Chapter 197 – Floor 23: Part 1

Floor 23 – The Haunting of an Ancient Manor

The last son of a long and noble lineage has recently inherited an old manor. Upon spending a night in the manor, the young man and his family were driven from their new home by ghostly apparitions and hostile hauntings.

The god of Restful Awakenings requires you to solve this mystery and allow the deceased their deserved rest.

Reward: Word of Power: Fear

‘Fear’ inspires terror in every person or creature in the range of the Speaker’s Voice. It can be debilitating, with the Speaker transforming into an object of dread. Those who cannot control themselves will flee from you, while others will cower at the sight of your ghastly figure.

Mathew emerged from the elevator after reading the description of the Floor to a large mansion flooded by moonlight. The façade was made of brick and stone, its surface covered in moss and vines that grew up the side. The lawn in front was out of control, covered in weeds that were nearly waist height.

The manor itself was gigantic, with four stories and dozens of dirty and cracked glass windows. It had the look of an old English noble house that had been neglected for centuries. The grounds surroundings it were in disrepair, and Mathew could see a line of trees in the distance.

There were a few lights from within the buildings, and a pair of lightbulbs mutely glowing on the exterior cast a pitiful radiance. He could hear birds in the distance, and the sky above had a few clouds lit by the moons and the stars.

Mathew walked forward, limping slightly from his bad leg. All the walking he had been doing through the village on the last Floor had caused it to ache, and he wanted nothing more than to sit down. Judging by the look of the manor and the Floor description, he wouldn’t have much of a chance of doing that.

A young woman was waiting in front of the manor, and she rushed down the steps from the front door as soon as she saw Mathew arrive.

She was in her late twenties or early thirties, with long, brown hair that was parted in the middle and pulled back behind her ears. She wore thick glasses with gold frames, a pair of blue jeans with a white blouse and a brown jacket.

The young woman was energetic as he hauled a large bag with her, overflowing with papers and books.

“Hello! You must be the expert we’ve been promised to handle the investigation! My name is Rebecca; I’m with the Palmer Historical Society!” Rebecca introduced herself, her words jumbling together in places due to her rapid pace. Before she had finished speaking, she was already sticking out her hand and gripping Mathew’s while shaking it violently.

Rebecca was evidently oblivious to Mathew’s odd method of arrival, and he wasn’t about to explain it to her. Instead, he smiled and nodded while returning her enthusiastic handshake.

“That’s right. I’m Mathew. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Mathew replied.

“The pleasure is all mine! It’s just so exciting! An honest-to-goodness chance to investigate the Ravenwood Manor! Of course, you don’t need me to explain. I’m sure you’re well-versed in the history of Palmer’ County’s Ravenwood Manor!” Rebecca said.

“Actually, I don’t. I honestly don’t need to know much about its history to do my job.” Mathew stated, and he saw Rebecca’s excitement fade slightly. Hurriedly, Mathew continued.

“But why don’t you tell me? I’m always interested in history.” Mathew lied. While it wouldn’t necessarily aid him in his efforts to solve the Manor’s ghost problem, it wouldn’t hurt either. Maybe she could tell him something useful.

Rebecca lit up like a light bulb. Pulling out a small notepad from her bag, she flipped it open.

“Alright! I knew you would be interested. Honestly, most people don’t take the stories about the Manor seriously, but it’s just so interesting! Especially since the last Ravencroft died a few years ago.” Rebecca began, and Mathew listened as they slowly made their way to the front door.

“So, in the 1700’s. Ravenwood Manor was built by the Ravenscroft family, whose fortunes had risen from trade ships bringing back tea and spices from the East, while also engaging in a healthy amount of smuggling. But things got really interesting when, in the 1800s, members of the family began dropping like flies.” Rebbecca began while Mathew carefully navigated the wooden steps to the front door.

The wood was splintered and rotten, and he was cautious of his footing while gripping the railing. Testing the door, he found it was unlocked and pushed it open into the main foyer.

“Like flies?” Mathew asked with curiosity as he took in his surroundings. The room had obviously once been incredibly opulent, but was now covered in a thick layer of dust. Blankets and sheets covered the furniture, and the wallpaper on the walls was peeling.

There was a gigantic chandelier overhead that was almost entirely obscured by spider webs. In front of Mathew were two hallways that led deeper into the first level, while a double staircase led upstairs.

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“Yes. Starting in the 1850’s, every member of the Ravencroft family perished under tragic and accidental circumstances. Several died during the World Wars, others by falling off of balconies or at sea. I can go through them if you want; they are really quite fascinating.” Rebecca explained, already pulling out another book from her bag.

“That’s won’t be necessary. Perhaps later, after we explored a bit. How about you, Rebecca? Why are you involved in this investigation?” Mathew asked, changing the topic.

He didn’t have the patience to listen to a complete list of all the previous owners of the manor, especially since he was just here to put an end to a cursed item or lingering spirit. Mathew could always ask for more information if he got stuck along the way.

“Me? The new owners asked me to provide you with a history of the manor. Well, they first asked for the history while planning renovations. But after what happened to them, they thought it best to give you as much information as possible to do your job.” Rebecca replied.

“What happened to the current owners?” Mathew asked as he began to explore the foyer. Aside from some old furniture and a few paintings on the walls, there was nothing of interest here. At least the electricity worked.

He flicked a switch as the chandelier burst into light, although most of the bulbs were burnt out.

“They were taking a tour of the buildings with several of their contractors when they claim to have been chased out by ghosts! A ridiculous thing, as if ghosts were real.” Rebeccas scoffed, and Mathew stopped his exploration and turned to look at her.

“You don’t believe in ghosts? Then what do you think I’m doing here?” Mathew asked, and Rebecca looked confused.

“Aren’t you here to investigate the contents of the house and catalogue them?” Rebecca replied in confusion, and Mathew smiled at her.

“Sure, that’s exactly right. Just…stick close to me, in case this place really is haunted. I wouldn’t want you getting carried off by ghosts.” Mathew said, his tone joking even though he meant the words. Relieved that he was just teasing her, Rebecca relaxed.

“Do you know if the Ravensmiths found any items of interest in the 1800’s? Or maybe they had an encounter with something and wrote about it in one of your history books?” Mathew asked.

“Ravenscroft.” Rebecca responded absentmindedly at Mathew, saying the wrong name while she thought about it.

“I can’t think of anything off-hand. I could take another look at the trade manifests from the time when they were active, but nothing stood out after my initial review. They dealt with a large number of antiquities; the family had a taste for exotic art. Most of it was sold off when the family declined during the early 20th century.” Rebecca offered, and Mathew shook his head.

“That won’t be necessary. Let’s have a look around and see if we can find anything that stands out. Keep an eye out for anything that looks….odd.” Mathew finished. He was already walking through the hallway on the right when Rebecca caught up to him.

“Odd, how?” Rebecca asked, and Mathew shrugged.

“Oh, I don’t know.” Mathew responded. Opening the first door he came to, he peeked in and saw a small sitting room. The furniture inside was also covered in white sheets, along with everything else inside. Not noticing anything of interest and not feeling anything out of place, he closed the door and continued.

“Maybe something that looks out of place or incredibly valuable but not sold off? That sort of thing.” Mathew continued.

Pushing open another door, this one to another storage room, he closed it after a quick search. He was about to keep walking down the hall when the lights flickered, and the temperature dropped. He could see his breath mist, and Rebecca shivered beside him.

“What’s going on? Why did it get so cold all of a sudden?” Rebecca asked. Subtly, Mathew stepped in front of her as the lights completely failed, and a faint glow appeared at the end of the hallway.

“Get OUT!” A scream cut through the night. It rattled the windows and shook the floorboards beneath their feet. The keening wail was followed by a ghostly apparition that emerged from the glowing light at the end of the hall.

Rebecca had never been so terrified before in her life. It felt like someone was gripping her heart and squeezing it. Tears fell from her eyes, and her legs turned to jelly. She began to shake violently in fear, her teeth clicking together as she shivered.

Mathew observed the ghost calmly. He felt the ‘Buzz’ in the back of his neck, the faint presence that spoke of danger, but not an overwhelming amount of it. He was at risk, but it was more than manageable with his current abilities.

The apparition was of a middle-aged woman. It wore a long, white dress that was covered in bright red blood. There was a gaping wound on her neck, and her head was tilted to the side. Rather than being scared at her appearance, Mathew was feeling relieved.

“This is perfect; it saves me the trouble of looking for you.” Mathew muttered while raising his hand and pointing at the floating apparition that was gliding down the hall toward him.

“Burn.” Mathew commanded, and a white flame immediately coated the ghost’s body. The haunting wail changed in tone, going from a mixture of sadness, longing and anger to a deep fear and agony. The flames burned through the glow of light that surrounded the apparition.

“What…What did you do?” Rebecca gasped in shock.

“Hmm? Oh, nothing much. Just trying to get it to cooperate. Hey, you!” Mathew called out to the ghost, who was still wailing and screaming as the flames consumed her.

“Can you understand me?!” Mathew shouted. He approached the ghost as quickly as he could, snapping his fingers trying to get its attention, but it kept shrieking in pain.

“Screw it.” Mathew grumbled. Waving his hand, he let the flames sweep over the ghost, burning it to nothing but a small pile of ash that covered the floor where the ghost had been.

“Come on. It came from that direction, which is likely where the source of the haunting is located.” Mathew stated, gesturing for Rebecca to follow closely.

“Who are you?” Rebecca managed to say, her voice shaky.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Let’s go.”

Page Break

Mathew found the cursed object in a small storage room near the basement. Tucked behind some large pieces of furniture, he only had to follow the drop in temperature to locate it. A small statue of a woman, its eyes were bleeding and in its hands were a blood-covered dagger and a tiny book with symbols on it.

Not bothering to study it further, Mathew used ‘Break’ to destroy it. When the statue shattered, a ghostly wail erupted from the pieces, along with a ghostly apparition that hovered for a moment before dissipating.

“There we go, all done.” Mathew said as he dusted his hands off from where they had gotten dirty from moving some of the furniture. Turning to look at the stunned Rebecca, Mathew flashed her a smile as he was engulfed in white light.

“You probably don’t want to tell anyone what happened here; I doubt they will believe you.”