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"SURPRISE!" I was shocked to see a procession of everyone around a chocolate custard cake! The Monkeys used their knives to cut up the cake, and I could tell Agatha was enjoying herself- I'm sorry, what? Oh, you're wondering about what monkey would have a knife at a birthday party?
You know what? We aren't talking about ordinary monkeys here. Let's go back a little...
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"One...more...winding...There! That'll get ya slashing, Redd!" I'm Shade, and I maintain monsters. Not the cutesy type, we're literally talking nightmarish, hack-you-up, MONSTERS here. My first chore from Malak was winding up, cleaning, and honing the blades of the Monkeys, big-headed mechanical monkey-themed bellboys. That just so happened to have two huge knives for hands, perfect for slicing up a Hopeless or two. On that context, a Hopeless is someone sent to assemble the Riddle of Heaven by the witch, Helen Bierce, who's been sending them in for what amounts to ages. You get where this tale is set now, right? That's right, Dark Deception! Bierce hasn't been able to stabilize the portals to Dread or the Gremlins yet, but she recently got Aggie and the Watchers in the game! Okay, i'm rambling, but I rarely get company! Redd screeched in gratitude. Of course, most of the Monkeys' dialect is screeching. Screeching when they kill, screeching when a Hopeless gets all the shards...
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"Psst..." "Yes, Theodore, I'll get to you." Theodore, Marcus and Ilentus are particularly sneaky. They're the advance guard for the manor; the first three Gold Watchers infused with the Riddle's power. My chores there are mainly to trim the hedges, maintain the spike traps, polish the Watchers in the Casting Chamber, polish Theo, Mark and 'Lentus... Good stuff. "Psst..." "Coming, Ilentus!"
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"Tag, you're it!" "Okay, here I come!" But my favorite time is when I entertain Agatha. A little girl with long sharp black hands, she's wicked quick and- "No fair, you're teleporting!" "Heehee, we never set ru-uules!" "Then I get to do..." I slipped into a shadow and vanished, coming up fight in front of Aggie. "This! Tag!" "That was fun!" That's one of the powers Malak gave me, all of them relating to shadows. Sometimes I mess with the Hopeless people that come through here. "Remember to set up the files!" "Okay, Malak!" You can't blame Bierce for wanting the ring. You put it together, and Malak gives you a wish! It IS his prison, after all. The files he's talking about are secret pictures Malak happened to pick up, as well as CD's and even some of Bierce's story. Of course, Aggie especially receives rewards for-
FAITH IN DARKNESS HOPELESS INBOUND
"Yay! A new friend!" Aggie's the one who mainly gets rewarded for Hopeless takedowns. Comes from her speed and cleverness. "Hopeless entering the auditorium in 5..." "You ready?" "4..." "Always!" "3..." "Let's get to work." "2..." Soul Shards began to line the halls. "1..." "See ya!" "Bye Aggie!" Amazing that such a little girl can be so cruel and twisted.
(Hopeless POV)
A short little melody plays as I step up to the stage. "Ooh, a new friend! I'm so excited! Welcome!" In front of me, a little girl with blank black eyes and a permanent creepy grin on her face appears in a puff of smoke. "I heard we might be getting a new student here soon, so I put together this little welcoming party for ya!" Oddly nice for a monster, I guess. "It's really nice to have someone new to play with! Don't tell the others, but they've been getting pret-ty boring." Probably because they're Soul Shards now. "Haha, but you'll spice things up around here, won't you! You can share eeeverything with me! All your secrets, all your mistakes," she says before adding, "All your pain... That's what friends are for, right?" With that, she vanishes and the bell rings. "Looks like school's back in session," Bierce snarks. I open the left door and collect my first two Soul Shards, a pair of ordinary purple crystals, before using my Speed Boost to blast through the red barrier. A simple "Ready or not, here I come!" heralds justified fear when the one saying it is hunting you down while you run through the halls. However, I find myself drawn to a room on the map that doesn't seem to serve any purpose. I open the door, and an odd sound plays through my head as I come face to face with a being that looks to be pure shadow. "Another friend for Agatha! Best run quick as you can and watch your step, she plays to win," it says. I run, hearing her unsettling voice as she prowls the halls and come to a room with a projector displaying a graveyard with... "An unmarked grave? It must be hers." Lucky for me, this room also has the Stun Orb, which I collect, keeping her in place until the buzzing goes completely silent. I take this opportunity to collect more shards, walking to a classroom where the Red Crystal is. Yes! Now I'll be able to see her before she sees me! I take care to avoid her, collecting the shards, and find myself at the center of the nightmare, indicated by the fact that the ring altar is here according to Bierce. Grabbing the shards around it, I head back for the- "Found ya!" runrunrunrunRUN! Remembering what the shadow being said, I really pour on the gas with my Speed Boost, rewarded by a fading, "No fair!" I collect the last few in the building, and- "...but it's only half! The ring barrier is still active, there must be more in another part of the school. Hurry, and find the next zone!" I did notice a purple barrier behind the altar. The ShardNav finally kicks in, leading me to the altar, where the barrier has dissipated. I walk through, and see a distinctly demonic figure on the balcony, who laughs at me before disappearing. That was definitely not the guy I saw earlier. I walk into a considerably more dilapidated hallway, and the girl appears before me. "Aww, you took all my friends! Well, it's been a while since I got to play with anyone this long, but I CAN'T play around with you anymore. Now, I'll show you what I can REALLY do!" I have a distinct feeling I should be on my toes in this place now. Children's laughs fill the ruined halls of the other building, the girl's dollhouse. I grab the Red Crystal, avoid her, and- Wait, did she just vanish? Anyway, I open the door and- "I heard that!" Oh peck RUN! I lose her and then- WHOA NELLY SHE JUST TELEPORTED RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! Is that what she meant?! What HE meant?! I turn about, but it's too late. One of my three lives, gone. She claims another by getting in front of me just as my boost runs out. Luckily, I keep my last one long enough to get the ring proper. The doors shut, and she warps in with the shadow being. "I welcomed you here and I tried so hard to be nice to you, but you don't care! You don't want to be my friend, you just wanna steal my things!" "Considering that involves being a Soul Shard most times, not surprising, Agatha," the shadow says. "I don't CARE right now, Shade, he's a mean..." At that point, she fumbles words for a while before saying, "Bad person!" At that point, her eyes glow red and she speaks in a frenzy, "Now you're in trouble... You made Daddy mad too..." "You see, Aggie, I was always confused by that, anyways, enjoy your death, keep your eyes peeled for traps, bye!" At that, the two vanish, and a deep, "End of the road, mortal." makes me realize Malak is after me personally now. I spot a poorly drawn portal, realizing that's what Shade meant, and weave through the halls, so worried about Malak that I don't see the trap coming. "Gotcha!/You fool, you triggered it!" Luckily I reach the auditorium. As i walk to the door Aggie jumps in front of me. "Going somewhere?" Then behind me. "You...You'll never escape! I won't let you take my friends from me!" She walks up to me, my legs frozen in fear, but Bierce to the rescue! "It's open!" "Bierce! STAY OUT OF MY ROOM!!" I forgot there was a bus in the wall, ending up just another shard in Wilhelm Elementary as she sliced me to bits with her long black hands.
(Back to ME!)
"It was a near thing, but you did stop him, Agatha. I will get you, at most, a basket of chicken strips." "Yay!" Agatha's rewards usually involve eating out, the Watchers get whetstones for their axes, and the Monkeys don't really want anything. "As for Shade, I want him in the Manor NOW!" "Got it, boss!" I stepped into the shadow- "Without teleporting, please." "Okay." I stepped through the portal to the Hub Space, where Bierce was fussing about. I greeted her, stepped into the manor portal, hopped the spike pits, and went through the hedge maze.
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And that brings us to now. Malak had organized a surprise party for me, and everyone was there. Seriously! The Clown Gremlins, Dread Ducky, Mary, the animatronics, Deady Bear, and The Mannequin were there too! When you live behind the Dark Deception, nothing is exactly safe or boring! "Guess who?" Of course, not being able to die because you're paid in Totems of Undying helps when your brain is gouged by Agatha.

Description
"SURPRISE!" I was shocked to see a procession of everyone around a chocolate custard cake! The Monkeys used their knives to cut up the cake, and I could tell Agatha was enjoying herself- I'm sorry, what? Oh, you're wondering about what monkey would have a knife at a birthday party?
You know what? We aren't talking about ordinary monkeys here. Let's go back a little...
----------------------------------------
"One...more...winding...There! That'll get ya slashing, Redd!" I'm Shade, and I maintain monsters. Not the cutesy type, we're literally talking nightmarish, hack-you-up, MONSTERS here. My first chore from Malak was winding up, cleaning, and honing the blades of the Monkeys, big-headed mechanical monkey-themed bellboys. That just so happened to have two huge knives for hands, perfect for slicing up a Hopeless or two. On that context, a Hopeless is someone sent to assemble the Riddle of Heaven by the witch, Helen Bierce, who's been sending them in for what amounts to ages. You get where this tale is set now, right? That's right, Dark Deception! Bierce hasn't been able to stabilize the portals to Dread or the Gremlins yet, but she recently got Aggie and the Watchers in the game! Okay, i'm rambling, but I rarely get company! Redd screeched in gratitude. Of course, most of the Monkeys' dialect is screeching. Screeching when they kill, screeching when a Hopeless gets all the shards...
-----------------------------------------
"Psst..." "Yes, Theodore, I'll get to you." Theodore, Marcus and Ilentus are particularly sneaky. They're the advance guard for the manor; the first three Gold Watchers infused with the Riddle's power. My chores there are mainly to trim the hedges, maintain the spike traps, polish the Watchers in the Casting Chamber, polish Theo, Mark and 'Lentus... Good stuff. "Psst..." "Coming, Ilentus!"
-----------------------------------------
"Tag, you're it!" "Okay, here I come!" But my favorite time is when I entertain Agatha. A little girl with long sharp black hands, she's wicked quick and- "No fair, you're teleporting!" "Heehee, we never set ru-uules!" "Then I get to do..." I slipped into a shadow and vanished, coming up fight in front of Aggie. "This! Tag!" "That was fun!" That's one of the powers Malak gave me, all of them relating to shadows. Sometimes I mess with the Hopeless people that come through here. "Remember to set up the files!" "Okay, Malak!" You can't blame Bierce for wanting the ring. You put it together, and Malak gives you a wish! It IS his prison, after all. The files he's talking about are secret pictures Malak happened to pick up, as well as CD's and even some of Bierce's story. Of course, Aggie especially receives rewards for-
FAITH IN DARKNESS HOPELESS INBOUND
"Yay! A new friend!" Aggie's the one who mainly gets rewarded for Hopeless takedowns. Comes from her speed and cleverness. "Hopeless entering the auditorium in 5..." "You ready?" "4..." "Always!" "3..." "Let's get to work." "2..." Soul Shards began to line the halls. "1..." "See ya!" "Bye Aggie!" Amazing that such a little girl can be so cruel and twisted.
(Hopeless POV)
A short little melody plays as I step up to the stage. "Ooh, a new friend! I'm so excited! Welcome!" In front of me, a little girl with blank black eyes and a permanent creepy grin on her face appears in a puff of smoke. "I heard we might be getting a new student here soon, so I put together this little welcoming party for ya!" Oddly nice for a monster, I guess. "It's really nice to have someone new to play with! Don't tell the others, but they've been getting pret-ty boring." Probably because they're Soul Shards now. "Haha, but you'll spice things up around here, won't you! You can share eeeverything with me! All your secrets, all your mistakes," she says before adding, "All your pain... That's what friends are for, right?" With that, she vanishes and the bell rings. "Looks like school's back in session," Bierce snarks. I open the left door and collect my first two Soul Shards, a pair of ordinary purple crystals, before using my Speed Boost to blast through the red barrier. A simple "Ready or not, here I come!" heralds justified fear when the one saying it is hunting you down while you run through the halls. However, I find myself drawn to a room on the map that doesn't seem to serve any purpose. I open the door, and an odd sound plays through my head as I come face to face with a being that looks to be pure shadow. "Another friend for Agatha! Best run quick as you can and watch your step, she plays to win," it says. I run, hearing her unsettling voice as she prowls the halls and come to a room with a projector displaying a graveyard with... "An unmarked grave? It must be hers." Lucky for me, this room also has the Stun Orb, which I collect, keeping her in place until the buzzing goes completely silent. I take this opportunity to collect more shards, walking to a classroom where the Red Crystal is. Yes! Now I'll be able to see her before she sees me! I take care to avoid her, collecting the shards, and find myself at the center of the nightmare, indicated by the fact that the ring altar is here according to Bierce. Grabbing the shards around it, I head back for the- "Found ya!" runrunrunrunRUN! Remembering what the shadow being said, I really pour on the gas with my Speed Boost, rewarded by a fading, "No fair!" I collect the last few in the building, and- "...but it's only half! The ring barrier is still active, there must be more in another part of the school. Hurry, and find the next zone!" I did notice a purple barrier behind the altar. The ShardNav finally kicks in, leading me to the altar, where the barrier has dissipated. I walk through, and see a distinctly demonic figure on the balcony, who laughs at me before disappearing. That was definitely not the guy I saw earlier. I walk into a considerably more dilapidated hallway, and the girl appears before me. "Aww, you took all my friends! Well, it's been a while since I got to play with anyone this long, but I CAN'T play around with you anymore. Now, I'll show you what I can REALLY do!" I have a distinct feeling I should be on my toes in this place now. Children's laughs fill the ruined halls of the other building, the girl's dollhouse. I grab the Red Crystal, avoid her, and- Wait, did she just vanish? Anyway, I open the door and- "I heard that!" Oh peck RUN! I lose her and then- WHOA NELLY SHE JUST TELEPORTED RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! Is that what she meant?! What HE meant?! I turn about, but it's too late. One of my three lives, gone. She claims another by getting in front of me just as my boost runs out. Luckily, I keep my last one long enough to get the ring proper. The doors shut, and she warps in with the shadow being. "I welcomed you here and I tried so hard to be nice to you, but you don't care! You don't want to be my friend, you just wanna steal my things!" "Considering that involves being a Soul Shard most times, not surprising, Agatha," the shadow says. "I don't CARE right now, Shade, he's a mean..." At that point, she fumbles words for a while before saying, "Bad person!" At that point, her eyes glow red and she speaks in a frenzy, "Now you're in trouble... You made Daddy mad too..." "You see, Aggie, I was always confused by that, anyways, enjoy your death, keep your eyes peeled for traps, bye!" At that, the two vanish, and a deep, "End of the road, mortal." makes me realize Malak is after me personally now. I spot a poorly drawn portal, realizing that's what Shade meant, and weave through the halls, so worried about Malak that I don't see the trap coming. "Gotcha!/You fool, you triggered it!" Luckily I reach the auditorium. As i walk to the door Aggie jumps in front of me. "Going somewhere?" Then behind me. "You...You'll never escape! I won't let you take my friends from me!" She walks up to me, my legs frozen in fear, but Bierce to the rescue! "It's open!" "Bierce! STAY OUT OF MY ROOM!!" I forgot there was a bus in the wall, ending up just another shard in Wilhelm Elementary as she sliced me to bits with her long black hands.
(Back to ME!)
"It was a near thing, but you did stop him, Agatha. I will get you, at most, a basket of chicken strips." "Yay!" Agatha's rewards usually involve eating out, the Watchers get whetstones for their axes, and the Monkeys don't really want anything. "As for Shade, I want him in the Manor NOW!" "Got it, boss!" I stepped into the shadow- "Without teleporting, please." "Okay." I stepped through the portal to the Hub Space, where Bierce was fussing about. I greeted her, stepped into the manor portal, hopped the spike pits, and went through the hedge maze.
-------------------------------
And that brings us to now. Malak had organized a surprise party for me, and everyone was there. Seriously! The Clown Gremlins, Dread Ducky, Mary, the animatronics, Deady Bear, and The Mannequin were there too! When you live behind the Dark Deception, nothing is exactly safe or boring! "Guess who?" Of course, not being able to die because you're paid in Totems of Undying helps when your brain is gouged by Agatha.