So...who's ready to meet the REAL Ghost Host?
Luz was positive her jaw had fallen somewhere on the floor when it dropped open. Maybe Amity could find it for her and push it back into place? It was a little hard to tell just what muscles were working and which ones were not. Only two facts were registering in her brain at the moment: one, that she and her friends were still alive and had not been mauled to death, yet, by Damien and his psychotic three-headed palisman; two, she was holding Amity in her arms, who had just confessed she had feelings for her; and three, oh, there was a third, the Ghost Host was back. Staring down at the familiar shadow on the floor, Luz was as excited as she was terrified to see the phantasmic being that had been their guide for most of the night, but was also the very creature that could steal their precious life energy from them in a heartbeat. In all honesty, Luz was not sure who to be more afraid of at the moment, but if she had to choose, it would be the Ghost Host. Strangely enough, it was not her friends the Ghost Host was looking at, but Damien. Arms crossed over its chest, the fiery-shadow rotated its glowing gold and red eyes to fix on the necromancer and let out a low snarl that sent goosebumps prickling up Luz's arms.
"Damien Pluto, how absolutely...thrilling to see you you did not hesitate to attack these poor witchlings and drain them of their blood. Tell me, have you enjoyed your time in Pandor Mansion's purgatory?"
From across the room, Basker growled and advanced on the shadow, but stopped when Damien rested his hand on the main head. "So, you're the Ghost Host I've heard about. I must admit I was not expecting you to look so...flat. I thought Astor Pandor summoned the mighty Nowhere Demon, not some," He flicked the tip of his cane at the Ghost Host's head. "Talking smokestack. How could a creature like you possibly maintain order within Pandor Mansion?"
"Oh, my dear Damien, you have it all wrong. You see," The shadow stretched along the floor to circle around him, its tail maintaining a perimeter around Luz and her friends. Feeling Amity wrap a hand around her arm, Luz pulled her tighter to her chest as they watched the Ghost Host with uncertainty. "I am the Nowhere Demon. I have been ever since the day Astor opened that portal to the darkest depths of the Chaos Realm. The very spectre feared by witches, demons, and ghosts alike. Capable of draining the life of even those who have passed on, but yet to cross over, being one of the few creatures that can bring death to the dead. Blah, blah, blah." The snarl in the Ghost Host's tone made Luz pull Amity even closer, though she noticed Damien tighten his grip on his cane.
"Impressive talk for the one who murdered me in cold blood with an axe. Don't think I didn't tell your precious little cluster of would-be heroes about what you did." Damien stared haughtily down at the shadow. "Yes, I drank the blood of the green-haired witchling to regain my magic, but from what I can tell, you're merely at a fraction of the powers a true Nowhere Demon would possess. Threaten me all you want, but if all that you are is a shadow of yourself, then," Lifting his hand, Damien traced a spell circle in the air and held it in his palm. "You have no way of stopping me from ending this curse and riding the Isles of this miserable house."
"Ah, ah, ah, you're forgetting something very important here, Damien," The Ghost Host pulled back to rest in front of Team Owlet. "You see, a long time ago, I learned that there will always be another way out of a situation. From there I decided that that way would be MY way, and so, I began to keep an open mind and look for every single angle best fit to my advantage. That is why I am the Ghost Host of this mansion, why I am caretaker to the happy haunts, and why I will make sure that you pay for what you have done to these kids."
The shadows rippling along the Ghost Host's visage flared and shot off, climbing up the floor and walls to mold themselves into individual creatures of varying shapes and sizes; from humanoid to draconic to beastial, they all whispered with voices like wind as they leered down at the living and undead occupants of the room. Daimen slowly spun in a circle to take in the surrounding shadows as did Team Owlet, quickly brandishing whatever spells they still had the strength to create. The circle around them shifted as the Ghost Host rotated to look at them, its glowing eyes locking with Luz's before tracing over the rest of her friends, holding when they focused on Amity's bleeding shoulder.
"For such a powerful demon," Damien said, ignoring the shadows hissing all around him. "You seem to be taking quite a lot of this personally. I did not realize a Greater Demon, even a soulless one like you, would care so much for a small group of insignificant witchlings, all for breaking one measly curse. Why?"
Chuckling, the Ghost Host did not turn around, only stared up at Luz. "It's actually quite simple my dear Damien," the shadowy mouth slid open in a sardonic smile. "After all, you killed me first."
Damien stared at the massive silhouette in comprehension that slowly changed to realization, and in turn became shock, as the Ghost Host finally turned its gaze onto him.
"I'm the one you pushed through the portal."
Even Basker took a step back, growl faltering, and Damien's eyes widened. "Mezzanotte?"
All the feeling went away in Luz' s hands and Rex hit the dance floor in a loud clatter, but the staff might as well have landed on a feather pillow, she didn't hear it. It was as if the events of the entire night were playing back in her mind at breakneck speed, yet she was able to see every single one of them. The knowledge of the Pandor family, their wish Luz take Rex for protection, the longing to make right what had been done wrong to Emilia and Chiaro. Even the way the Ghost Host led them throughout the mansion and seemed to command the room they entered as if they owned it, it all made sense.
"But," Amity stared at the shadow. "You - when I asked you earlier if you were Mezzanotte, you said you weren't her."
"That's because you did not ask the question in the correct manner, my dear. You asked me if I am Mezzanotte, you did not ask if I was Mezzanotte. Present tense, not past."
Luz bit her lip at the annoyed look on Amity's face and gave her a soft squeeze. "Why didn't you tell us? Why lie about who you are?"
"Because, even though Mezzanotte is who I was when I was alive," The Ghost Host/Mezzanotte sighed, lowering their head. "The day I went through that portal, I would never exist as Mezzanotte again." Snarling now, Ghost Host opened their wings and the shadows whispered. "That day, when Astor Pandor was to cast the summoning spell and call upon the Nowhere Demon, I knew something was wrong. I knew the facts of Chiaro's murder did not make sense, a shoggoth would never be caught above ground outside of the family crypt. I knew Damien was responsible in some manner, but I also knew he had leverage over me with the family, so I bided my time. Sadly, I waited too long and was found out, for when the spell was cast, Damien shoved me into the portal before the Nowhere Demon could enter our dimension.
I floated through that world of shadow and darkness, unable to tell how much time had passed, where up was from down, or even to know if I was moving. Countless demons bleed their way through the portal into the mansion, destroying all they touched. It felt like an eternity later, but in truth it was no more than a few minutes, before the Nowhere Demon found me within that dimension. The sacrificial life force, that' s what I was to become. I do not know if Damien and Astor agreed on it or if it was something they chose spur of the moment, but that was the purpose I was meant to serve. However," the shadowy fangs separated in a wicked grin. "I was not without preparation. I created the formula we were planning to use, the one that would bind the soul of a witch with the body of a demon, so I knew I could use this to my advantage. The Nowhere Demon was intrigued by my formula and offered a trade: I could have all of its power, its form, its command of the shadows, but in exchange, I would need to give it everything that made me Mezzanotte. My identity would be no more, and I would be bound to the mansion forever. I would retain my memories, but Mezzanotte would be gone. At the time, it seemed a trivial price to pay for revenge, and so I accepted the deal."
A peal of thunder rolled through the ballroom followed by a flash of lighting that, for a brief moment, turned the Ghost Host's form invisible in the light.
"When I returned to this world, I could not remember my transformation or where my witch magic had gone, only that I had agreed to sell my identity and soul to the Nowhere Demon. And I was...hungry. Fortunately for me, but not so much for him, Astor Pandor was the first available living being I found. He had been holding the shadows at bay and thought he could imprint his will onto me to stop the spread of the curse. If only he knew my will was my own." Closing its eyes, the Ghost Host shook its head at the memories. "I am not proud for giving in to the dark impulses that overtook me, but, when I knew that consuming the life force of Astor and Ophelia Pandor meant they would never be able to pass to the afterlife, that they would know only oblivion, after all they had done to Chiaro and Emilia...well…" It shrugged. "It was quick work with the strength and powers I now possessed. Oh, magic could hurt me, silver weapons could delay me, but all I had to do was drain the life force of the one attacking me and all of their efforts would go away. When I found Damien, he was trying to flee the grounds. He had taken Chiaro's axe and journal when I went through the portal, no doubt hoping the blade would protect him from whatever nightmare came back out. We fought all throughout the mansion, only Chiaro's axe and his magic to keep me at bay. He didn't know who I was and at the time, I could hardly remember myself. But, never forget that hell hath no fury like a witch scorned."
Swallowing, Luz had not realized she was trembling until Amity gave her arm a gentle squeeze.
"I could have drained his life force just as I had the rest of the Pandor family, but then I realized something. Why give him the same freedom as the others when it was his responsibility for what had happened? Why allow the murderer to escape when it only seemed fair he remained a prisoner just like me? Silver cannot harm ghosts, but it can trap them, which is why-"
"You impaled him to the floor with the axe," Boscha whispered. "But, you sent us there to free him? Why didn't you tell us?"
"Because my dear, this mansion would forever be tainted by his stain and prevent the curse from being broken. Because of the curse, I could not remove Chiaro's journal, so I planted the pumpkin king to guard it until the time was right." Sighing, the Ghost Host looked up at Team Owlet with what Luz could only describe as remorse. "I am not proud of what I have done, who I became. I will not justify my actions for they were mine and I chose to act as I did with my newfound power. When the curse finally set in, I realized the happy haunts trapped with me needed someone to protect them, someone to help guide them and keep them safe, maintain order to the purgatory that was now their life. I started to resist the urge to drain the life force of others and because of that, I began to lose my shape. Soon, I was nothing more than the literal shadow of my former self, the memories of who I once was plaguing me with longing and regret. But, I knew that for as long as this curse remained, so would the poor unfortunate souls held here against their will. The curse limited my abilities just enough so that I could not break it, but that did not mean I couldn't learn about it."
"That's how you came up with the riddle for the curse." Skara said. "So that when someone who could solve it came along, you could tell them what to do."
"Indeed. To break the curse, two individuals who matched the souls of Chiaro and Emilia would need to find the palisman of Emilia, free Chiaro's axe and journal, and of course, the ring."
"Ring?" Luz's eyes widened and she looked at Amity. "See? See? I was right! It was an engagement ring we had to find!"
"Only one problem," Amity frowned. "Where is it?"
"Oh, you mean this ring?"
Everyone looked up to see a thin chain dangling from Damien's hand, a small, simple golden ring winking from the end. Clicking his tongue, the necromancer flipped the chain up and caught the ring in his hand to hold up to his eye. "Pity that all those savings Chiaro had could buy something so meager and pathetic as a tiny little band of gold. Oh well," Tucking it into his vest, Daimen smiled at the team. "Waste not, want not."
"Hand that over, now."
Damien raised an eyebrow at the Ghost Host and laughed. "What are you going to do, Mezzanotte? Turn off the lights so I'll be afraid of the dark? Wail a ghostly wail in my ears? Jump out from behind the corners and shout 'boo!'? You're nothing but the same bleeding heart, overly-confident, headstrong, know-it-all witch who thought she could protect a feeble human from our world. That human," he sneered. "Was the stain on this world, not me! Weak, pathetic, unimaginative creatures that can't perform magic who have no business associating with the likes of us. A human and a witch together? Don't make me laugh."
Ghost Host roared at the witch and he lifted his cane, drawing a spell circle that ignited in a ball of burning red flames.
"Hey, Damien! Here's a chuckle for you!"
He looked up in confusion and was met with a blast of swirling purple light that sent him flying into Basker's side, the spell circle in his hand dissipating. Ghost Host whirled around to see Luz standing tall and holding Rex before her in one hand with her other arm wrapped around Amity to keep her up. Behind them, Willow, Gus, and Skara all cupped spell circles in their palms while Boscha casually rested the axe on her shoulder. Even King looked ready for a fight, Artemis standing before him, eyes blazing with magic.
"You all look like death warmed over."
"Well, excuse us for not looking pretty after running from zombies, shoggoths, and a giant demon statue. Oh wait," King glared at the Ghost Host. "That last one was you."
The Ghost Host cleared their throat. "Yes, terribly sorry for that. I was being honest when I told you the curse limited me from entering the crypt. The statue was the only loophole I could find, something for me to possess. Unfortunately, it was not that easy to control to crush those pesky corpses. Speaking of which,"
A low groan filled the air and the members of Team Owlet looked up to see six zombies climb from red circles that appeared along the floor, their eyes glowing the same color as Daimen's magic. Holding a circle aloft in his hand, the necromancer stared at the group, his eyes glowing as well, and set the tip of his cane on the floor.
"I'm done playing games with witchlings and shadows. Basker!" The hound at his side growled eagerly. "Go fetch."
Luz's eyes widened as the hound bounded towards them and, swinging Rex in front of Amity, kicked at the staff with her heel. "Scatter!" The duo shot straight up into the air as the rest of Team Owlet sprang from each other to avoid the massive hound barreling straight at them. The room trembled slightly when Basker's heads careened into the wall and a tall vase fell to the side, smashing into pieces.
"Oh dear, there goes one of Ophelia's prized urns." The Ghost Host sighed. "Whatever shall I do?"
"Help us?" Gus yelped, ducking under a zombie's hands and clutching Madame Leota to his chest.
The oracle cried out when her orb slipped. "Watch it, will ya? I'm not a bouncy ball!"
"Right, I could help." The Ghost Host bolted along the floor towards the nearest zombie and dove into its shadow like it was a pool. The corpse's body seized up, its head jerking back in a sickening angle, and black and green flames erupted from its chest that quickly consumed it, leaving nothing but ash. The Ghost Host slid out from beneath the pile and shook their head. "Titan, that was not appetizing."
Rolling her eyes, Luz held tight to Rex as she flew across the room, keeping her arms around Amity like a shield. The heightened ceiling of the ballroom gave them some space to move, but only enough to escape the zombies. Barking came from the side and she turned her head to see Basker charging up the spiral walkway, all three pairs of eyes locked on them. Quickly, Luz turned Rex away and shot forward, but a blast of magic from Damien made her flinch back, and her grip on the staff slipped.
"Luz!" Amity screamed as she felt her arms pull back and spun around in a desperate attempt to catch the human just as Basker launched off the platform.
Either it was pure dumb luck or wack planning on her part, but Luz felt her fingers close around the metal of a nearby chandelier, and she held on. Her heart dropped into her stomach as Amity teetered off the staff caught by Basker's swinging claws and she reached out, wincing as she grasped hold of Amity's injured arm and pulled her up. Rex and Basker plummeted to the floor, the hound crashing through the fine dance space. For a moment, Rex darted up as if to rush to Luz, but one of Basker's jaws snatched the staff from the air.
Hissing, the Ghost Host shot to the members of Team Owlet and swirled around them. "They're not going to last long if we don't act fast. I swore to you all I would never force this upon you, but, I need to ask for you to share with me a drop of your blood."
"What?!" The team yelped.
"I can't use my powers if I don't have a corporeal body. It's the only way we can defeat Damien and save your friends!"
From the chandelier above, Luz did her best to focus on keeping her fingers wrapped around the looping enamel and not on dangling a hundred feet in the air. Hearing Amty whimper beside her, she looked at the witch and tried her best to smile.
"Amity, Amity, look at me. We're going to be okay, got it? We're getting out of this alive. I promise."
Snarling, the Ghost Host looked back to the witchlings. "Please. I wish it did not come to this, but this is what must be done! You have no reason to trust me, and I know I've done wrong in the past, but I swear, I will do everything to keep you all safe!"
Team Owlet looked at each other, their eyes full of conflicting emotions. Groaning, Boscha walked to the shadows and sighed. "If you try to take my life force, I'll destroy you." She lifted her hand to the axe blade and, gritting her teeth, sliced it along her palm before handing it to Willow. "What's a matter, Half-A-Witch? Scared?"
Taking the axe, Willow frowned at Boscha. "I'm not half-a-witch, I'm a full witch!" And ran her hand across the blade.
Up above, Luz felt her fingers grow sweaty and hissed as she tried to tighten her hold, feeling the muscles in her arms shaking. If this was how she felt after carrying Amity around for so long, she couldn't even imagine how Amity felt with her shoulder. Suddenly, the rod she was holding on cracked and jabbed her palm, causing her hands to slip from the metal and the chandelier pitched to the side, jolting the girls as it swung. For one sickening second, Luz met Amity's eyes and saw her hands loosen from their hold. Then, everything caught up with them, and she watched Amity tumble to the floor below.
"AMITY!" Before she could even think, Luz let go and plunged after the witchling, reaching out for her as if taking her hands would somehow save them from being smashed into pancakes. Feeling Amity's fingers brush against hers, Luz yanked her to her chest and instinctively curled around her, shutting her eyes to prepare for impact. She felt the air rushing up around them, and then, something else was there that surrounded them. Something...warm? Luz felt their bodies hit the floor and bounce a couple times before skidding to a halt. There was the muffled sound of an explosion, but whatever was protecting them shielded them from the impact.
"I believe you may open your eyes now."
Peeling one eyelid open, Luz saw she was still alive and in one piece, or so she thought, sitting on the floor of the ballroom. Amity was no longer in her arms, but she could see her just across from her, her eyes shut tight. Behind her was something that looked like a curtain, a black feathered curtain that flexed out ever so slightly. Their arms were wrapped around what felt like a lean, well-muscled torso that was humming with a deep purr that vibrated through Luz's chest. Hugging the girls was a pair of strong arms that held onto them tightly, but not so much so that it was constricting. Both eyes now open, Luz slowly lifted her head to be greeted by a glowing gold and red gaze, sharp curling horns and a fanged smirk.
"G-Ghost Host?!"
Amity's eyes snapped open and she gaped up at the grinning demon.
"Yes, tesoro, I'm here." A ball of rust-colored flames exploded against a wall of shimmering green energy that sprang up from behind the Ghost Host's back, though it did not keep Luz and Amity from clinging to their waist. "Hmph, persistent little bugger, isn't he? Don't worry, my friends from the other side will keep him busy while I tend to you lot. But first, hold on."
Luz felt the Ghost Host's arm tighten against her as wind rose up around them and they pitched forward into darkness. It was like flying on a staff, but Luz could not see anything, only feel the Ghost Host holding onto her and Amity's fingers brushing against hers. Suddenly, the Ghost Host rose up to breach the surrounding darkness and Luz found they were now standing with their friends. What looked like shadows were swirling around them in a vortex that tossed back any zombie that got too close. When Luz looked to see where Damien was, she saw a group of creatures that appeared much like the Ghost Host, but smaller, trying to block him with bodies made of shadow. The necromancer and his palisman tore through the wispy figures only for them to quickly reform in a different spot, taunting Damien with their laughter.
"Those are your friends?" She yelped.
The Ghost Host shrugged, sending a plume of darkness rolling off their wings. "When you're a Greater Demon, you take what allies you can find. They may not be the prettiest to look at, but they are loyal and respect my orders. Now, let's take a look at that arm." Gingerly, the Ghost Host took Amity's hand and leaned over to study the bleeding wound, brushing aside the tattered remains of her sleeve with slender clawed fingers.
"Luz!"
The human turned around and was tackled in a bear-hug by Willow and Gus, while King wrapped his arms around her leg.
"Are you okay?" Willow pulled back to look over her friend.
"I...think so...what happened to the Ghost Host?" She looked at the demon hunched over Amity. "It - they - she? Looks different."
When the Ghost Host had taken form during the Bewitching Hour, its body had looked like nothing but a walking shadow that somehow found a way to leave the ground. The figure standing in front of her was much more than that; skin, muscles, and feathery wings, it was an actual living thing. Or, undead, but they felt warm when Luz had held onto them, so, did that mean it - they? - was alive in some way? The shadows that covered the body still made a fiery silhouette, but they now had the effect of fog spilling over from dry ice. Their horns reflected the lights of the ballroom, throwing the reflections off the curling surface while the wiry tail whipped along the floor, it's jagged tip scraping the wood. Their eyes no longer looked like two glowing masses of light, they were legitimate roving orbs that took in every single detail of the injury done to Amity's arm. When the Ghost Host growled, Luz could see their throat vibrate from the guttural sound.
"How much blood did he take from you?"
Amity shook her head. "I don't know,"
"Clearly enough to return to full power." The Ghost Host's eyes tightened with barely concealed rage as they looked from Amity to Luz and back. "I'm going to need you two to trust me with what I'm about to say. There's not much time," To emphasize the point, a ray of Damien's magic crashed against the vortex, making the Ghost Host glance up in annoyance. "I can heal you, all of you, but I'm going to need a drop of blood from the two of you to cast the spell. Your friends have already given theirs, but for my power to be strong enough, I'll need yours too."
It was then Luz saw each of her friends holding one hand palm up that sported a thin cut in the flesh, even King had a tiny red line on one paw. Luz met Amity's eyes and saw the unspoken answer in them. She was terrified, but a fire burned in the amber that set Luz's blood boiling, just like when Belos had taken Eda from her to be petrified. One way or another, this needed to end, and if all that was needed was a drop of blood, then so be it.
"Okay," Luz held up her palm for the Ghost Host to see the jagged cut across the skin. "If that's what it takes."
Silently, the Ghost Host reached over and wrapped their long fingers around Luz's hand, their eyes never leaving her face. She felt a gentle squeeze and they pulled back, a crimson smear painting their fingers, and did the same with Amity's shoulder. Seeing her wince from the pain nearly sent Luz rushing over, but the Ghost Host released her and carefully pushed against Amity's back so she was beside Luz.
"Everyone, please gather together, we must move quickly." Another ray of magic hit the vortex and Luz saw the Ghost Host flinch. Placing their palms together, the demon closed their eyes and the shadows dancing along their body stilled. Suddenly, the sound of crackling electricity filled the air as a vibrant green energy flared out from their hands and traveled down their arms to their shoulders and spread along their wings. The Ghost Host's eyes snapped open, blazing with light, and began to trace a massive circle in front of the group. Connecting the glowing line, the Ghost Host grasped the circle like a steering wheel and thrust it forward to encompass the group.
Luz yelped as warm air rushed all over her body and felt every single cut, bruise, and throbbing muscle, wash away. A brief pleasant sting, like the feeling of disinfectant on a paper cut, pricked at the scuff on her cheek and the puncture in her hand. When she blinked and looked down, she saw only the light, puckering skin of a fresh scar, and that was not all. The exhaustion from running, the need to catch her breath, was gone too. She felt rested, full of energy, and ready to fight. Turning to look at Amity, her jaw dropped at the sight of her completely healed shoulder, sporting a scar beneath the shredded sleeve. A chirp came from the floor and Artemis leapt into Amity's arms, nuzzling her chin.
The Ghost Host hummed thoughtfully. "Something is missing...ah!" They snapped their fingers and from across the room, Luz heard Basker yelp. Rex whizzed through the vortex and into the Ghost's Host's fingers. "Here we go," the demon handed the staff to her. "Now, let's bring this curse to an end." The vortex dropped to the floor and the Ghost Host turned on their heel to where Damien stood, two massive spell circles open behind him and a horde of zombies shambling out. Red light spilled from the witch's eyes as he held his hands out from his sides, Basker circling around to stand behind him.
"Alright, Mezzanotte," he growled. "Let's see just what the Nowhere Demon can do."
Chuckling, the Ghost Host lifted a hand and a circle of green light swirled over it. "Mezzanotte is dead. I am your host," Hand fisting around the magic, the Ghost Host dropped to a knee and slapped the ground, fingers splaying out to release the magical energy contained within. Slowly, the demon stood as they kept their hand open, and a long obsidian rod sprouted up and rose between their fingers. Snatching the staff from where it hovered, the Ghost Host spun it experimentally in their hand and rested it on their shoulder. "Your Ghost Host."
If Damien was intimidated by the display of magic, Luz guessed he was doing a very good job hiding it, and she tightened her grip on Rex. She was ready to make this jerk, this pendejo, pay for everything he had done. As if he were reading her thoughts, Damien's eyes slid to hers, narrowed for a moment, then flared with a sudden anger that set her on edge.
"...human…"
The Ghost Host, Luz, and Amity froze, as did the rest of Team Owlet, and she slowly reached up to touch her exposed ears. Somewhere during the tumble, her hoodie must have fallen. Damien stared at her in open shock that slowly simmered into a dark, murderous rage that made her want to hide behind the towering shadow demon like a child cowering behind its mother.
"Well, well, well, it all makes sense now. A Blight daughter and a human girl...quite the scandal." Damien's lips curled up into a grin that was just as demonic as the creature standing at Luz's side. "I'll admit, I thought it was simply a doomed pinning of young hearts in a forbidden affair. But, a human girl? That's why you've been protecting them this whole time."
"Be quiet, Pluto."
Undeterred, Damien laughed and took a step forward. "You want them to be the vessels for Emilia and Chiaro souls to cross over. 'Two hearts for two souls, love given new life. The willing shall dance by the end of the night'. Two puppets for the master to pull the strings. You see?" He pointed his cane at the Ghost Host, looking at Luz. "From the very start, your precious 'Ghost Host' has been lying to you! It never cared for you or your friends! It only did what was required to get you to where it needed to be, then use you for two trapped souls, all so it could be free of its guilt. Pathetic."
Luz stared up at the Ghost Host, but they looked away. Her heart jolted at the sorrow tugging at those glowing eyes, the way they clenched the staff in their hand, how their wings slipped down to touch the floor. Feeling a hand slide into hers, Luz turned her head to see Amity looking at her with that half-smile that made her heart bounce around and her stomach quiver. Nodding, Luz smiled back and, leaning Rex against her chest, reached up and took hold of the Ghost Host's hand. The demon jolted and looked down at her in surprise as she closed her much-smaller fingers around the larger ones, and smiled up at them. Feeling Amity tug at her arm, she watched the witch take a step forward and glare at Damien.
"Well, if that's what it takes to break this curse, then fine by me!" Luz felt the satisfaction of seeing him blink in surprise at Amity's words and could not help but smile. "You don't care about anyone or anything but yourself! Ghost Host? They care about everyone! That's why this mansion is still standing, why all the happy haunts here are happy, and why we're still alive! Mezzanotte gave up her identity and her chance at crossing over just so someone would be around to keep the souls here safe and end this curse! So, if there is anyone here who should be called pathetic, it's you!"
Damien's mouth opened and closed as he struggled to find a response. Snickering, the Ghost Host slowly clapped and grinned proudly at Amity while Willow, Gus, Boacha, and Skara all cheered. Even Madame Leota nodded her head, a half-smirk tugging at her lips. Luz smiled widely and pulled Amity to her side, her nose brushing the pointed tip of her ear.
"Couldn't have said it better myself, mi amor." Pressing her lips to Amity's cheek, Luz giggled at the blush burning across her face and turned her gaze to Damien, setting Rex's staff upright. "And that's why Team Owlet is going to beat you and this curse once and for all! Oh, and those things you were saying about humans? Yeah, we can't do magic like witches or demons, but there is one thing we can do that you can't!"
Damien raised his eyebrows doubtfully. "And just what is that?"
Grinning, Luz handed Rex to a slightly-confused Amity and turned so her back was to the necromancer. "This!" She spun around, her eyelids flipped inside out, and pushed them up and down with her fingers. "Bleep, bloop, bleep!"
The Ghost Host stared at her, for the first time ever looking completely caught off-guard, and glanced at Amity. "Don't let go of her, please?"
Eyes wide with rage, Damien roared and slammed his cane to the floor, signaling the zombies to attack. As one, the corpses moaned and lumbered towards Team Owlet, arms raised and limp fingers grasping at the air. A deep chuckle rumbled in the Ghost Host's chest as they hoisted their staff up and flipped it in their hands.
"What do you say 'Team Owlet'? Shall we show this necromancer what happens when he challenges five witchlings, one human, an oracle, and two demons?"
"I say, chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarge!" King bellowed, barreling straight at the zombies with his paws raised overhead.
"King!" Luz yelped, running after the tiny demon and stradling Rex mid-leap to take flight.
Amity sighed and traced a spell in the air. "Abomination, rise!" The purple gollum pulled itself up from the floor with a gurgling moan and looked to her for orders. "Abomination," hearing Luz's battle cry, Amity shook her head. "Save Luz and King."
Head falling back as they laughed deeply, the Ghost Host lifted their staff and stared at Damien from across the growing mass of zombies. "Time for some fun." Body disintegrating in a blur of shadow, the Ghost Host slithered beneath the shuffling feet of the undead and rose up to loom over Damien from the side. The necromancer spun around and the Ghost Host lifted their staff over their head before bringing it down. The magical staves met in a clash of magic, filling the room with a clap of thunder, and Damien stumbled back, trying to gather his bearings as the Ghost Host shot around him, ready to swing their staff his legs. Just barely catching them, Damien brought his cane up to stop the blow. Growling, he shoved the Ghost Host away and, drawing a spell circle, sent a charge of lightning that struck them square in the chest.
Hissing as they skidded back, the Ghost Host studied him from beneath half-lidded eyes, their weight swaying side to side. Smoke spilled from the dark tear over their chest where the magic had hit and the skin began to knit together. "Not bad, for a corpse raiser. Now, it's my turn." Green magic bled from the ends of the onyx-black staff to shape into two stiletto blades that flashed as the Ghost Host spun it like a windmill, creating a twister of light that spiraled out and rammed into Damien's cane when his raised it for a shield. The witch grunted as it lifted him off the floor and a gigantic hand made of shadow shot out from the wall to grab hold and toss him back down. Managing to summon a spell before he hit the ground, Damien fell through the glowing circle and reappeared a few feet away. Realizing his opponent had vanished, he spun around to search for the towering demon.
Slowly, the Ghost Host rose up from behind, leaning in so their mouth was next to his ear and grinned.
"Boo."
Hope you guys didn't mind this being a Ghost Host heavy chapter...an OC taking the spotlight is risky and I tend to avoid because it takes the attention away from our main characters. That being said, I hope you all liked it, because it's thanks to you guys GH is who they are now.
Speaking of which, there are those of you who knew it all along who GH was, and you know who you are. I tried to shake you off the trail, but you were just too dang smart! Okay, I'm done rambling. If you like this, please also check out my other story, The Owl's Apprentice, and I'll see you soon! Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!