The hallway is completely silent, but Belle can just make out a figure at the end of the hall. She has short brown hair and is wearing a school uniform. There's a faint feeling of miasma around her, but nothing compared to the schoolgirl from earlier.
"That should be a low-level ghost, I can easily take her out," Cam informs Belle.
"We should investigate first, it could be a trap." Belle puts his hand in front of Cam who starts flying out ahead. Belle puts a finger up to his mouth, indicating the other two should be quiet. He then sneaks up to the schoolgirl standing at the end of the hallway. She doesn't appear to notice him thanks to his ability [Stealthy Presence] and everything is normal until he steps within an arm's length of her. Suddenly, the schoolgirl attacks and Belle dodges as she tries to follow up. But her attacks are basic and predictable. 'This isn't right, something's wrong.' Belle frowns as he continues to dodge her attacks. He realizes his mistake when he swings down on her arm and miasma shoots out of it toward his face.
"Cough, cough, shit!" He yells. The miasma starts forcing its way into his lungs. 'Did that schoolgirl from before stuff this one full of miasma?'
"Belle!" Leslie shouts, running toward him. He grabs out a talisman and throws it at the schoolgirl, paralyzing her.
"Cough, I'm fine, just, cough, give me a second to, cough." Belle rasps. He sticks his hand down his throat, feeling for the miasma. Right as he's about to choke on his hand, he feels it, a slimy, cold substance, he grabs it and yanks. The miasma disappears upon leaving his hand and Belle throws up, trying to get the awful sensation out of his mouth.
"Geez, you told us to be careful and then do something like that," Cam says.
"Hehe, sorry, but I'm more immune to the miasma than you two, and I have something that makes me less noticeable to ghosts, it seems it's pretty weak though," Belle responds, sticking his tongue out.
"Still, you shouldn't worry us like that," Leslie whines.
"Right right, I'll try harder next time, Cam, could you tie her up?" Belle asks, turning to Cam. His ropes wind around the paralyzed schoolgirl and lock her in place. Belle goes up to her and uses the system to exorcize her, the extra miasma spreads out, looking for someone to choke, but Leslie, Belle, and Cam are all far enough away that it doesn't harm them before it dissipates.
"Let's go, watch out for any more traps. If she really does have that much miasma stored, then we have to be more careful," Belle states.
"Tell that to yourself," Leslie sighs. They run through the hallway to the stairs, climbing up to the third floor. They dodge pockets of miasma that shoot out from the ceiling or the floor. They make their way through another hallway to the stairs leading to the rooftop, only to find a locked gate.
"Why does a school even have a gate to the roof?" Leslie questions.
"I read that they installed it after the first suicide, but it didn't stop the second one from happening," Belle explains.
"I'll take care of it," Cam says. They watch as he floats through the gate and unlocks it from the other side.
"Haha, having a ghost companion is super handy." Belle chuckles as they walk through the gate.
"Mhm, I kind of wish I had one now," Leslie says.
"What am I, a product?" Cam deadpans. They ascend the stairs, picking their way through, careful not to trigger any traps that might be there. They open the door to the rooftop and step outside. It's raining, the murky chill of the rain combines with the freezing chill of the miasma to create a subtle tension. The schoolgirl is on the roof's edge, Leslie's brother dangling off the side from where she's holding him up.
"Hm, though I made plans in case all my previous traps failed, I didn't think you would actually make it up here, but it's no bother, if you make a single move I'll drop him." She says, glancing at the boy she's holding.
"Lou!" Leslie shouts. He looks ready to race up to him but Belle holds him back.
"How about we discuss this, I'm sure we can come up with a deal," Belle says.
"No, you have no idea what happened to me, I will make this boy my boyfriend, and I will live happily ever after, it's what I deserve." She states.
"Mgghhffff!" Lou shouts against his restraints. Her grip on him starts to slip and he goes sliding out of her arms, falling a few feet before she grabs him again. Belle's mind races as he looks around the rooftop for any sign of the last clue, something to make the story fit. That's when he sees it, a nametag on her uniform, on it is written the name Helen, and everything clicks in Belle's mind, from the letters to the bullying to the suicide.
"You had an affair with a girl's boyfriend and they bullied you because of that, didn't they," Belle states. A slight look of panic appears in her eyes and her hand trembles slightly.
"So what, I don't see how that matters." She says.
"You committed suicide because of the bullying, wait, that's not right, you wouldn't kill yourself when you had your boyfriend, they pushed you." He declares. This breaks the girl's calm, her face turns into an ugly grimace and she lets go of Lou, flinging him onto the roof.
"That's right! They killed me right when I had my hands on everything I ever wanted! What right did they have to do that!" She screams.
"You're right, they shouldn't have done that. Bullying and killing someone over a high school affair isn't right, but you also shouldn't target the living." Belle states.
"And what would you know! Because of them, my boyfriend went right back to that bitch, so I took my revenge, it's what she owed me!" Helen rages. The miasma grows thicker and she rushes toward Belle. Her emotions cloud her judgement and her fighting style is sloppy. Belle easily swings the axe and takes off an arm.
"Ugh, why, why, why, why, why! Just let me have the boy and I'll leave everyone alone!" She shouts. Her eyes are manic and searching, she and Belle lock eyes on the same thing, but she gets there faster. She reaches for Lou and grabs him, sticking a clawed finger toward his neck.
"Leslie! Talisman!" Belle calls out. Leslie throws the last two talismans he has, but Helen dodges both of them.
"Cam!" Belle yells. The ghost lurches into action, sending his ropes at Helen. She dodges them and starts hurling miasma at him. She keeps dodging backward and ends up on the roof edge.
"Stop! Or I'll toss him!" She warns.
"That's not going to be a problem," Belle says. He comes up from the side and swings the axe, taking off her other arm and catching Lou as he falls, throwing him over to Leslie.
"H-huh? What?" Helen exclaims in shock.
"Listen, you don't seem like a bad person, just let us help you," Belle says calmly, holding out his hand to the girl. She glances at it, tears in her eyes before her expression sets.
"No! You people always ruin my life! Why can't I just have what I want for once!" She shrieks. She then uses her miasma to grab Belle's leg and jumps off the roof.
"If that's how it is, then I guess I have no choice," Belle says. He grabs onto Helen as they're falling and uses the system to exorcize her. She slowly burns away as Belle feels a tug on his leg and his free fall is stopped. He is dragged back onto the roof by Cam to a worried-looking Leslie and his brother who is still tied up.
"Ah, let's get that off of you." Belle comforts. He grabs onto the miasma and tosses it away, freeing Lou from his restraints.
"Leslie! I'm so sorry, I didn't know!" Lou cries, tears flowing down his face as he hugs Leslie.
"Shh, it's okay, but why would you come here without telling me?" Leslie asks.
"Because I thought the kids at school would accept me if I did this, you would've said no if I told you, and I didn't want to worry you," Lou explains.
"Are they bullying you again? If they are I can move you to a different school district." Leslie tells him.
"No, it's not that bad, and I have some friends here," Lou responds.
"Okay, just don't run off like that again," Leslie says. They hug each other again, Belle watches the tender scene with tears in his eyes.
"This scene is nice and all, but I'm going to need some details on how everything got to this point." Belle interrupts.
"Do you think you can do that?" Leslie asks Lou, who nods his head.
"I came to the school last night, when I arrived, there were some creepy noises but nothing too scary. But when I went to the roof and did the challenge things started getting weird. The challenge was to profess your love on the roof and scary things should happen. I just had to stay the night and I would be fine, that's what I thought. But then she appeared and started chasing me, I managed to hide for a while until earlier today when she found me. But as she brought me up to the roof, you guys appeared. She just tied me up and left me. That's what happened." Lou explains.
"Thank you for explaining that, you were super brave." Belle comforts, ruffling Lou's hair.
[Evidence Found:4/4]
[Missing People Rescued:1/1]
[Evil Spirits Defeated:1/1]
[Congratulations on completing your second mission. You have earned 1 Random Weapon Box. Would you like to open it now?]
[Yes] [No]
Belle decisively clicks the [No] button, he would rather look at it once he gets home.
[CrustySockz has donated $10: Awesome stream, keep up the good work!]
"Thank you for that kind message! And with that, I will be ending the stream today. Thank you to everyone who watched and have a good night!" Belle says, turning toward the camera. He ends the stream and grabs the camera.
[This stream had a total peak of 778 viewers and has earned you 77 Ghost Points.]
"I think it's time for me to go," Cam says, his form already fading from view.
"I'll call you out again when I can!" Belle waves.
"Please don't," Cam begs. He vanishes with a POP noise, leaving only three people on the roof.
"I think we're gonna head out," Leslie informs Belle.
"That's fine, but Leslie, if you ever need a job, I don't mind hiring you as my assistant," Belle tells him.
"I'll think about it." He smiles. Leslie then exits the rooftop, leaving Belle alone in the rain. He stays there for a while, thinking about the night and everything that happened.
"Ghosts…ARE REALLY FUCKING COOL!" He shouts into the sky, throwing his arms into the air. Belle falls backward onto the wet roof, laughing, looking forward to what the future has in store.