I took a breath and looked at the fog slowly filling the house, rising out of nowhere.
'It's time to hunt,' I thought as I heard the doors close behind me.
And with the click of the lock, the seal on the house came alive.
A delicate fog filled the house, not exactly blocking the view but making the shadows and contours a bit obscured, seeming not entirely real. It gave the house a dream-like, ethereal feeling. Also, there was the silence, the silence where you could hear your own heartbeat. It was unnatural and unnerving for anyone present, making you want to turn on a radio or music to make it disappear.
I had two possible actions. Catch the spirit in action and destroy or seal it, or find the place where it was anchored to the world. So the plan was simple, if the anchor was here, I would assume it was somewhere near the place the dude died. Strong emotions help create it, after all.
But preferably, the creature would show itself, and I could just kill it with a spell. Hopefully, it would double down on mental attacks and try to do something like reading my fears and phobias.
Once it did, I would be ready to start on the plan.
I slowly made my way through the fog towards the stairs. The floors that previously were fine now creak with my every move.
*Bang!* A loud noise echoed right behind me, coming from the doors to the kitchen.
Anyone would take a look, but it was not my first rodeo. Instead of checking it, I immediately used one of the spell charges in the staff. Decay. A black and green, squirming ball flew out of the staff and exploded right in front of me, making some of the wood rot and wither. Just in time to see some of the shadows vibrate and adjust, retreating to their correct placements.
I froze.
I couldn't feel the attack coming or the spell finding the target. My spell dispersed it, but the attacker was nowhere to be seen. The presence was still here, but also not entirely here. It didn't have to get closer to attack, it seemed.
Wailing Armor, I cast, making a couple of hand gestures, and I could feel some energy wrapping itself around me like a wet blanket. It was not the best feeling, but it could take a direct attack, increasing my survivability.
Was the whole house a big anchor? Impossible, I would have felt it immediately. The attack originated from the shadow, but the presence didn't strengthen.
Should I go for an exorcism right away? No, I needed some time for the exorcism, and I couldn't go through with the ritual if I could not see an attack coming. I had the vial of the blessed liquid, but no target to use it on.
'Fuck' I swore and activated another spell by chanting Watchers Circle to give myself some breathing room. I felt the space around me come into focus in my mind despite the fog.
Then I took one of the talismans from my belt. It was a contraption similar to a compass, but the needle was not moving. Pushing some of my magic into it activated the talisman. Now I just needed to catch just a sliver of mana belonging to the creature. Touching the compass to an attack would work, but that was a dangerous maneuver.
Deactivating the circle, I made my way towards the stairs. Two more attacks came my way from the shadows. I managed to defend against both, not using the staff this time, but I could not catch any mana, they were way too quick and unexpected.
But I noticed a pattern.
The attacks always came from the shadows. The creature probably had some connection to the shadow element, making attacks powerful but limited in variety. It was annoying because it was stealthy, but at the same time, it needed a medium.
I cast Light, and most of the shadows around were dispersed.
I went up the stairs, each step accompanied by an eerie squeaking. The portraits on the walls seemed to follow me with their hollow eyes as the fog downstairs thickened, making it look like I was walking over a white swirling abyss.
Any misstep threatened to throw me into it.