Scenario:Azazel - Truth behind the Murky Well

Truth behind the Murky Well

Azazel goes around trying to scare the children, hopeful that their screams will draw the attention of his fellow brethren. When the children simply laugh at him, he goes off in search of the murky well purportedly connected to hell. He comes across a haunted mansion and enters it.

---

As the curtain of night falls, the Halloween festivities finally begin. The streets become packed and cheery voices fill the air.

Trick-or-Treater 1: Trick or treat!

Lyria: Eek! I'll give you a treat, so please don't play a trick on me!

Trick-or-Treater 2: Trick or treat!

Vyrn: Hey, not cool! I gave you your treat, so cut it out with the trick!

Sierokarte: Teehee, things are already getting lively. Perhaps I should get things going too.

With a snap of her fingers, the outer lights in the town square turn dim while the inner lights around the murky well light up.

At the same time, an ominous-sounding voice rises from the well.

Azazel's Voice: Whoo-oo-oo...

Trick-or-Treater 2: What's that strange sound?

Vyrn: It's coming from the well. I heard a creepy demon's gonna pop out of it.

Trick-or-Treater 2: Demon?

All eyes turn to the well.

Azazel's Voice: Mwahaha... You will know fear, mortals...

As the lights flicker, Azazel emerges from the well in all his majesty.

Azazel: I am an emissary from hell...

Azazel: A demon!

Azazel: Nice children, don't be shy and maybe I'll give you a treat!

Azazel: Naughty children, run and hide before I eat you up!

Azazel: Bwahahaha!

Trick-or-Treaters: ...

Azazel: (Haha... They must be paralyzed with fear.)

Azazel: (But I need them to scream—loud enough to be heard all over the island!)

Trick-or-Treaters: Ahaha!

Azazel: Urk!

Azazel knits his brows at their unexpected laughter.

Azazel: Impossible... How is it you gaze upon my demonic form and exhibit no fear...

Azazel: Does my grotesquely stout form stained with fresh blood and my pale complexion not disturb you!

Vyrn: Told ya so...

Lyria: Ahaha... Azazel must be shocked since he was feeling so confident earlier.

Sierokarte: Haha, the important thing is that he has the children interested. I'd call it a success.

Trick-or-Treater 3: Hey, demon! Trick or treat!

Azazel: Oh? How bold of you to approach a demon without fear in your heart.

Azazel: Allow me to repay the favor in kind!

Azazel: Boy. Don't think you'll be getting candy so easily.

Azazel: Run, scream, show me how bad you want the treats!
Nice children, don't be shy!
Naughty children, run and hide!

Azazel: Gwaaah!

Trick-or-Treater 3: Ahaha! The demon's coming!

Azazel chases after the screaming children.

(Captain) and company watch on, pleased to see them having a good time.

After some time frolicking with the children, Azazel realizes he isn't making much progress.

He begins searching for the real murky well that's said to have surfaced somewhere on the island.

Azazel: Damn!

Bee Monster: Bzz!

Azazel: You will not spoil my Halloween, monster!

Bee Monster: Bzz...

Azazel: Surprise, surprise. To think it made a beehive out of the well...

Azazel spots a secluded well lying underneath the shade of a tree and runs over to it.

Azazel: Tch, not this one either.

Azazel: Just when I thought I'd finally caught a lead, the reunion with my brethren continues to be a fleeting dream...

Azazel mutters to himself, his gaze dropping to his feet.

Azazel: (No, I can't give up yet. At the very least, I should wait until the end of Halloween before I denounce the legend as false.)

Encouraging himself to keep pushing forward, Azazel turns away from the well.

Azazel: ...!

Azazel's Voice: Gaaaah!

He slips on the nearby sludge and falls into the well.

Azazel's Voice: Ugh, confound it all!

Azazel: Huff... Huff... What are the chances...

Azazel: That someone spotted a demon who'd fallen in here climbing out of the well...

Azazel: And ended up becoming the basis for this legend?

Azazel: Bwahaha! No, this is no laughing matter.

Despite this mishap, Azazel continues searching for the murky well afterward. However...

Azazel: Cripes, where could it possibly be?

Azazel: Maybe it's been demolished already?

As a myriad of unfavorable possibilities cross Azazel's mind, a dark miasma pervades his senses.

Azazel: What's this?

Azazel proceeds carefully to track down the miasma's source.

He finds a creepy-looking mansion in a secluded part of town.

Azazel: Hm, the miasma's coming from this mansion...

Azazel: (Considering how big this place is, I wouldn't be surprised if they have a well in the courtyard.)

Azazel pushes the mansion's old, creaking double doors and steps inside.

What greets him comes as a bit of a surprise.

Ghost 1: Nwahaha! Trick or treat!

Azazel: Humph...

Ghost 2: Who-hoa... If looks could kill, you'd be doing a number on me right now. Don't you know Halloween's all about having fun?

Ghost 1: Sheesh. Read the room, buddy.

Azazel: How about you speak for yourself?

Azazel's expression softens as he prepares to take on the two ghosts.

Truth behind the Murky Well: Scene 2

The mansion ghosts are plotting to turn Halloween into a year-round event. Azazel admonishes them to call it off, as scares can quickly get old. Children show up at the mansion and mistakenly believe Azazel is arguing with the ghosts. They all end up playing together.

---

Azazel: Come at me.

Ghosts: Aww...

Azazel: Very well... I gave you your chance!

Ghost 1: Whoa, time out, time out! What's the big rush here?

Ghost 2: We thought little rug rats came looking for a good time, but you don't exactly fit that description. What's with the getup anyway.

Azazel: This is... a demon costume.

Ghosts: Nwahahaha!
Ehehee!

Azazel: Do you want to die that bad?

Ghost 2: We're already dead, but... Sorry.

Ghost 1: You know how today's Halloween, right?

Ghost 1: This is our chance to play with the little munchkins. Really wish grown-ups like you wouldn't get in the way of that.

Ghost 2: C'mon, you gotta know how we feel. Please, please, pretty please, demon?

Azazel gives some thought to their request.

Azazel: What exactly are you anyway?

Azazel: Looking like that, you certainly aren't demons... Are you monsters?

Ghost 1: Monsters? Nuh-uh, we don't associate with those nasties. We're Halloween ghosts.

Ghost 2: Yeah, what he said. Be a pal, and give us the chance to prove that we're just friendly neighborhood ghosts.

Azazel: Friendly neighborhood ghosts wouldn't call themselves that.

Ghost 2: Aw, what a spoilsport. Is it so bad to want to have funsies with kiddies forever and ever?

Ghost 1: Yeah! Go, go, year-long Halloween!

Azazel: Year-long Halloween, you say?

Ghost 1: There'd be so much happiness to go around if we could play with those ankle biters all day every day.

Azazel: Goodness... You ghosts are absolutely clueless.

Azazel breathes a deep sigh, as if taking pity on them.

Ghost 2: Whoa, whoa, whoa... What's that supposed to mean?

Azazel: Given your appearance... When you say "play," surely you mean to scare them.

Ghost 1: That's right! From scares to tricks to treats—it's all going to be so much fun!

Azazel: Halloween isn't meant to be celebrated all year round.

Azazel: I've come to see that no matter how much you try, people quickly get used to diabolical shenanigans.

Ghosts: You think so?

Azazel: Mm-hm.

Ghost 1: Aw, don't be such a sourpuss. I mean, just look at us—we're the very definition of scary!

Azazel: It doesn't matter how scary you look. Believe me, I speak from experience.

Azazel: Never underestimate the adaptability of mortals!

Ghosts: ...!

Ghost 2: You just might be right...

Ghost 1: Hey!

Ghost 2: If I'm gonna be honest... There was a part of me that figured that might be the case...

Ghost 1: Oh great! What are we supposed to do now?

Azazel: Isn't it obvious? If Halloween's your one chance to play with the little devils, then make damn sure you make the most of it!

Ghost 1: Pah... You make it sound so easy!

The situation grows volatile as the two sides stare off at each other.

???: Hey, no fighting!

They turn to the entrance to find a group of trick-or-treaters standing with arms folded and serious expressions.

Trick-or-Treater 3: You disappeared all of a sudden, so we went looking for you. Then we found you here...

Trick-or-Treater 3: Don't forget that naughty kids are supposed to be gobbled up by demons! That's why you shouldn't fight, or you might be seen as naughty!

Azazel: Heh, mediating a fight between a demon and ghosts? Kids these days can be surprisingly mature...

Ghost 1: Heheh, no argument there!

Trick-or-Treater 3: C'mon, can't we all get along!

Ghost 1: It's not like we were really fighting to begin with...

Azazel: We simply had a difference of opinion...

Azazel: Look into the child's eyes. He's not going to be convinced until we shake on it.

Ghost 1: Pssh! All right then! Put 'er there!

And so Azazel and the ghosts reconcile before the children.

They then team up to chase the trick-or-treaters around for more Halloween cheer.

Truth behind the Murky Well: Scene 3

By the time the children leave, Azazel and the ghosts are on friendly terms. The latter agree that it’s better to keep the statue quo for Halloween, then inform Azazel that the murky well legend is a fabrication before vanishing. Though dismayed, his spirits are lifted when he meets up with the crew and children later.

---

By the time the children return home from a fun-filled day, Azazel and the ghosts are on good terms, engaging in friendly chatter.

Ghost 1: You were right all along, Azazel.

Ghost 1: I've given up on the idea of a year-round Halloween. One day of unbridled fun's enough for me.

Azazel: That's definitely for the better, I assure you.

Ghost 1: Heheh, thanks for the advice!

Ghost 2: Hey, it's almost time...

A lonely smile comes over the ghosts' faces as they trade glances, taking note of the moon fading into the clouds.

Azazel: What's wrong?

Ghost 1: We'll be vanishing into thin air a bit early today.

Ghost 1: After all, we now know to take our fun in stride!

Ghost 2: Hehehe. See you again next year!

Azazel: Yeah, see you.

Ghost 2: Oh, and before we go... I forgot to ask, but what brought you here in the first place?

Azazel: Right, I haven't mentioned that yet, have I... I'm searching for a murky well somewhere on the island.

Azazel: I came in here hoping there might be one in the courtyard.

Ghost 2: Huh? Why a well of all things?

Ghost 2: Ah! Don't tell me there's some sort of buried treasure inside it!

Azazel: Treasure? Heh, not quite... I caught word of a local legend around these parts...

Azazel: I had to find the well to see if there's any truth to the legend.

Ghost 2: Yeah? Tell us about it.

Azazel: It's said that an especially ominous period around Halloween comes every few hundred years... And this year is it.

Azazel: A murky well connected to hell is supposed to show up somewhere on the island, allowing demons to spring up from it.

Ghosts: Nwahahaha!
Ehehee!

Azazel: What's so funny?

Ghost 1: Seriously, Azazel, that's story's as good as made-up.

Ghost 2: Yeah, you can't really believe anything related to the occult!

Azazel: Occult, you say... What am I then? And what did I go through the trouble of dressing up for?

Ghost 2: I know you had high hopes, but cheer up! At least you found the truth.

Azazel: Heh... What an unexpected conclusion... But you just might be right.

With a loud chuckle, the ghosts fade into the night.

Azazel: ...

Azazel: Once every hundred years? How does that make any sense... I should've known...

Azazel: Hm... Perhaps I was too eager for answers.

Azazel realizes his desire to reunite with his brethren blinded him to his own foolishness.

Just then, someone calls out to him.

Vyrn's Voice: Heyo! Ashes!

Azazel: That voice...

Azazel: How many times must I tell you, lizard. My name is Azazel, not Ashes!

Vyrn: Aw, never mind that. You know we looked all over for you?

Azazel: I had something to take care of. What do you want anyway?

Vyrn: Guys, over here! I found Ashes!

Azazel follows his line of sight only to see a large group of trick-or-treaters coming in from the forest, trailing behind (Captain) and Lyria.

Azazel: ...?

Trick-or-Treater 1: Yay! It's the demon!

Trick-or-Treater 2: Trick or treat!

Azazel: You should know better than to approach a demon so casually!

Seeing the children cling to him like a plague, Azazel gives a wry smile.

Azazel: Nice children should be asleep in bed at this hour.

Lyria: They insisted on playing with you before going home, so...

Vyrn: Heheh, the kids love you, Ashes!

Azazel: Humph. So that's why you brought them here, eh?

Azazel: All right... Watch as I send them back to their dens!

Azazel: Naughty children who stay up late... get to be demon bait!

Trick-or-Treaters: Whee! Ahaha!

Azazel: Waaiiit!

Lyria: Teehee! Azazel really loves children, doesn't he.

Vyrn: No doubt about that! Sure is weird when you think about how he's a demon though.

Azazel: Waaiiit! Trick or treat!

Azazel chews the scenery, showing the children a good time as he chases them around.

His lips curve into a smile, the experience buoying his sour mood.