Concluding #24 Necromancy and #26 Horror. This one got long. Sorry. lol
Chelsea
Chelsea frantically looked around for Danny after he disappeared, keeping the portal in her sight. Where could he have gone? What happened to him? Was he okay? He didn't respond to her calls. Eventually, she returned to the portal. Maybe he was in the human realm.
It was nighttime when she arrived on the other side of the portal, and she realized how tired she was. She couldn't go home, though. Not until she located Danny. She decided to recruit Sam and Tucker. Perhaps they could help her find Danny.
Chelsea went to Sam's house first. She flew up to Sam's window and knocked.
Sam opened the window and asked, "What's up, Chelsea?"
"It's Danny. He disappeared and I don't know where he is!" Chelsea said.
"What do you mean 'disappeared'?" Sam questioned, narrowing her eyes.
"One minute we were in the Ghost Zone, the next, he faded away!" Chelsea answered. "It wasn't like when he goes invisible. He was trying to ask what was going on when he just… faded. I don't know a better word for it."
"Maybe the Booo-merang will find him," Sam suggested. "I'll call Tuck and have him meet us at the park."
"What's the Booo-merang?"
"It locks on to a ghost's unique ecto-signature."
"Where is it?"
"Fentonworks."
"I'll go get it," Chelsea said. "Meet you at the park!"
"Chelsea, wait!" Sam called after her. Chelsea returned, and Sam asked, "Do you know what you're looking for?"
"A boomerang, right?" Chelsea said.
"Yeah, right. Okay, you do that," Sam said, dialing Tucker.
Chelsea zoomed back to the lab. She looked through the cupboards and drawers until she found the Booo-merang.
"How do I make this thing work…" she wondered, looking at the green dial. She shook her head and flew out of the lab. "Sam and Tucker will know."
Chelsea arrived at the park first, of course. Flitting back and forth, she waited in agitation. She tried turning on the Booo-merang, but couldn't figure it out.
Finally, Sam and Tucker made it, and Chelsea rushed over to them.
"How does this thing work?" Chelsea said anxiously.
"Allow me," Tucker said, holding his hand out. Chelsea gave over the device. He turned the dial and flipped a switch, turning it on. "Now all we have to do is throw it."
"Well, do that!" Chelsea said even as he threw the Booo-merang. Following its movements with her eyes, Chelsea said, "I'll go after it. Try to keep up."
"Easier said than done," Sam muttered.
Chelsea ignored her and flew after the Booo-merang. It led her deeper into town. She flew over a shopping district and into a residential area near a forest. There, Chelsea finally saw Danny.
"Danny!" she called.
He turned to look at her, and the Booo-merang hit his head.
"Ow!" he said. He caught the Booo-merang so it wouldn't hit the ground. "Good, you found me," he said quickly. He had a silver collar around his neck.
"What's going on?" Chelsea asked.
"Someone calling himself the Necromancer summoned me into the forest," Danny explained. He held his head, looking dizzy. "I have to follow his command, and he wants me to kill the former mayor. You have to stop him for me."
"Why can't you stop him?" Chelsea asked.
"I tried!" Danny said. "This collar won't let me attack him. And if I don't do what he wants, I get all dizzy, like right now."
"Should I try removing the collar?"
"I already did. It didn't work, like everything else I tried."
"How do I stop him?"
"I don't know!"
"Where is he?"
"Deep in the forest. You should be able to see the clearing from the air."
"Alright, I'll see what I can do," Chelsea said. "Just… don't kill anyone."
"Don't worry, I don't plan to," Danny said, but he looked nauseated.
Sam and Tucker arrived just then, so Chelsea flew down to them. Danny slowly followed.
"Do either of you know anything about necromancy?" Chelsea asked.
"A little bit," Sam said. "Why? You found Danny, so what's going on?"
"He's under the control of a Necromancer," Chelsea said. "We have to figure out how to stop the Necromancer before Danny does something really bad."
"Like what?" Tucker had to ask.
Danny gave him a sour look. "Like killing Ernesto Montez."
"Have you tried–"
"I tried everything!" Danny said. "I can't do anything against him." He moaned and doubled over. "Just resisting is making me sick."
"It's up to us," Chelsea said. "The Necromancer's in the forest. I'll fly above it to find him and come get you two."
"Hurry," Sam said as she rubbed Danny's back.
Chelsea took off again and scanned the forest. It didn't take her long to find the clearing Danny talked about. She flew down invisibly to get a better look. The Necromancer sat on a log reading a book. Chelsea returned to Sam and Tucker.
"You want to fly there or walk?" she asked.
"Fly," Sam said. "Danny's not doing so hot."
Danny, still doubled over, nodded. Sweat dropped off his face.
Chelsea grabbed Sam and Tucker and hurried into the sky, asking, "What's the plan?"
"That collar around Danny's neck," Sam said, "the Necromancer has to have a key or something to remove it."
"Okay…" Chelsea said, thinking. "Maybe I can put you in the forest, and then I'll sneak up on him and try and find the key. If that doesn't work, you come out and… and what?"
"Is there a circle on the ground?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, I think I saw something like that," Chelsea answered.
"I'll try destroying the circle," Sam said. "That might end the magic controlling Danny."
"But we have to get that collar off of him somehow," Tucker said.
"The Necromancer will have the answers," Chelsea said. "Okay, we're here. Are you ready?"
"Yeah," Sam and Tucker said.
Chelsea set them down in the forest next to the clearing, then turned invisible again to approach the Necromancer. She looked for a key on his belt and found a whole ring of keys. Now the tricky part. How to get the keys from the Necromancer… She tried the easiest thing she could think of: simply taking the keys from him. She yanked the keys, but they stuck fast.
The Necromancer startled, stood up, and looked around. "Who's there?"
Still holding the keys, Chelsea used a small ectoray to cut them away from his belt. The Necromancer looked down and grabbed where her hand held the keys.
"Show yourself!" the Necromancer said. He chanted something that sounded vaguely Latin, and Chelsea felt her core tighten. She became visible without wanting to.
"Who are you?" the Necromancer commanded.
"Chelsea Ghost," she said against her will. She bit back the urge to say she was a halfa.
"Let go of my keys."
Chelsea let go. Why was she listening to him? She was supposed to defeat this guy!
The Necromancer's lip curled in a sadistic grin. "So, another ghost. What shall I have you do?"
"Leave her alone!" Tucker shouted across the clearing. The Necromancer whipped his head around to glare at Tucker. Chelsea took the opportunity to snatch at the keys again; this time, she got them away from the Necromancer and sprang away.
"No! Return those to me!" the Necromancer said.
Chelsea felt herself comply and forced her hand back. A bout of dizziness made her close her eyes.
"Do as I command, Ghost!"
"Fight it, Chelsea!" Sam yelled.
"Here!" Chelsea said, throwing the keys to Tucker. The dizziness doubled, and she fell to the ground, eyes watering.
"Chelsea! Are you okay?" Tucker asked.
"Don't–worry about–me," Chelsea choked out. "Help–Danny!"
"So, you're Phantom's friends," the Necromancer mused. "There's nothing you can do to help him."
"Wanna bet?" Sam goaded.
"Ghost, stop them," the Necromancer commanded.
A wave of nausea made Chelsea curl in on herself. She gritted her teeth, fighting with all she had.
"Come on, Chelsea, keep fighting him," Sam said.
"Get–out of–here…" Chelsea said.
"I'm not leaving you!" Sam said.
"You should listen to it," the Necromancer said. "Run before I flay you alive."
"First of all, ew," Sam said. "Second, Chelsea is a she, not an it! Come with me, Chelsea. Maybe if we get away, we can discover a way to stop him."
"Nothing can stop me!" the Necromancer declared. "Even death bows to my will!"
Sam grabbed Chelsea under her shoulder and helped her up.
"No! You will not get away!" the Necromancer said. He lunged for the girls and dragged Chelsea back.
"Chelsea! No!" Sam shouted, pulling Chelsea's other arm.
Chelsea was caught in a tug-of-war between the two, and they were equally strong. She added her strength to Sam's, but the Necromancer's grip was too tight.
"Let go of her!" Sam said.
"This ghost is mine!" the Necromancer countered. "Come to me, Ghost. Stop resisting."
"Never!" Chelsea cried. She powered up an ectoblast in her hand and released it before the Necromancer could react. He got blasted back into the trees, and the girls fell to the ground.
Sam recovered first. "Hurry, before death boy catches us."
Chelsea scrambled into the air, carrying Sam out of the clearing. The Necromancer yelled after them, but Chelsea was able to ignore him. They made it a little way before she had to stop and drop Sam. She landed in a heap under a tree.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked.
Chelsea lifted herself partly. "I… don't know."
Sam looked back through the trees. "I don't see him. Try changing to human form."
Chelsea nodded and transformed. The nausea and dizziness disappeared.
"It worked!" Chelsea said. "One problem."
"What's that?"
"I can't walk, remember?"
"Oh, right. Sorry."
"Don't worry about it, it happens all the time," Chelsea said. "But unless you can carry me, I'll have to change back."
"It might be safe to do that," Sam said. Chelsea tilted her head in confusion. "You might have broken his hold over you."
"That would be good," Chelsea sighed. "Okay, I'll try. Ghost time!" She transformed back to ghost form, and the dizziness stayed gone. "I'm still okay." She floated off the ground. "Now what?"
"We find Danny and Tucker," Sam said. "They should have the collar off by now."
"There you are!"
Sam and Chelsea turned to see the Necromancer clomping through the trees.
"Get out of here!" Sam shouted to Chelsea.
Chelsea grabbed Sam and flew over the canopy, out of sight of the Necromancer. Danny and Tucker flew toward them.
"Turn around!" Chelsea shouted and flew away from the Necromancer.
"We have to stop the Necromancer," Danny said.
"We can't," Sam said as they flew past. "Not yet."
Danny turned around and flew next to Chelsea. "What happened?"
Chelsea elaborated on their troubles on their way back to the residential area.
"So what do we do?" Danny asked seriously.
"I might have a book that can help us," Sam said. "Let's go to my place."
They all flew to Sam's mansion, where she browsed through her books. Chelsea floated next to her, and Sam put book after book in her arms.
"You think one of these will tell us what to do?" Chelsea asked. Sleepiness tugged at her, but she pushed it away.
"They have to," Sam asserted.
"Got it," Chelsea said with a nod. She handed out the books, and everyone started skimming the pages.
It took a while, but eventually Danny said, "I think I got something."
Sam looked at the book in his lap, then took it from him. "Yes, this might be just what we need."
"What is it?" Tucker asked.
"An amulet," Sam said.
"It nullifies the Necromancer's powers," Danny said.
"But it's somewhere in the Ghost Zone," Sam went on. She looked at Danny, and they both said, "Infi-map."
After explaining the Infi-map to Chelsea, the group went back to the Ghost Zone. She hoped they wouldn't run into as many troubles as they had before. Luckily, they made it to the Far Frozen without incident.
Danny explained the situation to Frostbite, and Frostbite gave Danny the map. They were off to a new location in moments. They were following the Infi-map for a few minutes when Chelsea felt something tug at her core.
"Uh, guys…" she said. "I think it's the Necromancer."
Her head felt like a spinner, and she closed her eyes. No one responded, so she opened her eyes. …Just in time to see the Necromancer snap the collar around her neck.
Chelsea's stomach clenched and she wimpered. "Not you again…"
The Necromancer smiled his sickening smile. "It took me a while to fix the summoning circle, but now I have you. This time, I won't let you escape."
"D-danny will stop you."
The Necromancer laughed. "I'd like to see him try. You will be here to defend me."
The ectoplasm drained from her face, and the Necromancer laughed again.
"It seems ghosts can get scared, too," he mocked. Then he turned stern. "Ghost, patrol the area."
That was something Chelsea could do without compromising her values. She turned invisible and did as the Necromancer commanded.
It felt like hours that Chelsea patrolled around the Necromancer and the clearing. Sleep tugged at her eyelids, making them droop. When would this nightmare end?
Finally, Danny showed up. She intercepted him midair, out of range of the Necromancer.
"Are you okay?" Danny asked worriedly. He wore an amulet on a cloth necklace.
"Yeah, fine," Chelsea said. "He just had me patrol. But he plans to use me against you. How are you going to stop him?"
Danny held up his new prize. "This amulet will protect me from his magic. You should get as far away from here as you can."
"But this collar…"
"We'll get it off you as soon as we can," Danny assured her. "Just go for now. I want to know you'll be safe."
"What about you? You're going into a battle!"
"I'm used to battles," Danny said with a cheeky smile. "Besides, he's human. He won't be able to do anything to me. Not with this amulet."
"Alright, I'll go," Chelsea said. "Just be careful."
"I will."
Danny
Danny watched Chelsea fly away at top speed. Hopefully she wouldn't be controllable at a distance. He didn't want to have to fight her, especially since he knew he would win.
Turning invisible, he flew to the clearing where the Necromancer waited, reading a book. Danny took the book and turned visible. The Necromancer jumped up in surprise.
"Reading on the job?" Danny asked. "How lazy."
"Ah, there you are, Phantom," the Necromancer purred, and then began chanting.
Danny laughed. "That won't work on me!"
The Necromancer finished chanting and commanded, "Kneel!"
Danny laughed again. The Necromancer's mouth fell open. "How… how are you able to resist me?"
Holding up the amulet, Danny said, "This thing works wonders. Ever heard of the Talisman of the Dead? This puppy blocks all of your magic."
"No!" the Necromancer cried. "Ghost, come to me!"
"Chelsea is long gone," Danny said. "You're helpless. Surrender!"
"I–I will never surrender to the dead!" the Necromancer said. "The dead surrenders to me!"
"Not this time," Danny said.
The Necromancer stomped his foot like a child. "No! I will not accept this!" He yanked the book from Danny and flipped through the pages. "There has to be something in here…"
Danny knocked the book out of his hands. "Nope. Not gonna let you." He flew behind the Necromancer and bound his hands with hard light.
"This is outrageous!"
"Get used to it, bub," Danny laughed, then he pushed the Necromancer to get him moving.
They walked out of the forest where Tucker and Sam waited.
"We'll take him from here," Tucker said.
"Where are you taking me?" the Necromancer asked.
"The Guys in White have a prison for people like you," Danny said. "Obviously, I can't take you, but my friends can! Drive safe!"