Book 4 - Schemer of the Scalding Sands: Chapter 20; On the Seafloor

The screen turns on as the next chapter title plays "Chapter - 20; On the Seafloor".

The two had just soared out of the storage room on the magic carpet. Grim cheered "WOO-HOO! We made it! See, ya suckers! FREEDOOOOOM!!"

One of the students down on the ground heard Grim's cheers and looked up, immediately shouting "Ah! Look over there – they're riding the housewarden's magic carpet!" Another shouts as they see it too "First they break out, then rob us?! The housewarden will never let us hear the end of it if he finds out!" Another shouts "We have to seize them!" Before chasing after the carpet the best they could, being on land and all, shouting up at them "Hold it right there, thieves!"

Now back among the clouds as Grim smugly laughs before shouting down at the students "If you wanna catch us, try learnin' to fly first!"

Yuu looked around, nervous now since neither of them knew how to fly the carpet unlike Kalim, who first gave them a ride.

She then asked, nervously "By the way do you remember how to steer this carpet?" Grim put a paw to his chin as he thought and said "Steer it? Uhhh, I think Kalim took hold of the corner tassels and tugged at 'em like this…"

Only to the carpet to freak out and start spinning as Yuu held on for dear life and Grim shouted "Myaaahhaa!!!"

He then shouted commands at the carpet as if that'd work better as he's still tugging on the corner tassels "Hey! Less with the 360, more with the fly quickly!" That didn't do anything though and the carpet was still freaking out, if that wasn't obvious enough.

Grim finally released the tassels, falling back into Yuu who sacrificed one arm to hold Grim to herself, as he continued shouting "GYAAAH! The world is spinning! Someone make it stooop!"

Yuu closed her eyes in fear as Grim continued shouting and they were kinda dive bombing towards the ground.

The students didn't seem to notice how out of control they were riding the carpet as one just shouted while running after them "They're going outside the dorm! After them, quick!"

As the Ramshackle duo were luckily enough dive-bombing towards the Scarabia entrance mirror.

Grim then gives Yuu more anxiety as he shouts "AAAH!!! WE'RE GONNA CRASH RIGHT INTO THE MIRROR!"

Yuu opens one eye just barely and sees the mirror chamber fly past, before the wind and going through another mirror making her fully close her eyes again. She falls flat on the carpet holding onto either side while keeping Grim under her to make sure he doesn't fly off and so that he stays safe.

Their ride stopped soon enough as they crash landed with a loud WHAM.

Grim groaned with a cat's mrow sound, Yuu slowly started to turn her body so that it was no longer facing the ground, hissing in pain as she put a one arm over her eyes to shield from any possible bright lights while mumbling "Is this the afterlife?"

When suddenly there was a click and she forced herself to open her eyes. She blinked a couple of times only to see Mostro Lounge.

Then there was a fake coughing noise and she turned to face it, still holding Grim close to her chest as he had passed out from all of that.

There she saw the tweels, Jade and Floyd.

Jade, once sure that he had her attention, asked "Well, well. What have we here? Patrons in search of a little midnight snack, perhaps?" Floyd then seemed to pout as he said "Aw, maaan. I was totally ready to squeeze any burglars here to nab our food supplies~ Buttt~ it's just little Shrimpy and Seal. Laaame!"

Grim only then woke up, very much so confused as he asked "Wha…? What're you guys doin' here?" Floyd puts a hand behind his head as he tells Grim in a question fashion "Didn't we already go over this? We can't go home over winter break because of ice floes, remember?"

Grim then cheers up, and tries to fly up out of Yuu arms, but in a weakened state he couldn't fight against her arms as he asks hopefully "Wait, so we're in Octavinelle?!" Jade then speaks again, with one hand over his chest he answers Grim "Yes. Inside of Mostro Lounge, to be precise."

Grim then cheers "We… WE MADE IT!! Finally, we've broken outta that awful prison!" The carpet also cheers, no longer under them as well, by doing a backflip in the air.

Jade takes the serious side, and listens to what was said, asking them, or rather Yuu mostly as no doubt Grim wouldn't have suitable information "A prison? Care to elaborate?" But Floyd more takes notice of the carpet, asking them "And what's with this rectangular flounder-lookin' guy?"

The carpet then encircles itself around the Ramshackle duo rather protectively, with Yuu having stood up and with Grim still in her arms.

Jade then comments "It looks a lot like Kalim's magic carpet, actually…"

Just then running noises are heard as the Mostro Lounge's door is burst open by quite a few Scarabia students. One shouts at the Ramshackle duo "There's no escape for you now, thieves!" A second shouts at them "Surrender quietly!"

Grim then shouts panicked "Mrow?! You chased us all the way here?! You guys are seriously stubborn, you know that?!"

Just then someone is heard walking out of a deeper part of Mostro Lounge.

…

It is then that Azul is seen as he asks everyone there "What's all the commotion at this late hour?" as he pushes up his glasses.

One of the Scarabia students recognizes him, most likely due to a deal he had made before, shouting "You're Azul Ashengrotto, the housewarden of Octavinelle!"

Azul then asks again, although phrased differently this time "Would you care to explain what's going on here?"

Another student answers, telling Azul "It's none of Octavinelle's business. Just hand over the two of them quietly."

Azul then crosses his arms and looks over to finally see who the two students in question are, raising an eyebrow once he saw asking "Now that I'm looking closer, would that be Yuu and Grim sprawled out and quivering on our floor?" He then shrugs as he insults them "They looked so dingy, I thought they were a pair of dustcloths."

Yuu knew that feeding his ego and intriguing Azul was the only way they would actually be getting help, as such she said "There's a story behind this that goes deeper than the sea… Please, help save us with your spirit of benevolence!" Grim looked at Yuu in shock, clearly not having the same understanding of her. Azul blinked and looked away pushing his glasses up and making a Hmmm noise.

The student who had demanded Yuu and Grim then states "If you refuse to hand them over, you'll be party to their wrongdoings as well."

Floyd then grabs his shoulder in his usual threatening fashion as he asks the student "Hey, are you yankin' my tail here? Who do you think you're talking to?–!" Azul then frowns and crosses his arms as he states "No fighting of any kind is permitted in the Mostro Lounge. This is a place for gentlemen."

The student seems a little confused by the turn of events as he asks "What was that? You're interfering?" The second student, who had recognized Azul before, then shouted "Fine! We'll just do this the hard way!"

Azul makes a sound of contempt for the Scarabia students before he told the tweels "I think it's time we asked these ill-mannered patrons to leave. Jade. Floyd. Show them the door." Jade and Floyd then said, respectively, "Yes, sir." and "On it!~"

The fight isn't seen though as the screen fades to black as "To be continued" plays before fully turning off.