The Curse of Taloncrest Manor

Chapter 13: Dischordant Chaos

Meanwhile, Ricardo and the other boys had managed to flee back to the bunker and put together the gadgets using the instructions which the groundskeeper had given to them. "Whoa, does this thing shoot plungers? Sweet!" Cooper exclaimed as Elijah finished the first weapon. "Can't imagine this would do any good against those ghosts, though...." "The old man also said that there should be a 'special' flashlight in one of these cabinets.....one with a blue handle...." James mused. Ricardo promptly pulled an item out of a nearby area that matched the description. "Found it." 

"Hold on, let me see that....." James said, holding his hand out to receive the flashlight. "It's....just a normal light, like any other. What's so special about---AHHHH!" James jumped back as he happened to accidentally be at the epicenter of the light's blinding flash. ".....Got it." he muttered, rubbing his eyes constantly. 

Elijah rolled his eyes. "Don't play with that---it's not a toy. I've also put together this; a ghost radar that'll let us know when there's any nearby. Thankfully, we should be in the clear for right now. But I bet it'll come in handy when we have to re-enter the house." "Nice, now we're making some progress!" Ricardo said happily. "And, ummm....what's this? It looks like that's the final piece of machinery in our arsenal." 

"Yes! Apparently, according to the groundskeeper's instructions, it's called the 'Spectral Vortex'. Once it is thrown, it should forcefully pull any surrounding ghosts into it and trap them there. ....Assuming it works correctly," Elijah explained. "So, just to recap. We've got a plunger gun, a budget strobe light, a ghost radar, and some kind of soul sucker?" Cooper asked. James turned to him. "That's right. There's one thing we don't have, though, and that's a lead on Rose's location." 

Ricardo sighed. "You're right....let's just go into the mansion again and search around. After all, now we're actually able to defend ourselves." 

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As the four boys exited the bunker, they were almost immediately greeted by a familiar face, accompanied by two other beings clad entirely in robes, with a familiar beamed eighth notes symbol emblazoned on their front.  

"So the four ruffians were hidden all the way out here. No wonder my crew and I couldn't find them. I was honestly wondering if it was time to call off our search of the rear yard. My greatest thanks to you for saving me the trouble. I don't suppose you recall me....?" 

"....Dischord." Ricardo said almost instantly, without missing a beat. "What do you want?" "My, aren't you thick. The Magistrix has given us orders to bring you in for your soul cleansing. And I must say, She was quite angry upon learning that you had managed to escape from Her. Thankfully, we were able to deduce the culprit, and I promise you, She took great pleasure in exacting revenge upon that poor, helpless groundskeeper." Dischord said, taunting the four of them. "You monsters....that groundskeeper was our friend!" Cooper cried. "I tried to convince my Magistrix to preserve the old man's soul to contribute to our stores....but She would have none of it. His transgressions were considered far too great." the vizier explained further. Ricardo gasped. "You don't mean....?!" "Exactly." Dischord smiled smugly, crossing his arms. "I'm afraid your precious groundskeeper isn't even heading for an afterlife. He will spend eternity floating in a dark oblivion, 'between' afterlives, if I may say so. My Magistrix has destroyed his very soul, dispatching it from existence, just as a flame on a candle. She is powerful beyond comprehension....do you fail to understand, still? Even if you were to reach Her, you would never stand a chance." "You piece of.....!" Ricardo yelled, attempting to charge at Dischord despite having no clear strategy. He was only restrained by James, but just barely. 

During Dischord's monologue, James, who was armed with the flashlight, had managed to sneak away from the others and hid himself using a tree that was positioned behind Dischord, waiting for an opening to shock him. "His screams were our joy, his permanent and ultimate death, our pleasure. I can't say he didn't have it coming, either. No one crosses the Songsworn and gets away with it. Nobody. But perhaps I've said too much. Now...." The vizier pulled out his rapier. "Are you going to come quietly, or are we going to have to---" "TAKE THIS!" James yelled, suddenly leaping out behind the tree and using the flashlight's radiance on Dischord. However, to the boys' shock, neither Dischord---nor the two cultists that accompanied him---were affected. "What.....?!" Ricardo exclaimed in confusion. Elijah threw the Spectral Vortex at Dischord's feet, but the generator also fizzed out almost immediately after landing. 

"Hahahahaha!" Dischord laughed. "You think to stop the mighty Songsworn using such elementary tactics? Fools. We are relentless spirits bound by a curse!  For so long as the 1,000 soul threshold remains unfulfilled, we will never be stopped!" "Gah! Our new gadgets are useless against these guys!" Cooper complained. "Now....where were we?" Dischord asked, unsheathing his own weapon once again. 

Ricardo could only think of one idea. "RUN!" he said to his friends as the four boys began to make a break for it, with Elijah picking up the Spectral Vortex again. Dischord and his two minions chased them through the yard back to the front entrance of the mansion. "Ricky, what are we going to do? This isn't going to throw them off our trail!" James asked in a panicked tone. Ricardo turned towards him and smiled. "No....but this will." 

As the four boys neared the front door, Ricardo took out his survival knife from before and slashed open a nearby steam pipe, providing cover for them and disorienting Dischord long enough for them to escape inside. As soon as they were indoors, Cooper and James quickly shut the double doors. 

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As the steam cleared, the vizier looked around, seeing no trace of his targets. ".....It would seem that the interlopers have managed to best me yet again." Dischord muttered. "Still, we cannot give up. At least we know that they are somewhere inside." He turned towards his two comrades. "Alert the others. Tell them to capture those boys on sight, no questions asked." The two cultists saluted Dischord in response, before all three ghosts dissipated. 

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The four friends entered the lobby once more and took a second to catch their breaths, with Elijah monitoring their surroundings using the ghost radar. Everything seemed normal....but something caught his eye. "Umm....guys? You might want to come take a look at this...." The other three boys came over and looked at the radar screen. "All of those red dots are the ghosts, right?" James asked. "That's right. And I have noticed that they almost all seem to be mingling in groups. Except....for this one." Elijah said, shifting the screen's view to the second floor and highlighting a certain room, which only showed one red dot, on its own, isolated from the rest. "It seems to be the only ghost on the left half of the second floor. I say we go there, attempt to subdue it, and see what it knows. After all, they can't easily call for help due to their position." 

Cooper nodded. "Sounds good. Which room is that?" 

Elijah adjusted the radar's settings. "Umm....it looks like it's the second floor balcony, and thankfully, this spirit has a weak energy signature. According to the generated map, there's also a balcony on the third floor, also with only one ghost on it. But it's also picking up a huge paranormal signal coming from that area, so I don't think we're equipped to deal with whatever that is yet. Plus, it's a longer walk." 

"All right!" Ricardo exclaimed, pulling out the plunger gun. "To the second floor balcony, everyone!"