The adventurer sighed as she wiped the jelly off her sword. “I wonder what my sister’s doing right now… Meanwhile I’m stuck doing grunt work”. Her shoulders slumped as she stabbed another slime, recoating her sword in what looked like green snot.
She wore plain old hiking boots, pants, and a jacket, the sort of practical clothing a veteran adventurer would wear. Aside from her shortsword, she carried an unstrung bow on her back.
I was floored. Were slimes actually… weak?! It couldn’t be! Yet if this adventurer was taking them out with such ease… hmm. This called for experimentation!
“[Spooky Maze]”, I whispered, channeling my ghostly powers. All around me, the landscape shifted and warped. Lively green hills turned into barren mounds of dirt. Trees withered until they were barely strong enough to hold the bats perching on them. Dark clouds and tasteful amounts of fog drifted across the landscape. Yes… my [Spooky Maze] technique allowed me to effectively create a parallel version of the real world! No mere illusion, I could warp space and time at will within this pocket dimension, with only moderate concern for the real world!
My ultimate ability! My masterpiece! My capstone project at the University of Horror! So what if my peers were edgier and scored higher on the tests, when I had perfected my ghostly talents! Now then, it was time to scare an adventurer, one who slaughtered slimes with naught but contempt written on her face! A true nightmare! I giggled as I snuck into the shadows.
The adventurer quickly drew her sword as she saw the scenery change, pivoting around to survey the terrain. Her body trembled with bloodlust, ready to spring into action at any moment. “Who… who’s there?? I-I’m warning you… I’m armed!”, she threatened. Truly a worthy foe.
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However, I was no mere zombie fresh from the grave! No vampire hack assigning himself random noble titles without proper accreditation! I was Count Boogula, the 213-year reigning King of Scares! Recently voted “Spookiest” in Corpse Chronicle! Time to prove it!
“Hieee!”, the adventurer let out a startled cry as a swarm of bats took off behind her, exploding into the night. “I can seeee yooouuu…”, I called out, using [Spooky Speech] to add echoes and sound like a young child. It was a counterintuitive but well known fact among ghostkind that the only thing scarier than children were ghost children.
The adventurer was slowly backing away from me now, holding onto her sword like a lifeline. Other ghouls would’ve gone straight for a jumpscare, but perhaps something just a little more subtle was in order.
“[Spooky Illusion]”, I muttered under my breath. The adventurer jolted upright as a zombie placed its hand onto her shoulder. “AAAAGGGHHHHH!!!”, she screamed as she turned around, slashing straight through the head of the mirage, letting it dissipate back into the fog.
I could scarcely believe it! Whereas most would shriek and run, all thoughts of defending themselves abandoned, she turned around and decapitated her attacker with a vicious battlecry! Such killer instincts! Even for the undead, well versed in horror and cracked mirrors, that kind of reaction was impressive. I was right after all, this was no average adventurer!
I ended my [Spooky Maze], satisfied for now. The adventurer sighed and let her sword drop to the ground as we snapped back into the real world. “Hello! I’m Count Boogula!”, I promptly made myself visible.
Her face went white as she toppled over into the grass. “...Am I really that ugly?”.
