Never Take a Pirate for Grant'd! 3 - or 'So, I guess I have to fill up for Grant, heh?' (Castlevania Netflix Grant Danasty!SI, Lite Gamer)

This was a curious development.

Vlad Tepes, known to many as Count Dracula the Impaler, couldn't help but wonder how ironic life was when, as his thirst for revenge, now reignited, guaranteed the return of a lone adventurer that seemed to bear the intention to carry his execution.

Of the many circumstances he could have expected, a non-Belmont warrior was a surprise for sure, but not one he truly welcomed as he would have for any of the descendants of his last friend.

Dracula was now no longer the man that sought power in the effort to fill up the void and shun God's fake love. He was a grieving man once more, yes, but not one driven by powerlust, but by wrath.

Yet the irony wasn't lost to him. Once again he was hunted, persecuted, this time by someone that bore not much of religious context but a lot from a peculiar role tied to the sea, a job that was as adventurous as ungrateful.

But where Vlad would have pegged the man's reason as one tied by the adventure itself, he could tell the golden-haired youth's drive was different than many others. He had seen it before, back when he was not a vampire.

That stubbornness that exceeded the common value a human normally bore and that manifested through deed not many would be willing to consider to be viable.

In this case, the pirate-looking fellow that had managed to slain the Giant Bat guarding the lowest grounds of the castle was truly driven by a force beyond the more bravery and eagerness of a youth seeking the danger's thrill and call.

He couldn't remember anyone with that visage, yet these eyes criminally felt mighty in the vision offered by the few bats that eluded the fight with such a warrior. He used a sword, not a whip as Vampire Killer had long been removed from the reach of any Belmont Warrior that could harness its true potential.

One can be so surprised by how easily swayed Church's officials could get and how little effort was to be put to shatter an once-proud family in its active reputation in the world of God's closest saints.

Yet, Fate seemed to have mustered but another one of those beings, a fighter that brandished a cutlass sanctified for the job. Not strong enough to beat him in a fight, but it was clear the young man wasn't looking for that sort of trouble just yet. No, he was dwelling through the castle in an aimless search.

Did he perhaps know the few treasures he had found and stored within the depths of his own home? Dracula was willing to bet that may have been the case. And while most may ignore the importance of such treasure, Dracula actually felt worried for the most powerful item to be found.

…As if.

As much as there was a chance, the natural defenses prepared to hold off the strongest weapons within the castle limited access to those to only himself. The worst worry at this point was for the warrior to find the balance between inner power and his own capacities. He was clumsy, clearly not truly prepared for the task of fighting a seasoned fighter as Vlad used to be.

But while he continued to muse over the chances of ending the young man's life, his thoughts were brought to a halt when he heard someone knocking at the door of his throne room.

"Come in, Isaac."

The Devil Forgemaster didn't show any surprise at being recognized before he even opened the door, but offered a thin line with his lips to show a degree of irritation. One Dracula knew that he was going to agree to it.

"The Council is ready to discuss the first steps, sir. They wait for your presence."

A nod, and Dracula quietly walked to his new destination. He decided to let the youth progress some more before taking action. Perhaps… there was more than Leon Belmon in what he was seeing in him.

Perhaps, there was something even more unpleasant and familiar to him.


No signs of ways to get to the upper floors.

I thought I would have eventually stumbled on a staircase leading above, but I was still stuck on the lower grounds. It was frustrating, really, but I couldn't exactly blast my way through the walls. Yet.

What I could do, however, is resume my search for anything that could give me an advantage to beat monsters faster. I found very few foes in my path, not enough to Level Up just yet, but I was getting quite close to that.

Just as I was quite close to giving up and making my way back to any secret halls I may have missed with my new ability, I was surprised to notice that… there was indeed a strange hue highlighting part of the wall on my right.

I reached out to touch it and jerked the hand away when it suddenly shifted at my touch, revealing a new hall leading upstairs. I smiled a bit at the sight and thought that my luck was finally giving me a break for all this walking.

"My feet are fucking burning," I added without a shame, preparing for a few surprises to deal with as I ventured the new path.

Yet, while I couldn't see anything in sight, I had this gnawing feeling on the back of my head that I was slowly walking into a trap. I checked for any odd elements on the floor but it was all looking normal to me. Even the walls looked to be robust as none showed any signs for a secret room or hallway.

It took me a moment too late to realize my gut feeling was right and that the source of my inner dread was… tied to something 'hidden' on the ceiling. Just as I heard the muffled noise of growling, I looked up and I saw a section of the roof was slightly missing as a large-furred creature descended, maws first as three canine heads took the charge of a single body.

I jumped back, avoiding the attempted ambush just barely. A glance was enough to know what I was dealing with and I wasn't that happy.

Cerberus

A Vampire's Least Favorite Friend

HP: 450/450

"Well, ain't you a big doggie?" I inquired as I retrieved my Cutlass. "Sorry, but I ain't your chew-toy."

The large dog bared all its… three pairs of teeth. And I thought that it would have been another battle like the one with the Giant Bat, tied to quick-thinking and high-speed.

I was surprised when the canine heads slowly manifested magical elements, with the left one shooting a ice shard at me, forcing me to dodge on the right, the right head mustering an electric attack which moved through the floor and forced me to jump over it, while the middle one released a curtain of fire that almost got me grilled. I actually got a -10 damage from the brief interaction with the flames, enough pain to remind me that I was going to feel it if the attacks got too intense on me.

So… I guess that means Fido has to go. Fast.

"I guess it has to be a difficult thing, but I have to put you down… boys."

The dog didn't feel pleased with that comment, trying to attack me again with fire, this time with a medium-shaped fireball that I dodged before rushing at the hellish hound.

The battle was less of a head scratcher than I thought it to be as Cerberus was indeed an intense fighter, but one that lacked what really would have frightened anyone fighting a feral animal like that one.

Its capacity to handle physical attacks was the same as a normal dog and the three heads seemed to be struggling to try and counter any attack I delivered on their body.

Eventually enough wounding and stunning, coupled with the few times it got away from me to try and shot me down with magical blasts saw me delivering the killing hit on the infernal monster, putting an end on its life by stabbing on both the left and right heads, leaving just the heavily injured one in the middle to be alive for last.

Congratulations! You leveled up!


Name: Grant Danasty
LVL. 11
Status: Good
HP: 310/310
SP: 130/130
ATK: 42
DEF: 42
CON: 64
INT: 67
LCK: 70


The poor thing yelped a lot, but it had tried to kill me and like hell I was going to ignore the kind of monster it was when healthy and hungry. The monstrous carcass shifted and contorted before dematerializing in an orb of light similar to the one I had absorbed after beating the Giant Bat.

Like it happened with the previous boss, as the orb entered my body, I received a boost and a new ability.

Congratulations! You received a permanent boost! You also received a new ability.


Name: Grant Danasty
LVL. 11
Status: Good
HP: 385/385
SP: 180/180
ATK: 57
DEF: 57
CON: 79
INT: 82
LCK: 85


(New Ability!)

(Double Jump - Unique) - An Infernal Ability not meant for a Mortal! You can now jump twice to increase your vertical reach.

"That's actually good," I hummed in surprise, quite sure that Double Jump was the 'late-game' sort of ability in many Castlevania installments.

The fact that I received it this soon was good… but also concerning to an extent. After all, receiving a new ability like this one meant that there was an obstacle up ahead which may require it to an extensive degree.

I remembered right as I was soon introduced to what looked to be a two-floors jail room with a few platforms, pressure plates to reach and… two barred doors. One led to another staircase leading to the upper floors and one held what looked to be a sword. A flaming sword.

A weapon! Finally!

There's a small issue that stopped me from both getting myself an upgrade to my cutlass and that was the gates themselves. Which was blocked by a mechanism connected to… the whole room.

It's a fucking puzzle room- And a 3D one at that!