Twisted Wonderland

Let The Search Begin

Crowley has gathered all the Housewardens by the statues of The Great Seven. He quickly fills the boys in on what has occurred.

"And that brings us to the task at hand. We must locate Grim and take him into custody. I've already dispatched the teachers."

"So Grim injured Y/N?" Vil narrows his eyes at the thought. "I see."

Kalim rubs the back of his neck, worry flashes through his eyes. "Huh. I just can't picture him doing that."

Leona flattens his ears. "I knew that weasel was nothin' but trouble. I swear, when I find him..." He growls.

"The culture fair is still going on." Riddle clenches his fists. Wanting nothing more than to have the cats head. "It's imperative we apperehend him for our visitors' safety."

Azul pushes his glasses into place, trying to keep his calm demeanor. He feels this rage towards the cat for hurting you. "My, my. Grim never misses an opportunity to cause trouble whenever we have a big event, hm?"

Lilia steps forward. "Malleus is out for an evening stroll. I'm here in his stead. I admit I'm not great at finding things, but I suppose another pair of eyes can't hurt."

Ortho holds up a hand. "Question! Does it matter if the target is alive when we bring him in?"

Crowley's eyes widen. "Of course it does! You are to bring him in alive! And also unharmed, insomuch as possible!"

Leona, Vil and Azul grumble at this.

Idia's floats tablet lights up as he speaks. "So if we rough up the target, we fail the objective. K. I'm sure Ortho can handle a Grim capture quest EZPZ."

Ortho giggles. "I've got a detailed map of the school, which includes all secret doors and underground passages. My IR scans should locate him in no time."

Crowley nods. "I'll leave you all to it, then."

Ortho rockets to the sky. His eyes scan through the whole school until he spots an area in the woods behind campus. Ortho's eyes glow brighter as he rushes to the area. He lands neatly on the grass. A blue light shines out of his eyes as he scans the woods.

"Bio-reading located within fifteen meter radius. Height: approximately 70 centimeters. Magic detected. Confirmed as target. Commencing capture."

A rustle in the bushes causes Ortho to whip around. The rustling continues and Ortho steps closer. The rustling stops when he gets close. Ortho slowly reaches out a hand. He quickly parts the leaves but sees nothing. Tilting his head, Ortho steps back.

With a growl, something small launches itself at the back of Ortho's head. The boy staggers and reaches back. The small creature growls fiercely as Ortho pries it off and tosses it to the ground. The animal gets back on its feet and rushes at Ortho again.

With a mechanical whir, a panel opens on Ortho's arm. A little scope appears on his arm. Holding his arm up, Ortho looks through the scope and fires a little dart at the creature. The creature stops mid run and wobbles. It growls once more and collapses to the ground.

Ortho lowers his arm and approaches. "Target has ceased moving. Scanning vitals. Pulse and breathing normal. No physical distress or threat to life detected. Mission: Capture Grim, complete. Reporting back to administrator."

Idia's floating tablet hovers over Ortho. "Hey, Ortho. That takes care of the Grim capture RTA. Wait, no, with Ortho, it'd be more like TAS. Well, whatever. You speedran it, that's what counts. Guess we gotta report back to the quest-giver now."

Ortho nods and picks Grim up by the scruff. "Got it. I'll return to the dorm as soon as I hand Grim over to the headmage."

"Is the school's already abysmal ratio of warm, cuddly cats about to get even worse?" Idia sighs. "That's just tragic. Can't they just suspend him and make him write an apology or something?"

You and the Heartslabyul duo carefully make your way down Main Street. You search every hiding spot that Grim could be in. With every passing moment, your worry only grows.

"Grim, are you there?" Deuce calls out.

"Pipe down!" Ace whisper shouts. "The headmage told us to go back to our dorm, remember? You know that if the housewarden hears we snuck out after curfew, it'll be off with our heads."

"Oh right." Deuce whispers. "Heeere, Grimmy! I've got a can of your favorite tuna!"

Beeping cuts through the night air.

"What part of pipe down do you not-" Ace cuts himself off. "Oh, that's Y/N's phone. Did they find him?"

You pull out your phone from your bag and hit the speaker button. "Hello?"

"Y/N." You hear the Headmage's voice. "The Shroud brothers from Ignihyde have successfully captured Grim."

Ace and Deuce both freeze. You feel your heart drop.

"They have?"

"How fortunate they did it so quickly. If they hadn't, I would've been forced to cancel the culture fair, and then Ambrose would've had my guts for garters." Crowley clears his throat. "But never mind that! Grim is in no condition to talk at the moment. We will question him as soon as he comes to. I'm also considering having a third party look into the matter. Hence, I cannot allow you to speak with Grim in the interim. I'll be in touch soon."

Crowley hangs up. You put your phone back into your bag. You run a hand through your hair.

"Did he just say Grim's in no condition to talk?" Ace asks.

Deuce rubs the back of his neck worriedly. "Maybe he put up a huge fight when they capture him."

You look to the school building. "I hope Grim's okay."