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[Ankou Interitum]

The blinding winds of the desert were whipping Corvus’ covered face as he trudged through the sands of the Haunted Wastes. They said it was haunted by soul–stealing spirits. They said that no one ever came back the same if they survived the sands. They said that the cacti sucked the blood out of any living thing they came across. None of that actually mattered to him. He had come here for a reason.

Knife in hand, he continued to trudge through the dunes, thinking back to the man that had tried to stop him. He kept asking Corvus why he wanted to enter the forbidden land. With his permanent lost voice, he couldn’t very well answer this man. He didn’t bother bringing his notepad and pen to scribble messages, for it wouldn’t be a necessary thing where he was going. Instead, he had the vocal power now to whisper something barely audible in someone’s ear. Upon telling the man what he had come here to do, he said nothing more as he let him move along.

Some would have thought he was crazy for making this journey alone. People that would have known him would have prevented him from even coming here. But he couldn’t make this journey alongside the company of others. His reasoning could have been circumvented by something not happening in his life. He had no set destination on the other side of the desert. He didn’t even expect to make it out. There could be no mistaking it.

Corvus Valentine had journeyed to the Haunted Wastes…to die.

[Ankou Interitum]

"Kihihihihihihihihihi......"

They had said spirits roamed this part of the desert, and there were otherworldy guides to take people through the area should they desire to get to a specific place. That alone wouldn't have fazed Corvus. But what he had just heard...was it nothing more than a trick of the desert? Or was something that he couldn't see following him? He couldn't exactly tell in the blinding winds. But what he had heard...it almost seemed like it was directed at him.

"Ccccoooorrrrvvvvuuuussss...."

This thing had said his name. Now he knew he was being followed. He turned from side to side to try and see what it was that was following him, but to no avail. Nothing could be seen in this sandstorm. Was it a Poe come to claim the life of any unfortunate souls deciding to wander the wastes? Or were there other people in this desert, deciding to play a trick on a traveler? Who was to say?

"I can very much read your thoughts, Corvussssss...I'm not alive..."

The icy shrill of the voice made Corvus stop dead in his tracks. Not only was this entity dead, but it was also reading his thoughts and stalking him? It was a chilling revelation to stumble upon. But maybe he could talk to this ghost through the use of his own mind. It was worth a shot. "What do you want from me?"

"I wannnt...a bodyyy... Firssst...you mussst be tesssted..."

"Tested? What are you talking about?"

Corvus got his answer as soon as a large sinkhole opened up in the sand in front of him. Unexpectedly, something popped out of the sands. If he could have screamed as loud as any man could, he would have. But with his permanent lost voice, he could only stare in wonder as he saw what had jumped up from under the sand. It was any desert traveler's worst nightmare brought to life. A Lanmola. Before Corvus could move out of the way, he found that the sand had trapped his feet.

There was nothing he could do but close his eyes as the Lanmola swallowed him.

(He's not dead.)

[Ankou Interitum]

Corvus found himself opening his eyes. He was...alive? But how? Did that spirit somehow intervene and save his life just so he could enter his body? Or was he deliberately brought here? Either way...there was no way of knowing unless he checked. Getting into a meditative stance, he slowly closed his eyes and relaxed as he searched within himself. This was no way to tell whether something was possessing his body, but something like this ought to get a reaction out of this ghost.

Kihihihihihihihihi...what dooo you think yooou're doooing, Corvusss?

Apparently it worked. What do you think? You're possessing me, aren't you?

Turnnn...arouuund...

Slowly drawing his knife in the process, Corvus stood up and turned around to see what he was being referred to. As he looked around his surroundings, he found himself at the end of some kind of tunnel. Was this created by the Lanmola that swallowed him whole? Before he could figure it out, he found himself staring at some kind of husk. There was no body, but it was different pieces of azure armor strewn about the end of the cavern. Why would he show this to me? What's so special about inanimate pieces of armor?

He got his answer. After a few seconds, a rattling sound came from inside the tunnel. But it wasn't coming from the mouth where he supposed his exit would be, no, it came from inside the endzone he was located in. Looking back down, he found the source. It was a piece of the armor. Before he could examine it more closely, the piece shot up into the air, followed by another. And another. And another. Up until all the pieces were now floating and trying to assemble themselves into something. Corvus watched in horror as all the pieces formed a suit of armor complete with a giant sword and an even larger shield. All the sudden, a hole was being formed in the chest area of the armor, revealing two glowing eyes and a mouth.

"Kihihihihi...impresssed? Thisss form doesssn't sssuit me. I want...your bodyyy..."

Corvus thought nothing as he sheathed his knife and began running as fast as he could. No matter how far he ran, he could still hear heavy, clanging footsteps slowly following him as he ran. How far would he run before he would tire? Where would he get out if he kept running down this tunnel? He could only keep running and wonder.

[Ankou Interitum]

Corvus had stopped running after about fifteen minutes, as he could no longer hear the thudding footsteps echoing throughout the tunnel behind him. Only after he decided to catch his breath, he realized that he was no longer in an underground tunnel. He was in some kind of giant room. Giant metal constructs littered the room, and they seemed to be broken, inanimate, lifeless, and immovable. Just where was he, what was this room, what were these constructs, and most importantly, how in the HELL was he supposed to find a way out of here?!

"You forget I can read your thoughtsss...Corvusss..."

As much as he didn't want this ghost to be right, it was absolutely correct. His thoughts were running rampant, and they had led the armored spirit right to him. Good job, Corvus. Good fucking job. Now there's a crazy ghost inhabiting a suit of armor after you, and you're leading it right to you.

"Damn right you are."

Dammit, get out of my fucking head!

"Going to be that way, huh? Minions, get him!"

At that moment, multiple pieces of the scrap metal scattered about the chamber began coming to life around Corvus. Were they multiple ghosts possessing the scrap, or just an extension of the main ghost's power? It could be complete poltergeist, but he didn't have time to stop and think. In a few moments, these pieces of haunted scrap would be assaulting him. He needed to come up with some kind of strategy in order to beat all of them.

[Ankou Interitum]

The moment the scrap came together in the form of metallic golems, Corvus rushed in to attack. He aimed for the closest one out of the ten that spawned, but upon striking it, his weapon bounced off of it without even creating so much as a scratch. He wasn't prepared for realizing that these constructs were faster than he anticipated, as an unexpected blow to the stomach from another golem sent him flying back a good thirty feet. If they couldn't be destroyed by simply striking at them, then magic had to have some effect. As he chanted the incantation for a spell, he could hear the footsteps of the monsters rushing to attack him.

It was finished as soon as they reached him. He jumped back and began to cast the spell known as Blade Storm. The spell was simple and deadly for assassinations. Countless amounts of knives made of wind would be placed throughout the airspace of the arena they were in, and if one knife happened to hit their target, all the rest of the knives would hone in on the target and assault it without mercy. After littering the room with wind knives, he proceeded to strike one of the constructs with another knife. Every wind knife at once started to converge on that one target, scrapping with the other golems and finally exploding on the one target.

When the dust cleared...there was still no scratch on the target! How indestructible were these things?! All Corvus could do was run from these things around the room as they chased after him. He used his acrobatic skills to keep out of their range, yet he had to admire the tenacity of the golems, as they were able to punch right through everything in their way just to keep up their chase with him. They didn't ever go around something that was in their way during their chase. No, they either ran right through it, crushing it in the process, or punched it out of the way, still crushing it in the process.

Wait a minute...that was it! That was the solution! To use their own strength as their weakness! Thinking quickly, instead of jumping away from them, Corvus was now jumping towards them, landing in the middle of the ten of them. And he was thankful that all of them looked different. Out of all of them, at least ONE of them had some piece of scrap for an arm that looked like it could cut something open. Said construct was the same one that had attacked him first. But instead of striking back, all he did was dodge the attacks being thrown at him, continually backing up until he was between two of them, the second one having giant fists. When the first one rushed to attack him, he backed up just enough for the second one to react and try to punch him. With split-second timing, he evaded the strike, and low and behold, he was correct in his assumption. The first golem's body crumbled underneath the pressure of the massive fists of the first golem, and its arm was Corvus' to steal.

As heavy as it was, he found himself able to attach it to his own arm, and slowly but surely was able to take out the other constructs, reducing them to mere scrap. However, the moment he discarded the arm, he was assaulted by the ghost that had been after him this entire time, and he was stupid enough to FORGET about it. Before be could even pull out one of his knives, the ghost had delivered a powerful blow, and after falling back a few feet, Corvus couldn't move.

All he saw next was the armor crumbling and some kind of purple light popping out of it before he blacked out...

[Ankou Interitum]

Much time had passed since Corvus had been swallowed under the sands, and the desert winds began to blow across the land. The dunes seemed to be unmoving and desolate, even though the wind was powerful enough to scatter the sands and create something new altogether. Other than the wind, all was still and quiet. Suddenly, a hand shot up out of the sand and attempted to push itself up from out of the sands. The glove on the hand seemed familiar...it was Corvus! It had seemed that he had survived the assault from the desert spirits down below the surface.

"Hmm...this body is stronger than I anticipated."

Wait...did he just talk? His vocal chords had been destroyed back in Castle Town. He could never talk again. Then...this wasn't entirely Corvus, was it? No...he didn't survive. Sure, his body had survived, and so did his spirit, but now he was...possessed. Not only was his voice that of the ghost possessing him, but the shade of purple in his eyes had intensified. "Sorry, Corvus, but now your body belongs to me! Ahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"

There was no one to help him, and that was his own undoing. Corvus...had lost.