The Secrets of Elgin Manor: Chapter Two
by LiminalLayover
I realized I must look insane to the neighbors as I hurried up the hill in my pajamas, but pushed the thought aside. If what Radshaw promised was really waiting for me, the last thing I cared about was public opinion. I rounded the corner, taking in the familiar sight of the Manor in all its bizarre splendor. The gates were still unlocked, and the front door still ajar. When I walked through I felt that same rush as before, but it was a bit weaker this time. Radshaw did say that the Manor had some sort of barrier protecting it from intruders, maybe I was acclimating to it.
I’m not sure what I expected when I stepped inside, but everything was the same as before. Everything, that is, save for what was lying at the base of the staircase. Leaning innocuously along the bottom two stairs were Radshaw’s black cane, Ms. Barrey’s maid outfit, and a note. I approached the objects and gingerly picked the note up.
New Master of the House,This cane is a gift from me to you. Like all artifacts in Elgin Manor, it only works within the house. Furthermore, there are limits to its powers, but I will let you discover those for yourself. You may choose to reside within the manor or not, but you must act as its caretaker regardless. You may also be tempted to use the powers of the manor and the artifacts within for personal gain. This is well within your abilities and completely acceptable, provided you do not give up on exploring the Manor. Do not grow content with your power. There are many secrets hidden within these walls that no active mind could bear to ignore. I implore you, unravel this place.
Sincerely,Gregory Radshaw
I felt strange reading the note. Radshaw and I didn’t meet on the best of and I only knew him for a night, but he left me with everything he had. There was a lot to reconcile with my view of who exactly he was. I surveyed the objects he left me. The cane looked so innocuous lying on the stairway, but I knew what it was capable of. A strange mix of fear and lust bubbled up in the pit of my stomach. Not to mention the maid costume, no doubt a personal gift. I figured Radshaw clocked my affection for Ms. Barrey last night and decided to enable it.
I tucked the note into a nearby drawer and lifted the cane up. It felt... normal. No rush of energy or burst of magic, just an ornate black cane. I tried stamping the cane onto the ground as Radshaw had, but it simply collided with the hardwood floor with a dull thud. It lacked the crucial spark it had when Radshaw used it. I spent a few minutes experimenting with my technique to no avail. Just as I was about to give up and set it down, I heard voices approaching the front door.
Panicking, I ducked behind the front closet door and observed through the crack between the door and the frame, a thin slit that just barely allowed me to see out the open front door while remaining hidden. I was able to make out Ms. Barrey walking alongside a police officer, probably somewhere in her late 20s with chin-length curly red hair and a round freckled face. She was on the short side, but had a curvy, feminine figure. I strained my ears to listen to their conversation.
“...and he was talking about someone I’d never met like I knew him. He’s a nice young man, but I’m worried about this.” The cop was eyeing the exterior of the manor, sizing up the unusual building while she listened to Ms. Barrey’s worried explanations.
“Well, I can knock and see if he’s here, if not you’ll have to wait a few more hours before you can file a missing persons report.” I felt my heart start to beat faster, having a police officer involved in this was not what I needed. Why would Ms. Barrey take things this far over one odd conversation?
I sighed. As inconvenient as it was that she got the cops involved, it was honestly kind of sweet Ms. Barrey was that worried about me. Then again I did spout a bunch of nonsense to her then run off to an abandoned manor in my pajamas, so maybe calling the police was the appropriate reaction regardless of her feelings toward me.
The cop approached the door and noticed it was ajar. “Just wait out here, ma’am,” she said as she pulled the door open. Right as she was about to set foot into the manor, she froze before taking a hasty step back. “What’s wrong?” Asked Ms. Barrey.
“It wouldn’t be right to investigate this building until a case has been formally filed” the cop replied. I kept watching through the door crack. Was this the barrier Radshaw was talking about? Ms. Barrey seemed frustrated. “Well then fine, I’ll go in myself,” she said, storming past the officer. Right as she was about to step in, she swiveled around on her heel. “Actually, I should probably check his house again first.”
I was in awe. It seemed as though the barrier was forcing them to fabricate an excuse to turn back. Knowing this, I gathered my courage and stepped out from my hiding spot. Ms. Barrey’s face lit up as she spotted me.
“Brian!” She exclaimed, the relief palpable in her voice. “What are you doing here? Are you okay?” I smiled back. “I’m alright, sorry to make you worry. I can explain everything if you want to step inside.” If the barrier worked like I thought it did, I could invite her in and the cop would be stuck outside. Ms. Barrey was about to take me up on my invitation when the cop stepped in front of her.
“Hi Brian, I’m officer Tina Fletcher. Your neighbor here was worried about you. Would you mind If I came in first to ask you a few questions?” I was a bit annoyed at the interruption, but didn’t see much of a way out. “Of course,” I said. “Come on in.” Officer Fletcher turned back to Ms. Barrey.
“Please wait out here for a bit, ma’am.” She still seemed a bit concerned, but nodded her head in agreement. With that, the officer stepped inside the manor. Now that I had invited her, she was able to through the barrier without issue. “Now Brian,” she spoke softly, “your behavior has me a bit concerned, but I want to help you. Could you please tell me how your day began?”
Officer Fletcher seemed surprisingly empathetic, considering the whole “cop” thing, but I really wasn’t in the mood to be interrogated about my mental state. What I wanted to do was test the cane. Then it occurred to me that we had stepped out of view of the main entryway. I’d been hoping to test it on Ms. Barrey, but this worked as well.
“Are you injured, Brian?” She inquired, referencing the cane in my hand as I pulled it in front of me. “Oh no,” I answered calmly, “It’s just an antique.” I stamped the cane onto the ground, ready to wield the power of the Manor in my hand. And... nothing. No crack, no change in Officer Fletcher’s demeanor whatsoever.
Her tone grew more stern as I avoided her questions. “Brian, your behavior is alarming the people who care about you. This isn’t your home. Will you please come with me to the station so we can talk?” This was not going according to plan, but somehow there was one thing the officer said that got under my skin.
This isn’t your home.
Radshaw told me the manor was mine if I wanted it. Somehow, the very notion that I was not the owner of this house felt... wrong. It felt unnatural, incorrect. I WAS the owner of this home. I felt it in my bones.
Feeling empowered, I focused on Officer Fletcher, imagining her standing at attention. “You’re mistaken, officer,” I responded as I lifted the cane up. “This IS my home.” I brought it down and felt a surge of energy as the familiar crackle of the cane reverberated through the hall. Immediately, Officer Fletcher’s arms snapped to her sides as her posture stiffened. “Of course sir, this is your home.”
Once again I felt a rush of power, but I knew this one wasn’t supernatural. This, this was pure pride. I stared in awe as Fletcher stood at attention just as Ms. Barrey had the night prior. I slowly circled the officer, examining her while she stared straight ahead, her face and eyes blank. I was free to ogle her as I pleased while she was in this state, iring her toned ass and legs in particular.
I decided to test the cane’s powers further. “Salute” I told her, and stamped the cane. Nothing. I tried again, this time visualizing what I wanted her to do and internalizing the certainty that she would follow my commands. “Salute” I spoke again, this time with purpose. Without missing a beat her arm jolted up to her forehead, demonstrating her newfound allegiance.
As eager as I was to use my new power, I knew there was an unaddressed issue I had to deal with first. Testing a theory I had, I focused on the closet I had hidden in earlier and stamped the cane. Officer Fletcher immediately walked inside and closed the door behind her, waiting silently for her next orders. It seemed I didn’t need to say the command out loud so long as I projected the thought strongly enough.
Returning to the front entrance, I addressed a concerned Ms. Barrey as she waited out on the porch. “Hey, Officer Fletcher sent me to get you. Come on in and we can explain what happened.” A more jaded person might have been wary of the situation, but Ms. Barrey was nothing if not trusting. She flashed me a relieved smile and gladly walked through the front door.
“Where’s the officer?” She asked, her brow furrowed. “Just in the other room” I replied. “But before we see her, tell me: Do you recognize this?” I asked, gesturing to the cane in my hand. She studied it briefly, eyeing it up and down “Don’t think so, why?” She asked innocently. “No reason” I replied, before bringing the cane down.
This wasn’t my first time seeing Ms. Barrey under the influence of the cane, but it was my first time being in control. She stood blankly at attention, her beautiful, toned body freely on full display. As I ired her figure, I realized I could do more than just watch. Much more. Hesitantly, I reached a hand out towards her right breast. Even knowing she was under my power, I still felt a surge of excitement as she remained motionless while I groped her tits, relishing in the softness of her perfect body.
My state of ecstasy was suddenly interrupted by a series of chaotic thuds from the closet the officer was in. “What the hell is this!?” I heard her shouting from within, clearly lost in the darkness of the closet. Thinking quickly, I rushed to jam a chair under the handle to prevent her from escaping. I couldn’t help but agree with her, what the hell was this? She was completely under my control a moment ago, then all of a sudden…
I turned to the mindless Ms. Barrey. Could it be that the cane could only subjugate one person at a time? Focusing my intent, I stamped the cane down and the ruckus from within the closet stopped. “Brian?” I heard from behind me. Sure enough, Ms. Barrey was no longer standing at attention. I silently cursed Radshaw and his sense of whimsy, letting me discover this quirk on my own rather than just writing it down like a normal person.
“Sorry Ms. Barrey, I’m not sure where the officer went. I think she’s checking the place out or something.” Ms. Barrey still had a look of concern painted on her face. “Okay, but that doesn’t answer my questions. Why were you behaving so strangely this morning?” With Officer Fletcher in the closet, my only option was to think up a credible lie on the spot. “Well…” I began, stalling for time until I finally found an excuse I could run with. “I normally take multivitamins in the morning, but…” I began, running with a lie that had just popped into my head “I think I accidentally took one of my edibles instead.”
Ms. Barrey continued to observe me, holding her expression before a smile began creeping over her face. She started laughing, something I’d find delightful in a less tense circumstance. “Oh my god, that’s one way to start a sunday.” I laughed with her, genuinely, though more out of relief that she had bought my story. “Yeah, thankfully I think the hike up here sobered me up a bit.”
Ms. Barrey’s laughter petered off as she glanced down one of the hallways. “This place is massive, I hope the officer doesn’t get lost in here.” Pushing aside the absurdity of Ms. Barrey being unfamiliar with the Manor given her history with it, I had an idea. “Would you mind helping me look for her? She can’t have gone too far.” Ms. Barrey gave me a warm smile. “Of course!”
We agreed to split up, with Ms. Barrey looking around the upper floor while I stayed on the ground level. As soon as I heard her footsteps grow faint, I pushed the chair propping the closet door aside and yanked it open, revealing Officer Fletcher mindlessly facing a wall alongside some toppled boxes. I sighed, stamping the cane to have her step out. Now out in the open again, I pondered what to do. On the one hand, I needed her to leave so I could test the cane on Ms. Barrey. On the other hand, I didn’t want to let her go so easily. Not after I’d already placed her under my control.
Feeling around her pockets, I quickly found her phone. Seeing it had biometrics enabled, I held the camera up to the mindless officer’s face, unlocking it. I texted myself from her phone, ensuring I had her number in the future. As for how specifically I’d get her to the Manor… Well, I’d have to work that out later. Worried that Ms. Barrey might return soon, I stamped the cane with a command to return to her squad car and leave the property.
Officer Fletcher marched out the front door, only to stop the moment she stepped out the front door. I quickly jumped into the closet again to keep myself hidden, sensing that something wasn’t right. As the Officer scanned her surroundings, I realized what was wrong. Radshaw was clear in his note, the artifacts only worked within the manor. As soon as she stepped outside, Officer Fletcher was freed from the cane’s control. Seeing her examine the open door, I prepared for the whole mess to start over again.
However, right as she was about to step inside, she froze in place. “It wouldn’t be right to investigate this building until a case has been formally filed.” I felt a relieved grin spread across my face, grateful for the barrier surrounding the Manor. With that, I heard the officer’s footsteps heading back down the pathway towards her squad car. I emerged from my hiding spot, shutting the massive oak door behind her.
Knowing I was in the clear, I hurried upstairs to track down Ms. Barrey, cane firmly in hand. Thankfully I spotted her almost immediately, she was staring out a window facing the front of the Manor. “There she is! Is she leaving?” I ed her in watching Officer Fletcher’s squad car pull away from the front of the building. “Yeah, I found her downstairs in the dining room. Seems like she wanted to make sure there wasn’t any damage or anything.”
“Well, then I suppose that’s that.” Ms. Barrey said, sighing with a hint of exasperation. “We should probably get out of here, it could be dangerous. I actually ed by some broken glass earlier.” My eyebrow twitched. You were the one who broke it I thought to myself as the pain in the back of my head throbbed in remembrance. But that was hardly the main thing on my mind.
“Are you sure you want to just leave? Where’s your sense of adventure?” I asked playfully. Ms. Barrey seemed like she was about to say something, but paused to look around. “It is a really fascinating place…” She said, before snapping her head back to face me. “But we really shouldn’t be in here. It’s not our home.”
Once again, I felt an unfamiliar feeling bubble up within me. It didn’t have the same frustration to it as when Officer Fletcher said it, but the notion that this wasn’t my home felt so… wrong. I stared back at Ms. Barrey, slowly lifting the cane off the ground. “Brian?” She asked innocently, cocking her head slightly. “What are you doing?” I smirked, bringing the cane down with an electric crackle.