#undead skylander baby...

[plasticbabyart]

It's there baby.... she's so baby..

[turquoisephoenix]

Master Eon Versus the Town-Devouring Ghoul

A Skylanders one shot

Ghost Roaster becoming a Skylander Origin Story.

Several decades before the destruction of the Core of Light and the banishment of the Skylanders, Master Eon and Hex are called upon by one of the rulers of the Underworld to journey to the Land of the Undead and fight one of the most dangerous undead creatures - a ghost-devouring ghoul. Can he and his witch companion conquer this dastardly foe, or is Skylands’ most powerful Portal Master about to meet his match?

This story takes place several decades before the events of the first game, so Master Eon is still alive. Count Moneybone also isn't considered an evil villain yet. He's on his best behavior, don't worry.

Characters: Master Eon, Hex, Ghost Roaster, Count Moneybone

Content Warning: Minor body horror.

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Out of all the wonderful locations in the infinite realm of Skylands, one of Master Eon's most treasured places was his garden. He was picturing his idyllic retreat right now, remembering its many abundances of colorful fruits and vegetables. The ripe strawberries, juicy tomatoes, and fragrant herbs, the rows of vibrant sunflowers swaying gently in the warm breeze, and the butterflies flitting from blossom to blossom all entered his mind and he smiled. Yes, he could even hear the bees buzzing, their gentle hum harmonizing with the gentle stream trickling through the field. His garden was a symphony of Skyland's endless bounty and a peaceful retreat whenever his Portal Master duties got a little too stressful.

A femur bone struck the wall inches from his head and Eon's smile instantly vanished. He certainly wished he was in his garden right now.

Instead of spending this lovely spring morning knee-deep in loam and tending to baby trees, Master Eon had been summoned on Portal Master duty by his old friend Count Moneybone to deal with, in Moneybone's words, "a horrible creature the likes of which have been unseen in hundreds of years." So now both he and Hex, his chosen partner for his journey through the Land of the Undead, were standing in the hallowed halls of Count Moneybone's Villa, waiting for an audience.

The problem was, so was every elected official that answered to Count Moneybone's district, and some of the Undead had the tendency to be rowdy.

Both Master Eon and Hex stood unmoving and unwavering in the doorway of Count Moneybone's mansion study as they waited for the right time to make an entrance. They watched, brows furrowed and lips pursed in unison, as a crowd of undead mayors, barons, and councilmen yelled at each other in a horrid cacophony of noise. Master Eon was the only creature within the vicinity with a pulse, and yet he was far less animated than the legions of rotted corpses in front of him as decayed limbs gestured at a map on a large dining table, at the air, or at the unlucky owner of the manor.

Despite the writhing mass of gleaming bones and putrid flesh all fighting for attention, and despite his less-than-remarkable stature (Moneybone would object to the word "short"), Count Moneybone was still easy to pick out in the crowd. Unlike the ragged robes or the ghastly cloaks befitting most Undead - even the ones that held a position of office - Moneybone liked elaborate purple cloaks, fancy purple gloves, and flashy golden armor. Under the highly expensive chandelier dangling above his head, Moneybone practically gleamed like a spotlight. 

Which, unfortunately for him, made him an incredibly easy target in this high stress situation. Even from the other side of the room, Master Eon could tell that his old friend was highly stressed out from the constant complaints. With a drooping mustache and a rapidly moving golden eye, Moneybone was fidgeting in place and was alternating between a customer service smile/grimace and quick flashes of temper depending on what was being said in his direction, and he was finding success with neither approach. 

He was in the middle of yelling at a smartly-dressed skeleton of a lizardman when his eyes spotted Master Eon and he immediately grabbed for that lifeline. Moneybone straightened up, put on his most charming smile, and assumed an extremely regal, composed tone of voice that he often practiced in front of the mirror.

"Ah, Master Eon and Mistress Hex, I do hope your trip to the Land of the Undead went w-"

Count Moneybone immediately realized that he had made a mistake.

His efforts were dashed as the crowd of terrified undead noticed that he was talking to fresh blood and turned its attention to Master Eon and Hex. Moneybone gave an indignant yelp as the crowd unceremoniously shoved him aside. Skeletons, ghosts, and zombies began to plead pitieously.

"DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE GHOUL!" screamed a floating skull wearing a top hat.

"Yes, we're getting to that-" Moneybone tried to interject, but he was outnumbered.

"A GHOUL! A GHOOOOOUL!"

"WHO WILL FALL NEXT TO ITS INSATIABLE HUNGER? HOW MANY MORE TOWNS MUST FALL!?"

"SAVE US, MASTER EON!"

"TURN THE GHOUL TO STONE, HEX!"

"ENOUGH!"

A ball of crackling green magic formed in Count Moneybone's right palm, and with a swift, fluid motion, he thrust his hand into the air. There was a crackle of lightning, a powerful hum of necromantic energy that smothered all sound in its wake, the harsh smell of ozone, and then the crowd instantly fell silent. 

The rest of the undead stood frozen in place, eyes wide in terror, as they stared at Count Moneybone. Arcs of green magic still raced up and down his arm as he glared at the crowd, reminding them that the last hour or so of him tolerating their complaints was actually an act of mercy and patience from their benevolent leader.

"Let Master Eon speak!" Count Moneybone ordered. Everyone in the room was more than happy to oblige.

Master Eon, now feeling every eye on him, quickly moved through the room. The atmosphere was so quiet that the rustle of his blue robes sounded deafening as he shuffled across the carpet until he was face-to-face with Count Moneybone, who was now casually rolling a spark of necromantic energy between two fingers. Eon frowned as he looked at the giant, hand-drawn map on the table. Included with the map was a drawing of the ghoul. Eon picked it up and studied it.

"From what I can gather, we've been called upon to deal with...a ghoul? I must admit, I'm not familiar with ghouls. Are they rare?"

"They're exceptionally rare monsters, yes. And damned powerful too." Count Moneybone said, the other members of the undead in the room hanging on his every word.

"Ghouls are not natural creatures. Usually, as the stories go, an evil necromancer living in a castle made out of bone will capture some unlucky villagers, horrifically transform them into ghouls and thus cursing them with an eternal hunger, and send them rampaging through the countryside as they devour everything in their path. Awful creatures, really."

Master Eon nodded. He was not at all surprised that Count Moneybone of all people would know about a rare creature created by awful necromancy gone bad. Although he wasn't doing the best job at hiding it - Eon was eyeing the magic still crackling off of Moneybone's hand - it was a well-kept secret that Count Moneybone used to be a necromancer back when he was alive. As far as Eon knew, Moneybone never created any ghouls. Moneybone was more of "reanimate the bones and sinew from his wife's pig farm in wacky experiments or resurrect the corpses of his pets" kind of necromancer before his untimely death. 

"And what makes them different from, say, an army of trolls or an army of dragons?" Master Eon asked carefully, his gaze still on the ghoul drawing. He could instantly recognize Count Moneybone's art style. The creature was very serpentine, with a snake-like tail in place of legs and a skull-like head lined with razor sharp teeth, piercing yellow eyes, and four pointy head spikes. The ghoul was depicted in the drawing wearing a black suit with a striking red collar that rose behind its head like the hood of a cobra. The drawing made sure to draw the ghoul's bony arms held outward like it was roaring in anger. 

Eon made note of the clothes. Non-sentient creatures didn't wear clothes. Creatures that wore clothes could be reasoned with...

Count Moneybone continued, tugging at one end of his mustache. "You know how, when a dragon eats someone, they don't eat the ghost part of the person, and you usually get a very crispy spirit asking for residence in the Land of the Undead? Ghouls can eat ghosts. They're eternally hungry apex predators that can send anyone alive or dead to the afterlife, and a lot of my constituents want to remain uneaten and in this current life as they work through their unfinished business, thank you very much!" 

The crowd of undead upperclassmen started to murmur words of agreement before being silenced by a glare from Count Moneybone. 

The gears were turning in Master Eon's head. So a ghoul's power was its hunger. He could work with that.

"Give me a timeline of this ghoul. When did they first appear, and where can I find them." Master Eon pressed on. If he felt any strong emotions about being asked to face a creature that could instantly send him to the next plane of existence by eating him, his voice did not reveal it. Hex was even calmer than him as she stood next to him, her face completely serene and unreadable.

Count Moneybone sighed and pinched his forehead. He was desperately fighting off the beginnings of a stress headache, despite not having any of the flesh to get a headache. 

"About a month ago, this ghoul randomly materialized near the ghost town of Ribcage, where it immediately and swiftly devoured the entire population of ghosts. I - of course - acted quickly, and had sent the mayor of Ribcage and a scouting party to kill the ghoul, but instead of doing what they were told, they trapped it, attached a ball and chain to it for reasons unknown, and let it roam free-"

The fashionable lizardman skeleton from earlier cut in, and it was immediately obvious from the way he grinded his teeth and gestured with his hands that they had suffered this conversation multiple times before.

"For the last time, I put the ball and chain on the ghoul because the best way to kill a ghoul is to root it in place and starve it to death!"

"Oh? And how heavy was the ball and chain?" sneered Count Moneybone.

"About fifteen pounds, give or take."

"Fifteen?! Did you want to starve the ghoul or did you want it to work on its triceps?! My mother could lift fifteen pounds! Fifteen pounds is nothing!" Count Moneybone snapped.

"Gentlemen! I believe we're getting off-topic!" Master Eon decided to cut in before things got violent. The lizardman, finger still raised in protest, then gave a quick bow and scurried away as Count Moneybone cleared his nonexistent throat.

"As I was saying, this ghoul has spent the last month haunting the surrounding area of Ribcage, eating anything it can get its horrible claws on. We still don't know how many citizens have lost their unlives and its territory has been gradually expanding as it's hunting for more food. I want you to take care of it before this problem gets out of hand! The entire Land of the Undead is at stake here!"

Sensing that the crowd of undead was still watching both his and Eon's every move, Count Moneybone then grabbed one edge of his cape with one hand and raised his other hand in the air as if reaching for heaven's light. He raised his voice in volume, going from "conversational" to "operatic". 

"So what do you say? Will you help us in our time of need, Master Eon?"

Master Eon paused, weighed his options, and, feeding into the theatrics for a bit, smiled and performed a bow and scrape before Count Moneybone, flourishing his hand as he did so.

"Consider it done!"

And with those words, Master Eon and Hex left the room to the sound of rapturous cheers and applause.  -----------------------

After quickly and reluctantly discussing the matter of Master Eon's payment with his new employer away from the crowd ("I have no need for gold coins." "Eon, you are not doing this job for free. If you won't take money, will you at least take a rare book from my collection?" "If you insist."), Master Eon and Hex left Count Moneybone's Villa and set off towards the town of Ribcage. Master Eon, with his long grey beard and sky blue robes making a stark contrast to Hex's midnight black, merrily trudged through the desolate land of the undead with his silent witch companion by his side. 

The air was thick with the stench of decay, and eerie moans echoed through the twisted trees that seemed to reach out with skeletal fingers, but Eon's mood remained cheery. Despite missing his garden earlier in the hustle and bustle of Count Moneybone's crowded study, he had to admit, it has been quite a while since he was asked to do a more traditional "Slay Thy Monster" quest. It felt nostalgic in a way. The Portal Master and his companion pressed on, their determination unwavering, for they had a quest to fulfill!

Hex did not share his enthusiasm. She quietly floated beside him, her face still passive and unreadable, as she exuded an aura of immense power. Her eyes glowed with a faint white light that pierced through the fog that permeated the land of the undead. She was always on high alert and she refused to waste more than a single word on such frivolities as "nice day we're having, Hex" and "it's been a while since you've last traveled to the Land of the Undead, Hex."

Master Eon had, of course, brought his trusty magic staff with him on his adventure. It crackled with energy as he used it as a walking aide. In addition, he also shouldered his enchanted satchel. Made of dark brown leather and decorated with a single red jewel, it looked like a regular, unassuming traveler's satchel, but it was enchanted to hold so much more than it seemed. Why, if it fell into a lake, it would easily swallow the entire body of water without changing size or weight. No self-respecting Portal Master went unprepared, after all! 

Today, however, his satchel contained no pilfered sea. Instead, he had packed his magical antique ladle (for making magical antique soup), a thermos that was currently holding a frightening amount of ectoplasm soup, more ingredients for soup in case Eon ran out of soup, various notes on the monster that they would soon face, and a map that would lead them to their destination (that now smelled faintly of soup).

It didn't take much travel time to enter Ribcage. Like most villages in the Land of the Undead, Ribcage lay in ruins, its buildings crumbling and decaying from years of neglect. But the unnatural stillness - the lack of unlife in the vicinity, the complete absence of friendly ghosts or zombies happily forming a community through broken boards and windows - was what made Ribcage feel particularly unwelcoming. The streets were littered with debris and overturned carts, evidence of the chaos that had ensued when the entire population was devoured. Clawmarks were gouged deep into the walls of several structures. Broken panes of glass and shattered doors lay on the ground.

Neither Eon nor Hex said a word as they searched the abandoned village for their monster. They could see that Moneybone's hunch was right. There were the telltale signs of a chain dragged through the dirt, and they looked fresh. The air was thick with an oppressive stillness. Not even the usual sounds of nocturnal creatures filled the air. Even the lowliest undead cricket was terrified of a hungry ghoul.

Their search did not last that long. The ghoul's tracks led to Ribcage's largest restaurant. It was once a quaint little hangout called The Spirits' Tavern ("Where the menu is to die for and the atmosphere is positively ethereal! Four point five stars on Yelp!") and it was in the same pathetic state of existence as the rest of the town. The windows were shattered, and a crowd of overturned chairs and tables sadly lay splintered and abandoned. Despite the constant decay that surrounded them, there was also the smell of something fresh wafting through the air. Master Eon gripped his walking staff with determination. He knew that they were close. Steeling his resolve, the Portal Master pushed open the restaurant's creaking doors and held them open long enough for Hex to float in first. Master Eon always held the door open for his companions as a common courtesy, even during death-defying monster quests. Inside, the remnants of several meals lay scattered across the tables and floor. No phantom pho, spectral soufflé, or midnight macabre martini was spared. The ghoul had been feeding here; its hunger so insatiable that no scrap of food was left untouched. Hex scanned the room for any sign of movement as Eon's staff began to glow with energy, ready to strike at a moment's notice. The Portal Master and his companion moved cautiously through the restaurant and made their way from the dining room to the kitchen and food stores. Once in the kitchen, they were greeted with an odd sight. There was a large smear of food mixture sitting on the floor, still wet and freshly made, with handfuls clearly ripped out of it rather than cooked. Master Eon bent down to examine it.   The Portal Master knew enough about cooking from his centuries of living in Skylands that he could tell that he was staring at one and a half cups of all-purpose flour, one cup of unsweetened natural cocoa powder, two cups of sugar, two teaspoons of baking soda, one teaspoon of baking powder, one teaspoon of salt, two teaspoons of espresso powder, half a cup of melted coconut oil, two large eggs cracked at room temperature, two teaspoons of pure vanilla extract, one cup of room temperature buttermilk, and one cup of coffee. But instead of baking this concoction into a fluffy, moist chocolate coffee cake, the creature skipped all of those other steps and gobbled up the raw cake mix with its bare hands. 

"I see our ghoul knows a thing or two about cooking. They even used measuring cups." Eon said in mild amusement. 

Hex didn't reply. She remained still, her entire body tense. Her head kept scanning the room, her hands raised and magic beginning to dance on her fingertips.

She could sense it. They were being watched. Inside the kitchen, next to the ruins of an uncooked cake, there were three occupants.

"Eon!" Hex cried. 

The air shimmered, and a hungry, malevolent ghoul suddenly materialized in the room. The long, sinewy creature with sharp teeth and glowing yellow eyes floated in front of them, sniffed the air hungrily, and then lunged towards Hex with a loud, wordless scream, its greedy claws extended. Hex swiftly dodged the attack, her black cloak billowing behind her, as she countered with a blast of magical energy. The ghoul howled in pain as the undead magic struck it in the chest, but instead of slowing it down, it seemed to enrage the creature further. 

"SKREEAAAA!!!"

The ghoul swung its spiked ball and chain attached to the end of its body wildly through the air in a giant arc, forcing both Hex and Eon to dance out of the way to avoid being struck. Ceramic bowls exploded into shards. Flour and sugar filled the air. An egg timer ricocheted off the wall.

'Fifteen pounds is enough to do a decent amount of damage...' Hex mused to herself as the creature swung around and pounced on her, teeth snapping at the air and the ball and chain clattering on the floor. She caught both of its hands in her's as fangs closed shut inches away from her face. The ghoul's breath smelled of rot, ectoplasm, and cake batter.

"Hex!" Master Eon yelled as magic burst forth from his outstretched hand. The ghoul was knocked aside and away from its prey but it immediately rose to its full height. It howled in hunger and attacked again, saliva foaming at its mouth.

In its frenzied, feral state, the ghoul didn't realize just how hopelessly overpowered its opponents were. The Soul-Devouring Terror of Ribcage was used to inexperienced members of the undead and the occasional poorly trained lackey under Count Moneybone's employment. As the ghoul lunged, Hex and Master Eon both focused their powers, casting a series of spells that sent bolts of lightning and a cascade of conjured skulls hurtling towards their monstrous opponent. Their magic blended seamlessly as the two of the most powerful sorcerers in all of Skylands worked together in perfect harmony. The creature roared in frustration as it tried to defend itself against the onslaught, but Hex and Eon were relentless.

"Immobilize them!" Master Eon commanded.

Hex nodded. With a final incantation, the sorcerer summoned a powerful wave of dark energy that summoned a prison of bone that burst forth from the ground. The creature was instantly pinned in place, its body wracked with pain as it let out a piercing wail. Its energy drained, the ghoul was rendered helpless, and it could do nothing but thrash weakly and helplessly like a dying fish on a line. 

"State your business," Hex commanded the growling, pinned creature as she held a ball of crackling energy near their face. 

"HISSSSSSSS!!!" answered the ghoul.

"Now now, Hex. It's hard to state your business when you're hungry." Master Eon said. Already, he was pouring some ectoplasm soup from his thermos into one of the few bowls in the kitchen that remained unbroken from the onslaught. He then kneeled next to the ghoul and gently placed the bowl in front of its face.

The monster was so hungry, so ravenous and starving, that it temporarily forgot its imprisonment once it smelled the hearty stew of ectoplasm and spirits. Greedily, it ate, its face shoved into the warm liquid like a starving dog, sending droplets of green glowing ooze flying through the air as it inhaled the food. Horrendous lip smacking noises filled the room. The contents of the bowl were gone in seconds, and the ghoul rested its head on the ground, panting from the exertion.

A second bowl slid to a gentle stop near the ghoul's face.

"Take your time; I brought plenty. I'll ask you some questions when you're feeling better." Eon said.

"Hnn..hn..wa...?"

The ghoul's expression softened a bit as the ravenous hunger subsided and higher intelligence started to flood back into the creature's brain. They coughed, ectoplasm rising from their throat, as they slowly remembered how to talk. No one has asked them to say anything in a while now.

But instead of speaking, the ghoul instead devoured the contents of a second bowl of soup. Not as greedily as the first bowl - the ghoul actually grabbed onto the bowl and tilted the liquid into its mouth this time - but still just as hungry. A third bowl of ectoplasm soup was already waiting for them before the second one was finished. 

Eon and Hex patiently watched the ghoul in silence as it ate the third bowl, then the fourth bowl, and then the fifth. With each finished meal, the ghoul changed. This creature, still pinned to the ground by a fortress of bone, became less like a slobbering, feral beast in a fugue state and more like a person. When the wooden bowl clattered to the floor for the fifth time, the creature was holding their head in their hands, like the sudden onset of lucidity was causing them physical pain.

"Do you want Hex to free you so you can get more comfortable?"

"Nnn...hhh...no, I'm fff...fine...I'm fine. I'm fine. Fine." 

The words were hesitant at first, like the ghoul was remembering how to talk as they went along. The ghoul also seemed unsure about their own voice. Their brow was furrowed, and they tentatively sounded out some vowels to themselves. The ghoul held out a hand in front of its face and tentatively wiggled its clawed fingers as if seeing its own body for the first time.

They didn't want to ask for freedom yet. As the ghoul regained their humanity, they remembered that they weren't supposed to be a ghoul.

Despite the ghoul's pleas, Hex, her eyes still watching the creature with her stern, emotionless look on her face, made a gentle motion with her hand and the bone prison shimmered and melted away like a fading summer's memory. The ghoul didn't move from his spot. Those piercing yellow eyes that once glared at both Eon and Hex with malevolence and hatred were now wet with unshed tears.

Master Eon leaned down and placed a hand on the ghoul's shoulder.

"Do you have a name?"

Master Eon's voice was calm, patient. Understanding. 

"I should have a name..." the ghoul replied, a sob escaping from the back of their throat. They...He - he remembered that part - HE dragged a hand across his face as he lay there pitifully on his stomach. Everything felt wrong.  "But I can't remember it. Can't remember much of anything..."

Eon took out his thermos and poured out another bowl of soup.

"What would you like us to call you?"

The ghoul accepted more food and pulled himself into a sitting position. Chains rattled behind him and then around him as his unnatural tail - his punishment for his monstrous acts - formed a small, tight, protective circle around his body.

"What were they calling me...?"

As Master Eon stirred the soup with his antique soup ladle, he unfolded the piece of parchment from his satchel and squinted at the various titles written on the ghoul's rap sheet. "The Soul-Devouring Terror. The Fall of Ribcage. The Ghost Gobbler. The Ghost Eater. The Ghost Roaster. The Ghost Ender. The Nightmare Beast. The Spirit Shredder-"

"I like Ghost Roaster." The ghoul said glumly, choosing the least monstrous out of the list. It was starting to dawn on him that he just tried to kill and eat Master Eon, the most famous Portal Master in all of Skylands, a couple of minutes ago. He grabbed the bowl that was handed to him and stared down at the tasty, nourishing broth.

"I remember...roasting things? Before all of this..."

Master Eon remembered the cake mixture on the ground. There was a natural talent there, he recalled. Perhaps this ghoul had a hobby in cooking?

"Ghost Roaster it is."

"This could use a little basil and maybe half a clove of garlic..." Ghost Roaster said to himself without thinking as he examined his bowl of soup, confirming Master Eon's suspicions. This was the first serving where Ghost Roaster was using a spoon, stolen from The Spirits Tavern's storage.

"What do you remember?"

Ghost Roaster gnawed lightly on the spoon and racked his brain.

"I remember..."

Then the memory struck him and the spoon fell from numbed fingers.

Hot fire. Burning. Back arching. Muscles twitching. Cry of pain. Guts rearranging. Sinew ripping, tearing, reforming into new shapes. Cry for help. Mouth forced open as teeth kept growing. Growing. Skin melting. Reshaping. Hair falling. Legs growing. Fusing. Needles of lava piercing head. Writhing. Screaming. Howling. Hunger. Starving. Famished. Hunger hunger hungry hunger hunger-

"...pain." was the only word that fell out of his mouth. He looked down at his hands again, at his claw-tipped hands made out of yellowed bone, and then looked up at Master Eon. A raw and powerful disgust enveloped his body as his chest tightened. When he asked the question now burning in his mind, his voice sounded weak. Fragile. 

"Is...is there a way to change me back?"

For the first time this entire trip, Hex's face showed emotion. She - as well as Master Eon - winced as if struck as Ghost Roaster looked up at both of them with pleading eyes. When neither of them answered Ghost Roaster's question fast enough - how could they answer such a loaded question? - he tossed the bowl away from him as his emotions got the better of him. 

"Answer me! There has to be, right?" Ghost Roaster yelled, his voice shaking. His trembling hands grasped at Master Eon's cloak.

"I-I'm not supposed to be like this! I was something else and-and-and but then I tripped! -and I fell a long way and now...now I'm a monster! I don't want to be stuck like this! What if I hurt anyone else!? What if-" 

"I know how you feel."

Ghost Roaster's complaints died on his lips. "What...?"

Hex repeated herself. 

"I know how you feel." 

Hex turned her head and looked off to the distance as her voice became pained.

"Years ago, I too became a monster. I too was hunted." 

Ghost Roaster gazed at her in shock. He let go of Master Eon's cloak. Master Eon gently placed a hand on Ghost Roaster's shoulder but the ghoul didn't feel it.

"I was also cursed to join the Undead against my will, long ago. I hated myself too, at first. My skin was cold, my heart was still. I was a living corpse, forever tainted by undeath. I was abandoned by the people I once protected. Hunted by the people I once protected."

Hex turned her head to look at Ghost Roaster. Their eyes met. 

"I have wasted years trying to find a cure for my transformation. What I learned...is that the most common solution for an undead curse is destruction. You have been changed permanently and the sooner you make peace with that, the better."

But then, in a rare moment, Hex smiled.

"But you don't have to suffer your curse alone."

Hex held out her hand towards Ghost Roaster. Ghost Roaster, misreading her gesture and forgetting that handshakes exist, rushed over to her and instead swept her up in a hug. 

Hex awkwardly floated there, arm still outstretched, constricted in a rib-bruising embrace, as the ghoul that once tried to eat her was now loudly sobbing into her shoulder. She could feel her shoulder become wet with tears. 

Master Eon walked up to both of them, a warm smile playing on his lips. Hex shot Master Eon a look that screamed "do something!"

So Master Eon did the thing he was most known for.

"Have you considered joining the Skylanders, Ghost Roaster?"

---------------------

Count Moneybone sat at his mahogany desk in his office, organizing paperwork. The soft glow of the chandelier above him (for Moneybone had a chandelier in almost every room of his manor) cast a warm light on various office plants and stacks of paper from the various undead towns and provinces that surrounded him. Politics was rapidly becoming a fun pastime for him but bureaucracy also took up lots of room in his office. 

'Mental note - hire a secretary,' Count Moneybone thought to himself as he sipped on a cup of tea, and that was when the door loudly burst open, sending some of his paperwork flying. Count Moneybone, his floral printed teacup still hovering near his mouth, narrowed his eyes as Master Eon triumphantly entered the room in a flurry of blue robes and greying facial hair. 

"Well!?" Count Moneybone asked, mildly annoyed. "Did you take care of the ghoul?"

Someone behind Master Eon cleared his throat. A spiked ball and chain dragged itself and dug grooves across Count Moneybone's plush purple carpets as Ghost Roaster, still signing official paperwork marked with Master Eon's signature with Master Eon's favorite fountain pen, floated into the room.

"He did, yes."

Count Moneybone said nothing as his teacup fell from his hands to the floor.

--------------------------

End

[cherry-blossom-qf]

Also by the way aside form necro, how already told us about their parents, what do you guys remember about hoq your parents were like.

💙: "Well, how am I supposed to know? I was ditched as a baby kit. I don't know anything about my parents. I don't even know if they're alive or not."

🚔: "I think that's pretty much the same for the rest of us, because I'm on the same boat."

🦋: "Yeah. Same here..."

👑: "Not me. Oakley was able to find out what happened to my parents."

💙: "Oh shit, for real?!"

👑: "Yeah. They were apart of the higher ups... but they were against the system the government established. According to Oakley and our servants' findings, they were able to uncover a lot of shady information, and was going to reveal it to the public in hopes of starting a rebellion for a better world. But, once the other higher ups learned what they were doing, they executed them both.... which happened a week after I was born..."

🚔: "Ohhhh.... kayyyyeeee... I can see why you went back there to kill the governmental hierarchies... Sweet mary and joseph at a sunday church pot luck...."

🍏: "I still visit my Pa in the Lands of The Undead. Apparently when he died, his soul found his way into Skylands and end up as a specter. I reunited with him during a mission I was doing during my rookie years. He's really nice, we do some father-and-son-bonding whenever I have the free time to visit him.

🦋: "Aww, that's nice. But how exactly did he die?"

🍏: "Child birth."

🦋: "OH."

🍏: "Yeah... I'm pretty sure my other dad threw me out cuz I killed his husband..."

🦋: "Holy shit, dude."

🩸: "BAD OMEN!!! BAD OMEN!!"

🍏: "That's still offensive, corpse man. Shush."

[thefallen16]

Spell Punks if i remade Skylanders Spyro's Adventure

Air: The speed buffs from Swap Force

Water: Remains the same unless someone has a better idea

Earth: Remains the same, but only increases defense for enemies on difficulties below Nightmare, otherwise making them invincible

Life: Also the same, but on Nightmare Difficulty, instead of healing by a flat amount, applies Regen to enemies in range

Tech: Constructs up to 3 turrets whenever it can, which can be destroyed directly, waiting for them to collapse, or by taking out the Punk, causing all turrets built by that punk to fall apart

Undead: Summons Skele-Trolls [Rhu-Babies would instead grow by feasting on other enemies]

Fire: Applies strength buffs to other enemies, possibly up to instadowning if you're careless on nightmare difficulty

Magic: Makes other enemies invisible unless you have a better idea

Bonus

Light: Gains the Tech Punk's old skybeam attack, but is instead one wide beam focused on the skylander instead of 3 scattered beams. Beam fires longer and tracks you even when firing on Nightmare difficulty

Dark: Envelops your vision in a dark haze, obscuring anything up to both enemies and environmental hazards

[foximator-blog]

saw your design on light spell punks: here's how i would rework some of the others if ssa gets a remake

air: the speed buffs from swap force

tech: spawns turrets that last about 20 seconds or until the summoner is defeated [the sky beams make more sense on light spell punks as you think]

undead: summons undead trolls like in swap force [and rhu-babies would instead feast on other enemies to grow]

fire: damage buffs upon other enemies

magic: renders other enemies invisible

bonus

dark: forms an umbral vortex around itself dragging the skylander inward and damaging them harder the closer they are to the eye

Ooooo yeah I like these a lot. Fire being a stat buff type of Spell Punk isn't what I would have expected, but I dig it!

Though as a bonus, maybe all support spell punks have a basic weak "orb" attack aside from their main spell. That way they aren't that helpless without other enemies around. That way Fire still has their fireballs and such.

Maybe fire has the fireball

Instead of a green orb, the life spell punk throws an acorn

Undead throws a skull

Air throws a small tornado

Earth throws a rock

And Magic throws the glowy orb

[bearmemesreviews]

Skylanders Review: Bash

We have now passed the threshold of main characters, covering both Spyro and the trios he's been a part of (for a total of five characters) and now we get into the rest of them! Yep, we'll be going through the rest of the Skylanders by the following order: Magic, Water, Tech, Life, Fire, Earth, Air, and Undead.

I am at a crossroads with our next entry from the Earth typing, Bash, our first of many non-Spyro Dragons.

[Image: Bash is a quadrupedal dragon without any wings, making it look a bit like a dinosaur. It has dirt brown, rocky hard skin with a dirty, yellow-colored underbelly. It's claws, teeth, spikes, and horns are the same shade of yellow. Instead of a thagomizer, its tail is tipped with a stone shaped like the head of a Morningstar (spiked ball). It has two rows of spikes running down its back and tail parallel to each other, and it has three spikes running the sides of all four of its legs. It has six horns in total, two on top of its head and more running down both its temples. Its horns are almost positioned like a crown. It has bright red eyes and a red tongue.]

Remember Rock Dragon? Yeah, this is what became of him. Elevated to named character status, you can see from the beta figures below that they played around with body types, he even started out with the nostrils of a hippo. He's a bit hard to talk about since he's been tossed to the wayside, having little to no appearances outside the mainline games. All five previous Skylanders I reviewed had been featured in comics, spin-offs and the show to some compacity and comparing their wiki pages Bash's is rather pitiful.

I guess he's like Finneon, he's sort of just there but by virtue of statistical probability there has to be SOMEONE who has him as a top fave. He's got a good gimmick anyway, able to roll up into a ball and launch himself with extreme speeds. You gotta' love Pinball powers.

He even got a slight redesign later on, giving his tail and organic Morningstar gold plating. This second design accentuates his Dino-qualities even more. They even built a rather flat looking golden crown onto his head, with three Loki-esque golden horns positioned like a Triceratops. So he must have sold some units to get this small amount of attention, right? And that's not even including the baby.

Or maybe he was just a creator's favorite who got by thanks to legacy.

His lore explicitly states that being a flightless dragon is rare, and we arrive to a bit of a Scootaloo situation where Bash wishes he could fly like others. His pinball schtick actually came about from his attempts to get into the sky, and through constant trial and error he toughened up his skin until it was as hard as rock.

He joined the Skylanders, and it's mentioned that he gets touchy when people mention his flightlessness. : (

Motto: "Rock and Roll!" It makes sense but it's still pretty boring. 2/5.

3/5 Chompies for the Proto-Chicken version of Sisyphus.

[unofskylanderspages]

Bone ‘n’ Arrows and Undead Spell Punks (and by extension, Rhu-Babies and Rhu-Barbs) are the enemies that appear in the Heroic Challenge, Mining is the Key.

[hungry-skeleton]

skela guess what magic is strong against undead in skylanders. so i'm casting a spell of Summon Random Magic Skylander

(this is about the skeleton war)

GOOD LUCK KILLING WHAT'S ALREADY DEAD SPELL BABY!!!

[cyberstarlope]

Star Strike and/or Roller Brawl headcanons?

I’ll do my best~!

Star Strike:

✧ although some find her mysterious look intimidating, she’s actually very outgoing

✧ she has a partial solid body under her gloves and robe that stops above the neck and below the waist

✧ that being said, she loves making jokes about having no hands or crumpling to nothing when she takes her robe off cause she loves seeing peoples’ expressions

✧ her and enigma aren’t of the same species(?) but they have a similar composure and came from adjacent realms so they talk sometimes about their lives before skylands

✧ it’s no exaggeration when star says she has no intention of going back home; while there are parts she misses on occasion, she had a rocky upbringing and ironically feels like she fits in more in skylands more than she ever did in her home realm

✧ also, don’t try looking for that banishment spell, it was destroyed when she beat kaos’ ass on sight

✧ she also has an amazing lie detector radar that she uses for both skylanders related work and also just to mess with people sometimes

✧ she’s closest to enigma, smolderdash, pop thorn, hoot loop, riptide, and deja vu

Roller Brawl:

▼ despite her punk-like attitude, she is very understanding and caring at heart

▼ having five older brothers, she was often babied growing up which grew more annoying as she grew older

▼ she actually originally got into roller blading as a sort of rebellious activity (undead versions of sports tend to be a little intense) but ended up falling in love with the sport and kept up with it

▼ becoming part of the undead roller derby league was a dream come true and she kept at it for many years

▼ after kaos fell in love with her, and had her brothers captured by drow when they resisted, she left the league to search for them

▼ her journey landed her in an unfortunate accident, which also introduced her to the skylanders

▼ her mission was put on hold, healing from an amutation as well as processing the trauma, but she was still adament of being part of her brothers’ search party

▼ noting her skills and determination, she was given a propasition- and a new pair of literal roller blade legs designed by mags herself

▼ roller has since found her brothers and greatly enjoys her work as a skylander, helping others through the kind of hardships she went through

▼ she is closest to cynder, hex, freeze blade, night shift, and chill

[weirdlanders]

Hey Voteil, how do you feel about the third egg of your mother and Kaos?

“Another sibling eh? Excited, or more nervous that you’ll be outnumbered?” Dr.Krankcase growled at Havok, using two of his wooden legs to tease the hybrid with a push. Havok snorted, barely stumbling as he meandered the same way the evil genius happened to be going. It was pretty clear, even to the unseen eyes, that Havok wasn’t really amused. Something was bothering him, Voteil could sense it. Was it his ‘Big Brother’ feelings, or his Seuth abilities? Big Brother feelings were better, so he picked that. 

‘I feel the same.’ Voteil thought to himself as he floated close to the walls like he usually did. Not visible, this was his natural state. This way, he could blip in and out of this moment and the next. Skipping ahead like a dream, or what dreaming was to him since he died. He dreamed a lot before Mommy came back with Kaos.Only to those sensitive enough could sense him now. Thankfully, Havok never dabbled much with the Undead element; meaning Voteil could wonder right at his ‘little’ brother’s heel and he wouldn’t even sense him. Havok’s Aura sensing and reading was one of his most skilled talents… but he only knew of the living Auras, not the dead. Not the long, long dead. It was almost a comfort, at least he could stay around one of his siblings. Cynder was too far, he was very lucky to see her in dreams once in a Rjunhuld moon. Hysteria… her darkness was toxic, it made Voteil feel sick to be around. 

Havok had felt Hysteria’s sickening aura in her egg, just as Voteil had. He hadn’t helped Hysteria grow; she didn’t need help. But what grew was something not Kurosian, or some mutant of it. It was all sorts of wrong, it made his vapor tremble in the nothing.Now, Voteil knew what his little brother was thinking. ‘Will this one be like Hysteria? What if it’s worse?’“Eeeeh thought I was spared hearing you freaky spawn mewling about as ankle biters.” Dr.Krankcase continued, not noticing Havok’s lack of enthusiasm. The doctor was far too focused on his own goo guns, checking them over. “You still are.” Havok mused, forcing an enthusiasm that Voteil assumed was meant to redirect this conversation. His little brother was super, super worried then, wasn’t he? Havok rarely deflected, he usually just did it anytime Kaossandra pushes Havok to settle down. Or, when someone mentions Whisper, the one lady that aaaaaaaaaaaaalways made his little brother’s heart thrum like festival drums. “Super secret agent Krankcase! Remember?” Havok announced loudly enough for it to echo down the stone halls. The crazed engineer winced as if it were too loud; or he was just too old to deal with Havok’s youthful obnoxiousness. His hair was starting to show flecks of grey… “Hngngng…” Krankcase mumbled in a deep rumble. Suddenly he wasn’t so eager to tease Havok, just as the hybrid planned. “Speaking of, better get back before the Skylanders notice me gone. Ugh, I better get a paid vacation for this.” he grumbled, slouching on his legs. He gave Havok a half hearted wave goodbye, and Havok was finally alone. Voteil willed himself up taller, looking into his brother’s eyes. 

But he disconnected from his brother, severing the heartfelt attachment. Only for a moment; he had to. This way, he could break apart, and see into the Forever. It was easy to do when he didn’t have to focus on talking to someone, especially when he didn’t have an anchor like a body. Dipping into the Forever to feel the silky dark threads of itself. The countless possibilities, it was impossible to fathom even to him as a spirit. Something like this, not even Gods could fully understand. The Forever was something only the Universe understood. What the Gods could do, was sense the ripples. Like a stuck fly in a spider’s web. They could try to aide the realms to cushion the ripples, and Mahoura was loving enough to gift her people with the Seuth; ones that would also feel the Forever. Tapping into threads in ways his tiny, futile mind can understand. The ones that were only most likely to happen, otherwise he’d go mad. Some Seuth… did, in the past.

Not Voteil, though! He dipped into the Forever and came back to his brother’s side. Havok had returned to his living quarters by now, watching portals with Luminous and Viril. ‘He wanted the comfort of his friends.’ Voteil frowned, feeling a blue pang of guilt ripple though his nothing. But he had to peek into the timelines, he wanted to scream and cheer! Voteil wanted to shower his brother with this good feeling, if only his little brother could comprehend the music the timelines were strumming back to him! Music was good, very good! Offtune was really, really bad; Hysteria’s was like metal talons on a rock-face.

He focused his nothing to the spot right above Havok’s head on the couch. He felt himself sink in just enough to leave an imprint, but he didn’t focus in enough to materialize. Hopefully, nobody would notice. Anchoring down like this helped him stay in tune with time. It was very easy to dream, spirits never felt tired or sleepy after all. Voteil latched onto his brother’s aura, letting it comfort and soothe him. He was thankful Havok didn’t sense undead auras very well, Mommy was too sensitive. ‘Don’t worry, little brother.’ Voteil thought, wishing so hard he could speak it out loud. But Luminous and Viril would hear, and it would only alarm Havok and possibly scare him. ‘The last one was bad, but not this one. You get to be the big brother this time!’ he beamed with pride, having seen the most likely timelines to happen. He wanted the nuzzle and hug Havok so much, but instead let him be with the comfort of his most trusted friends.“…..So, will the Queen like, have an egg as a human or like, have a baby as a dragon….???” Luminous’ question lulled up from nowhere, and silence fell over the four of them. Then, there was so much unbridled laughter, that even Voteil couldn’t stop himself from laughing as he floated into another dream.

[rinabrunoblog]

Skylanders: Ring of Heroes

The new Com2uS baby has just had its worldwide release and it’s entitled Skylanders: Ring of Heroes. The web is already overflowing with player feedback and the scores are pretty good, so let’s see if this game is the next pretender to the throne of hero collector turn-based RPG mash-ups. And, for the record, the game probably contains even more genres but you get the point.

  Com2uS

A well-known developer of video games, Com2uS comes from South Korea and it’s focused on online and mobile games mostly. They both develop and publish their content ever since they were founded, back in 1998. They are also mainly developing for Android and iOS nowadays, but they have made titles for other platforms as well in the past. Throughout these past two decades, they have evolved into a multi-national company, with seats in Japan, China, US, besides their home.

Most lovers of the turn-based RPG hero collector genre known the most successful title produced by Com2uS – Summoners War. Skylanders: Ring of Heroes is, in fact, the next generation of the same gameplay with upgraded features and obviously much better graphics and models.

  Other popular titles from Com2uS are Kung Fu Pets, Soccer Spirits, Ace Fishing, Tiny Farm, Dancevil, MLB 9 Innings 18, and many more. Several of their titles are still exclusively set for South Korea and the Asian market, while Skylanders: Ring of Heroes got a worldwide release, so they must be dead serious about it.

    Storyline

A wondrous world of fantasy, Skylands, is filled with magic, adventure, and its land is floating on clouds, making it a living paradise. The whole world of Skylands rests on the Core of Light. It keeps the darkness away and helps the paradise flourish. Peace reigns as our Master Eon and the fellow Skylanders have fun all day long in the arena. However, no light is without its darkness and there are always those who wish to rule and to seize this paradise for themselves. One such entity is Kaos, a spiteful fellow. Usually harmless, but this time around he has gotten his hands on the Book of Dark Magic and the power he now wields is beyond even his dreams. He sought to overtake the portals, which are gateways to other dimensions, but the Book’s power was too much for him to control and the portals went out of control, creating a tear or a rift that collapses on all available dimensions. This rift pulled in other dimensions and brought them to the world of Skylands, which includes the Earth’s Portal Masters i.e. players.

As the darkness minions rise up, the Guardian Master of Skylands, Master Eon, is gathering the Portal Masters and The Skylanders to help retrieve the Book of Dark Magic and end this chaos – and end Kaos as well.

  Skylanders: Ring of Heroes Gameplay

The gameplay style will be familiar to the fans of the Summoners War and similar games. You naturally get your own profile as you are the Portal Master, and you get your own peace of heaven i.e. Skylands island. You can customize the island by your design, same as in SUmmoners War. Furthermore, there are the same options for playing – questing through the campaign mode, daily quests, PVP battles, and more.

Elements

However, this is where this game took a rather big leap ahead in the genre. Most of these games feature the standard rock, paper, scissors mechanic. Some recent titles began adding in additional elements, but none dared to mess with the mechanic. If it works, why bother?

Well, Com2uS Skylanders will mess with your head as the game features ten elements, and everyone participates in the advantage game. The elements are:

  Life

Water

Fire

Air

Earth

Tech

Magic

Undead

Light

Dark

Villain

  The game has its own set characters you collect throughout the game, like the Stealth Elf, Eruptor, Spyro, Hex, and others featured in the trailer. However, the game reportedly has over 80 pre-generated heroes to unlock and collect.

You assemble your squad, which is familiar enough, equip runes and then go through dungeons and battles. You can collect and lead Skylanders and Villains alike in this game, which is in and of itself interesting.

  The battle mechanics need no special introduction. You use the elements to your advantage and use the skills available on your team. However, contrary to what other games featured, in Skylanders: Ring of Heroes all your abilities and team members are available to you at any one time. There are only your turn and the opponents. The only limitations you must abide by are the ability cooldowns and mana. That’s the new thing introduced this time.

  Skylanders is the next big thing?

It remains to be seen if this next title by Com2uS will dethrone Summoners War, as many players already rushed to get a foothold and begin collecting heroes and experience as soon as the game was released. Skylanders: Ring of Heroes does show promise, as its visual style and the innovations introduced refreshed this genre mash-up just right. The visuals and the models are impressive, completely next-gen compared to any other turn-based hero collector. And, the environment and ability animation are uncanny.

Skylanders: Ring of Heroes syndicated from https://lucystrickland.wordpress.com/

[unofskylanderspages]

Rhu-Babies can be easily compared to Chompies as they deal the same amount of damage to Skylanders and walk at the same speed as them. Undead Spell Punks can transform Rhu-Babies into Rhu-Barbs, which is a giant, matured variant of them. In Skylanders: Giants, they are replaced with Trog Pinchers.

[unofskylanderspages]

Did you know? If the Undead Spell Punk in Spell Punked! summons any Rhu-Babies before it is defeated, the Skylander is prompted to "clear out all these lil critters" before the book of magic is revealed.