Skulduggery Pleasant and the skeleton behind the mask

Michael Wood

(Prologue)

"Well done Valkyrie we solved another case," Skulduggery said smiling.

"Yeah we did," Valkyrie said. "So Skulduggery, when will our next case be?"

"Only time will tell Valkyrie, I have made this my last case."

"You what, you can't give up!" Valkyrie said in shock.

"Haha Valkyrie, I'm not giving up, I'm just retiring."

"Oh ok, when will we see each other again?"

"I don't know, c'mon let me take you home."

They both walk out to see the yellow Bentley.

" Haha, this will be the last time I ride in this crap car."

"Not funny Valkyrie."

"Ok Skulduggery," Valkyrie said.

Chapter 1: Getting them back together.

5 years later a door knocks.

"Coming!" She looks through the peephole. It was a tall man, he had red beaming eyes, a black trenchcoat, black boots, black ripped jeans, and a black fedora.

"Who are you?" she said.

"Are you Miss Cain?" the man said in a gravelly voice.

" It depends on who's asking."

"Open the door Miss Cain!" he said close to getting angry.

"And why should I?"

"You get to see an old friend, he goes by the name o-"

She interrupted and opened the door and said "my name is Valkyrie Cain, you are able to take me to Skulduggery?"

"Yep," he said.

"Come on in," Valkyrie said.

He takes the fedora off. his body was a proper black glitch.

"My name is Vain, Mantis Vain"

"And you need my help to do something," Valkyrie said.

"Yes, I am putting a team together that includes me, you, Mr Pleasant, and my friend Krystal."

"And who are we fighting?" Valkyrie said.

"The faceless ones," Mantis said with shock. It seemed like Mantis Vain had a past with these foul creatures.

"Are you oke-"

Mantis interrupted Valkyrie. "C'mon we have no time to lose, in the black Tesla. Now!

"Cool, this is better than the yellow Bentley."

" Get in, let's go," Mantis said.

They drove off as quickly as possible.

Chapter 2: All together again

After a long ride in the Tesla, they arrived at a big building.

"I know where we are," Valkyrie said.

"You do?" Mantis said.

"Yeh this is where I met the members of the board," Valkyrie replied confidently.

"So you must know what we are doing here," Mantis asked.

"No, I don't actually."

"Come on then Valkyrie."

They both walked into the big building, there were five seats, four were empty.

"Miss Cain, have a seat," Mantis said politely.

"Thank you but from now on you can just call me Valkyrie."

Valkyrie sat next to a mysterious person. "Hello my name is Valkyrie Cain and you are?"

"The name's Krystal. I was born with no last name, your friend will be coming shortly."

"Cool."

A man walked in. "Hi everyone, sorry I'm a bit late." It was Skulduggery.

"Actually M.r Pleasant, you're right on time."

"Skulduggery!" Valkyrie said, running towards him, about to hug him.

"Hello Valkyrie. C'mon let's sit down," Skulduggery said.

The board member walked in. "Hello everyone. Now before we begin, M.r Pleasant, would you take off that mask hiding your face?" the board member asked.

"I'm sorry but I can not," Skulduggery replied.

"I am the leader of this board and you say no?"

The lights go out, it all goes quiet.

"Is everyone ok?" Skulduggery said.

"There is something or someone moving in the shadows, luckily I can do that too," Mantis said.

"Oh no, it's the faceless ones. AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!

The lights came on and Mantis was on the floor. Skullduggery's mask, broken on the floor. The leader of the board, kidnapped.

Skulduggery's skull was cracked and decayed. "What's with the skull," Valkyrie asked.

Skulduggery replied, "I will tell you later".

Mantis Vain got up. "Looks like this is our first case as a squad to rescue the leader of the board and defeat the faceless ones for good," Mantis told the other three heroically. Valkyrie jumped up and down excitedly. Mantis Vain yelled, "c'mon everyone, to the Tesla!"

Chapter 3: Getting gear

Whilst in the Tesla.

"So you're telling me that without that mask you can use your powers but your skull will crack and decay," Valkyrie asked Skulduggery.

"Yes but there was only one mask made," Skulduggery replied.

"I can make one," said Krystal.

"Ok, everyone we're at my place," Mantis said. "Krystal, get to work on Skulduggery's mask immediately."

"Yes, Mantis."

"I'm going to finish working on my corrupt jet pack and corrupt repulsors. You two work on something yourself". Mantis Vain said.

They all started to work on their gear. Mantis Vain finished his jetpack and repulsors, Krystal made the mask but needed someone to put a spell on it. The owner couldn't do it, Mantis and Krystal didn't have any powers so it had to be Valkyrie. The only downside was, Valkyrie had never put a spell on something and she failed.

So then Mantis Vain put on his corrupt jetpack and repulsors and Krystal put on her crystal jetpack and they all headed out.

Chapter 4: The whole world's asleep

After another long ride in the tesla, they made it to town. But it seemed awfully quiet, nobody was around. "Ok team, the best place to start is the scene of the crime," Mantis said to everyone.

Mantis chose Valkyrie to knock on people's doors, but door after door, nobody answered. "Ummm mantis, I think something's wrong," Valkyrie said.

"What seems to be the problem?"

"Well for a start nobody is answering their doors."

"This means -"

Skulduggery interrupted. "This means the faceless ones have kidnapped the entire town!" They all got back in the car to go to another town but same again. Nothing. No one. One town after another and even when they got to the last town in the world, still nothing. They needed to get some information from the library.

They got back into the Tesla to go to the library but not just any library, the great library. After a push of a button the tesla turned into a jet because they needed to go overseas. When they got there Skulduggery got sad. "Is everything alright Skulduggery?" Valkyrie asked.

"I'm fine, I'm just hoping I can find a spell so I can wear the mask, otherwise I won't be here much longer."

"Oh Skulduggery, I survived 5 years without you being with me, it will be fine."

"I know that, but I don't know how it feels to die twice."

Chapter 5: The words of a dead skellington

When they got inside the library they found nothing. What a waste of time. Section after section but nothing until "Hey, guys what does this lever do..."

"Krystal! Don't!" shouted Mantis. But it was too late. The floor dropped. It was like a restricted section.

"Ok everyone, let's split up," Mantis said. Skulduggery went over to the walls to see if there was any secret entrance or something and believe it or not there actually was a secret entrance. There was a book inside. Skulduggery opened it and read:

Whoever seeks this spell must be careful. A risk-taker you must be, as another dead man entered this tomb, came out with no trace. So be careful - read the rest at your one will - zabrack zenso cralio.

Skulduggery said those words but nothing happened. Instead, it gave him the location of the faceless one's base. It was a castle. Just then, a mysterious voice spoke from the shadows "Well, well, well, if it isn't Skulduggery Pleasant. You brought me back. How kind of you." At that moment, Skulduggery knew that this was all a trap and the tomb started to collapse.

Before they could all escape, the faceless one grabbed Krystal.

And then Mantis Vain in a rage said, "let go of my sister!" He did a big jump to shoot the faceless one but his gear fell off and out of nowhere he transformed into something else. Out of his hands, a corrupted beam erupted and killed the faceless one whilst corrupted fire came out of his back like a jetpack. Then he ground pounded to the floor.

"Thanks for saving me, Mantis," said Krystal.

"My name is not Mantis Vain anymore. It is Deimos."

Deimos wore a black, hooded t-shirt, black gloves with three red lines, grey skinny jeans with black knee caps and blackish-grey boots. On his head was a red dragon skull helmet. He had human skin and in his hand was a battle-axe with a handle that looked like a red hand with black stripes. He still has his corrupted powers and gravelly voice but he sounded way deeper.

Chapter 6: The legend of Deimos

"I am a God," Deimos said.

"Hey, skullduggery?"

"What is it, Valkyrie?"

"I found a book about an unattainable power. It looks like our friend Mantis got that power."

"What does it say?"

Valkyrie started to read:

Have you ever heard of the legendary Deimos? Well if you have not, this book will tell you all about it. A Deimos is when all your inner rage lets itself out. It's kind of like a demon. It plans over time that it will absorb your soul and become who you fear the most.

WARNING: This power is in control of you. You can not escape or control it.

"How long does it take to absorb the full soul?" Krystal asked Valkyrie.

"It will take one hour."

"And how long has Mantis been like this?"

"Fifty minutes."

Minutes passed until…

Deimos flew into the air and something bulged out of his chest. It was a faceless one but not just any old one, it was the leader. Mantis fell to the floor and he was back to his old self again. He had his powers still but he was back to being glitchy. The leader was Deimos all along.

"Mantis, are you ok?" Krystal asked.

"I'm fine now that I don't have a soul. I am fearless. The reason I was scared of the faceless ones was that they killed our parents."

"Ok Mantis, where to now?" Skulduggery asked.

"To the only place where they can be," Mantis replied.

They all got back into the flying Tesla and set off to the secret ruin of the castle base.

Chapter 7: Finding a way in

After another long flight in the Tesla, they made it. Skulduggery started to speak, "Ok, me and Valkyrie will check for a way in on the ground. Mantis and Krystal, get to the high ground. The whole world is depending on us, we will use these ear devices to talk to each other."

They all split up and checked if there were any false walls. Mantis and Krystal weren't able to just fly, they had to fly extra high because the faceless ones were guarding the sky as well.

After a while, Valkyrie found a lever on the wall.

"Hold on there, Valkyrie, we don't know if it is a trap. It seems too easy, there should preferably be a stone you need to push in or something - Mantis? I think we need your help on the ground," Skulduggery said. Mantis Vain and Krystal went back to the ground.

After another long while, Skulduggery found a false brick.

Usually, you would expect a door to open but instead, the floor opened and they all fell through.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" they all screamed.

Chapter 8: Doors, doors, and more doors

They all fell down and they hit the ground very hard. To their surprise, as soon as they all stood up they saw 3 doors... but how were they going to find out what door to pick?

Luckily, Skulduggery was able to use his powers to figure out which door to go through. Weirdly and to their surprise, all the doors lead to the same place. But doors after doors and with Skulduggery still using his powers, Valkyrie said "This doesn't feel right." And then Valkyrie realized, "Skulduggery, you're missing a hand and you have been using your powers for no reason!"

"Well, you never know, these last few doors could lead us to where we need to go."

Valkyrie proceeded to open the doors and then said, "...or a trap."

Outside of the trap were jail cells with everyone from the entire world inside them.

Valkyrie and Skulduggery started to argue. "Oh my god, I told you we should have flipped that lever," Valkyrie said.

"Well that seemed too obvious."

"So you just don't care about my ideas then? We have been together for sixteen years and you just do not care."

Meanwhile, Mantis was able to use his lazar beam blast to get their cell open. Mantis said to Valkyrie "Are you coming?"

"Yes," she said and then Valkyrie and Skulduggery parted ways.

Chapter 9: Fooled by another trap

Soon after Skulduggery and Valkyrie parted ways the three went down a long hallway until they saw a light. They got closer and closer until the light disappeared and then they heard a big noise. The lights turned back on and they were in another cage, and now they were surrounded by faceless ones. The cage lifted and they had to battle.

Meanwhile, Skulduggery started to question things like - Am I really getting old? Am I really that stupid? Was it really going to be this easy? Deep down, Skulduggery knew Valkyrie needed his help so he turned back and ran as fast as he could.

Valkyrie, Krystal and Mantis Vain managed to defeat Deimos' henchmen, and then they went off to the next room.

Chapter 10: The end

Valkyrie, Krystal and Mantis Vain went into the final room. The lights were switched on. Sitting on his corrupt throne was Deimos, the faceless one. He said "well, well, well, I thought you would come back. Now I'm not going to trap you... Oh no, no, no... I'm gonna kill you!"

And even more of the faceless creatures started to attack.

"Stop right there Deimos!"

"If it isn't Skulduggery Pleasant. I'm gonna kill you. Or actually, I've had a change of plan... I'm gonna kill your friend, Miss Cain instead."

He gets his battle-axe ready to swing. But all of a sudden Skulduggery jumped in front of Valkyrie and snapped his fingers, setting Deimos up in flames and killing him for good.

Skulduggery fell to the floor; his last words to Valkyrie were "I did care about your ideas."

And that was it. The world was saved but with Skulduggery's death, he was not there to celebrate; all that remained of him was some ashes and his clothes.

News reports from around the globe were talking about it.

They had a funeral for skulduggery and then that was it. The whole world was saved.

(Epilogue)

5 days later after Skulduggery's funeral took place, everyone was at his gravestone - M.r Bliss, Tanith Low, Valkyrie Cain, Krystal, Mantis Vain and the members of the board. "Valkyrie, do you want to come with me and my sister to another planet, off-world in outer space because I have found unstable activity somewhere?" Mantis asked.

"I would love to, what do you think it is?" Valkyrie replied.

."We don't know but we will find out together."

So then Valkyrie, Mantis and Krystal got into the Tesla jet, and off they flew…

TO SPACE!