Chapter 2-4 Alice Winters
The platform they were on led them back to the Courtyard. Standing in the freezing cold, Alice's breath was shown before her in a cloud of thick fog. "That was too close…" Alice sighed as she looked around, glad to be outside.
Hilda looked up at Alice as her eyes grew with worry. "Did Lady Dimitrescu hurt you?"
The older woman shook her head. "No, I'm alright. What about you?"
Hilda looked herself over, only to shrug. "I'm alright. I didn't think she would be so angry at us though."
"Well we did enter her castle without permission and humiliated her daughter. If she wasn't so intimidating and tried to kill us, I would agree that she had every right to be upset." Alice stated. "Still, we can't stay here now. Ethan isn't here, so we should focus on getting into the Tower."
Hilda nodded in agreement. "What should we do now?"
"Well, we still need to get the four Angel Masks to open up the doorway. Luckily, we found one, so we just need three more. Now that we have the master key, getting to more private areas should become easier. Of course, we'll also need to find the gem stones to get us to the secret chambers of the Tower. But we'll need to get them from the sisters."
"You mean like this one?" Hilda held up a red gem, showing it off to Alice from her bag. "The blond daughter dropped it when she crashed through that window, so I kept it with me."
"Huh… well, looks like we only need the other two gems then." Alice smiled.
"But how are we going to find the other sisters?" Hilda asked. "They could be anywhere in the castle."
"Don't worry, if they are still adamant on getting us, then they'll come to us." Alice stated. "But now we also have Lady Dumptruck to deal with."
"You mean Lady Dimitrescu?" Hilda corrected her.
"I know what I said." Alice stated. "She will no doubt be searching for us." Alice thought back to how she shot that woman in the head, but it only stunned her for a bit. Dr. Anastasia was right about one thing: Those mutants were invincible. Normal weapons would do no good against them. Which meant that she wouldn't be able to take down that woman with what firepower she did have.
Speaking of defending, Hilda gasped as she held onto Alice. "Monsters…" She warned, pointing to the upper levels of the Courtyard, where the doors were. Alice could see the faint outlines, and knew that there were some of the monsters nearby. Alice crouched down, as did Hilda as they tried to stay hidden. There were only five of them, and each of them were in different sections of the courtyard, standing there as if they were waiting. Even though Alice could have easily taken them on herself, she would rather save ammo for the bigger predator's. So she decided to try some sneak attacks and test how close she could get to these creatures before they were alerted.
She came up to one of them who held no weapons, and reached forward, stabbing them with her knife right in the neck as she covered their mouths to keep them from screaming. It took a lot of strength and she had to force the knife deep into the skin, but it was effective nonetheless. While she was at it, she tested out the crossbow that was given to her, seeing how well it could handle in terms of aim and distance. It managed to send the arrows pretty far, and jab right into the back of the heads. Of course, the arrows weren't too effective, taking about three or four just to kill one of the vampiric corpses. Even so, it seemed the distance proved to work in her advantage.
Once she was done slaying the guards, Alice turned back to Hilda as she looked up at the woman. "They're all gone…" She reassured her.
"But they won't give up easily. Let's get those masks and gems and get out of here." Alice declared, taking Hilda's hand as they went through the courtyard, into the dining room and right back to the main hall. Alice decided to check out the Hall of Pleasure since it was inside the main building still, and was the name of one of the angels. They headed up the stairs and took a few rights, going through a simple door which she opened and was taken to a hall of white walls with golden designs. A red carpet was rolled out for them as they walked on it and saw the dark mahogany door with the Dimitrescu crest engraved on it between two pillars of maidens gesturing towards the frame.
Once inside, they were taken to yet another elegant room with the same statue of the five women in front of a curtain window. But the face of the one laying down looked different than the last sacrifice, which meant that was the mask they needed. Alice headed over and took the face of the woman with wide eyes and long stiff hair off of the stone, and placed it with Hilda. "Alright, halfway done…"
"This is easy!" Hilda mused. Alice was about to agree, only to hear some metallic hammering behind them, seeing bars falling down in front of the door. "Spoke too soon…" Hilda noted as her wide eyes looked at the cage they were in.
"For a castle as old as this, their security is pretty modern." Alice noted, checking around the room for an exit. She saw a fireplace with no wood inside, but the bricks had been removed and a breeze was coming from there. The older blond knelt down and began to crawl through, being taken to a small space. "This way." She urged Hilda, as the child followed. They came out to a space between the walls, with bricked structures and dusty wooden floorboards as well as a few sheets and crates loitered around. She also noticed that there were some empty bottles and a can of gunpowder next to the small hole to see the outside. "Hmm…" Alice held onto the two items as an idea sprang into her mind. She grabbed some of the cloth that was used on her wound, which had healed now, and stuffed the powder in the bottle before plugging it up with the cloth.
"What are you making, Alice?" Hilda asked as she watched her craft.
"Just a hand-made explosive that I learned how to make." Alice stated. "Not as great as a pipe bomb, but should have the same result."
"Will it be safe to carry around?" Hilda asked.
"As long as you don't light the cloth, we'll be fine. Better to be prepared. Come on, let's see if we can find a way out of here." Alice headed up the stairs of the wall, being taken to yet another room, which had many suits of armor and weapons stashed away. She checked the map, trying to figure out where they were, which was apparently the Armory. Hilda saw some double doors that were blocked by weapons and crates. It would seem they would not be able to get out through there.
The child looked around, as she scanned the place to try and find a way to get out of the room. She noticed a small light from an empty shelf against one of the walls next to a large canon. She began to move it, and once Alice joined her it became much easier. Once the shelf was out of the way, they could see a large crack with light and cold air filtering through. "We might be able to break it with a powerful attack." Hilda stated.
"Guess this was going to come in handy." Alice noted as she took the explosive bottle and held it up. She then went over to one of the torches to try and light it. As she was about to, the doorway to the armory was blocked and the sound of familiar buzzing could be heard. "I was worried my sisters had gotten to you first." The two girls turned, seeing the brunette Cassandra surrounded in her bug barrier. Alice readied her weapon, knowing full well she would have to protect Hilda. The child gasped as she hid behind one of the barrels, while the Winters aimed the handgun right at the witch. Cassandra merely laughed as the bullets had no effect on her, clouding Alice's vision with the bugs just as she got the jump on her and bit into her neck once more.
Alice hissed as she pushed her off, as she tried to steady herself despite the reopen wound. "How's it feel?" Cassandra mocked as she looked at the bleeding woman. Hilda could see how desperate Alice was, her normal fire power would be no match for her in this state. The child wondered what she could do, how she could help. Her mind wandered back to when Bela had been knocked into the courtyard through the window, and the moment she was outside the bugs around her were gone and she looked flakey. The cold was her weakness, and if she was similar to her other sisters… Hilda saw the gunpowder bottle and then back at the crack in the wall. As dangerous as it was, it was the only way to give them the advantage. The child rushed over and grabbed the bottle, then reached up for the torch while Alice was still distracting Cassandra. It was a lot of effort and much stretching, but she managed to get the torch and used the flame to light the cloth. Once it was on fire, Hilda threw it towards the crack as quickly as she could. It went off just as it smashed into the wall, taking the bricks and wooden structure down with it.
The moment the hole became bigger, Cassandra hissed as she felt the cold air strike her, making the bugs around her vanish and helped clear Alice's vision. Cassandra growled as she looked over at the child. "You stupid child! You've ruined the hunt!" The brunette raised up her sickle, ready to slice at Hilda since she could not use her gnat anymore. Just as the weapon was up in the air, Alice aimed her crossbow right at her hand and shot an arrow through the palm of Cassandra. The witch shrieked, as she dropped her weapon while holding her wounded hand. Her feet stumbled about as she looked back at Alice. "I won't let you get away!" Cassandra hissed as she tried to get to the older blond, only to be met with another arrow at the side of her neck, cutting the choker around her and dropping it to the ground. Black blood seeped out of both wounds, as that sent her stumbling back a bit. "Y-Ya...You're my p-prey… m-my…" Cassandra kept backing up, unaware that she was getting closer and closer to Hilda. The child stepped aside, but held out her foot as Cassandra tripped over the leg. She lost her balance and fell through the hole in the wall, landing on the snow covered ground, unmoving but was she really dead?
Hilda and Alice looked through the hole, seeing the second of the three daughters had met an untimely fate. They pulled back though, as the sight alone was unpleasant even for them. "Are you alright?" Alice asked Hilda.
"Fine, but your neck wound is open…"
"Yeah… not doing so well." She hissed. Hilda quickly handed her the alcohol and more cloth, which Alice used to disinfect the wound and make it stop bleeding. She also handed Alice a green herb, since she didn't have a red one left. Though at least Alice would feel better regardless. Once she recovered her strength and patched up her wound, she looked to the ground and saw a sparkling gem inside the choker that belonged to Cassandra. She took the yellow stone out of the necklace and gave it to Hilda. "Two down… one to go."
Hilda grabbed the gemstone, knowing they would need it later down the line. The child then noticed something mounted on the wall above the fireplace. "Alice, look!" The older woman saw what appeared to be the skull of an animal hanging there. It looked the same size as the mask from the Hall of Pleasure. Now that Alice thought about it, the door to that room was locked right after they took that mask. And the back of the animal skull has the same number and position of notches as the face.
With the idea in her mind, Alice turned back to the doorway which was now unlocked, and headed back to the room where they got the mask. She placed the skull right on the faceless woman, where the horns were downwards. Oddly enough, this seems to have fit far better than before. The bars rose up from the ceiling, and the door opened. Hilda quickly opened it and they were back in the gold and white hallway. "We did it!"
"Alright, now let's head back to the Courtyard and use the key on the other door." Alice stated. Hilda nodded, as the two made their way back to the Main Hall and down to the Courtyard, where they took the door to their left and used the Master Key to unlock the symbol door, which brought them to a room with mostly wooden décor and dark turquoise walls. There was a simple door to their right, but it was locked from the other side. So the only option was to head up the stairs, which they did, and found themselves on the second floor which was much brighter than the one below. Alice saw a door to the right, but noticed it was barred up. What was worse was that the Dimitrescu master key didn't seem to fit in the lock. "Looks like we need another key…" Alice sighed. "You wouldn't happen to have another one on you? Hilda?" Alice looked down to see that the child was not by her side, instead she saw her going to the door down the hall. "Hilda!" Alice called after the child and ran towards her.
When they went through the other side, they were standing on top of a balcony overlooking a grand room. There were some furniture below such as a few tables, chairs and sofas. Two large chandeliers hung above the ceiling. But the most noticeable piece of this place was a grand piano that made the floor pop. "Woah! This must be the Opera Hall…" Hilda jumped excitedly. She headed down the small corridor with Alice following behind. The older one was a bit annoyed, as she didn't want to waste time in exploration, yet Hilda was dead set on looking at this room. Though the older woman did find something that laid on top of a table with a lamp next to it. It appeared to have been another journal. When she went over, she saw two pictures on the open pages. One of them was of a lady dressed as a bird handing some sort of parasite to a woman on the bed, and the other was of three female bodies, each one more decayed than the other.
'One day since treatment. The three girls have stopped moving. They seem almost dead. An insect flew out of the eldest mouth. It appears to be a common fly. Two days since treatment. All three bodies are covered in flies. It appears the flies are consuming their flesh. When I opened a window some of the flies dropped dead to the floor. It would seem the cold petrifies them. I quickly closed the window to avoid weakening the insects further. Four days since treatment. All three bodies have almost been completely consumed by the insects. All that is left is a dark, writhing human-shaped mass of creatures. It is just after noon and the insects have started to change color. Those around the face turned pale and those around the lips turned a deep crimson. Six days since treatment. The mass of insects have transformed into human bodies again. All three girls awoke, looking at me like newborns. I sense a bond between us. Like mother and daughters. I have already decided on their names: Bela, Cassandra and Daniela.'
So this must be how the triplets were created. Lady Dimitrescu used the Cadou in order to mold them into these beings of multiple insects which take the forms of bloodthirsty women. No doubt Miranda had a part to play in this. But it seemed like this was more for Dimitrescu's benefit than for Miranda's. After all, though the three were powerful, they didn't seem like ideal candidates for a ten year old girl to be brought back.
Alice and Hilda walked along the banister, checking the area out. "A-Alice!" Hilda tugged on her shirt, as they were on the right side of the balcony next to a stairwell, where the two saw a vampiric corpse standing there in the archway, separating the two areas. The older one decided to use stealth, since there was only one and it didn't see them. She approached from behind, digging her knife right into the neck and choking the blood right out of the reanimated dead before it fell to the floor and left behind a crystal skull. Once it was destroyed, the girls headed downstairs so they were on the ground floor of the opera hall, walking slowly as she let Hilda search around. The older woman noticed another journal that was left on a circular table next to two, green leather chairs. Curiosity overcame her as she saw the image of fly like insects with wording.
'Scientific name: None. Size: 5 - 6cm. Similar body structure to blow flies, although there are differences in the head. They are carnivorous and vigorously consume meat. In order to catch unsuspecting prey, they'll gather using pheromones to mimic a human. They are produced when a Cadou lays eggs in its host, but the flies themselves are unable to reproduce. They are weak to sudden drops in temperature. Especially if the temperature drops below 10⁰C (50⁰F), their metabolism lowers and they go into a dormant, cryptobiotic state. Similar to the cryptobiosis of Tardigrade or Polypedilum vanderplanki?'
So that explained why the daughters lost their abilities when they were exposed to the cold air outside. And why they craved human flesh, much like Lady Dimitrescu. She didn't know the Cadou could be able to reproduce though, she assumed it was just a Mold that branched off and infected other people. Then again, it was mold, a plant based organism, and so long as it had enough resources it could create more of itself. Just the thought of it made her shiver.
"Woah, look at this piano!" Hilda awed as she was right near the keys. Alice walked over as she seemed invested in it. "I knew Lady Dimitrescu loved jazz, but I didn't think she could play the piano!"
"Well, she does seem like a classic woman." Alice noted as she checked the music sheet on the stand. "Huh… that's 'Moonlight Sonata'." Alice realized. She wondered if there was something odd about this piano, and why this music sheet would be here. She sat down at the chair and placed her fingers on the keys, before she began to play the notes to match the song, playing the music to near perfection.
"Woah! I didn't know you could play the piano!" Hilda was yet again amazed.
"Well, Rebecca taught me how. Chris made it mandatory since he had an experience like this once on one of his first B.O.W missions, so he figured the same would follow." Alice explained. She was against the idea since she wasn't one for making music, but she would have to give Chris a point in this regard since it actually came in handy. Even more so once a small slot opened up from the piano, supporting a metal ball with a flower and sword engraved on it.
"This must be the ball for the labyrinth." Hilda gasped as she picked it up and held it in her fingers.
"Labyrinth?" Alice repeated with a raised brow.
Hilda stashed the ball as she looked up at her. "I'll explain once we head back to the Dukes. Come on! We still have two more masks and one more gemstone to get!"
"In that case, do you know how we can get through that door that was locked upstairs?" She questioned.
Hilda gave a smile and nod as she gestured for Alice to follow her. Alice didn't object, as they headed to a simple wooden door and unlocked it, being taken back to the same hallway from when they entered this section of the castle. Once they went up the stairs, they took a right to where the barred door was. Hilda went to the lock and took out her pick that was given to her by the Duke. It took her a bit of tinkering, but once the door clicked, a grin spread on her face. "Ta-da!"
"Huh, between your lockpicking skills, collecting valuables and going into tight spaces, you would make a pretty good thief." Alice remarked.
"It's not stealing if no one is using it." With the door now unlocked, they headed inside, being taken to the library, which had many shelves of books and in the center was a wooden platform with pillars, a few supporting levers. The room was pretty dark except for the small source of light coming from the roof. It was quiet in the library, a bit too quiet. The Hall of Joy was just beyond this room, and if they could get it, they would be able to get the third of the four masks.
But it would not be that easy, especially when Hilda halted Alice in her moment in time for a bunch of flies to appear, followed by a woman with red hair. Daniela Dimitrescu, the last of the three daughters. "So you finally came to see me! Well, it's only natural that you would fall for me in time."
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not into women or bugs." Alice called out as she held up her weapon. She knew now that normal weapons wouldn't affect her with the flies as active as they are now. If she could expose the daughter to the cold outside, she could do some damage to her. But there were no windows around this library, just the roof. Alice began to feel the bugs surrounding her, and had to keep distance between her and Daniela. Surely there was a way to open the roof, but how?
Hilda seemed to have figured it out, as she noticed a small handle on one of the eight wooden pillars. The child reached up and pulled it down, making the roof above them pull back. Daniela felt the cold on her skin, which made it flakey as the bugs surrounding her all began to drop dead. "Ugh! Why you!" Daniela turned to Hilda, wanting to slash at her for what she had done. Thankfully Alice was ready and aimed a bullet right at her hand, forcing Daniela to drop her weapon. "Ow! So mean!" Daniela attempted to hide, trying to find cover as the roof started to close up. With the room becoming warmer, the flies began to swarm around the daughter once more. "You can't go anywhere." Daniela mocked as she flew towards Alice, using the speed to her advantage.
Hilda and Alice would not give up that easily, as the young child threw the lever down again, opening the roof, while Alice took a few shots. "It's so cold!" Daniela complained. "Why are you doing this?! Why would you do this?!"
"Because you and your sisters have caused enough pain to me for one day!" Alice stated as she shot an arrow right at the choker, making the necklace drop as Daniela stumbled into one of the bookshelves. The impact was so great that it started to wobble until gravity took its toll and landed right on the red haired daughter, gasping in pain as the books and wood covered her, making her unable to move. The cold kept her from flying away in her swarms, and it was clear it would take Daniela a while until she could get out of that mess. For now, Alice reached down and picked up the green gem from the necklace. They had all three of the gemstones, which meant they could get access to the secret chambers below the Tower of Worship. Of course they would have to open the doorway to said chambers, but they were nearly there.
Alice and Hilda hurried out of the library, being taken to a room with a wooden stand. On the wooden side of the wall were three glass stained portraits of the daughters. "Where are the statues?" Hilda questioned as she was certain that they would be here, but saw they weren't anywhere.
"Must be hidden somewhere…" Alice hummed, stepping onto the platform as she noticed a trap door carved into the floorboards. It was circular, so perhaps the statue was underneath. This must mean there had to be some way to get it to them. Alice observed the portraits once more, as she noticed all of them were colored white, and each portrait had a button below them with some sort of plaque in the center. 'From right to left: The eldest daughter, Bela. The middle daughter, Cassandra. And the youngest daughter, Daniela. Each given a gem by their mother to represent their age.'
Alice reached down and pressed the button under the Bela portrait, which turned the glass from white to yellow. When she pressed it again, the glass turned green. A third time and it was red. The fourth time it reset to the default shade of snow. So this was a color puzzle, meaning that each daughter must represent a color. But what was their shade? The clue mentioned gems for their age? Gems… the gemstones from their chokers that they wore! That must be the answer! Alice made quick work as she made Daniela's glass turn green, Cassandra had a yellow gem so her glass was that shade. Which left the red colors to Bela. The two stepped back as the floor began to rumble, the trap doors opened and the same statue of the four women sacrificing a virgin on a bed of roses appeared.
"Ha, these puzzles aren't so clever." Alice mocked as she went over to the sacrificed woman and plucked the head off, showing off a woman with hair on the right side of her face covering her eye with roses in her mane. The Mask of Joy, now they just needed to find the Mask of Rage and they could get to the Tower.
"Come on!" Hilda dragged Alice to a door on their left, which was a metal one of three maidens gathered around a wrinkled woman with her eyes wrapped in cloth. Once they were inside, they were in a room of green wallpaper and wooden décor. A few holes were on the north wall, showing off gears and cogs which turned. A portrait of an angel holding bells was placed on a canvas. But the most noticeable thing about this room was a large image of a woman in elite clothing, fit for a noble. The frame alone took up all of the wall. She almost looked like Dimitrecu herself. Was this what she looked like before Miranda implanted the Cadou inside of her? "It should be around here somewhere…" Hilda noted as she checked the room.
"What are we looking for?" Alice questioned.
"There's a passageway in this room that will lead us to the roof where the Tower of Rage is. But I don't know where it is…"
"Must be covered up…" Alice shrugged as she noticed a small note on the portrait of the angel written in red ink. 'Let the five bells of this chamber ring out.' "Bells?" Alice repeated.
"Alice, look!" Hilda pointed to the wall with the gears and cogs, seeing a golden bell swinging on a pendulum. Alice didn't quite understand this puzzle, but it seemed to be the only lead they had. She was too far now to question anything. Taking out her gun, she used her bullet to aim right in the small square and shoot, making the bell ring and a small fire to be lit on top of it. Again, not sure how it worked, but she went along with it. She saw a smaller one on a round table, hitting it which caused a fire to appear above it. Then there was a tinier one on top of some stacks of papers above a shelf, which Hilda began to climb onto it and ring that one by herself. The last two were a bit trickery, as Alice had to climb up a small staircase and look out the window to see one in a tower. She had to break the glass first before she could shoot at that one. And the final bell was inside the candle chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
Once all five bells began to ring out, they chimed together in harmony. The melody played out, just a few creaking noises could be heard, resulting in the portrait of the elegant lady moving and showing a hidden room. There wasn't much inside, except for a hole leading to a cold breeze. The Winters and child walked down the corridor of loose floorboards and brick walls, going down the archways until they made it to an end where they climbed a wooden ladder. They found themselves in what Alice could only assume was the attic, based on how high and dusty this place was. Many statues and armor were scattered about, along with other miscellaneous furniture and items such as books and antiques. There was even a corpse lying in one of the ends, but Hilda advised not to go there as she sensed it was a monster. Since it seemed to be taking a dirt nap, Alice decided to wander off.
They came into a smaller room with other paintings and furniture, as Alice noticed an F2 Rifle resting on one of the chairs. "Not a bad find…" She smiled as she took the weapon and examined it. The chamber only held four bullets, but it would be enough to get them through. Hopefully the Duke could sell them some more later. She looked through the scope, seeing the clear vision. "This will come in handy." Alice stashed her new weapon away as they walked through a dark room and out through a window onto a balcony once more, being at the rooftops of the castle. The moment they stepped outside though, four winged beasts in humanoid shape flew by them, cawing and growling combined. Hilda stayed behind Alice, as the child clung to the woman. Alice decided it was best not to engage in flying enemies, and stuck closer to the wall, using the shadows to try and blend in with the surroundings.
They came to a torch lit area where there was an elevator. Hilda looked at it and smiled. "This will take us back down!" She stated.
"We can take this once we get the last mask…" Alice looked around the rooftops, seeing a Belfry up in the distance, noticing a zipline connecting it with another tower. "That looks to be the place."
"Looks like we will have to get across the rooftops to get up there…" Hilda noted, seeing how much longer they had to go.
Alice didn't like using the long way, instead, she had another idea. Going into her belt, she took out the grappling hook. She never was able to use it before, but figured now was the perfect opportunity. She raised it up right at the ledge of the Belfry and shot it so the hook latched onto it. She then grabbed hold of Hilda as Alice reeled them up onto the ledge and climbed up. Once they were on the foundation, they quickly went over to the zipline, which had a hook. She used one arm to hold onto Hilda and the other to grip the hook. "Hang on tight." She told the kid, as the two of them zoomed across from one of the towers to the other.
The tower had barred windows, but it held the last statue of the women sacrificing a maiden, with the final Mask. Alice went over and grabbed it, of a eyeless face with an open mouth to reveal fangs, and on the side were horns for hair. The Mask of Rage. "OK. That's all of them. We should be able to open the Tower Gates with these…"
"Then let's hurry!" Hilda stated. "But first, best to go see the Duke. I want to try something."
Alice shrugged. "May as well stock up before we head out, just in case." Hilda smiled as the two looked around, seeing a ladder which they put down. When they climbed, they took the elevator and made it to a small shaft room, then headed out to the entrance hall, where the doors were barred up, though that was no surprise. They headed through the halls, down the stairs until they made it to a side room which took them back to the Hall of Four. Before they could place the masks on the statues, Hilda insisted they head to the Merchants room. Alice wasn't against it, as she was fine with the idea of taking a break and stocking up. Though Hilda wanted to be in that room for other reasons.
Once they were in the luxurious room, they were greeted by the jolly man himself. "It's a pleasure to see you both are safe."
"Somehow." Alice shrugged. "But at least we're alive."
"How are things?" The Duke questioned.
Alice shook her head in disappointment. "Ethan was never here… and I don't think his wife or daughter is either…"
The Duke frowned at that remark. "I'm… so sorry it turned out that way. Well, you'll find your way to them once you're out of this castle." The Duke tried to cheer them up.
"That's what I'm planning on." Alice declared. She looked over at Hilda, who took the small ball from the piano and placed it in the castle labyrinth. The older woman walked over and watched her trying to get the ball to go through the rails, tilting the castle to get it to be on the trail. Heading down each tower, making it through the lowering bridges and into the right hole while avoiding the false ones until it landed within one of the towers in the center. When it was in the designated hole, confetti flew out of the contraption and the glass case opened up for the two.
"It worked!" Hilda jumped up and down.
Alice reached inside, searching for what was kept in this elaborate puzzle. In the end, it was only a scroll. "All of that for some parchment?" She raised a brow, untying the ribbon and opening it, seeing something written on the page. "Wait… this is a journal entry."
"Who's it from?" Hilda asked as she looked up to try and see the lettering. Alice read it, as the letter was even dated and used in cursive fonts.
"1914:
After countless hours of labor, I have managed to bless my home with the birth of my daughter, my dear Alcina. You are the pride and joy of the Dimitrescu bloodline and have a lot to live up to. But I know you will make me proud. The leader of our village came to me today with her daughter, blessing me with great fortune for the arrival of my heir. It seems she also can foresee the great things my child will accomplish later down the line. Though I do fear she will inherit my genetic disorder in my blood, our leader reassured me that Alcina will be able to overcome it and will watch over her to help her out. I am so thankful to be part of one of the four houses of this village, and to have the Empress take such good care of us. I know that should anything happen to me, Alcina will be in good hands. Though I still worry for the future as the war wages on in the world, I have faith that we will be safe and protected here in our village. Our Empress will make sure of that. Do not fear, my dear daughter. Nothing will happen to you so long as you live here. Adelina Dimitrescu."
Adelina Dimitrescu? Alcina? Was this daughter the woman referred to the current owner of this castle? Her last name was Dimitrescu. But, that giant woman would have been over a hundred years old, if she was born in 1914. Then again, maybe that was just another perk of the Cadou? After all, Miranda was well over a century old, and she was infected with the Megamycete. So, Adelina was the Lady's mother, and the previous owner of this castle. Aside from the mention of the first world war and a disorder that the current owner has, there was another piece of information that Alice found slightly surprising. This Empress that Adelina mentioned… Was she the former ruler of this village? Seemed odd that such a small population would be under monarchy rule. But this must have been back before Miranda took over. Once again, something that was not in the report. Maybe there just wasn't enough information about it?
"It seems you have acquired something that not even I can put a price on." The Duke smirked, watching as the two read that note.
Alice turned to the chubby man as she wanted to see if he knew anything. "Do you know who this Empress that this note speaks of is?"
"Why, she was the previous ruler of the village before Mother Miranda took over." The Duke stated.
"And what happened to her?" Alice questioned.
"Don't know… she disappeared after Miranda had changed everything up within the next few decades. If she was as smart as they say, she probably escaped this place and lived somewhere far away. Though I'm certain that she may show up soon. After all, a true ruler never abandons their kingdom, no matter how small."
Alice was about to ask another question, only for Hilda to pipe in. "Did you know her?"
The Duke smiled at the child as she had curiosity in her eyes. "She was the one who gave me a gift of her own, to help me travel to different places and become the man I am today. She even allowed me to do business in the village after so many years. All the more reason I pray for her safety and well being each and every day."
"Do you have any pictures or images of what she looked like? I would love to know more about her!" Hilda begged as she seemed all the more excited.
A frown followed upon the puffed out cheeks of the man. "I'm so sorry, my child. Unfortunately, a lot of my treasures with the Empress's likeness are all gone. But if you look around the village, I'm certain you will find some remaining portraits of her. Miranda herself could never truly erase the past." Alice raised a brow at the Duke. He knew more than he was letting on, but as much as she wanted to ask him question after question, she heard the footsteps above them being caused by a certain woman of great mass.
"Come on Hilda, let's head to the tower." Alice advised.
The child nodded before waving goodbye to the Duke. The two girls hurried back to the Hall of the Angels, where they placed the masks on each of the statues based on the riddles. Once all the masks were in place, the small holders above the Tower doorway started to light up one by one, until five fire pits were flaming on the archway. The doors began to open on their own, and the two headed through a small hallway with decorative white vases holding three maidens hand in hand wearing golden dresses. Hilda reached into them and found some useful items which she stashed in her satchel. After going through another set of doors, they were taken to a small bridge where they were on the outside. Before them was a giant tower, far grander than the other pillars around the castle.
Alice took in a sigh of relief, knowing that this section was almost over. They headed up the stone steps, coming into an abandoned chapel. Some of the floor tiles were out of place, a few of the pews were broken, and the candlesticks were fallen down. This place had definitely seen better days. "Guess Sunday is over…" Alice remarked as they walked further into the church, Alice holding her weapon in hand just in case something was ready to pop out at them, like a certain tall, pale lady. They walked over to the end of the room, where a black coffin decorated in silver designs of the Dimitrescu crest was placed with three glass stained windows. Below the coffin, was a plaque with some words written on it, and three small holes. "Here lies Adelina Dimitrescu. May her reign live on with her daughter, Alcinia, and her three granddaughters."
"So, where would the passageway be?" Hilda questioned, as her eyes wandered the walls. Alice looked at the plaque again, seeing the three circular depressions below the wording. Alice already knew what to do. She took out the gems from Hilda's satchel and began to put them in. First the red gem for Bela, then the yellow gem for Cassandra and the green gem for Daniela. The coffin began to vibrate slightly before it rose up, dust settled as a platform with iron bars appeared from the floor. Alice and Hilda watched as the elevator presented itself. "Woah…" Hilda was once again surprised.
"Looks like we found our exit." Alice walked over and stood inside the shaft, with Hilda following behind. She pulled on a rope which began to lower them back down. The ride was semi-slow, as the two of them were alone in the small space. Hilda watched the walls move as she saw the structure of the Tower and its lower levels. While they were waiting, Alice decided to have a small conversation with Hilda. "So where are your parents, Hilda? Are they…?"
The child looked up at the woman and shook her head. "I don't have any parents… I lost my mom when I was two years old. She was attacked by one of the villagers from what I was told. She died before I could remember her face…" Hilda noted somberly.
"What about your dad?"
"I never knew my father. He was an outsider of the village and my mom had me with him out of wedlock. No one knew who he was because mom kept it a secret." Hilda explained.
"I'm so sorry, sweetie." Alice held her shoulder as she looked at the child. "It couldn't be easy growing up without any parents. I know first hand."
"You do?" Hilda questioned.
"I lost my mom when I was only eight years old, and my dad not long after. Ethan practically helped raise me during my teenage years, and it was just the two of us for a long time."
"I'm sorry." Hilda breathed as she looked at her with sympathy.
Alice merely smiled as she held onto Hilda. "Don't worry about it. It was a long time ago. Besides, this means we have something else in common." Hilda's eyes went wide at that realization. Alice had to admit, the kid was pretty cute and also smart. It was welcoming to see that there was one survivor of this village, and it had to be Hilda. Alice promised herself that she would make sure Hilda gets out of this alive, and would ensure she got herself in a better home.
Soon enough, they came to the bottom floor of the tower, where archways were lined up against the brick walls. It was dark save for some torches lighting the room, and most of the floor was covered in a pulsating, blackish green plant root that was very thick in mass. "This must be it…" Alice stated as she hopped off of the elevator and went over to the root. She reached into her bag and took out the case that Dr. Anastasia had given her.
Hilda watched as Alice took out the scalpel and tweezers, using them to remove a large chunk of the Megamycete root and inserted it into the vial labeled 'Dimitrescu'. She then stashed the tube into the case along with the tools after wiping them off, then placed the sample back into her bag. "One down, four to go." Alice sighed as she adjusted the straps. Aside from the run in with the vampire ladies, the castle didn't seem bad. But now that she got what she needed, there was no point in staying here. Which begged the question, where was the exit?
While Alice was getting the sample, Hilda turned over to a staircase leading up to a platform. She walked up the steps and saw an altar which was lit up by the fire of the torches. Strangely enough, all that was there was a yellow flask, with a seal that had the Dimitrescu symbol on top. There were some pictures and labels, but a lot of it was hard to make out with how dirty the outside was. Hilda's eyes went wide as she was drawn closer to it, reaching up and holding it. As she did, the flask began to glow a bright yellow. Her green eyes were staring right at the strange object, as if she was compelled to hold onto it. When she took the flask off the table, it lowered itself into the ground and the wall that was close to it rose up in the ceiling, revealing a doorway leading to the outside.
Alice turned to see what was happening, rushing to Hilda's side. "Hilda! What happened?" The child gasped as she looked up to the older woman, just as the flask stopped glowing.
"H-huh?" Hilda looked around, wondering what occurred. "A-Alice…"
"What is that?" She asked, pointing to the object in Hilda's hands.
"It… was just sitting here…" Hilda presented the flask to Alice, who took it and looked at it. Come to think of it, that note from Dimitrescu private chambers mentioned something about a flask placed here. Whatever it was, it must have been important to Miranda. Alice decided it was better to take it with them, so she placed it in Hilda's bag.
"Come on, let's get out of here." Alice smiled as she took Hilda's hand, ready to leave this castle and continue the search for her family and her mission.
