Fate - First Reply I Can Feel a Presence Here

[Lydia]

“I want to tell my mother that”

“No one loves you, no one loves you, no one loves you”

“It’s just so great to still be able to talk to another living human being that I”

“see my mother is all alone and I really want her to know that”

“No. One. Loves. You.”

“nobody really gets me now that I’m dead and I just find it so crazy that someone alive can still hear me that I”

“I just feel so bad about everything I’ve done and I want her to know that I”

“loves you”

“don’t want to be alone anymore…”

“still care for her”

“you”

Lydia could barely handle this accursed place much longer. She had been warned that this town was filled with the lingering spirits of the dead. But in most cases it was a silly superstition that was over exaggerated or misunderstood.

In this town… well… she couldn’t concentrate for even a second. Every moment was filled with these ghostly voices bothering her with some request, plea or taunt.

She needed to cleanse this village. At the spiritual centerpoint, the old chapel on the edge of town. But Lydia knew she stood no chance while she was pestered by the incessant voices of the dead. If she couldn’t gather enough concentration to write a letter, how was she going to focus on the incantation required to purge the lingering souls from this place.

“No one at all, not even a little bit”

“It’s truly wonderful just to have someone normal to speak”

“miss my mum so very much, can you please just let her”

“Loves you at all”

“Why don’t you say anything back? I just want to hear your voice”

“Thomas still thinks of her, I beg you tell her that”

“NO ONE. LOVES YOU.”

“c’mon you fucking bitch say something to me”

“I really just can’t rest knowing that her heart is hurting so much, I need you to tell my mother that I still”

The voices wouldn’t stop, they were causing her such a headache that it was impossible to think of anything else. She’d tried caffeine this morning and the three cups of coffee didn’t make a dent.

That’s why tonight she was turning her focus towards gin.

At least the alcohol would numb the pain. Even if she still heard the voices she likely wouldn’t care any longer. “Another,” she asked the inn-keeper with a firm voice. He nodded before pouring an additional shot into the small glass.

In a fluid motion she downed the contents of the vial and squeezed her eyelids together tightly. That was better. No more voices…

“care for her.”

Well, almost no more voices.

The only permanent solution was another willing assistant. Someone she could share her “gift” with long enough for her to recite the incantation and cure this town of its haunting. The locals were too spooked already. She needed a drifter, a random person unaffiliated with this backwater town.

”I”m talking to you so stop being such a self-centered piece of”

”HAHAHAHAHAHAHA”

”I’m so worried about mother”

A finger rose from the now empty shot glass as she signalled the barkeep, “another please.”

 

[Titus Phane]

As far as villages went, if you've seen one you've seen them all. A settlement where people try to scratch out a living for themselves, a pit stop for tradesmen and travelers such as himself.
But Titus really had to stop doing this to himself, traveling to out of the way places right after selling his horse for a room and meal at the last town.
He would have to find work here to pay for room and board at the inn and buy a horse when he's saved enough.

He'd been traveling like this for a long time now, and his reasons are his own, but still, his bearing, his grooming, and the cut of his clothing drew many eyes for he was very much recognisable as a butler.
He wore a traveling coat and boots but those did not hide the fine suit he wore as well. He had a satchel of belongings slung over one shoulder and a sheathed longsword over the other.

His first stop had to be the tavern. He could always wash dishes, prepare food, serve drinks, or mop the floor to buy a meal. If he could make money at it that would be great as well.
He pushed open the door of the tavern and stepped inside. He leaned his sword next to the door and shook the road dust from his coat.
It was rather empty at this time of day, that suited him just fine, the lone woman at the bar being the only other patron besides one or two others scattered about who probably drank for a living.

Titus approached the bar with a smile to the barkeep as he poured the woman another shot.
"Pardon me, sir. I-"
The tender cut him off curtly.
"Is there a noble in town? Didn't see a carriage."
Titus chuckled apologetically.
"No sir, but I am about my lady's business. I've been traveling far, do you suppose I can work here for a bit to buy a meal from you? I promise I'm capable of any task you have for me."

This naturally caught the barkeep off guard. What would a butler be doing if not in the company of their charges? But Titus had a confident smile and an apparent willingness to work.
The barkeep grumbled for a moment.
"Got some dishes that needs done for the evening crowd. Do that good and we'll see about getting you a meal."

Titus glanced at the woman to his right. She seemed to be working on two things at once, a hangover and a letter... Well, perhaps three things... Three things? His intuition told him something else was going on here, but recognizing a few tell tale signs of things he was all too familiar with, he decided to not be nosey.

 

[Lydia]

“mother woulda loved”

"you aren't safe”

“stuck up piece of”

Conversing with the dead was like living in the present and the past at the same time. The constant droning of voices desperate for attention made it a challenge to focus on the most mundane of tasks. Like, for instance, writing a letter to your benefactor.

This place had to be purged. Too many restless spirits. Even the locals were starting to feel it.

And then, almost on command, a drifter in a butler’s outfit comes waltzing into the inn and asks the barkeep for work. What happy coincidence.

”her name is Regina and she lives in Elbion I’d be ever so”

”still waiting on”

Lydia downed the fresh pour of liquor and swiveled to face the newcomer. Her smile beamed from ear-to-ear as she looked the gentleman up and down. “You’re looking for work? I have a job, pays well enough. Plenty to get you a hot meal and a room for a few days. Interested?”

”Oh! So you decide to speak with him, can’t be bothered with me just because I’m deceased. How very ‘lady-like’ of you, fucking can’t believe”

”you’ll die here, you’ll die here"

Blinking rapidly she did her best to ignore the spirits that were chatting away. Once they got to the epicenter of this town’s haunting she’d, temporarily, pass her gift unto this wayward traveler and purge the spot of this foul magic. If she were lucky the totem she was sent here to recover would be present within the abandoned chapel. It wouldn’t hurt this wandering butler although it might prove to be a bit discomforting.

Particularly if anyone close to him had ever met with a violent end. Or an unexpected end. Or was just dead in general and really wanted to reach him for one reason or another.

“Simple work,” she explained, “and I can pay you thirty drakes, cash in hand, upon completion.”

 

[Titus Phane]

“You’re looking for work? I have a job, pays well enough. Plenty to get you a hot meal and a room for a few days. Interested?”

Titus quirked an eyebrow in her direction. That was an abrupt change in her demeanor, of course having served drinks for a long time over many years at many establishments he basically knew the ins and outs of tipsy to drunk people.
"I suppose I'd be foolish not to hear you out."
He looked over at the bartender.
"Would that be alright with you, sir?"
The barkeep shook his head and waved him off.
"Her offer's better than mine, have at it."

He smiled and turned to her.
"Alright then, you have my full attention."
And boy did his attention reveal several things that had nothing to do with a few drinks. Her rapid blinking, her sudden shift, her lack of focus.
The thing is, he'd had many encounters with spirits, both of the dead and other extraplanar entities.
Either this girl was possessed, or very attuned to the spiritual realm. For now it would be safer to presume she was possessed.
"Your offer is more than generous, though there's no guarantee that I possess the skills to help you. That would depend on the job."
She was apparently a traveler just like him, their sort tended to stand out from locals everywhere.

He was slightly more cautious at this point, his eyes focused on hers in an attempt to get a read on her. But he didn't open his senses quite yet, there was always risk involved when dealing with the spiritual realm and things might not turn out well for this woman if he tipped his hand too quickly.
"My name is Titus Phane, I am Butler to House Bochanan of The Reach. If there is any way I can be of service please don't hesitate to ask."

 

[Lydia]

“My name is Lydia,” she said with a nod, “you absolutely can help me.”

“kill kill kill kill ki”

The raven haired woman rose to her feet and gave this Titus fellow a once over. He looked healthy enough, certainly capable of handling whatever strange occurrences might come their way.

With a terse motion she clarified, “all you’ll really need to do is,”

“can you even hear me? My mother, she’s in a really bad”

A jerk of her head followed as she tried to collect her thoughts. “You just need to stand there. And be quiet. Not a single word. Do you think you can do that?”

It was dangerous for someone as attuned as her to give into the voices of the dead. If she shared her gift with someone else and they started to actually engage with the forlorn souls of the damned well… it was never a good thing. The psychological damage alone could be disastrous but it also heightened the risk of possession or amalgamations.

Not that she couldn’t handle it assuming she had still unburdened her ability on her unwitting subject but dead bodies cause questions to arise. Questions she didn’t need to answer. Not to mention she lacked any desire to see someone die over the necessity to purge this village.

“talk to me or I’ll start screaming. Three. Two. One… AAAAHHHH!”

Her body went tense as flushed features camouflaged her freckles.

The voices were getting worse. More needy and more desiring of the interactions of the living. She wondered if someone not accustomed to the spirit world could handle such an intense a place as this. Hopefully, if the butler agreed, it didn’t mentally break him.

And, hopefully, he didn’t have anyone in his immediate friend circle who had recently perished. "Just stand there," she repeated, "not a word."

 

[Titus Phane]

Just stand still? Simple enough, but if she was possessed by a spirit of ill intention he had little inclination to play along further than he had to. Not that he doubted the strength of his protector, but it was always wiser to avoid trouble in the first place rather than having to get out of trouble all the time.
Still, he was curious about her plans so thought it best to continue to play along.

“You just need to stand there. And be quiet. Not a single word. Do you think you can do that?”

He smiled, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Lydia. Easy enough. Although, are you sure you don't want me to stand somewhere else?"
He motioned with his eyes to the barkeep who was wiping down a tankard.

"I must admit, I've never made a single copper by standing by and doing nothing. Care to elaborate or shall we discuss this elsewhere?"
Something was definitely messing with her head. Whatever it was he wanted to get her away from other people as quickly as possible to confront whatever it was.
Since she was so distracted he went ahead and took the lead.
With a warm and reassuring smile he reached out and gently took her hand.
"Come along, miss Lydia. We should discuss my employment further..."
He was going to loop her hand through his arm and lead her out of the tavern, but as soon as he touched her he caught a mere whisper of the voices that plagued her.
So probably not possessed, but most certainly this area was spiritually active.
His own attunement worked differently from hers... He could control it, and spiritual combat and conflict was a battleground he'd fought on many times... Suffice to say, malevolent or even neutral spirits tended to hate him, demons, devils, and angels of other gods despised him, and the gods themselves are at war with him.
Spirits of the dead often ignored him, but at times he'd been able to help those souls to find peace... At least those that would listen.

This place was a hotspot of disquieted dead spirits, he could certainly imagine Lydia's torment.
If she let him he would lead her out of the tavern and into an alley, somewhere private.

 

[Lydia]

An eyebrow crooked upwards when Titus touched her hand. She knew that he was likely privy to at least some of the voices of the dead upon doing so. Either he'd be turned off by the offer of employment now or he'd press on. Regardless, it might have been for the best for it to happen like this.

Knowing if he could handle the deceased mocking and pleading at him now was good. It'd be much worse near the epicenter.

"Very well," she said as coins were littered upon the spot she'd previously been sitting. Once out in the alleyway they were free to talk plainly and away from the snooping ears of the locals. The extraordinarily superstitious locals.

Brown eyes fixated on the man before her. After a brief second of quiet she filled him in on what she intended, "this place has a haunting. A curse that looms over it from the abandoned chapel. The locals just think it was deserted as a new holy site was built."

Lydia cracked her knuckles and the sound of bone jolting in and out of place echoed off the bricks of the alley. How much should she inform him of this job? Best he know only what's needed.

"The old church was for a... different religion. It's the cause of many supernatural happenings in this village. You'd be doing a good thing to help me purge the evils. I just need to perform a simple ritual and retrieve an item from the abandoned place." She let silence waft into the middle of the conversation, let him ask any questions he may have.

Though first she clarified, "but I was serious. All I need you to do is stand there and deal with the spirits concerns while I concentrate on my task. Nothing more, nothing less."

 

[Titus Phane]

She came willingly enough. And when they were alone he released her arm and listened to the details.

"this place has a haunting. A curse that looms over it from the abandoned chapel. The locals just think it was deserted as a new holy site was built."

Okay, so she was simply very sensitive to the other side. Perhaps naturally gifted, or cursed depending on your point of view, or having survived a near death experience could bring such things about.
He nodded politely, signifying that he was paying attention.

"The old church was for a... different religion. It's the cause of many supernatural happenings in this village. You'd be doing a good thing to help me purge the evils. I just need to perform a simple ritual and retrieve an item from the abandoned place. But I was serious. All I need you to do is stand there and deal with the spirits concerns while I concentrate on my task. Nothing more, nothing less."

So, a hunter of the supernatural. He was more than capable of performing this task if that's all there was to it, but he'd had enough dealings with spirits to be fairly certain that this won't be the case.
And if there were demonic spirits involved there was certain to be trouble, if not for him then for this girl or the entire village.

"I can speak with the spirits if you ask it of me, miss Lydia. But if there are other forces at work here besides the dead, I cannot promise any degree of success."
It was a rough spot to be in, especially with a world such as they lived in. When gods hate you as much as demons do...

 

[Lydia]

Titus Phane didn't react as if she were a madwoman. That was a good sign. He didn't fidget or show any signs of nervousness. Maybe he'd seen things before too. Hunted things. All good signs so far.

"It's just the dead," she reassured him, "there would be other signs present if we were dealing with more than that."

At least... that's normally how these things worked. Truthfully, otherworldly spirits and hellish ghouls acted in strange ways. You could never have complete confidence of what you'd be facing. But typically there were signs. Strange happenings reported by the locals.

The butler's words and demeanor suggested that he may have some knowledge of such signs though. After banishing the thought from another nosey spirit Lydia composed herself and asked, "have you done much work with the other side? Do you have a concern that we're dealing with more than the dead?"

 

[Titus Phane]

He nodded as she made her case. It wasn't that he was afraid or worried either way, at least not for his own safety, there had never been a time when he put his own safety before others. His only concern was that his... Reputation? no... His fame or infamy? Perhaps all of the above... He was concerned that there could be a being among them that could take his interference the wrong way and do something rash.

"have you done much work with the other side? Do you have a concern that we're dealing with more than the dead?"

Titus considered for a moment how he would answer, "Without going into a longwinded explanation... Yes, I'm experienced in dealing with the spiritual world. I don't know the history here and I've only just arrived, so I have not noticed any signs of spiritual disturbance except for the spirits that plague you, Miss Lydia."
His expression showed concern for her, he was able to shut out the voices just as quickly as he had heard them, but she didn't appear to be able to do the same.
"They've obviously been dead for a long time, their desperate for attention. In spite of the chapel you mentioned it appears no god has laid claim to their souls before they died or they would be in whatever afterlife was promised to them... This usually means that a demon is involved in their religion, leaving their misled souls adrift in the ethereal plane. But this does not mean the demon remained after his followers all died."
His blue eyes searched hers again, she was in torment still as the voices begged her for attention.
"Miss Lydia... If you want I can grant you a reprieve from the voices. The God I serve is God of both the living and the dead, his followers are uniquely protected and equipped in dealings with the 'Other side', as you put it. As long as you do not invite them back in I can send them away until we are ready to proceed with our business here."

 

[Lydia]

Ah, so it was as she already suspected. He didn't sense anything else amiss either.

No sense worrying about the infinitesimally small chance that there was anything more than ghosts and rural folk taking residence in this town. His quip on demons and religions would have made her laugh if not for the sadistic voice of the woman who drowned her own children ringing in her head. Like a constant drone it prattled on about the manner and method of their demise.

"Demons don't hang around, they bore easily," she said as calmly as possible. She thought it was true. She was pretty sure Bennett had mentioned such a thing. But maybe she imagined it. Maybe one of the spirits lied to her about it. She couldn't recall.

And then the well-dressed servant before her spoke of sealing the voices out. Giving her respite. He might as well have asked a lightning rod to stop conducting. Or instructed a flower to stop sprouting petals. Patiently she explained, "no, you will do no such thing."

Sure, if she could ignore the voices she'd have no need of him. She could expel the haunting, purge the town swiftly. But without her attracting the spirits who know what they might do. If they knew their favorite plaything was off limits they might just get bold enough to possess an innocent townsperson. Or cause a piece of furniture to collapse upon someone.

"This is my burden. You will have to bear it too, for but a few seconds."

More important than the well-being of the town though was her desire for the voices to remain. She couldn't deal with the loneliness of her own thoughts filling up her head. Not for longer than the brief foray to cast the bulk of them out of the chapel.

 

[Titus Phane]

"Demons don't hang around, they bore easily,"

The nature of demons was difficult to pin down, but Titus could definitely see why the demon wouldn't stick around after its playthings died. One constant across the spiritual realm was both an admiration and obsession with the lives and souls of the living.

"no, you will do no such thing. This is my burden. You will have to bear it too, for but a few seconds."

Titus nodded his consent, "I understand, miss Lydia. I apologise if I've offended you."
He was always polite, a butler through and through and a good one at that.
He straightened up and squared his shoulders.
"Tell me what to do then. What do you need to prepare for your ritual? I assume we'll be working in the chapel."

 

[Lydia]

"You needn't worry, you haven't offended me." The gentleman was well-mannered, that much was obvious.

A lazy gaze past him followed. They'd need to head back up the alley, down the cobbled road until it turned to dirt and through the overbrush of what was once the priory's well-manicured lawn. From just outside of the temple she'd get a feel for just how bad the situation was... or wasn't.

Two steps followed and she gestured a finger at Titus, "follow me. We're heading there now. Ask any questions you wish."

Although, for starters, she could address his initial inquiry. "If we are lucky we can purge the place from the outside. I'll then need to go inside to retrieve an," she paused to think of the proper phrasing, "an item that is most valuable to me. Not worth a penny to you though."

Couldn't afford to be robbed once this was over. "As I stated, all you'll need to do is stay calm. Don't engage the spirits. It may get a bit intense for you as I'm performing the ritual." Briefly she thought of that time back near Molthal when the orc woman started to converse with the spirit of her grandfather. Took weeks to clean the bloodstains from her dress.

 

[Titus Phane]

"If we are lucky we can purge the place from the outside. I'll then need to go inside to retrieve an," she paused to think of the proper phrasing, "an item that is most valuable to me. Not worth a penny to you though. As I stated, all you'll need to do is stay calm. Don't engage the spirits. It may get a bit intense for you as I'm performing the ritual."

Lydia had her secrets, and he knew when not to pry. He simply nodded and followed her.

They started off towards the chapel and Lydia opened up for questions again. He didn't have any in regards to the spirits, though he doubted that this woman knew anything about who he's looking for there was no harm in asking.
"I suppose I could ask... In your travels, have you come across a lady escorted by a knight? Her name is Myrcella Bochanan, the knight is Richard Henry the Eighth. I've been searching for my mistress for a while now."

 

[Lydia]

A lady and a knight? That was an odd request. "No," she said softly, "I haven't. I try to maintain a low profile."

Wasn't good to draw attention lest she be declared a witch or a demon because of the voices. The guttural reactions she was prone to from time-to-time because of their incessant beckoning. Unless these poor souls were deceased there wasn't any reason she would've interacted with either of them.

She kept her eyes trained on the road, ignoring the spirits, and pressing forth towards the chapel.

 

[Titus Phane]

Well, there was no harm in asking. His mistress had disappeared by magical means with the knight and nothing was heard of them since.
His mistress had disappeared before, kidnapped by a hired assassin who later had a change of heart, betrayed his employer, and returned her home... But while she was gone all Titus could do was remain at the Bochanan home and care for her ailing mother while praying for her safe return.
With her disappeared again he refused to sit idly by this time.

"No," she said softly, "I haven't. I try to maintain a low profile."

"Thank you anyways. I appreciate it."
It was the answer he'd received from anyone he met since leaving to look for her... Nobody knew where she was, and the further he traveled nobody even knew who she was.
All he had to go on was a direction and faith that he was on the right road.

He followed Lydia to the chapel. Just by looking at it he could tell that a god had nothing to do with this place. The spiritual tension was thick here and he knew this had to be the place where occult rituals stained the alter with innocent blood.
His voice was a whisper as the stepped onto the unhallowed ground
"Miss Lydia, do you feel that?"

 

[Lydia]

They made their way to the precipice of the chapel, standing along the road just outside of its fragile wooden fencing. Chipped paint, broken glass, overgrown grass, the sort of thing you'd expect for an abandoned building.

What she didn't expect...

"kill, die, kill"

"hahahahahaha"

"Have you seen my sister"

"So you've finally come, I can practically feel your skin"

"If you'n the lad want I can show you how to skin a"



"Feels like this is the place," she said without much else thought. They'd need to inch closer to the chapel itself but she was confident she could purge the spirits that lingered with Titus' help. They'd just need to cross the fence and stand in the yard outside of the priory. Simple enough and once the cleansing was complete she could go and retrieve the crown. She guessed it'd be buried in the floorboard.

Clearing her throat and glancing in the butler's direction she called out, "are you ready? We just need to stand in the yard. When it begins you may hear... a lot. Try to ignore it." She didn't want to dwell on what could happen if he gave in to the ghosts demands.

 

[Titus Phane]

He listened silently to Lydia's instructions as he opened the gate to the church yards and stood to the side, letting her enter.
"I understand. After you, milady."
Once she passed through he would follow her and close the gate behind them.

The oppressive feeling only grew the closer they got to the chapel, he could feel the presence of spirits all around them, but didn't open himself to the spiritual realm just yet. He didn't know if whatever Lydia was going to try to do to him would actually work on him because of the protections his God had placed over him.

It reminded him of when he met a cult of spirit fighters, martial artists who trained to kill demons and spirits by focusing their own spirit into a weapon, they've even used it against physical opponents to devastating effect... But when they challenged him their abilities were nullified and they were left with only their martial arts. Titus walked away from that fight unharmed and left his opponents confused and disillusioned as they pulled themselves off the floor.

Thus he was unsure if Lydia would be able to do whatever it was she planned to do with him. But he was ready to do it himself if he felt no change by the time it started.
"If I may ask, Miss Lydia. What is the harm in politely speaking with the spirits?"

 

[Lydia]

This place was the spiritual equivalent of having a dumbbell dropped upon you fifty feet in the air. Every muscle in Lydia's body had to force itself forward, every tendon required her desire to press on. Thin fingers brushed against the overgrown foliage of a lawn left unattended while her shoes clamped on stones few had dared to traverse in decades.

Lydia jerked around and raised an eyebrow, however, when Titus asked his question.

In a serious tone she called back, "the harm?" She cleared her throat and gave him the answer he sought. "How does one know if a spirit is benevolent or malevolent?" Her brown eyes looked the butler up and down as she stroked at her chin. "When a man or woman lies to you there are always tells. A slight change in posture, a motion in their shoulders, whatever. There aren't any tells for the spirits."

Her clothing shimmered as she turned and looked into the chapel. Feeling every voice and whisper that was trapped here. "The deceased will use you. Possess you. Take every advantage they can. The last thing they want is to be themselves. Stuck in that space betwixt not quite alive and not quite dead."

 

[Titus Phane]

"the harm?" She cleared her throat and gave him the answer he sought. "How does one know if a spirit is benevolent or malevolent?" Her brown eyes looked the butler up and down as she stroked at her chin. "When a man or woman lies to you there are always tells. A slight change in posture, a motion in their shoulders, whatever. There aren't any tells for the spirits."

"I understand all too well their deceitfulness, as well as the extreme rarity of benevolent spirits."
He followed her with much less effort than she appeared to be exerting. Aside from a shortness of breath from the thick atmosphere he had no trouble.
He came up beside her and offered her his arm for support.

"But suppose they ask me to do something and I say 'no', what would happen then? Or say I recite a few holy texts?"
He spoke to lighten the mood a little, to raise her spirits some and keep her grounded in reality.
"Or suppose one told a funny joke and I laughed?"

 

[Lydia]

"Don't engage them, period."

She refused Titus Phane's arm, not out of some silly sense of pride. It was primarily out of the desire to spare him from the physical toll of this place. Contact would likely expose him to all of the same voices she was experiencing. But, for Lydia at least, the whispers of the dead were a common occurrence. I'd be something new for him.

"If they ask you to do something," she clarified, "do not respond." This time she stared at him hard, eyes unflinching. "If they say something funny, ignore them. It will only be for a few moments."

 

[Titus Phane]

He sighed and nodded, "Very well, I defer to your experience."
They were about at the center of the chapel grounds and Titus looked around.
"This looks about as good a place as any. Shall we begin?"

He found a clear spot in the grass and took his position there.
"Just let me know when you're ready."
He knelt down on the ground and placed his hands on his thighs.
It hadn't occurred to him to be afraid and it wouldn't occur to him.
He took a few deep breaths and began to meditate.