A tractor blocked the path, so Ethan searched for a jack. Inside a small shed, he found an odd photo. Flipping it over revealed a scrawled message.
"'Look out the window'?"
Peering out, he spotted numbers scrawled on the window frame and the wall beyond. Got it—then a Lycan's face suddenly popped up outside.
"Wah!?" Eveline yelped.
"Don't scare me like that!"
Ethan snapped up his sniper rifle and fired. The Lycan's head exploded, its body crumpling. That scared the hell out of him!
"Those numbers, maybe?" Eveline said, pointing.
"070408, right?"
Eveline found a safe with a six-digit combination lock on a shelf. Entering the numbers from the window unlocked it, revealing a handgun—likely full-auto capable—and a jack handle.
"Looks like a strong weapon," Eveline noted.
"Full-auto, huh? I'll stash it in the case for now."
Three guns were overkill. A sword might be manageable, but guns? He'd need an extra arm. …Wait.
"Hey, can you, like, grow me another arm?"
"Ethan, if you think you're a normal human, maybe stop saying stuff like that?" Eveline chided.
He'd asked on a whim, only to get scolded like a kid by his "daughter." Ridiculous.
The gunfire must've drawn them, as more Lycans swarmed. Ethan mowed them down with his dual pistols, returned to the tractor, and used the jack to lift it, crawling underneath to proceed. Another Lycan appeared, so he bashed it with the case, then quick-fired his sniper rifle from the hip, blasting it away.
"…Do I even need the scope?"
"Pretty sure that's not how you're supposed to use it," Eveline said, then gasped. "Whoa!?"
"What's wrong—oh."
Eveline's startled cry made Ethan spin around. Approaching slowly was a massive Lycan, larger than the others, wearing an iron helm shaped like a beast and wielding bundles of blades strapped to both arms. What the hell was this thing?
"Tch!"
Ethan fired the sniper rifle from the hip, but the Lycan blocked with its bladed arms. It lumbered closer, heavy gear slowing its pace. Bullets from his dual pistols ricocheted off its helm and blades, doing nothing. Like something out of a Marvel comic—Wolverine! If only he had a shotgun…
"Ethan! Blades, now!" Eveline called.
"Do it!"
Holstering his pistols, Ethan let Eveline wave her hand, morphing both his arms into bladed Molded forms. He parried the Lycan's swinging blades, kicked its gut to gain distance, then drove his left arm's blade into its chest, pinning it. With a full-force swing, his right arm's blade knocked the iron helm flying.
"There!"
He plunged the blade into its face, dropping it. The Lycan collapsed, crystallizing into shards. Ethan caught his breath—what a beast. Retrieving his rifle and slinging it over his shoulder, he eyed the fully crystallized head. Into the case it went.
"Its look was kinda cool, so it wasn't that scary," Eveline said.
"Like Dimitrescu. The more inhuman they are, the less creepy they feel, weirdly."
They pressed on, unlocking an iron gate with a key and climbing a ladder to a rooftop when a path was blocked. Reaching the red-chimney house, they slipped in through a hole in the roof. A lone Lycan waited inside, quickly turned into Swiss cheese by Ethan's pistols. No one else was there. …Wait, Duke didn't mean the Lycan was the guy to find, did he?
"That jerk tricked us!" Eveline fumed.
"…No, he wasn't lying."
A note lay on a table. It described Mother Miranda and the four nobles—Dimitrescu and the others—crystallizing and dividing Rose. According to Miranda's words, Rose was a "chosen child," destined to return to her original form no matter her state. The four nobles each held a piece of her.
"That's awful… What did Rosemary ever do?" Eveline whispered.
"So that's why Dimitrescu only had her head. Now we need the others' locations."
Another note mentioned the winged key regaining its "true form" with three parts. A nearby component fit perfectly, combining with the double-winged key to form a four-winged key. That plaza where Duke was—didn't it have a door for this?
"Back to Duke's," Ethan said.
"If he still won't talk, let's shoot him once, Ethan," Eveline suggested.
"You're brutal… but I get the feeling."
With most Lycans already cleared, they returned easily. Duke greeted them with a knowing smirk, like he'd seen it all coming.
"Well? Learn anything?"
"Found the wings," Ethan said, holding up the key. "How does this fancy gold thing save Rose?"
"Calm down. First, you must gather Lady Rose's flasks with that key."
"We know that!" Eveline snapped.
"Where are the rest?" Ethan demanded.
"You may already suspect, but there are four flasks. The remaining three are held by the other nobles."
"Nobles? Those guys?"
Dimitrescu had some elegance, but the other three didn't exactly scream "nobility."
"Madao, Mama's Boy Freak, and Black-Robed Loner, right?" Eveline quipped.
"Beneath the ruthless cult leader Miranda, four nobles serve," Duke explained. "One, you've defeated—Lady Dimitrescu. The second is Donna, the puppeteer, deep in the misty valley. None who enter her mansion return."
"Black-Robed Loner, huh? Her creepy doll vibe overlaps with me. Not a fan," Eveline said.
She's one to talk, with her snarky, scaredy-cat, hotheaded personality. No way their vibes overlap.
"The third is Moreau, the lake monster beyond the windmill. They say other terrors lurk there too," Duke continued.
"Mama's Boy Freak! He did have that mama's boy face!" Eveline exclaimed.
What kind of face even is that? And it was just a hunch?
"Last, and most dangerous, is Lord Heisenberg, holed up in his remote factory. Rumors say unimaginable horrors await there."
"So Madao's the strongest? Makes sense, with his Magneto-wannabe shtick," Eveline said.
Magneto, not "Magneto-Neeto." Don't butcher comic names just because you're not into them.
"To save your daughter, collect the four flasks. As a special service, I've marked their locations on this map. Here."
"Why are you helping so much?" Ethan asked.
"He knows too much," Eveline muttered.
"Merely customer service," Duke replied with a grin. "How I know? Trade secret. Please, continue to patronize my business."
He handed over a map of the village and surrounding areas, marked with four crests. Honestly, it was a huge help.
"Oh, and Mr. Winters, if you find good ingredients, bring them to me. You must be starving. I'll whip up something special."
"What's that?"
"Right, you were nabbed before Mia's dinner," Eveline said.
Eveline's words reminded Ethan he hadn't eaten since this nightmare began. Chickens roamed the village. He'd need fuel to keep going… time to hunt.
"Got it," Ethan said, presenting his haul.
"Ethan chasing chickens was comedy gold," Eveline snickered.
"Magnificent! All the ingredients!" Duke exclaimed.
Three raw chickens, three fish. That should do. Chasing and slicing them with a knife was no joke. Duke pulled out a portable gas stove, frying pan, spices, and flour, cooking with intense focus. The savory aroma made Eveline's face melt with longing. In any other situation, Ethan would've been drooling too.
"Here you are! For you too—herb-crusted fish!"
"What happened to the chicken?" Ethan asked.
"Sooo jealous," Eveline groaned.
The fish, coated in herbs and breadcrumbs, looked revitalizing. Ignoring Eveline's envious drooling, Ethan dug in. After so long without food, it was heavenly.
"To think such a feast in this frozen hell! If you remember, bring more ingredients. I'll treat you again," Duke said.
"Thanks for the food and the info on Rose," Ethan replied.
"I'm so jealous. Someday, I'll eat something tastier than Margaret's cooking," Eveline sighed.
Leaving Duke, Ethan used the four-winged key to unlock the door. According to the map, next was Donna, the puppeteer. To Ethan, she was second only to Heisenberg in sheer creepiness—Black-Robed Loner. Time to stay sharp.