6 Choices (2/2)
”What will happen if I meet a paladin?” Mandy figured asking, although she had a feeling she knew.
”You will be chopped into pieces and die” August replied simply. ”So float underground or inside buildings. Many of them have the ability to materialize wings so don't go up, thinking they can't follow. As long as you keep most of your body intact, it will patch itself up with time.”
Mandy shivered. Not a meeting she wanted to have now or ever. They had walked through most of the park, reaching a light-filled district and while Mandy had not finished asking all she wanted to know about that other world, she felt it wasn't a bad idea to just sightsee for a bit and for the next twenty minutes she did exactly that, asking August bits about technology and other changes. To which August often said 'use google', since he didn't know (or didn't want to say), Mandy couldn't tell.
Yet-- then it happened. Mandy crossed her eyes with something slimy looking. And that happened because it had eyes just by the feet level. In fact, it had eyes all over its muddy body.
”Shit,” August dashed into a run, dragging Mandy with him.
”Sorry--” Mandy wailed, as August slipped through a gap in a fence and Mandy passed through it.
She kept looking back at the creature rushing after them and didn't even properly see where August was pulling her. It moved like a liquid blob, tumbling over itself, sliding over the ground like a slug, but not leaving a trail. A creepy looking thing. She didn't wish to know what would happen if it caught up. August's running wasn't a good sign.
When she did cast a glance at her surroundings, they had broken into an abandoned apartment building. Up the stairs, down the hall, she lost sight of the creature as it tumbled after them. August picked a door and slipped in, ran through the room, then ducked behind a dusty armchair.
”Close your eyes,” he whispered.
Mandy nodded and closed her eyes. She felt herself being pulled or pushed into something, yet she also felt August's hand holding her own. Then she heard the sound of flowing water and something faintly rustling, but she didn't open her eyes. The rustling moved away, gradually. Time passed, Mandy waited.
It might have been five, ten or fifteen minutes, it was hard to tell the time, but eventually, she felt the pull, then heard August's voice again. ”It left.”
She opened her eyes finding herself in the same apartment they had run into before, only now noticing how creepy this place was. It looked like a place after a wild party - tapestry torn, something written on the walls, faint stench of iron in the air. She squeezed August's hand a bit tighter.
”What was that thing?” She asked.
It wasn't hard to guess what she was asking about. ”I'd say a forgotten living god,” August said.
”They live in shrines normally, but when they are forgotten and their shrine is destroyed, then they roam like that till they reach a forest. In the forest, a corpse plant normally guides it to the boundary between worlds, so it can be cleansed and then it can pass on. If it had caught us, it would have made us sick and we would need to get to a forest and take it to the boundary by ourselves. That would have taken all night and then we would need to go through purification rituals...” August spoke in a way where 'such a pain' was written over his face.
Mandy had a feeling that had happened to August before. At least... she was glad they weren't risking their lives with that. Unless that 'sickness' was fatal. To think she could get sick even as a ghost, though...
”Will it be fine?” That muddy creature had been a 'god' once. Mandy felt a bit sorry for it.
”Yes. It usually takes them a week or so, but they can sense a forest, so - there's no need to worry.”
Mandy nodded softly. That was reassuring. At least, it wasn't the case that it needed to catch someone to guide them there.
”Take a look at that” August said, pointing at something ahead.
Mandy took a closer look and instantly clung on August, realizing what that is. There was a transparent and faintly glitching head a little bit further ahead, stuck out from a wall.
”Let's leave,” Mandy said.
August nodded and got up.
”What is that, even?” She asked.
”A ghost. Not the same type as you, though.” August replied.
Her expression turned pained at the thought. It was a fellow human then. Much like herself…
”Most likely there are more on the other side of that wall. They are all stuck into some eternal nightmare, reliving it over and over again,” August continued, looking towards the place.
”Why?” was the only thing she asked.
”Misuse of a dreamcatcher. I don't know the details of this case, though.”
”Will someone come to free them?” Mandy asked. She only saw a part of the head, but it was an incredibly horrifying thought…
”There hasn't been a request most likely, and it seems like this house is set to be torn down.” August said, then pondered a bit. ”Some bigger astral might come and consume them as they are when the house is gone and they are exposed. That would end the curse, but their souls would be lost too.”August's expression seemed neutral as he talked about it. Neutral to a point that it might not be natural.
”...Can you free them?” Mandy asked. She knew it was a rather stupid thing to ask, but August did have that suitcase with him and…
August cast a sideways glance at her. ”Alone I can't.” Came August's reply.
Mandy's shoulders dropped. But it couldn't be helped then. Leaving this did leave a bad aftertaste, but it's not like she knew how to help. Those were strangers too, just that… if it had been her, in a state like that, she would prefer being freed.
”...Together we might, though,” August added, looking in her direction.
Mandy startled, looking at August in surprise.
”Solving the case takes something only a few astral types are capable of - delving into others dreams.”
Mandy remembered what August had told her a while ago, she herself was one of those few types, although she had yet to try that on anyone.
”It might be quite dangerous, though,” he said, peering at her face intently.
Mandy looked sideways. It almost seemed like he was offering her a chance to do something… or testing her, maybe testing was more the word for it. Doing something like this was… the type of work August had quit. If she said she wanted to try, would he do it even if he had quit? And then there was a question of. ”How dangerous?”
”You might get stuck in there,” August said.
”...” Mandy didn't want to get stuck somewhere when she had just gotten unstuck from that apartment. Not to mention in some sort of endless nightmare… perhaps leaving this place and going home was better. ”What will you do if I get stuck?”
”Go home.” August replied.
No mercy… Ah, going home really was the best choice. Logically Mandy was certain of this. But then she let out a long sigh. Knowing she could have helped and not helping would haunt her… and the fact that August would go home if she failed not… be stuck here with her was kind of reassuring in this case. Meant she could try. Mandy let out a faint smile.
”So, what do I do?” She asked.
A glint of surprise passed August's eyes, but he returned her smile.
At that moment, Mandy had a faint feeling that perhaps, just perhaps, August had been intending to do this from the start and he was merely testing if she was the same type of person he himself was. Yet if August was like this... why had he quit the job? Yet that was not something Mandy would ask right now.