[EVENT] No Night Like This

The faceless face grows a grin most mischievous. Its invisible eyes glare deep into the back of your mind, where your deepest thoughts and darkest desires manifest themselves. Your eyes see it not, but your mind's eye quivers with terror--or, perhaps, fills with glee.

"Under that mask," comes the faceless voice of an innocent boy, "Will you and I meet?" There comes a giggle, "I want to see your mask, though..."

Abruptly comes a stabbing pain at the outlines of your face, slicing, stabbing, penetrating deep into the flesh of your cheeks--ripping, tearing-- the gut-wrenching sound of torn flesh is only overtook by a soul-crushing howl of unimaginable agony. Of course, that squeal is your own. As the blood oozes down your neck, you see his face emerging from the gore where your visage once was. The Twister grows a grin most mischievous, as he claims your body as his own.

You startle awake, finding your body quivering; bumps have risen on every inch of your skin. Instinctively, you feel at your nose and lips, as if to reassure yourself that your form hasn't changed.

Just as relief begins to wash over you, you feel a cold chill running through your thighs. Looking down, a chord of fear strikes through your body as you gaze upon an oddity which you have never before perceived... It's small, yet, uncanny and profoundly disturbing in ways words can never describe.

Before you can examine it any further, that horrible, horrid, grotesque, chilling voice whispers with glee, "Trick? Or Treat?" ...And vanishes, never to be heard again... or so you hope.

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Choose one Trick: Bind, Handheld Illusion, Summon Keese, Torturing Strike, or Ventriloquism
- or-
Choose one Treat: Bomb Mask, Gibdo Mask, Hover Boots, Lens of Truth, or 20 Rupees

Take one of either, by making your choice known here. Wear your mask if you wish, or show me the hideous face underneath. Let me reassure you, you shall take only one... Only I am the trickster here.

Generosity is plentiful, for you have a full fortnight to make your decision.

EDIT: You know what, screw it. If everyone is doing elaborate posts so can I. If it's so long it needs a spoiler tag, let me know.
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Her eyes fluttered open for the umpteenth time that night. She couldn’t sleep, not with Horus in such a possibly critical situation. Careful not to wake him, she hooked a few fingers behind the collar of his shirt, pulling it away to reveal the wound he’d taken to the sternum. It wasn’t a terribly large or deep gash- she’d frozen and killed the responsible Gibdo before it could get worse. But she knew well that in Ikana, even a papercut could be deadly. Infections and disease were everywhere... if Horus made it through tonight Frederick could apply more healing magic to fully close it, but if he was already infected…

She stared at it, cursing the fact that she was a master of ice and not of healing. For the umpteenth time HE was the one saving HER and SHE could do nothing to help HIM when he needed it the most.

She let go, and was already putting her head back down on his chest when her Sense sent her in a fully awake and alert state, jolting into a straight position and staring at the entryway to the ruins. Or rather, at what stood between them and that entryway. It was right upon them!

It was a black-robed figure, with two skeletal hands pushing that robe aside, revealing it was a Stalfos. Around its pelvis and strapped to its ribcage, it bore countless of clear vials, mist swirling in them in white to varying colours of grey and finally black. They were all labelled with names… Luna recognized two of the names on a few vials around his lower ribs. Pierce and Alison…

It wasn’t until after she’d registered those names that she realized the Stalfos held a scythe in one hand and an empty, open vial in the other. The skeletal head looked down on the duo, and at the same moment Luna processed that fact she realised the name on the open vial.

Horus.

“No!” she exclaimed, bending over the redhead and putting one hand on the ground on the other side of him, as though to shield him. “Y-you can’t take him!”

A wizardess, are you? a voice resonated through the ruin. I am impressed that you can see me. But truthfully, you’ve been expecting me, haven’t you? The voice chuckled when Luna’s confusion showed on her face. Your restless sleep. You knew I was coming and you hoped to fight the order of nature once more. I should have taken him this afternoon on the field, you know. You kept me away then, but I will carry out my given task now.

“You will not,” Luna said, her voice suddenly low. She was already channeling her power into her hands, wondering if she could reach her whip quickly. “I will not let you.”

That’s cute. The Stalfos gestured with the hand in which it held the vial, and Luna was violently thrown off the redhead, a few feet back, where she was grabbed by countless of hands coming out of the floor and forcing her in a sitting position. She felt her magic sapping away from her and knew that by fighting, she couldn’t save him anymore.

The scythe rested on his neck. The Stalfos took its time taking aim. As it swung the weapon up, Luna didn’t know what came over her. She had no idea why she said it, and it was the single most stupid thing she could have said, but she screamed: “NO! I challenge you to a game of life and death!”

The scythe froze, and the Stalfos turned to her. Clever girl. It strode over to her, crossing the distance in one impossibly long stride. You want to play a game? Suddenly Luna wasn’t so sure anymore. Normally only the deceased can challenge me. But I am physically incapable of taking him until I win. Luna heard the rattling of bones and the Stalfos revealed its lowest ribs to be arms, from which the vials hung, as it unfolded them and stretched the hands in front of her. Who are you, really?

“H-Horus and I are part of each other,” Luna said. It was nothing more than a theory, but the Stalmaster would have to be satisfied with it.

Fair enough. Well then… your game. It showed her the palms of its hands. On one hand stood engraved trick whereas the other had treat engraved in it. Luna knew this had to be an illusion. As woozy as she was from the loss of her own magic, she knew it was the only way to engrave bone in Ikana. Pick a hand, wizardess. It closed the hands and turned them over so the backs faced Luna. Instinctively, she knew the words were no longer necessarily on the same palm. Pick well and I will leave without him. Pick badly and I will take him.

Luna cursed her inability to read faces as she desperately looked for clues as to which hand contained which word. It… held the scythe that would take Horus’ life in its right upper hand. Did that mean anything? Urgh, no, the vial that would contain it was in its other hand and that wasn’t exactly favourable either. Finally, Luna squeezed her eyes shut. Without magic, she couldn’t pull any tricks to see which hand covered which word.

Tricks. Her eyes flew open. She had no need to rely on tricks. Tricks were bad on this strange night. All she needed was her instinct, and Horus’ guiding hers. “L-left,” she said. “Left hand for me. Right for you.”

Are you sure?
It was trying to throw her off. But it had come to her so naturally that Luna refused to doubt her answer. “Yes. I am.”
Reeeeaaaaaally sure?
“YES! I pick your left hand!”

It opened its hand, but before Luna could see what was on it, it had brought the palm to its own face. A cackling laughter came over the ruins, which began to swirl in front of Luna’s eyes. You are a funny girl, wizardess. Maybe I’ll have to come for you soon. I do hope you will amuse me then!

She gasped audibly and jolted up. A… a dream? She was back to waking up from her sleep on Horus’ chest, the Stalmaster was nowhere to be seen, and her magic flowed through her freely. Horus! She immediately turned her attention to him. He was breathing, and when she felt for it, she found a pulse. Relieved that she had only dreamt the debacle, she pulled his collar aside to inspect his wound…

She didn’t realise she had screamed, but the next thing she knew, she and Horus were both sitting straight, she with both hands covering her mouth and he very angry that she had woken him up. “What the hell, Luns!? What are you screaming for in the middle of the night?!”

She could only stare at his wound, which was a hint he took. He glanced over at it, himself, but gave no visible reaction other than covering it up again. “Go back to sleep,” he said. “And don’t bother me with your nightmares. I’ve got plenty of my own.” He lay back down, turned over, and fell back asleep.

Luna still sat there for a minute, her hands still covering her mouth. He… he hadn’t seen it. But on his sternum, where the would-have-been-fatal wound had been, were now engraved five letters in scar tissue.

Treat.

Luna gains 20 Rupees.

I groaned as I turned over in bed. Great. Insomnia. Just what I needed. My thoughts ran as surely as the rivulets of sweat on my brow. I couldn't get to sleep. It wasn't a new occurrence; I'd begin thinking and wouldn't know how to stop.

After a great many uncomfortable minutes, during which my eyes are screaming for rest, I finally managed to get to sleep.

I can't tell when it was, but the next thing I remembered was a pair of eyes. They were luminous enough to bore into me, but no light pierced the gloom; I could see no face to match them. It, and its curiously soft voice, filled me with a sense of perverse curiosity.

And then, I was seized by an instinct that I should not, above all, have done that. It felt as though I'd been sprayed with acid. Liquid fire seemed to needle its way down my face. Though I tried to scream, it availed nothing; the sound seemed not mine, the voice too foreign. I fell into oblivion. There is nothing, nothing...

Void consumes us all... I drifted through the black sea of nothing, with nothing to call company but the constant, unceasing, burning...

i t . . . h u r t s . . .

I awoke to the thoroughly unpleasant sound of my alarm. It was quite strident, and I grumbled to myself, chiding that it was terrible idea to go to bed after playing horror games. Worse still to set the alarm to 4 AM.

I waddled to the washroom, clumsy from half-sleep, but when I washed my face, I thought the mirror showed a face not my own for a moment. There was that smooth, faceless visage, watching from over my shoulder, or mayhap part of my own face... and then nothing.

Later that day I swore that I could hear some leathery flapping, see some form of ebon animal out of the corner of my eye; but whenever I endeavored to bring it into focus, the silhouette would skitter back and recede to the corners of my weakest vision once more.

After the night fell, I saw the visions no longer; I felt as though I brushed against something fuzzy and unsettlingly warm as I settled into bed, but a closer examination of the bed under the sheets revealed nothing.

I dreamt of blood-spattered bats emerging from a yawning abyss, among the screams of a young girl... And amidst it all, a gentle voice told me quite serenely, in a tone reserved for commenting on the weather, a tone that despite--or perhaps because of--its utter lack of malice, chilled me to the bone.

"Trick..."

Stella Argall gains Summon Keese.

*crrrrack* The sound of a snapping neck followed by an exasperated sigh are the only sounds as the words 'You died' appear on the screen the scenery in the background going by as is something is being dragged. "Again?!" I say throwing off my headphones after playing Vanish. "Stupid game always..." A clock chime interrupts my ramblings making me jump. "Holy shit!...oh. 3 am I should head on to bed."

I close my laptop and notice something. The rest of my house disappears into darkness as everything fades from existence. Not even warmth exists. Only the cold chill of the void. I begin walking wondering where I was and what happened. A figure faintly appears on the horizon a dull blur in the otherwise black void. "Hey!" I run drawing closer and closer to the figure. As I near it I can make out armor that looks weird yet familiar.

I reach the figure and notice who it is. "Jacob? But...you're not real you're a..." My eyes widen as the Jacob turns to me with no face. The fake Jacob screams before disappearing in a cloud of red. I shake at what just occurred. "W-what?" A deafening roar sounds from behind me. I shake turning around to see my biggest fear of the moment. A faceless Eysseth stands tall roaring at me. A piercing chill runs up my spine as I take off sprinting. I hear leathery wings take flight behind me as I try to run even though I know it is completely in vain.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Powerful jaws wrap around my stomach pulling me up into the air. The Wyvern's teeth dig into my skin as something begins to swarm the Wyvern. Thousands of small brown creatures occupy Eysseth as she drops me from the sky. As I hit the ground I hear one softly spoken word...'Trick'. I hit the ground but feel nothing.

I jump up laying on the couch everything looking normal. My face is drenched in sweat as I look up at the clock. "3 am. That was weird." I suddenly got a strange feeling something was wrong. I could not tell exactly what it was, but something was off. I get up from the couch and look around. Everything seems normal enough. I begin to walk into my bed room before I suddenly fall through the floor. Another dark abyss lies below me as I notice the floor was never there. I fall through the void and land with a hard thud on the couch again.

I look around wearily before getting up from the couch again. Slowly I test every inch of floor I cover before stepping anywhere in my house worried about falling through the floor again. I sigh in relief as I reach the kitchen only to have a solid hit to the stomach doubling me over. I look up, but see nothing standing in front me. Or anywhere in my house as another hit knocks me completely to the floor. I groan in pain as I feel pressure of a boot on my throat.

I struggle under the ever increasing weight on my throat cutting off my air supply. Frantically I flail my arms about feeling for anything I could use to keep me alive. I finally grab a hold of something and bring it close to me to see what it is. In my hand is a small purple rimed magnifying glass that looks like an eye with one side of the glass blue and one side red. I recognize the Lens of Truth and hold it up to see what was attacking me. My heart drops to my stomach as the faceless Jacob almost materializes his boot on my throat. As I am able to see it the Jacob screams it's unhallowed scream again before disappearing. Air filling my lungs again I hyperventilate before passing out. Just before I lose consciousnesses I hear the same strange voice say 'or Treat.' Then everything fades to black.

Rolling off the couch my head hits a small metal heat vent grate as I jar awake. I am terrified at what will happen next as I look around again. A pair of faint eyes and a wicked grin float in the air in front of my face. Not a word is spoken, but I understand it perfectly. I have a choice to make. I do not know what this choice would do, but I know I must make it. I lick my lips remembering the dreams. I move my lips and one word utters forth: "Treat."

I feel all reality come rushing back to me as I open my eyes to my mother shaking my shoulder. I had slept through the entirety of Halloween night.



Jacob D. Temple gains the Lens of Truth.

As I lay back in bed, the lights off, my enthusiasm only mounts for the day ahead. It's going to be bright, sunny, and everything looks to be going my way. I've already finished two books today on my personal "must read" list. This will be the best Samhain ever.
CREAK....
That's strange. There are no doors open, the house is too new to settle, and I've oiled everything else that can creak myself.
That's when I see the light. A dim glow shines out from the back of my closet, a muffled sound too soft to wake anyone else in the house. I hop out, the covers falling in a heap on my already-messy floor, my t-shirt hanging loosely over my pyjama pants. Walking forwards, I see a small oaken door with celtic brass-work designs. I nudge it slightly, and it springs open, revealing the smiling face of Holle as I had always imagined him.
"Finally, you're up. This door can only be opened from both sides, y'know. I had enough trouble making it creak!"
I stand there silently, shocked at the sudden apparition of this figment of my imagination.
"Alright, the Fae say that this door won't last long, as the belief in Samhain is greatly reduced since they last tried it, and they can't put too much energy into any one door. Here are your ten choices, buddy."
Holle shows me the list above.
"So, what's it gonna be?"
I point silently at the Hover Boots, as that was next on my wish list for Holle anyway.
"Nice, that's what I was hoping for. Anyway, if anyone asks, this was a dream and the Fae aren't real. See ya next time!"
The door swing shut with a quiet click, then the light and door fade equally.
I go back to bed, shaking my head.

In case you missed it... (open) In case you missed it... (close)

Holle gets Hover Boots

"You want to see my face?" Sienna could barely hold back her arrogant amusement. Whether this was a dream or a trance, she couldn't say, but it was apparent that something foreign was digging its claws into her mind. A simple question of asking to remove her mask seemed far too tame for her to coherently articulate. The words from this bizarre, alien entity were the only ones not oozing gore and thirsting for agony... It was the one pitch-black stain in the ocean of blood that was Sienna's consciousness. "Please," she grinned, "let me burn a true vision of horror into that empty head of yours."

"Hey." Guy waved his hand before his sister's distant eyes, bewildered by her. On their way to the next town, she had simply stopped, and he watched the woman remove her mask. It had struck a chord. Anyone who knew his psychotic sibling knew enough knew she never does that... unless she's about to kill someone. Not only that, but she had become completely unresponsive since stopping it. It took him a great deal of time to grow somewhat comfortable in the company of what his sister had become, but, all too quickly, that comfort was giving way to unease, and unease to terror. Was she finally going to snap?

Guy's hand slowly reached for the pommel of his blade. He rolled ever so slightly off his heels, readying to leap or pounce from any sudden movement. As skilled as he thought himself, he definitely didn't want to fight a family member ever again, and dreaded ever going toe-to-toe with someone so devastatingly brutal... let alone both rolled into one.

"Sienna..." His whisper came, "...What is it? Talk to me." Guy's breaths were shallow, "I won't claim to understand you, but by now you at least know I'll never reject you."

That's when it happened. That blood-curdling roar of unimaginable emotion. Guy literally leaped back two meters, and it was all he could keep to do from running. Though Sienna was a deep-voiced Deku, never had he heard from her such a horrific cry. The very earth seemed to tremble, and Guy's eyes were wide upon her. Yet, she just stood there, mask clenched, with her other hand in a tight fist. After the roar ended, slowly, her head rolled to face him. She grinned with her eyes; that twisted, eerie grin only his sister could make.

"That was fun," she observed, in a voice all too calm, and far too light for her. "It's been far too long since I've felt anything like that. I hope to see him again." Sienna's mask slid slowly, but surely, to once again hide her scarred visage.

Guy was frozen, blade drawn, feet poised for action--as his sister strode to him steadily. She turned her mask to casually glance at him, from across her shoulder,"You're not that much of a coward, are you? Put your toothpick away"--the man hesitantly obliged. "I asked him for a trick. What I got wasn't to my liking." The other fist, still clenched, finally opened, revealing a swirling sphere of midnight black--a void which seemed to draw in and destroy all the light around it. "It reminded me of you."

The handheld void was dropped carelessly into Guy's waiting palm, and painlessly absorbed into his skin. Magic--this was something he could deal with. Bewilderment replaced fear. His eyes narrowed, as they averted from his hand to observe his sister. "You're not going to explain any of that, are you?"

...As expected, the only response he heard was the shambling of Sienna's armor. Never would he understand his sister, let alone what had just happened. With a heavy sigh, Guy rubbed his temples for a moment. Wordlessly, he scurried over and caught up to her.

In time, Guy would come to comprehend what the void represented--knowledge. Yet, he would never understand its origin.

...

I can't remember the last time I felt fear, boy. I look forward to us meeting again.

...

Guy Denzrita learned Handheld Illusion.

Your gifts have been well-earned.

The last hour grows near, for those who remain hidden...

-24 Hours Remain-

I honestly have spent at least four hours staring at the computer screen trying to come up with something interesting... And that doesn't really work since I basically have zero experience actually writing anything on my own (mainly due to mentally wrestling with both indecision and a lack of inspiration when I try to write anything not directly related to a conversation. And it's only worse with some sort of deadline...)

So for lack of a better post: Kieran O'Halley acquires Cross (Lens of Truth).