Apologies for the wait. This chapter really didn't want to be written, but finally, here it is!
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
Sam and Tucker were already on their feet, determined frowns on their faces. "We'll get everyone out of the school," said Sam, the pair hurrying out of the room.
Wes's eyes darted to and fro, searching for some visible sign of ghost activity. Danny jumped out of his chair, startling the other teen as he let out his battle cry. "I'm going ghost!" Twin rings bisected his torso, and standing in his place was Phantom. "Get out of here, whoever it is I'll hold them off!"
Wes disregarded the command, instead staring at Danny incredulously. "...Okay, seriously. How has nobody found you out yet?!"
"Does that really matter right now?!" Danny shouted back. He minutely turned his head, then leaped sideways, a net sailing by right where he had just been. Wes was not as fortunate, the net colliding and trapping him against the wall. He cried out in a mix of pain and alarm, and Danny turned to face their assailant. "Oh no..."
"Not the one I was aiming for," a deep voice rumbled, the ghost it belonged to appearing a second later, "but I'm sure I can work this to my advantage."
Danny narrowed his eyes, his feet leaving the ground as he floated into a battle-ready stance. "Skulker."
Wes gasped, his heart leaping into his throat. Skulker, the self-proclaimed greatest hunter in the Ghost Zone. And he wasn't just dangerous to ghosts; he was notoriously one of the most destructive spirits to frequent the town, causing more collateral damage than almost any other, and more than willing to jeopardize any stragglers to gain an advantage against Phantom. He was ruthless. Wes quivered, fearing what Skulker would do now that he had him helpless. No doubt something very, very painful.
It was then that Skulker seemed to recognize who he had trapped. "My my, you're the same human from before. And you seem to be in remarkable health, all things considered."
Wes stilled, and at the same time Danny's eyes glowed dangerously. He began slowly circling, Skulker following suit. "So you knew he was there," the Halfa growled. "You almost got him killed."
"Oh please, with an obsession like yours I knew he would be fine," Skulker grunted. "And would you look at that, I was right. But who knows, maybe this time I won't be so lenient."
Phantom's shoulders raised, then he shot Wes a sideways glance, eyes quickly flicking forwards and back. An indication to leave, cleverly disguised as a concerned look.
...Duh, I have ghost powers! I can actually do something here!
Wes waited until Skulker had his back turned, pacing evenly with Danny, before phasing backwards through the wall, away from the net. The moment he was through, he could hear the sound of lasers and grinding metal as battle commenced. It would be so easy for him to escape completely unnoticed. But at the same time, he found himself conflicted with the idea of leaving Danny to face the hostile ghost alone. Even if he still had no offensive abilities, he was sure he could make himself useful somehow. And should things get ugly, he had no doubt that Danny would keep him safe.
Here comes another stupid idea.
After making sure the coast was clear, Wes transformed, then circled around so that he would come through a different wall than he had initially passed through. His fingertips were already twitching at the thought of facing off Skulker, his core blossoming and beating almost soothingly in his chest. He ignored the fear racing through his heart and leaped, dearly hoping he wouldn't get shot at in the process.
Fortunately, nothing came his way as he breached the wall, approaching from Skulker's left. The ghost had yet to realize he was there, but Danny had a clear view, eyes going wide as he realized what Wes was attempting. Noticing the look, Skulker turned his head almost in slow motion. Wes grinned brightly, in spite of his terror screaming at him to turn back. He ignored the feeling and cocked back his fist, his core practically thrumming with pent-up energy. Skulker didn't have time to react to Wes's presence as he quickly closed the distance, his fist landing a clean hit against the hunter's jaw.
There was a moment of stunned silence.
Wes screamed, keeling over and clutching at his quickly reddening hand. Skulker watched with dull surprise as the young ghost writhed on the ground. "Holy crap, what are you, made of metal?!" Wes exclaimed.
Danny was just as shocked as Skulker was, if far more exasperated by the intrusion. "What are you doing?!" he hissed through clenched teeth.
"I'm helping!" Wes insisted, still curled around his hand.
Skulker blinked, looking to Danny for some sort of explanation. "I'm sorry, do you know this guy?"
Danny pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, he's... You'll have to forgive him, he's new."
"Well don't tell him that!"
"A fledgling ghost," Skulker hummed, disinterested. He nudged Wes away with the toe of his boot. "Stay out of this, whelp. I have far more I interesting prey to deal with, and if you pester me like this again, you're next."
Wes scowled defiantly, then turned his head when Danny spoke. "Look, you really should just get out of here and let me handle him, Weeeeee-umm..." He faltered on the name, furrowing his brows.
Wes had prepared for a situation like this. He knew that, if he was going to make public appearances in his ghost form, he would need a name. And preferably one that had nothing to do with his actual name; he wasn't as stupid as a certain other Halfa, and wasn't willing to bank on the rest of the town being that dense. No, he'd run several possibilities through his head that he thought sounded cool enough for a ghost hero. It was after the tear in his jersey had sealed itself over with orange fabric, resembling a jagged W, that he made his final choice.
"...Wraith," he said, rising to his feet. "Wattson Wraith. And I'm not going anywhere."
Danny buried his face in his hands. "Oh, Ancients help me..."
Skulker looked mildly astonished by the adamant refusal, or maybe by the young ghost's stupidity, but it wasn't long before his expression settled into an irritated snarl. "...Fine, then. You've had your warning, boy, but if you aren't going to leave, then I'll just have to take you both out."
A hatch opened on Skulker's shoulder— definitely some sort of metal suit, then— and out of it emerged what looked like a box on a rod. A flap opened on the front, revealing an interior absolutely bristling with missiles. "...Oh, crud..."
Several missiles fired with a high-pitched whine, spiraling across the small classroom. Wes ducked and futilely covered his head, but Danny fired a disk of ectoplasmic energy, colliding with the closest of the missiles and setting off a harmless chain explosion. "Get out of here already!" he shouted over the din, already preparing a twin set of ectoblasts.
Wes nodded furiously, his tail flickering into existence as he turned around to make a break for it. But then he was grabbed from behind, Skulker swinging him by his new appendage before throwing him at Danny, the two hitting the wall before slumping in a dazed heap. Danny was the first one up, gritting his teeth and firing a concentrated blast. Skulker met it with one of his own, the source being a small cannon mounted on his wrist. Wes didn't give himself time to wonder how he could have hidden a weapon like that before he was scrambling to an upright position. He ignored the resounding boom as the two beams destabilized each other, more focused on escaping with his hide intact.
Unfortunately, the fight seemed determined to follow him. Wings sprouted from a pack on Skulker's back, and he rocketed after Wes, yet another collapsible weapon firing a stream of ectobullets behind himself. Danny took pursuit, weaving around the projectiles. Wes nearly jumped out of his skin when a green bullet whizzed past him a second later, and he veered right to dodge the next. "Leave me alone, I'm going!" he cried over his shoulder.
"You already made your choice, and I'm going to enjoy mounting your head on my mantle!" Skulker shouted back, firing off another round of compressed bullets before taking aim at the Halfa he still had hot on his trail.
"Gross! I don't wanna decorate your wall!" Wes whined. He swerved around the oncoming fire, his center of gravity shifting so that he was slithering frantically along the wall. His eyes rapidly scanned the hallway in front of him, searching for a quick escape. He spotted a classroom that he knew had an exterior wall, and he slipped inside without bothering with the door. He yelped when it suddenly exploded inwards, another missile following behind the debris. He dodged it just in time, but the force of the ensuing explosion as it struck an empty desk threw him towards the wall, and he had barely enough presence of mind to turn intangible so that he harmlessly phased through to the other side.
Wes took a moment to right himself, breathing heavily and shaking with adrenaline. As he caught his breath, he wondered if he had managed to get away, if Skulker had been distracted enough not to notice where he went. But his hopes were dashed as the hunter himself fell through the wall, Danny right behind him, though Wes was pleased to see that one jetpack-like wing had been damaged, sending Skulker careening into the ground.
"And how about you stay down?" Danny quipped, crossing his arms as Skulker pulled himself to his feet. "It's two against one... even if I would really prefer it was just one on one." He shot a pointed scowl Wes's way.
"I said I was leaving," the young Halfa grouched. And he nearly did, but then he saw Skulker raise one arm while Danny was still glaring, and was barely able to get a warning out as the hunter fired. A pair of bolas encircled the distracted teen, and he cried out as he was knocked out of the air, skidding against the packed earth. He tried to wriggle free, but he was wrapped up tight, the weighted ends keeping him pinned. By the way his form repeatedly blurred and solidified, he couldn't phase out of them, either.
"And now it is one on one," Skulker countered smugly. "I'll deal with you later. I'm going to have a little fun with this one." He swiveled so that he was staring Wes down with a wicked grin. "What will you do now, whelp? Are you going to flee, or are you going to make this interesting and fight?"
Wes gulped. He wanted to run, really he did. He was stupid to think he could take on someone like Skulker. But he didn't think he could run, even if he wanted to. He was trapped by Skulker's gaze, frozen in place like a deer in a rifle's sights. His entire body was tense, screaming at him to flee and not look back. But he couldn't. Danny had gotten caught because of him, and wouldn't be getting free any time soon. If Wes left, there would be nothing stopping Skulker from having his way with him. Probably turning him into some gross taxidermy project, if his prior comments were anything to go by. Wes wasn't abandoning him to that fate, if he had anything to say about it.
...God, he was so screwed.
The Halfa glanced around, relieved to find this side of the school empty— the students had congregated at the front, as per ghost protocol— then balled his hands up into shaky fists, his tail writhing agitatedly. He didn't know how he was going to fight a ghost made of metal, but at the very least he could distract him long enough for Danny to get free.
Skulker was visibly delighted by the response. "How foolish, but maybe not as cowardly as I thought. Fine then, boy. Show me what you can do."
Wes kept his fists chest level, lowering himself to the ground and circling much like Danny had moments before, buying himself some time to think. Skulker had a lot of weapons, and he couldn't afford to get hit by any of them. Not when going intangible looked to be ineffective against them. But at the very least, it seemed that everything Skulker had at his disposal was long-range. He wouldn't be able to use them effectively if Wes stayed close. But what then? Punching didn't work, not when his physical strength was still at a human level. But that didn't mean Skulker couldn't be unbalanced. With how top-heavy he was, Wes could probably use his own weight against him somehow. The frantic beating of his core reminded him that he did have his aura at his disposal, too.
So that was the plan. Dodge, get in close, topple him, flash, get away, repeat. Waste as much time as possible. Simple enough.
Wes didn't wait for Skulker to make the first move. He shot forwards, keeping himself low to the ground. He slowed when the ghost raised his left hand, then darted to his opposite side when the cannon fired. The beam left a trail of scorched grass as it traveled, but Wes kept himself ahead of it, always staying on Skulker's pivoting side. Giving up on that weapon for the time being, the hunter dismissed it, a much thinner one protruding from his hip. Wes gasped, flying upwards in an arc as a narrow beam blasted the spot where he had just been. Skulker floated upwards, without the aid of his demolished thrusters, and turned in an attempt to strike Wes down with the laser, but the Halfa dipped and bobbed out of the way.
Alright, so at least dodging wasn't so bad. He could do this. He just needed an opening to get close.
And he soon found it. Seeing that the hip laser wasn't doing him any good, Skulker retracted it, readying another wrist-mounted weapon, this one with a three-pronged hook protruding from it. "Hold still already!" He fired the harpoon, and Wes avoided it without issue, confidently baring his teeth as he took the opportunity to close the distance. Skulker's eyes grew wide, and for the first time, Wes actually felt good about his chances. The hunter was practically a sitting duck, even as he reeled in the harpoon. Wes had already caught on to the fact that he only ever had one weapon out at a time; there was no way he would be able to switch in time before the Halfa was upon him. And even if he could, Wes was already too close. Nothing would be effective at that range.
Or so he thought.
Wes's tail dissolved and split, and he tucked in his new legs, momentum propelling him forward as he braced for a powerful dropkick. Skulker's hook fully retracted, and despite the alarm on his face, Wes suddenly got the gut feeling that something was wrong. He forcibly jerked himself backwards, and a sharp pain smarted across his shin. He hissed, not having to look down to know that he had a moderately sized gash on his left leg, oozing cool, thick ectoplasm rather than blood. He shuddered as he realized he could have lost his foot if he had kept going.
Skulker sneered, raising his gauntleted hand tauntingly, two wickedly sharp blades glinting in the morning light. Wes balked. Close-range weapons. Definitely not good.
He took a split second to look at Danny out of the corner of his eye. The Halfa hadn't made much progress. The weighted end of one bola was slightly undone, giving Danny just enough room to begin wriggling one arm free. It wasn't a lot, but it was something. He could get free, if Wes could keep Skulker busy long enough. It would just be harder than he first thought. Harder, but not impossible.
This time it was Skulker who moved first. He struck out as if attempting to skewer Wes, but the Halfa tugged himself sideways, dodging the attack by centimeters. Skulker swept the blades sideways, and Wes ducked, then hovered back as the ghost took another stab at him. Wes's legs twisted together, but then split apart again, and he let out a pained cry. Forming a tail would only stretch at the wound, it seemed. That meant his mobility was way down. As if he didn't have enough disadvantages already.
Skulker sensed his weakness, and chuckled darkly. "What's wrong, whelp? Is that tiny little scratch giving you a hard time? Don't worry, if you stay still I'll be sure to make this quick and easy for you."
The hunter slashed, and Wes dodged, but Skulker didn't let up. He wouldn't let Wes gain any meaningful distance, always staying no more than a couple paces away. He was determined to press his advantage, and it was all the young Halfa could do to avoid the bladed gauntlet. His chances of success were growing more dismal by the second.
Then to his surprise, Skulker aimed a second weapon, this one on the other wrist. Some sort of small, oddly shaped gun. He fired, and Wes dove to the side, but not quickly enough. A shot to the shoulder sent him spinning and falling to the ground. He probed at what he expected to be a searing wound, but instead found a sticky, gelatinous green glob. His prodding only earned him a stuck hand, which he was able to only pull a few inches away before it snapped back into place. "Oh, isn't this just fantastic..."
"You like it?" Skulker asked rhetorically. Wes scrambled to get up, ignoring his gash burning in protest, but Skulker planted one heavy boot on his stomach, winding him. "It's always been a favorite of mine for evasive ghosts like you. You won't be able to break free until it hardens, though I doubt one as twiggy as you could even manage that."
"Give me a minute, I'll be out of here before you know it, just watch me," Wes spat bravely, the effect mostly mitigated by his vividly violet freckles.
"Feisty, aren't you," Skulker smirked. He lifted his boot, and Wes didn't have time to try to sit up before he was being lifted, hoisted up by the front of his jersey. He gripped Skulker's wrist with his free hand, legs kicking uselessly at his armored torso. Skulker grinned, and whatever happened next, Wes just knew that it was going to be ugly and, most likely, very, very messy. "You should have run when you had the chance."
And then he let go.
Wes fell to the ground with an ungraceful thud, then rushed to his feet before Skulker could pin him again, eyeing him with baffled caution. The hunter appeared equally confused, staring at a hand that twitched and spasmed briefly before he closed it in a fist, snarling in annoyance. "Stupid glitches. I thought I cleared all the bugs from my system ages ago..."
Wes didn't take the opportunity to get some space for granted. He took a few steps back to ensure that Skulker couldn't simply snatch him again, then cast another cursory glance at Danny. He had worked the bolas away from his arms and torso, and was in the process of detangling his legs. It would only take him a few more seconds. Wes grinned.
"Hey, Soul Patch!" he shouted, getting Skulker's attention. "Say cheese!" He trusted Danny to know to close his eyes. Wes's aura flared, the entire clearing lighting up a blinding blue.
Skulker yelled, staggering back and rubbing at his eyes as the beacon faded. He tried to blink away the bright spots wriggling in his vision, but it was pointless. He was still squinting when Danny opened the thermos, glaring daggers— or attempting to— as he was helplessly sucked inside.
Danny capped the thermos, looking to Wes with a concerned frown. "Are you okay?"
Wes opened his eyes, having screwed them shut in his concentration. When he opened them, they were a very typical shade of jade green. The rest of him was just as human. "...Yeah, I'm okay... Didn't mean to change back, though. You don't think he noticed, do you?"
"I doubt it. I don't think he was capable of noticing much of anything," Danny replied. He rested his hand over the goop on Wes's shoulder, freezing it over before letting it crumble with a careful punch. Wes rolled and rubbed at it to get some warmth back into it, nodding his thanks.
Danny's frown turned agitated, and he shoved Wes hard enough to make him stumble. "Next time I tell you to run, you run, got it? You nearly got us both captured!"
"I thought I could handle him," Wes mumbled, keeping his eyes to the ground.
"You can't handle Skulker!" Danny shouted. "You're lucky you're fast enough to dodge him, but that isn't always going to save you. Next time it might not just be a net, or a cut, or a sticky trap. You could get seriously hurt. And I don't know if we're capable of dying anymore, but I really don't want to find out."
Wes stayed quiet for a long time, letting Danny's words sink in. The gash in his leg had long stopped bleeding, but it still stung. "...I just wanted to help..."
"Well, don't." Danny let the worry seep into his tone, but his face remained stern. "Until you start shooting lasers, or throwing fireballs, or can do something besides turn into a light-up mood ring, just... stay out of my ghost business, okay?" Wes nodded mutely. "...Go meet up with everyone else. If anyone asks, tell them you got that from some stray debris during the fight." He nodded once at the wound. "I'll be there in a minute, I'll tell them I hid in a closet or something."
Danny flew back towards the school, presumably to search for any students that might still be inside. Wes watched him go, despondent.
Suddenly, it didn't feel like much of a victory.
God, you would not believe how hard this chapter fought me. The action just didn't want to be written. It turns out writing a Skulker fight is hard when he has little discernible fighting style other than missile spamming, and when Wes still has almost no fighting capabilities. So in the end it isn't really my best action scene ever, but at least the chapter is done, and we have an actual namedrop.
I'm gonna try to start up an in-character ask blog on Tumblr. Look for wattsonwraith!
I have a few ideas for the next couple of chapters, so hopefully those will write themselves much faster than this one did.