Leaving Luisa's burning estate behind, I grip the devil crest and reach for the gate, then pause.
"Where'd the guard go…?"
"Probably bailed," Eveline says.
Two gunshots ring out, followed by a man's scream. I open the gate to see the guard hoisted by his neck by someone.
"Stop…! Miranda-sama!" he gasps.
"Heh…" the figure chuckles.
With a sickening crunch, the figure—called Miranda—rips something from the crumpled guard, then walks off without a glance at me.
"Who was that?" I mutter.
"Mother Something-or-other? Total pervert outfit," Eveline quips.
"Miranda, right? Couldn't see clearly…"
"Weird mask, ring on her back—definitely a pervert. Let's chase her! She might know about Rosemary!"
"Yeah."
Following Miranda's path, I spot the mysterious old woman. She glances at us.
"Dash Hag! You Mother Whatever!?" Eveline yells.
"No way… height's different."
"More lies? Finally gone mad? No wonder—everyone's dead. Yes, death comes for all… haha… AHAHA!" the old woman cackles.
"You're the crazy one!" Eveline snaps.
Yeah, she's got a point. Talking to Eveline makes me look insane too, but I can't argue. The old woman scribbles a symbol on the ground with her staff—some crest?—then falls silent. Suspicious, but I move on.
"Hey, Ethan," Eveline calls.
"What?"
I'm adjusting the devil crest into the castle gate, a fiddly task, when she speaks.
"Mother Whatever vanished that way, and Dash Hag was there, right?"
"Yeah."
"Isn't Dash Hag Mother Whatever?"
"Luisa's folks said she's just a weird old lady. Looked like different people."
"Like how I make infected people see illusions?"
"Only you can do that. I'm not infected."
"You got chomped by a Lycan."
"Ugh…"
She might be right. If it's a virus, the bite could've infected me. I finish aligning the crests, and the gate opens. Eveline and I step onto the castle grounds.
"No life beyond here, huh, Elena? Sorry."
"Someone said life's for throwing away," Eveline remarks.
"That's ominous."
Crossing the drawbridge over a moat, we enter a cave, climb stairs, and reach a storage room with barrels. An iron gate and lever are ahead. I reach for the lever.
"Ethan! Something's coming!" Eveline warns.
"What?"
"Well, well. A survivor? Tough bastard," a man's voice says.
I turn to see a bizarre figure: black fedora, round sunglasses, bearded, in an olive longcoat, hefting an iron hammer. I aim my shotgun, but it's yanked from my grip. My handgun follows, and nearby gears and screws float, creating an eerie vibe.
"Whoa, cool! Superpowers!?" Eveline exclaims.
"Not the time! I'll use the knife—!"
"Knife's gone too! Unarmed Ethan's just a sitting duck!" she taunts.
"Shut up!"
"What? Talking to yourself? Gone mad? Boring…" the man says.
Disarmed, I back away, watching him.
"Who are you!?"
"An outsider? Interesting."
"Gah!?"
Suddenly, my knife flies into my stomach. My handgun and shotgun slam into my face, and floating junk pelts me, encasing me. The weight forces me to my knees. My vision blurs. I see Eveline panicking and the man approaching.
"Miranda would love this…" he says.
"Damn… it…" I groan.
"Ethan! Ethan!? I'm… fading…" Eveline mumbles.
I hear her as my consciousness fades. Nice, sleeping so carefree, huh? My thoughts scatter as I black out.
"Ethan! Ethan! I'm awake, so you are too, right!?" Eveline's voice rouses me.
"Eveline…?"
I'm free of the junk, but my wrists are cuffed in rusty iron, chained to the same man dragging me. Eveline's worried face fills my vision. Move, I can't see.
"Awake, huh? Eveline's your daughter's name? Nice. Behave, we're almost there," the man says.
"Yep, Ethan's daughter!" Eveline chirps, then lies down, dozing. "Ugh, fading again… stay with me, Ethan…"
The head trauma's hitting hard. I pass out again.
"Others would be too weak. My daughters will entertain you splendidly," a woman's voice says.
"Move, ugly! You're blocking me!" another voice snaps.
"Ethan! Ethan! You awake for real now!?" Eveline shouts.
I wake to her clamor. A creepy bride-dressed puppet peers at my face, not Eveline. A grotesque man—human?—yells at it and steps back. Beyond, a massive noblewoman, a veiled figure in black, and the sunglasses man sit. At the back, a masked woman with a ring on her back—Miranda, I assume—stands. Eveline floats, uneasy, in the center. A dream? Back to sleep…
"Not a dream, reality! Super weird reality!" Eveline yells. "Meet the crew: Attitude-Huge-Face-Huge-Giant-Lady, Dandy-Old-Man—call him Madao—Goth-Introvert, Mama's-Boy-Ugly, our pal Pervert-Mask-Mother-Whatever, and a bratty puppet who's kinda stealing my vibe!"
"Pfft, you're killing me…" Madao chuckles.
"Entrust it to my Dimitrescu family, and I promise the finest blood," the giant lady says. "Rude man. Shall I kill him here?"
"Laughing at my face? Wanna die!?" the puppet screeches. "Hey, he's awake!"
"Shut up, all of you! And you, what's so funny!?" I snap at Madao.
"Sorry," I mutter.
Eveline's rapid-fire intros and the giant lady's spiel, interrupted by the wild puppet now held by Goth-Introvert, make Madao yell. Goth-Introvert, Mama's-Boy, and Miranda stay quiet. I apologize instinctively. Wait, where am I?
Eveline loves Madao (Heisenberg). Unlike the game, he strips all weapons, exuding strong vibes. He's always strong, though. Eveline's nicknames for the Four Lords and Mother Miranda are first impressions—no malice, probably.
Hope you're excited for the next part! Feedback, ratings, or typo reports are welcome—comments fuel my writing speed!