Doug stood firmly in front of the portal. Bierce walked over to him, "I think you should take one of the critters with you. Simon has already retrieved one of the ring pieces for you. You should at least take one of them. Doug looked at the critters. "Simon Smoke was a liability who could have gotten himself killed by the reaper nurses. If I am picking one, it had better not be a moron."
"Fine then." Bierce replied. She walked over to the nightmare critters. "You'll do." she told Raby Baby. "Follow Doug through the portal and get me that ring shard."
"Can I come?" Mollie asked. "I haven't helped Doug with a mission yet."
"How are you going to do it?" Bierce asked.
"I'm going to fly my plane." Mollie chirped.
"No. You'll wreck the plane and mess everything up. Perhaps a different realm." Bierce replied.
"Okay, then." Mollie replied before she got back to tinkering with her plane.
"Alright, let's go." Doug told Raby Baby.
The bat perched on his shoulder and started texting on a phone. "First mission of me as Doug's familiar, this is so juicy!"
"I'm not a witch." Doug told her.
"You use Malak's powers, right?" Raby asked with a smirk.
"Yes, but only for survival." Doug said.
"Using any kind of magic makes someone a sorcerer." Raby Baby said.
Doug rolled his eyes and passed with Raby through the portal. They found themselves in an elementary school. Doug gripped his tablet tighter, the screen flickering with the map of the school. "Stay quiet," he hissed. "She can hear a pin drop."
Raby Baby’s phone emitted a loud ping. "Oop! Lloyd just liked my status. 'Surviving a haunted school with the Grumpy Sorcerer #LivingDead,'" she whispered-shouted, her thumbs blurring over the screen.
"Who's Lloyd?" Doug asked.
"Duh! Lloydford L. Lion," Raby Baby replied, not looking up from her screen. "The 'Regal Lion of the Mane Stage'? He’s basically the only one in the park with a decent sense of fashion, even if he is a total ego-maniac. He’s a 'prestigious actor,' or so he claims every five seconds."
"You're texting Mollie's friends?" Doug asked. "How'd you get his number? Did that macaw lady tell you?"
"Yep, he was replaced too. Now be quiet, I'm filming this for him." Raby said as she recorded going through the halls. They heard a school bell ring. The two walked into an amphitheater and saw a little girl with long arms and claw-like hands. Her eyes were black and her mouth was a permanent grin.
"O-M-G," Raby mouthed to the camera, keeping her voice at a low, vibrating hum. "Look at those proportions. Lloyd is going to die when he sees this costume design. Total avant-garde nightmare chic."
"Put the phone down," Doug hissed, his hand hovering over his tablet. "That's not a costume. That’s the thing that’s going to peel us like oranges."
Agatha tilted her head, her permanent grin stretching wider. "A new friend? And a... little birdy?" She began to twitch, her movements stuttering like a broken film reel. "Is it time for recess?"
"Recess, we haven't even joined this school." Raby remarked. "Who are you? An actress wannabe?"
"An actress?" Agatha’s voice distorted, sounding like dozens of children whispering at once. She skittered across the stage floor, her long claws clicking like hail on a tin roof. "I’m the star pupil! Teacher says I’m the only one who stays focused!"
"Oh, and whose your teacher? Whose your parents?" Raby asked. "And what's your name. Gotta get all the juicy tidbits."
"My name is Agatha!" the girl shrieked, her body twitching in a violent, glitch-like motion. "And Daddy says I’m his favorite! He’s the one who makes the rules! He’s the one who watches... everywhere!"
"‘Daddy,’ huh? Groundbreaking," Raby Baby muttered, her thumbs flying across the screen. "Is he a CEO? A dark lord? Or just another guy with a 'World's Best Dad' mug and a penchant for child endangerment? Give me a name, sweetie. My followers are dying for a tag. #DaddysGirl #ShadowNepotism."
"Raby, you’re literally asking for the Devil’s contact info!" Doug hissed, backing away as Agatha’s shadow began to grow, crawling up the walls of the amphitheater like spilled ink.
Agatha’s grin didn't move, but her voice dropped to a low, rattling growl. "Teacher is the Whisper in the halls. Daddy is the King of the dark. And you..." She suddenly lunged, her long arms snapping forward like traps. "You’re just late for class!"
"Ugh, the 'King of the Dark'? So edgy. Sounds like a failed 90s metal band," Raby chirped, narrowly dodging a swipe of Agatha's claws by fluttering to Doug’s other shoulder. "Lloyd just replied: 'Tell her the King role has already been cast. By me.' He is so petty, I love it."
"Enough!" Doug yelled, slamming his hand onto the tablet screen. "We’re leaving!"
"But she didn't tell me whose her daddy." Raby complained.
"Malak is her father!" Doug yelled, "You know, the demon who Bierce is trying to keep out?"
"Oh, that explains everything!" Raby remarked.
She quickly turned her phone camera back toward the snarling girl. "Hey, Aggy! Blink once if your dad pays for your data plan! Does he give you an allowance in souls or just store credit?"
"SHUT. UP." Doug roared, grabbing Raby by her fluffy midsection and tucking her under his arm like a football. He didn't wait for an answer. He slammed his thumb onto the Speed Boost icon on his tablet.
A trail of yellow light erupted behind them as Doug bolted out of the amphitheater, his feet barely touching the linoleum floor.
"Hey! Watch the fur, Sorcerer! I'm losing my framing!" Raby yelped, her phone bouncing wildly in her grip.
"I'm saving your life!" Doug shouted over the sound of Agatha’s screeching, which was echoing through the vents. "If Malak catches us, he isn't going to give you a 'like' or a 'follow.' He’s going to turn you into a decorative rug for his throne room!"
"Typical man, always exaggerating for the drama," Raby huffed, though she did start typing faster. "Wait until Lloyd hears about this. 'Update: The brat’s dad is the CEO of Hell. Doug is currently carrying me like a sack of potatoes. So unprofessional. #RunForYourLife #DemonDrama.'"
Doug ran out of the first building and entered the second. One of the rooms was on fire. He looked at the tablet. "The ring shard should be right around the corner." Doug said. He skidded to a halt when he saw the ring piece was missing. "What the heck!"
"Looking for something my sweets?" A purple skunk with a mischievous glint in her eye was holding the ring piece. She was dressed like a punk.
"Give us that, now!" Doug ordered.
"Why don't we step in this classroom and talk about it. If you want it, all you gotta do is here me out." the skunk said. "Is that so hard?"
"Who are you?" Raby asked.
"I'm Salem" the skunk said. "We should step inside before that little girl catches us." They followed Salem into the classroom and quietly shut the door so Agatha wouldn't hear.
"Okay, what do you want?" Doug asked.
"What do I want? Straight to the point. I like that," Salem said, tossing the Ring Shard into the air and catching it with a flick of her wrist. She leaned against a teacher's desk, the fire from the hallway casting long, flickering shadows against the chalkboard. "Let’s just say I’m a fan of... disrupting the status quo."
Raby Baby was already circling Salem like a vulture, her phone held high. "O-M-G. The punk aesthetic? The 'I-stole-your-objective' energy? You are a vibe, sweetie. Are you a local? You look like you’d fit right in at Indigo Park—maybe as a 'Bad Influence' mascot."
"Indigo Park?" Salem chuckled, a puff of purple smoke escaping her lips. "Is that the place with the singing birds and the actor lion? Please. I’ve got more personality in my tail than that whole park has in its gift shop."
"Hey!" Raby gasped, her thumbs flying. "Lloyd is going to be furious. 'Breaking: Local skunk calls Indigo Park mid. #Savage #SmellyOpinions.'"
"Focus!" Doug barked, stepping toward Salem. "That shard doesn't belong to you. It belongs to Bierce. If you know who Malak is, you know what happens if he finds you holding that."
"I know exactly what Malak is," Salem’s eyes narrowed, her playful tone dropping for a second. "And I know Bierce is just a different kind of cage. You want this shard? I don't want your soul, Doug. I want a way out. This school is a loop, and I'm tired of the reruns."
She held the shard out, but didn't let go. "I give you this, and you take me back to that ballroom. I want to meet this 'Bierce.' I have a feeling she and I have a lot to talk about regarding 'contractual obligations.'"
"Say, are you a witch?" Raby asked.
"A witch?" Salem let out a dry, raspy laugh, the Ring Shard gleaming in her palm. "Honey, 'witch' is such a dusty label. I prefer independent contractor of the dark arts. But yeah, I know my way around a cauldron and a curse."
Raby Baby’s eyes went wide, her phone screen nearly overheating. "A punk-rock skunk witch! This is peak content! Lloyd is going to have a literal heart attack. 'Update: Found a witch with better eyeliner than me. #WitchyVibes #SkunkSorcery.'"
"Doug is a witch too! He stolen Malak's powers and now he can run fast, become invisible, stun demons..." Raby said.
"Wait, invisible too?" Salem raised a purple eyebrow, looking Doug up and down with newfound interest. "Well, aren't you a little box of stolen tricks? Snatching power from the Big Red Guy takes some serious whiskers."
"I didn't steal them, I'm just... using the resources available!" Doug snapped, feeling his face heat up as he snatched the Ring Shard from Salem. "And for the last time, it doesn't make me a witch!"
"Denial is so boring," Salem chuckled, her tail twitching. "But hey, if you can stun demons, you're officially more useful than the last 'hero' who stumbled through here. He didn't even have a phone-obsessed bat to document his demise."
"Oh, I'm documenting everything," Raby chirped, her screen glowing as she tagged the Indigo Park official account. "'Exclusive: Grumpy Sorcerer Doug gets a goth girlfriend? Malak's powers revealed! #MagicLeak #SkunkAndSorcery.'"
"RABY!" Doug’s face went beet red. "She is not my girlfriend! She’s a stinking—"
"A stinking what, Sorcerer?" Salem interrupted, her eyes flashing dangerously as she conjured a plume of purple smoke. "Watch the speciesism. I've got enough magic to turn your 'fast-running' feet into concrete."
Bierce said in Doug's head, "Who is that you're talking to?"
"A purple skunk named Salem. She wants me to get her out and she wants to meet you." Doug sighed.
"A skunk? Honestly, Doug, I leave you alone for ten minutes and you start collecting strays like a haunted animal shelter," Bierce’s voice crackled, dripping with her signature disdain. "Is she useful, or is she just another mouth to feed with my patience?"
"She’s a witch!" Raby chirped, holding her phone up to capture Doug’s frustrated expression. "And she’s got aesthetic. #TeamSalem #NewBestie."
"A witch, you say?" Bierce’s tone shifted, becoming dangerously sweet. "Well, far be it from me to turn away a woman of... specialized talents. Bring her through. If she can handle Agatha, she might actually survive my ballroom."
Salem smirked, her tail twitching as she adjusted her punk-rock collar. "Hear that, Sorcerer? The lady wants to see me. Try not to trip over your own feet on the way out."
Agatha flung the door open. "Peek-a-boo!" she shrieked.
"Aaaand that’s my cue for a jump-scare warning!" Raby Baby yelled, her phone light flashing as she caught Agatha’s terrifying grin in 4K. "Lloyd, if you're watching, this is what 'commitment to the bit' looks like! #NoFilter #DeathStare."
"Less vlogging, more moving!" Doug roared. He didn't wait for a polite goodbye. He slammed his hand onto the tablet, activating Speed Boost.
Yellow electricity crackled around his boots as he snatched Raby by her wing and Salem by her punk-rock vest. "We are out of here!"
"Hey! Watch the leather!" Salem barked, though she quickly pointed her paws back at the ghost girl. A thick, pungent cloud of purple magical smoke erupted from her palms, filling the room with a haze that smelled like burnt lavender and sulfur. "Eat my dust, brat! Or my mist, whatever!"
Agatha let out a frustrated howl, her claws swiping blindly through the purple fog. "Come back! We haven't played Tag yet!" Doug used his stun blast and the trio charged right past Agatha. The portal was in sight and the three made it into Bierce's ballroom. Salem walked over to Bierce tossing the ring shard up in the air and catching it.
"Not bad for a 'sorcerer' and a couple of strays," Salem purred, catching the Ring Shard with a practiced flick of her wrist as she strolled across the polished marble. She stopped right in front of Bierce, eyeing the woman’s elegant dress with a smirk. "So, you’re the one running this little circus? I’m Salem. I hear you’re looking for these shiny trinkets."
Bierce didn't move, her golden eyes tracking the shard with hungry intensity. "I am. And I don't usually find them in the hands of... pungent hitchhikers. Doug, I asked for a shard, not a recruitment drive for Indigo Park rejects."
Salem held out the ring shard. "Let me stay for as long as I like and this is all yours." the skunk said.
Bierce’s gaze flickered from the glowing Ring Shard to Salem’s defiant smirk. A slow, chilling smile spread across the woman's face—one that usually meant someone was about to sign a contract they’d regret.
"A permanent guest? How... delightful," Bierce purred, her fingers twitching with anticipation. "This ballroom has been dreadfully short on personality lately. Doug is as dull as dishwater, and the bat's constant 'pinging' is giving me a migraine. A witch with a sense of larceny? I think we’ll get along famously." She reached out and snatched the shard from Salem’s paw, the golden light reflecting in her eyes. "Deal. You may stay. But remember, Salem—in my house, the only 'independent contractor' work you do is for me."
Mollie Macaw walked toward the group. "You got the ring piece?" she asked.
"Yep." Raby smiled.
"Good. That wasn't as bas as when Simon ran off to the hospital and--." Mollie noticed Salem for the first time.
"Wait a second..." Mollie chirped, tilting her head so far it nearly went upside down. "Purple fur? Punk vest? That stink? Salem?!"
Salem crossed her arms, a slow, jagged smirk spreading across her face. "Well, if it isn't the park’s favorite crash test dummy. Still 'barnstorming' into every solid object you see, Macaw?"
"You know her?" Doug asked, looking between the two Indigo Park mascots.
"She casted a spell on me once to kill a friend!" Mollie said. "She and her potions. Doesn't like anything bright or happy!"
Poe, who was nearby said, "That's my kind of girl. I prefer the shadows myself."
"A spell to kill a friend? High stakes! I love the commitment to the bit," Raby Baby chirped, her phone flash strobing as she framed the confrontation. "‘Exclusive: Salem’s Dark Past Revealed! #PotionsAndProblems #MascotMayhem.’"
Salem said, "That spell temporarily turned you into an action figure. Rambley is the one to blame! He hates Lloyd, he turned the park upside down.
"An action figure?" Raby Baby shrieked with delight, her thumbs blurring across the screen.
Bierce intervened, "No spellcasting in the ballroom. Do it on the monsters and the demons in the nightmare realms. Understand?"
"Crystal clear, Golden Eyes," Salem purred, sheathing her glowing claws with a smirk. "Saving the spicy stuff for the help. I can work with that."
"Good," Bierce replied, her shadow lengthening across the marble floor. "Because the Murder Monkeys in the next wing are notoriously difficult to keep in line. I’d love to see how they handle a transmutation potion or a skunk-scented hex."
Doug wasn't sure about their new arrival but one thing was for certain, the ballroom was filling up fast.

End of Chapter