The Golden RetriEVIL | The Atbash AU

Date: June 6th 2017 - 11 AM

After the hiking trip, Mason hasn't gotten his eyes off of the Third Hourglass Journal. Mark: "Nerd." Mason: "Geeze, Mark! Just because I'm reading a book doesn't mean I'm a nerd!" Mark: "It's a proven fact - by nerd science." Mason: "Nice cosplay - oh I know what you are, a nerd scientist.." Mark: "What's the big deal about that journal-thingy anyway?" Mason stands up slamming the journal shut: "I'll tell you what the BIG DEAL is! Do you have any idea what's inside here?" Mark sarcastically replies, "Big giant babies with the power over time?" Mason: "Mark, don't be ridiculous. That sounds like one of those characters in a cartoon series who's supposed to be important but doesn't really get a role of something really significant.. - I'm talking about MONSTERS!" Sarcastically dramatic Mark: "Impossible." Mason explains while flipping through some pages in the journal. "I'm telling you, this town has some really freaky history and even freakier creatures! Just look at this!" Mark: "The Thing That IS Two Legs?" Mason closes the journal again - failed in making a point. "Look, bro. All I'm saying is that we have a whole summer to do what ever we want, and I don't want to spend it all on hiking and eating in some diner hosted by an old guy who's name is literally BARNEY! I want to go out there, and find these weird monsters and buried treasures! So what do you say? Mystery twins?" Mark: "Okay, I like your speech until you said the words 'mystery' and 'twins'." Mason: "But we are twins." Mark: "We. Are not. Going to be called. The mystery twins." Mason: "Okay, okay. How about the rad-twins?" Mark: "Mystery twins. Definitely mystery twins. I'll accept it before you come up with something worse."

Mike knocks on the room: "I hope I'm not interrupting anything.." Mason quickly hides the journal. Mark: "Nope, no - we're fine. We're cool." Mason interrupts: "Hey, so. Me and Mark were thinking on going for a walk to town by ourselves.. If you can.. accept that." Our uncle wasn't exactly the most caring relative you might have. He doesn't really care much if the throw a fridge of the mall building or something that might get us in trouble. Mike: "Eh, knock yourselves out. I'll give you a ride, if you want. But you'll have to walk back on your own." Mason: "Why do you need to go to town, uncle Mike?" Mike replies: "Y'know, there's this thing called 'work' if you've ever heard of it." Mark: "We accept your ride." Wheatley walks across the hall behind Mike. He barks to get Mike's attention. Mike: "You guys pack what you need. I have to t- WALK the dog." Mike shuts the door. Wheatley (whispering): "..Oi. We have work to do." Mike (whispering): "I have my own work to do. I have to feed the kids somehow." Wheatley (whispering): "But what about the portal? You know the deadline!- Literally. We don't have time for-" Mike (whispering): "Let me explain to you the way this is gonna go. I'm going to work, I'll work for today - at least. Then I'll meet up with you at The Gateway. And you'll get your dog treats." Wheatley (whispering): "Done."

While Mike gets his keys, Mason hides the journal in his backpack. They're driving to town when Mason shows a page in the journal to Mark. Mike (whispering): "This is where we're headed." The page shows pictures of stone statues scattered around a plains. The statues are described to have different emotes. Sadness, happiness and anger. Mark (whispering): "We're going to see a bunch of stone slabs with faces? Dude - that's not cool. That's boring!" Mason: "It says here that the place is haunted!" Mike: "What are you two talking about back there?" "Wait- what? No we weren't talking about anything- no, it was just.. this.. ad! An ad in the paper about a haunted house! Coming.. soon..? Are those new shoes?" Mark would try to change the subject. Mike would suspiciously peek to the general direction of the two, letting out a quiet "Hmm..".

Mike: "Okay, we're here." Mike parks in N.H. Museum parking lot and the kids run out of the car, filled with excitement. Mason: "Thanks, Uncle Mike!" Mark: "Meet us here, Uncle Mike! Bye!" Mike sighs, and walks inside through the staff doors. He walks through the art gallery ing some visitors, reaching the surveillance room door. The surveillance room is a damp, small room, with a shelf full of N.H. Museum security hats, a table, an office chair, two monitors and a keyboard. Mike looks The First Hourglass Journal on his table. Then, he sighs again, sits down and gets to work.

"Mark, come on! We're almost there!" Mason shouts to Mark, the not much of a hiker. "You know.. (puff) what I could use?" Mason: "And what's that, Mark?" Mark: "A grappling hook. (puff) You know that.. (puff) ..that super charged grappling hook from 'The Myth of A Side-Character'?" Mason: "Yeah?" Mark: "I want THAT grappling hook! I could go up mountain cliffs (puff), trees.. and... can we just.. take five?" Mason: "We've been walking down a public street for fifteen minutes." Mark: "I HAVE SEVERE DEHYDRATION!" Mason turns to look out in the forest; "Dude." Mason taps Mark's shoulder. Mark: "Listen, (puff) Mason! When I say I wanna take five, I really w-" Mark stands up to look in Mason's general direction. "Oh." It's a plains area, filled with strange stone slabs, some covered in moss, some not.

Mason: "Let's go!" Mark: "DUDE!" Mason: "What?!" Mark: "In every horror movie, the smart guy always goes first." Mason: "Okay.." Mason steps in front of Mark and walks towards certain/uncertain danger. Mark: "Oh, haha. Verrry funny. Look at 'Mr. Dipper-I-Walk-Towards-Danger-Guy' over here! 'Oooohh, I walk towards danger! I'm taking risks an-'" Mason has walked twenty feet from Mark already and is now inspecting the statues. "HEY, WAIT FOR ME!" In one of the statues' eyes a golden glow glistens, watching the duo as they go on 'a total rampage'.

"Look at this! It says here that these statues could be hundreds of years old!" Mason reading from the journal. Mark: "Ye-yeah! Can we go now?" Mason: "Why do we need to go?" Mark: "BAD THINGS ALWAYS HAPPEN AROUND STATUES! that episode of 'Professor Alien'? IT WAS BAAAD!" Mason: "Look, Mark. I'm sure it's fine. It's not like every statue in North Hills is bad news, maybe haunted statues aren't a bad thing!" As Mason rambles about every single thing not being completely evil, the sad statue behind him suddenly has an eerie golden glow in its eyes. "-So why won't you just take a chill pill and CALM DOWN!"

Sad Statue: "Why have you come?" The statue would speak in a sad, eerie voice. As Mason slowly turns, Mark hides behind him. "Ehhem." Mason would clear his throat. "I'm, uhm, Mason. And this is... Mark. And we're uh.." Mark: "..Guests..?" Mason: "Yeah! Exactly! And we bring gifts, like this.. FLASHLIGHT!" Mason digs out his flashlight out of one of his vest pockets and holds it with both of his hands. Sad Statue: "What's the rush? You've come all this way." Mark: "Yeah but we-" Mason: "-Left the microwave on.." Mark: "..and stuff!" Sad Statue: "But I still haven't gotten my meal, Mason." The statue's mouth lights up with a golden glow and it sucks in the flashlight. Mark: "..I think we're the next meal." Mason opens the journal, there has to be a page in here about weaknesses.." Mark: "CAN YOU SEARCH FOR IT WHILE RUNNING?" While they run through the statue filled area the golden eyes move through different statues, following them. Mark: "Where's that weakness, smart guy?!" Mason: "Don't rush me!! I'm the brains, you're the muscle!" Mark: "..I'm more of an ideas guy..." Mason: "Shut up, and run!" They're reaching the end of statues. Mark: "We're going to make it! We're going to make it!" The statue facing in their direction has a furious face. "I know who you are, Orion twins." Mason: "How do you know our names? And what the heck are you anyways!" Statue: "I have seen and heard many things. But you two take the cake. You two are fools, none the less.." Mason: "What do you mean?" Statue: "The gnomes I have devoured whispered secrets before their demise.. during the war they spoke of a demon to end it all.. The rhombus." Mason: "Gnomes? World War Two?" Statue: "Of course not World War Tw- ..Your uncle didn't tell you..." Mark: "Tell us what?" Statue: "Those who don't know of the war are usually the easy ones to fall into all the tricks of the forest.. I hope you've finished reading that little green 'guide' of yours.. Or else, the next step you make - will be the last step you take." The golden glow fades from the eyes of the statue. Mason looks at Mark confusingly: "What did it mean by Mike not telling us about some war?" Mark: "..Didn't Mike say some bad stuff happening in the town?" Mason: "You think that was a metaphor?" Mark: "A meta what?" Mason: "Really?" Mark: "What?" Mason: "Maybe we should just head to the museum. I'm sure Mike's shift is ending soon."

The twins get back to the museum, where Mike is waiting on the parking lot.

"Well? Did you two find anything? Like an arcade or something?" Mike questions them. Mason with the perfect alibi: "Not really.. we did find the local hardware store. Which - we will DEFINITELY be visiting again in the near future." Mike: "Aha.. You two want to grab something to eat?" Mason: "Yeah! Sure. What are we having?" I'm thinking ice cream.."

Later.. Wheatley is waiting Mike outside the small garden shack.

"You're late. As predicted." Wheatley would say with his smug dog face.

Mike throws a dog treat towards Wheatley. Wheatley jumps at it, and chews it to pieces. Wheatley: "That's some (munch) ..good chicken. I think it's chicken.." Mike: "You want to get back to work or what?" Wheatley: "Oh, yes, sorry." They enter the garden shack and the stone trapdoor opens after Mike enters the three digit code.