"What the hell are you people…?" Ethan groaned.
"So, Dimitrescu!" Heisenberg barked. "What's fun about hogging this guy? Sure, he's got guts to complain in this mess, but I can put on a show everyone'll enjoy!"
"Karl's got way better taste than Dimitrescu!" Eveline chimed in.
"Hah! What a joke," Dimitrescu scoffed. "Who'd watch your cheap circus? I guarantee this man's suffering under my care."
"As long as Ethan suffers, I don't care who does it," Eveline said.
"What, gonna chop off his 'you-know-what' in your empty castle?" Heisenberg taunted.
"Eek! Karl, you perv!" Eveline squealed.
Ethan, bewildered, watched as Dimitrescu and Heisenberg bickered, with Eveline interjecting at every turn. Miranda, rubbing her temples, finally spoke, barely noticed as the group's leader until now.
"I've heard enough," Miranda said. "Some of you lack reason. My decision is final. Heisenberg, he's yours."
"Nice one, Miranda! You get it!" Eveline cheered.
"Gladly, Mother," Heisenberg said with a smirk.
"Karl calling you 'Mother' is hilarious. Pfft!" Eveline snickered.
"Mother Miranda!" Dimitrescu protested. "What is this? Heisenberg's immature and disloyal! Who knows what he's plotting with that brat?"
"Brat…?" Ethan muttered, confused. "Where…?"
Eveline stifled a laugh at Ethan's obliviousness. "Hahaha! Moreau dropped my name earlier, and he still doesn't get it! He wants to forget me! Not letting that happen, Ethan!"
"If you'd entrust him to me, I'd handle him flawlessly…" Dimitrescu pressed.
"Quit whining and admit you lost!" Heisenberg snapped. "Go hunt for scraps elsewhere."
"Loser Dimitrescu!" Eveline jeered.
"Shut your mouths, boy and girl," Dimitrescu hissed. "The adults are talking."
"Calling a fine guy like him 'boy'? What kinda taste is that?" Eveline shot back.
"Boy?" Heisenberg growled. "You daring to defy Mother Miranda?"
"You lot have no sense of responsibility!" Dimitrescu snapped.
"Responsibility? Is that tasty?" Eveline asked.
"Big body, bigger ego, huh?" Heisenberg said.
"Go, Karl! Shut her down!" Eveline egged on.
"Veee! Fight! Fight! Go for it!" Angie cackled.
"Silence!" Miranda roared, spreading six black, crow-like wings with a whoosh, quelling the chaos instantly.
"My command is absolute. No objections. Know your place."
"Objection! …Just wanted to say it, no real complaints, sorry," Eveline mumbled.
"Right, Mother," Heisenberg said. "Dear beasts, the wait's over! The game begins!"
Heisenberg raised his arms, addressing the Lycans that had gathered unnoticed. Ethan found himself surrounded, with Heisenberg crouching, grinning wickedly, and raising his hammer.
"Here's hoping you live up to the hype, Ethan Winters. Ready?"
"Hey, stop—!" Ethan yelled.
"Ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three… two… one…!"
The hammer slammed into the floor, signaling the countdown's end. Ethan, handcuffed, stumbled to his feet, spotted a hole behind him, and dove in.
"Showtime!" Heisenberg bellowed.
"I'll go rile up the Lycans!" Eveline said, diving after him.
Egging on the Lycans—humans implanted with Cadou, obedient to Eveline's higher mold—she stirred them into a frenzy.
"Come on, no slacking! Tag! Hide-and-seek! Everyone's 'it'! Corner Ethan! If he dies here, he's done!"
≪"Nice, keep running, Ethan!"≫ Heisenberg's voice echoed.
"GROAR!" a Lycan howled.
"Damn it, what's going on!?" Ethan cursed, kicking a Lycan aside and pressing forward.
Eveline, clinging to herself and trembling with ecstasy, wore a grin Heisenberg would've called "creepy."
"Yes, yes, perfect!" she squealed. "That's it, Ethan! Handcuffed, no weapons, yet so tough, so gutsy, still mouthing off! Hahaha! Three years, and you haven't changed! Oh, I wanna kill you so bad, Ethan!"
"What? I'm getting chills…" Ethan muttered.
Eveline, writhing and drooling with a blissful expression, unnerved even the Lycans. Seizing the moment, Ethan smashed through a barricade and pressed on. Snapping out of it, Eveline took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Small fry, huh? Time for the boss! Uriaș, your turn! Da-da-da-daaa!"
"What!?" Ethan shouted.
"Die, Ethan! Go, Uriaș!"
A massive man wielding a great hammer—Uriaș—leaped out, nodding to Eveline's command. He swung, and Ethan, raising his handcuffs as a shield, was blasted into a side tunnel.
≪"Still alive? Not bad!"≫ Heisenberg said.
"Seriously, when's he gonna die?" Eveline whined.
"Shut up! I'll take Rose back, even if it kills me!" Ethan roared.
≪"Damn, just as tough as they say. What kinda hell did you go through in America?"≫
"Getting hit by a car, chainsaw deathmatches, eaten by bugs, forced into death games… maybe?" Eveline mused.
"Mind your own business, asshole!" Ethan snapped.
Cursing, Ethan navigated a crushing ceiling trap. But a massive spiked roller blocked his path.
≪"Think I'd let you escape? Donna and Moreau are getting bored."≫
"Nice one, Karl! I can see your killing intent! Is this the end? Gonna miss you, Ethan! Main character's exit time?" Eveline taunted.
≪"Let's make it a bloody finale—American mince, ready to serve!"≫
"Damn it… all or nothing!" Ethan growled.
Eveline clapped excitedly, but Ethan ducked into a crevice, dodging the roller and breaking his handcuffs against it. Eveline gaped, stunned.
"No way… how? How'd he not get crushed? Why's he not dead? My mold powers? Is he John McClane or something? Ugh, gotta report back…"
Dejected, Eveline floated back to Miranda and the others, but Dimitrescu was gone.
"I'm back! Where's Dimitrescu?"
"She ditched, said my showtime wasn't worth her time," Heisenberg said. "So, is Ethan Winters American mince yet?"
"Did he die?" Miranda asked.
"Well… he survived. Not a scratch. You left a crevice open, Karl. Sloppy work."
"What? Surviving that? Guy's got skills… but damn, that's a blow to my confidence," Heisenberg muttered.
"I mean, surviving that's the crazy part, so don't feel bad," Eveline said.
"Veee! Wasn't boring to watch, though!" Angie added.
Heisenberg slumped, visibly bummed, as Eveline and Angie consoled him. Donna and Moreau nodded in agreement, but Miranda spoke up.
"Fine. Ethan Winters is our clear enemy. Return to your posts and guard the flasks until dawn. Eveline, tell Dimitrescu."
"Got it! (Not letting things go Miranda's way, though.)"
Eveline smirked, her malice swallowing Miranda's plans as she steeled herself to protect her new family.
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