A status quo began to settle in for Vlad's life. There was an odd conflict in business here, a banquet with the Family there, and a visit to the Order's sanctuary now and again, but for the longest time, a daily routine and luxurious ease went over his existence. It started with just a few days, and soon this status quo stretched into weeks. Those weeks turned into months, and those months turned into years. Fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh anniversaries of the accident all passed on by in this long-lasting routine. But those casual years were far from being unproductive.
Katou and Vlad were now very much at odds with each other. Tensions between them were so thick that it was almost possible to see and feel it. Their daily sessions now became weekly. With all that Vlad had to do in the real-world these days that was a practical decision, but beyond all that, Vlad just couldn't stand to be in the presence of that self-righteous, foolish, idiotic, suspicious old fool every night of his life anymore. It was sickening and dangerous all at once. And, while he would never openly show nor admit to it, Katou seemed a bit relieved at the cutback himself. Whether the samurai would openly say it or not, Vlad knew what he thought about Guyart's death. He could tell. Katou now rarely spoke to him at all. He was never rude or disrespectful, but he seemed to go out of his way to avoid conversation. Not that Vlad had any complaints about that. It saved him all the bushido sermons and chivalrous nonsense. In any event, he didn't expect this to last forever. With all that was going on between them, he was now convinced that the samurai had to go. He wasn't safe anymore. He knew too much and his suspicions were far too close to what he didn't know. But that would have to wait for another day – he still couldn't defeat the samurai. His skills were improving, most certainly. He had learned how to create things such as paddles, swords, and solid walls out of spectral energy. He had learned how to fire attacks varying in power, so that they were never purely blue or green, but closer to an aqua colour and perfect for quick attacks when low on energy. He had learned how to catch an opponent's energy blast and fire it back at them. And his basic power and control was ever on the expanse. But Katou was still holding back for a fair fight, and he always emerged the victor. So for the moment, Vlad had no choice but to keep their awkward, apprehensive relationship alive. He wasn't going to learn how to defeat the samurai from anyone else. And besides, he still needed the Order.
Despite all that he had to do with the Family, his business with Yensid/Dalv Corp, and his relationship with Katou on the edge, Vlad had kept up his research on the legend of the Skeleton Key. The Order's records and their maps of The Ghost Zone proved invaluable in that quest. He still had not found the key's exact location, nor did he have the time to go look for it. But he had deduced much. He now knew that the key was sealed in a glass case and guarded by a behemoth. But the Order's records led him to stumble upon two more legends tied in with the lost key, and these proved all the more inciting. First, there was the legend of the Fright Knight, which he knew about from his mythology research in college. The spirit of Halloween, his dreaded sword the Soul Shredder would send anyone to a dimension of their worst nightmare. The only way to defeat him was to sheath his sword within a nearby pumpkin and recite an incantation. Vlad had begun to track down his lair thanks to the Order's map, though he hadn't pinpointed the location. He was intrigued with this legend. A ghost such as this would be easy to control with such a simple weakness and could prove an invaluable ally. But there was a third legend, albeit one that involved both the Skeleton Key and the Fright Knight. Before being sealed within his castle, the Knight had served as the loyal servant of Lord Pariah Dark, the King of all Ghosts.
The Ghost King's legend stretched back before the time of the Order. An all-powerful warrior sage, Pariah had mastered the powers of the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire. Two uncontrollable sources of spectral energy, when combined, they granted the wearer power unimaginable. And Pariah used that power to rule over The Ghost Zone with an iron fist. In a final effort to defeat him, six ancient ghosts who would later pass the legend on to the Order banded together and confronted the sovereign in a last assault. They eventually managed to stop both Pariah and his minions. They sealed the Fright Knight on his throne, and they revealed Pariah of his ring, so that if he were ever awakened, he could not work the crown without it. The Ghost King was placed inside the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep and sealed with the Skeleton Key. To prevent Pariah from ever awakening, the ancients hid the key, destroyed any maps that lead to its precise location, and placed the behemoth there to guard it.
The lair that Pariah and his knight were concealed in was known as Pariah's Keep. It was on the outer rim of the Order's territory, an area so barren and ruined that hardly any subjects lived there and that the Family did not do business there. As it fell under the Order's jurisdiction, it was decreed that the castle should never be disturbed. It was the one thing that the Order, the Family, and Walker all agreed on. The very mention of Pariah's name seemed to bring fear to all within The Ghost Zone. Even Vlad felt himself humbled by the power of this legendary figure. He had no interests in trying to awake The Ghost King. But the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire proved irresistibly inciting. Power unimaginable bestowed upon the wearer of both…it didn't seem real. Once he hit upon the legend, it became a high priority of his to learn as much as he could about it. He read about it. He listened to stories about it. He dreamt about it. He could see himself wearing the crown and ring, a vast army at his disposal. The Order and the Family were out of the way. Dalv Corp was reigning supreme on the business front. He was owner of the Green Bay Packers. He had no desire to rule the world or The Ghost Zone – especially when he could buy anyone that he needed – but he had all that he wanted. And Maddie was always by his side in these dreams, and there was a tombstone that read "Here lies Jack Fenton."
As he poured over the Order's legends and maps to find the key, crown, and ring, Vlad also was kept busy with the Family. He was beginning to sense that he was losing trust in certain circles of the mob. Tony especially seemed not to trust him. Ever since the Guyart incident, Tony always seemed twice as jittery as was typical of him every time Vlad was around. Anytime Vlad needed something from the Family that fell under Tony's jurisdiction, his requests were always denied. Whenever Vlad was invited along to one of the Family's banquets or business dealings, Tony sat as far away from Vlad as the table and seating would permit. And he always seemed to keep one eye on Vlad at all times. But Vlad did not mind in the slightest. He actually enjoyed Tony's fear. It was something he had begun to pride himself on. He actually had a high member of the biggest organised crime syndicate in existence worried. And the best part of it was, Tony's worry wasn't costing him anything. Luchesi didn't share Tony's opinion. In fact, ever since the Guyart incident, Luchesi almost seemed to adopt Vlad as a son. He had begun inviting Vlad to every event, party, banquet, and celebration held by the Family – and Vlad was seated with Luchesi and his seven advisors at all of these. Not as a guard, not as protection, not as "thinking muscle," but as a valued member of the Family's inner circle. None of this swayed Vlad from his private want of independence, of course, but he had to admit there were benefits to all this. He had begun to be introduced to important figures outside those surrounding Luchesi, he had been let in on important dealings and plans, and he had gotten much more control than ever before. He had his own personal bodyguard now, an overweight ghost with a pet green wolf. He could decide on private deals and business transactions on his own, and for himself only. And he now had total control of what he did in Yensid/Dalv Corp, including getting a larger percentage from stolen machines – and keeping some for his own private sales.
Yensid/Dalv Corp kept working towards Vlad's benefit. He had begun to buy up shares in the company through various smaller businesses. With this influence, it became very easy to influence company decisions and create a board of directors that would agree to his plans. This control and power let him in on many secret plans by the corporation and his allies, and it let him spring whenever a promising new invention that might get the Family a hefty sum appeared. Dalv's division of the company kept turning out inventions of their own. Everything from remote controls to supercomputers was produced, and they were all hits. Not once was there a complaint about the efficiency or legality of anything that they made. A few of these inventions were the honest works of Yensid/Dalv employees, but Vlad often used ghostly influence to insure that nothing went wrong with these little toys. His newfound power in the Family got him access to their top scientists, so their tampering with the products worked out far better than his original microwave. And all the while, Yensid's side of the company – and everyone else – was in the dark. Technus kept blathering on all the time every time they met and in all the important meetings while Vlad went behind his back and did what he had to do. Outside the company, Vlad took great care to paint a pretty picture of himself for the world to see. He gave to charities, he made private investments in worthy causes, and he said all the right things to the press. And it all paid off. By the seventh anniversary of the accident, Vlad had gone from a mid-scale millionaire to a billionaire.
As soon as his fortunes began to build significantly, Vlad began to hunt for a new home. While he was determined to have a main house in Wisconsin, he left himself open to having a second retreat. There was a lovely cabin out in Colorado near the Rockies that met with his fancy, but for his main abode, he hit upon the perfect home. Off on the edge of a small town was an impressive castle. It was predominately medieval in styling, with many high, spired towers, long windows, impressive masonry, banners and flags waving in many parts of the castle, and high vaulted ceilings for the halls inside the building. And it had once been home to the legendary Wisconsin Dairy King. Vlad immediately went for the purchase, even going so far as to pay off any other interested parties. The house was soon his, and his first order of business was to have the main hall decorated in green and gold and have display cases made for all his Packers memorabilia, including an autographed football signed by Ray Nitschke.
Vlad had come by a lot of Packers merchandise recently. He had met a lot of players recently. His autographed football was a recent acquisition. Now that Vlad had money, he decided to pursue a dream he had long since mulled over – acquiring the Green Bay Packers. He had been donating considerable sums to the team. He started going to games. He began to meet with team members and coaches, past and present. And he made sure to get in on their good side. He hadn't made an official bid for the team yet, but he was courting the players for support and waiting for the opportune moment.
With his new homes and wealth, Vlad had again changed his appearance. He now wore his hair very long, down past his shoulders. He kept it all up in a neat ponytail. He had grown out his sideburns and his goatee as well. While he didn't cleanly shave the rest of his face still, he did keep it a bit neater than he had used to. And he had become fond of the habit of wearing his black overcoat and grey fedora over his suit during the winter months. He felt himself more distinguished this way, and he had let his voice adapt into a more cultured tone.
As the seventh anniversary passed on by and Yensid/Dalv just kept working in his favour, he received the ultimate trump card. It might not have been useful at the moment he received it, but eventually, this would let him have enough power and security in the real world to escape the Family and the Order when the time was right. This trump card was the untimely passing of Nicolai Technus.
It seems that Technus had secretly been working on constructing a battle suit out of household appliances. It was his own design, and he had built every part of it by hand in the late night and early morning when work had ended. On the morning when he had completed the construction, it was time to test it. He had entered the suit and fired it up. Unfortunately, he had forgotten one key component – a stabiliser to regulate the electricity. A power surge occurred, and by the time someone found him, he had begun to resemble a gigantic overcooked turkey. His will left all of Yensid's part of the company to his partner – Vlad. As the new CEO, Vlad was quick to get the transitional period over with. A few bribes to some uncooperative board members, the removal of those who wouldn't take the bribes, and a slight name change, and the newly christened Dalv Corp became fully his.
Throughout all his progress, all his conquests, and all that he achieved over those status-quo years, there remained one thing that escaped Vlad's grasp – successful production of his ghost-hunting weapons.
Vlad had done everything he could to ensure that his weapons would be properly manufactured. He had brought in people from what was once Yensid's side of the company who specialised specifically in mechanics to help his paranormalists. He went in and personally explained how to calibrate the machines, how the spectral fuel systems worked, and how to calculate everything. He provided ample supplies of all kinds of spectral material. He even had the Family's scientists look over his blueprints and try their hand. But it all seemed to be in vain. No matter where he went, no one seemed to be able to realise his designs. The technology was too complex and too alien for everyone he turned to. The Family's scientists were used to tinkering with real-world items, and they were slightly uncomfortable at the notion of building weapons designed to hurt them. Dalv's mechanics didn't know anything about paranormalcy. And the paranormalists still weren't used to this level of technology.
Vlad was seething over this situation. He had put those scientists to work more than five years ago. They hadn't managed a single breakthrough yet? Other than basic design and analysis, they hadn't been able to figure out anything. As much as Vlad hated to admit it, even Jack was better at this technology than these half-witted idiots. He had hundreds of blueprints now. He had even had a room in his castle renovated to serve as a private laboratory for these inventions. And the only thing he had that worked was still the Proto-Portal. Had he had the time, he would have built these himself, but as fate would have it, he did not have time. And he didn't have Maddie to spot any errors in calculations.
What he needed was an expert at spectral technology and weaponry. Someone with a head on his shoulders and a mindset somewhat like Vlad's. Someone who had one weak spot or need that Vlad could easily use to get this someone under his control. But what were the odds of him ever finding someone like that?
One night, several weeks after the accident's seventh anniversary, Vlad was out in The Ghost Zone. It was the rare night where he didn't have anything to do with Katou, the Family, or Dalv. He had a free evening. He was fully dressed in suit, coat, and hat, and he held a small scrap of parchment in his hand. It was a piece to a map. A map that once led to the Skeleton Key. It was not a full map, but it was the best lead he had found in a while. It showed the area of The Ghost Zone that the key was kept in. It was at the opposite end of the Order's realm as Pariah's Keep. But this part of the realm was just as bleak, desolate, and uninhabitable. The cause, like near the Keep, was fear. There had been many mysterious disappearances throughout this area. Ghost animals were frequently reported missing, and ghosts with unique or unusual powers or appearances had vanished without a trace. The strangest thing about all these disappearances was that no trace was left that would signal traditional hunting methods. There were often scorch marks and signs of a struggle left behind, but the scorch marks were not left by ghost-powers of fire. The Order's best spies had searched and found no trace of anything or anyone that could have been behind the disappearances. They occasionally came upon the ruins of what appeared to be some kind of armour, but nothing was ever inside. Something advanced was at work in this region.
These disappearances happened all over the realm, but they seemed to happen most often near a small island with an ominous skull-shaped rock. The island was covered in forest, jungle, swampland, moors, and marshes. It was rumoured that some kind of predator ghost lived there, though no one had ever found anything. Even in the caves along the mountains, there was nothing, save for some cages and a few old bones.
Vlad paid these rumours and events no heed as he looked over his scrap of parchment. He had but one night to go over this clue, and he would let nothing stand in his way.
"'To thou who seeks the key to all doors,'" he read aloud from the parchment, "'Find the rock of trees and moors,'" he looked up. Sure enough, the island with the forests and the skull rock was right in front of him. He let a smile come to his lips. This was going to be a snap.
"'From this rock, fly three miles west,'" he continued reading, "'And there thou shall find the next piece to thine quest,'" he slipped the parchment into the inside pocket of his overcoat and took off, continuing to wear his grin as he flew off to the west.
He did not notice at all that, far below him, hidden in a bush on the island, a large and dark figure was watching him with a pair of inferred binoculars.
"Hmm…" a raspy voice murmured, "half-human, half-ghost…" the figure slowly stepped out of the bush. He was a walking suit of mechanised battle-armour, hand-crafted and equipped with every spectral weapon and hunting tool he could fit in – all highly advanced, and all of his own design. Over this armour he had on some pieces of a mercenary's suit, a black band around his neck held by a skull, a belt with a stylised "S" buckle, and a black shirt and pants. A green mane of flames shot out from the back of his head, and a slight beard of flame rested on his chin. It was he who was responsible for all the disappearances in this area, and his new technology and a handy supply of his battle suits were to blame for the lack of evidence. His name was Skulker, and he was the greatest hunter in The Ghost Zone.
"He'll make a fine addition to my collection," Skulker said of Vlad as his face twisted into a nasty grin. That grin was soon wiped away as his left arm began to spark, smoke, and fall limp. With an angry growl Skulker seized his arm and shook it back and forth, and after a few times it came back to life.
"Cheap equipment," he growled as his jetpack opened up from his back and fired up, sending him in the direction of the half-ghost. He needed to get some more cash.
---
Vlad kept on heading west when he felt his breath turn cold. A stream of blue ectoplasmic smoke drifted from his mouth, and he stopped in mid-flight. He was not alone. He didn't turn around, but he let his eyes drift back and forth and he opened his ears, searching. There was no guarantee that the ghost would be trouble, but better safe than sorry.
The rustling of rope moving through space came up from behind, and Vlad just managed to materialise his sword, whip it out from its scabbard, and slice open the net that was about to snag him. He looked back to find that the net had been fired out of the right arm of a walking suit of battle armour sporting a nasty grin. And the armour looked very advanced.
"Greetings, half-ghost," the armour said in a raspy voice. Vlad arched an eyebrow. He wanted to get to the next piece to the Skeleton Key's puzzle tonight. And this new obstacle, though intimidating, didn't appear to be a huge threat. The suit looked worn-out and somewhat shoddy, as though this figure didn't have the money to put it together properly. But the level that the technology was at and the fact that it seemed designed to work on ghosts…Vlad smelled new opportunity arising.
"And you might be…?" he asked the armour nonchalantly.
"I am Skulker," the armour said dramatically, "A collector of things rare and unique. And you, half-ghost," he pointed at Vlad, "are that, and more," his left arm began to sputter and smoke, and Skulker's grin quickly fell away. He punched at his left arm, and after three particularly hard whacks, he finally got it to settle. Vlad let a smirk come to his face. Technologically advanced, malicious mindset, an easy weakness to exploit…he had found a rook for his chess set.
"Impressive battle suit you have there," he addressed Skulker politely, "Well-designed, meant specifically for ghosts, intimidating appearance…very good."
"You like it?" Skulker suddenly smiled, "It's the final perfected design! And now," his grin slipped back into its earlier malicious glare, "for the hunt!" an ectoplasmic plasma cannon, very similar to one Vlad had been trying to get built for years, sprung up from Skulker's right wrist and let off a huge blast of aqua energy. Still grinning, Vlad re-sheathed his blade and conjured up a wall of green. Skulker's blast just seemed to absorb into the shield. Vlad dropped it and shot green blasts out of his eyes. They met with their target, and Skulker went crashing up against a nearby door that looked like it belonged to a typical '50s suburban home.
"At last," Skulker continued to grin, despite being the one who had been caught in a blast, "A prey worthy of my skills!" he flew up, and missile launchers opened on his shoulders. He prepared to open fire. But sparks began to fly out of the left launcher, and smoke began to drift from the right. The left one broke off and vanished as it fell down into the never-ending void of The Ghost Zone, and the right one retracted back into his shoulder, which now began to smoke.
"No!" he began punching at his right arm now, "Stop!" another green blast hit him, and he went crashing back into the same door, this time falling through. He found himself in a never-ending black and pink void, populated by real-world items floating around. Everything from trumpets to baseball bats was there, but mostly, the space was taken up by boxes. A short, fat blue ghost with a cap, gloves, and overalls flew up. He looked like he belonged at a warehouse along an ocean shore and he had a stupid, fake-angry scowl on his face.
"Who dares to intrude upon The Box Ghost?" the little nimrod shouted. Skulker sighed. He had run into this figure a few times on his hunts, and he was getting sick of him. He extended his plasma cannon and pointed it at The Box Ghost's face.
"…Beware!" the blue ghost shouted, and he then retreated to the inside of a box. Skulker slowly pulled himself out of the doorway and back into the main realm of The Ghost Zone, searching for his prey.
"You do seem short of cash," a calm voice said behind him. Vlad leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed and a serene expression on his face. On the opposite side of the doorway, however, there was another Vlad, leaning against the door's frame with one hand.
"It's a shame you can't fully realise the extent of your technology," this second Vlad said. Skulker felt a tap on his right shoulder, and as he turned, he saw a third Vlad glaring at him with a cocky grin.
"I happen to have money to spare," this Vlad said. A fourth suddenly materialised by the third, and all four Vlads drifted out in front of the hunter-ghost.
"If you join me," they said in unison, "perhaps I could be tempted to lend you what you need," Skulker growled under his breath, not taking in a word of what the four Vlads had said. His prey was usually captured, wounded, or fleeing by now. Grateful though he may have been for a real challenge, he did not like the way this hunt was going. He had not hit once, he had been hit twice, and his quarry seemed to actually be enjoying himself. No one acted this way when Skulker was after them. A bow-and-arrow popped up on his left arm and he shot the arrow at the Vlad nearest his left. That Vlad just went intangible, and it flew right through him. With a full-on roar, Skulker swung his right hand back and took a swipe at all the Vlads. They all flew out of his reach, and Skulker put so much force behind the missed punch that he ended up spinning around like a top three times. The four Vlads remained above him, grinning.
"Surely," they started together, but slowly drifted back into one Vlad, "you and I can work out some sort of deal," Skulker glared up at him. His plasma cannon opened up again, and he let out a shot. Vlad just let his grin become wider and raised and eyebrow. He stretched out his hands and caught the blast, letting it absorb into his hands. He then raised them up over his head, re-charged the blast, and fired it back down at Skulker, who could not dodge in time. He became enveloped in what was once his own blast, sparks and smoke pouring out from his armour. He began to shake violently. Within seconds, his armour had exploded, completely disrupted by the blast. The head popped off like a top, and Vlad reached out a hand and caught it. Inside the head was a tiny green blob with a mouth and two big eyes.
"I am the Skulker!" the little blob cried in a high-pitched voice, "The Skulker! I am the greatest hunter in all of Ghost-World! You will fear me!" Vlad chuckled and slowly lifted the tiny figure out of the head by his feet.
"Oh, please, Skulker," Vlad sighed dramatically, "Must I literally crush you in the palm of my hand before you realise you're outmatched? With the condition that last battle suit was in, I'm surprised you've managed any sort of reputation at all."
"That was an old suit! I have many left! You dare to mock me?"
"But wouldn't you rather be able to keep the same suit and have it working permanently? Please, won't you at least consider my offer?" Skulker looked as though he was about to make another retort, but something of resignation appeared in his eyes.
"Well…" he grumbled reluctantly, "Maybe I am a bit short on cash."
"Among other things," Vlad smiled, "But if you join me, I can assure you that money will never be out of your reach. Why don't we find somewhere to discuss all this?"
"Hmm…" Skulker put a hand to his chin, and Vlad just kept grinning. He had convinced enough people to do his bidding by now that he could sense when they were beginning to think how he wanted them to.
"Let us go to my lair," Skulker pointed back to the jungle-covered island. Vlad struggled to keep himself from letting out a laugh. It worked every time.
"Just so you don't get any ideas…" he added, just to be safe, "With the state that your technology's in, I can easily overcome any trap you decide to spring on me," he pulled Skulker close to his face, and shot a hint of threat out into his grin. Skulker held up his hands, gave him a nervous grin, and the two flew off towards Skulker's lair.
---
"Very impressive, Skulker," Vlad looked around, "Very impressive. The caves are left barren as a decoy, and everything of importance is hidden underground. Very good indeed," he was not exaggerating. Skulker truly had an amazing lair. Twisting one of the stalactites in the highest cave on the rock opened the trap door down to his private lair. It was an underground cave, but built into the rock walls was a vast array of computers, generators, monitors, surveillance systems, and plenty of weaponry. It was a bit of a shock to see how close some of Skulker's weapons came to the designs Vlad had drawn up for his own weapons. All of the technology had a shoddy, worn-out, old look to it, and it was quite clear that Skulker needed better finances to fully realise his inventions. But what he had scraped together was nevertheless better than anything produced at Dalv Corp. What wasn't already realised plastered the wall as blueprints. Vlad himself particularly interested in the plans for a spectral energy neutraliser, an expanding box that could trap any ghost within it.
There was something else down in Skulker's lair that also caught Vlad's fancy. This lair was filled with cages. And inside each one was a ghost of some unique quality. Some were animal ghosts of fearsome appearances and natures, from two mindless ecto-pusses fighting over the last scrap of their dinner to a gigantic ghost-squid. There were also more human ghosts. Some had the ability to morph into other forms. Others had unique variations of spectral blasts that they could perform. All had some trait that was unique unto them, and they made up Skulker's quarry. Those that weren't on display had their pelts hanging on the wall.
A few of the creature-ghosts were especially interesting. They were kept in special cages that had needles, scalpels, scissors, and lasers built into them. These ghosts weren't entirely themselves. They had extra limbs. They had misplaced body parts. And their size was unusual for their species. It appeared that Skulker also conducted his own experiments with ghosts – another asset Vlad could do with.
And seeing all of these captive ghosts sent the wheels turning in Vlad's mind. Skulker could be worth more to him than just a mechanic. His hunting, his experiments, his captives…if Vlad had Skulker, he would have the key to obtaining an army. These ghosts would be easy to control – if they could get caught by Skulker in a suit as bad as the one he had used on Vlad, they couldn't be too powerful. They would be expendable. And they would let Vlad finally escape the Family and the Order. If there was anything that needed to be done in The Ghost Zone that would be too incriminating for Vlad, he could send a minion off to do it for him. He could also send them off to rob inventions in the real world. They could do all the menial tasks and all the things that could ruin all that Vlad had gained, while he would be free to attend to more important matters.
And all he had to do was to finish off this little deal.
"We can marvel at my prizes later," Skulker stepped out of the shadows, occupying a new battle suit identical to his last, "What about your deal?"
"Ah, yes," Vlad smiled, clasping his hands behind his back, "The deal. You're obviously skilled at technology, Skulker, and your expertise at experimentation and hunting are clear. I have need of someone with your many talents. And as you have the right mindset for the work I need done and as we both have something that the other needs, I see no need to pass up the opportunity," Skulker raised his eyebrow in a manner so similar to Vlad that the half-ghost couldn't help but laugh a little.
"Go on," the hunter-ghost nodded.
"I have the money and power to get you everything you need to fully realise your inventions," Vlad moved closer to Skulker, twirling the end of his overcoat dramatically, "Your battle suit could become fully operational and at maximum efficiency. That spectral energy neutraliser you've designed could be finished. Your weaponry would become truly state-of-the-art. And your experiments could be conducted in a far more controlled environment. Of course most of the mechanic work you'd still have to do yourself, but I could give you the money to make sure that everything would be realised to the full extent of your visions."
"And in return?" Skulker asked, a grin now resting on his face as well.
"I want you to build my weapons," Vlad replied simply, "I've been designing my own spectral weaponry for years. My time is taken up by other matters, and my scientists can't figure out the technology. But for you, it's like a second nature."
"Well," Skulker rubbed the back of his head and let his grin turn sheepish, "I don't know if I'd put it like that, but…"
"And," Vlad interrupted, "Should I agree to finance you indefinitely, would you be willing to carry on our deal in other ways? Run a few errands, conduct a few experiments, go on some hunting trips and help me amass a reliable group of minions?" Skulker dropped his hand and stared at Vlad intently. Vlad looked right back at him, still wearing a sneaky grin with one raised eyebrow. He could almost hear what was going on inside the hunter-ghost's mind. He had set the play up. Now he just need to wait…
"Who are you?" Skulker asked after several minutes had passed.
"Masters," Vlad said casually, "Vlad Masters." He fidgeted with the collar of his overcoat as he waited for the response. Several more minutes passed as Skulker put a hand to his chin and began to pace the room. Vlad kept adjusting the collar on his coat or the brim of his hat, patiently awaiting his answer. Finally, after Skulker had paced around so much that his legs were beginning to spark from all the use…
"Vlad," Skulker turned to face him, "We have a deal," he pressed a button on his right wrist. A tray with two glasses and a pitcher of red ectoplasm drifted in between them. Skulker filled both glasses, and both of the ghosts took one.
"Skulker," Vlad raised his glass, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," and with that, he drained his glass in one gulp. He felt a rush of cold flow through his body, he saw his aura flare up, and in the reflection of his glass, he saw his eyes flash red. The sensation passed as quickly as it had come, and Vlad looked back up at Skulker.
"Now," he said, "For the first order of business…"