The Proprietor had no clue where to go, and told us that the strange happenings seemed to move around the hotel in an unpredictable manner. But they were positive we’d know them when we saw them. So we figured we might as well start with the public areas on the first floor and hope a clue would just fly at our face. You’d be amazed at how often that works in necromancy.

So with that decided, we sort of just wandered into the nearest attached room, which seemed to be an empty ballroom with a spectral man cleaning a glass at the bar.

“Evening, Mr. DeWinter.” The bartender nodded, as Hildr and I sat at the bar. This wasn’t particularly strange, so far any benign undead, in control of their senses, seemed to recognize me off the bat. I was so used to it I stopped questioning it. “What can I do for ya?”

“We’re here to attempt to discover the source of the weird aberrations the hotel has been experiencing.” I told them, as Hildr turned around in her seat to look around the ballroom. “Maybe you can tell us what some of these past events were? Or have you seen anyone strange?”

“Sorry, Mr. DeWinter, but this is a hotel, a haunted hotel no less. Most of our guests are a lil off kilter.” He shrugged. “Now as for seeing anything out of the norm with the hotel? I don’t really go beyond this ballroom to be honest.” Weren’t bartenders supposed to know things? Wasn’t that like their job? Or did adventure games and the media just lie to me?

“Well that’s something, huh Isaac?” Hildr said with a soft nudge, snapping me back to reality.

“Huh?” I asked, turning to her, blinking.

She nodded at the bartender, who was still wiping away at the one glass. “He said that the maid has been running into most of the weird stuff. We should go find her.”

The bartender nodded. “Yup, Ghoultrude. She’s probably somewhere between the fifteen and twentieth floor right about now.”

“What’s the quickest way to get up there?” I asked, with a frown. I may have been part goat, but I still didn’t want to spend the time climbing up a bunch of stairs.

The bartender gestured to the other side of the ballroom, where there was a pair of double doors. “Out there leads to the elevator. You’re gonna want to use the one on the left, the one on operator for the right elevator will take you to the top floor, only to send the elevator careening towards the ground. It’s one of the attractions.”

“Wiiiiicked.” Hildr grinned, with wild eyed glee. “Hey can we try that out after?” she asked me, and I shrugged.

“Eh why not.”

“Heck yeah!” Hildr jumped up, pumping her arms in the air. “Let’s get this show mov-”

Slow ballroom music suddenly started playing, cutting Hildr off. We turned to the instruments on a nearby stage, as ghostly performers came into view. Similarly, the dance floor was suddenly full of ghostly couples, slowly dancing to the music, blocking our way to the exit.

Hildr and I watched with wide eyed interest, then a small smile appeared on Hildr’s face. She got up and turned to me, bowing and offering a hand to me, grinning up at me. I smiled back, taking her hand and letting her pull off my seat, and towards the dance floor, placing her hands to lead.

I let her, of course. After all, Hildr was better at leading than me anyway. Together we slowly melded with the crowd, dancing and swaying with the music, as we made our way towards the other side, smiling at each other the whole time. By the time we reached the other side, the music had ended, and we separated, her bowing and me curtseying as the ghosts applauded.

We turned to the ghosts, and Hildr waived, while I shifted a little, embarrassed, as they slowly disappeared. Turning around, we exited the ballroom.