On Holy Ground

[Dr Archeville]

He's right, I should've been more careful... but I didn't want to waste time trying to figure out how to open the secret door, and it would look silly asking Kapetelis. Wait, I wouldn't have needed to ask, I could've ordered him to do it! Dammit! I'm still not used to this.

The stairway is a rickety, wooden affair that descends into the middle of a bare, dirt-floor room. The room is about 30 x 30 feet, with doors on the southern, western, and northern walls. The stairs lead down so that the southern door is in front of you, about 15 feet away.

As he goes down, Ghost sees a tripwire about 2/3rds of the way down. Following the wires, he sees it is connected to a series of skeletons -- real human skeletons, but not animated, just dead bones -- laced up in the shadowed rafters, such that anyone who tripped the wire would cause the skeletons to suddenly flop down from their concealed places and dangle menacingly in front of the target.

"What is it? What do you see?" the demon asked, somewhat trying to keep its resonant bass voice down to a dull roar.

[MBCE]

"I see dead people," Ghost said in his best Haley Joel Osment voice. "Actually, it's a trip wire here. Connected to some human skeletons. Not sure why that would be here but it looks to be trying to scare off anyone moving down here."

Ghost thought for a moment about the trap, fearing that there was some other mysterious part to it.

'I had better disarm this before moving forward. Those bones could animate at some time and I would hate for them to around behind us.'

Again, Ghost took out his tools and began working on the trip wire, trying to disarm it so that Belphegor could descend without fear of setting off the trap. The demon could most likely simply fly passed the wire, but it was always better to play it safe in Ghost's line of work.

'If I cut the wire here, I can keep the tension and tie it to the base out of the way. That should get us by with no problems.'

[Dr Archeville]

"Hunh? After the gauntlet one would run through to get to this point, the deterrent here is... skeletons dangling on strings?"

Continuing down, Ghost's keen eyes pick up on some movement in the darkness below. As he pauses and lets his eyes adjust, he can make out six skeletal figures standing against he southern wall. They sway slightly, but he does not see any ropes or wires holding them up.

"What now? Why have you stopped? I don't see anything down there."

[MBCE]

The Ghost squinted as he saw the sawying figures. 'Are those more skeletons? Can't make out any wires so these are most likely the real deal.'

Ghost looked back over his shoulder and called softly to Belphegor. "More skeleton down herr I think. These however are not connected to wires but I can't be sure. It's pretty dark down here. Without a light source, I'm not going to be very effective down here."

Ghost turned back to look at the skeletons. "Sometimes, you just have to spring a trap."

Ghost proceeded down the stairs until he was finally in the room, he kept his eyes on the swaying figures.

[Dr Archeville]

The six skeletons along the wall spring to (un)life as soon as Ghost's foot touches the dirt floor; they approach with bony claws outstretched, and pinpoints of hellish red light in their eye sockets.

[MBCE]

The Ghost had faced quite a few interesting opponents when he came to Freedom city. Heck, he was working with a demon! Seeing walking skeletons, creatures out of video games and bad horror movies was just too much for hte already fatigued and wounded thief. His body just would not react quick enough to get the drop on the undead.

'Skeletons?! You've got to be kidding me. Damn they move fast!'

[Dr Archeville]

The six skeletons move with disconcerting speed for Ghost, bony claws outstretched, but the confines of the stairwell shielded him from two of them. Still, four sets of bony claws reaching for him was nothing to shrug off....

... or maybe it was! The four that were able to get in position to reach him got tangled up in each other and were completely unable to reach Ghost. Lady Luck was smiling on him again!

"Hunh... they don't look that tough," the demon grunted. A ball of dark fire appeared in its hand, which he tossed down onto one of the skeletons; the skeleton amazingly appeared to catch on fire and rapidly burn down to ashes.

"Really not tough," he added.

[MBCE]

"Easy for you to say! You get to throw balls of fire at them and they just turn to dust. I don't work that way!"

The small confines of the stairway and the room had kept the horde from attacking him completely. One of the skeletons had reached out at Ghost but luck was on his side. The clawed hand kept going until it smashed into the next skeleton. The blow was well placed, causing more damage than the attack normally would.

Ghost moved back up the stairs, in an attempt to gain some space between himself and the animated bones.

[Dr Archeville]

The skeletons regroup a bit, all four try to strike Ghost. And again, they all get tangled and miss widely.

"This is fun!," the demon bellowed as he toasted another skeleton, "though it would be nicer if they screamed some as I destroyed them. Ah, well."

[MBCE]

"Then perhaps you'd like to step to the front, my friend."

Ghost again exerted his powers upon the skeletons. Again one swung just a little too wide and hit its companion a very solid blow. Even as he saw the blow land, he moved back behind the demon letting him take the lead.

[Dr Archeville]

Two skeletons left now, clawing for Ghost as the scramble amongst the shattered remains of their brethren. Amazingly, one lands its claws on Ghost!

"Oooh, that looked like it hurt. Perhaps I should take over," he said as he switched places with Ghost and smashed a skeleton to pieces with his mighty fists. "Besides, I just realized: while we're down here, what's to stop Kapetelis from calling more backup? Perhaps you should go up and take care of him."

[MBCE]

The claws hit Ghost squarely and he felt it going towards his protections, but just at the last minute, he slipped on the stairs, dropping him below the claws, helping him avoid damage.

'Not pretty, but effective! Thank you Lady Fortune.'

Ghost scrammbled up the stairs as Belphegor took his place. "Sure, I'll keep an eye on our friend. He should be a lot easier to handle than the walking dead!"

Ghost kept moving up the stairs until he reached the main room.

[Dr Archeville]

The last skeleton continues to lash out, now at Belphegor, and though it hits, its bone claws only manage to pry off a few loose scales.

"Ha! That tickled!" the demon roared as he smashed the last skeleton to pieces. "I... I guess I'll wait here."

Ghost got up the stairs much faster than he'd went down, but did not see Kapetelis in his panic room. He did, however, hear something from the far end of the hallway. It was Greek cursing, along with a sound of pieces of metal screeching against one another. Carefully peering out, he could see Kapetelis trying to get the elevator to work, but the damage it had sustained from the firefight was not allowing it.

[MBCE]

Ghost frowned at the sight. 'Turn your back and they all think they can run! When will they learn.'

Ghost moved silently up to a point behind Kapetelis. He reached out his hand and placed it firmly upon the man's shoulder.

"Are you trying to run away? I really hope you're not. I would hate to send you down to feed the demon. I'm sure he wasn't very impressed by the boney surprise you left down those stairs."

Ghost turned Kapetelis around and gave him his wickedest smile.

'I'm really going to have to work on this image problem. Working with Belphegor is goign to change my image.'

[Dr Archeville]

Kapetelis did not notice Ghost's presence until he grabbed him by the shoulder, but then he whipped around and drew a gun on him! "Back off!"

Ghost noticed it was one of the fancy guns from the two guards.

[MBCE]

Ghost's eyes widen. 'That's what I get for not making sure those things were picked up. I don't think I can take another shot from that gun.'

"I don't think you want to be point that thing at me. The elevator is busted and my companion is only a short distance away."

Ghost smiled at the man and moved quickly to disarm him of the weapon. He grabbed Kapetelis' wrist with hisright hand and twisted into the man so that the gun was pointing at the empty corridor. From his new position, Ghost attempted to wrestle the gun out of his hand using his left hand.

[Dr Archeville]

Lady Luck smiles on the Ghost as he is able to maneuver into the perfect spot to apply a maximum amount of pressure on Kapetelis' wrist, forcing his hand open and dropping the gun into Ghost's grasp.

"You're not going to get away with this. Do you have any idea who I am?!"

Man, where is he? It shouldn't take this long to knock out the guy. Or kill 'im.

[MBCE]

Ghost moved slightly away from teh man so that he could face him clearly. "Not at all. You're a job. That's all I needed to know. So why don't you take a nap or something?"

'I don't need to be talking to this guy. Knock him out and then I can get back to work. the sooner we find this thing, the sooner I'm free.'

Ghost exerted his powers over the man and a small section of the elevator fell upon Kapetelis' head.

[Dr Archeville]

Kapetelis is knocked cold by falling debris.

Ghost is now the only conscious being in a hallway filled with KO'd security guards.

[MBCE]

Witht he man out cold, Ghost drags his body back to the main room.

'He better stay there.'

Ghost head back down the stairs looking for any more skeletons that might have popped up.

"So, did you take care of the bones down here? Find anything interesting while I was dealing with our friend?"

[Dr Archeville]

When Ghost peered down, he could see Belphegor had moved up about halfway back up the stairs. "No, nothing more, but I'm not sure what's beyond those doors. I tried listening, thought I heard a bit of something, but it may just have been some rats. Thought it best to wait on you."

"Find any flashlights up there? No sense in you being at a disadvantage."

Ghost does find several, one on each guard.

[MBCE]

With the flashlights in hand he walks back down the stairs and hands one ot Belphegor.

"I know you don't really need it, but it would help me out a lot. I won'T have my hands free all the time."

Ghost smiled at Belphegor and moved towards the door himself. He took a moment ot exmaine it before listening.

'Hmmm, looks pretty normal. Let's see what I can hear.'

Ghost placed his ear agains the door and listened.

[Dr Archeville]

Listening carefully at the southern door, the one which had been guarded by the six skeletons, Ghost's keen ears detect.... nothing.

His keen eyes survey the rest of the room, and pick up... nothing. Well, nothing except the large pile of broken and burnt bones he and Belphegor had made.

[MBCE]

Ghost shrugged his shoulders before looking at his companion. "Didn'T hear anything on the other side but the skeletons were in front of this door. This could be the way we need to go, but I don't know. Ready to give this way a try?"

Ghost waits a moment as he looks at the southern doors trying to determine if they were locked in some way. He placed his hands upon the doors and took one last look at the edges before opening it slightly.

[Dr Archeville]

There is a very basic lock on the door, but it is one Ghost knows he can easily bypass. He saw no traps on the door, so he undoes the lock and gets ready to open the door.

"I've dealt with mortal treasure-seekers enough," Belphegor said, "to know that a curse on the door -- or guardians at it -- means treasure behind it."

Opening the door slightly, and seeing that nothing is leaping out at him, Ghost shines the flashlight in. Beyond this door is a corridor, about 20 feet long, that turns sharply to the left. He cannot see anything more from where he is now.