What can I say? I've always been clever.

I mean, one time I picked the pocket of an Elder God. They noticed, they always do, but the slight of hand I pulled made them think some other schmuck was dumb enough to do it.

Last I heard he was still serving his punishment strapped to the ground with an eagle eating his newly regrown liver every day.

Then there was the time I got a king to serve his son up to the gods. His punishment ended up being stuck in a river that shrinks away when he goes to drink it surrounded by trees whose branches recoil when he tries to pick their fruit.

Let me tell you though, this last scheme was truly one for the ages though. I managed to get my sin for immortality forgiven. I mean, tricking the gods into making me immortal was bad enough, but tricking them into forgiving me was the pies de resistance.

How did I do this?

You see, a couple thousand years ago this guy named Jesus got himself crucified to forgive everyone's sins. There were some conditions here though, but small price to pay in the grand scheme of things.

You see, his followers came up with this concept of Original Sin. That is this sin that every human is born with due to the actions of the first humans on Earth. All they needed for this to be forgiven was to be baptized. That's pretty much it.

When I tell you that the gods were pissed when they found out about me using this, I mean they were pissed. One of them is still making the rest of the human race suffer for this.

Meanwhile I get stuffed into this tiny oil lamp. Sure I can come out sometimes, but staying out long term means getting someone to rub it.

Anyway, I can see I'm boring you so I'll let you get back to work. Could you get my neck a bit more? Ten thousand years cramped in a lamp will give you such a crick in the neck.

The eyeball was a weapon and it didn't exist until after sweater girl was rescued from laundry lady. It brokered nothing and played no part in her punishment.

The Master of the Grey World rules over the realm from which the inhuman are birthed. It's either filling a void or is taking back what was given.

The bigger issue is who exactly this administration really is. It being the typical university administration is too convenient. The answer is never that simple. It's never super complex either, but the obvious answers aren't usually the right answer.

The administration finding out because of Grayson is a convenient and extremely simple answer.

I think the bigger question would be how the flickering man knew about her realm. Grayson hasn't encountered him that we know of.

Something tells me that the laundry lady isn't certain of how they found her realm either.

She is, but from the sound of it, they can't change the target of the thing going after Daniel.

He might be the devil and he might be a trickster, but tricksters can tell the truth sometimes.

I don't have much longer to talk so I'll try to keep this brief.

I'm a Necromancer. Not the kind you'd expect. I specialize in closing unfinished business for the deceased and their family, friends, employers, and acquaintances. Never got a chance to say goodbye to your beloved pet? I'm your guy. Best friend passed away unexpectedly and you need a day or two to make sure you fulfill a promise you made to them? Say no more, I got you. Employee croak and leave a major brain drain? It'll cost you, but I can help.

Sounds great doesn't it? I bet it does, but there's a catch. I only do temporary reanimations. I know it sounds great being able to see someone you love again, but upsetting the natural order of things just isn't appealing. Any two bit necromancer can make a mindless zombie horde, but it takes a special bit of skill to bring back a whole person with full consciousness.

You need not worry though. My spells are precise. You tell me how long you need, I do my work, and we're all happy in the end. The spells even ensure the target returns to their crypt at the end of their time because let's face it, nobody wants to deal with a mound of rotting flesh sitting in their home or office.

In case you're wondering what kind of compensation I require? I generally give people a day or two on the house. It's such a small amount of time that charging for it just feels wrong. After that the price rises in proportion to the time you need. A couple years will cost you a few million minimum.

Sure it's expensive, but everything comes at a cost and I'm not exactly benefitting from these prices either. My time is limited too so when I started seeing serious income I setup charitable organizations to assist people in processing their grief in a healthy manner. I mean, it's not like I can take it with me either, right?

Anyway, sorry to have kept you so long. I have one last customer to tend to before my time is up. I'll see you on the other side friends.

There is a thought here.

This entity in the Geology building didn't just show up. There's no way it's anything new and there's no way it's always been there either. Odds are you'd have seen it by now if it had always been there.

This thing might be tied to the scratching in some way.

As for the RC being restarted, you should be able to see who filed the paperwork to start the club back up. Daniel and Maria wouldn't have done it for sure. Was there any other member of the original rain chasers who didn't go to the old power plant building?

The way your thoughts scattered while in the hallway sounds like this creature acts a bit like a mind flayer.

Daniel and the other student both acted the same way when the scratching started too. Paranoid, scared, and distraught.

I think you've found a common line Ashley, but definitely call the old sheriff and/or Daniel. You may need some backup or advice here. They're going to be upset, but they will also have to understand that there is something bigger going on here. Almost like a war between old creatures and new creatures. You've been pulled in for some reason, but that itself isn't exactly clear just yet.

The Flickering Man is wrong though.

You can get the will to fight back. Some people just take more than others.

You managed to bring down the eyeball monster. You managed to stand up to the laundry lady as well. You even tried to stand up to four opossums.

You're getting the will to fight back slowly, over time.

Go to dinner with Grayson. Feel it out.

Part of me doubts that his father is involved in this stuff. With as dangerous as these creatures are, why would he risk his son's life or allow his son to take that risk? I mean, unless he doesn't care at all.

My bet is that the University's board is the real problem here.