“I'm afraid I didn't have time to with all the rotters trying to take a bite out of me.” giving you a wry grin before sniffing at your hair. “You smell like your grandmother.”

“Rude.”

“You know what I mean.” he sighed. “How is she?”

“Much better now.” you answered. “I had to use a Bloodstone to get her back in fighting shape, though.”

“Wait…you used a Bloodstone on her!?” he barked. “What happened?”

You frowned down at him as you rose to your full height.

“It was the only thing I had! What was I supposed to do? Let her die?” you snapped.

Shaggy paused, closed his mouth, and lowered his head as a show of begrudging acceptance.

“No...you're right. I’m sorry. If you say that you had no choice, then I believe you.” he decided. “And if that Bloodstone works as advertised, then she’ll be a lot stronger than she has been in the last few decades.”

You nodded eagerly, pointing a finger at your own head.

“Oh, yeah. She aged backwards like fifty years and her hair turned red.”

“That sounds nice.” Deadhead said, his torso clutched tightly in Harpy’s claws. “You think I can get some of that?”

Upon closer inspection, the man's complexion was noticeably less green than it had been the last time you saw him. He was also covered in bite marks that were still in the process of healing over. He was also completely missing his tank top. Harpy hadn't gotten out unscathed either. Many of her bracelets' charms had been torn off at some point, and her bodysuit had been torn round the midsection. She didn't look terribly happy about any of it.

"Your own fault. Gamma poisoning." Harpy mentioned to him.

"Hey! Is that any way to thank me for saving the day?" he asked, jabbing a thumb back at his mask. "I poisoned myself for a good cause."

"It'd be even more impressive if you weren't dying from it." Shaggy put in.

"We're all dying, dog." Deadhead remarked, nodding sagely at his own words of wisdom. "Some of us a little faster than others."

At that, the rest of you joined Ben and Louise in glancing out over the city.

------------

What will you say/do?

>Take a quick break. You could all use a breather.
>Round up the rest of your allies and help them secure the city.
>Draw Ben's attention to Harpy and Deadhead's helpfulness during this crisis. They deserve credit for sticking around when the going got rough.
>Beseech Khonshu for an additional boon or further assistance. It might be a little greedy, but you feel like it isn't entirely uncalled for.
>Write-in.

After you arrived back at Young’s shop, Harpy promised to keep an eye out, and perched herself atop the roof. Deadhead had yet to catch up to you, but you were certain that he would catch hell as soon as Harpy spotted him. For his sake, you hoped that his claims of immortality were accurate.

“I won’t be long!” you shouted up at her.

“Take your time.” Harpy replied casually, her eyes still scanning the horizon.

You smiled up at her, and opened the door to Young’s shop. Immediately, you spotted Shaggy sitting in the corner of the room, leafing through a tome of some sort. He looked up to stare at you as soon as you entered.

“Cindy. I take it the council meeting went well.” he said, peering at from over a pair of reading glasses that he was wearing.

“All things considered? Yeah. I guess you could say that.”

“Ah. And isn’t that all we can ask for?” he said, rising to stand on all fours. “How are Young and the others?”

“A little beaten up, but still good. Everyone’s fine. Well—maybe not everyone.” you quickly amended. “The Zombie Prince is missing half his head, and I think a vampire lord is spreading rumors about me.”

Shaggy nodded seriously.

“So I’ve heard. Young’s been keeping me apprised of the situation. I’m researching potential counter-spells to the ritual that I think he’s trying to use.”

You blinked in surprise, and stepped further inside to get a better look at the books, materials and diagrams that he had lying around. It all looked pretty advanced. You could barely read some of them!

“Whoa. And here I was thinking that you were just in here taking a nap this whole time.”

Shaggy lowered his glasses and gave you a reproachful look.

“Don't insult my commitment to the craft. I haven't been in your family for this long without picking up a few tricks.”

“No, it's really impressive. I could never put together a ritual this complex on such short notice.” you said, bending down to get a better look at his work.

Shaggy turned his head and let out a disinterested huff, but you could tell that he was preening a bit.

“Well…is never too late to learn. You still have your mum's cookbooks, don't you?”

You nodded eagerly.

“Yeah. I've been dying to know what's in there.”

“So are me and Young.” he admitted. “We'd understand if you said no, but we'd like to comb through them for any traces of dark magic. Just in case...”

You were momentarily at a loss for words. And during the time it took for your brain to process what he had just said, a young red-headed girl entered the room. She was precariously balancing multiple jars and flasks of alchemical reagents, much to Shaggy's annoyance.

“Didn't I tell you not to carry them all at once!? You'll ruin the whole ritual at this rate.”

“Sorry! It's quicker this way.” she said, gently placing the bundle of fragile materials next to the dog.