A Twisted Halloween II: Spectral Soiree

Chapter 7: Is There a Problem?

The three friends manage to use their magic to attack the female ghost, which isn't too much of a fight.

The female ghost screams, "Eeek! I'm going to fade away! Somebody, HELP MEEE!" And retreats without a second thought.

"I thought we just agreed to conserve our energy!" Ortho says.

"So much for that..." Ruggie replies.

"Let's just call that a force of majeure situation. She's the one who initiated the attack, not us!" Riddle says.

Then mutters, "I'll grant that entering someone's abode without knocking IS a breach of etiquette."

Then says, "However, she shouldn't have been so careless as to keep her door unlocked. Ahem..."

Then says to the others, "Anyway, we should probably avoid throwing doors open willy-nilly around here. There's a chance we'll run into more ghosts. Let's restrict our search to the outside."

"Aww, man. I was hoping we'd get to rummage around in the houses, "Ruggie says, disappointed.

"Are you still going on about treasure? I already told you there won't be any here. It doesn't make sense to hide treasure in a ghost town, let alone leave clues for it. If a person possesses something that valuable, they should keep it on them at all times... Or store it in some sort of secured institution," Riddle says.

"Don't be such a wet blanket. All stories follow basic patterns, you know!" Ruggie says.

But Riddle replies, "Now you're referencing story archetypes? I freely admit I've had no exposure to the comic book and video games the rest of you enjoy. So my opinion is entirely grounded in reality."

"Oh, I see, you're not familiar with manga and video games," Ortho says.

Then asks, "What about movies or novels? They have treasure hunt stories too! There's this one series I love, it's called the Adventure of Captain Mustache..."

"I've never had much interest in watching or reading escapist fare. Ah, but I have read a great many autobiographies. By the time I was around your age, Ortho, I was already reading medical dictionaries..." Riddle says.

Then notices the look on the other's face.

Riddle looks confused, "What ?Is there a problem with that?"

"Dude..." Ruggie replies.

Then Ortho says, "Wow... You know, there are studies that show consuming entertainment media is essential for well-rounded emotional development."

Then Ruggie says, "You know it's bad when Ortho - who I remind you is a robot - is worried about your emotional growth."

Offended, Riddle asks, "Why are you both ganging up on me? This is none of your business! Besides, while I may not be up-to-date on popular culture, I've read all the classics that are foundational for a literary education. Treasure hunting? Adventure? There's no point bothering with stories that have no lesson to learn."

"I dunno, Riddle. You're a smart guy. You strike me as the type who would enjoy stories involving treasure hunts and stuff," Ruggie says.

"What does being smart have to do with it?" Riddle questions.

"Everything! Treasure hunting is like solving a puzzle," Ruggie answers.

"Is it?" Riddle questions.

"Sure! Here, lemme describe a scene from a manga for you," Ruggie says.

Then says, "So, there's this monster, and it offers the hero a deal. First it says: 'What friend laughs when you laugh, cries when you cry, and is always then when -"

"A mirror," Riddle answers.

Ruggie says in shock, "Don't DO that! You're taking the fun out of it if you don't at least PRETEND to think about it! Then the monster tells the hero to present a friend matching that description if they want the treasure. The hero cleverly pulls out a mirror and shouts, 'This is what you seek!' And it works! It's a pretty iconic scene."

"Hmm..." Riddle thinks a bit, and says, "The riddle was far too simple, but if I think of it as a puzzle, does it count as a mental exercise?"

"Puzzles involving mirrors are a staple of a good adventure. Sometimes they're combined with light puzzles too," Ortho says.

"Hmm, is that so?" Riddle asks.

"Oh, you mean like when light reflects off a mirror to reveal the treasure's location?" Ruggie replies.

Then Ortho says, "Maybe the mirror fragments are the key to some kind of puzzle. Isn't that an exciting thought? In the Adventure of Captain Mustache, when they placed a mirror atop a gate, it reflected the moonlight and created a lit pathway, like..."

Suddenly, they notice something shiny on the ground.

"What?!" Riddle and Ruggie react in shock.

"Yeah, just like that! Look, the light's reflecting off the mirror fragment and shining directly on a well in town!" Ortho says.

Riddle says, "We must investigate!"

The three run down the town and soon arrive at the well. They both look in the well to see something shining.

"There's something shiny at the bottom of the well!" Riddle says.

"Really?!" Ortho asks, surprised.

"Did we actually find treasure? Am I about to be rich?!" Ruggie asks, surprised.

"Let's go find out what's down there!" Riddle says.

Before they can go into the well to find the object, the female ghost from before appears with multiple ghost guards.

The female ghost says, "I found them! Guards, those are the scoundrels right there!"

Ortho is surprised, "Whoa. The ghost came back with a lot of company."

One of the ghost guards says, "My word! There really ARE living people skulking about!"

The other ghost guard says, "Cowardly thieves! You think you can just barge into a lady's residence unbidden?! We'll bring you in and see what the boss has to say -"

Ruggie shouts at them, "CAN IT!"

"THIS IS NOT THE TIME!" Riddle angrily says.

The ghost yelps, "Urk!

The ghost says, "What horrid brutes... They'll harm the other ghosts if we don't stop them."

Then another ghost calls out, "Capture them at all costs!"

Ruggie becomes frustrated, "Argh! How are we supposed to get the treasure with them hassling us? Let's take 'em down!"