It's dawn by the time I finish reading the two books. When did I become such a slow reader? Oh well, time to wake up my guests.
I float right next to where both boys conveniently lay their heads on adjacent sofas. Then, at the loudest volume I can muster, I yell, "WAKE UP! THERE'S A GHOST!"
As it turns out, despite lacking lungs, I am very loud.
Both boys jump up simultaneously, ready to fight off a grave threat. William is holding one of his socks as if it were a sword. One side of his face is red, and his black hair is a mess. His eyes are still puffy with drowsiness.
Timothy was even less graceful. Somehow, he crashed onto the other side of the couch, and he now lies in a painful heap on the floor. His blonde mop, he calls hair, is also a mess, but it was always a mess.
When William realized there was no danger, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and calmed his wild mane. "Didn't we agree that you wouldn't scare us anymore?" He asks.
"I wouldn't say I scared you, more like shocked or astonished," I reply innocently.
"Remind me never to make agreements with you again without a law scribe present." He criticizes.
"Oh darn, guess I'll have to stick with deals and bargains." I happily reply.
William just shakes his head at me.
Seeing that he isn't awake enough to play my games, I continue, "On the subject of agreements, I have completed the first aid manual as requested. I dare say it is my greatest work yet." I don't mention that it is my only work.
William picks up the books and glances at my title. He raises an eyebrow at me, clearly not impressed at the implication that he and his guild are fools. I could try and clear the misunderstanding with the explanation that it's a common naming convention in my world, but it doesn't feel like it's worth the effort.
When he peels back the cover and looks inside, though, I can see he is clearly impressed. The pictures and diagrams are all clear and detailed, and the instructions are thorough. He pauses for a moment and points at the text.
"How is this text so crisp, uniform, and easy to read?" William asks.
I realize then that since this world doesn't have a printing press, everything he has encountered up until now has been handwritten. Even the best scribes can't keep their handwriting perfectly uniform. They also have the tendency to bleed one character into the next, making the whole document a mess.
Even with the language on this planet being rune-based, the problem remains. If anything, it's worse since runes can get very complicated. As for why I know this language even though I just got here, I have no idea. When I arrived, the language was in my mind, as easy to comprehend as my native tongue.
"Oh, that's because I used a methodology similar to what was used in my homeland. I used ghost powers to make it work, but the gist of it is to make uniform blocks with embossed characters, arrange them in a grid, ink the embossed characters, then press them to paper." I reply casually.
"You said earlier that there's no magic where you come from, but why do I feel that place is more mystical?" William says in awe.
The look in his eyes currently makes me think he's going to wring this ghost for all the amazing secrets she possesses.
"William, don't look at me like that. You're making me uncomfortable. Remember, I'm that duplicitous ghost you need a law scribe for. Don't do anything foolish. William?"
Eventually, I convince William that the land of Dragon Fart isn't ready for my esoteric knowledge as of yet.
"You know it's Drakkenaur, right?" William asks with slight concern.
"That's what I said, Dragon Toot!" I say with absolute confidence.
William sighs in defeat.
"Well, this ghost has things to do, places to haunt, people to spook, so on and so forth. Are you and Mr. Doe Eyes here ready to depart?" I ask, eager to complete my castle.
Timothy still has a morose look plastered on his face. Who dumped him? As annoying as he was, this new, silent, mopey look doesn't suit him at all. Who am I supposed to trade jabs with? William hardly suffices. Maybe I should haunt the girl for breaking my Timothy. Yeah, that would serve her right.
"Yes, we're ready to leave. Thanks again for the manual. We're in your debt." William says earnestly.
Ugh, such a loyal soldier type. Chill, boy, it's just a book.
"No, no, it was a fair deal. You're the only livings I can talk with. I'll call on you if I need you again." I reply.
William looks a little worried about what I may call on him for in the future, but accepts my insistence that the deal is fair. "Fine, we'll be seeing you later, I guess."
I wave the boys off while temporarily dispersing the fog on the path for them.
Now back to my castle. I spend the rest of the day pouring spirit into the transformation of my haunt. When it is finished, I proudly admire my handiwork. The whole castle is designed in the Gothic style; however, unlike those aged and decaying ruins on my home planet, this castle appears as if it were built yesterday.
The Stone surfaces are smooth and glossy. The features of the gargoyles and statues are well defined. I even throw in a few angels crying into their hands for good measure. It's not technically a Gothic thing, but those who have watched the antics of a certain time traveler will know the horror of those stone maidens. I can't wait to unleash them on my next unsuspecting visitor. Do you think they'll blink?
The castle grounds are only slightly overgrown with a well-manicured hedge maze sitting next to a greenhouse built directly into the side of the castle. The greenhouse has exotic man-eating plants, because of course it does.
I've removed the obstacle courses and replaced them with normal halls. Well, somewhat normal. The halls themselves are a labyrinth with dead ends, false doors, and stairs that lead to nowhere. Rooms range from perfectly normal to upside down. I even have designated one room's faucets to pour blood-red water. It's just fruit punch, but I doubt anyone will be brave enough to taste it.
I have various phantoms, undead, and other spooky scenes set to be triggered by visitors when they complete certain actions. All of which are enabled by the useful "auto" function of my haunt ability. I don't have to lift a finger anymore to scare my visitors silly.
Catacombs run under the basements of the castle, lined with bones and skulls. An altar made of bones lay deep within, with an assortment of profane and occult artifacts littering the chamber. I have a lich ritual set to be shown here.
As for the amphitheater, I've changed it into a Colosseum, blending Roman architecture with Gothic Architecture. This will be one of my favorite scenes as an abomination will be released from its cage under the arena to fight a ragtag group of skeletons while a spectral audience cheers on the violence. The floor of the arena is permanently dyed with blood, and a massive scythe rises from the center of the arena.
Wait scythe? What scythe? I didn't place a scythe there.