Kahli walked into the throning hallway of the ancient ruins, clutching the fluffy purse that held her writhing, tentacled companion Froufrou tightly to her chest. She was, admittedly, a little spooked. Lots of the sounds echoing around in here made it sound like some sort of strange, choral chamber. It was almost like when Kahli went to Theseosus' temples of worship, but instead of reverence and peace within, she felt a sinking feeling of dread and fear with every step - it was almost like a place of anti-worship.

Now, Kahli didn't feel that this was entirely grounded in fact. Nothing about the ruin itself actually felt evil or anything - in fact, a lot of it felt reverent and calm, in its own way. However, it was exceedingly dark - more like being in some sort of abandoned cave that just so happened to be lit by torchlight as opposed to a brightly lit room with tall windows and gilded sculptures all over the place, sometimes packed to the gills with enthusiastic worshippers that sometimes even made Kahli feel like she wasn't faithful enough - even though, in the normal day-to-day, she generally seemed more faithfully inclined than many others she encountered.

Regardless, she walked down the hall with as much bravery as she could muster - which was plenty enough to keep walking. And it was not long before she started to hear the faint whispers of voices coming from somewhere within. At that same time, she couldn't identify where that somewhere was - and it made Kahli even more uncomfortable.

Froufrou squleched in a manner that made it abundantly clear that she, too, felt similarly that this was quite a spooky situation.

But - there was a bright side here, a silver lining. Kahli hadn't yet found herself in a [checkpoint] in time, now did she? And with that, she knew that she'd be okay. At least, she had a general feeling of moderate confidence that she'd okay, and that would have to be enough.

With that, Kahli walked bravely forward - until she couldn't any more. She had to stop and hide behind what seemed to be a large boulder.

"What was that? Is someone else here?" echoed a voice in the shadows with a thick accent.

"I don't know, Clehtus, is it a ghostie?" replied another accented voice.

"Bhennie, you know there ain't no such a thing as a ghostie," replied Clehtus.

"I don't know no such thing, Clehtus! In fact, if anything, I think the world would be a whole lot stranger if there weren't such a thing as a ghostie. And I don't think the world is that strange, really, I think the world makes as much sense as it ought to. You see, Clehtus, you don't know this about me, but I've actually seen a ghostie myself before. Yea, that's right, I've seen a ghostie! Can you believe that? Well, even if you can't, it's the truth. Let me tell you about it. See, it was when I was a very young little tauman - back 'fore I even learned how to manipulate the plants, 'fore I got in good touch with my elementality, as it were."

"Elementality, yea," said Clehtus.

So these were plant elementals? Kahli felt a little bit at ease. Generally, plant elementals were some of the most peaceful people around all of Nomachiato. She was happy to recognize this, and feel that, most likely, they would not be a danger to her.

"Yea, my elementality. 'N fact, this was one of the first days I coiled up a lily pad with my mind and used it to help me catch a little eel - 'course I didn't realise it at the time. See, then, I thought that the eel had just kinda jumped up, I didn't realize it was my own elemental ability. But, regardless, that's all kinda beside the point of my story. You see, I was out there in a canoe with my papa, and he was using all his fancy elemental skills - real crazy stuff, he could just twiddle the living wood on his fingers and fish would hop right into the cooler, they would - he said he manipulted the algae in the water. But that, too, is really beside the point if you think about it. And sure, he let me take a sip or two of his beer - not that it tasted any good, 'f course, shit tasted nasty tuh me at the time. Heh, at the time... The only thing I'm trying to get at, really, is that I was having a grand old time with my papa. Such a grand time, you might say, that the sun started dipping down over the water 'fore either of us really ever made notice of it! Now, the thing of that is that, the sun lillies started popping up. You ever seen sun lillies? Who am I kidding, Clehtus, you ain't ever seen a sun lilly - that's not the face of a man who's done seen a sun lilly, that's for certain. But, who am I, really? Well, I'm a guy who's seen em, that's who I am. Regardless, well, sun lillies really are beauts. You gotta spend some time out on the water one of these days, get out there super late, and wait for 'em to peek up from under the water. Shimmering pink lillies, glowing - yes, glowing. Bioluminescense, they call it. For a second I asked my dad if he'd slipped something funny in his beer, but he just laughed 'n said that's really how they look."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Alright, Bhennie, alright. But what does any of this have tuh do with ghosties?"

"I'm gettin' to the ghosties, Clehtus, I'm gettin' tuh them! Okay?"

"Okay, Bhennie, alright, great pincers of Theseosus, alright!"

Kahli felt even more at ease. So these folks were Theseosus worshippers, too. That was just excellent. Only, she was kind of interested in what they had to say, and didn't want to interrupt her eavesdropping by revealing her presence, so she just kind of sat there in the shadows, hiding behind the boulder... and she listened.

"So, as I was saying, Clehtus, I was staring at the sun lilies in wonder, I was realizing how beautiful it was out there, I was really in awe of the whole thing, as anybody would've been I tell you what. But, regardless, everything changed when a cool shiver ran up through my spine! And, mind you, Clehtus, it was hotter 'n the pits of hell out there on the water that evening. Either way, a cool shiver ran up through my spine, and what do you know but a big ol' gust of wind nearly knocks me and my pa over! Actually, it was kinda refreshing, but it was also really unexpected. I remember, I was real little and kinda immature, I asked papa if the water was tootin' at us. He just laughed and he said sure. But as I was watching him laugh, I gasped - yes, I gasped - because I saw something that's emblazoned across the neurons in my brain forevermore. Ya see, there was this ghastly figure floating over the water! It was... ethereal... eerie... like some sort of undead skeleton or something floating around above the water, with a big, torn bedsheet draped over its shoulders! It was semitranslucent too. It was terrifying, I remember I screamed - yea, I screamed, what of it - so I screamed and cried for my mama, and with that, the thing turned and looked at me! It looked at me, and I realized something in that moment."

"What?" asked Clehtus, sounding a little irritated. "That it was an undead skeleton? I mean, really, Bhennie, everybody 'n their mother has heard of undead skeletons, that's no ghostie."

"Damn it, Clehtus, let me finish the story, alright? Do I interrupt you when you start talking about all the grumberry jam you make? Do I interrupt you when you drone on and on about the canning process? Or when you complain to me about the legislation, and the taxes? Do I give you lip when you talk to me about your uncle and his business weaving up cotton lawn shirts with fancy patterns on 'em? No, Clehtus, I don't. You know why I don't? It's not cause I don't sometimes want to. I tell you what, Clehtus, there are some times I jus' wanna smack you across the face an' tell you to shut up and quite your jabbering, but I don't - I almost never do. Now, pay me the same courtesy, please, an listen tuh me." Bhennie waited for a moment, giving a bit of a dramatic pause. When he was pleased, noting that Clehtus seemed too scared to speak a word, he continued. "Now, when that ghostie turned tuh look at me, what I saw made me ghasp. Yea, I'm telling you, I ghasped. It was like no undead skeleton I had ever done heard about. It was purple, Clehtus. A purple skeleton covered in a translucent bedsheet. Hell, it might've been a nightgown, or maybe lingerie, but it was semiopaque, I know that much for certain. And after it looked at me, Clehtus, it disappeared!"

"Disappeared?"

"Yep. Right before my very eyes," said Bhennie.

Kahli sighed. This story sounded pretty hokie. With that, she stepped out from the shadows and towards the voices. She saw two figures hunched over a small lantern burning with an orange flame - one tall and skinny, one short and stocky.

"Hey, so I'm here, my name is-"

"Pincers of Theseosus save me! A ghostie!!" cried the tall one. He hid behind the other.

"Clehtus, you imbecile, that ain't a ghostie!" said Bhennie. He smiled at Kahli. "So, who are you?"