After snagging two masks, cracking the armory's puzzle, and unlocking the mechanism for the third, Eveline and I barely escaped a heart-pounding chase with Dimitrescu. We ducked into a room adorned with a massive portrait of the towering lady herself, surrounded by a hoard of ornate art pieces.
"Dead end…?"
"Giant hag, scary, scary, scary…"
We crouched behind a pile of artworks under a small staircase, a makeshift hiding spot. She had to have seen us bolt in here. Holding our breath, we waited. Less than a minute later, the door creaked open, and Dimitrescu's colossal figure stooped to peer inside.
"Those filthy sewer rats… hiding's pointless! How dare you harm my daughters…!"
She stormed to the center of the room, kicking over an easel and canvas with a vicious swipe. The debris rolled right to our feet, making my heart lurch. Eveline nearly screamed, but I clamped a finger over her mouth, silencing her. Even with my Molded powers, we couldn't take her on—not yet. We had to find a way to beat her first.
"…Hmph. No sign of that cowardly brat's voice, so they're not here."
"!"
"(Shh. Calm down, easy now.)"
"Where did I lose them…? Next time I find you, I'll skewer you and mummify your corpse…!"
Dimitrescu ducked out, her threat lingering. Just to be safe, I gestured to calm Eveline, who was silently flailing in protest, and we waited five minutes before crawling out from behind the art pile.
"That was close…"
"Who's she calling a cowardly brat, that giant hag?! …But what now? She's out there, right?"
"Nah, there's gotta be something here. Help me out, Eveline."
"On it!"
While Eveline phased through walls, I scoured for clues. My eyes caught a memo stuck to the canvas Dimitrescu had kicked aside.
"'Ring five bells in this room'…?"
"Huh, what's that?"
Eveline, mid-attempt to phase through Dimitrescu's portrait, hesitated and floated over to check the memo I thrust at her. Glancing around, I spotted a bell on a desk in front of the art pile we'd hidden behind.
"Another puzzle, huh?"
"Probably. Why does ringing bells trigger anything…?"
I tapped the bell with my knife, and it chimed crisply, igniting a flame above. Oh, crap! That sound was way too loud—too clear. She'd hear it!
"Eveline, find us an escape route, now!"
"What?! You can't just—uh, okay, I haven't checked behind that portrait yet!"
"No time to solve the puzzle! I'm busting through—arm up!"
"Geez, you're so bossy! Fine, I'm on it!"
Her footsteps thundered down the hall. Eveline Molded my right arm, and I swung it, smashing Dimitrescu's portrait face to splinters. We dove into a hidden room behind it just as the door opened. She'd noticed already! Her claws slashed through the ruined portrait as we scrambled into a hole in the far wall, climbing a ladder to escape upward.
"Huff, huff… Thought I was a goner…"
"Says the guy who's fine even after getting his hand sliced up…"
We reached an attic, panting from the sprint. Dimitrescu's furious roar echoed below, sending shivers down my spine. She wouldn't come up here, right?
"Let's find that last mask and a way to take her down. That regeneration of hers—we can't win without countering it."
"Uh, isn't the only option to yeet her off something high?"
"How? That giant tank barely flinched when I sucker-punched her."
"Now that I think about it, landing that punch was pretty wild."
"No kidding."
We rummaged through the attic. I spotted a treasure map but ignored it—no time. A Moroaică lay slumped nearby; I crushed its head before it could stir. Then I found it—a document about a medieval relic called the "Deathflower Dagger," coated with ancient poisons, supposedly hidden in the castle. A weapon used to slay monsters… it might just take down that immortal vampire queen.
"Maybe it's tied to that treasure map…?"
"But didn't the map's back contradict this?"
"Still worth checking out."
"Hey, Ethan, over here!"
"Found something?"
Following Eveline's voice, I found a sniper rifle propped against a chair. Why was this here? Chris had taught me how to use one, so I checked the ammo.
"You with a sniper rifle feels so wrong."
"Does it?"
"I mean, back at the Baker house, you didn't have anything like this!"
"No one keeps a sniper rifle in their house. Well, maybe Jack, since he was ex-Navy…"
Lucas had his homemade grenade launcher, after all. This rifle seemed usable enough.
"Nothing else here. Let's see what's ahead…"
"Looks like outside! Been a while!"
We stepped out from the attic onto the roof. A flock of somethings took off into the snowy sky. Birds, maybe?
"Didn't look like birds… I'll check!"
Eveline zipped toward them, then froze, her face paling as she floated back. What'd she see?
"E-E-Ethan!"
"Calm down, what was it?"
"Those—those aren't birds! Not the 'shut up, kid' Moroaică, but… Ingrid's final form!"
"Moroaică, you mean?"
"Yeah, Moroaică! Winged Moroaică! Super gross!"
"Guess it's time for a test shot."
"You're way too calm!"
Having a panicker nearby weirdly steadied me. Following Chris's training—next time I see that jerk, I'll blow his head off—I peered through the scope, aimed, and fired. The bullet nailed a winged Moroaică's head, dropping it clean.
"Nice! Headshot. Training paid off."
"If you stay calm, that's no big deal."
"By the way, Ethan?"
"What?"
"That gunshot just drew a ton of them over here."
"…Deep breath."
A swarm, like a cloud of flapping wings, descended. I fired frantically, dropping two or three, but they kept coming. Eveline and I locked eyes, sharing a strained grin.
"Even a bad shot hits if you fire enough! Shoot, Ethan, shoot!"
"Don't be ridiculous—this thing's not full-auto! But this is the only area we haven't searched."
"Now's the time, charge like a boar!"
"That's a line for seizing the future!"
No choice but to break through. Eveline Molded my right arm again, and I swung the rifle like a club, smashing a lunging Moroaică for a home run. We raced along the roof's edge, spotting an elevator but ignoring it—probably led to Dimitrescu's doorstep.
"Japanese proverb… pig-headed charge!"
I sprinted up the slanted roof, mowing through the Moroaică swarm. At the peak, a zipline awaited. I grabbed it, sliding down at breakneck speed to escape the flock, snatching the Mask of Rage en route. I lowered a ladder, hopped into an elevator, and watched a Moroaică crash into the iron grate as we descended. Finally, a breather.
"Exhausted…"
"Nice slugfest."
The elevator hit the first floor, and I stepped into the foyer. The door swung open, and there she was—Dimitrescu, stooping to exit, her claws scraping with a sickening shink. Our eyes locked.
"You came here, as expected…!"
"She's here?!"
"Uh, my bad!"
We bolted back into the elevator, riding it up to face the winged Moroaica swarm again. After a grueling detour, Eveline confirmed Dimitrescu was gone, and we descended once more. My heart was still pounding. Later, we'd settle the score with Dimitrescu… but that's another story.
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