The sounds of chains scratching the wall and the weak cries of a desperate woman echoed throughout the empty corridor. A cold wind whooshed past me, sending a chilling message to me, the intruder. I dug my hands in my pocket and walked, my brown eyes examining anything suspicious.
Fear was inevitable. Any man who would hear the chains or the wailing would scream, curse or run from the unknown. I'd seen many people do that--mostly adventurers who ventured in the realm of the unknown. I was watching them from a distance since I believed it would be a good way to kill time. Hours passed and the adventures emerged, sweating, panting. Some of them were scared that they stumbled over themselves. They didn't look back. Their eyes were full of fear and terror.
For me, it served as a reminder.
And know, here I am, confronting a spirit—a poltergeist I believed. The owner of the hacienda, Mr. Finley had troubles concerning this malevolent spirit. He didn't know what this spirit wanted. When he was alone in his room, this spirit threw objects—vases, paintings, pictures—anything at the windows. The sound of the windows being broken caused mayhem and panic in the hacienda. The household, mostly maids were brutally attacked by this spirit. They couldn't explain the details but from the looks of their face, it was horrible. I couldn't find the fitting word for it.
Mr. Finley had already hired various exorcist throughout the continents—priest from the sanctuary, wizards from the tower, shamans from the east— they performed rituals, ceremonies to banish the spirit away from the hacienda. They succeeded. The spirit left the hacienda, ending the reign of fear and terror caused by the poltergeist.
Peace loomed over the hacienda. The household staff returned to their duties. Mr. Finley was able to breath without the fear of having a heart attack.
Weeks passed. The entire household had already forgotten the incident.
But terror struck unnoticed and many of the staffs were enveloped with fear. The hacienda was again in the hands of the poltergeist.
This time, the exorcists failed. Most of them were hospitalized because of the injuries they received. This particular spirit obtained strength that it could defend itself from an exorcism. It could throw larger object such as cabinets, mirrors and tables at its foe.
Eventually, the exorcists valued their lives and decided not to fight that poltergeist.
And now, the hacienda's owner hired me, Cador Cunningham to vanquish this spirit. As a last resort, Mr. Finley called the Black Wings, an office near the fountain. He stated everything and I accepted his request, though I asked a large amount of money.
The doors on the left wing of the hacienda were shut tight. I tried to break it open but the doors were made of solid steel. It would take some time before I even dent it with my fist.
The wailing became stronger and stronger as I walked. The wall was full of paintings of men and women in their respective outfit. I assumed that this might be the ancestors of my client. They looked like Mr. Finley especially their round eyes.
Footsteps. I backed down, clenching my fist. I immediately fixed my bow tie and brushed my bangs away from my eyes.
My enhanced senses kicked in. I felt an object rushing towards me. I caught the object. It was a knife and it nearly hit me in the face. Using my left hand, I snapped the knife into two.
No wonder the exorcists were afraid to confront this spirit.
I reached the end of the corridor. An evil aura suddenly emerged from my left. I looked. There was a small spiral staircase. I crept under the stairs. It was small, but I could manage to climb it if I'm careful. I clutched at the rails and reached at top. A worn-out wooden door greeted me. I placed my hands.
Yep, the poltergeist is definitely here. I heard several objects hitting the floor and the cries as well.
I stepped back. My hands searched my pockets. When I drew it out, I held a small bottle with a paper in it. I spun it in my hands before I tossed it in my breast pocket of my tuxedo.
I kicked the door open, shattering it into pieces. I entered the room, ready for battle.
The poltergeist was standing in the middle of room, surrounded by several objects floating in mid-air. It took the form of a small girl, with honey-gold curls and wearing an expensive dress. Her eyes were blazing red, like the pits of hell.
"Die!" It said and sent the flying objects at me.
I quickly dodged the set of stools, running around in circles, jumping before it hit me. It crashed on the floor. I looked up and rolled forward. A cabinet nearly hit me. I tried to get close to that girl but she barricaded herself with boxes. I kicked it but it didn't budge.
The girl lifted her hands. The ground shook. I knelt down, not removing my glare at her. Dust fell from the above. I barreled to my left as soon as a portion of the ceiling crashed down. In the process, I tripped over a stool. I catapulted myself up. Enraged, the spirit let out a deafening cry. A chill twisted my stomach. I watched as every object inside the room, even the walls were flying. In an instant, it surrounded me. Cornered like a rat.
I opened my palms, bent my knees and closed my eyes. I cleared my mind, trying to see the essence of my enemy. I saw a purple aura, fifteen meters from my current location. Near me was a faint purple aura, floating.
I straightened myself and drew my hands to my waist. Eyes closed, I thrust my hands and drew a circle.
The spirit recited an incantation. I felt a surge of enormous energy coming from her, sending it to her weapons. It flashed.
The poltergeist laughed as she sent all her weapons at me. I immediately opened my eyes, burning with power and determination. I pointed my left hand and spun at great speed, creating a vortex that destroyed the deadly weapons in seconds.
Pieces of the objects flew past the spirit like shrapnel in a grenade. As my attack smashed the last object, the spirit fled. Sensing it, I fished out the bottle and smacked at her forehead.
"Seal!" I yelled.
It shrieked. The entire room was covered with dazzling white light from the bottle. I knelt down and shielded my eyes from the light.
----
Mr. Finley was the owner of a large hacienda at the outskirts of the city of Prontera. This land produced rice and sugar cane, which was valuable to the economy of Midgard, especially to Prontera. He had supplied almost all the rice to the north, especially in Ligthalzen, where lands couldn't be used to plant rice.
During the third conflict, he played a vital role in Prontera. With vast riches and gold, he supplied the Pronteran Army with weapons and food. He also cut ties with the north, causing a major devastation in agriculture and trade. The Schwaltzard Republic suffered from hunger.
Now that the war was over, Mr. Finley resumed trades with the Republic and gained many friends in several cities and kingdoms.
Based on Sheng's data, Mr. Finley was already in his late-fifties, probably fifty-nine. He was a stout, energetic man who knows the ropes in trades and industries. Back then, he was a merchant. His knowledge in mathematics helped him in creating his own name. When his father died, he inherited all his lands, including the hacienda. He had a brother, who was a bishop and a sister, currently serving as an army officer in Prontera.
Upon Mr. Finley's authoritative orders, the servants quickly opened the gate. He went inside to greet me. I looked at myself. The fight dirtied my tuxedo. Dust clamped in most of sleeves. I needed to wash it as soon as I got to the office. Leaving my tuxedo dirty wasn't in my plans. A clean, physical appearance is an important factor in doing business.
I combed my hair with great care and with the help of my hands. I gave Mr. Finley a reassuring and confident smile.
That was when I noticed that the wind was slapping at my face. I rubbed my face and noticed something missing. I placed my hand on my right eye, feeling the deep scar on it. I turned around, my eyes darting from one place to another.
"Are you alright?" Mr. Finley asked.
I composed myself. I fished out a reserve eye patch and equipped it.
I faced him. "Yes. The spirit that's living in your hacienda is already gone."
"Are you sure?" He said. There was a hint of doubt in his voice.
I walked to the gate. Mr. Finley followed.
His maids let out a relieving sigh as I told them that I had vanquished the spirit. There was a chorus of murmurs. I saw happiness in their faces. The servants too, were jumping while the farmers shook my hands with great reverence.
"Don't worry, Mr. Finley." I turned around to face him, showing my usual, happy smile. "I assure you, the house is safe."
"As for the payment," I drew a paper and wrote an account number to the Pronteran Bank. "Please deposit the money in this account."
I handed him the paper. Mr. Finley ran his fingers on it. He slid it on his pocket and thanked me again. The entire staff followed.
As I shook the last of the staff, my eyes caught two figures behind a tree. They were glaring at me, as if they wanted me dead. I jerked my chin up and looked at that direction.
But they weren't there. They must have fled.
I was walking in the dirt road to Prontera. There were only few trees along the way. I only saw a field of tall grass dancing against the breeze. The sun was up. I'm glad that my coat protected my body from the angry rays of the sun, though sweating wasn't a good idea.
A lovely girl with a pink apron was strolling. She was at least eighteen, with pigtailed hair and carrying a basket of flowers. I stopped. The design on her apron was similar to the aprons of the maids in Mr. Finley's hacienda.
"Bonjour mademoiselle." I said and bowed my head like a gentleman.
The girl stopped, her cheeks reddening like a cherry.
"By no means, do you work at the hacienda?" I asked.
She nodded.
"The spirit will no longer be a menace to you, mademoiselle."
"Really?" The maid asked, her hands clutching the basket.
"Yes…" My gaze fell upon the red roses. "Can I have at least a rose, from you?"
Stunned at my good-looking face, thin eyebrows and my gentle smile, she nodded like a robot.
I picked up a rose and placed it on my breast pocket. My white handkerchief must have fell during my fight against that spirit. It cost me a lot of money; that handkerchief was made out of the highest quality of cotton.
But still, a rose like this can make me a gentleman.
"Merci, mademoiselle." I planted a kiss on her delicate fingers. "By no means, I shall take my leave…Sayonara."
I watched as the maid went on her way.
"Cador!" A voice called my name.
I spun. A kobold with bluish coat was running towards. He was wearing simple, brown robe and a sash.
"What's the matter, Boris?" I asked.
He lifted his head, his sharp nose flaring. "We have a situation."