Well, no reviews yet, but I'm not giving up! I really hope I can bring order to the seemingly confusing world of Simon's Quest.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 2

The Curse Spreads

After four hours of travel, I arrived at the town of Jova. It was a bustling village, full of content townsfolk. It seemed the curse hadn't spread this far. It wasn't long before I noticed a gathering in the town square. I approached in hopes of discovering the source of the meeting.

"Greetings, good people of Jova," I called to them.

"Huh? Who's there?" came a response from somewhere in the crowd. "Oh! Belmont, it's you." Emerging from the crowd came the mayor of the Jova, a man from the Thaxton family.

"What is all the commotion?" I asked Mayor Thaxton.

He shook his head. "I'll tell you back at my house, hold on one minute." He turned to face the crowd, who had been watching us. "It's all right, folks! Belmont here's on the job. Go about your business and we'll see the trouble solved."

The gathering seemed satisfied, though I was a little uneasy about being volunteered for work I had not the time for. Motioning for me to follow, the mayor led me back to his house.

"Alright then," began Mayor Thaxton, once we had settled ourselves. "Since late last night we've been having trouble on the Dead River, which flows right through here. An eerie fog has spread across it, and anyone who sails in ends up right back at the dock. It's like someone's bewitched the thing."

"The curse…," I mused aloud.

"Curse?" he repeated. "What curse?"

I shook my head. "A curse has been spread across Transylvania. I am traveling now to break the curse."

"And who, might I ask, placed this curse upon our fair land?" demanded Mayor Thaxton.

I sighed. "It is none other than Count Dracula."

The mayor stood agape. "Dr…Dracula?! I thought you killed him?"

"I did. But it seems he had a contingency plan. The curse has just now taken affect. I only wish I was alerted sooner. Perhaps I could've broken it before it took hold."

"Who alerted you, and why didn't he tell anyone else?" asked Mayor Thaxton.

I thought about this for a minute. Tales of a dream maiden wouldn't exactly inspire confidence. "A wise sage visited me last night. He wanted to waste no time in informing me, so he didn't stop in any other towns."

"Ah, that explains it. In any case, I trust you're taking the necessary steps to solve this problem?"

"Yes," I agreed.

"Good, then get going. I shall send letters via carrier pigeons warning the other towns to be on their guard." Wasting no time, Mayor Thaxton stood up and went to his desk. "You may see yourself out. Good luck, Belmont!"

"Thank you, Mayor Thaxton. I feel better knowing the towns are aware of the crisis." I turned and left the building.

The town's clock tower read eleven o'clock. My time was dwindling, yet I felt good about the morning's events. Besides warning the townspeople, I had solved my dilemma of where to go after Jova. I decided to head east, towards Berkeley Mansion. I had just reached the town border when a shout of "Holy Water!" caught my attention. Turning, I saw the source of the shout to be a merchant standing outside of his shop. Out of morbid curiosity, I went to speak with him.

"Holy Water!" repeated the merchant. "Is your path obstructed? Holy Water will show you the way!"

"Is that so?" I said to the merchant. "How can I know your word is true?"

"Oh-ho!" cried the merchant. "Master Belmont, it has been too long since last we met."

"Ah, yes. I remember you now. You once tried to sell me your Holy Water."

"To which you politely declined. Understandable of course, as the Belmont family has powerful Holy Water of its own. But…," he paused. "That makes me wonder what you're doing here."

I hesitated before answering. I didn't want rumors of my weakness to spread. "You said your Holy Water could clear passageways. Mine does not possess that ability. Care to elaborate on the subject?"

The merchant brightened. "Ah, yes! You see, across Transylvania there are false walls, floors, and so forth, made from blocks crafted by magic. Oh, they seem solid to the touch, to be sure. But they conceal hidden things. Some villagers have even been known to hide in their own houses using such blocks. But a touch of my Holy Water makes it disappear. And it can be used as many times as one could want! Here, come with me into my store."

Intrigued, I followed the man into his shop. Once inside he went to the side wall where a number of building blocks were kept. "I keep some of these blocks with me for just this purpose." He carried one of the blocks to the center of the room. "First, I want you to touch it. A man such as yourself should be able to sense the magic in the block."

I did as the man asked. While the building block felt normal to the touch, I could also feel the magical energy flowing through it. "It is as you say."

The merchant smiled. "Now, try breaking the block with your whip."

Nodding, I drew the Vampire Killer and struck the block with all my might. Not a scratch marred the surface.

"The magic reinforces the blocks, making them strong. Why don't you try again?" he suggested.

Thus, I took a second lash, then a third, and finally a fourth. When I was done, the surface remained unblemished.

The merchant's smile only grew. "Now, try using my Holy Water. Let me just mark the bottle real quick. There, 'B' for Belmont. Now, just toss the entire vial at the block. Don't worry, it's on the house."

Feeling dubious, I did as he instructed. I felt no surprise, when the bottle shattered. I was surprised, however, when the liquid began melting through the building block, until eventually there was nothing left but the liquid. But nothing could compare to my astonishment when I felt a weight take appear in my hand. Looking down, I saw that the same bottle I had just thrown has reappeared in my hand. I knew because of the 'B' the man had drawn with his quill. Upon a secondary look, I noticed that the liquid and shards of glass had disappeared from the floor.

I turned to face the merchant. "How do I know this is no deception?"

His smile didn't falter for an instant. "The magic on my Holy Water is strong, surely you can feel that." He spoke the truth, but still. "Go ahead, toss it again."

I tossed the bottle and watched it shatter. I quickly turned my attention to my hand to witness the Holy Water reappearing. The transition was seamless; one instant the hand was empty, the next it was clutching the vial of Holy Water. While my own Holy Water possessed the same capability, I was astounded to find that a mere merchant was capable of the same enchantments. Devoid of any doubts, I asked the merchant how much it cost.

"Normally, I charge one hundred coins for this product. But since you're a Belmont, and sure to use it for noble purposes, I shall only charge fifty." The man outstretched his hand to accept either the money or his vial.

I happily paid his price; a bargain to be sure. I bade him farewell and left his store. I had almost left town when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Heading to Berkeley Mansion, are we?" said an aged voice.

I was shocked to hear him speak my destination so soon after I had decided it. But I didn't let that show. "I don't see how that is any of your concern," I replied as a gently removed the man's hand from my shoulder.

"You'll be needing this White Crystal if you go," he continued. "It's yours for just fifty coins."

"Thank you, but no thank you," I answered. "I have no need for silly trinkets. Now, I must be off."

"As you wish. But heed my advice. The clue you seek is in the town of Veros." said the aged one. "You'll be sorry."

I turned to get a better look at the stranger, but I was dumbfounded to find that he had already vanished. Clearing my mind of the encounter, I exited the town and made my way into the Jova Woods.

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Alright, there's number 2. The chapters won't be terribly long at first, but they'll get better and more interesting to boot.