since, much to both of their pleasures. "Eat up," Jade said. Amber dove in, drawing a gasp from the rat. She loved Amber's tongue, it was the perfect size and shape, and Amber was no slouch using it. She loved that Amber loved it more though, and soon the dog was moaning into her crotch.

Jade let out a long sigh, and stroked Amber's head and ears. Soon she was moaning too, and thrusting back into Amber's muzzle. She didn't fight it, and let herself cum with a loud moan. Amber slowed, and Jade let herself slump back. "Good girl," Jade cooed, prompting fresh thumps from Amber's tail on the carpet. Jade pulled herself upright again and pinned Amber with her eyes. "Assume the position, love."

Amber popped up, and sat on the bed. Jade rolled over into Amber's lap, and pushed her down onto her back. Jade slipped her hand under Amber's blouse, and ran it up her chest. She paused, pressing her hands between Amber's breast, and savored the dog's hammering pulse. Jade smiled, and gave each of Amber's breasts a firm squeeze through her bra, drawing a gasp and a whimper from her. Jade withdrew her hand, and reached behind her, finding Amber's cock easily. It had already done half the work lifting her skirt for Jade, she flipped it the rest of the way over. Jade shifted her hips, bringing them over the tip of Amber's mast, and gently pressed her lips against it. Amber shivered, her eyes rolled back into her head. Jade leaned down, catching Amber's lips with her own. Amber's eyes fluttered shut and Jade sank herself down. Amber moaned into Jade's mouth, then out loud as Jade pulled away.

Jade paused only briefly to savor the sensation of being filled. Amber was dwarfed by Nathan's cock, especially after HRT had taken its toll, but Jade didn't care. She loved the feeling of both in different ways. Jade placed her hand on Amber's chest for support, and set to riding. Amber gasped and moaned as Jade picked up pace, and it didn't take long for Jade to join in as well. Amber couldn't keep her hands still, first moving them to Jade's hips, then her chest. Jade Let out a gasp, then clamped her hand around Amber's, holding it against her as she bounced on Amber's cock. Amber wouldn't last long, Jade knew, not after eating her out. Already, Jade could feel the knot swelling beneath her each time their hips met, and she wasn't going to waste it.

Jade pressed down, taking Amber's full length, and began grinding against her. Amber shuddered and whined beneath her in the most satisfying way. Jade bit her lip as she felt the knot stretch her pussy wide. The feeling was intense, and she knew there was no going back once it was full. She didn't care, she wanted it. Jade broke out in a sweat as the knot finished its growth inside her, locking them together, and began grinding even harder, milking Amber's cock desperately. She was ready, she could cum any second, but she wanted to do it with Amber. Jade reached for Amber's chin, drawing their eyes together.

"Are you a good girl?" Jade asked breathily. Amber nodded and whined. Jade felt her cock throb inside her. She leaned in close, pressing her muzzle into Amber's ear, and whispered. "Fill me up, let it all out."

Amber moaned, her eyes glazing over. Her cock throbbed, becoming iron hard inside Jade, and Jade came as well, shuddering against her partner, feeling Amber's warmth steadily pump her full. Jade ground her hips in a slow circle against Amber's crotch as she rode out the waves of pleasure. Jade collapsed on her side, pulling Amber with her. She caught her eye, and smiled, then kissed her deeply, and wrapped her arm around her. Amber held her back, and they laid in each other's warmth for a long time, waiting for the knot to recede.

"Thank you," Amber said suddenly, "Thank you for being there for me, for letting me be me."

Jade grinned and kissed Amber again. "Thank you too," she said, and wrapped her arm around Amber's neck stroking her head and ears. Amber's tail wagged tiredly for a while until she fell asleep. Jade watched her for a while, then let her head rest on Amber's chest, letting sleep take her as well.