"Look at that. I haven't even seen the full extent of what Gastly can do, but this little ball of gas has a lot of potential." Merry pointed toward a group of goblins who had completely lost their minds, tearing into each other in a frenzy. Floating just above them, Gastly cackled gleefully, basking in the chaos caused by his [Confuse Ray].
"Train him… or better yet, give Gastly to your daughter. She's been working hard, studying and training nonstop to become a tamer. Gastly would be perfect for her. He'll be a pain to handle, but I believe it'll be a valuable experience for her."
Merry shut her book and looked to her friend just as the last two goblins, bloodied and feral, faced off in a final showdown. Covered in gashes and bite marks, they lunged at each other with savage cries, jaws wide as they tried to rip each other apart.
The ground around them was littered with corpses, goblins missing limbs, faces torn off, bodies covered with bites, along with missing flesh. But soon enough, it ended. One goblin somehow gouged out the eyes of the other with a burst of rage. As his blind sibling collapsed, screaming, the victor tackled him to the ground and bit deep into his throat, tearing a chunk of flesh free, chewing with blood dripping from his mouth.
He reared his head back, swallowing the chunk of flesh and roaring in triumph as he held his brother's mangled corpse high above his head. But his victory was short-lived.
With a cackling screech, Gastly surged forward, laughter rising to a crescendo as he closed in on the last surviving goblin. Without hesitation, Gastly wrapped himself around the goblin's head and upper body, his form thickening.
The goblin dropped the corpse and thrashed violently, but it was already too late.
Gastly forced his gaseous form into the goblin's mouth and nostrils, flooding his lungs with noxious vapors. The goblin's eyes bulged. He clawed desperately at his throat, leaving deep red trails with his filthy claws as he struggled to breathe, struggling to scream.
But there was no air. Only Gastly and his poisonous gas.
Gastly condensed tighter, invading every space within the goblin's chest and throat, suffocating him from the inside while simultaneously poisoning his organs. The goblin staggered and coughed up dark, frothy, purplish blood, falling to his knees, twitching as his life was slowly squeezed out of him.
Within seconds of being wrapped by Gastly, he collapsed, body twitching one final time before going still. And with a gleeful giggle, Gastly slipped free from the corpse, hovering above the carnage, with eyes glowing with wicked satisfaction.
"Do you seriously think I'd give my daughter something that violent? Look at it… It's smiling. That thing is way too much for her. And how exactly is she supposed to control it? It doesn't even have a tamer's collar." She shot Merry a look that screamed, 'Are you stupid?' She then shut the book she'd been writing in with a sigh and slightly shook her head at Merry.
"She's still a kid. Sure, she's been training, but taming something like that?" She pointed at Gastly, who had his entire body wrapped around the dead goblin, doing… something, as small amounts of red and blue vapor left his body. "That thing gives off bad vibes, Merry. Real bad. It's not just violent, it enjoys being violent. That's something I won't like near my daughter."
But with a smug little smile tugging at her lips, Merry raised an eyebrow and calmly called out, "Watch this Namue. Gastly, come here and do the trick I taught you!"
Though Gastly wore a slight frown when called, he didn't protest. He slipped away from the goblin corpse without hesitation, floating lazily toward Merry. If anyone bothered to glance at the remains he left behind, they'd see something unsettling. The goblin's body looked kinda shriveled, almost deflated, like it had been in the process of being drained of moisture. It resembled a grotesque piece of half-made beef jerky.
Hovering just a few feet from Merry, Gastly grinned widely as his gaseous form shifted around. He began condensing his body, the gas tightening and shifting as he floated closer. Slowly, his form morphed into something recognizable, conical with a wide brim, the unmistakable shape of a wizard's hat.
"Tada!" Merry exclaimed, pointing proudly to the new addition on her head. "Now tell me, do you know any violent monster that can be trained to do this?"
Purple mist wafted gently from the brim of the hat as Gastly settled in place atop her head, still grinning.
"Gastly isn't violent unless he's told to be. He listens better than most trained familiars, and he's playful, not malicious… probably. But I honestly believe he wouldn't harm your daughter!" Merry gave her friend a soft, genuine smile. "You know I'd never put my favorite little niece in danger."
As if on cue, Gastly began making exaggerated goofy faces at Namue. Despite herself being a serious person, Namue let out a soft chuckle, with worry in her eyes beginning to slightly ease as she watched the strange, maybe kinda scary, creature playfully clown around.
Though Namue's worries had eased ever so slightly, they still lingered on her face. Merry, noticing the cracks beginning to form in her friend's stubborn resistance, decided to push a little further.
"Alright, how about this!" Merry said, a sly grin tugging at her lips. "Let's head back to my place and let your daughter meet and train Gastly for a day or two. If she doesn't like him or if things don't work out, he stays with me. But if she bonds with him, let her keep Gastly by her side. Fair deal?"
Wrapping an arm around Namue's shoulders in a sisterly half-hug, Merry extended her other hand, palm open, waiting for a handshake to seal the agreement.
Namue stood still, her ears giving a small twitch, a telltale sign of her inner debate. Eyes closed, she exhaled a long, drawn-out sigh, laced with a mix of frustration and reluctant acceptance. "Fine. But if anything happens to her, I swear I'll burn down your entire garden. Every flower. Every herb."
"Deal," Merry said cheerfully, already pulling her along. With a firm shake of hands, the two began walking together through the forest path, with Gastly gleefully floating behind them, somehow managing to carry a 'fresh' goblin corpse that was slowly drying out.
It didn't take long for them to arrive back at Merry's home. It was nice and quiet when they came back, but there was some conversation… Well, mainly gossiping was happening between three older women who sat comfortably on a checkered blanket, sipping tea and nibbling on snacks.
A short distance away, several children played gleefully with Anky, who was enjoying the attention, but more importantly, enjoying the food being eagerly offered by her young admirers.
But neither the women nor the children were the focus right now.
What truly mattered was Gastly, who was floating low to the ground, his gaseous body pulsing with mischievous glee as he slowly crept up behind a girl who was too absorbed in her work to notice the ghost's approach. The beautiful elf girl sat cross-legged on the grass, her long silver hair tucked neatly behind pointed ears as her hand moved swiftly across the thick pages of a large journal.
Her eyes were locked onto Anky, and the detail she was capturing was astounding. She wasn't just sketching, she was cataloging. Every feature of Anky's anatomy was being meticulously drawn and labeled: bone structure, dietary preferences, speed, weight estimates, behavioral patterns, preferred activities… and even more complex notes filled with jargon and speculative ideas.
Completely immersed in her work, she didn't notice the faint drop in temperature until her entire body shivered suddenly. Her breath caught in her throat as an icy chill wrapped around her shoulders, and slowly… ever so slowly… she turned her head as she felt something weighing down on her shoulders.
Two glowing red eyes stared back at her from a face of swirling gas, hovering inches away. And Gastly, wearing his signature grin, let out a low, echoing chuckle that made her hair stand on end. And when I mean making her hair stand up, I mean it literally because Gastly gave a big ol lick on her face. Making her hair stand up, and somehow, momentarily paralyzing her.
—-
Whelp, sorry for the slow update.
And sorry for not continuing with the main story. I just wanted to test and explore with my writing and give our summons/character some spotlight. Sure, this chapter probably ain't good, but I'm learning. So, please comment with some feedback. And comment if I should continue with how I'm writing Gastly. I'm trying to keep him close to his lore, but adding some of my own and fan ideas about Gastly, because I've just been binge-watching videos about him.
But thanks for reading, the next chapter will be back to the main story. And leave a comment on who should get a side chapter next. I'm thinking of doing the next side chapter about Monolith, aka our Tall-Neck.