Chapter 30: Personage of Supernatural Significance
The borders of Torsten were not somewhere anyone would want to spend much time. Located past the slums, they were the last line between the town and the wastelands beyond. The air was thick with dust and the smell of death intensified the deeper the group descended into the abandoned purgatory of skeletal wrecks of buildings pulled apart by scavengers. However, for all its physical hostility Phantasia found the slum’s aura endurable, almost neutral. With few humans and with the occasional mutated animal the only hint of demonic presence there wasn’t much around to corrupt the leylines.
The mansion they were heading for was a different story. Surrounded by dead trees, whose withered black branches resembled demonic claws that had torn their way through the earth, the large house was surrounded by a pulsating corruption. Windows were boarded up, brick walls smashed and the roof had collapsed in several places. The sight of a skeletal corpse in the muddy remains of the garden, bones picked clean by whatever beasts lived nearby, was enough too make even Theseus gag.
“Man, we should’ve come armed,” he said, “You dunno what’s out here. Bloody dregs of society hole up in these shacks. They’d slit your throat if it’d feed ‘em,”
“You’re being paranoid,” said Phoenie. She had led them through the slums with her head held high, unconcerned by the homeless and desperate lurking in the shadows. “There’s no sign that corpse was killed. It could have died from starvation, or maybe even fear! Who knows what powers this person of supernatural significance has? So long as we have Ms Celeste, we don’t need weapons!”
They stopped at the path leading up to the mansion’s front door, the carcass feet away. Katrina flashed her camera in its direction, while Phoenie prodded it with a stick while she recited her finding into a dictaphone.
“It would appear the deceased has been here for some time.” She glanced over to John, who observed the remains through his scanners while keeping a comfortable distance away.
“Years,” he said, “And no, I’m not getting any closer,”
“The deceased has been here for several years,” she continued, “Cause of death unknown. Perhaps it is this individual whose spirit now resides ahead of us? That is what we must investigate!”
She was the first to trek up the path, unconcerned by the layer of brown slime that coated the stones. Phantasia was barefoot, as usual, and Theseus gave her feet a cautious look before he began his own journey towards the mansion.
“You sure you’re gonna be all right?” he asked, “I mean, who the hell knows what crap this path is covered in? Probably is crap!”
“I wash easily,” she replied, flashing her trademark ‘innocent’ smile. Theseus raised his eyebrows and shrugged.
“You’re even weirder than I am,” said Dante, breaking the silence he’d been in since the group has first gathered some twenty minutes ago.
The group assembled outside the front door and, after a half-minute’s awkward silence and nervous glances, Phoenie decided to check everyone’s equipment for the third time since they’d met up.
“Lady, you’re so damned paranoid I’ve been having dreams about this standing outside mansions checking our equipment shit,” said Theseus. Phantasia heard Katrina gasp and noticed Dante’s eyes narrow in concentration, but neither said anything. Were those dreams repressed memories of the Godhand incident? Dreams they all shared? Phoenie shook off her own momentary confusion, strode towards the door and gave it a couple of raps with her knuckles.
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