Chapter 99: Haunted Mansion
"Wait.", Lea said as they walked through Lacrosa's streets, "We're going to Kres by ship? That'll take days."
Solafant, perched on Jim's shoulder in cat form, let out what sounded suspiciously like a laugh. "Ship? Who travels by ship when Lacrosa has elevators?"
The elevators that connect everywhere to Lacrosa, it is the only way for outsiders to enter this economic hub. But can it go to any other place besides the original destination? They followed Solafant deeper into Lacrosa, past the commercial districts.
Then reached the massive plaza where the elevators stood, ornate metal cages connected to chains that disappeared into darkness above, glowing with mystical energy.
A bored attendant sat at a desk nearby, "Destination?"
"Umbros, Kres.", Solafant said, jumping down and pulling a passcard from... somewhere.
It dangled from their mouth, "Three passengers."
The attendant looked at the cat, then at Lea and Jim, "That'll be a thousand Cee each."
"What?!", Jim protested, "That's—"
"Per person.", the attendant said flatly, "And yes, the cat counts as a person. They're holding a Device V passcard. Pay up or take a boat."
Solafant dropped the passcard on the desk with a sigh, "Fine, 3,000 Cee total."
Lea paid her share without complaint; she'd expected the elevator transfer to be expensive. Jim grumbled about highway robbery as he counted out his coins.
The attendant stamped their Guild badges and gestured to one of the elevators, "Number Seven."
They climbed into the fanciful elevator. The door clanged shut, and with a lurch, they began moving sideways through dimensional space.
Jim gripped the bars, looking slightly green, "I think I'm going to be sick."
"First time?" Lea asked. Genuinely curious since she didn't experience any of it after countless times using them.
"How are you so calm about this?!"
"Breathe.", Solafant advised from the floor, "It gets easier."
Thirty minutes of dimensional transit later, the cage lurched to a stop. Jim stumbled out gratefully.
They'd arrived at Umbros, the capital of Kres... it was not what Lea expected.
She'd heard of Kres as a prosperous merchant republic, neutral ground where trade flowed freely, where coin mattered more than nationality. A place of wealth and opportunity.
The city before her looked nothing like that.
Martial law was in full effect.
Armed guards patrolled every street corner, wearing the red and white colors of Kres but with the grim expressions of soldiers in wartime. Barricades blocked major intersections. Propaganda posters lined the walls, calling for vigilance against Zhenkur aggression and warning of Renlou spies from across the sea.
The port, visible from the elevator station, bristled with military vessels. Merchant ships sat idle in dock, their crews idle or pressed into service.
"This is Umbros?", Jim asked quietly.
"The war hit them hard.", Solafant said, "Zankur's gone, but Zhenkur still holds territory to the east. And Renlou..."
The cat looked toward the ocean, "The empire across the sea has been making moves. Kres is caught between potential enemies on both sides."
Lea noticed civilians hurrying through the streets with their heads down, avoiding eye contact with guards. Shops that should have been bustling stood half-empty. The Kres marketplace is operating at maybe a third of its capacity.
A guard approached them, hand on his weapon, "Papers."
Jim showed their Adventurer's Guild badges, "We're here on contract. Haunted mansion investigation."
The guard's expression softened slightly.
"Adventurers... Good, we need competent people.", he stamped their badges, "Stay out of military zones, report any suspicious activity."
"Curfew?", Lea asked, knowing all too well.
"Eight o'clock. Anyone out after that without authorization gets detained.", the guard gestured down the street, "Guild liaison office is three blocks that way. They'll give you details on your contract."
As they walked through the tense city, Lea couldn't help but compare it to Renar. Dawn's capital had celebrated victory, people cheering in the streets. Here, despite Zankur's fall, there was only fear.
They reached the Guild liaison office, a small building bearing the familiar hammer and sickle symbol. Inside, another bored clerk looked up from paperwork.
"Adventurers for the mansion investigation?", she asked without preamble.
"Yes.", Lea confirmed.
The clerk pulled out a map, marking a location on the outskirts of the city, "Velcross Mansion, abandoned for forty years. Recently, people started disappearing near it, with three confirmed, two more suspected. Local authorities won't go near it due to the war."
"What do you think?", Jim asked.
"I think forty years is a long time for a place to stay abandoned in a city that needs housing.", the clerk said dryly, "Something's definitely wrong there. Your job is to find out what and resolve it. Evidence required for payment, artifacts, or written accounts, whatever proves you dealt with the threat."
She handed them a key, "This opens the front gate. Contract duration is two weeks, but I'd suggest you get it done faster. Martial law means increased patrols, and guards get nervous around people investigating 'haunted' places."
As they left the office with their mission details, Lea looked at the map, then at the tense city around them.
"We're investigating a haunted mansion.", she said slowly, "In a city under martial law, surrounded by potential enemies, while a war still technically continues."
"Sounds about right.", Jim said.
Solafant meowed in agreement.
Lea sighed, "I miss when my biggest problem was just Charlotte being cryptic."
"The Lady herself can be as cryptic as she wants!!", the cat suddenly raised their voice.
She cast a glance at the cat, "You knew her true identity all this time, didn't you?"
"Of course, because of the special property of Void, I am not affected by the pain you all experience. The Lady explained it all to me!!"
It wasn't blind worship, but came from a place of understanding and respect for an Outsider. A Monarch who does not care for this world, yet still decides to help this world in her own twisted ways.
Lea could only look away at the road ahead.
Despite the tension, despite the martial law and the haunted mansion waiting for them, she felt a strange sense of purpose.
This was what adventurers did. They went to places that needed bravery, uncovered mysteries that others feared.
And if she was going to reach Fifth Step, if she was going to dive three thousand meters underwater to face her Divine Domain, she needed to get used to this.
"Alright...", Lea said, straightening her crude Cursed Construct clothing, "Let's go see what's haunting Velcross Mansion."
"Now?", Jim asked, "It's almost evening. Shouldn't we wait until morning?"
"Haunted places are more active at night.", she pointed out, "Besides, we have a two-week deadline. Might as well start immediately."
Solafant jumped onto her shoulder, "I like how you think. Let's go meet some ghosts."
And so they headed toward the outskirts of Umbros, toward Velcross Mansion, toward whatever waited in a place abandoned for forty years.
"I will personally show you what an Exorcist can do."
They walked forward, and the cat began to transform into a tall figure in a black robe. That person smiled, opening their pitch-black eyes with glowing white pupils. Long black hair cascades down their back as they twirl around.
"Introducing once again, my name is Solafant Kairo, one of the founders of Device V. Sixth Step Formless and Demigod of Abyss."