[Flashback] Treasure is better (Aello)

by **Bob Barton** on October 20th, 2011, 2:21 am

The possessed Aello came closer and closer. The ghost didn't try to hide that it was coming for Bob and everytime he spoke it just terrified Bob. As if responding to his fear itself the pile of res in his hand grew bigger and bigger. The fear made it too hard to control just how much was coming out and Bob did not care. All he wanted was to stop the ghost in his tracks. Whoever cared about Aello anyway? She was younger, she hardly did anything with her life if you compared her to Bob so Bob was by far a lot more valuable than her in terms of experiences and ability. It was the excuse that he will use to convince himself in case he had to make any tough decisions soon.

He nodded. Yes he was scared and right now he could hardly make sense of anything which came from Aello's mouth. But what he knew was that the ghost was coming to attack him. Whatever little light that the dark room had was reflected on the glass which was in her hands. The one which Bob could see the ghost was fingering and playing around just like he was doing to Bob. In this little house of horrors, Bob and Aello were nothing more than the ghost's playthings but he was not going to get broken. Not by a girl and not by her glass. As soon as he saw the glint darting forward towards him Bob jumped back in an attempt to avoid it. Succeeding this time but sealing his fate for the next. He was backed to the door and had nowhere else to run to.

So when Aello came for another stab at him, Bob did the only thing he could while he was stuck leaning on the door and that was tossing the res right at the ghost. He was just that scared that as soon at the giant pile of res left his hand it transmuted into water straight away and splashed all over Aello's face. Never before Bob has used that much res. Normally it was a very minimal amount. Just enough for him to maybe control a few dice here or there, maybe sprinkling some water towards someone's face too. With everything that happened, he felt his body pulsing faster. Was this how power felt once you used it? With all this happening at once he wasn't even sure if the ghost hit or not.

Because it was not enough. Another! He can do so much more and decided that "I'll do another you petching ghost!" which he cried out excitedly. He will get another chance to attack with his water again. It was not any normal water, it was his and with it he will beat the ghost. If anything, Bob in this state should be scarier to Aello than the ghost because he issued his ultimatum. "Get out of Aello, or I will drown her and you with her. Then we will see if you can kill a ghost...again..." and started to accumulate res on his hands one more time.

by **Aello** on October 20th, 2011, 2:39 am

Water dripped down the length of Aello's face. It trickled off her chin, and onto the floor. But it was not enough to stop her attack. It was not enough to stop the ghost from doing what he was doing, and everything else he had intended. Continually slashing at Bob with the glass shard, the dead cackled. "You think a little water is going to stop me boy?" he asked. "Do you really believe that you are doing anything other than, perhaps, reviving her sweaty form?"

You are sweaty, aren't you girl? With your discomfort, more than anything else? the ghost asked, so that only Aello could hear. Physical exertion perhaps.

Aello made no response as the glass raked across Bob's form. Severing the strings that held his tunic together, before pressing into his newly exposed flesh. Forming a small white line, from which dripped a few droplets of blood. Answer me girl! the ghost hollered, as Aello internally whimpered, and tried to draw her hand away from Bob's flesh, but it was no use. She still couldn't seize control. Perhaps it was a matter of her being too afraid to. Or too unsure of herself, how to wrestle properly, with a ghost. Or perhaps, it had to do with her not being completely appalled yet... with a part of her wanting to hurt Bob too. However small that part of her may be.

The ghost had begun to move Aello's hand back up, doing his best to trace the line he had just made upon Bob's flesh. "Water will do nothing to stop us boy... you can't kill me, twice. But her, perhaps you can kill. If I do not exhaust her body first, and end her that way." The ghost fell silent a moment, as he tried to push Aello's trembling fingers farther, tried to push the glass more deeply into Bob's flesh. Unlikely... I like to play with my dolls before I toss them in the trash, the ghost assured her, as he forced the body to take a step closer to Bob's dark outline.

Aello's fingers were beginning to tremble all the more furiously. The glass slipping from between her fingers as they lined themselves with salty sweat. Please don't do this, Aello whispered to the ghost as she watched him forced her hand up and down, over and over, trying to thicken the lines in Bob's skin. You don't have to do this...

"Yes.... don't you just love the sight of blood?" the ghost hissed. "That alluring, metallic scent. Its warmth as it casts itself against your skin?" the ghost asked, as he did his best to grind the glass into Bob's flesh. Just to cause a little to squirt out and onto Aello's flesh. So she could feel it for herself. The thing he seemed to love. That which he longed to spill once more. That which she and her companion had given him the opportunity to taste.

"Just a little more..." the ghost whispered. "This shouldn't hurt a bit..."

NOOOOOOOOOO! Aello screamed at him, as the ghost continually thrust the glass bit towards Bob's chest, trying to stab the same spot, a centimeter to the right of his heart. He may be entirely rude and self-absorbed, but you may not hurt him! Not with my help! she screamed, as she desperately fought to pull her own hand back. Sometimes, managing to slow its movement, but only a little.

The ghost cackled. "Ready for the release?" he asked each of them.

OOCYou think I went a little overboard? And um... you said I could hurt him... but only a lil.

by **Bob Barton** on October 27th, 2011, 5:08 am

Would he actually be able to kill the ghost? Probably not seeing how ineffective his attack was. All it caused was a satisfying "SPLASH!" when it hit the girl's face which brought a grin on his own right until the ghost started talking again about how it won't be able to stop him. Or it could be a bluff and "you're the one sweating instead!" after being scared that Bob will kill the ghost with his reimancy. "It will stop you, you petching liar of a ghost!" he yelled as he accumulated more res on his hands.

Despite the ghost playing around with the shard of glass in Aello's hand to use its artistic talents, Bob was way too excited to feel any fear. Combine that with the desire to use the water again and you have one midget who was willing to do whatever it took to stop the ghost even it it meant hurting its little girl host. It was going to be one of the biggest things he had tried with reimancy so far. The res kept getting drawn out from him into his palm and got bigger until it could even cast its own shadow in the dark room. "One last chance ghost..."

It was not Bob's own desire which forced his hand but the pain once the ghost became really serious in trying to attack. With a loud yell of pain "...arrgh!", he thrust his hand forward at his attackers face. This time he was not going to throw a waterball. He was going to hold it in his hand for as long as he can control the res. While it was moving forward, layers from the outside began to transmute and it reached Aello's face. In the darkness Bob might miss his target but he had all hopes to drown her or possibly bring her closest to that state to stop the ghost.

"I am ready if what you mean is releasing her!" he screamed out holding his hand at her face with the waterball not knowing if the attack was effective this time or not. Either way two attacks he was completely not used to would drain most of himself and leave him too exhausted to continue doing anything further.

OOCSorry, I am really at a lost of what to do so I just kinda forced it out like this.

by **Aello** on November 1st, 2011, 11:17 pm

With a gentle flick of Aello's wrist, the ghost managed to continually cut Bob's flesh. Tracing the slender lines he had already inflicted mere moments before. What must have felt to both Bob and Aello, ages ago. Everything seemed to drag on and on. Move so slowly, that Aello wondered if time was moving on at all, or it had simply, stopped. Suspending each of them, and the ghost, in space. A place between what would soon be the past, and the present. A world between worlds, a time between times.

It felt as though Aello were holding her breath, as Bob's blood dripped. Spilling onto his clothes. The floor. Her trembling hands.

"Time to spill it all," the ghost growled. The letters and sounds seemed stretched. As though the letter "L" would go on forever and ever. Inside, Aello ached, as Bob thrust his watery djed orb towards her. She could barely feel it now. Tickling her chin. Chilling her much like the ghost's touch.

He means to drown us both, although you can no longer be drowned, Aello whispered, her voice weak, as the ghost slashed furiously at Bob's flesh. He means to make it impossible for you to retain control...

"Don't you think I know that?" the ghost growled, as Aello tried to pull her hand back. She was getting tired. She could feel him getting tired. The water seemed to rise, inching closer and closer to her nose. "Don't you know I won't give you up so easily, little girl... I need a willing host in order to play with my toys." And you serve the job well, the ghost added in their head, smirking into the dark, even though none of them could see, and Aello was beginning to lose feeling altogether.

Give it up ghost, Aello growled.

The ghost cackled.

The girl kept on trying to pull her hand back, although her body was growing weaker. Much like her hands, her legs were now trembling. The ghost was unable to drag the glass in even lines. Straight lines. He was beginning to make new strokes. Create a new design. Spill fresher blood. But only single, crimson droplets, for the slashes were not deep. They hardly sank into the skin, broke it apart at the seams.

The ghost took a step back, drawing the spell away from Aello's flesh. Allowing her heaving chest to suck in air. Although he didn't need it, he knew the girl did, and he needed her. She could not be allowed to diminish any further, if he was to use her to his ends. To his pleasure.

Get... out... Aello gasped.

The ghost cackled. If he could, he would never leave. But he was beginning to weaken, although the humans did not know it, the girl would be able to expel him from her body soon enough, and perhaps, if he did not work quickly enough, save her friend. Once the ghost had felt that his host had recovered well enough, he lunged forward, dragging the shard of glass over the girl's head, and thrusting it towards Bob's chest as soon as he was near.

"Noooooooo!" Aello screamed, her voice ringing into the air. Leaping from wall to wall of the dimly lit room. She forced her hand to halt, keeping the ghost from pushing it further, after he had sent it halfway towards the midget's form. Aello's arm hung awkwardly in the air, stuck in space. She was a statue, barely breathing. Her fingers unfurled, releasing the bloody shard of glass. It swirled to the floor, where it landed with a loud clack. Crackling as it split down its center.

"No," Aello whispered, so angry with what the ghost was doing, so opposed to it, that he could hold on no longer. Like the silent release of one's breath, a gentle sigh, it was expelled from her body. She felt warm again, gained feeling again. The ghost flickered in the narrow space between them. The girl, and the midget. He spat at Aello, as he flickered away, perhaps too weak to say more.

Or perhaps, he had given up.

"Bob... it's me... please try the door," Aello whispered, her voice wavering, much as her weakening body swayed. Before, finally crumbling onto the floor. Her chest rising and falling heavily, as her eyes shut out the world, dousing her in an impenetrable blanket of false night.

OOCFeel free to wrap up.

by **Bob Barton** on November 3rd, 2011, 3:53 am

Marks like that on his body would be just soooooo cool. What exactly was that ghost writing on Bob's chest? Whatever it was it better be good because Bob did not want to get all this pain for something that spelt out J-E-R-K or J-A-C-K but what could that ghost be spelling out which starts with the letter J? Bob could not think of anything good which started with a J. While what the ghost was actually trying to write started with L, Bob just could not see it. Only feel in the reverse. Even so only bad things will come to mind like L-O-S-E-R or L-A-M-E-R. It was just so frustrating, being branded by a little girl even if she was being possessed and strengthened by a ghost.

There was a storm of emotions all mixed around inside Bob. Fear, surprise, depression, excitement, rage, fear, curiosity...what the hell. Just say that Bob had every emotion in him at that one time. That would save a lot of time for the more important things. Things that Bob wanted to know when he replied out of curiousity "yes, yes. Spill out your last words!" The ghost obviously had something to say now that he had seen Bob's not so awesome powers. Unless what he wanted to say was that Bob should drop the waterball now. No way that was happening because it seemed to be effective as much as Bob could tell in the dark. It was the only weapon now that he had lost the book and he was going to put it to its use.

At first Bob kept the waterball right in front of him where he felt the glass was coming from making the assumption that it was right on Aello's tiny little nose and mouth. It was just like suffocating any other person. Bob would only have to cover the openings with his hand or a cloth until she was out of breath. The water even if it was intended for drowning was no different and Bob tried his best to keep it where he needed to right until he heard the ghost talking. That was not supposed to happen because he knew he should be hearing something like Glub, glub, glub instead.

Bob kept shifting the position of his hand, up, down, round and round to try and drown Aello but he never heard the sounds he wanted. He heard her whispering...something...and then he heard the growling. Whatever was happening, Bob thinks that it might be working because the ghost was less talkative than before. "How do you like that? Now leave before its too late!" he told him. If possible, Bob would not want to kill Aello or seriously hurt her but he himself did not want to die. All this...he just did not know what he want and he could only hope that it will turn out for the best.

The waterball moved all along Aello's face still trying to find the points and Bob could feel that on certain points, the ghost was pushing the glass weaker. Causing shallow cuts into his body the longer it went. He knew where his hand needed to be from that point onwards and kept it there right until Aello took a step back to gasp at the fresh air. When she screamed Bob did not know what to do. Should he follow through the attack? Was it the ghost or Aello? He warned her, he warned her. They should never come into the house in the first place and if she was hurt, it was not his fault!

In the dark after so long, Bob's eyes were already used to at least see the outline of things and he saw Aello's hand stretched awkwardly towards him followed by the crackling sound of glass. Once she had confirmed it was her, Bob could see that she was swaying about. He knew what would happen next. She nearly drowned. It was a miracle that she was still standing. Quickly he opened his arms and darted forward trying to catch her before she fully fell to the ground. Then he picked her up and headed to the door not before yelling "Ouch!" It was that book from before that he accidentally kicked on. Not wanting to leave without anything, Bob picked it up and smashed it on the door right until it creaked open again.

Finally they were out of that accursed house. A tired and weakened boy from overusing his being and a little girl who finally expelled an intruder into her body. As heavy as Aello felt now, Bob could not bring himself to drop her but the question was, where would he take her? He did not know where she lived. "Dammit. Looks like I have a lot of explaining to do..." he mumbled, struggling to keep her up as they walked down the road back to his home. At least there Uncle Marny can give Aello some medical attention that she really looked she needed and Bob can get some rest on his comfortable bed. Maybe read that book he found if he could. "Would you believe it uncle? That she nearly drowned and your brave nephew dived in to save her?"

by **Paragon** on January 5th, 2012, 6:01 pm

Bob :

Aello :

Awesome, action packed thread - I especially loved the dialogue between these two wildly different personalities. One thing I would say to Bob, is to look at his viewpoints when writing closely. You need to write from your character's point of view, at points you act as some sort of narrator, and even break the fourth wall. Please try to write through your character's eyes - if you have ANY questions or concerns about this grading, don't hesitate to PM me.