Humming filled the room as Cordila laid on her bed. She flipped the page of her book. Se was reading about merfolk and remembered the feeling she had when she lived at him. The door squeaked as it was pushed open. Looking up from her book, her eyes rested on Razor's ebony tentacles. Rolling her eyes, Cordila went back to reading her book. Twitching her eye, she felt the octomer glare at her as he made his way to his own bed.

"Why are you glaring at me?" The mermaid asked irritated.

"Simple," He remarked as he laid on his bed, "I want you to stop telling people that I ruined your life."

"You did!"

"In what way?"

Cordila slammed her book shut. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been thrown out of the only home I ever knew."

Sitting up, Razor crossed his arms over his chest. "You were trapped in a cave by a Kraken. When I rescued you, you thought my abilities were the coolest thing ever!"

"You forced me to learn magic against my will."

"That doesn't make any sense. It takes discipline to be a magi."

Crodila formed a fist ready to start an all-out fight. The doors that opened into the room, flung open. Bernard walked into the room, shaking his head. "I'm gone for a day and you two are already trying to kill each other." Crossing their arms, the merfolk looked away.

Chuckling, Bernard laid down on his bed. He had his arm in a sling to make sure he didn't move it before the new event. Red flashed across their vision, as Artemis flew in through a window. "Would it kill you to use a real door?" Cordila huffed.

The neak shrugged. "Well, I just wanted to inform you that if we don't leave right away, we will be late for the first task today."

"We are always late, whats new about that?" The mermaid set her feet on the floor, "Let's go already. The last time we were late we were late he banned us from exploring the city at night."

Sighing, Bernard rubbed his shoulder. "I'm going to sit this one out. Hopefully, I'll be healed enough for the battle."

Standing to her feet, Cordila took a step forward. Squealing, her foot caught on a rug. Flailing her arms, she tried to catch her balance. Failing, she hit the floor with a hard smack. Moaning she pushed herself up, grabbing her head. Tentacles made their way to her side. Cordila glared at them. 

Chuckling, Razor towered above her. "Need help?" He extended his hand. Cordila smacked his hand back before standing back up. Smirking, Razor continued to the door. Taking a deep breath, Cordial followed. Nearing the door, they heard voices from the other side. One belonged to Miyuki, the other to a man.

Opening the door, they found Miyuki and Game maker Thulok on the other side. The male chuckled, "Late again I see." Cordila glanced down at the floor knowing it was true. Before she could speak, Thulok spoke once more. "The Game makers would like you to know that we are watching you. Best of luck to you." With that, he turned ran down the hall and out of sight.

The remaining 3 members exchange glances with Miyuki. Without uttering a word. The Dragon Claw guild raced out of the Inn and towards the arena. They were curious about what the elf and the game-maker were doing, they didn't have time to ask. 

As the guild arrives to the arena, the guild master meets them outside. He shook his head with disappointment. "The Mc has already gone over the rules." He glanced over the competitors. "Where's Bernard?"

"He stayed behind to rest. He'll be here for the battle." Artemis chirped.

"Then you three will have compete." Master Roku stated. He then preceded to explain the rules.

"I'm fired up!" Artemis shouted with delight. 

Master Roku chuckled. "Now once you are ready head to the house." 

Nodding the competitors headed towards their distention. Miyuki growled as she watched Artemis flying in front of her. "Do you have to fly everywhere you go?" Without answering, Artemis flew faster. She didn't care about answering her. She already knew the answer. 

Arriving at the house, the team looked up in aw. The house looked like it had came out of a horror story. The house had three floors with pointed windows that jolted out of the roof to give light to the upper rooms. Codila's eyes widen. Being a mermaid, she had never seen a house such as this before. 

Chuckling, Razor shook his head at her. As he raised his eyes back to the door, he watched a person with white makeup, red hair and red nose stood in the window. He was looking right at him. Turning his head, he looked to see if the others say it. Once he looked back, he noticed the figure was gone. Shrugging his arms, he turned towards them to decide who was going to seek. After several rounds of rock, paper, scissors, it was decided he would. 

The gong rang out telling the guilds it was time to approach the the house. Swallowing hard, Razor watched as his friends disappeared inside. Releasing a sigh, he imagined all his nerves vanishing. He felt confident that he knew he could find them. Looking up at the windows, his took a step back. He saw the weird figure once more. 

Ringing out once again, the gong signaled for him to precede inside. Shaking the image from his mind, he ventured into the victorian era house. As he entered, he noticed that he had walking into a living room. The room was decorated with two couches facing each other, a table in the middle and coffee table centered in the middle of them with a rug underneath. A single light hing from the ceiling letting off an erie glow. 

"It's sad is it not?" A voice whispered in his ear. 

"W-Who are you?" 

"You'll find out soon enough."

Taking a deep breath, Razor continued on. There was something about this place that didn't set well with him. He traversed down the hall with pictures on either side of him. Stopping in front of one, he looked to see who the family was that dwelled there. As his eyes made contact with the picture, he pushed his back against the wall out of surprise. Grabbing his heart, he gazed into the eyes of a clown. 

Shadows consumed his body allowing him to travel down the hallway at a quicker pace. His heart skipped a beat. A noise caught him off guard in a room up a head. Turning back into an octomer, he hurried down the hall. Arriving to a door, he saw a light was shining from the bottom of the door. Grabbing the knob, he turned the room. 

Entering the room, he noticed he had entered into a bathroom. Mold wafted to his nose. It smelled like no one had cleaned in days. Gazing around the room, his eyes rested on a shower curtain. Smiling, he went over and pulled back the curtain. As the curtain was pulled back, cock roaches poured out of the facet as if they were nothing but brown water. 

Rushing out of the bathroom, Razor slammed the door shut. He felt the door jerk as the roaches piled up against it. Bitting his lip, he took off down the hallway once more. Finding a staircase, he quickly made his way up them. He paused at the top to catch his breath. Picking up his head, he, cold air rushed down his back. He turned towards the hallway to see where it was coming from. There at the end of the hall were twin girls with white dress and black hair in front of their face. 

Razor quickly ran into the closest room. Upon entering, he found Miyuki laying in the bed humming. "It's about time you found me." She huffed.

The octomer rubbed the back of his neck. "This place is spooky. Let's just get this over with."

"Do you mind if I bring ice with me? I need something to chew on."

The male shook his head. "Sure." She didn't want to know where she got her ice. So he continue on his way.

"This elf needs to be gotten rid of." The voice told him.

"Why?"

"She's nothing like the girls we would hang out with. Why bother with her? We only like the evil chicks."

Razor shook his head. He didn't want to answer not knowing who the voice was nor who it belonged to. Glancing around the room, he noticed the wall paper was pink with white flowers and the bed had a pink comforter. White lace flowed from a canopy above. Miyuki rose to her feet and walked past him. "Let's go already."

Nodding, Razor followed her out the door. Entering the hallway, the octomer felt a dangerous threat loom over him. Shrugging it off, he continued down the hall. Laughing echoed through the hall as he progressed. Sweat beaded up on his forehead. Turning towards a nearby door, he cracked it open, inside was a library with books stacked neatly on selves up to the ceiling. Fish swam past the doorframe.

Curiosity got the better of him, causing him to travel inside. Upon entering, a small octomer caught his eye. He watched as the baby octomer swam happily around the room. A dark figure followed him. The bay octomer swam over to the book case and reached for a book. The dark figure once again came up behind him. Feeling the presence, the octomer turned to see who it was. He pulled back. The figure was a black shadow with solid white eyes.

"Razor," The shadow called to the baby. Panicking, the octomer tried to pull away. The shadow grabbed him before he had a chance to move. The baby screamed as it was engulfed by the darkness. A door on the opposite wall flung open. Razor's parents swam in after hearing their sons scream.

Seeing what he had become, Razor's parents took him out of the mercity where they lived. The looked at shadow magic as magic from the living dead. You were cursed if you had this magic. Drawing him away from the memory that played before him. Miyuki pulled him out of the room and onto the floor.

"What were you doing?" She yelled angrily. "We're supposed to be looking for people not standing in doorways."

Razor shook his head. "Apologies, I was just looking at something." Without waiting for a response, he stood up and continued down the hall.

"So that's where it all started." The voice whispered once more. "You had such a promising future as sea warlock who haunts his prey in the shadow."

Shaking his head, he continued down the hall. He was growing tired of this voice and wished it would stop. Coming to the end of the hall, Razor noticed there was a hatch to get up to the attic. Pulling on a rope that hung down, he opened the hatch and traveled up the wooden staircase. Spiders crawled down the railing onto the main floor. Laughing echoed through the walls. They were laughter then the last time.

Bitting his lip, he continued upstairs. Black mist rolled at his tentacles. It swallowed up any light the attic received from outside. Moving forward, he looked around the eerie room. He didn't know what was going on. He felt movement in the room yet oddly enough, it came from everywhere at once. "Looks like you found me." The voice said.

An octomer formed before him. It looked like him only made out of shadows instead of flesh and blood. "W-Who are you?" Razor questioned.

"I'm you but the you when you were trying to use your shadows for evil."

"I never did that. I only used my shadows like that when I was hunting."

"You have always denied yourself haven't you? Maybe that's why you ended up going soft because of a girl."

Not wanting to get into a fight, Razor turned to leave. "I am everything you want to be! Everything you were. You gave it up for nothing. I can't believe I was so weak."

Pausing, Razor turned back towards him. "I put my past behind me. You were never me!" With those last words he went back downstairs. Looking at Miyuki, he continued on without a word. He came back to a staircase and made his way down stairs.

The sound of the ocean welcomed his ears. It sounded like someone turned on a sound machine of the ocean. Following the sound, Razor found his way to an indoor pool. Expecting blue water, he went and looked in. The water was a thick coppery red. Black hair caught his attention. Reaching in, he pulled out Cordila. "Aww, you found me she whined."

Razor blinked. The water was now back to its original blue. Smiling, Razor chuckled. "Well next time to hide some place so obvious." Cordila flicked her tail against the water's surface giggling. Righting himself back up, Razor looked around. He now had to find Artemis but wasn't sure where to look. 

Screams erupted from downstairs. Razor exchanged glances with the girls then headed inside. The screams louder as they neared the basement steps. Opening the door slowly, the door revealed a darkened basement with spiderwebs hanging from the ceiling. Razor motioned to the girls to stay put while he went down to look. The girls nodded that they would stay.

Preceding down to the basement, the steps creaked with every step. As he neared the bottom, boxes came into view. Looked to him like the basement was used for storage and little else. Reaching the floor he glanced around. Laughter echoed through the room louder then before. Sweat beaded against his brow. He felt a presence behind him.

Turning, he came face to face with a clown. In one hand he was holding a red scaly wing, in the other a blooded knife. "Looking for someone?"

Razor gritted his teeth. "Give me back Artemis."

"Sorry, but the neak isn't here any longer." The clown cackled.

Shadows traveled up his arm, "Then I will make you pay."

The clown vanished before Razor could make a move. Behind him, Artemis was sitting on a box waiting for someone. "Are you okay Razor?" She chirped worried.

"I'm fine." Razor stated as he made his shadows vanish.

Artemis started hovering. "Okay then, let's go."

Razor smiled and headed back upstairs. Once everyone was gathered they headed towards the door. Looking back through the pictures, he saw the clown but wasn't as asked of it now then he was then. The team exited the house together. Looking up in the stands, Master Roku nodded his approval to the team.