The Gravenville Chronicle

[windclan]

Arriving through the portal Monzel glanced over the front of the police station as her team came through. Hogwash, Electrospasm and Cogjammer for knocking out the wards. Clatterclaws, Boo and Buck for some quick scares. Sparkle and Knuckles for some extra scaring power.

Flying over to the wall Monzel moved to pass through but was thrown violently backwards in a burst of blue energy. Rising slowly to her feet she turned to her team. “Spread out. We need to find a way to get inside…

****

“Hey Boss! We’ve got something over here!” Head turning at Knuckle’s shout Monzel moved quickly to where he was standing by the front doors. “What do you have?” She asked.

“They aren’t so smart Boss.” Knuckles replied, gesturing at the doors. “They didn’t cover the lobby with the wards.”

“Perfect! That gives us a staging area.” Monzel said as another shout came from the opposite side of the building. Leaving Knuckles to watch the doors she zipped over the roof and set down in the parking lot where she found Hogwash and Cogjammer standing beside the Ghostbreaker’s van.

“Good find, I bet we can use their own van to knock out the wards.” She said with a smile at the thought of it. “Hogwash, get bound and hit them with a Surge. Let’s see if we can get somewhere.

****

David Willis glanced up in worry as the glowing ward covering the ceiling flickered and vanished. As he moved to report to the Ghostbreaker’s the lights died, plunging the building into darkness.

****

“The green ward has been disrupted! Now is your chance to infiltrate the Ghostbreaker’s offices!”

As the ward dissipated Monzel motioned to her team to stay back while she did some quick scouting. From what she could see from her position on the roof the Ghostbreakers and their staff were in an uproar, trying to find the cause of the blackout.

Moving along the ceiling the Ghost Master noticed that there was still a single office safely under a blue ward. She chose to avoid the lower level for the moment and instead retreated back to the van. A few moments later the green ward flicked back to life…

****

After taking a break to look over a blueprint of the station Monzel felt they were ready for the main event. Gesturing to Electrospasm, who had taken Hogwash’s place at the van. Sparks leapt from the ghost’s chair as another Surge rippled out from the van, blacking out the building once more.

Knowing they only had a few minutes before the generator powered up again Monzel directed Cogjammer to the generator she had spotted in a corner office earlier. Following the wires that snaked across the floor revealed it as the power source of the blue ward.

His electricity loving instincts taking over the monkey leapt into the generator in a flash of greenish light and after a few seconds the entire thing started to bounce around the room as smoke and sparks erupted from it. As the Gremlin left the now useless hunk of metal Knuckles voice was heard from where he still stood at the doors.

“Hey Boss! That blue wards gone!” The words were hardly out of his mouth before a piercing shriek erupted from speakers mounted throughout the building. Over the terrible noise she could just hear Rakarth’s voice shouting a warning at her. “Your haunter’s powers have triggered an alarm!”

Covering her ears against the sound Monzel zipped through the building to the only spot that could have triggered the alarm: The office formerly covered by the blue ward. Her suspicion proved correct as standing on a tripod in the middle of the room was a small spinning satellite dish.

Summoning Hogwash to her side she directed the haunter toward the alarm, knowing they were running out of time. Poking her head through the wall she could see the Ghostbreakers and their staff running about as they tried to pinpoint the location of the intruder.

****

Rakarth’s voice spoke up as the alarm finally fell, a tiny explosion from its power core ensuring that it would not be repaired anytime soon. “The Astral Alarm has been broken, now the Ghostbreakers will have to work harder to detect your ghosts.”

After taking a small break to let the headache from the alarm fade Monzel, with Sparkle and Cogjammer following her, moved to the stairs leading to the lower level.

Descending the stairs she could see the prison cells with several wires vanishing into each one. Knowing that the ESD would have to be in the morgue she headed straight there, only to find the entire thing sealed off by a red ward.

Finding the ward generator took almost no time as the only place big enough to hold a generator was the evidence room. After locating it was a simple matter to have Cogjammer disable it for good.

The hard part came when she moved to destroy the ESD. Binding Sparkle to the machine and having her use her electrical powers proved unhelpful. The massive machine continued spinning merrily…

****

The answer came to her suddenly and she kicked herself for not thinking of it. She remembered what her briefing had said about the ESD needing a “large cold room” to function properly.
“Hogwash!” She called to the groundhog as she appeared outside once more. “Find out where the ventilation controls are. Then reverse them.” As he scampered off she turned to Sparkle. “Sparkle, bind to the van and when I give the signal I want you to let heat up the building.”

****

It was at least 10 minutes before the vent fans stopped spinning and then reversed direction. Nodding to Sparkle, Monzel stood back to avoid the flames that leapt from the Elementals body.

Flying down to the morgue Monzel was able to witness the events that followed. A blast of burning hot air entered the room, raising the temperature sharply. As the heat grew the ESD’s spinning began to slow and eventually stop as the circuitry was fried.

As expected, Rakarth’s voice broke into her thoughts as the machine began to smoke. “The destruction of the Ghostbreaker’s storage device has disabled the Ghostbreaker’s weapons! They are at your mercy!”

After making sure her team had retreated to the front of the building to await her orders Monzel headed for the cells to meet her new recruits…

****

In the first cell she found the entire space frozen solid by its wild looking occupant. The ghost sighed contentedly as he turned to face her. “Ah, to be free of that stifling machinery. Do you have need of a Wendigo, Ghost Master?”

After ensuring the creature that she did indeed have a place for him Monzel moved hurriedly on to the next cell.

This ghost’s history was obvious from the pirate garb he wore, and the cutlass gripped in his hand. “It’s about time someone sprung me from this thing. Being trapped here is worse then any battle I’ve seen, either alive or dead.” He said before introducing himself as Captain Peter Blackthorne, formerly captain of the Revenge which had been sunk long ago.

As she explained her plans and asked if he wished to join her team Thorne cut her off. “Aye, I’ll help ye. It’s about time someone gave these dogs a good scare.”

Sending him off to wait with Windwalker she proceeded to the final cell. At first she could see nothing through the grey cloud that filled the cell but it quickly dissipated as a figure moved towards her.

Monzel stepped back a pace in surprise as the final wisps of cloud vanished, revealing the ghost of a young female mortal. The evidence that she also held the powers of an Elemental made her all the more unique. In all the reading she had done during her time in Rakarth’s classes she had never heard of a mortal becoming an Elemental in death.

The sound of terrified screaming from nearby brought her out of her thoughts. Her guess that the Ghostbreaker’s had just found the reason for their dead weapons was proven true as one of the staff ran past, heading in the direction of the stairs.

As Monzel refocused her attention the new recruit introduced herself as Christie, and apparently wanting to exact some revenge on her former captors hurried the conversation along, accepting the offer to join the Ghost Master’s team in a second. With that out of the way Christie took off toward the upper level, wisps of cloud appearing once more to obscure her features…

When Monzel reached the upper level she saw that chaos had taken over the Ghostbreakers headquarters. One of the trio was trying uselessly to banish Boo as the Spook sent books and other small objects flying around the room with his telekinetic powers. Driven backwards by the onslaught of small objects Boo dragged a chair across the floor to trip up the mortal.

Sprawling to the floor, weapon having fallen free of his grasp Laurence Murray put out his arms to break his fall. As he looked up the remaining color drained from his face. Knuckles stood over him, gun at the ready. Screaming in terror, Murray leapt to his feet and took off as the Spectre opened fire.

Meanwhile, Captain Thorne had cornered David in one of the offices. Waving his cutlass wildly he unleashed his powers. David shrank back into the corner as the floor was slowly swallowed up by a swirling whirlpool, leaving the security chief pressed against the wall. A deafening roar froze him as a scaly creature erupted from the watery vortex and fell upon the screaming mortal…

Who suddenly found himself soaked from head to toe and staring at the pirate, who had closed the distance between them and had the sword aimed at his throat. That final bit of fear finally pushed David over the edge as he ducked under the blade and sprinted from the office…

****

Crouched in the stairwell, Dr. Maureen Ramis, the Ghostbreaker responsible for the creation of their equipment and the ESD watched as her fellow Ghostbreakers and their staff were sent screaming into the night one by one.

Seeing that the parking area behind the building had emptied of ghosts Ramis took a chance and ran for the van. Leaping behind the wheel she turned the key and was greeted by the sound of a dead engine as a figure materialized in front of the van.

“Oh, no Ramis.” Christie said. “You’re not getting away until I pay you back for that stay in the ESD!” With that she closed her eyes, concentrating her long unused powers. A pale glow surrounded the Thunder Spirits hands.

As Ramis got out of the van Christie’s eyes snapped open, showing the same glow as her hands. With a gesture from the ghost Ramis found herself spinning head over heels in the air, caught in the popular game of ghosts known as Spin the Mortal.

****

Back inside the station Monzel was watching the mortals sliding around the ice that had covered the floor of the room, courtesy of Windwalker’s icy breath.

Moving through the building she found that her team was in control and that only a couple mortals remained.

The rumble of approaching thunder drew Monzel outside, where she saw Christie and the incredibly dizzy Dr. Ramis.

Christie’s obscuring wisps of cloud glowed bright green as she channeled her powers into the world around her. Lightning flashed right on top of ear splitting crashes of thunder as the storm brewed. The fear on Ramis’s face was plain to see and Monzel was starting to wonder if the desire for revenge was overpowering Christie’s reason. The thought came a moment too late though as the Thunder Spirit gestured once more and the sky lit up with a wondrous and terrifying show of lightning.

The Ghostbreaker stared up at the sky, pure terror taking control of her mind as she turned and fled, and Christie gestured one final time, calling down from the clouds…

…A storm cloud. Monzel’s mind was racing as she tried to figure out what had just happened while watching Dr. Ramis continue to flee, but with a miniature grey storm cloud keeping pace with her.

Christie floated over to Monzel, a wide grin on her face as the skies cleared. “Nice to see that all that time trapped in the ESD didn’t hurt my powers any. Plus giving that fool Ramis a little souvenir to remember me by was worth the wait.” She said.

“Impressive.” Monzel said at last. “I’ve never seen a show like that from a single Elemental before.”

“Don’t try to think about it too much, it’ll just give you a headache.” Christie said. “I tried, about the only thing to do in the years I was stuck in there. Just be glad I’m on your side.”

“Alright then.” Monzel replied, a smile breaking out on her own face as a cloud of gold plasm appeared before her. “Looks like we’re done here. Let’s get back to the Ghoul Room and see what else is on that map.”

****

Rakarth was waiting at the map table when Monzel stepped through the portal. “I’m afraid things have taken a turn for the worse in Spooky Hollow. I’m afraid you have no time to rest. Balam wants this situation taken care of immediately.” He said.

“Ok, Rakarth. Let’s see what the problem is.” Monzel replied, moving to tap the glowing marker on the map.

“We are always seeking spirits to add to our forces, and Headless Horsemen are one of the rarest of Haunters. After all, how often does a person on a horse lose their head?” Balam’s voice began.

“We have discovered that there is a conspiracy afoot to develop Spooky Hollow, one involving the summoning of a Headless Horseman known as the Dragoon. Your task is to identify the Dragoon’s master, reveal them to the other mortals and find a way to recruit the Dragoon, so that we may use it to punish the mortals who foolishly think they can dabble in our affairs without fear of the consequences.”

As Balam’s words faded Monzel looked over the map of Spooky Hollow that had appeared in her handbook. She was mildly dismayed to see it was a small farm, mostly outside except for a couple small outbuildings.

“Weatherwitch, Hardboiled, Raindancer, Harriet and Blue Murder.” Monzel decided before turning toward where the portal had been. “You too Christie. I have a feeling we’ll need your powers on this one.”

“Lead on.” Christie said with a smile as Monzel summoned the portal.

****

As she cleared the portal Monzel looked out over the place, seeing that the farm was quite small, built on both banks of a stream. The farmhouse and outbuildings were situated around a small lake formed by the stream while across the water sat a large windmill and a bridge leading out of the area.

“Spread out.” Monzel said as soon as the last of her team was beside her. “We need to find whoever is planning to summon the Dragoon and quickly.”

As her team split up to search the area Monzel flipped open her book, hoping to find something about the Dragoon that could help her.

After several minutes of furiously flipping through pages she hit upon the tiniest piece of information. Apparently the Dragoon’s history was completely unknown up until the time he was beheaded by the farmers he had been terrorizing and buried somewhere on the grounds.

Continued research was prevented as the sound of birds cawing drew her towards the scarecrow standing in the fields. She was unprepared for the pumpkin head to flip open and release a flock of crows. Ducking into her cloak Monzel waited until the flapping of wings died down before standing once more.

The ghostly scarecrow that had appeared was watching her as it began to speak in a cawing accent. “A murder of crows…Anoint the wicker man…A taste of blood.”

The ghost continued before Monzel could get a word in. “When blood touches the straw man, this murder will fly!”

Leaving the scarecrow to his rambling, Monzel began a circuit of the farm. Raindancer waved the Ghost Master over as she passed a half collapsed shack. The Indian chained to the ground beneath the shack could never be mistaken for alive. The big hole in his stomach was a dead giveaway.

The spirit made a gesture of greeting before he spoke. “My tribe roamed these lands hundreds of years ago. They called me Black Crow, their guardian, the strongest hunter! Then the outsiders came, they slew my kin, buried me in my own land and built a wooden dwelling atop my body. This land must be returned to the wild, as it was when I was alive. For my people and for the land!”

****

“Anything?” Monzel asked Weatherwitch as the Banshee swooped over to her. “Nothing, which is strange because my senses are telling me that magic is being worked somewhere nearby” The ghost replied, the annoyance clear in her voice.

“Well, keep looking. The consp…” Monzel’s next words were lost as a bluish light engulfed the bridge leading out of Spooky Hollow. Emerging from the light was a sleek brown horse whose rider was dressed in an old uniform from one war or another as well as a sword belt though the blade itself appeared in the headless rider’s hand as the horse took off at a gallop, heading straight toward Monzel and Weatherwitch.

The two spirits instinctively leapt backwards out of the path of the horse’s thundering hooves. Screams began to rise from the direction of the farm as the mortals spotted the Horseman. Taking to the air Monzel shouted back at the Banshee before taking off in pursuit:

“Get Raindancer and get a storm going. The biggest one you can!”

Catching up to the Dragoon proved quite simple though Monzel did wonder how she could communicate with the ghost when he had no head and thus no ears. So she was suitably shocked when the rider answered her requests for him to stop.

“Though I be not proud to serve my craven mortal master, I am bound by ancient law. I can not leave his service until his schemes are revealed. Then, in accord with legend, mortal hand may return my skinless skull to my earthen grave”

The Ghost Master was about to question the Dragoon further when the storm she had requested broke, wind screaming through the trees and sheets of rain pouring from the sky. The Dragoon’s form quickly faded into bluish light, leaving Monzel unsure how to proceed…

****

Monzel was forced to shout to be heard over the howling wind as she heard the reports from her ghosts. All the remaining mortals had fled to the farmhouse to get out of the storm. Also the Dragoon had not been seen again since the storm started.

The sound of wood snapping brought her attention to the old shack where Black Crow was imprisoned. The strong winds had finally taken their toll and reduced the structure to kindling. “Black Crow – and the land – thank you strange one. How may I repay your kindness?” The spirit asked. “All I ask is that you help us.” Monzel answered.

Interested to see how the weather had affected the other spirit trapped here, Monzel returned to the fields which had been largely flooded by rain, a large puddle surrounding the scarecrow.

Remembering the creature’s request she brought in Harriet and Hardboiled. A quick Ethereal Gift and the application of one of the Poltergeist’s blood powers brought a shrieking cry of joy from the scarecrow ghost.

“To the sky…Storm of wings…Now serve you!” Was all the newly recruited Horde said as crows emerged from the pumpkin.

Confusion temporarily reigned in Monzel’s mind. She had seen many odd ghosts while in town but Scarecrow was definitely one of the stranger ones.

“Cuare, what do you think?” Monzel asked the little owl. “This is a tricky situation.” Cuare replied. “The storm is keeping the mortals safe but also somehow keeping Dragoon away. We know we need the mortals to reveal the summoner’s scheme but if we end the storm to bring the mortals out it seems we also welcome the Horseman back.”

The owl paused briefly before continuing. “I believe are best chance of success is to locate the summoner before we end the storm. If we’re quick we might be able to reveal them before they can bring the Dragoon back.”
“It’s risky.” Monzel said at last. “But with 2 extra ghosts we should be able to manage.”

Satisfied that she had some sort of plan now, Monzel began giving orders when Black Crow interrupted her.

“The spinning building.” The Wight said, pointing toward the windmill, where the blades spun wildly in the powerful wind. “It lies on a site of great magic, ancient magic.”

“And Dragoon vanished as soon as the storm started.” Monzel remembered as realization dawned on her. “The windmill’s spinning blades must have interrupted the ritual.”

Moving to inspect the building she found herself stopped at the door, unable to move past the invisible barrier. “Warded. This has to be it.” Monzel said. “Find a window or a hole, something we can look through.”

It took only a few minutes for her team to locate a boarded up window and remove the boards allowing the Ghost Master a view into the windmill’s walls.

Through the dust and grime covered glass she could see a rather ordinary looking man cowering by the door, no sign of any magical symbols or objects so obviously not a wizard or any of the other types of magically gifted mortals. Lying on the floor by the cowering man’s feet was a skull, likely the Dragoon’s.

Moving away from the window Monzel motioned Blue over. “Keep an eye on him. I want to know the moment he starts summoning again.” Gun appearing in her hand the ghostly officer moved to stand beside the window…

****

Lightning struck as Monzel returned to the farmhouse with Christie, Black Crow and Scarecrow following. She watched as the bolt struck the dead tree in the lake, which instead of bursting into flames released a smoky cloud that collected into the form of a large gray feathered bird, which flapped over to the Ghost Master and began to speak in a rumbling voice that reminded her of thunder.

“Stormtalon, Prince among Elementals, answers your call of thunder and lightning. Let us ally to thwart all presumptuous mortals who dabble in astral affairs beyond their concern.”

Nodding her agreement she quickly modified her plans to include her newest team member.

****

The remaining members of the Hamner family as well as their farmhands emerged from the house as the rain and wind lessened and finally died off altogether.
All plans for preparing the farm for planting were lost though as several of the family were snagged by the unexplainable desire to check out the windmill. Olivia was the first to reach the building and drawn to peer in the window was the first to see the family’s visiting cousin muttering something at a skull.

****

“News of the cousin’s treachery will doubtless bring a swift retribution.” Cuare said as Monzel continued to watch worriedly as Olivia walked back toward the house. Her fears were soon made real as the bluish glow once more suffused the bridge and the Dragoon’s mount stepped into view.

Knowing she had almost no time before the treacherous cousin ruined her plans Monzel shouted up at Cuare, who was circling above her. “Find Black Crow and tell him to possess Olivia! We can’t let the Dragoon scare her away!”

The tiny owl zipped off in a blur, leaving Monzel to watch helplessly from the side as the Headless Horseman bore down on the mortals. She breathed a sigh of relief as he sped past Olivia, who didn’t even flinch as the spirit passed.

Cuare reappeared once Olivia had vanished safely inside the house.. The owl settled happily onto Monzel’s shoulder as the Ghost Master continued to watch…

****

Five minutes or so passed before a mortal emerged though this time it was one of the men, who marched swiftly over to the windmill and began pounding on the door and yelling. As the door opened and the summoner emerged Ben snatched the skull from his hand, yelled a few more unpleasant things at him and stalked off into the trees.

Following behind him Monzel saw him stop before a moss covered stone. Kneeling on the ground Ben started to dig with his hands, shoving dirt out of the way until he had a uncovered what lay buried there. Monzel could see a pile of jumbled bones sitting at the bottom of the hole as the mortal placed the skull back on top of the pile and pushed the dirt back into place, stomping it down with his feet.

That done he wiped the dirt off his hands with a rag pulled from his pocket and headed back toward home.

****


Monzel jumped in surprise as the Dragoon appeared beside her, sword sheathed and sounding happier. “My tired corpse may finally rest complete. Now turn me upon my erstwhile mortal master, that he may suffer twice fold the fear of his own victims.”

Monzel was considering how disappointing the removal of the former summoner had been as she collected her gold plasm reward. He had taken off as soon as the first power hit him…Although that could have been because Black Crow had caused the ground to open up and swallow the cousin’s lower body. She knew they had done a good bit of recruitment that more then made up for the lack of scaring. A Horde controlling crows, a Wight, a Thunder Spirit and a Headless Horseman, all valuable additions to her team…

****

Monzel’s activities were restricted to the Ghoul Room for a few days after the busy night as both the Ghost Master and her team rested and recovered their strength. Finally after spending some of the gold plasm on training her team with some new powers Monzel turned her gaze once more to the map table.

Tiny flocks of bats circled the Police Station and Hamner farm, leaving only a single target available. Tapping the building she settled back as Balam’s voice spoke up.

“Your campaign of terror proceeds apace. It is only a matter of time before chaos breaks out on the streets of Gravenville, at which point the armed forces will surely be brought to bear to maintain order. It is wise, therefore, to consider a pre-emptive strike against the military. Success can only serve to further undermine the unrest of the mortals. You must leave no mortal fit for military service within the grounds of the accursed base.”

Looking over the map of the base that had appeared in her book gave Monzel an idea as she floated off to gather a team…

[windclan]

Floating above the base of Gravenville’s armed forces, Monzel’s eyes swept the area. The base was made up of three buildings of varying size as well as some sort of memorial on the far end of the area. Wide paths connected buildings and snaked around the edge of the base.

Dropping down toward the road she landed between the two soldiers guarding the gates. As she set foot on the base she veered left to check out the small structure sitting beside the gates.

Poking her head through the door she saw the building was made up of a single room with a bank of computer monitors along one wall, recording the footage from a dozen or so cameras that were set up around the base. Interesting, but not really important, so Monzel continued on her way, heading for a larger building with several dark green jeeps sitting outside.

After a quick sweep of the brightly lit structure revealed more jeeps and a piece of artillery Monzel decided it would make a good staging ground. Calling her team she waited until they came in through the walls and settled once more before continuing on to the massive building that dominated the base…

****

Moving past the base’s reception desk, Monzel found herself in the main corridor, which stretched straight across the building, connecting barracks, offices and several other rooms to a central hub.

As she passed a door marked with the Colonel’s name the Ghost Master heard grumbling from within and, curious, headed into the office, which was decorated with various pieces of Native American art. Attached to one of these pieces, a short wooden totem, she found the source of the grumbling.

As the coyote looking ghost noticed her his eyes sparkled mischievously and he began to speak. “That damnable Shaman...tricking me, the oldest trickster of all! He bound me to a tree and told me I would remain there until the forest fires engulfed me. But destiny was cruel, and my timber prison was carved into a totem. Please help free me!"

After promising the Trickster his freedom Monzel left to continue her explorations. As soon as she set foot in the hall again she caught sight of a mortal out of the corner of her eye and scooted back into the office.

Standing beside the Colonel’s desk she silently scolded herself. Of course the base would have a priest on site, and he would be even more valuable now, with ghosts haunting Gravenville.

Deciding to be content with the knowledge she had already gained, she returned to the garage to begin figuring out a strategy that would allow her to empty the base without the priest’s intervention…

****

Father Mulcahy’s cheerful whistling cut off abruptly as he entered the base’s mess hall. The room was rather bare, containing only several long tables and benches for the soldiers and a few garbage cans. The place was slightly brighter thanks to the potted plants the priest had brought along when he was assigned to be the base’s chaplain.

The reason for the abrupt end of the whistling was the appearance of a man, standing beside the plant with axe in hand.

As the priest prepared to banish the ghostly intruder, it unleashed a glowing tendril which quickly wrapped itself around Mulcahy’s leg. The other end stayed around the ghost’s leg as it walked over to him. He was rooted to the spot as the spirit reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder.

Without even a small scream the mortal’s eyes briefly flashed green as his mind was overwhelmed with calm thoughts. As several Privates entered the room talking among themselves about their training they nodded a greeting to the priest who turned and walked away, the ghost floating close behind him…

****

Monzel smiled as she watched the black-clothed mortal continue along the hall. With Black Crow possessing him he wouldn’t be able to do anything to harm her team, plus it gave the Wight a mobile fetter to haunt from.

Setting up Clatterclaws and Buck to cover the inside and outside of the main building she gave the order to commence the scaring.

****

As the power failed and the base was plunged into darkness the soldiers became sitting ducks for Clatterclaws, who skittered about wildly unleashing spiders into the barracks and mess hall. Those who sought to flee the spiders and darkness for the moonlit outdoors found themselves fleeing from Buck’s fleas instead.

Black Crow kept busy as well as the possessed priest moved about the halls, oblivious to everything. Causing the pavement beneath the soldiers feet to suddenly soften into something like quicksand proved a very effective tactic.

While those three kept the mortals running and the plasm building Monzel and Firetail set about freeing the imprisoned Trickster. Wisakejak provided the fetter in the form of a gift and the Elemental provided the heat of a forest fire which soon reduced the carved totem to ashes while leaving the rest of the Colonel’s office untouched.

"Ahhhh! The cleansing flame! The burning prison! Thank you for your aid, Ghost Master." Was all he said before Monzel sent him off to join the fun.

As she headed outside she noticed something strange. Though she could see several soldiers were running about in terror they weren’t fleeing the base. Curious, the Ghost Master headed off to the gates.

Upon arriving she saw that the Corporal’s stationed at the gate were turning their terrified comrades away. Realizing that the haunting would go nowhere until the gates were clear she set the pumpkin-headed Scarecrow the task of guarding the gates…to ensure that no one else would block the exit.

Cawing in delight as they flew out of the pumpkin, the Horde’s crows drove the mortal guards away and took up perches on the barriers, ready to scare anyone who came to close.

The base was in complete and utter turmoil now. The massive influx of plasm from the soldiers who had been unable to flee before allowed Monzel to unleash her entire team on the remaining mortals.

The Dragoon galloped along the paths while Brigit floated about outside the barracks, only to appear before a mortal as they tried to flee out the door and drive them back inside.

From his position on the hood of one of the jeeps outside, Firetail kept the area covered in phantasmal flames, as well as setting the occasional mortal alight.

With the ghosts spread so widely over the base it was only a matter of time before the last of the soldiers fled, leaving the priest alone on the base.

Monzel was about to have Black Crow end his possession when the appearance of her gold plasm reward startled her. Then she remembered what Balam had said: “Ensure that no one fit for military service remains within the base.” She said to herself.

“Let him go.” She said to the Wight. “We’re finished here.”

As the ghost ended the possession Father Mulcahy slumped to the ground, unconscious. Monzel watched for a moment, in case he was faking before turning away and opening up a portal…

****

Rakarth was waiting for her when she entered the map room. “They found him.” Was all he said. All that needed to be said for Monzel to know who he meant. “Let’s hope this is the last time I have to hear about him.” She said, sighing as she tapped the only thing on the town map, the hospital building.

“It is time to turn our attention to the captured Darkling. This proud spirit is imprisoned within the asylum floors of the Gravenville Hospital. We detect astral wards about the asylum – Once you have penetrated them, you must determine the exact nature of the Darkling’s prison and find a way to disrupt it. After that, you may feel free to take revenge on the mortals as you see fit.”

Sitting back in her chair, Monzel pulled her book free of it’s pocket and settled in to read and form a plan…

****

With the wards in the way Monzel was forced to walk through the hospital, finding it quite busy despite her last visit. Finally reaching the top floor, she halted at the sight before her.

The glowing cage was set up in the center of the room, the Darkling still bashing uselessly against it and letting off the occasional roar of anger. Dr. Krauss was standing in front of some sort of mechanical device on the far end of the room.

The Shadow paused in his pointless fight when Monzel approached, seemingly recognizing the one who freed him from the ancient tome. The anger was still evident in his voice though.

“This mortal fool, who purports to worship my majesty – as if I desire the fealty of the worms of the Earth – has bound me within this mystic apparatus. Perchance he seeks to pervert my power to his own megalomaniac ends. The mortal world shall be consumed by my dark dominion – but I shall not have my sovereignty threatened by these accursed beams that snare me!”

As she prepared to start the trek back to her team the Darkling did the unthinkable. Shadows swelled around him as he built up power. Monzel wanted to do something but found herself rooted to the spot in fear…A Ghost Master, scared!

She was unable to do anything but watch as the built up power was unleashed, a lance of the darkness latching on to Krauss’s back before vanishing. Curious about what had hit him, Krauss left his device and came to the edge of the beams…and into the Shadow’s clutches.

Roaring in triumph the Darkling threw his head back as the tiny amount of sanity the doctor had was absorbed by the Darkling. Krauss’s twitching form fell backwards, leaving the mortal sprawled before the beams that still hummed around the beast.
The ghost’s attention returned to Monzel as he spoke again. “The foolish mortals plans unravel, as shall all who dare limit their trembling in my austere presence! Yet the beams still function. Are they powered by those broken minds I sense beneath me?”

Finding herself in control of her body once more, Monzel waited until she was sure the spirit was through speaking and floated out of sight, returning to the friendly forms of her team as quickly as possible…

****

Orderly Crothers inched along the hospital halls, the pile of boxes in his arms threatening to topple at any moment. Grumbling, he paused at the bottom of the stairs to readjust his grip. He didn’t know what crazy experiment that Krauss guy was doing up in the asylum but it sure used a lot of equipment.

Peering around the edge of his load, Crothers stuck a foot out, using it to find the edge of each step before he tripped over it. The already slow pace was made even slower by this. In the air behind the orderly a bird and half a horse settled in to wait.

****

“How’d it go?” Monzel asked as Wily came trotting out of the hospital and over to where the Ghost Master was waiting beside the fountain. “They’re on their way up, though the guy they’re with is moving slow so it could be a while.” The Trickster replied.

Waving her hand she summoned the rest of her team over. “Alright, Hypnos and Stormtalon are on their way to the asylum. Once they get inside the ward we can move to the second part of this mission.” Monzel said as she began to outline her plan.

****

With his arms feeling like they were ready to fall off, Crothers finally staggered into the asylum’s lower level and dumped his load of boxes onto the table there. Krauss had forbidden anyone to come on to the upper level without his permission so this seemed a good enough spot to leave the supplies.

Seeing a few that had slipped off the other side of the table he stooped to retrieve them and his eyes fell on a box that was vastly different from the others. While most were brown or white cardboard boxes this one was wrapped in red paper and had a large bow attached to the top.

As he pulled it out into the brighter light he saw a tag peeking out from under the bow, labeling the box as being for Dr. Krauss. That struck Crothers as rather strange, since the doctor didn’t seem like the type of person to receive mysterious gifts. Tossing the red wrapped box back onto the pile the orderly headed for the door, eager to get away from the annoying humming and whirring of the doctor’s machinery.
As the mortal vanished from sight, the bird and half horse that had been part of the load materialized. As Stormtalon stretched his wings the gift vanished from existence, its purpose served.

Having infiltrated the ward covering the asylum the pair of ghosts left the office through a side door, entering a circular room, several metal doors blocking access to the inmates whose madness powered the Darkling’s prison.

While Hypnos passed into one of the cells, Stormtalon bound himself to the desk that housed the door controls. Remembering the plan the Thunder Spirit unleashed his power, summoning up a brief clap of thunder before turning to the job at hand.

Shorting out the panel with a surge of electricity popped the doors open but also, surprisingly broke whatever had been powering the ward. As the inmates fled their cells the beams powering the prison above began to flicker out of existence.

Unbinding from the desk Stormtalon flew over to each door, checking that the rooms were empty. They were all clear except for one. Bruce Elm had been under the Darkling’s influence for so long that his mind had been broken. Monzel had realized this and knowing that he would never leave on his own, sent Hypnos along with Stormtalon.

The Sandman’s powers worked well on the poor mortal, who slowly rose to his feet and shuffled towards the door, the horse’s powers directing him to sleepwalk…

****

Monzel glanced up at the sky as the crash of thunder broke the quiet night. That was the signal she had been waiting for and she quickly floated to where Boo and Clatterclaws were waiting in their position in the main hospital ward.

“Let’s get to work.” She said, standing back as the Horde and Spook unleashed their powers in tandem. Both patients and staff began to scream and run as hundreds of spiders dropped from the ceiling and the sound of rattling chains filled the room.

The deafening roar that erupted from the upper floors drew the Ghost Master back to the Darkling’s prison.

As she had expected the Shadow was free and Stormtalon and Hypnos were waiting for her. “Get downstairs to your posts.” She said as the two spirits nodded to her and left, leaving her alone with the Darkling, who broke off his roars to look at her.

“Finally! Freedom is mine! Such a debt must be repaid with wrathful spite – I, the Darkling, the quintessential avatar of the putrescent abyss of mortal inequity, shall feast upon the succulent sweetmeats of their sanity!”

“No.” Monzel said voice low enough that she could have been talking to herself. “I don’t like the way you haunt but it was through the work of me and my team that you were freed so you will listen to me. As long as you serve me you’ll haunt but there will be no more harming mortals for your own enjoyment.” With that she swept out of the room to check on her other ghosts…

****

Terror was running rampant throughout the hospital as the ghosts unleashed their full powers on the defenseless mortals. In the long hallway near the break room, Clatterclaws and Boo had combined forces. The Horde’s spidery legions were lifted by the Spook’s telekinetic powers and sent flying down the hallway after a pair of running patients.

Turning the corner the pair ran into Dr. Begley. The time it took to pick themselves up was enough to give Begley’s pursuer time to catch up. As the cloaked form of Weatherwitch appeared before them, a thick grey fog filled the hallway, blinding and disorienting the mortals, who after stumbling into the walls and each other a few times, wandered back into the path of the flying spiders.

Meanwhile, Maddie Shepherd had wandered into one of the bathrooms, figuring that the ghosts wouldn’t look for her there. As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she jumped back in surprise at the skeletal face looking back at her. Quickly regaining her composure, she took another glance and sighed in relief as she saw her own face in the glass again. “Fear must be playing tricks on my mind.” She decided as the image began to shimmer then twist into something out of a Picasso painting. The fear of whatever was in the mirror finally overwhelmed the mortal’s mind as she stumbled back against the closed door.

The image changed one final time as Maddie watched in terrified awe, the twisted version of her own face was replaced by that of an elegant woman, dressed in old fashioned clothing and carrying a parasol. As she looked out from under her hat she smiled, revealing the tips of a pair of fangs. As she waved at Maddie the mirror began to glow bright green. As the light faded and her eyes readjusted Maddie was left staring at herself. Screaming in fear she pulled the door open and took off down the hall at full speed.

The fake Maddie shimmered briefly, revealing the well-dressed form of Lady Rose as she started off along the hallway, heading towards the wards…

****

In the hospitals basement, Nurse Savidge and Dr. Sikes were hiding out. The conditions in the basement though were almost as bad as the ghosts roaming the rest of the building though, and only further unnerved the pair. When the large form with the hook hands appeared in the center of the room the mortals started backing toward the doors.

As Ghastly raised the hooks and began to split Nurse Savidge screamed and fled. Annie Sikes managed to keep it together for a few seconds longer…until the ghost’s body sealed up again, leaving the ghost without even a mark on the ectoplasm…

****

Monzel was passing the reception desk when she saw Dr. Sikes running towards her and then through the unseen Ghost Master, in a mad rush for the doors. Having kept count this time, Monzel was pleased to discover that Sikes was the last mortal in the building, though as she turned to regroup with her team she spotted the same mysterious woman she had seen several times before…and often in the company of Dr. Krauss.

Unfortunatly she was already outside the boundary so there was little Monzel could do except head back to the Ghoul Room, Darkling in tow…

[windclan]

Zulban pressed himself deep into the shadows concealing the side of the station as he watched the scene unfolding before him. Remembering his encounter with the witch the ghost remained wary of his surroundings, determined not to be spotted again.

As he watched from the shadows a piercing whistle split the night air as a train rumbled along the tracks towards him. As the train pulled to a stop at the platform the mortals waiting there leapt into action, a pair of them vanishing inside while the other two moved partway along the train and disconnected the majority of the cars, apparently intending to leave them behind.

That on its own was strange but the thing that captured Zulban’s attention was the wooden crate that emerged from the station, glowing light seeping through the cracks as it was wheeled to one of the remaining boxcars.

Deciding that the information was worth the risk, Zulban left the shadows and moved closer to the train, wanting to know what was being loaded so secretly.

While he had been mobile the mortals had gotten their load aboard and secured to the floor. The crate had been tossed aside, revealing the contents as one of the mortals tapped something onto a keypad on the side.

His eyes widened as he moved closer and took in the glowing object. The majority of the thing was covered with white casing except for a clear section in the middle above the keypad, inside of which he could see bolts of green electricity running up to the pointed end of the device.

The whistle sounded once more as the train was made ready to leave. Zulban knew he was out of time here but lingered long enough to glance at the discarded crate and and catch a piece of muttered conversation before leaving the train and heading deeper into the suburbs of Gravenville, in search of a safe spot to open a portal back to the Spirit World…

****

Monzel was settled happily in her chair in the Ghoul Room, book in hand while Cuare snoozed on the arm. The Darkling had finally settled into the Ghoul Room, taking up a position in the center of the entry hall. Though he seemed less then happy about her orders that he not steal anymore souls he was obeying.

The young Ghost Master was glad for the rest. The haunting at the hospital and the training sessions that followed it had worn her out. She felt fortunate that she was able to relegate some of her tasks to Christie. The Thunder Spirit had proven invaluable and was happy to lend a hand, giving Monzel some break time.

She had just turned a page when Christie stuck her head into the room. “Monzel.” She said quietly, so as not to wake the napping owl. “What is it Christie?” Monzel replied, looking over at her with a smile. “Zulban’s here and requesting to speak with you.” Christie answered. “Send him in then.” The Ghost Master said, marking her page and setting the book aside.

As the scout entered the room Monzel could see that something was wrong. He moved straight over to the map table and pointed at a spot on the edge of the Gravenville suburb of Calamityville. As he did the paper glowed briefly and then a new image rose up from the paper. Moving closer she saw it was a train and, knowing what was coming, reached over and tapped the top of the train engine.

Monzel jumped at the angry tone of Balam’s voice, knowing this was not good news. “We are in grave danger! The Ghostbreakers are not as defeated as we had thought. Intending revenge upon you, they have commandeered the Gravenville Express, which carries upon it and experimental Ether Bomb they intend to detonate inside the city limits! When the mutated tissues within the bomb are stimulated it will produce a massive shockwave of ethereal energy, eradicating all astral life in the city. The bombs timer has already been set…the train must be stopped from reaching the station, and the bomb located and destroyed…before it is too late!”

It took a brief moment before Monzel’s mind began working again. Cuare was awake and flew to her shoulder as she turned to Christie. “Christie, make sure everyone knows what’s happening and is ready to go. I’ll be down in a minute to pick a team.” With a nod Christie vanished out the door.

“Zulban, go back to the Committee and keep Balam informed. We don’t know what other plans the Ghostbreakers might have in the works. They’ve lost to us three separate times and seem to be getting desperate for an advantage.”

As the scout vanished through a quickly summoned portal, Monzel headed out the door, talking to Cuare as she went…

****

Monzel caught up with the Gravenville Express as it was leaving Calamityville and starting through the woodland that surrounded Gravenville. The Ghost Master had brought only four ghosts with her, knowing there wouldn’t be time to get a larger group into position before they were all destroyed.

As she stepped into the rear car she thought it fortunate that the Ghostbreakers hadn’t taken the time to ward the train. “Cuare, see if you can figure out a way to stop this thing without fighting our way to the engine.” She said, watching as the owl spread her wings and soared off into the next car.

“Clatterclaws, go spy on our ‘friends’ and make sure they don’t have any other surprises around here for us.” Skittering away, the Horde dropped half a dozen large spiders from her web, which quickly spread throughout the car, checking every corner and crate before moving forward to the next car.

With the scouting taken care of Monzel turned to her remaining pair of haunters. “Let’s go check out this bomb.” She said, a small grin briefly crossing her face.

****

Cuare returned from her assignment at the same moment as one of the spider scouts. Alighting on a crate she watched as the spider crawled up to Monzel’s shoulder and started chittering in her ear. She listened for a few seconds before it occurred to her that she didn’t speak spider.

“He says there’s nothing here but normal train cargo and dust.” Cuare piped up. “My own findings were little better. I could find no way to stop the train from here and the Ghostbreakers used one of their gadgets to gain control of the engine. It won’t stop until we reach the Gravenville station.”

“Well then…” Monzel trailed off as a horrifying thought occurred to her. “Cuare, did Zulban happen to mention how long the bomb was set for?” She asked. “No…” Cuare replied, as the same thought came to her. “He only said they planned to detonate it once we reached the city limits.”

“Unless they discover that we’re here.” Monzel continued, giving voice to the terrible thought. “They might decide that setting it off now would be better then losing the chance…”

Shaking off the worry she took to the air, floating as fast as she could, determined to snatch victory away from the mortals.
****

Emerging into a large boxcar the eyes of Monzel and her entire team were drawn to the green, glowing object on the floor. The Ether Bomb was glowing ever brighter as it built up power. Glancing at the timer, she sighed in relief. “We got here with time to spare.” She said brightly. “Sparkle, do your thing.” The salamander walked up the smooth side of the bomb and once she was resting comfortably above the clear section, unleashed every ounce of heat she could muster.

The temperature in the car rose substantially, causing waves of heat to appear, distorting everything around them as the bombs delicate circuitry began to short out. Drops of molten metal began to drip down the sides as the casing actually melted, forming a puddle that spread slowly over the floor.

The green electricity, which had kept flowing even as its protection was destroyed, finally gave out, sputtering as the glow faded from the melted remnants of the Ghostbreaker’s Ether Bomb.

“Sparkle, take a break and rest.” She said as the lizard began rolling happily in the molten puddle of metal. “We’ll come get you after we deal with the Ghostbreakers.”

****

The Ghost Master was stunned to find the last car before the engine empty and the engine itself free of mortals. A chittering off to one side brought her attention to another of Clatterclaws spiders. She immediately looked to Cuare for a translation.

“He says they left.” The owl translated. “Apparently they picked us up on their scanners and instead of staying to fight, jumped train a mile or so back.”

“So, after all this they don’t even try to defend their weapon? Something seems off about that. Any ideas?” She asked Cuare.

“It certainly does look strange but if they had a reason to leave and weren’t just fleeing us then I can’t see what it is.”

****

The Ghost Master and owl had continued to discuss the strange turn of events without finding an answer throughout the remainder of the trains journey, giving Sparkle ample time to rest and regain her fiery personality.

As the Gravenville Express pulled into the station the Ghostbreaker’s device kicked in, cutting the engines before they could crash into the station.

As she stepped onto the platform Monzel glanced around, expecting the mortals to pop out of hiding and try to banish or capture them. All she saw though was the stars peeking through the approaching clouds.

She couldn’t help but enjoy the peace for a while. She nearly missed the ball of fire that arced through the distant sky before vanishing. The single bolt of lightning that flashed down to earth was a little tougher to avoid.

It took only a moment with her handbook’s map to realize that the area that both the lightning and the fire had come from was the university. More specifically the abandoned building that had become the Headquarters and Base of Operations of Gravenville’s Ghost Master.

Not even stopping to consider the possibilities, Monzel summoned up a portal to the Ghoul Room and stepped forward, feeling the brief moment of pain as her face met the portal without passing through it.

Stumbling back, slightly dazed, Monzel tried putting a hand through the opening, only to thump against some sort of obstacle blocking the way through.

Annoyed, she closed the useless door and turned to her team. “I guess we’re going to be going back the long way.”

[windclan]

After nearly an hour of floating through Gravenville’s streets with the fire and lightning coloring the sky, Monzel saw the gates of the University come into view. Passing through them she stopped in dismay.

Her entire team was scattered about the grounds outside the Ghoul Room, obviously upset about something. She could see Christie and Arclight off to one side, obviously the ones responsible for the fire and lightning that they continued to send up as the Ghost Master dodged around groups of haunters to reach the Storm Spirit’s side.

Christie spotted her approach and with a quick signal to the Mane, halted the fire. As the sky darkened to black once more she moved to meet Monzel.

“I’m guessing there was trouble on the train?” She asked curiously as Monzel continued to gaze around the grounds.

“Not at all. Sparkle reduced their bomb to a puddle and the Ghostbreakers jumped train. But what was with that light show?”

“That was the only way I could think of to signal you from across town. The Ghostbreakers are here.”

“What!” Monzel exclaimed as her mind tried to work out an explanation. “OK, what happened since I left?”

“Well, after you left I set the remaining ghosts to watch the gates and paths into our area in case anyone came here. They did, but they got around us by using one of the side entrances.” Christie began.

“Who came here?” Monzel interrupted.

“Five members of the Ghostbreakers staff.” She reported “They came with equipment and before we discovered the breach they had covered the top floor with a yellow ward.”

“I assumed that the presence of their staff meant the Ghostbreakers wouldn’t be far behind so instead of moving against the mortals I evacuated the building before they could finish warding it.”

“It gets worse though. About a half hour ago the Ghostbreaker’s van pulled up in front of the Ghoul Room and they headed inside with equipment of their own. Alarms I believe.”

“Well, the alarms will probably give us a bit of trouble but we should have the place free again before morning. I don’t get how they found our HQ but without the Ether Bomb they’ve got no chance.” Monzel’s reply trailed off as she noted the worried frown that crossed Christie’s face.

“I think we were tricked Monzel.” Christie said after a moment. “After the finished setting up their defenses we saw Dr. Ramis come out and unload something from the back of the van. From what Zulban told us earlier I believe it’s a second Ether Bomb.”

“I think the bomb on the Gravenville Express was a decoy. If it went off before we got to it then their job would be easier but if we destroyed it then they’d still have the second bomb here…At our base of operations.”

“How long before it goes off?” Monzel asked.

“We have time; we overheard Ramis saying it would take awhile to set up, that’s why they needed the wards, to cover the building in case we moved against them again.”

“Clatterclaws!” The Ghost Master snapped suddenly as she searched for the spider ghost. “We need some spies inside the Ghoul Room to report on the defenses and whether the bomb has been activated.”

As the Horde scuttled off Monzel turned to Christie and continued discussing the situation...

****

A short time later Monzel, Christie and several other Haunters were crowded around the book Monzel had placed on the ground, open to a layout of the Ghoul Room that had appeared within its pages. Atop the book a small brown spider danced and chattered.

“The bomb is upstairs, in the séance room.” Cuare translated. “The room is being covered by a red ward and the power source is in there as well.”

“That means we have to get someone in under the ward before we can do anything.” Monzel said, annoyed by the latest piece of bad news. “Have they set it yet?”

Cuare turned her head back to the spider and chattered the question at him. “Yes.” She said after a moment. Then her eyes widened in fear. “We only have 30 minutes before it goes off.”

“Quick then! What about the other defenses?” Monzel asked, knowing they would need every bit of information.

“The majority of the upper floor is covered by a yellow ward; the power source is in the hallway beside it. The blue and green wards cover the lower floor and the entrance hall. Power sources are in the music room and their van.”

“You’d think they would know better then to power a ward from their van by now.” Christie said with a thoughtful grin.

“There are 3 alarms as well. The yellow one is in the gym, blue in the cafeteria and red with the bomb” Cuare continued as the spider’s movements became more frenzied.

“They’re too well defended, we’re doomed!” Quiver wailed before a glare from Monzel silenced him.

“We are not doomed. Now calm down!” She said, shouting to be heard by her team. “This is not something we can avoid. If we retreat the bomb’s shockwave could follow us through and eradicate not only us but the entire Spirit World!”

“How are we supposed to penetrate their defenses?” An aged voice rose from the back of the crowd as Carter came forward, Buck padding at his former master’s side.

“We’ve already done it once, at the police station.” The Ghost Master replied. “The alarms are the tricky part. With 3 of them around the building the Ghostbreakers will know every move we make…and I’m sure they have their banishing equipment back up and running.”

“Et comment allez-vous obtenir tout cela avec des fantômes si peu?” The Painter yelled from the crowd, reverting back to his native tongue.

“That’s not the plan this time Painter.” Monzel said after taking a moment to translate the shouted words.

“We’re defending our home here in Gravenville. With the wards, alarms and Ghostbreakers scattered about the building a team would have almost no chance of success. We have the advantage of numbers and I intend to use it.”

“Christie.” Monzel said as she turned to her assistant. “I’m going to lead the team inside to disable the Ether Bomb. I need you to stay out here and coordinate the rest of the ghosts.”

“Of course, but who will you take?” Christie asked.

The Ghost Master paused as she looked out over the ghosts arrayed before her. “Firetail! Harriet! Hogwash! Stormtalon! Static! Terroreyes! Moonscream!” She called out, waiting until each member of the team had arrived at her side before calling the next. “I’ll take the Darkling as well.” She decided after a few moments of careful thought.

“The rest of you, spread out! I want every possible entrance covered.” Monzel said, waving the remaining ghosts away to their stations.

“Once we take out the bomb I’ll give you the signal, then hit them with everything. I don’t want the Ghostbreakers to sneak away again.” Monzel said. As Christie nodded and floated off to her own position Monzel directed her team toward the captured Ghoul Room.

****

In the buildings entrance hall the twin fireplaces blazed merrily while Burt Armstrong made adjustments to the ward generator, careful not to deactivate the beam of greenish energy that shot up to the ceiling before spreading to cover the entire room.

He glanced around nervously as the lights shining on the high ceiling blazed briefly and went dark, plunging the room into near total darkness. Realizing that the only light was coming from the dancing flames Burt whipped back around to where he knew the generator was located, only to see the arms folding up as it deactivated.

He breathed a sigh of relief as the lights flickered back to life. Turning with the intent of reporting the incident to Dr. Ramis he leapt back in shock at the figure standing directly behind him.

“You’re far too jumpy Burt.” The figure said, coming out of the shadows that hugged the doorway. “Did you not just see what happened Janine? The lights went dead and the generator is offline.” Burt snapped, annoyed at the receptionist’s calm attitude.

“Please, the van’s power generator probably stalled. Just go outside and restart it. As for the lights, it’s an old building. Lights are bound to go out from time to time.” Janine said as she vanished back into the shadows of the hallway.

****

Monzel watched as Burt vanished through the main doors and took a moment to hope Christie was ready before waving Hogwash forward.

The groundhog darted across the floor towards the doorway Janine had left through. Standing on hind legs, back to the polished wood of the doorway, the Gremlin peaked into the hallway. Aside from a dozen or so wires snaking along the floor and through other doorways the hall was deserted.

Dropping back to all fours he raced across the carpeted hall and into the former music room. Though there had been no instruments here for years the chairs were still arrayed in a half circle as if awaiting the musician’s practice. The machine responsible for the blue ward was situated here, atop the conductor’s podium.

After a couple of precious minutes he had reached the top of the machine and taken control of the currents of electricity flowing through the thing. His fur stood on end as vast amounts of electricity flowed through him and into the machine. Not quite enough to destroy it but enough to take it offline for a bit.

****

As the Gremlin dashed back to Monzel’s side the familiar, piercing shriek of an Astral Alarm sounded. As Ramis and Akroyd appeared from the stairs and began scanning the area, Monzel pulled her team back outside, maneuvering around the side of the building to the outer stairs. She knew from the arachnid scouts that the mortals had cleared the stairs of the ivy that had overgrown them, allowing themselves a second path upstairs.

Swinging her gaze to her assembled ghosts she found they had already taken their positions, Firetail and Static bound to the gift with the Darkling. At a nod from her, the Shadow focused his powers on the last Ghostbreaker, Laurence Murray…

****

Murray pulled the scanner from his belt again and swept it over the room before returning it to its loop. Glancing over at the bomb sitting on the table he saw that they were nearly done. 15 more minutes and Gravenville would be wiped clean of ghosts and any other supernatural creatures that might be lurking in the city.

Suddenly, his mind filled with a single thought: presents. Piles of wrapped boxes containing all manner of mysterious and wondrous things. As the Darkling’s influence overwhelmed his mind, Murray found himself leaving his post, going in search of presents.

The obsession guided him, leading him down the outer stairs to a spot on the grass where he could see a shiny red box sitting, waiting for someone to claim it. Glancing in both directions the Ghostbreaker snatched the gift off the ground and hurried back to his post, His purpose served, the Darkling released his mind.

Not really noticing the wrapped box amid the glow of the ward, Murray continued his guard duty, drawing his scanner once more.

This time though there was a definite change in the amount of spiritual energy in the room. Holding the scanner with one hand he drew his weapon with the other as he turned circles, searching for the strongest signal.

He found it atop the Ether Bomb. As he watched, a lizard with flames running down his body materialized, hissed at him and brightened, glowing red and orange as dust particles burst into flame, becoming tiny projectiles as they drifted down from the ceiling.

Murray swore and dropped his scanner and gun, the metal having become far too hot to hold, even with the gloves he wore.

The fiery lizard glowed brighter still and, as on the train, the bomb’s casing began to melt, unable to withstand the growing temperatures. Unfortunatly, a metal train car and wooden room were very different things and the carved table began to blacken as well, while the stained glass in the window melted into colored pools.

Murray fled at that point; sweat pouring down his face and his uniform beginning to smoke.

Now undistracted and with no chance of endangering the Ghostbreaker, Firetail turned up the heat, throwing all his concentration into controlling the flames as the room suffered around him.

Finally, he could do no more then collapse as Sparkle had, the flames along his body burning low and weak. The bomb had been reduced to a melted piece of junk while the ward generator covering the room had stopped transmitting its beam, only one arm still attached to the body of the device.

The room was wrecked as well, table and chairs charred black, the circular window a gaping void that let in a breeze laced with ice and the freezing temperatures of winter…

****

Monzel saw Murray running from the upper floor, taking the steps 2 at a time in his haste. Whispering mischievously to Terroreyes, who floated beside her, she watched as he tapped into the Plasm.

As Murray left the stairs and began running along the side of the building he failed to notice the patch of new ice gleaming in the moonlight and as he hit it, lost control, flailing wildly across the sheet to smack into Agnes, who was coming from the other direction. As they went down Murray was sure he could hear several voices laughing.

Having had her fun for the moment, Monzel turned her attention back to emptying the building of the Ghostbreakers and their staff. Thanks to Static the yellow ward was dead and the building was open once more.

As the Ghost Master gave orders they were relayed by the Tricksters, Harriet and Wily using their speed to move quickly through the ghosts to repeat the orders. As one Monzel’s ghosts converged on the Ghoul Room, intent on evicting the mortals from their home…

****

Screams of fear rose from various points on the grounds of the Ghoul Room as the Ghostbreakers and their staff were rooted out of their hiding spots. Outside the headless form of the Dragoon was thundering along the front drive and the sides of the building, sword waving in the air while Monzel watched from the air…

Just inside the front doors Dr. Ramis was trying desperately to get the ward generator back up and running. As soon as she touched it though a mild electric shock coursed through her body. As she pulled her hand away she heard the pleased purrs of a cat fading down the hallway.

Weapon ready the Ghostbreaker stood and was about to leave when she heard a new voice behind her. “I think you should worry about me first tiny mortal.”

Turning quickly she hit the speaker with the beam of her gun and as her eyes focused she saw only a wisp of green rising into the air.

Before she could move though the wisp glowed and vanished as a shape began to materialize before her. Her eyes widened and face went pale as she took in the long claws and toothy grin of the monster before her.

“It seems your little toy doesn’t work here.” The Darkling sneered before he raised a clawed foot and unleashing a wave of pure terror on the defenseless mortal. The ancient creature was rather disappointed when she fled so quickly, running straight through him in her mad rush for the exit.

Outside, she passed right by Raymond Akroyd who was pinned against the wall by Shivers telekinetic power while Wavemaster and Christie made fish rain down from the sky…

****

As the fear finally overwhelmed Akroyd’s mind Christie gave the signal to stop. The Ghostbreaker suddenly found himself smacking into the ground as the Phantom’s power ceased holding him.

Rising shakily to his feet, Raymond took one glance around at the ghosts spread across the lawn and let his instincts take over.

Monzel watched from her aerial vantage point until the terrified mortal was out of sight. Then she headed for the ground, landing lightly on the lawn and walking swiftly over to Christie’s side.

“That’s the last of them Monzel.” Christie reported after listening to Aether, who had done a quick sweep of the building.

“Hopefully they learned their lesson this time.” Monzel said “Plus, they forgot their van.” She continued with a smile.

Turning to her team she raised her voice “We’ve won a great victory here tonight. The Spirit World is safe and the Ghostbreakers have been broken…for now at least. I’m going to ask Balam to give us some time off before our next mission as I think we’ve all earned a break.”

As she finished her speech Monzel turned and headed inside to check on Firetail, Christie at her side…

****

She found Firetail still curled on the remains of the Ether Bomb, regaining his strength. As she turned her gaze to the room she sighed sadly, the place was a complete loss, no longer fit to use.

“This place took a bit of a beating.” Christie said as she out the former window.

“Fire is the hardest element to control but we needed it’s fury to make sure the bomb could never be used again.”

Further conversation was halted by the arrival of Rakarth through a portal. He gazed around briefly before fixing his gaze on Monzel. “You’re wanted at the Committee Chambers.” He said.

[windclan]

As she emerged into the chambers with Christie behind her, Monzel saw that the entire Haunter Committee was seated at the table.

“Ah, Monzel!” Balam cried, pleasure filling his voice as he waved her towards the table. “Quite an impressive achievement for such a young Ghost Master, defeating the Ghostbreakers like that.”

“We’ve had word from Zulban that the witches have vacated the town as well.” Drycha cut in. “Though it seems they left when word of the bomb reached them. Probably didn’t know what it might do to their powers and didn’t want to find out.”

“So they’ll probably be back.” Monzel murmured, more to herself then the Committee. “We’ll be ready for them. We just need a few days to recover our energy.” She said, glancing at Balam.

“Granted, of course.” He answered immediately. “Zulban can return to scouting the city in the meantime.”

“There is one more thing Balam.” Monzel said before he could continue. “The only reason we had any warning and were able to stop the Ghostbreaker’s plans was because I’d left Christie to watch the Ghoul Room.” She began as the Committee gazed at her.

“She has already proven capable of quick thinking under pressure and shown herself to be a priceless member of the team. So, with the Committee’s permission, I’d like to reward her by making her my second in command. As well as having Rakarth teach her everything he knows of tactics and strategy and other useful things.”

“A young Ghost Master with a powerful spirit at her side. A good plan I think.” Balam decided after a moment’s thought.

“The Committee must decide though.” He said, turning to face the table. “All in favor of Ghost Master Monzel’s proposal?” Many hands went up, including Rakarth’s and Drycha’s.

“All opposed?” Half a dozen hands rose. “That’s settled then. Congratulations Christie.”

The Thunder Spirit was stunned by the turn the meeting had taken and could do nothing but smile as her mind worked to process everything…

****

As the portal opened and she stepped through, Christie stopped suddenly in amazement and Monzel smacked into her.

Regaining her balance Monzel’s face took on an amazed look as well. The room, which had formerly been charred and burnt, had been restored to its former glory. Large, dusty books sat on the shelves while moonlight shone through the colored glass of the window once more, reflecting off the table which was empty aside from the Ouija board, candles and a sleeping Firetail.

Rakarth laughed at the expressions on their faces. “There was no way you could operate out of what was left of this place so I called in a favor, had one of the Temporal Clerks restore the place.”

“I definitely prefer it this way.” Monzel said as she settled into one of the chairs. Cuare flapped down from a shelf and perched on the back of the chair as Christie moved over to the window to gaze out at the moonlit city…

****

From a vantage point outside the University’s gates a mortal had watched the battle and seen its results. Turning her back on the building the mysterious woman headed back to her car. Closing the door behind her she gestured to the driver and the car zoomed off towards the busier streets of Gravenville…

[windclan]

Thats all of it. Hopefully anyone who reads this will enjoy it. If nothing else, at least I finally got the idea out of my head...only took a couple years of trying and failing to write this before it came together.

[edje]

Holy Hell...

[gammer]

This story is AWESOME!!