Pantheo High: Enrollment

Van Hellsinging

Meanwhile, inside the covered court...

Bragi and Rose pushed the doors open and walked into the dark basketball court. Nothing gave the place light, except for the open doors behind them, giving the place a very eerie feel. The smashed bleachers, the cracked floor, the unsettled concrete dust particles floating around made the place seem wrecked and abandoned for decades. As the two of them walked inside, one could only imagine what the rest of the campus must look like. Ahead of them, was the entrance to the central hub, but the doors were laying on the floor, ripped from their hinges. On them, were large claw marks that tore through the wood. Bragi goes closer and kneels to touch it. But before he could, Rose screamed.

Rose: AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!

Bragi ducked on instinct, brandishing his ax as Rose's scream echoed around the walls of the court. He gave Rose an irritated look as he hunched over, his scream turning into wheezing laughter. Bragi slammed his ax on the ground, the blade biting down on the floor.

Bragi: WHAT WAS THAT?! CUZ' I THINK THE GIANT MURDER PUPPY DIDN'T HEAR YOU!!!

Rose chuckled as he straightened his back and brushed down his suit with his hands.

Rose: That, is what we'll sound like once the Foo Dog gets the jump on us. Which is how we'll get it in the first place. No point in finding it if we could just lure it in by SCREAMING!!!!!!

Bragi sighed as Rose kept doing his taxi whistle, the sound echoing through the halls. 

Bragi: Sometimes, I wonder whether you're a genius or just crazy.

Rose: Is it too much to just be both?

Bragi took a deep breath before yanking his ax out of the ground, hefting it on his shoulder. Piles of rubble and leftover concrete fell from its blade, hitting the ground with a satisfying crumble as Bragi walked forward with an alert brightness in his eyes.

Bragi: C'mon. We gotta track it down. Who knows where it might've gone.

Right on cue, the barking of the Foo Dog rung through the halls, more so on the left part of the school, followed by the sound of scratching and scraping of wood. As the two ran out the covered court, through the central hub, and into the lobby they saw the sorry state of the place:

Torn and trashed, the fluff from the donut couch was sticking out from the torn cloth. The gates were bent and battered, but still standing. The registrar and directory had deep scratch marks on them, with noticeable splinters on the wood. As Bragi was about to yawn, Rose covers his mouth and points to their left. Bragi turned and saw the Foo Dog violently scratching against the door. 

The beast showed a significant change ever since their last encounter:

Its fur was turned into a greyish white color due to the dust particles clinging to its fibers, and around its head, the fur grew longer and developed light yellow curls that encircled its entire head from the forehead until its neck, like a helmet. Its teeth developed long, curved fangs on both its upper and lower rows, protruding like tusks. The beast's body fur became more.... compact. With more muscle than fur, its claws lengthened and curled into nothing short of iron sickles on paws. As it scratched on the door, the Foo Dog stopped and raised its head as its nose twitched, sniffing around. Both Bragi and Rose jumped for cover behind the donut couch before the Foo Dog could turn its head. As the creature crawled and sniffed the air, Rose pokes his head out for a second before hiding. Bragi shuffles closer.

Bragi: So, how does it look?

Rose nervously rubbed his wrist.

Rose: Not good. It looks like it got stronger. 

Bragi looks at his ax, then to his back.

Bragi: Surprise attack?

Rose nods.

Rose: I'll make a diversion. You sneak around back. Once it's dazed, I'll try to restrain it with my vines. 

Bragi nods as Rose then jumps out of cover and smiles. The Foo Dog turns its head towards him and growls, scraping the floor with its claws. Bragi quietly readied his ax, crouched and silent.

Rose: Hey!

The Foo Dog circles Rose from his right. Rose hid his left hand behind his back while turning to face the beast as Bragi avoided detection by quietly crawling to the right, avoiding the creature's line of sight. Rose then grabs the fluff from the torn donut couch.

Rose: So... You seem to make yourself at home.

It replied by baring its fangs and licking its lips. Rose looked closer at its lips: No gold blood. He then glances at its claws: no gold blood as well. It means it hasn't hurt anyone, Rose thought with relief. He then chuckled while the Foo Dog crawled closer, as his hidden left sleeve started to grow rose vines that dangled from his hand like a makeshift lasso, curling and tying itself. Rose clenches his left hand as the Foo Dog crawled closer, while Bragi snuck to its back. Rose's heart pounded against his chest as the Foo Dog bared its teeth, ready to bite. He chuckles as he slid his right foot back and stretched his right hand forward, showing his palm while Bragi snuck behind its back with his ax, ready to swing.

Rose: Okay okay! I know you're really eager to rip me to shreds, but you'll have to get in line. 

Suddenly, Bragi shouts from the back as he charged at the beast.

Bragi: Here's your TICKET!!!

The Foo Dog quickly turned its head as Bragi, only to be met by a swinging ax blade to the face, like how a baseball meets the bat. The creature's head is smacked back, the body following with a staggered limp as Rose lassoed its neck and pulled to fasten the knot. 

Rose: I got 'em! Now-

It started to run around, whipping its head from side-to-side, trying to shake the lasso off while sweeping Rose off his feet, smacking him from wall to wall, earning pained grunts and screams.

Rose: BRAGI!!!!!!! 

Bragi took a deep breath and screamed at the Foo Dog, slamming it to the Registrar's Office. Its teeth released the rose vines as the creature was flung, but so was Rose as he hit the glass, denting it with a small c***k as he crashed. As the Foo Dog shook its head and got up, Rose fell from the glass with an OOF.

Rose: Uuuugh.

Bragi faced the beast with his ax at the ready as the Foo Dog roared and charged at him. It pounced from side-to-side before jumping right at Bragi's face, swiping with its claws. Bragi sidestepped and swung, gashing the Foo Dog's left paw. The beast yelped, and then roared in anger as the gash showed only pink sinew that started to heal itself: strings of flesh bonded together as it started to close up the wound. Bragi then engaged, going ax against claws, sparks flying as they traded swipes and swings. Just as Rose was starting to get up, the Foo Dog tried to bite off Bragi's torso, only to have the ax stuck between his rows of teeth, locking his jaw. Bragi groaned in pain as the creature started to press harder, pushing Bragi down to his knees. He felt his knees buckle, his arms strain from the weight and his leg muscles wear from the effort. Imagine having to squat with a barbell on your back. Sounds hard enough... for the first five minutes. Your legs start to wobble. Your own weight starts working against you as you start to feel the burn on your core, your glutes, thighs, and so on. The pain only gets worse every second you try and hold, even more, when you exert even a sliver more of the effort you give. Imagine having to do that, while the weight had a mind of its own, had rancid fish breath and wanted to crush you so your body would be easier to eat.

While Bragi struggled to keep the Foo Dog from eating him, Rose groggily stood up and coughed as he stretched out his right hand. Rose vines start to grow from underneath his sleeve, slithering down the floor and snaking around the hindlegs of the Foo Dog. Rose ran to the donut couch and planted his foot against its base as he pulled, knocking its balance. As the creature spat out the ax and struggled to gnaw off the vines from its ankles, Rose helped Bragi up and swiped the ax with him before hobbling away with Bragi leaning on him. Before the Foo Dog could gnaw out the last vine, Bragi pushed Rose aside, took his ax, and slammed it against the ground. Out from the point of impact was a web of cracks that started to spread. Out from the cracks, came dirt. Dry, brown, fresh from the Earth dirt. Rose chuckled as Bragi panted from the exertion.

Rose: Looks like someone's been working out. 

Bragi: Not exercise. Luck.

Bragi said in between pants.

Bragi: Can you work with this?

A roar echoed through the covered court as the Foo Dog gnawed off the last vine.

Rose: I guess we'll find out.

As the Foo Dog started to run towards them, its mouth foaming and its eyes glowing red, Rose removes a seed from his armband and buries it in the dirt. Rose grabs Bragi's arm as he bolts off, dragging Bragi with him. Just as the Foo Dog takes a step on the dirt, large, dark green vines started to burst from the ground and wrap around the body of the beast with a terrifying groan, as if it was sentient. The Foo Dog barked and roared in protest as the vines tightened their grip, sinking the beast further into the ground. As Rose and Bragi bolted out of the covered court, through the plain grassland, and into the forest they hear the snapping of vines and an echoing roar.

Rose: WHY DIDN'T WE THINK OF THAT EARLIER?!

Rose shouted as they ran.

Bragi: BECAUSE WE'RE IDIOTS!!!!

He retorted. 

Rose: POINT TAKEN!!!