Foxtails and Fairytales: Facades and Fables of the Phantom Prince

[Arc 15] Ch.1 Sudden Development

[Sebas]

We spent about an hour looking around the grounds in broad daylight. Went full lecture mode I pointed out the different kinds of plants. Fortunately, I didn't see any of the corpse flowers that bloom from body necrosis or any unusual patches of dirt. It was almost too clean... as if everything here is just topsoil. Even the well was an abnormal distance away from the house.

"There must be a huge basement." I deduced. As I inspected a broken-down gardener's hut near the well. It looked like it had been repaired with nearby wood and trees. Obvious adventurer's handiwork if you ask me. They most likely stayed here instead of the house all things considered.

"After spending an hour in the yard, you want to go into the spooky-ooky house and go straight into the scary basement?" Amanda asked, giving me a funny look as if I wasn't sane.

"Would you rather go in the basement during the day or during the night?" I asked.

"I'd rather not go at all." Becky sighed now that she's finally come to terms with the ghost house.

Something creaked and we all looked to see the back door of the house open on its rusty hinges.

"Look, they are even inviting us. That is a good sign." Alpha grumbled.

"How is that a good sign?" Talisa asked, genuinely curious.

I have to hand it to her. Talisa doesn't scare easily. Like a proper lady she stays by my side, She looks over my shoulder without being invasive, She doesn't get tired of my constant rambling and even asked relevant questions. She has the cutest blush whenever I take her hand or she holds on to my arm. And lets not even get started with the ear wiggle she does when she is happy. Gah, my broken heart, I can feel its pieces gluing themselves together with the strength and aggression of an actual gorilla.

"It means it is haunted. Which brings the amount, of ambushes from bandits and other humans down." I explained.

"What if it's a trap?" Kaina asked. She had her weapon aimed at the door and her ears were twitching as she listened for any suspicious sound.

"Oh, it is. It always is." I answered, matter-of-factly. "Monster hunters survive not just because of special training or knowledge. It is because we are careful and always assume everything is a trap." I stated.

"That's a rather peculiar thing to hear from a man who walks around with a bag and a knife for protection." Kaina said.

"Those are just what you know about. I don't want to reveal all my cards if I don't have to." I answered. I reached into my bag and pulled out a limp wooden puppet carved and tied together to look like a salamander. It was a carved with aged yew and had demon beast hair from a Fire stallion as its joints. The wood itself was imbued with several magic stones of different types and engraved with numerous enchantments and runes.

"Time to wake up little guy." I said as I held it in my hand. The limp Salamander toy came to life, it even stretched and yawned. It hiccupped and a small burst of flame came out of its mouth. I then tap on the lens of my glasses with a finger and cast a spell. "Your eyes are my eyes." and the left lens displayed the Salamander sight. It was simple puppetry magic like what I tell stories with. But I had come a long way. Giving it lifelike mannerisms was just me flexing as well.

"Shar'mander, time to get to work." I set him on the ground and it quickly raced toward the open door. Don't look at me like that! Shar'mander is a perfectly fine name based on Shar'lita the dragon and combined with the word 'salamander'. This should be obvious to anyone. How could there be a reference to any anime with cute collectable creature. How absurd!