Occult Interval 2: Night of Monsters
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the author created characters and concepts. Thanks to Ranger Red 2.3, Mistycharming and SA June for their OC's used in this fic.
As a gust of wind blew away a small pile of leaves that sat upon a path just outside his classroom, Joe observed the new decor that had spread to every room of the school. Fake cobwebs strung across the ceiling, paper ghosts and plastic bats hung overhead whilst large pictures pumpkins had been stuck to the walls.
By the look on his face, he appeared perplexed by the choice of decor and why both Ray and Ellie, who stood in front of his table, appeared to be excited now that the event in question was nearing. Fortunately, Saya who was also stood listening in, shared his expression.
"So from what I gather this is a day that humans like to pretend to be like us, nowadays because it appears to be fun. I don't see the appeal in pretending to be something you're not, after all you'll just be disappointed when you go back to being yourself." Saya deduced before offering her less that understanding opinion.
"I don't think you get it, for people like me especially, it's a time where we can act out our fantasies of being this powerful monster or hero and for most people it's just about having some lighthearted fun." Ray shook his head before Ellie joined in.
"As for us non-humans, it's a great way to let off some steam. See, humans can't tell any that we're not like them, though for a demon or something else that uses their human form to hide, they're not really free. Even I have to mask some of my features. The night's a way for us to be ourselves without drawing too much attention." She elaborated to her comrade who nodded, quickly understanding what she meant.
"When putting it that way, it does sound like it might be fun. I do prefer my human form. Acting and looking like the demon I am though, it's a rare pleasure." The blue ranger added as Joe gave a sigh.
"And here I thought this was just gonna be a normal night. If we don't wanna draw too much attention though, we might as well dress in our ranger suits or something. That's probably pointless though, we're pretty covert around here so I doubt many people would know who we are. As long as you guys don't go crazy at this party the school's throwing, I guess going as yourselves is fine." He replied, doubtful they would keep a low profile.
As he finished his sentence Ray gave a smirk. "Don't think you're getting outta this either Joe, I've had the perfect costume in mind for you for a while now, trust me, you're gonna like it." All Joe could respond with was a short but worried laugh as he looked at his friend and the expression he wore. While the red ranger hoped that the Halloween event would go off without a hitch, a bad feeling settled in his stomach after hearing the plans the rest of his friends had for the day.
[Occult Circle]
Throughout the majority of the school day, the topic of conversation between students had centred around Halloween and the plans each person had. Having gathered in the clubroom once the final bell had rung, the rangers and their allies had been met with a large group of students with tales of eerie locations and places that were hotspots for superstitious lore. Though the chances of these areas being home to any sort of supernatural creature were slim, each was worth investigating at some point.
Having thanked the last student for their information and escorted them out, Max slumped back into the chair he had been sat in, shielding his eyes for a moment from the rays of the setting sun as he adjusted himself in his seat. "Guess Halloween season's our busiest time of the year. Wonder how much of that's true." He said, voicing his thoughts to the others, silently hoping to start a rather seasonal investigation.
Before his words could pique the interest of his comrades, Gabriel spoke up, having heard each of the potential cases from the bookshelf, from which he was still reading a book intently. "It's because of the atmosphere everyone seems to take in around this time of year, they'll believe stories they otherwise wouldn't and they start to wonder if ghosts and ghouls are real. It'd be best if we hold off until the holiday's over, then we won't have to worry about anyone getting caught up in it if the case isn't just superstition. Now about tomorrow, I know most of you will be going as yourselves but don't overdo it, if you're discovered it'll be a problem for everyone. That's all for today, get home and enjoy yourselves." Gabriel warned the group as they began to disperse.
While the rest of the group dispersed, Joe remained seated as he looked over to where Nyssa was adjusting her jacket. "Hey, Nyssa. Could you stay behind for a minute? I've been thinking about something for a while and I want you to start keeping an eye on something for me. It's fine if you don't though, I wouldn't want to if I were you." He began as the Fallen Angel motioned toward his desk.
"This better not be about watching that damn butler for you. I have enough on my shoulders listening to Saya go on about her love life." Nyssa sighed as she leaned on the table, looking the red ranger square in the eyes. "So, am I on the money or are you gonna ask me something ridiculous."
"I think ridiculous covers it, but you'll see." Joe added as he leaned in, whispering some of the details to the Fallen Angel. "I'll let you know the full details later."
"You've gotta be kidding me." She sighed before continuing. "Look, I'll think it over, but no promises, okay?" Nyssa replied, appearing surprised by whatever Joe had tasked her with.
[Occult Circle]
Within the Leviathan household, a rather large home not too far from where Ellie's extended family lived, the girls along with Sakura were talking about the upcoming Halloween event. The house appeared to have an elegance about it that the Leviathan Palace in the Underworld shared. From the deep blue walls to the expensive furniture, it was undoubtedly a place fit for the High demons.
"So you're saying this 'Halloween' is an event where humans dress up as monsters, so that means we can go as ourselves right?" Nyssa summed up her interpretation to which Ellie nodded.
"I wanna do that too, it sounds fun, can I Sis?" Sakura asked in a cheery manner, excited to don her other form in front of unsuspecting humans.
"I don't see why you can't, it should prove interesting. We never really get the chance to wear our demon forms so it'll be a refreshing change too." Saya replied reasonably, allowing her Sister to partake in something which could potentially end in disaster if certain precautions weren't taken.
While they were discussing the event further, Ellie explaining all the small details to the three uninitiated, Matt walked over and placed down a fancy ceramic teacup in front of Saya on the coffee table, the contents of which appeared to be a finely made tea. "Here you are Lady Sayakriel, as you requested. Made from the finest tea leaves made in the Underworld, there is no mortal tea like it."
"Wait, did you have tight pants make a trip to the Underworld just for your preferred tea brand?" Ellie asked, surprised the High demon would abuse her power in such a way.
"Well I'm not going to very well drink human tea, a demon's taste buds are more refined than a human's, most of their tea is awful to me. There was only one instance of me drinking a godly tea from this world though but I can't remember the name of it for the life of me. Either way this is my preferred brand as you said but I'm not ashamed of abusing my station. After all, Matsoudoch is a demon who's always happy to serve." She explained her reasoning with some detail before taking the drink and sipping from it before letting out a content sigh.
"You know the way you act sometimes, you belong in some eighteenth Century British Country club. It's weird because you're Sister seems pretty normal compared to you." Ellie quipped as she leaned back on the couch and placed her legs on the coffee table in front of her.
She was quickly met with a scowl from Matt, who cleared his throat rather aggressively before speaking up. "Please keep your feet off of the table miss, I won't have anyone dirtying this place." In response, Ellie lowered her feet and began to grumble about the butler and his uptight policies.
"I suppose it has to do with our upbringing. Sakura was mainly brought up by our father, the two of them share many traits. While I was brought up by our late mother, a respectable warrior and a ruthless diplomat. I'd assume that's why people see me as cold most of the time, because I act a lot like her. Could we return to the subject at hand now?" She asked as the others around her saw a faint sadness upon bringing the topic up, clearly she wasn't capable of talking about it yet.
Matsoudoch nodded and opened his mouth. "So, this Halloween business is interesting, to go among the humans and terrify them with the visage of a true demon would be delightful. Perhaps I should accompany you, it is a butler's duty after all." He suggested. 'This seems like the perfect chance to outdo the Immortal, perhaps then Lady Saya would see that only a Gentleman such as I is suited for her.' The demonic butler began plotting within his head.
Saya shook her head. "How many times must I explain to you, you're not my servant, you're bound to my Sister. Any orders I give you are of your own free will, if you're seeking permission you have to ask her."
Beside her elder Sister, the young Leviathan giggled. "Saya don't be such a meanie to him, he can come along. But no funny business alright? You're sticking with me just in case anyone tries anything. You remember that my Dad asked you to protect me from humans remember?" She reminded the demon servant as his expression dropped.
"Y-Yes Lady Sakura… I will be your escort tomorrow…" He complied with a depressed tone. 'My plans, ruined in but a few sentences. How humiliating.'
As Matt returned to his duties wallowing in his depression, Sakura turned to her sister and leaned in closely before whispering to her. "Don't worry Saya, I've got your back, I'll keep Matt outta trouble so you can have a good time with Joe. You like him a lot right, so it'd be a shame to see it ruined."
In response Saya sipped from her cup once more and turned her head away. "Sakura, you know I love you as much as a Sister could but please. For the love of Lucifer stay out of my love life."
[Occult Circle]
From the excitement of the previous day, Joe had expected their club activities to be extremely busy and he was right, numerous students had flocked to the club with reports of monsters, ghosts and just about every other supernatural being under the sun. By the time he had finished gathering all the reports, he was exhausted. It hadn't helped that all of his teammates had left early to prepare for the event in the evening.
After making his way back home, the red ranger collapsed onto his bed and gave a yawn. "Damn it, even Ray left me alone to deal with all those students. I might be too tired to even go to this thing." He said aloud before finding a large white box with a note on top of it sitting next to him. "Huh, what's this?" Joe wondered as he sat up and picked up the note to read it.
Sorry I couldn't help you at the club today, had to spend a few hours getting your costume ready. I think I outdid myself with it. Gabriel let me borrow a key in if you're wondering how I managed to get in here. Anyway, just put on the costume and get down to the festival. Oh and when you see Saya, I asked her to chop off your head, so she probably will. Don't worry though it's part of the costume. Seeya there - Ray.
"Cut off my head What the hell? He better have a good reason for this." Joe said, questioning just what his friend was up to and why Saya would agree to cutting off his head without good reason.
Opening the box, Joe found a set of finely made black clothes accompanied by a deep crimson cloak. However, the strangest item of the box was the pumpkin helmet that held a terrifying visage. All Joe could do is scratch his head as he pulled out the contents and began changing.
"He's lucky that I'm not really whatever this is, otherwise I'd probably come from him first." Joe jested as he placed the pumpkin helmet on his head and looked in the mirror. "Yeah, definitely wouldn't want to be the guy this thing is chasing down. You know, this outfit could look really cool if I was holding an axe too. Ah well, it's starting soon, so I better get going." Joe added as he looked his costume up and down one last time before departing.
[Occult Circle]
Having arrived at the open entrance to the school gym, Joe saw that the sky was now dark and it appeared as the festival was underway. Music blared away inside the building and costumed students mingled within. Many were sub-par so it was rather easy to spot his female teammates that had appeared to have gone all out with their 'costumes.' He noticed quickly that the girls had donned their supernatural clothing for the occasion and let their non-human features show. While Nyssa had extended her dark wings, Ellie's wings and fangs showed, her eyes also becoming vampiric, appearing as if she had no plans to hold back her nature in her appearance tonight.
Looking as Saya however, he became surprised. The High demon he knew looked very different from how she usually did. Her skin appeared to be a vibrant blue and her eyes appeared as they did when she was channeling her demonic magic. The biggest feature however was the horns that now extended out from her head. Slender in shape and smooth in texture, curving upwards and pointing to the back of her head. As with the others, she had extended out her demonic wings, though had them folded in for the time being, deciding it would be easier to move this way.
"Saya, that's how you really look then? I didn't recognise you for a second with the horns and everything." He commented, trying to adjust to the different sight.
"Well, this is how I appear as a demon, how I appear as a human is how you see me normally. They're both how I really look, but I understand if you think it's strange." She elaborated to the red ranger.
"Well either way you look pretty good, your horns are nice too, not like how every other demon's are." He commented, the blue ranger blushing slightly because of her current skin pigment however, it only registered as a darker shade of blue, completely concealing the reaction from anyone other than her.
"I-Uh, thank you for the compliment. Most demons have noted me as average in this form, which is why I prefer my human form. It's nice someone can appreciate both sides of me. I guess that makes what I'm about to do a little hard." She thanked him before summoning her cutlass to her side.
Joe's eyes widened as he took a step back and held up his hand in futile defence. "Hold on, Ray was serious about that!? How did he even convince you to cut my head off?"
Saya gave a shrug. "He didn't really convince me, he said he wanted you to be a real 'headless horseman' whatever that is and I owed him a favour. I don't like owing people favours and I know your head can re-attach after it's cut off." She explained before, without warning, she raised her blade and sliced through the Immortal's neck.
Before Joe's now removed head could roll to the floor, he caught it in his hands. At that moment, Ray walked out with a smile on his face, seeing that Joe now looked like a realistic version of the headless horseman. Their human friend appeared to be dressed in a regal red robe, plastic fangs in his mouth and hair slicked back, from anyone's guess he appeared to be dressed as Dracula.
"Wow, if you were on a pale horse, I'd be running in terror right now Joe. Anyway, whatever you do, keep your head in your hands until the party's over, otherwise you won't be really authentic, please buddy?" Ray pleaded before Joe gave a heavy sigh and nodded. "Oh and if anyone asks, tell them your head's hidden in the costume, they'll freak out if they find out you're really headless." Ray added as the group began to walk into the gym to enjoy the festivities.
Looking around, Nyssa saw no sign of Max, which was strange since he enjoyed to socialise more than the rest of their group. Leaning over to Ellie she voiced her thoughts about his absence. "So where's Max gone, you don't think they just let him start running around in the yard all night and he forgot about this do you?"
Ellie promptly pointed upwards several times before speaking. "There's a full moon out tonight. With a big place like this full of people, if he slips up and looks at the moon, we'd have more than a few problems."
Spreading out through the room and splitting up, Ellie motioned over to a large buffet area where she saw a lone Sakura. Walking over to the High demon, she looked a little frightened. "Hey Sakura are you alright? You look kinda down."
"Not really. Matt saw that some of the Teachers decided to bring their children so he went over to terrify them with stories about what happens to bad children that end up in the Underworld. It's not real or anything but he's got most of them crying by now. I just got a bit lost on my own in the crowd that's all, I think it's because he's angry or something that he went off to scare them." She explained, trying to regain her happy attitude to no avail.
"Man, some demons have a real messed up way of relieving stress. Don't worry though, I'll stay with you and we'll have some fun alright?" Ellie said, putting a hand on the younger Leviathan's shoulder, who gave a grateful smile in return.
Meanwhile, in the midst of the dancing, Saya had lured Joe into the mix in an attempt to score some time alone with the Immortal. Unfortunately for her, the song that was currently playing was rather upbeat, her peers slamming into each other energetically. Unwittingly entering what was known as a mosh pit, many of the large male students carelessly slamming into each other without consideration for those around them.
Because of their location, it didn't take long for others to slam into the two. While it was aggravating for Saya to be knocked around by humans, it was worse for Joe. Having managed to keep hold of his head thus far, the students slamming into him repeatedly had caused his grip on his head to loosen, until finally one knock from a large student sent his head flying from his hands and between the feet of those on the dance floor.
"Damn it, I knew something was gonna go wrong. Alright body, come get me." He sighed as his body steadily moved towards his head, his body appearing less stable now it was further away from it.
As the body stumbled through, walking towards his head, the latter was successively kicked further out from the dance floor and away from the body, further destabilising it. "Ouch! Hey, watch where you're putting your feet! Oh come on!" Joe yelled from inside the pumpkin helmet as he felt someone deliberately kick his head, sending it rolling across the floor until it stopped at someone's feet.
The person kneeling down, Joe saw that it was none other than Matsoudoch, who had appeared to have just finished his emotional torture session of the children at the party. "Oh, it's you in there Joseph. I take it this party hasn't been good to you?"
"You could say that, some idiot kicked my head on purpose just now. Hey, could you mind putting my head back on my body?" Joe asked, the demon butler sighed before nodding.
"Someone severed my head once, all part of a joke of course, but a similar situation befell me so I can sympathise." He mentioned to the Immortal as he walked over and placed Joe's head back on his body.
The Immortal gave a sigh of relief and removed his helmet, nodding in thanks. At that moment, Ray jogged over, appearing relieved to see Joe.
"Man I've been looking for you everywhere. But you put your head back on. I was hoping you'd stick it out all night and look really cool in front of everyone." Ray gave a disappointed sigh.
"I lost my head and spend around five minutes chasing after my rolling head. Why wouldn't I put my head on after that." Joe reasoned, Matt finding himself agreeing with the red ranger for once.
"Still, it can't be that hard holding onto your severed head for a while, right?" Ray asked, assured in his head that it wouldn't be a feat too hard to accomplish.
At that, Joe summoned his Infinity saber to his had. "I don't know, why don't you see for yourself." Joe suggested as Ray caught on and began to flee from his immortal friend.
"Come on man! It was just some fun! You know I'm gonna die if you chop off my head right?" Ray begged as he ran around the gym, fleeing from the sword wielding Immortal.
"Yup!" Joe responded, appearing to disregard the repercussions while he was in the moment.
"And you're not gonna stop?" Ray asked, hoping that Joe would see reason, even if he was the cause of Joe temporarily losing his head.
"Nope!" Joe shook his head as he flailed his saber at his friend while he chased him around in circles.
"This isn't how I thought tonight would go!" Ray cried out, the chase not relenting for quite a while.
[Occult Circle]
While the rangers enjoyed the fun of the holiday, down in the Underworld a different set of events were about to be put in motion. Within the Palace of the Phoenix household, King Fiedar brooded upon his throne.
"My boy still hasn't recovered from that damn red ranger assaulting him! I'll have his head! Someone, get out there and make his life a living hell already!" He blared out orders, still infuriated with Joe's actions.
As he spoke, the youngest and only able of his children began walking up the steps to his throne, stopping beside the seat and setting herself down on the arm of the infernal seat. "You know Dad, none of your servants are good enough to take on someone like an Immortal."
Fiedar looked to his daughter, Lelina Phoenix, seeing the fiery look she had in her eyes and knew instantly what the young Phoenix wanted. "Lelina, I'm not allowing you to get involved in this, not yet."
"But Dad, all I want is to get close to that Immortal, I can be very manipulative when I want to be, I might even discover how you can hurt him." Lelina suggested to her father, who listened intently at the prospect, unwittingly being manipulated by his teenage daughter in the process.
"Very well Lelina. Go to the human world and do as you will, soon enough I shall have that Immortal in my grasp and it'll all be thanks to you, my only child worth anything." Fiedar finally submitted as the expression on the younger Phoenix's face lit up.
"Thank you Dad, this'll be a fun distraction from how boring the Underworld is." She laughed innocently as Fiedar revelled in the latest prospect for Joe's downfall…
|Occult Circle|
Demon Biology - Sense of Taste - Compared to a human's taste buds, a demon's are highly developed, able to pick out the taste of individual components to food and drink. Because of this, low quality food and drink are highly sickening to demons. Few human foods and drinks can be seen as appealing by demons because of this. Demons of a higher stature also seem to develop further refinement to their sense of taste, limiting further what foods they may have, demons of this variety usually have a snobbish attitude as a result and are highly critical of what they consume.
That's chapter 20 over with now. A fun little filler just meant to be a laugh at what happens when monsters go to a human halloween. Originally I wanted to include them all in the mishaps, then I realised how impractical it would be having a Werewolf in a crowded area. So it kinda evolved into a fiasco where Joe lost his head, quite literally. Don't worry though, he didn't actually chop Ray's head off in the end. As for Lelina Phoenix, well you'll have to see what I do with her in the next chapter when she arrives. The cases mentioned are also gonna be the starting point of the next key arc, but more on that soon.
So, College is officially over with and I can focus on my writing pretty much completely now. Though I am moving too so I might be busy from time to time. My aim is to definitely get Mythos finished but I've got a few other chapters for other series in the works while I'm at that.
The next 2 arcs are gonna be intertwined though, happening roughly at the same time and I'll be alternating their release. One will be focusing on encounters with supernatural beings while the other focuses on encounters with what I'd class as supernatural beasts. So that all said, until next time.
Next Chapter: Occult Encounters: Magia
Synopsis: Following a lead from Halloween, the rangers go searching for a textbook Witch, but what they find is far from what they were expecting. Though when the Abyssal Cult also arrive unexpectedly with Eligor at it's command, the rangers must fight against one of their toughest opponents yet. Next time on Power Rangers: Occult Circle