Chapter Text
"Hey, Kremy! Whatcha doin'?"
Kremy froze, his shoulders shooting up to where his ears would be. He whirled around, arms waving frantically at Gricko. "Don't touch anythin'! Stay where y'are!"
Gricko stopped dead in his tracks, swaying on one foot before he could finish the step. "What?!"
He stepped around the chalk on the floor, gracefully making his way across the room without smudging any of the lines he'd drawn. "I told y'all not to bother me when I'm workin'!"
"Yeah, but I wanted t'see if you wanted any help!" At least he hadn't moved, still wobbling on one foot. His sandal dangled off of his foot, finally giving up and falling to the floor with a soft thump. He looked down, taking in the circles and sigils on the floor. "Ooh, looks complicated!"
"It is!" Kremy snapped, reaching the goblin to grab him by the shoulders and ushering him back out of the door. "Which is exactly why I don't need you in here messin' with anythin'!"
"Aw, c'mon!" He didn't resist, but he pouted up at the gator. "Y'know I'm real good wit' summonin's! I can help!"
"Absolutely not," Kremy crossed his arms, blocking the doorway. His tail thrashed behind him in warning. "This is too delicate for your li'l chaotic goblin hands to be messin' in!"
Gricko whined. "Kremmmmmy!"
Unphased, Kremy gave him a shove. "I said no! And I'm lockin' the door when you leave, so don't try to sneak back in til I'm done!"
The goblin huffed. "Fine. But can I at least get me sandal back?" He lifted up his bare foot, toe claws wiggling.
Kremy wrinkled his snout. "Put them things away, Gricko, I'll get your damn shoe!"
Gricko waited outside while Kremy ducked back in, grabbing the ratty sandal from the floor. He tossed it at the goblin's chest.
"Now scram! And don't try to get Gid to pick the lock again or I'll cook nothin' but Frost's oatmeal all week!"
That got him moving, scurrying down the hall away from Kremy's door.
Sighing, Kremy went back into the room, making extra sure to lock the door this time. He should've known he couldn't get a moment's peace in this house. With three roommates— four, if you counted Hootsie— quiet was in short supply. It seemed like something was always making a racket in the house, even when no one would own up to it.
After making sure he wouldn't be interrupted again, Kremy surveyed his work. It had taken all morning to get the sigils just right. His scales were dusted in white chalk, hand prints on his clothes where he'd mindlessly wiped them off. But it would be worth the effort, when he finally got this to work.
He went around the room, lighting all the candles he'd set up against the walls. Then he started the record player he'd bought specifically for this, the low croon of jazz filling the room. He stepped over the circle, moving to turn off the lights. The candlelight and the music worked together for an eerie mood, shadows dancing off the walls and furniture as the sultry tune danced through the air.
Kremy took a deep breath, trying to center himself. He was a bit nervous, but confident that he'd done everything he needed to do. He picked up the heavy book from the table beside him, cradling the old leather in his hands carefully.
He'd practically memorized the incantation by now, but he looked at the words written in the book anyway. He wasn't leaving anything to chance in this ritual. If he was going to summon this demon at all, let alone control it, he was going to need every protection and advantage he could get.
He spoke the incantation, foreign words feeling odd in his mouth, but slipping off his tongue. The candles flickered, and the record skipped. He kept going, raising his voice a little, trying to make his tone more commanding.
A sudden breeze swept through the room, stirring up the collection of paper on his desk and sending pages flying. He tightened his grip on the book, ignoring the chaos in the room. He couldn't stop now! He yelled to hear himself over the noise, the sound of wind howling and paper crinkling as it was whipped about. The candles' flames thrashed, but managed to stay lit somehow. The shadows on the walls climbed upwards, closing in on him.
The wind picked up, so strong now it tried to knock him around, and he almost stumbled. His claws gripped at the book, widening his stance and fighting against the air itself. He nearly screamed the last bit of the spell, slamming the book shut.
The result was instant. As the book clicked shut, the wind vanished, as if it had never been there. The candles extinguished as one, leaving him in the dark. The record scratched loudly, the needle dragging across the entirely of the album.
Kremy panted with the exertion, not daring to move an inch.
The candles flickered back into flame, as if they'd been lit again. Kremy could see again, and now he wasn't alone.
In the middle of his chalk circle stood a large figure. Easily seven feet tall, even though he hunched over. Long limbs, tipped with claws, his whole body covered in shaggy brown fur. His fluffy ears sat flat against his head, staring at Kremy with a pitiful expression.
Kremy squinted in confusion. "You… look a lot different from your picture."
The demon made a curious noise, rumbling in his throat.
"I was expectin' somethin' a little more… grandiose? No offense, but when I pictured the Demon Garou, I kinda expected more… terror?"
Tilting his head, the demon looked just as confused. "Torbek isn't a Garou. He's a bugbear."
Kremy felt like he'd been smacked. "What the fuck? Who the fuck is Torbek?"
"Torbek is Torbek," he replied, pointing a claw at himself.
"You're not a demon?"
Torbek shook his head. "Torbek is a ghost!" He seemed to realize something, his eyes getting wide. "Wait, you can see Torbek?!"
Kremy scoffed. "'Course I can! You're unfortunately in the spot where the demon I summoned was supposed to be."
Torbek clapped his hands together, looking giddy. He made a run at Kremy, and the gator held up his hands in defense. But something about the spell had been done right, and Torbek was stopped at the edge of the chalk circle, contained within the sigils. It was like he'd slammed into an invisible wall, his face squashed against nothing as he fell back.
"Ow! What happened?" he whined, wiggling his nose with a pout.
Kremy sighed, rubbing at his temple against the headache he could feel forming. "You're in a containment circle."
"Can Torbek come out?" he whined.
"Nah. You stay here til I know how to banish you." Kremy waved a hand, turning on a heel to leave. He'd have to stay in Gideon's room until he could figure out how to de-ghost his own. He couldn't believe after all his careful planning, this had messed up so badly! He blamed Gricko, though he'd have to figure out why later. Right now, he was going to avoid this annoying ghost and find a way to send him back to wherever he came from.
Behind him, Torbek whined, but he ignored it, heading to the door. Unlocking it, he yanked it open, storming out into the hall. Thankfully, it was empty, Gricko having found something else to catch his attention for awhile.
He was halfway down the hall towards Gideon's room, when something stopped him. It felt like something slid into his ribs and pulled, yanking him back a step. It knocked the air out of his lungs for a moment, and he coughed, rubbing at his chest. He whirled around, expecting something behind him. Maybe Torbek had gotten out of the circle? Maybe he'd summoned Garou also, and he was outside of the circle? The thought of the demon free of containment was like a bucket of ice water poured over his head, and he panicked.
But when Kremy turned around, there was nothing there. He could see Torbek through his open doorway, still in the circle of sigils, hunched over on himself with a pitiful look on his face. Something trailed from his legs, a ribbon of mist that wove out the door. Ectoplasm, if Kremy had to guess. He'd ignored ghosts for most of his studies, focused on far more powerful spirits.
Following the trail with his eyes, it led out the door and down the hall. It ended where he stood, the hazy ribbon settled in the center of Kremy's chest.
He scowled. "Get your ectoplasm off me!"
Torbek looked around, before pointing a claw up at himself. "Are you talking to Torbek?"
Kremy growled, stomping back into the room. "Don't see any other ghosts 'round here, do you?"
"Well…"
Kremy cut him off. "Just let me go! Get your weird ghost tail outta my chest!"
The bugbear looked confused. "Torbek isn't doing anything!"
Pointing to the whisp of ectoplasm that connected them, Kremy narrowed his eyes, quickly losing what little patience he had left.
Torbek seemed to notice it for the first time, his eyes wide. "Ohhh! What's that?"
"Whattaya mean, 'what's that'?!" He threw up his hands, tail thrashing in frustration. "That's you! You stopped me out in the hall!"
"Torbek didn't do that, he promises!" The ghost held up his hands, shrinking back. "Torbek's been in the circle the whole time! Mr. Kremy saw! He can't leave!"
"You obviously did somethin'! I—" he stopped, glaring at the bugbear. "How do you know my name?"
Torbek whined again, curling even further in on himself. "Torbek knows all your names. Torbek was here before you guys moved in. You just couldn't see Torbek until you did your spell."
"You've been hauntin' us?" Maybe Kremy should've paid more attention to ghosts. Then he might've noticed they'd been infested with one. That did explain a few things.
"Torbek can't help it!" He pressed his hands over his ears, covering his head. "Torbek can't leave!"
Kremy swiped a hand through the whisp, trying to dislodge it. As he suspected, his hand went right through it, like smoke. It dispersed, only to weave its way back into his chest from Torbek's general direction.
"Stop it!"
"Torbek's not doing anything!"
"You, uh…alright?"
Kremy whirled around, gold eyes staring like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming truck.
Gideon stood in the doorway, frowning in concern. "You're yellin' an awful lot, figured I'd come check on ya. I know you said not to bother ya, but the door was open, so…?"
The gator whipped his head back to look at Torbek, then back to Gideon. He gestured frantically to Torbek. "This ain't weird to you?"
Gideon cocked his head. "I mean, I dunno what all the stuff on the floor is, but that's yer magic stuff, so I guess not?"
Kremy clamped his hands over his snout to muffle the exasperated noise he let out, before huffing out a breath and composing himself. "I'm fine, Gid. Just some messed up magic stuff."
He didn't seem convinced. "You sure, man? Ya look pretty crazy right now…"
He felt crazy. Behind him, he heard Torbek shuffle, coming up to the edge of the circle.
"Mr. Gideon can't see Torbek. No one could, until Mr. Kremy did."
Kremy hated that he could hear the sadness in that statement. He brushed it off, ignoring the ghost. "I'm okay, promise. Just frustrated. I gotta clean all this up."
Gideon ran a hand through his beard, not quite believing him, but knowing him well enough to know when he wasn't going to get a straight answer. "Alright, man. Just let me know if you need any help."
"I will, Gid, thanks."
He watched his friend leave, heading down the hall and back into his room. Then he turned back to the ghost.
"Okay. You're tellin' me you're absolutely not doin' this on purpose?"
Torbek shook his head quickly. "Torbek promises he's not! He doesn't know how!"
Without warning, Kremy took off into a run. He dashed out the door and down the hall. He made it to the same spot he'd been stopped before, when the same sensation of pulling yanked him back, this time hard enough to send his legs out from under him. He fell flat on his back, choking as he was winded again.
At the same time, Torbek was pulled as well, slamming into the invisible wall of the circle once again, face- first. He let out yelp, trying to push himself off of the blockade.
Kremy suddenly slid back, as if someone had pulled him by the scruff of his neck. He kicked his legs out, trying to get some sort of leverage.
Torbek immediately stopped, and Kremy felt the pressure release. He still couldn't move, but he wasn't being actively dragged back. He sat up, turning to look back at Torbek, who stared back at him like a kicked puppy.
"Okay…" Kremy sighed, rubbing at the spot on his chest. "Seems like somehow, you and I are trapped together."
"Torbek thinks so…"
Slowly getting to his feet, he winced as his hip protested the rough treatment, stepping gingerly back into the room. "So… until I can figure out what to do about that, it seems like you're gonna have to stick around."
Kremy saw something move behind the ghost. He stepped to the side of the circle, investigating. Torbek had a tail. And it was wagging in quick little jerks.
He scowled. "Try not to be so happy about it."
Torbek's ears dropped even lower. "Torbek is sorry, Mr. Kremy. He was just really lonely."
Kremy held up a hand, finger pointing up. "Some rules, first. You're not gonna do anythin' to hurt me. We may be stuck together, but I promise you, my magic is stronger than any of your ghost powers."
"Torbek would never!" He gasped, clutching his claws to his chest. "Torbek can't do anything, even if he wanted to! Sometimes if he tries really hard, Torbek can move a few things. But Torbek can't touch anyone."
Kremy frowned, reaching into the circle to slap at Torbek's arm. Sure enough, it went right through the ghost. It felt odd, like a limb waking up after falling asleep, a tingle against his scales. And cold. He brought his arm to his chest, trying to rub the feeling back into it.
"Okay. So I'll let you out of the circle. You're not allowed to drag me anywhere, got it? I lead, you follow."
Torbek nodded.
"I'd make you shake on it, but…" he shrugged. Leaning down, he pressed a finger to the chalk. "Okay, you're good now."
The bugbear went to step out of the circle, but smashed against the air again. He rumbled out a cry, holding his nose.
Kremy snickered, wiping away part of the chalk. "Couldn't resist. This time for real"
Torbek pouted at him. "Fool Torbek once, shame on you."
"Call it payback. I'm gonna be sore tomorrow from you yankin' me around…"
His eyebrows rose, a noise purring in his chest. "Torbek is interested in a little yanking…"
Kremy groaned in disgust, swatting at him. He knew he couldn't touch him, but the intent was there.
Torbek followed him out of the room and into the hall. Kremy walked past the spot he'd made it to before, and sure enough, with the ghost following him, he wasn't pulled back.
Torbek didn't walk, so much as floated a few inches above the floor. But he dutifully followed behind Kremy as the gator went down the stairs.
Gricko and Frost were in the kitchen when Kremy entered. Gricko was at the table with Hootise, watching his daughter color in her coloring book. Considering she didn't have opposable thumbs, Kremy thought it was quite impressive.
Frost was making tea, leaning against the counter as he waited for the kettle to heat. He looked up when Kremy stepped in the kitchen, his ears flattening against his head and tail twitching behind him.
Gricko looked up. "How'd it go?"
Kremy resisted the urge to look behind him, face in a flat frown. "Bad."
"What happened?" Frost asked.
"I don't wanna talk about it," Kremy growled, going to the cabinet. "I'm starting dinner."
"Ooh," Torbek leaned over his shoulder. "What's Mr. Kremy making?"
Kremy jumped at the bugbear's sudden closeness, swiping at him. "Stoppit!"
Gricko and Frost stared at him. Even Hootsie looked up from her coloring, tilting her head at her uncle.
"We wasn't doin' anything?" Gricko frowned in confusion.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Frost asked, getting out another mug. "Do you want some tea?"
"I'm fine," he bit out, glaring at Torbek.
The ghost had the decency to look sheepish, though he always kind of looked like that. He floated away, giving Kremy some space.
Frost's tail twitched again. "You should have some tea."
"Want some help cleanin' everyfin up?" Gricko stood up on his chair, leanin his hands on the table.
"No," Kremy snapped. "Cuz I'm pretty sure you did somethin' while you were in there! As far as I'm concerned, this is all your fault!"
"What's all his fault?" Frost frowned. "What happened?"
"Kremy was doin' magic in his room, had this fancy circle set up wif all kinds'a sigils. Wouldn't tell me what they were for, though."
"Cuz it wasn't any of your business…" Kremy grumbled, reaching for a pot. "And it still ain't."
"Kremy…" Frost sighed.
Kremy held up a hand. "Don't. I don't need any of your 'safe magic' lectures, Frost. Nothin' happened. That's the problem."
"Torbek happened…" the ghost spoke up.
He growled, slamming the pot down against the counter. Everyone in the kitchen jumped at the sudden noise, even Torbek. They all looked at him in surprise.
"We're orderin' out tonight, I don't feel like cookin'!"
He stormed back out of the kitchen, not giving Torbek any time to follow. The ghost was yanked along with a yelp.
Kremy stomped his way back upstairs to clean up his room, dragging Torbek behind him. He needed to break this spell before he lost his mind.