Game Plan
Ava watched this cut scene so many times. She could recite it from heart.
The bespectacled man, Nathan Mansfield, clutched his sword cane. He approached the seven-foot tall rag doll. A pair of needles were embedded in its back. It whirled around.
Ava shut her eyes. The developers of Fight or Flight were masters at creating monsters, but Effigy Doll was... so under dressed.
"Pitiful human," it growled. "Do you really wish to redeem Prince Andros's soul?" It twitched its fingers. Its nails were long and sharp. Nathan stepped forward. Light gleamed off his glasses.
"I... I will."
The doll laughed. "Destroying me will destroy him as well."
"But it's a risk I'll take," Nathan said.
The scene shifted to a battle scene. Ava clutched the controller in her cord. Sure, playing with a plug wasn't ideal, but she had to use what she had.
Nathan swung his cane, hitting the monster in its weak spot: the needles.
"Oh, sorry, Lexie," Ava said. "Gaming helps relief my stress." She paused. "What if our rogue Kirby has a weak spot?"
Rayna blinked. "So, your plan to stop our killers is from a video game?"
Ava nodded. "Uh, well, Nathan Mansfield is my personal hero. He defeated the Butcher Bride, the Mantrap and Lord Aconite. All of those monsters had weak spots. We've got to find what makes Debbie and her crew weak and exploit it."
Radio stared. "Well, I have no idea what you just said, but... it might work."
Ava smiled. "But what is it? We're not dealing with monster plants or dolls."
Lampy popped up. "There's a dent on Levi's back."
Ava paused. Memories of the Effigy Doll filled her mind. "Oh, I didn't see that."