10 Guild (1/2)

***

If Ian had to describe himself, he would probably tell that he was a regular run of the mill policeman newbie. Second year on the duty and relying on his partner, Flinn, for guidance.

In fact, he had chosen to be a policeman exactly because he looked up to this very same partner. Not having a father nor siblings, he had ended up growing attached to his mostly busy yet frank neighbor and saw something akin to a older brother or even father in him, but that wasn't something he would ever openly admit, even if that very same neighbor had long since noticed and didn't particularly mind either.

They had a better relationship than most father-son pairs did despite having no blood relations and Ian had long since made a load of policemen acquaintances due to fishing and hunting trips Flinn had taken him along to. So joining the force was the obvious choice, Ian had always been muscle over brains type and he naturally fit in.

If there was anything Ian could take pride in, then it was his own health - he didn't even remember having ever caught a cold and any injuries he got, healed almost overnight. That wasn't the case for his mother, who was always out seeking for her next big love - she was on the frail side, so Ian had long since gotten used to being the one taking care of the house and her, by extension. Luckily, a couple of years ago his mother had successfully found her big love and now her husband took care of her. Ian, being an adult already, neither had the chance nor desire to develop a fatherly bond with his mom's husband.

Despite his youth, Ian didn't have any huge 'I will change the world' type goals, rather than that - his idea was making his own surroundings just a tiny bit better each day. He shared smiles easily, cleaned up behind himself and others and gladly helped out those who needed assistance. He took pride in his role as a policeman. Due to that, his duties were focused around dealing with people, usually nothing too major or important.

The rosewater serial murders were way above his league.

It was a simple case of bad timing that he was dealing with something one floor under the murder incident as an old lady screamed above, discovering her dead husband. Being on the spot, the two policemen - Ian and his partner - handled the location till more forces arrived and once Ian was free to head down, he used the chance to discreetly go and empty his stomach contents in a trash can.

There was something he couldn't describe about the scene. It was not his first time seeing a corpse, and the corpse wasn't even quarter as bad as the worst he had seen, but nothing had filled him with as much dread, fear, and disgust as this one and he couldn't tell why at all. Something was inherently wrong with it, inducing a primeval sense of dread and fear of unknown and none of the corpses had ever done that to Ian's senses.

So the words August had uttered shook him up far more than they should. He shared the voice recording with Flinn, yet that was as far as he got. The case was immediately passed on to a different department and he was both thanked and advised to not peer deeper into it. Flinn agreed with that notion. If not for the copy Ian had made, he wouldn't have any data on his hands at all.

Ian standing in front of August's door was not something he felt he should be doing. Rather, he had a strong feeling he was messing around with the work of some colleagues whose faces he did not know.

But he couldn't help it.

There was something completely and utterly wrong with that dead man and since he couldn't get to anything on his own, August Galord was the only person who might know something Ian needed to face. It was not about his duty, nor was it out of some sense of heroism, Ian needed to understand what was going on so he could move on.

...

August didn't recognize the man standing in front of the door. Ian not being in his policeman uniform didn't help there. August hadn't paid that much attention to the policeman's appearance, to begin with, so he might have failed to recognize him even if the uniform was present.

Ian hesitated, almost as if lost for words.

”Who?” August repeated with a suspicious look.

Yep, August totally didn't recognize him, Mandy made a faint not to herself. A trace of worry passed her face, though - she didn't think the man had left anything behind.

Ian made a troubled smile. ”I'm the policeman who came a few days back.”

'And?' August's eyes seemed to ask.

”Do you happen to know anything about the mysterious deaths in this neighborhood?” He asked.

Mandy had a bad feeling from that question. Would a policeman go around asking something like that without his uniform on?

August rolled his eyes and aimed to close the door, but Ian used his foot to stop the door from closing. He took out his phone and played the words August had said. ”self-taught... this might be fourth or fifth victim, though...No, I just happen to know this particular one pretty well. … This will stay an unsolved case. I mean, to normies the only clues are the rose scent in the room and corpses that seem like they have been drowned with no water nearby.”

Oh dear, this did not look good at all… that recording made August a prime suspect, didn't it? Mandy clutched her fingers.

August clicked his tongue, rather than seeming worried, he seemed annoyed. ”Do you have a warrant?”

The policeman ignored the question. ”How do you know all that?”

Mandy felt August's reaction was kind of odd. Why wasn't he worried?

August rolled his eyes again and opened the door, stepping aside.

Yet as soon as the policeman stepped in, August touched his cheek, something black sinking into the man's skin. The policeman's eyes seemed to glaze over.

Wow. Mandy's eyes widened, what sort of sorcery was this??? Like hell August could complain about being confused with a wizard or warlock or what have you!? And he was casting magic on a policeman no less-- GOD!

”Calm down and lea--” August started saying, not agitated despite the situation he was in, yet his words stopped and he stepped back in surprise.

Ian's eyes regained their clarity and he touched his own cheek. ”What did you--” Ian's eyes stopped on Mandy and he started opening his mouth to scream.

August kicked the policeman's shin. That did prevent the scream from forming as Ian bit his tongue, yet August seemed more hurt than the policeman, his eyes tearing up in an instant.

”Telekinesis. Shut his mouth!” August called out to Mandy.

Mandy panicked but did as asked. Shutting the policeman's lips and blasting him to the wall by the door, pinning him there.

The policeman was in terror, trying to break loose, but to no avail.

”Wha-Wha-what is going on?” Mandy cast a bewildered look at August.

”I'm in pain,” August said, crouching down to his poor foot. ”His shin is rock hard.”

Mandy let out a breath. ”Not that…” Mandy tried to retort although August's words did make her relax.

”That's a normal reaction to seeing a ghost,” August staggered up and went to pull the door shut.

”No, why, how-- he…” This was plain confusing. ”What did you do?”

”Tried to use a simple suggestion spell to have him leave,” August limped to the room, transformed his book into a suitcase and got a few pieces of paper and drew various symbols on them.

Ian stared at the sight with wide eyes, his terror slowly being replaced by wonder.

Spell? Mandy wished to retort, or more like - ask because August hadn't said he could do something like that. Although, fine, Mandy felt like just giving up and learning things on the go. Being surprised all the time was tiring.

”Turns out this dude has some astral blood in him. My spell ended up awakening his perception,” August came back to the policeman, who had already given up on struggling.

Mandy pursed her lips. ”Will he be fine?” She meant Ian.

August stuck the pieces of paper on the walls. ”Would have happened sooner or later. Police has plenty of run-ins with astrals.”

Mandy nodded, glancing over at the man by the wall.

August finished placing the charms. ”Okay, you can let him use his mouth now.”

Mandy moved her power away from the guy's mouth.

The policeman looked from August to Mandy, then back to August. ”What is going on?”

”In short, ghosts and other as-- I guess you'd call them monsters, witches and what have you exist. Congratulations - you can now see them all and can never unsee!” August said with fake cheer.

That's… very concise. Mandy squinted at August.

The policeman opened his mouth but closed it. ”Did you drug me?”

”No, but if you aim to act civil you can go back to wherever and get your bloodwork done or something,” August's fake cheer was gone, a sigh escaping his lips.

”Mister…” Mandy spoke up.

”Ian is fine,” the handsome man let out a sigh. ”Miss…”

”Mandy,” the ghost said.

”Miss Mandy, can you please let me down?” He asked.

August backed off and went to stand behind Mandy like a cautious maiden.

Mandy squinted at August, her lips forming a straight line.

”You are stronger than me in this body,” August said at the ghost. ”There's no way I'll be fine if he kicks me back. I can't use healing magic or potions. If my leg breaks, I'll be stuck in bed for a month like a normal person.”

Ian looked at the scene in amazement. The conversation especially.

”Why can't you use them?” Mandy asked. More than being surprised about such potions being real, she inquired at that part. Wasn't that rather dangerous?

August sighed, not seeming happy about the timing of the question, but replied. ”What usually happens in fiction if you throw healing potions at vampires and the like?”

Mandy thought for a moment, recalling healing spells cast at undead. ”They get wounded?”

”I'll just get poisoned,” August filled in.

Having August hiding behind her like that, Mandy felt strong, which was a fresh feeling, but this situation also felt disappointing in too many ways. Mandy cast a troubled look at Ian.

”I won't kick him, I promise,” Ian said. It wasn't like his shin hurt all that much, it was more of a surprise that had him react earlier than the amount of pain.

”Alright then,” Mandy said and gradually released her ability to have Ian slide down to his feet.

”Thank you,” Ian said and stepped closer to the door.

Seeing his move, Mandy felt like giving a warning, not expecting August to. ”Ah, um - if you go outside, you will see monsters and - don't look them in the eyes, they sometimes have eyes on their feet too, you might be in trouble if you cross eyes with them,” Mandy said.

”Wait,” August said towards Ian and went back into the room to rummage through his suitcase. He looked annoyed.

Ian waited, looking dazed. He had slowly nodded at what Mandy had said, but nothing more.

August returned with glasses and passed them to Mandy. Clearly not trusting that the man won't kick him.

Mandy figured she needed to pass them over so she floated them to Ian, although her eyes stayed on August, a question mark in them.

”You won't see astrals with those on. If you cross eyes with the wrong thing you will be dead,” August said, ignoring Mandy's look.

”Hey-- I didn't know there was something like that…” Mandy peered at August with a pout. If she had something like this there would be no problems with chasing or anything!

”It's not like you can use them anyways,” August said.

Well, true, if she did then August would have a flying pair of glasses following him…

Ian took the glasses and looked through them, then put them down, then raised them up - Mandy disappeared as he did that, also, the charms of the walls that August had put up also disappeared through the glass.

”I'm not really drugged, am I?” Ian asked.

”Unless you took some before coming here, you are not,” August said.

Ian nodded slowly.

”Speaking of that recording,” August started, a look of having given up present on his face. ”You should go see the corpse of that man in the morgue. He was hexed. Not that seeing his true state will help the police solve the case, though,” August added.

”You know who did that?” Ian asked.

”It was some light mage, probably a child, self-taught, the hex is overdone and messy, but there's some logic in it, so probably not the first or second try,” August said. ”My guess is fourth or fifth try.”

Ian nodded, his gestures slow. ”Fourth.”

”Do you mind erasing that recording of yours?” August asked.

”...that won't help you. The original is in the database and I have no authority to touch that.”

August rubbed his temple. ”That one is already filed away most likely,” he said. ”And I will be made to work for free in exchange,” August mumbled the last part with an absent gaze.

Mandy had a feeling this wasn't the first time this had happened.

A conflicted look appeared on Ian's face. ”...I will erase it in exchange for some information,” Ian said then.

August rolled his eyes. 'This is a pain' was written all over his features, yet there was some resignation there as well. ”Wait a bit then,” August said and headed back in the room to get dressed and pack away his suitcase again, placing it in his pocket this time.

Mandy looked over at August and felt a small trace of excitement. They would be going somewhere unusual - that was the feeling she had.

”Miss Mandy, were you here when he broke those dishes?” Ian asked, child like look of curiosity present.

”Yes,” Mandy replied. She had a feeling Ian was having a bad misunderstanding, though. But that said, she recalled him asking the same thing when he was here previously. ”August was acting out a scene from a book he is writing, he often acts out various things.”

”Is he a published author?” Ian asked.

”Mhm, he writes under August Gold,” Mandy said. A look of 'oops' appeared next, though… was that fine to say?

”Put on those glasses,” August said as he returned to the corridor and was putting on his shoes.

Ian did as asked and stepped away from the door. He twitched his nose a little clearly not all that used to having anything on his nose.