Fire roared behind Simon as he neared the edge of the small arena with a brass key clutched in his left hand and a bottle of holy water in the other. He glanced behind with a grim shudder and swallowed a wad of saliva near the back of his throat. His opponent also had the advantage because it knocked the Vampire Killer clear across the stage.

He would die one of two deaths. Either he would be burnt to a crisp in the flaming pit surrounding the platform or he would rot in his adversary's sizable belly. Neither sounded appealing or quick, so Simon opted for 'Plan B.'

What was 'Plan B,' anyway?

The befuddled Belmont stared down at his last container of holy water and then back at the shrieking monster. The creases in his forehead deepened as he tried to work out a plausible explanation for his impending doom.

Sweat rolled off of his furry back in sheets and hissed as it fell into the inferno below the stage. The hungry beast was now a matter of feet away from Simon and reared its ugly head back to howl one last time.

What happened next was a blur.

The creature flipped its head upright and Simon flew into a panic. Holy water sprang from the bottle and singed the monster's face, causing it to stagger backwards towards the flaming pit below.

Simon let loose a battle cry of his own, only slightly different from the beast's howl, and ran full-force towards his intended target. His head crashed into the monster's big belly and the impact sent the beast flying into the fires around the stage.

The fires ceased as soon as the creature drew its last, sizzling breath and the path to a bridge cleared. Simon lay in the middle of the arena with his eyes wide and saliva spattered all over his face from the previous blow. He clumsily staggered to his feet and wobbled around the stage until he found the bridge. He crossed to the other side of the room where a steel, locked door barred passage into the castle's garden.

Simon went to unlock said door and paused for a moment. He felt around his furry outfit for the item in question but his search turned up nothing. A long, exasperated sigh was all that echoed through the castle as Simon fell to his knees in utter defeat.

He had lost the key.