Haunting 9: SkullDarkness Absolute nothingness surrounded him, as the Wile felt like he was slowly dissolving in a pool of black gold. Such is the fate of souls that get usurped by the man-of-war monster.. As if that wasn't hellish enough, swarms of piranha-like teeth were gnashing him from head to foot. No wounds were shed, no bruises nor blood. The very core of his spirit was under attack instead, the pain of which exceeds that of any other. Aiden genuinely wished for anything to put an end to this, the madness he was slowly sinking into seemed inescapable. The evil spirits had made good on their promise to make his suffering slow and merciless... The Wile was unable to ignite his flame no matter how much he yearned for it to burn, for the body of the collective spirit had completely enveloped him, just enough to not crush him. He had long since gone past the panic stage.. overwhelmed, defeated.. he was too tired to even turn a head. He was forced into a state of isolation within his annihilation, frozen.. without hope… 'What are you doing, lad?!' A strong, yet unfamiliar voice echoed in his brain, which snapped him straight out of his trance. 'You have to keep fighting!' "I... I can't!" Aiden whimpered in his mind. 'Yes you can!' The voice shouted. 'You've done it before! If not for yourself, then do it for--' Just then the Wile heard a nauseating scream. He followed the sound to the best of his ability against the intense pressure of his entire surroundings, when he saw that at least two of the foul spirits had ganged up on something that gave off a faint, minuscule light. Aiden could not understand why, but he had the sudden urge to squirm with everything he had. Pushing and thrashing his way towards the scene, the Phoebe Wile's internal ferocity was starting to build up, and with it the drive to slash his nails, loosening his hand just enough to reach out and grab the foul spirit that had just consumed the speck. With a quick squeeze, ignited with the heat of his mystical fire, the wisp-like blob let out a chilling shriek as the Wile ripped out its very core, revealing the weak essence of what appeared to be a glowing firefly from within. In their combined fury, the surrounding community of the single minded demons pressed down onto the Wile even harder, this time compressing his body to the point that it became difficult to breathe, let alone stay on the surface of the ever increasing black pool. But with a bit of good timing, Aiden was able to slip his arm pass the pressure point. Despite the numbingly intense pins and needles that snagged onto his loose appendage, he managed to grab the hapless firefly and absorb its essence into his body. And with it securely tucked away, and his main source of energy still exposed in the open, the Wile had just enough power needed to start wreaking havoc with his inferno. With his ferality no longer in check, the Wile set out a tremendous scream as he began to set himself ablaze. Aiden's renewed adrenaline gave him the perfect opportunity to push against the mass of blobs for just one second, which was all the time he needed to let loose all the chaotic energy that would make the kings of gehenna proud. ....... The chill in the air intensified as the entire yard became lit with a soft, yet unsettling white glow. Jac had kicked off her shoes and was walking towards her two dumbfounded friends. With each step she took, the grass would grow wildly around her bare feet- every blade of which taking on a dusty white color that gave them the appearance of marble. Her hair had turned a similar shade, and the light from her eyes had made her pupils a disturbing bleach. "Jac... what's happened to you...?" Richard spoke barely a peep. "Don't touch her!!" Jillian screamed. "Please," The witch and Jac's voice said simultaneously. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am called The Witch of the Dawn and I was once the goddess of the land you are standing on. Jac made a contract with me, and has become my host. She is sleeping now, but she will awaken and reunite with you soon enough." Richard had drowned out every word as he held Jac close and rubbed his cheek against her; tears ran down along his face, which had softened the glow of her hair somewhat as it made contact. He didn't care that touching her left his hands numb and caused his skin to crack, he just wanted his best friend back dammit! "Jac... This happened before, so I know you can snap out of it again! Please! I beg of you! Wake up~!!" Richard kept up his tight embrace all while Jac remained largely emotionless. A hint of reflection was spotted in her eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly as it came. She saw the damage done and the visible shaking of the giant's hands, which triggered a reaction that was likely from the possessed herself that caused her to jerk away and jump off onto the grass below. "The elf is right. It's best that you don't touch me while I am active." The witch said. With a renewed burst of rage, Jillian stomped on the ground. "What are you plotting, Witch? What is the purpose of all of this?!" "I came to reclaim what is mine." The witch proclaimed. "Where my long time enemy sought to reap what was left of this land, I choose to make it beautiful once more. I will do away with the industrialized cities that have encroached in my domain for far too long, and bring the forest back to its former glory! The way it was always meant to be!" "Your idea of paradise is a wild unchecked forest with weird looking white plants that don't even look edible and are already half dead. Got it." Jillian quipped. "Leave me out of it." "Talk down to me again elf, and I won't be so merciful next time!" The hair behind Jac began to rise ferociously, as it flowed eerily with the unsteady wind. Jillian remained firm but chose not to take it further, for any rash response could result in injury to Jac. Richard felt just as helpless, if not more so. He stared blankly at who he formally knew as his best friend, as she approached what was left of the cursed tree and began to spread her arms wide. "The time has come for me to reestablish my rightful place in this world! This will be the start of a new era! People will flock to my forest and worship me again...." Hints of tears began to fall from Jac's eyes, but it was unclear whether she or the witch had shed them. "Then my full power will be replenished and I will finally have enough strength to... bring him back to me..." The jewel in front of her chest began to float upward and took on a sinister red glow. The whirlwind then kicked up and surrounded her like a barrier which would have blown Jillian back if it wasn't for the giant hand that had caught her. The wild plants then exploded in size right where Jac stood, rapidly enveloping everything in her surroundings like an infestation of white, otherworldly weeds. "It's not safe here! We have to go!" Jillian shouted. "But... what about Jac?" The words that came out of Richard's mouth stung and the start of tears formed on Jillian's eyes as well. "I know! But we don't have a choice!" No matter what however, Richard wouldn't budge. It took a sudden lightning flash between them to break the Wile giant's fixation of his back-turned Link partner. The electrical current was situated at that very point in the sky before them- Jillian understood right away that this was far from any natural phenomenon, and her fears were confirmed when a ripple through space began to form just above the cursed snag. "Come hither spirits and lend me your power!!!" The Witch shouted with a fiery passion. “We shall take the night this All Hallows Eve!!” All of a sudden, just as the peak of the gusts were whipping, and the opening of the void had made a visible dent in the night sky, she heard a crack. And then another. And then... With a loud smash, the glass oval jewel shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. Immediately after, the storm had quieted and the disturbance had caused the magic to come to a complete halt. This left the Witch absolutely livid. "NO!!! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!! HOW IS THIS--" At that exact moment in time, something caused her to lose her voice, as she, and the others behind her, gave out a series of audible gasps. A set of bony fingers as intense as the surface of the sun appeared from the ripple in the sky. They began to pull it apart, tearing a hole in space just wide enough for it to go through. And out of it came the biggest and most horrifying giant that anyone had ever laid eyes on. A macro being engulfed by flames all over its body, with a torch that bloomed from the top of its skull-like head. Blotches of mass could be seen all over, which wailed individually, and yet all at once in sheer agony, in tandem to the enigma's earth shaking shrill. It sat its foot down, instantly igniting the path it treaded, swallowing up the last of the cursed tree as it made its way towards the haunted house. Jillian screamed as Richard finally broke from his petrified state to scoop her up and onto higher ground. But try as she might, Jac couldn't move. No matter how much the holy apparition screeched in her head, the jewel was no more and the ability to have control over her was destroyed along with it. Jac's natural fear of immense fire kept her firmly rooted in place, as the titanic monster was now just a few feet away. The beast locked eye sockets with the young woman and was about to reach out to grab her with a finishing hand. Against her better judgment, Jillian struggled to break free from Richard's grip and charged head on towards the fiery demon. Her personal safety was put on the sideline in a brief moment of adrenaline and sheer willpower. Just as the infernal being's finger was mere inches from the terror stricken witch's face, Jillian dived as close as she could just behind the wall of flames and began to scream at the top of her lungs. "DON'T HURT HER!!!" Much to everyone's surprise, the giant suddenly paused. "WHATEVER YOU DO! PLEASE!!! DON'T HURT JAC!!" After a moment of tense staring, the surrounding flames caused the girl to overheat and collapse. The hand immediately grabbed hold, but not before its fire was let out, revealing a sun-like glow to an otherwise normal giant hand. Against the ground, the being laid his hand gently over the fainted Jac. And with a light tap of a finger against her chest, a part of her spirit fell out from behind, along with that of the Witch of the Dawn. The Witch desperately tried to get away but it was no use, for the giant instantly snapped her up. With the foul spirit now in its clutches, the glowing giant then proceeded to crush inward while reigniting its hand. With a horrendous final cry, the witch was disintegrated into hundreds of glowing butterflies, each one burning with an intense flame which had made all but one disappear as it's embers went out. When that was over with, the enormous skeletal beast pulled back and looked upon Jac with great concern. In this very position it gradually faded away, and along with it the flames it had left in its wake had all gone out at once. In the giant's place, a multitude of faint white orbs began to float into the sky, as if they were being pulled into the moonlit night. This gorgeous scene was overshadowed by the young woman who lay still on the forest floor, in front of where the tree once stood. Richard wasted no time to return by Jac's side, and with tears anew, he held her limp body to her face, and pleaded. "Please wake up Jac.... please! Wake up....”Haunted 7: SpiritJac and Aiden thought that they would never return to this horrid place again. The haunted house loomed over the landscape like an imposing entity that would cast a shadow far greater than the forest itself. And there stood the darkest part of the shade: a single pitiful tree, its baneful branches appearing to beckon the two as they made their way ever closer. This time Jillian accompanied the duo as they entered this plot of land, and while he remained unseen, Richard was also on standby. Jac was not given much detail as to what went on during Aiden and Jill's meeting with the head of the scavenger hunt, but one thing was certain. The two had barely spoken to each other since then, and they tried their best to not address one another. Sensing the underlying tension in the air, Jac tried to lighten up the mood. "All I got to do is place the jewelry under the tree, say the magic words and be done with it. Simple as that!" "I... don't think it's going to be that easy Jac." Said Jillian. The elf woman's confidence was absent, and her voice was almost as small as if she were at her normal borrower-sized height. "You.. look like you've seen things..." Jac then placed her hands on her hips. "Okay, what happened?" Jillian slowly looked at Aiden before quickly ducking her eyes back to the human. "I don't really want to talk about it." "You can stay here and wait for us, you know." "I can't! Just, stand back and watch my best friend walk into a frying pan! Ghosts aren't my level of expertise, but if I can use my magic to provide some form of protection then, I'll go wherever you need to be." Meanwhile, Aiden was largely silent throughout, as once again the alarm bells inside his head had begun to ring all at once. His nerves were fighting to control his natural flight or fight instincts, which was starting to flare up immensely as the surrounding fog thickened. As the three were on the move, a strange unexplained pressure was beginning to weigh down on them. The more it seemed like they were advancing, no matter how long they took, they barely made any progress as the tree stayed firmly rooted in the same distance from their starting point. "This can't be real! It's like a mirage!" Jac complained. "The miasma is terrible here." Jillian uttered as she covered her nose and mouth with a sleeve. "What's that?" "It's like an extreme imbalance of negative energy. It can cause all kinds of problems if we stand in it for too long..." "You mean...you can see it too?" Aiden gulped. "Wha? No..? You can?" Jillian wariness peaked at that point. "Yeah.. It looks like a purplish smog that's covering the entire yard..." "Y-you're kidding!" Jac exclaimed. "No?" Said Aiden. "You mean you guys, can't...?" His voice grew to almost a whimper as he sensed the growing fear in Jillian's expression. "I'm not surprised anymore..." Jillian said flatly. "There are gaps in the smoke...maybe... I can direct you guys through the least concentrated areas of the stuff." Aiden was hesitating a bit, but his confidence grew with each word. "I don't know if it'll make a difference, but perhaps we can actually reach the tree that way." "So it's like a haunted maze?" Jac asked. "I guess..." "Then it's worth a shot..." Aiden led the way through the narrow gaps between the heavy plumes, the two women careful to retrace his every step. The path was winding and full of twists, yet sure enough, they were finally starting to make progress as they were closing in towards the hallowed bark. Little did they know, there were invisible eyes on all sides taking note of their every move, in particular those of the shrunken Wile. 'The Phoebe is becoming a nuisance' A female voice whispered. 'We warned him not to interfere,' uttered a male's, ‘now he must pay the price.' Just then, something within Aiden snapped and he began to let out a low, guttural sound. Which in turn caused Jillian to slink behind Jac. “Are you ok?!” Jac exclaimed. "They're already here." The Wile snarled. "Don't worry about me! Let's MOVE!! GO GO GO!!" Without further questioning, Jac and Jillian tried their best to keep up with Aiden as he raced the rest of the way through the maze. The closer they had gotten to the barren tree, the thicker the miasma became, and with it the apparitions that were chasing them had become more apparent. "Are those wisps?!" Jac yelled. "No! These must be the..." Jillian started as she fought back a strange burning sensation that had started to overwhelm her. Suddenly, the elf woman grew sickeningly faint and before long she withered back to her regular size of four inches. Jac caught Jill just before the latter was about to plummet to the ground. The human drew her closer, eyes widened from the outcome. "Oh my god, what happened? Say something!" "I... don't know." Jill replied weakly. "I'm sorry Jac..." It was during this exact moment when Jac realized that Jillian had been setting up a magical barrier around the group this entire time, which had now shattered due to this event. Without its protection the miasma was beginning to seep into their lungs, which increasingly made it that much more difficult for them to breathe. "We're almost there! Hang on!" Jac exclaimed as she covered her respiratory canal with as much clothing as she could. She gently placed the drained elf in her pocket as she continued to run after Aiden, with the restless wisp-like beings still in hot pursuit. The setback of inhaling corrupted smog had slowed down their advancement significantly however, which gave the foul spirits the chance to surround them in every direction. The apparitions dived and swarmed strategically around the three friends- a frenzied attempt to outmaneuver them that lasted more than several minutes, with each second exposed to the invisible poisonous fumes being enough to put a dent in their lifespans. Aiden fell over and was dogpiled relentlessly by more than a dozen of these fiends. At the same time Jac could feel the pressure intensifying… but in spite of everything that was trying it's damndest to hinder her, she remained mostly unfazed and was determined to push through it. "I'm not giving up! No matter what you try to do, you can't stop me!" Jac exclaimed as more of a means to psych herself up as she was being bombarded by the cold fireballs throughout her body. She then pulled out her knapsack and threw as much of the magic dust within as she could in the air, which in a flash ignited with an intense bluish-white blast. The sparks were enough to send the evil spirits aback momentarily, and while they were largely unaffected by its burn, they seemed to be blinded by the glow that was emitted. This was enough for Aiden to snap out of his cowering state as he quickly regained control with a swift fiery assault from his nails. The apparitions feared his onslaught, and immediately took off from him, but not before a couple of the wisps had become singed in the process. At the same time both he and Jac felt a sudden earth shake, which would then rumble profusely as the quakes drew nearer. Within minutes the silhouette of a giant cut through the thick smog, which brought everything to a stand still. "JAC!!" Richard bellowed. "Took you long enough! Where have you been!" Jac hollered. "You're here but... I can't see you!" The Wile giant tried desperately to peer his fingers through, but to no avail. "I recognized your magic and came as soon as I could..." "I don't understand Rich..." Jac replied with the first hint of concern in her voice that she had all day. "We must have gotten trapped in between worlds somehow..." Aiden said. “You're kidding…” The shrunken Wile took careful note of the fact that about thirty or so spirits had all gathered to face the new threat that was the other Wile giant, though they were unable to go past the point where the miasma cloud ends. He held his hands to his forehead, his eyes pinching intensely. "C'mon think! There's got to be a--" Suddenly, his panic settled when he saw the knapsack in Jac's hand. His focus then shifted back onto the miasma, and then to Richard. "You two are Linked, right?" Aiden spoke with purpose. "Can you combine your magic powers?" Jac grew hesitant. "We're still practicing that, but..." "Richard! You know a bit of wind magic right?" "Yeah, why?" Richard understandably had hesitation in his voice. "Use the spell to transfer your wind to Jac! And Jac, toss that powder of yours straight at the tree. If you can pull it off, you may be able to blow this miasma away!" "Will that work?!" Jac exclaimed. "I don't know! But it's better than nothing!!" With that declaration the two reluctantly complied. Jac took a deep breath and swiftly got in position for what would have been a few feet away from the Wile giant if they had been in the normal world. She then pulled out a good helping of the pixie dust and held it in her right hand. Concurrently Richard was swirling the air around him, as his magic was concentrated in the tips of his fingers. As soon as the unclean spirits realized what was transpiring, they charged wildly at Jac, but were cut off at every turn by an unusually focused Aiden who took full advantage of his ghost burning ability at maximum adrenaline. Richard chanted the spell, and within seconds a gust of wind blew from his outstretched arms. The miraculous power of the Link caused it to flow in front of Jac's hand, which in turn- despite being much weaker in comparison to her giant- began to stir the smog around her. Their breathing synchronized as did their heartbeat, and with that solid momentum Jac's timing was perfect as she aimed the magic powder directly at the tree, just as she called upon the ignition spell. A burst of hot wind carried the pixie dust into the hollowed bark, and upon impact the tree exploded in a sea of piping cinders that shined a brilliant blue. In an instant, the spirits fell, caught in the tempest that would also cause the smog to gradually dissipate. Jac was experiencing a tremendous amount of pressure to keep her arms upright so that the heavy breeze would keep going, but Aiden helped to lift one arm, and Jillian pitched in with a renewed commitment to regain her human height so she can hold the other. Within moments the miasma had blown to the far side of the empty field, and while the blaze had been blown out, the tree was starting to crumple under its own weight. And as the smoke cleared, the three friends had found themselves back in reality where night had since fallen, with Richard standing clearly right behind them. With warm hugs and a cheerful celebration, the worst of their troubles were seemingly behind them, and there was only one more task left to do.Haunted 4: Hex"Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of bog…" "What's a bog?" Aiden spoke with a light squeal. All three of the Bean, Jillian and Jac shushed him at once. The older woman would then resume the stirring of the cauldron, with the mixture soon turning a bright, magical blue. Ahead of this curious event, Jac and Aiden both shared their experiences on the previous nights, their hair (well, Aiden's at least) stood on end upon the realization that they both had what they thought were merely visions at the exact same time. When this was brought to Jillian's attention, the elf woman suggested that the best way to learn if this was not a mere coincidence was to visit the Cunning Woman known as the Bean who lived in the far-side of town. "If anyone can figure this thing out, she can," Jillian said. This "Bean" was a middle aged witch who also went formally by her given name Marigold. Since her track record was solid and she charged fair prices for her services to boot- according to Jillian- she's been the go-to person for finding out the various going ons in the uncharted world of spirits and the mysterious forces that pertain to them. Without a single syllable, Marigold took one upon Jac and Aiden and stroked her chubby cheeks as she gazed into their perplexed eyes. "Oh my my, this is serious!" She spoke in a light tone, "You poor dears! I need to get started with you two right away!" The human and the shrunken Wile both reluctantly followed the Bean to the room where the large cauldron was kept. After stirring the pot for some time, while gazing upon the contents that only she was able to discern, Marigold let out a horrid gasp before turning to the two afflicted. "You have both been visited by spirits..." Aiden gulped. Jac put on the best face she could but she couldn't help but pull on her pant legs a little. They hadn't even gotten a chance to explain themselves yet, so hearing this from the expert herself had more than confirmed their fears. "You!" The Bean addressed Jac first. "You were visited by the ghost of a vengeful woman. She is restless and will stop at nothing until she has accomplished her unfinished business here in the mortal world. While it still won't be easy to remove her presence over you, this spirit is the lesser of the two you should be worried about." She then turned to Aiden, her voice heavy and filled with hints of dread. "I don't know how you did it without help, but you managed to rid yourself of not a ghost, but an evil entity. Beings old and ancient... 108 of them to be precise." "I heard that number before..." Aiden recalled vaguely. "Well! If I did away with them, then that means I'm in the clear... right?" "Wrong!" The Bean exclaimed as a plume of colorful smoke exploded from behind her, giving the witch an almost menacing appearance. "There's at least one of them hovering over you, keeping a watchful eye," she announced, "the spirit is buried deep and it will be difficult to completely remove. So long as it remains there's a high chance of you becoming infested by an awful curse in due time." "Is there anything we could do right now to reverse this hex, and to get rid of Jac's haunting?" Jillian asked. "I will have to continue my research on the young man's affliction before I can determine what will be the best course of action. Yours is a powerful one that is tied to the land itself. Walking in blindly could result in one or more of us getting seriously hurt, or worse..." Aiden's color whitened with hints of a disturbance beginning to rattle his crop. While Jillian rubbed the shrunken Wile's back, Jac sprung up from her chair. "Will she? Will they... come back?" "I'm afraid that'll be hard for me to determine at this point." The Bean replied, "My bet is that it's a high possibility." The Cunning Woman placed a hand under her chin, and contemplated for a few moments before continuing. "I will now try to conduct the spirit world through the window casted by my brew. If I can secure a couple more hours of your time here, I may be able to find a lead." "If it means that we'll be closer to getting out of this mess, then go for it." Jac nodded. She then looks back at the shrunken Wile, and despite not moving from his previous position, Jac could feel that he agreed to this as well. The pot was whipped by the enlarged wooden spoon once more, this time in slow, drawn out stirs. As the hour went by, different colors ranging from green to red hues resonated within the stew. Like a code, the Cunning Woman was able to understand its cryptic message, and after the second hour had passed, her expression went from mild concern to one of genuine solicitude. She looked up to Jac momentarily, which caused the young woman's heart to jump. Without saying anything, the Bean returned her attention to the contents of the cauldron to try and unravel what her previous communication actually entailed. At last, she pulled out a cloth and wiped the sweat that was rolling down her face. With a deep sigh, she announced, "I was able to find a solution.” All three of the friends bolted from their chairs and drew in mere inches from the witch. The Bean tried her best to shake off some of her anxiety, her voice reluctant at first, but firm. "You two will have to return to the source of what caused this mess to begin with." "The... haunted house...?" Aiden stuttered. "The conductor of the scavenger hunt." Jillian said while putting a hand to her chin. Jac and Aiden both looked at her with surprise. "You are both correct,” the Bean replied. "But I believe the presence that is affecting the young man exists nearby, and not in the house itself." Memories of the hallowed tree began to plague Aiden's thoughts again, and he needed to sit back down. "Did you find anything else about my haunting?" Jac asked with a tiny nervous quip to her voice. "If my suspicions are correct, you'll have to complete the task of visiting a grave..." A cold chill formed in the back of Jac's neck momentarily after she heard those words. The visual of the wretched note of Bartleby's tombstone shot up in her mind. "I'll admit, that one is strange. This grave is not hers, but of someone who she may have had close ties to. I can make all the assumptions I want, but this is what my conducting spirits have told me, and I trust their instructions." "Was she...? The one you spoke with?" The Bean wouldn't utter a sound but she nodded her head in reply. After this she went to the cupboard to retrieve two small bags that she would hand to Jac upon her return. "Please take these, they're on the house." The Bean said. "They are special magic dust that will aid in protecting the wearer. They're not full proof, but if you stay one step ahead of these troublesome spirits then they'll work wonders. I will also give you instructions on how to use a spell that is tied to them and when is the best time to conduct them." "Do I... get something too?" Aiden asked meekly. The witch looked into the young man's eyes. Her expression had a smidge of wariness to them, but her composure remained strong. Sensing Aiden's hesitation, she decided to tell him through her thoughts. 'I am aware of your.. skill. There isn't anything I could do that you can't do better. All you need is courage.' Aiden shivered. A part of him accepted her "words" as fact, but that still failed to calm his unrelenting nerves. After all was said and done and the three friends were about ready to leave, the Bean said one last thing. "Please, be careful... The road ahead is full of many dangers. Stick to the plan and watch out for traps." As the Cunning Woman was getting ready to close shop, she turned around to see a glowing butterfly on the seat handle of the very chair where Jac previously sat. It remained perched while fanning its wings ever so slightly. The Bean looked at the mysterious insect with a stern eye. "I did what you asked," She said, "Now promise me that no harm will come to the girl." The butterfly would then take off, fluttering lightly too and frow around the room before slipping right through the door. The witch followed its every move with a sharp eye; upon looking out the shades of her window she spotted the ethereal insect off the distance on top of Jac's shoulder, with the young woman completely oblivious to its presence. The Bean then took a step back and gave out a sigh. "Perhaps I was wrong..." she uttered. "The ancient spirit is not the worse of the two..."Haunted 2: Beacon It had been a week since Jac postponed the scavenger hunt. After that last ordeal with the haunted house, the young woman felt as though the prize at the end (which was kept in the dark as far as she knew) was not worth the amount of effort and energy spent to work for it. She had already gone through a dozen different clues, with each location increasing in difficulty and supposed "spookiness." But with a reward so vague, she felt too tired to bother wasting any more time on it. "If it were a million dollars then I'll be more obligated to go on, that's for sure." She thought. "But since there isn't any indication of that, well..." On the bright side, at least Jac had managed to get farther than anyone else in this game, so she felt that was as good enough of an accomplishment as any. Jac had the weekend off and she wanted nothing more than to spend that time simply relaxing away. It's not often that she would choose to spend her free time alone, but for whatever reason she was feeling more exhausted than usual since about a week ago. She figured it was most likely due to her strenuous work week. Jac trotted over to the fridge to clear her throat with a cold beverage, when she noticed something was laying about in the corner of her eye. The slight breeze that seeped in from the half opened window must have knocked a napkin off of the kitchen counter. She went to retrieve it, when she suddenly realized that this was no disposable paper cloth at all, rather a torn off sticky note. She winced when she saw what was written on the back. ’Your next clue is in the graveyard next to Bartleby's tombstone’ Great. She did not want to be reminded of this right now. Jac stomped her way into the living room and shoved the little piece of paper into the desk drawer. The sooner she can get it off her mind, the better. Later that afternoon, Jac was in a call with Jillian, when the latter had finally brought up the question of what the former was doing the previous week. With a sigh, Jac reluctantly told the elven woman about the scavenger hunt and that she and Aiden were essentially running in circles in a fool's errand. "You need to stop diving head first towards things without first considering what it is you're actually getting yourself into," the voice on the other end sighed. "Yeah, it's a hard habit to break though.." "Still, don't you think that the way the game is structured is a little bit, I dunno... suspicious? It did sound like they wanted you to cause vandalism towards the end." "I was told I was going to get a prize. And.." Jac felt like she was done as she fessed up. "I was bored and I needed something to keep me busy. Games are always fun, so I thought I'd give it a shot." "Do you even know the guy who organized this scavenger hunt? If I were you, I'd ask some serious questions." "I've only talked to him in a chatroom once with a bunch of other participants who gave up before me.. I recall he didn't have a face, but he spoke with one of those cheap, monotonous voices that folks do when they try to be spooky. It's all one big act." "If I was over there, I'd like to give that so-and-so a piece of my mind." Jillian huffed. After clearing some chores, Jac had the remainder of the day all to herself. With a very sweetened Cup of Joe on hand, the young woman was just about ready to listen to her favorite audio series, when the apartment shook with a sudden jolt. It was too loud and too brief to had been an earthquake, which had only meant one thing. Jac looked out the window, and sure enough she saw a shadow being cast by an unseen giant. "Oops! Sorry!" The giant said to the residents of Jac's housing unit, before she could be heard stomping away. Jac was able to see her after the latter was some distance away carrying what looked like construction beams. With a sigh, Jac checked around the unit to make sure that there was no collateral damage; thankfully nothing was amiss save for all of the drawers and cabinets which had swung open ever so slightly. None of the contents spilled, save for a few pieces of paper that had flown out of one of the desk drawers. Jac was in the process of picking them up when one of these managed to give her a paper cut. After putting the wounded finger in her mouth, Jac pulled up the culprit, falling into a near stupor when she realized what it was. Your next clue is in the graveyard next to-- Jac made an audible groan and shoved the wretched sticky note on the bottom of one of the heaviest books on the shelf. Surely she wouldn't happen to come across it again. She's just about had it up to here as far as the scavenger hunt was concerned. The rest of the day rolled on without much excitement, which was fine as Jac felt she's had enough. She felt a sudden headache coming on however, so she took a couple of aspirins and decided to turn in for the night. And while she slept like a dog for the first couple of hours, the next two were filled to the brim with constant distress. She was startled awake by a loud thumping noise, as she realized right then and there that her temperature had skyrocketed. With a pained groan, she slowly looked to the right… to find that the paper cut on her finger was starting to get bigger. The sight of this caught Jac off guard, but her body aches have become so intense that she could barely breathe, let alone get out of bed. Suddenly, another thump... The sound seemed to have come from the unit upstairs as the heavy footfalls made its way from one end of the ceiling to another. It crawled down to her level… like a large, heavy insect… Thereafter came a long stretch of silence, which had unnerved Jac more than she thought it would. Her breathing had intensified, and her heart began to race, but she wasn't sure why. At that moment, she heard a fluttering sound just to the right of her. She slowly turned her head to the hand that was sliced to discover that something was lying on top. She couldn't believe what she saw. A butterfly.. that was glowing with a shimmering yellow light. Jac could do nothing but gaze in awe at its sudden appearance; it rested on the opening of her cut for a bit before it took flight again. And in the blink of an eye, it vanished. Just then… a large thud. Jac turned her head slowly to the bedroom entrance, where she thought the strange butterfly flittered off to, but instead she would witness something unlike anything she had ever seen before. And it made her skin crawl immensely. A hand, much bigger than that of a human's, that was completely devoid of color pigmentation. It was far too bony with long, jagged nails. Jac stared at the apparition for about a minute.. her eyes pierced onto it, not a peep from her mouth. The appendix suddenly jolted to life, as if awakened from a spell. It pointed to her and beckoned her to come closer, before pulling back and out of the room. After taking a deep breath, Jac managed to speak as strongly as she could. And while her voice still croaked, he was able to make herself loud and clear. "NO THANKS! I'M STAYING RIGHT WHERE I AM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" And she pulled the covers over her and refused to emerge from them for some time. When she had regained consciousness, Jac bolted out of bed with a loud gasp. She took a moment to check around to make sure her body was in one piece- without a doubt, there was no indication of aches and pains, and the paper cut wound returned back to nothing more than a thin scab. "A nightmare..." She uttered. It was half past midnight, but there was no chance in hell that she was going back to sleep in her own bed. She felt a cold shiver up her back at the mere thought of it, the likes of which shook even one as stout-hearted as her. She knows that there was one remedy for this.. one she needed to take in order to have some sense of security again. She had to dial a number. "Jac...?" Richard asked on the other line with a groggy voice, "W-what's going on...?" "I'm sorry to ask on such short notice but..." Jac took a moment to gather her thoughts before proceeding. "Is it all right if I meet you over at the border of the human district? I.. need a place to hide for the night." Richard was silent for a moment, but Jac knew from experience that his eyes likely had widened by her request. He understood exactly what she meant. "Are you okay?" "Not really..." Jac replied quietly. "I have nothing to fear with you, so I just... want to be comfortable. Whether it'll be a hand, a pocket, or... you know. I just....Need this right now." "I'm on my way." Richard could be heard shuffling out of bed. "Please, hang in there." "I'll try.. Thank you."