Railroad Wrath!

M!A: {None} Indie Phantom Express RP sideblog. Please Read rules BEFORE interacting-- this includes reblogging content and sending asks. If links are needed, ask for them! Follow Backs from double-z-the-queen!!

[danismm]

Railroads. 1957

[allhailmuggod]

(trainghouls) "Hey," T-Bones dry voice could be heard on the other end, bones clacking as he spoke and all. "Look, sorry for waking you, I know it's kind of late, but you're the only person I can ask for help here."

@trainghouls

“This voice… T-Bone?” Mugman mumbled half-awake. He looked at the clock but it was too dark to make out the time. “What is so serious that you of all people are callin’ me? Are you and the gang about to wake up half of Inkwell because of some shady people?”

[trainghouls]

allhailmuggod

That was why Mugman liked to think aloud. Some bright ideas might be discovered by those around you. Even when you didn’t think of them as ideas.

“Um, well.” He stood up again and started making cicrles. “If I needed to find just any ghost, I would go for the Mausoleums.” He pointed at the said direction. “What is left of ‘em anyway. They are hard to miss and almost everyone on Inkwell knows that they are packed with ghosts.”

T-Bone thought for a moment.  “I wouldn’t think Specter would go there, but it’s our only lead for now.” He turned to Mugman, still thinking about the best way to approach this. They had to be quick, but they also had to be careful. “Lead the way.”

[emmatheward]

- Didn’t draw these two interacting enough. 

[quique72]

[allhailmuggod]

(trainghouls) "Hey," T-Bones dry voice could be heard on the other end, bones clacking as he spoke and all. "Look, sorry for waking you, I know it's kind of late, but you're the only person I can ask for help here."

@trainghouls

“This voice… T-Bone?” Mugman mumbled half-awake. He looked at the clock but it was too dark to make out the time. “What is so serious that you of all people are callin’ me? Are you and the gang about to wake up half of Inkwell because of some shady people?”

[trainghouls]

allhailmuggod

Since the call had ended, Mugman spent some time, looking for Specter at Isle One. It wasn’t that long: the isle lacked any artifical lights. So, anything glowing, that wasn’t the moon, was pretty suspicious.

Thus, soon Mugman was walking through Isle Two. Eventually, not finding anything worth mentioning, he arrived to Isle Three.

After some time there, he noticed a familiar bony figure.

“Oh, hey, T-Bone! You are still here?” He asked, surprised.

T-Bone had searched just about every area of Isle Three he could think of…

Eventually, he found himself wandering around a more rural area, not too far away from the tracks, but not quite close to them either. He got distracted looking at one house in particular. One with a fair number of skulls for the holidays, yet, oddly enough, no jack-o-lanterns. 

T-Bone heard the other’s voice and turned around to face him.  “I don’t want to stray too far from the stops, in case Specter’s right about something bad happening to me if I ain’ on the train. I take it you’ve had no luck either?”

[allhailmuggod]

“Yeah. The closest thin’ to a ghost was one of the guys working nightshifts at Isle Two.” Mugman sighed apologetically, rubbing under his handle.

Then he glanced around as if that would make Specter appear out of thin air. Well, Specter could do it but… for whatever reason, he couldn’t do it now.

“You were standin’ quite still here. Somethin’ has got yer attention?”

[trainghouls]

“No, just…” T-Bone shook off whatever was on his mind and refocused himself. “Nothing important to us right now. I know nothing of what to look for, or how to even detect any form of spectral energy. At this time of night, I think Specs is supposed to give off a strong and unique trace, but…” 

[allhailmuggod]

To be fair, there were a lot of ‘but’s. And at this thought Mug could only sigh and sit down on the ground beside T-Bone.

“Well, I ain’t no ghost hunter, unfortunately,” he grumbled without much thought. Shooting ghosts? With pleasure. Hunting down ghosts? Now that wasn’t in his skill list.

[trainghouls]

“Ghosthunter? Wait, what if that’s it?” It was pretty unlikely, Specter was smarter than any ghosthunter by this point, he would certainly know better than to go near one anyway, but at this point, T-Bone was grasping blindly at straws. “Where would a ghosthunter look?” The Train Station was out of the question, they would have noticed Specter there when they manifested at dusk, so where else?

[allhailmuggod]

(trainghouls) "Hey," T-Bones dry voice could be heard on the other end, bones clacking as he spoke and all. "Look, sorry for waking you, I know it's kind of late, but you're the only person I can ask for help here."

@trainghouls

“This voice… T-Bone?” Mugman mumbled half-awake. He looked at the clock but it was too dark to make out the time. “What is so serious that you of all people are callin’ me? Are you and the gang about to wake up half of Inkwell because of some shady people?”

[trainghouls]

allhailmuggod

Since the call had ended, Mugman spent some time, looking for Specter at Isle One. It wasn’t that long: the isle lacked any artifical lights. So, anything glowing, that wasn’t the moon, was pretty suspicious.

Thus, soon Mugman was walking through Isle Two. Eventually, not finding anything worth mentioning, he arrived to Isle Three.

After some time there, he noticed a familiar bony figure.

“Oh, hey, T-Bone! You are still here?” He asked, surprised.

T-Bone had searched just about every area of Isle Three he could think of…

Eventually, he found himself wandering around a more rural area, not too far away from the tracks, but not quite close to them either. He got distracted looking at one house in particular. One with a fair number of skulls for the holidays, yet, oddly enough, no jack-o-lanterns. 

T-Bone heard the other’s voice and turned around to face him.  “I don’t want to stray too far from the stops, in case Specter’s right about something bad happening to me if I ain’ on the train. I take it you’ve had no luck either?”

[allhailmuggod]

“Yeah. The closest thin’ to a ghost was one of the guys working nightshifts at Isle Two.” Mugman sighed apologetically, rubbing under his handle.

Then he glanced around as if that would make Specter appear out of thin air. Well, Specter could do it but… for whatever reason, he couldn’t do it now.

“You were standin’ quite still here. Somethin’ has got yer attention?”

[trainghouls]

“No, just...” T-Bone shook off whatever was on his mind and refocused himself. “Nothing important to us right now. I know nothing of what to look for, or how to even detect any form of spectral energy. At this time of night, I think Specs is supposed to give off a strong and unique trace, but...” 

[allhailmuggod]

(trainghouls) "Hey," T-Bones dry voice could be heard on the other end, bones clacking as he spoke and all. "Look, sorry for waking you, I know it's kind of late, but you're the only person I can ask for help here."

@trainghouls

“This voice… T-Bone?” Mugman mumbled half-awake. He looked at the clock but it was too dark to make out the time. “What is so serious that you of all people are callin’ me? Are you and the gang about to wake up half of Inkwell because of some shady people?”

[trainghouls]

allhailmuggod

Since the call had ended, Mugman spent some time, looking for Specter at Isle One. It wasn’t that long: the isle lacked any artifical lights. So, anything glowing, that wasn’t the moon, was pretty suspicious.

Thus, soon Mugman was walking through Isle Two. Eventually, not finding anything worth mentioning, he arrived to Isle Three.

After some time there, he noticed a familiar bony figure.

“Oh, hey, T-Bone! You are still here?” He asked, surprised.

T-Bone had searched just about every area of Isle Three he could think of...

Eventually, he found himself wandering around a more rural area, not too far away from the tracks, but not quite close to them either. He got distracted looking at one house in particular. One with a fair number of skulls for the holidays, yet, oddly enough, no jack-o-lanterns. 

T-Bone heard the other’s voice and turned around to face him.  “I don’t want to stray too far from the stops, in case Specter’s right about something bad happening to me if I ain’ on the train. I take it you’ve had no luck either?”

[allhailmuggod]

(trainghouls) "Hey," T-Bones dry voice could be heard on the other end, bones clacking as he spoke and all. "Look, sorry for waking you, I know it's kind of late, but you're the only person I can ask for help here."

@trainghouls

“This voice… T-Bone?” Mugman mumbled half-awake. He looked at the clock but it was too dark to make out the time. “What is so serious that you of all people are callin’ me? Are you and the gang about to wake up half of Inkwell because of some shady people?”

[trainghouls]

allhailmuggod

“Okay, okay, I think I get it now. Specter is missin’, like you are sayin’, and this has never happened before, so you all are worried enough for you to get off the train for once and call me. Now,” Mugman paused, completely waking up his brain, “you want me to help to look for him, I am guessin’.”

“Yes. Sorry. Thomas said he’d be on the lookout, but he can’t leave the spirit rails. Ben and Bill can’t leave Thomas, so they can only do so much as well…” T-Bone…didn’t like this. Specter was annoying and ridiculous, but he was still worried about him. Just what would happen to a soul that was bound to something out of his reach? For all he knew, Specter could be in pain because of this. “Specter warned me to be on the train by sunrise, long ago as well. I’m just one man. I can’t search the whole isle by myself. And I don’t know how much time we have for Specter.”

[allhailmuggod]

“Don’t be sorry. It is too late for me to go back to sleep and it is too early for us to regret anything. Specter has enough power to be visible during the day, we must have some time for sure,” Mug explained while trying to think of ways to find Specter.

Ghosts didn’t leave much evidence behind. And to make things worse, all the possible witnesses were asleep right now. Not to mention how little Mugman knew about spirits.

A sigh.

“I can make a walk around the Isle One but I rarely see Specter anywhere but the Isle Three, so I might eventually go there, too, just to spare yer time,” he continued his thoughts. Whatever kind of trouble the spirit got himself into, Mug hoped it left some mess behind.

[trainghouls]

“Thank you.” T-Bone didn’t waste any more time, he hung up and began his search. If Specter stayed around Isle Three, that would make the most sense, so hopefully, he could find some sort of trace of him around there. He was strong, so hopefully, it’d be like Mugman said. Hopefully he’d be okay.

[trainghouls]

The Skeleton Rag

“Just about everyone got an invite, living or dead. Even Cuphead and Mugman,” Specter explained.  “Oh, well that ain’t suspicious at all.” Ben joked sarcastically.  “Yeah, no kidding. This just screams ‘trap,’ and I ain’t wasting my time dealing with it.” “Part of me has to wonder if the Devil just sent out an invitation to everyone. All five of us got one, but only one of us would actually be able to go,” Thomas commented. “Yeah, what was he even thinkin’? Specs is bound at night, Ben and me can’t leave Thomas, and Thomas literally can’t leave the tracks!” “Exactly.” Thomas puffed as he continued his locomotion.

There was a pause between the crew. The one person that could go wasn’t going to, and that seemed to be the end of the discussion...before Specter spoke up. “I’d go.” “What?” The other four exclaimed in surprise. “Specs, it’s Hell, you’d be tainted for sure if you went, even if you could go!” Thomas reminded. “I know! I mean, even if I wasn’t bound to the train at night, I still wouldn’t go for that reason, but, y’know, if I had a body like you guys, I would go!” “Even though it’s probably a trap?” “That’s literally begging for trouble!” Bill and Ben remarked. “Because it’s probably a trap! Apparently, all the other debtors are as suspicious as we are, and Cuphead and Mugman are looking for people to attend to keep an eye on things!” Specter explained his reasoning as characteristically zany always just before he turned serious. “I mean...of course I can’t leave the train, but I feel like we owe Cuphead and Mugman something. And we all agree it’s probably a trap.” “Yeah, it’s just a matter of ‘who for.’” T-Bone thought out loud. “Right. It could be for us, or it could be for all the debtors.” “Cuphead and Mugman included...” The twins added, “Or Cuphead and Mugman alone.” Thomas finished. “Even if I could leave the train though, I still couldn’t go. Without a body, I risk getting tainted, and...Maybe I could resist for two hours at most but in Hell? I dunno.” T-Bone sighed.  “If this is just to keep an eye on things...” “Oh, no, T-Bone, you don’t have to go, I was just sayin’--” “Save it. It’s fine. You’re right in that we do owe Cuphead and Mugman. And its’ not like I’m takin’ this as a social gathering. Purely just to be there if the worse should happen.” “So, you are goin’ then?” “Yeah. Don’t know what I’m gonna do for clothes though.” “I’ll figure somethin’ out in the daytime fer ya in the daytime.”

[allhailmuggod]

(trainghouls) "Hey," T-Bones dry voice could be heard on the other end, bones clacking as he spoke and all. "Look, sorry for waking you, I know it's kind of late, but you're the only person I can ask for help here."

@trainghouls

“This voice… T-Bone?” Mugman mumbled half-awake. He looked at the clock but it was too dark to make out the time. “What is so serious that you of all people are callin’ me? Are you and the gang about to wake up half of Inkwell because of some shady people?”

[trainghouls]

allhailmuggod

“Okay, okay, I think I get it now. Specter is missin’, like you are sayin’, and this has never happened before, so you all are worried enough for you to get off the train for once and call me. Now,” Mugman paused, completely waking up his brain, “you want me to help to look for him, I am guessin’.”

“Yes. Sorry. Thomas said he’d be on the lookout, but he can’t leave the spirit rails. Ben and Bill can’t leave Thomas, so they can only do so much as well...” T-Bone...didn’t like this. Specter was annoying and ridiculous, but he was still worried about him. Just what would happen to a soul that was bound to something out of his reach? For all he knew, Specter could be in pain because of this. “Specter warned me to be on the train by sunrise, long ago as well. I’m just one man. I can’t search the whole isle by myself. And I don’t know how much time we have for Specter.”

[allhailmuggod]

(trainghouls) "Hey," T-Bones dry voice could be heard on the other end, bones clacking as he spoke and all. "Look, sorry for waking you, I know it's kind of late, but you're the only person I can ask for help here."

@trainghouls

“This voice… T-Bone?” Mugman mumbled half-awake. He looked at the clock but it was too dark to make out the time. “What is so serious that you of all people are callin’ me? Are you and the gang about to wake up half of Inkwell because of some shady people?”

[trainghouls]

“Real funny.” The skeleton grumbled. “Specter’s missin’. He never came back to the train station at sundown.” T-Bone spoke calmly and seriously, though one could be able to hear the anxious tapping of his boney fingers against the walls of the phone booth if they listened close enough. 

[allhailmuggod]

Mugman’s sleepy eyes widened up a bit. Specter was missing? But that idea wasn’t really enough to wake the mug completely.

“Isn’t Specter a kind of wanderin’ Spirit? I see him all the time spookin’ folks on the Isle Three.” Though, Mugs wasn’t an expert in ghosts. He just knew various ways of dealing with them.

[trainghouls]

“In the day. To my understanding, his soul was bound to the train he died on, but because it no longer exists during the daytime, he can go wherever.” T-Bone didn’t know how accurate his explanation was, considering this was more or less the confusing story Specter gave them, but it was all he could tell Mugman. “But he always comes back at night, he says he’s bound and can’t leave while Thomas is manifested. He’s also never late, so something ain’t right.” 

[allhailmuggod]

(trainghouls) "Hey," T-Bones dry voice could be heard on the other end, bones clacking as he spoke and all. "Look, sorry for waking you, I know it's kind of late, but you're the only person I can ask for help here."

@trainghouls

“This voice… T-Bone?” Mugman mumbled half-awake. He looked at the clock but it was too dark to make out the time. “What is so serious that you of all people are callin’ me? Are you and the gang about to wake up half of Inkwell because of some shady people?”

[trainghouls]

“Real funny.” The skeleton grumbled. “Specter’s missin’. He never came back to the train station at sundown.” T-Bone spoke calmly and seriously, though one could be able to hear the anxious tapping of his boney fingers against the walls of the phone booth if they listened close enough. 

[trainghouls]

allhailmuggod

Ah, parents… Mugman could relate. In a way. He still didn’t fully understand how Specter felt and he probably would never get the chance. But it didn’t mean he couldn’t listen.

“So,” he started, his mind wandering somewhere far, “do you want to get to know yer folks again? If you had a chance to know more about yer previous life… would you?”

Specter thought for a few moments.  “Yeah. I would. At least then I would know what I’ve gotta do to pass on.” Ultimately, that’s all any dead man could want. Just to be able to rest and pass on into the afterlife. He was only lucky that he’d lost his sense of time upon death. As far as Specter knew, it was maybe sometime around the 1820′s? Yet the world had vastly changed so much, it almost seemed impossible.

[trainghouls]

“Nothing is more frustrating than knowing you had a mom, a dad, a family, a job, a life…a name…and not being able to remember any of it…”

[allhailmuggod]

“Don’t you have it all now, though?”

[trainghouls]

“That’s not what I…” Specter sighed. It was rare he felt like this, maybe it was something about the season, but he just felt…sad. And he didn’t know why. Remorseful of the things out of his control when he was still alive. “I don’t have a mother, I don’t have a father, I don’t have a name, and I don’t have a life. I just…used to.” For as long as he could remember, he’d just been simply referred to as ‘the blind specter’ by the living, so when he finally met people he could converse with…he just told them to call him ‘Specter.’ That wasn’t a name. “Ugh, just forget it.” He shouldn’t dwell on history anyway.

[allhailmuggod]

“Well, I can’t forget it now, ‘cause I’ve just made it my business.” Mugman waved dismissively. “And you do agree that you have a family, right? Not a small one at that. Don’t you have fun with them? How is that different from havin’ a life?” He wasn’t asking rhetorically at all. Those were all serious questions.

[trainghouls]

“Oh, them? I mean, I guess?” It wasn’t like Specter didn’t love the gang, they pretty much had become his family in the afterlife. “I dunno, it’s just frustratin’. I just get to wondering what my mom was like, but then I realize that it doesn’t even matter, I’m unlikely to ever see her again.” Specter would be lying if he didn’t say he wanted to pass on sometimes, but at this point, he doesn’t know how, or even if he can. 

[trainghouls]

“Nothing is more frustrating than knowing you had a mom, a dad, a family, a job, a life…a name…and not being able to remember any of it…”

[allhailmuggod]

“Don’t you have it all now, though?”

[trainghouls]

“That’s not what I...” Specter sighed. It was rare he felt like this, maybe it was something about the season, but he just felt...sad. And he didn’t know why. Remorseful of the things out of his control when he was still alive. “I don’t have a mother, I don’t have a father, I don’t have a name, and I don’t have a life. I just...used to.” For as long as he could remember, he’d just been simply referred to as ‘the blind specter’ by the living, so when he finally met people he could converse with...he just told them to call him ‘Specter.’ That wasn’t a name. “Ugh, just forget it.” He shouldn’t dwell on history anyway.

[trainghouls]

“Nothing is more frustrating than knowing you had a mom, a dad, a family, a job, a life...a name...and not being able to remember any of it...”

[admissiontoperdition]

You are cordially invited to The Devil’s Ball.

When: October 29th - November 1st.

Where: The Devil’s Casino

Attire: Black Tie Masquerade 

If you are to bring a date, secure it by October 26th. No tricks, no lies, no trouble.

All toons welcome!  Any and all inquiries are to be taken directly up with @admissiontoperdition​

(Rules under cut)

Keep reading