The new day dawned and the teams gathered only to separate for their tasks. The first was Reggie and Gala. Gala awkwardly walked behind him as he tried to follow a map to their destination.
"These street signs don't make any damn sense..." He grunted. "Like why the hell is this part of the city written in elvish? Do you know any elvish?"
"Yeah, just hand me that map and --"
"No no, I just need to know what the sign says."
Gala huffed. She actually knew exactly where they needed to go from the start as she learned the streets while looking for a date place for Dian. She was hoping he might let her lead the way, but instead just led him in a few circles.
"Dammit... Percy and Ronwe always worked the damn maps." Reggie cursed to himself.
He finally sat down on a bench at the edge of the park trying to focus on it more and get their bearings.
"Lady Gala!" A surprised voice came from behind. "A pleasure to see you this early in the morning."
Gala turned to immediately recognize the pitch black noble behind her. "Duke Soverin! A pleasure indeed!"
"Duke? -- Woah fuck!" Reggie nearly jumped out of his seat as this was also the first time he had ever seen a void elf. "Where is...? That's not...? What?"
Gala stood in-between the two men. "Just ignore him. What brings you around these parts?"
"This is the noble district, and I'm on my morning walk." He said deadpan.
"Riiiiiight..." Gala replied awkwardly. "Anyway, we're looking for a place and are struggling with the map."
"Diamon, help them please." Soverin ordered, at which the star skinned elf took it and read it.
"Ummm, Duke... They seem to be going to your mother's house."
"What!?" Soverin questioned in disbelief before grabbing the map himself. "Hmm, so they are... I wonder what mother is needing adventurers for?"
"That would be a haunting, actually." Reggie finally chimed in having finally gotten over the shock of Soverin's appearance.
"Doesn't the church usually handle hauntings?" Soverin turned to ask his knights before Reggie rudely pulled the map out of his hands.
"Yes, but your mother asked specifically for US." He said partially lying.
"I see..." Soverin responded with a more pompous annoyed tone, one he reserved for people he didn't like, as Reggie was his newest addition to his shit list. "Damos, please bring these two to mother. And I want to know what's with this whole haunting nonsense."
"Yes, sir Duke."
Soverin began taking his leave. "Have a pleasant day Gala, and... same to you, commoner." He finished looking directly at Reggie, though noone could tell.
Once they we out of earshot Reggie whispered to Gala. "Who the hells was that guy anyway? And how'd he know you?"
"Unlike you, who has been lazing about the palace, I've gotten out and made some friends." Gala replied a little annoyed.
"Friends, as in an elf noble?"
"Yep."
"He must have the hots for you or something."
"Probably."
"I know you have ears, but like where are they?" Reggie questioned as he had been spending the whole conversation looking at the side of Gala's smooth feathery head. At which, she pulled back bewildered.
"Of all things you could ask? That?"
"What? This is like the first time we've been alone together. I know like nothing about you other than you got cool mind powers. Just trying to break the ice here." Reggie confessed.
Gala took a deep calming breath to center herself. "Okay, one, you have been rude to me all morning. Like, seriously, if you don't know how to use a map, then hand it to someone who does. Secondly, you need much better etiquette when dealing with noble people. And lastly, they're pretty much right behind my eyes." Gala finished by moving some of the feathers by her eyes to reveal two asymmetrical holes.
"Okay, that's pretty cool." Reggie admitted, but failed to follow up with an apology.
After a few minutes walking, Damos finally lead them to the front gates of an extravagant manor at the edge of town, though one could hardly tell as it was covered in thick flora that snaked along every inch of the home and garden with the exception of the paths and windows.
Damos approached the front door with zero hesitation before knocking on the door. Gala and Reggie joined him shortly as they avoided the foliage that creeped at the edges.
After a few minutes of exchanges with servants and wandering through the manor halls the three entered into a large office. In ornately carved desk sat at the center facing a window that looked over the city. Opposite the window, a large painting depicting several men of different races as well as a single small black wolf. Every other wall was covered in bookshelves and filing cabinets.
Accenting it all was an elderly elven woman gazing out the large window. Her attire was loose and flowing robes decorated with living plant life. An outfit had stronger elven origin than that Arkhiem's multicultural garbs.
"The adventures, I assume." She spoke quiet but with authority. She continued looking out the window without giving them a look.
"That would be us, ma'am. Two of the... finest members of the Vulgar Dynasty." Reggie announced, pausing for a second and giving a glance to Gala.
"Vulgar... I hope you are more professional than your name suggests." The woman states with a slight scowl around her voice. "I am Archduchess Avalina Soverin. You will address me as such."
"Yes, Archduchess Soverin." The two stated.
"I trust you understood the assignment when you decided to accept it, but in the case you were... ill informed... many of the servants are reporting dark figures, strange noises, and some of the maids have been scratched." She said with a growing disdain in her voice. She began walking to the painting on the wall.
"You have full access to the manor and the grounds, as well as may interrogate what staff you need. I need these phantoms gone from my home." She held up a hand hovering it over an elven man in the painting that stood next to the wolf. She then lowered her hands down to a resting position crossing at her waist.
"We'll get right on that archduchess." Reggie finished as he hastily tried to get himself out of the room. As they left Damos gave them a nod. "Go on ahead. I need to speak to her for a moment."
Once the two were out Reggie let out a long breath of relief. "Gods I hate doing that..."
"What? Talking to a woman?" Gala jestfully remarked.
"No, the formalities. I hate dealing with nobles. It's just 'title' this, 'yes sir' that. Needlessly exhausting, really."
"You're really a straight to first name basis kind of guy, huh?"
"It's how addressing anyone should be. It's why I actually like a lot of you beastfolk, just got one name to you."
Gala pondered for a moment. "I actually do have a last name, but I'll never tell it. So Gala it is and always will be."
Reggie chuckled a bit. "I can respect that."
The two then went about investigating the manor. Primarily asking the staff about anything they've witnessed, which they had, but a vast majority of it was overall unhelpful. The sightings and interactions seemed to have no pattern behind them that would specify a specific type if ghost, at least from Reggie's knowledge.
Exhausted, they found a bench to rest in the manor garden. Reggie lent back already looking like he hadn't slept in a week.
"This is the worst haunting I've ever done." He said sounding rather defeated.
"We haven't even, like fought or exercised it, or whatever we do to get rid of ghost." Gala corrected.
"No I mean,... usually I have some clue of what we are dealing with at this point. Noone has died here recently, the attacks are inconsistent in every way... Oh my gods..." Reggie ended with a look of surprise.
"What? What is it?" Gala hastily questioned thinking he just had some divine epiphany.
"Dog!" Reggie shouted pointing at a large black dog that was running up to greet him. He leant forward off of the bench catching the dog and giving it pets and scratches. "Who's a good boy!?" He repeated.
"Ummm... Reggie. Did you suddenly go crazy or something?" Gala confusingly asked.
"What do you mean? It's a dog. A big old wolf hound by the looks of it. Kinda like that one from that painting in the office..." Reggie took a long look at the animal he was petting. It's fur was jet black with lights wisps of black smoke coming from the tips. As soon as Reggie looked into it's deep red eyes he knew...
"It's a Church Grim!" He shouted excitedly. "I haven't seen one like you in a while."
Gala continued to have a confused face as concern started to grow as well. "That's great and all... but... I don't see any dog."
Reggie paused for a moment as he had to remember that he's the only one that can see ghosts.
"Ghost dog, Gala. I'm petting a ghost dog."
"Oooooohkay." Gala droned. "So the ghost dog is a... Church Grim?"
"Oh yeah. Back where I come from, before people understood where souls go when they die, they would bury guard dogs in cemeteries before any human body. It was believed that the soul of the dog would help protect and guide the newly dead souls to their respective afterlives. Though, later came a better understanding of the soul, and spirits, Grims came to just be spirits who would guard areas against evil." Reggie explained all while, from Gala's perspective, patted at thin air.
"So it's a good ghost then?"
"A very good ghost." Reggie said scratching at the Grim's ears. "You must be the cute little wolf from the painting. See any lost or angry spirits around?"
The Grim barked and began trying to lead the two out of the garden. "It wants us to follow."
"Sure, let's just follow the ghost dog." Gala said with slight sarcasm. She was still struggling to take all this new information in.
The two stood and cautiously followed the Grim.
"So what got you into learning so much about ghosts and spirits anyway? She asked.
"Lady did. Didn't care much for what happens after death until she died and started possessing me. She was also a ghost hunter before then as well. Everything I know I've pretty much gotten from her." He stated humbly.
"So is there a difference? Ghost and spirits I mean."
"Only by name. All spirits, or ghosts as some call them, are derived from either the soul, or through power of will. When a creature dies, be it man, animal, or plant, it's soul is released from the body and, in humanoid cases, goes to its respective afterlife. For plants and animals, they stay behind to either wonder, or be recycled into a new living creature.
Though there are some humanoid souls that stay behind, either because they had unfinished business with the living world, or they died in an unjust manner. Those usually come back as different types of ghosts; banshees, revenants, or in Lady's case, a ruselka."
Gala gasped. "Does that mean... Lady was murdered?"
"Drowned by a group of beastfolk." Reggie gave a sad sigh. "She can't pass on until she is properly avenged."