Descending Into A Novel

Red Ghost.

He got the title from his two main Arts—Ghost Stepping Art and Phantom Zone Art. Which had a side effect of emitting a bloody red mist each time he activated them.

It wasn’t just a bloody red mist, in fact. It was his actual blood being turned into mist and expelled through his skin. An unfortunate side effect that left him with constant pale skin, fatigue and dizziness. As well as a constant lack of blood, especially when he overused his Arts.

Combined with the blood mist that surrounded him each time he activated his Arts. The title of Red Ghost came as naturally as lightning and thunder, he had the title since as long as he could remember. Practically since he started this life of crime.

Even now, a faint blood mist surrounded him. Masking his body features and hiding his silhouette.

And right now, he was facing a problem.

A few months ago, he had been approached by a proxy acting for Ellen Grace. Warning him of a traitor within his group.

How she even knew of such a thing was a mystery, regardless however. He might have been a criminal and a leader of a small criminal organization, but he had always had a dogma of repaying kindness twofold and grudges tenfold.

They had been planning a massive heist at the time, something that was known only to him and a few of his trusted men. This was a heist that could be called the heist of the century, since they were planning on breaking in to the vault of the government. It was a heist that would have set him up and the rest of his crew for a life of luxury. With a traitor in their midst, the entire heist was called off while he deal that with the traitor.

Attempting it was practically handing themselves in over for free to the authorities. So Ellen had done them a massive favor for warning them before they attempted the heist. Something he felt deeply grateful for.

Now his problem was that, he still needed money!

Running a criminal organization wasn’t cheap!

Red Ghost may have been a criminal, but he considered himself an honorable criminal. He didn’t kill, he didn’t smuggle any illicit substances like drugs, he only stole from the rich, the Families and the government, and he absolutely refused to partake in anything to do with slavery. He already drew the line at animal cruelty.

He only did crime because working normally to get rich was too difficult, better to just steal from others.

Plus, he paid his crew well. Unlike others, they actually earned enough working under him to live an above average lifestyle. Given they didn’t squander it all.

So this current kidnapping of Leo was necessary as a short term cash infusion to keep them going for a bit longer. At best, Red Ghost was only expecting to make a few million from this. Enough to hold them out for a few months.

But the involvement of Ellen and Raymond massively changed everything.

Sure he owed her a massive favor, but this kidnapping was important. A lot of mouths depended on him. If Ellen told him to stop, then he would have to go back and replan everything which could take months. Months without pay for his crew. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

So he really wished she wouldn’t get involved in this. It would be best if she wasn’t even aware that it was him or that he was even near her in the first place. He did intend on repaying her some time, but this took precedence.

Seeing the two of them seated within the VIP box, he frowned.

Picking up a comms device that was specifically encrypted so only he and his crew could access it, he barked out an order to the ones responsible for sabotaging the stage.

"Make sure when the equipment falls, do not. I repeat. Do not let yourself be seen. Injure Leo only enough to get him sent away in an ambulance."

"Boss, this is the fourth time you’ve said that. We get it, so stop being so worried over nothing."

Perhaps he had treated his crew too well. They were beginning to even talk back to him now!

"I’m saying this because it’s important! Ellen and Raymond, if those two spot something amiss and intervene, this whole kidnapping could go up on smoke!"

"Don’t worry boss. You know what your Arts do best. No one will even spot us!"

The Ghost Stepping Art and Phantom Zone Art didn’t actually cause the user to start expelling blood mist every time it was used. It was just a consequence of Red Ghost’s physique.

Even he wasn’t fully sure of why, all he knew was that he wasn’t fully human according to a DNA test.

His trusted men whom also used the Arts didn’t experience the same side effect. So it was only him who continuously lost blood.

A voice interrupted his thinking, one of his crew members informing him on the timing.

"Boss, one more minute until accident."

"Everyone in position?"

"Yes sir."

"I’m in position."

"I’ve got a pretty good view from here I am. He’s pretty good looking honestly. Great body as well."

Red Ghost ignored the last comment.

"Cutting cord in...3...2...1. Cut!"

Leo, the main member and what most would consider as the de facto leader of the group. Continued on stage as usual, clutching onto a microphone as he sang his heart out.

Above him, spotlights and spells whirred. Producing a light show out of this world and enough to inflate the budget by another twenty percent.

Just then, a low hanging spotlight had one of its wires snap. One that just so happened to be right above him.

Unaware of the commotion that was starting, he continued. Blissfully unaware of the impending accident awaiting him.

Raymond caught the incident immediately, except he couldn’t do anything.

He was way too far away after all! His brute force telekinesis was horrible at any distance further then ten meters, and he couldn’t cast any barrier spells from so far away.

As for Ellen, she too caught on to the incident immediately as well. Except with no bow in hand, she was even more powerless then Raymond.

Technically, she could use manifestation Art to create a bow and arrow. Which was a common beginner mana technique that many learned for its usefulness. But it was like trying to jump and flap your arms to fly. It might help you gain a little bit of height but just using an actual bow was much better in every single way.

This was of course, assuming you were a regular human.

Ellen could actually propel herself pretty high by just flapping her arms at her peak strength.

The only problem being that it looked ridiculous, and was a massive waste of stamina when jumping on manifested platforms in the air was much easier, efficient and cooler.

In other words, she was currently helpless as the stan inside of her screamed.

Crash

The metal spotlight wasn’t high enough for it cause a fatality, but it definitely injured him a lot.

A small blue protective shield flickered on his body, trapped under the rubble. His personal barrier artifact and the stadium protective measures had activated enough to shield him from the worst of it.

The music died down, replaced by a horrified silence from the rest of the band, and the screams of the attendees.

One member wiped his brow, sweat pouring down his back as he realized he could have been hit instead. Except he didn’t have a personal protective barrier artifact like Leo did. Which would have made it much worse for him.

Groaning, with his body stuck under the metal and plastic. Leo called out for help.

"I can’t feel my leg!"

"Where’s the healers?!"

On cue, two men dressed in white appeared on stage. Carrying a stretcher between them.

If Ellen was closer, she would be able to see that one of the ’medics’ was also the security guard that had failed to recognize her at the start!

Unfortunately, innate powers were things that could only be strengthened as the individual progressed through the ranks or consumed very specific and unique elixirs.

Ellen’s eyes may have been exceptional, but she was still only an E-rank at the first tempering.

Trying to see what was basically a slightly larger speck on the stage with her current level was extremely difficult. She could barely even differentiate different people at that distance, let alone see and recognize a face that was wearing a mask.

Also, there really was no point for her to use her innate powers and stress them out just to see what was happening. She already got a pretty damn good clue as to what was happening anyways.

Carrying Leo off on the stretcher, the two immediately ran off stage. Hauling him backstage and through a secret tunnel under the pretense of it being a direct route to the parked ambulance.

Naturally, they were unaware that the ambulance had also been hijacked and was currently being driven by another one of their own.

One of the medics let out a grunt, lifting the stretcher up into the ambulance. Before taking off his mask and cap.

The other one did the same thing, removing his mask and cap.

"Sure did a number on him. It’s not fatal is it?"

"Just broke a few bones in the legs and ribs most likely. The sabotage crew know their limits."

Leo wheezed, struggling to inhale as he overheard the conversation between the two.

"Wha—mmfhh!"

One of them shoved a gag into his mouth, silencing him.

"Relax, one of our guys is a really good healer. You’ll be fine."

Leo struggled a bit more, his body trembling as he tried to scream through the gag.

"Ahh shut him up will you? You’re the best with the Phantom Zone."

Without another word, he reached his hand towards Leo’s forehead. To his shock, rather then stopping. It continued moving until he had phased through his head!

"Stop moving so much, if it un-phases in a bad location you’ll be dead before you know it."

He clicked his tongue, using his studied knowledge of human brain anatomy to find the correct location.

A special light briefly glimmered on his glove, un-phasing and releasing a liquid right into his brain.

"Sleep tight. It’ll all be over soon, so just consider this a bad dream for now."

Without any build-up, Leo immediately went slack. Eyes rolling up as he fell asleep instantly.

"Why do you feel the need to say that every time?"

"Well, If the same thing was happening to me I’d like to be comforted you know?"

"Yeah but think about it from their perspective, they won’t trust us so how would it be comforting?"

"Good point actually, I guess just to comfort myself?"

This was the Red Ghost Crew, some of. If not the most well-known thieves in the world. Thieves with a dogma of honor.

And they also liked to argue with each other a lot.