Kingdom of Loathing

Chapter 17: An Unexpected Reunion

I will teach you everything you need to know to be an adventurer. Then, you can finally take her down.

***

Meanwhile, inside of Room 6969, the most intense battle of the ages was in progress.

"Wingy, watch out!" Teresa exclaimed as the ghost swooped down towards the short girl.

"Got it, Nugget!" Ava ducked down and the ghost missed its mark.

"Keep it distracted!" Teresa commanded, running to a corner. "I have to bless this salt for it to work!"

"Gotchu, fam!"

Jumping behind the bed, Teresa placed her hand over the salt bag and began chanting a spell. Slowly, the bag began to glow a bright yellow. Back to Ava, the fight was basically nonexistent because most of it was just dodging and running around stupidly.

Letting out an unholy screech, the ghost clawed at Ava, who simply shifted to the side about a foot and evaded its attack.

"Haha, loser!" Ava teased. "You can't even- AHHHHHH!"

Ava screeched as the ghost grabbed her by the leg with its ghostly arms and lifted her into the air.

"NUGGET HELP ME!" she cried, hanging upside down.

"Just hit it!" Teresa yelled, finally finishing the blessing. "Or wait! I'm finished!"

She jumped up from behind the bed, grabbed a handful of salt, and pitched it at the ghost. Some grains hit its body and hissed, dissolving the spirit.

Roaring, the ghost whirled around in pain and dropped Ava.

"Ow!" Ava whined, standing up.

Levitating a ball of salt into the air, Teresa prepared her attack when an arrow whizzed through the air and planted itself in the ghost's body.

Hissing and screeching, the ghost began to dissolve even more.

The two turned around to see a hooded blonde woman holding a bow and arrow with a brown-haired man beside her. But they couldn't be curious now, as the ghost still needed to be destroyed.

"Take this!" Teresa exclaimed as she sent the salt ball flying the ghost's face. It struck its target and the ghost howled in pain.

Ava sprinkled a couple grains of salt on her disco ball and smacked the ghost with full force. Unexpectedly, the brown-haired man leaped at the ghost, pinned it to a wall, and snapped some sort of collar onto it.

The ghost let out one final hiss before melting into the air. Then, it disappeared completely.

"Thanks for helping out!" Ava smiled at the strangers. "Who are you guys?"

"Oh, just fellow citizens wanting to help out!" the woman responded. "We heard of the ghosts in this hotel and decided we would come! But I guess you guys were already sent on the job..."

"No, it's fine," Teresa stepped in. "You two did kind of save us, after all."

"It's pretty cool to see other guys like us around these parts!" the man remarked, slipping his hands into the pockets in his jeans. "What are your names?"

"I'm Teresa," the mage greeted. "It's nice to meet you."

"And I'm Ava," Ava introduced herself. "Ava Walker! And I'm a disco bandit!

The woman scrunched up her eyebrows, as if she had heard something strange.

"That's odd, I used to have a friend named Ava as well," she mentioned. "You two look alike... wait..."