Chapter 4-4 Hilda

"Ethan…. Ethan!" Hilda called out the name of the older Winters, leaning down to be at his level. The man groaned as his ears registered the child's voice. He slowly opened his eyes, seeing blurry images at first before the clear figure of Hilda was before him. Finally, he managed to move his muscles, sitting up on his knees in the mud. The child reached over and started to clear his face of the dirt which was stuck to the skin. "There we go… maybe that mud will clear up your pores…" She told him with a smile. Ethan felt fuzzy on a few details, standing up as he rubbed his head.

"What… what happened?" Ethan asked.

"You were knocked out by Moreau, but I was able to convince him to spare you." Hilda explained. The Winters seemed hesitant to believe that. Because from what he remembered, Hilda told him to stop attacking Moreau and he felt like he couldn't control his body. He ended up fainting as a result. Then again, he did remember seeing her talk to the Lord and being persistent with something. He couldn't recall all of the details, but he still felt off after what happened. "Are you hurt?" Hilda asked, looking over the man.

"Just… feel a bit of an ache in my body. But it should pass soon." He looked over at the girl, appearing unharmed to him. "You were really brave to face up to Moreau. You don't even have a scratch on you."

Hilda rubbed her arm as he mentioned that, probably from embarrassment. "We better hurry and get to Moreau's clinic… Alice still needs the blue herb."

Ethan heard what she said and knew she was right. Since Moreau appeared to be out of the way, hopefully nothing would be stopping them from getting the herbs they need and find Alice. Ethan prayed they still had time. They headed to the very end of the field, seeing a pathway leading upwards. Ethan could have sworn that this path was blocked due to the wall enzymes Moreau used. Maybe they were taken down after the Lord left? He decided not to question it as he and Hilda headed up the semi-steep path. "Is the exit up ahead?" He asked the child as he pointed in the direction they were going.

Hilda nodded. "There's a tunnel that will lead up to a gate." She answered. Ethan nodded, leading the way as he swapped out his hand gun. Even if they didn't have to worry about Moreau, he was not going to take any chances. They followed the rail tracks through the mine until they found the double doored gate the child mentioned. It had the symbol of a baby fetus inside a golden ring surrounded by six black wings. Ethan attempted to open it, but the gate was locked.

"Hilda, do you still have that key?" Ethan asked. The child reached into her satchel and took out the Four-Winged Unborn Key. Once she handed it to the Winters, he tried inserting it into the lock. Even as he turned it, the pad wouldn't budge. "Great… maybe the next part we need is around here somewhere…" Ethan looked around to try and find the next piece the key needed to be complete. Hilda noticed a passageway next to the gate, and went to her left with Ethan following. They walked through the boarded flooring and walls until they came to what appeared to be a shack. A television which had static on was in the corner, with a blanket laid out. On top of it was a pie plate with cheese and a fork inside. A small stool had a notebook which had scribbles written inside. Being curious, Ethan decided to check the journal while Hilda looked around to search Moreau's quarters.

"Mother Miranda gave me a Rose jar. No one likes me which is why I thought they would leave me out again. But Heisenberg said that was why we each get a Rose. The ceremony cannot happen without us all there. Mother didn't seem to care though. Mother said Rose is the key to getting her a vessel. With that vessel, Mother can get her real child back. Even though she has been dead for a very long time. But if Mother does then… What will happen to me? I'm not her real child… Would she abandon me? No! I don't want that!

"No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No!"

Ethan thought that was a lot of 'no's' in one paragraph, but the journal did show how dedicated he was to Miranda. Though it was clearly blind devotion that was one sided. Ethan did take note of something: The journal mentioned that Rose was just a key to getting a vessel. The key… that meant Rose wasn't the one being used to revive Eva after all. Ethan admitted that it was a bit strange, as Alice told him that Miranda planned on using Rose to bring back Eva, but… if Rose wasn't supposed to be the vessel, who was?

The Winters looked over to see Hilda holding up a jar, staring into the glass as a creature was held inside. Ethan didn't trust it and ran over to see what it was. "What the hell is that thing?" He pointed at the fetus-like creature, sitting in the water of its container.

"It says 'Cadou' on the jar. So that must be what it is." Hilda stated, showing him the label.

Ethan looked back at the creature, being reminded that this was the same thing implanted on the subjects Miranda used. "So that's what it looks like.. Bigger than I thought." He admitted.

"I think it's sleeping right now…" Hilda noted as she turned the jar around.

"Don't mess around with it. It's a parasite that could kill you." Ethan warned her.

"It's okay, I'm being very careful with it. And it's in a jar, so it can't hurt us." Hilda reassured.

Even so, Ethan didn't want to take any chances. "Just… put it away and be careful. Last thing we need is for either one of us to get infected with that stuff…" Ethan warned her. Hilda nodded as she stashed the jar with the parasite into her bag. Ethan looked back at the small table, seeing a key piece with two wings of black feathers. He took out the Four-Winged Unborn Key and combined them. Now, they had the Six-Winged Unborn Key. The same symbol that was on those gates. "Alright, finally getting somewhere."

"Now we can head through and find the clinic!" Hilda beamed as they were almost home free.

Ethan nodded as he looked at the key in his hands. Then he checked over to where the gate was. "Just to be safe, I'll scout out ahead and make sure the coast is clear. Last thing we need is more enemies. Stay here, and don't move." Ethan ordered her. Hilda had no complaints, as she wanted to explore more of Moreau's shack anyways. The Winters headed out of the room and turned the corner. Hilda could hear the sound of clicking as Ethan had unlocked the gate. The child was currently searching around the shack, trying to find any other treasures that belonged to the Fish King for her to collect. Her back was turned to the television just as the static noises had ceased.

"You're better off than I thought." Hilda stopped what she was doing and turned to the source of the noise. On the screen, she saw a diamond shaped crest with a horse inside a horseshoe. The symbol of the fourth Lord.

"Lord Heisenberg?" Hilda was surprised. She didn't know the metal man could communicate using electronics. Though given his power and abilities, perhaps it was to be expected. The child went over to the box and sat down in front of it. "Is it really you, Lord Heisenberg?" Hilda asked.

The line was silent for a moment before she heard a response. "You aren't Ethan Winters." He noted.

"No… but I am with him. He went on ahead to scout the area to make sure nothing was going to attack us." Hilda explained.

"So… you defeated Moreau?" He asked.

Hilda nodded. "Well, not really defeated. He agreed to leave us alone after I agreed to help him. But right now, we're looking for some blue herbs to cure Ethan's sister, Alice."

"Oh? He has a sister? And she's in the village?" Heisenberg was listening to this through the screen, taking in what the child was saying.

"Yes, she got poisoned by one of the Crowned Orb Weavers. And we have to find her blue herbs to heal her. Then we have to find the last Rose flask and Alice needs to collect some more Mold samples from the Mega-my-site roots."

"Megamycete…" Heisenberg corrected her, as he seemed silent for a while. "So… she's the one that has been collecting the flasks all along, not Ethan."

"Yes. She's trying to get her niece back. And she's also on another mission, but I'm not sure what she is doing, only collecting the samples." Hilda explained.

"And… where are these roots, exactly?" Heisenberg questioned.

Hilda seemed like she was about to answer, but wondered if she was saying too much. While she did idolize the Lords, she also knew they wouldn't like Alice and Ethan going in their domains, since they were outsiders and were going against Miranda's wishes. "I'm… not sure Alice would want me to tell you. I'm sorry…"

"Oh come on. Surely you can tell me. I won't tell anyone else." Heisenberg stated.

"I trust you… but Alice and Ethan don't…" Hilda explained sadly.

"Then how about I gain their trust by lending them a hand?" Heisenberg suggested smugly. Hilda perked up upon hearing that, so he continued. "If you tell me where these Megamycete roots are, I'll tell you where the last flask is."

"R-really?!"

"Lord's honor. But you have to tell me your secret first."

That did seem fair, and if they could find out where Rose's fourth flask was, they could resurrect her. Besides, Heisenberg may be a secluded and secretive Lord, but he seemed trustworthy, given the fact he hadn't killed Ethan when they first met. "Hmm… okay! From what Alice told me, the Roots are located in the areas that the Lords and Miranda resign in. There was one underneath Lady Dimitrescu's castle. One in the old well in Lady Beneviento's estate. Then we found one in the Reservoir that belongs to Lord Moreau. And the last root should be within your factory… or at least under it."

"So… this means that woman will be coming to my factory next." Heisenberg mused as he heard Hilda's words.

"There's also a heart of the Megamycete, where the source is. Alice is saving that for later." Hilda added.

"And do you know where the Megamycete heart is?" The screen asked the child.

"Probably where Miranda sleeps…" Hilda suggested. "So, since I told you my secret, can you tell me where the lask flask is?" Hilda asked as she scooted closer to the screen.

"You know that Stronghold just outside the Village?"

"You mean the one where the Lycan's have made it into their den?"

"That same one. My flask is buried deep in there. I figure it would be easier for them to guard it, rather than have it be in my factory. Don't worry, it's safe I assure you. If you want Rose back, then you'll need to head there."

Hilda hummed as she heard what Heisenberg had said. "So you placed it there… That's very clever of you, Lord Heisenberg. You really are the smartest of the Lords."

"Haha…" Heisenberg mused at her comment. "Well, with such a comment, how could I say no to you? But, no point in you guys going back and fourth between my Factory and the Stronghold right? Why don't you and Ethan Winters head there, and the woman can head to my factory?"

"You want Alice to go to you?" Hilda questioned. "But… the way to the factory from the Altar is destroyed…"

"There's always more than one way to get somewhere… The dam in Moreau's reservoir can help get across to my domain. It will be a steep and rocky path, but if she's as tough as her brother, she can handle it."

"Oh right! I forgot about that… Alright! As long as they get the flasks and the root samples, splitting them up would be beneficial for all of us." Hilda agreed.

"That's what really matters, right? Ethan gets his daughter back, and Alice will complete her mission. But, you have to promise me one more thing."

"Anything, Lord Heisenberg."

"Don't tell them I told you this. They may not believe me and will only come to my factory in anger. After all, Ethan may not be happy with me for following Miranda's orders."

"That… is true." Hilda noted somberly, remembering how unsympathetic he was to Moreau. She could only imagine he would do the same to Heisenberg if they met. Alice seemed more level-headed though and compassionate, so even if she met the Forth Lord, she would find it in her heart to give him mercy.

"With Alice, I'll be able to explain better since she seems like she knows what's going on here… All the more reason I want her to come to my factory alone."

Hilda smiled, believing everything he was saying. "Alright! I'll tell them but won't say you told me."

"Very good… do you know where the Stronghold is?" Heisenberg asked.

"Head back to the Graveyard and go through the Forbidden Woods… I can lead Ethan there no problem." Hilda reassured him.

"Then I'll leave the rest to you. Good luck." That was Heisenberg's final message before his crest disappeared on the screen, going back to static.

Even though it seemed like the Lord's were against the Winters, Heisenberg appeared to want to help them. Hilda always knew that despite his aloofness, he did have some fascination with the outside world like her. The child stood up and dusted her skirt, ready to head out. She heard footsteps approaching and ran over to the hall to go into the mine, seeing Ethan on the other side of the open gate. "Sorry it took so long… you okay?" He asked her.

Hilda nodded, running over and following Ethan. The two went through the closed space as they found themselves back to where her and Alice came through. "This way!" Hilda urged as she knew where to go. Ethan merely followed, since she seemed to be confident in their direction. Eventually, they found the small elevator platform. Once Ethan flipped the lever, they rose up from the mines and were brought back in the broken Windmill. "The Clinic should be around here…" She told him, running off from the shaft and back out into the open world. Ethan hurried after her, going out through the front entrance to see her attempting to pry open an iron barred gate. He was confused at first, until he noticed the wooden sign next to it. 'Moreau's Clinic'. "No good… it's not budging…" Hilda sighed in defeat.

Ethan checked the gate over, wondering what kind of key they would need to unlock it. He noticed a hole with an odd shape next to it, which looked familiar. He saw that shape before… back with the Windmills. "Hang on, let me try something." The Winters took out the crank, which he kept just in case. He then placed it into the slot and started to turn the handle a few times. After a few turns, the gate clicked and it came loose. Hilda was amazed, swinging it fully open. "Not the weirdest thing I've seen since I've got here." He admitted. "Is the Clinic up ahead?"

"Yes! Through this path!" Hilda held onto his hand, taking him through the narrowed and slightly steep pathway. Ethan noticed that the sun was starting to set, indicating how long they had been inside the Village. At least they were close to getting Rose back, and hopefully Alice was almost done with her mission. The sooner they got out of there, the better. Hilda paused in her movements as she seemed to shake in fear. Ethan stopped his feet as he recognized her stiffness. Hilda held onto Ethan, shaking as she pointed to the opening of the field. A large pile made up of pig carcasses was formed, and there Ethan could see a few Hunters sulking about, as if they were surveying the area.

"Do I even want to know what those overgrown lizards are?" Ethan questioned, more annoyed than anything.

"They're really tough. Alice had to use an electric gun with water just to take them down…" Hilda told him.

"Then you better stay behind, there will be a lot of bullets and blood flying." Ethan warned her. Hilda ran over to hide behind some stones, while Ethan took out his shotgun and loaded it. He didn't have many shells left after beating Moreau, but he needed to use what he could if he was going to take these creatures on. He reloaded his weapon, and checked the area. From what he saw, there were three Hunters. At least it wasn't a big crowd. Ethan decided to play it smart, leading one away so he could take them one at a time. He shot the nearest one in the head, getting it right in the face on the first try. This upset the Hunter as it ran towards Ethan. Long, clawed hands tried to slash at the man, as the monster was determined to rip the human to shreds.

Ethan knew he was outmatched in terms of strength, but at least he had his weapons. The Winters started to blast more of his bullets at the beast, mostly attacking the chest and arms. It was a close call, Ethan nearly got clawed a few times, and the Hunter was more agile than Ethan gave credit for. Still, even though it took him all of his shotgun shells, he was finally successful in killing one off. Turns out it took ten shots total just to keep it down. He watched as the Hunter hissed out before falling onto its short knees face first into the ground.

For a brief moment, Ethan felt accomplished as he managed to take on such a beast with little to no physical repercussions. However, he was not out of the woods yet. The other two heard the cries of their fallen comrade and went to investigate. When they saw Ethan, the Winters knew he would have to be faster than before. The overgrown lizards ran after Ethan, making him quickly grab his handgun and started to shoot at them. Of course, the smaller bullets didn't have much of an effect on them, as he figured. It didn't help that one of them jumped behind and clawed at him with its talons. Despite the injury, Ethan was able to get up and continue his fight. He used up the rest of his handgun bullets, but none of the Hunters went down. "Damn it!" Ethan was at a disadvantage now, as he no longer had any ammo. He resorted to dodging and barely getting by with outmaneuvering the beasts. He tried searching for more resources he could use, but so far there was nothing in the fields.

Hilda knew Ethan was struggling, and even though she wasn't much of a fighter, she had the parts to make something. She had some empty bottles, cloth and gunpowder. She remembered that Alice made these kinds of items back in the castle. Hopefully it will be enough. The child combined the items together, fitting them in and made about three of them. Once she was finished, Ethan stumbled over to her as the other two Hunters were right on his tail. "Ethan!" Hilda stood up and handed him the make-shift bombs. The Winters took it without hesitation, as he searched around for a fire source. Thankfully, there were some torches on the outside of the doors of the huts. It was a bit of work maneuvering around to light the fuse, especially with the monsters within a distorted arm's reach. However, he was able to set fire to the cloth of one of the three bottles. Once he threw it, it landed on one of the two and hit them with such a powerful impact. The one staggered back, hissing as some glass was stuck in its skin. Ethan was surprised how effective it was, despite it being a man-made bomb. He lit another one and threw it at them, mostly hitting the one that received the damage before. This time, that one fell over and became stiff, indicating it was dead.

It was even more so a victory as Ethan watched the other Hunter run off, probably realizing that it would be next if it stuck around. Ethan didn't mind, one less of those ugly B.O.W's to worry about. Hilda stood up from where she was, looking over at Ethan who was dusting himself off. When he saw the child approached, he already reassured her he was alright by holding up his hand. "That was close… thankfully there weren't that many…"

"That should be all of them, I don't sense anyone else nearby." Hilda reassured Ethan.

The Winters nodded, stashing the last explosive bottle in case they would have to be in another fight soon. "How did you learn to make such a weapon?" He asked the child.

"Alice showed me how when we were exploring Dimitrescu's castle. We used it to open up a wall!" Hilda explained as she remembered an event that happened hours ago.

"Well, if it was that powerful, no wonder it took those guys down." Ethan remarked. "Alright, let's find that Clinic and get the blue herbs." Ethan declared. They looked around to try and locate the building. They search the other houses for any supplies they could find, since they were low at the moment. Luckily there were plenty of bullets for Ethan's weapons, as well as some green herbs and chem fluid. Hilda stashed everything in her inventory, while they finished looking at the two houses.

There was one other house a little ways, Ethan noticed a small path leading down there, so he took that. Hilda, on the other hand, saw a zipline that could take her directly to the very building. Ethan walked down the dirt and snow covered passage, not realizing that Hilda wasn't behind him. When he made it to the place, he went to the front door and attempted to open it. When it didn't budge, Ethan knew it was most likely locked from the other side, same as the other houses that held secrets. "You wouldn't happen to have a lockpick, do you kid?" He looked down, expecting Hilda to be by his side. When he didn't see her, he started to panic. "Hilda?!" He called out. He turned around, hoping she was just slow in her walking to him. He looked over to the line as the child swung down and landed on the edge.

Ethan ran over as Hilda landed perfectly and walked a few steps until she was by his side. She smiled up at him sweetly. "Hilda… you… why did…" He trailed off, attempting to scold the child for not staying by his side. Hilda merely tilted her head as she looked up at him, wondering what he was trying to say. The Winters sighed, knowing that telling her off wouldn't do any good. "Nevermind, come on." Ethan urged her towards the building. They would have to find another way inside, since the front door wouldn't budge. As they neared the house, Hilda stopped and went over to the Winters, grabbing his coat and looking up at him with fearful eyes.

"What is it? Monsters?" Ethan asked, but got his answer as he heard some grunting within the walls. He swore inwardly to himself, trying not to shout profanity in front of Hilda. "How many?" He asked her.

"I can only sense one…" Hilda told him. Ethan and her looked around, heading to the back and saw a hole within the brick wall.

"Stay here…" He ordered her. He reloaded his hand gun, filled with plenty of ammo. If it was just one, he should be alright. Crouching down, he ducked under the wall and into the abandoned building. He saw a large wooden table against the left side. A few shelves against other places, some were toppled over with jars of herbs, creams and liquids scattered across the floor. This definitely looked like a clinic. He looked around a corner, seeing where the front entrance was, next to a crouching Lycan who had a hatchet on his back. Despite hating these wolf hybrids, he could handle one of these over that Hunter any day. He managed to sneak up on him and pointed the gun to the back of his head. Pulling the trigger, he blew the B.O.W's head with one bullet. He was surprised with how fragile the monster was, but wouldn't question it.

With the monster gone, Hilda came in through the hole and watched Ethan put his handgun away. They didn't say anything, they searched around to locate the blue herbs for Alice. Ethan saw a desk with many jars and vials, along with a decorative chest with an open journal. The Winters opened the case, seeing a black and golden pistol, a M1851 Wolfsbane to be exact. The barrel was inscribed with the words, "Fiat Voluntas Tua", which was Latin for "Thy will be done". He was surprised that such a powerful gun was here. Ethan grabbed it and checked it over, it seemed in good condition and the chamber was full. At least he had another weapon, and with how aggressive these B.O.W's were getting, he could use all the help he could get.

Hilda on the other hand, checked the shelves and found a bag with a peculiar smell. When she opened them, she dug out a handful of plant materials in the shade of blue. A smile spread on Hilda's face as she found the right herbs. "Ethan!" She waved her hand full of the leaves for him to see. The older Winters saw them and sighed in relief.

"Thank god… that should be more than enough for Alice." Ethan was pleased that things were turning their way. The child stashed the herbs into her satchel, then looked back over at the table. She went over to it and checked the area out.

"I've never been to Moreau's Clinic before. The Moreau's were mostly known for their fishing bloodline, but a few went off and gained medical education. Some of them were even the Village's doctor. But since I've never been sick, this is my first time here." Hilda admitted.

"Considering the stuff that Moreau seemed to have done, you probably were better off." Ethan told her. The child noticed the open journal on the table. She picked it up for her and Ethan to read together. They appeared to be lab notes.

"Mother Miranda gifted me this mountain. This is my secret, special laboratory that I will use to do lots and lots of Cadou experiments. She wants me to test the conditions on the Cadou and see how it adapts depending on the body and environment.

"Test Subject 001 - Enzyme Leeches

"I started implanting the Cadou into animals and insects first. I would save the humans for last. I decided to try it on my medical leeches, Hirudo medicinalis, as my first subject. Implanting a small chunk of the Cadou, I watched from the outside of the glass to see what one would do. As time passed, I began to see that the Cadou leech was having the unaffected ones surrounding it. They formed a cocoon of sorts that resembled my own enzyme walls. When my assistant popped the puss sacks, a swarm of them came out. Somehow, the Cadou Leech created a hivemind for the others, even going as far as to infect them. By themselves, they are pretty harmless. It is only when they are in a colony that they can climb up on any living being, and drain them dry of their blood. Aside from fire, they have no other known weaknesses

"Test Subject 005 - Lurkers

"I inserted the Cadou into a European spadefoot toad, and watched to see what would happen. The body of this creature expanded, becoming human sized. Its webbed feet developed claws and the skin became thicker. Bullets and sharp objects are unable to penetrate the skin of this frog. It has a huge appetite, launching its tongue at any living thing and devouring them. However, the tongue is the weakest part, attacking it will result in the creature running.

"Test Subject 012 - Crown Orb Weaver

"I placed a chunk of the Cadou inside a European Garden Spider, and watched. It became bigger like the Lurker. Though not as aggressive, it still needs many calories for its robust appetite. What's more, despite not being venomous, the Crown Orb Weaver had developed venom that would shut down the organ system within 12 hours if left untreated. I suspect this is the Cadou's doing. Thankfully, the toxins can be cured with blue herbs. I keep a stash on the shelf.

"Test Subject 023 - Hunters

"I placed the Cadou in a leaf-toed gecko, adding in some human blood to test if the Cadou can be placed in a person. The reptile's form became more human-like as a result. Though they act more on instinct than intelligence and will challenge anything. The bodies are thick, so smaller bullets won't do much damage. It can still be killed by man-made weapons, but only on a larger scale.

"Test Subject 034 - Varcolac

"After the Hunter experiment, I moved on to humans. This time, I put the Cadou into the body, then injected mammal blood into the spine through the syringe. The person wiggled and struggled for many hours. After they went through the physical changes, they escaped and killed my assistant. They became more wolf-like in body and mind with the blood of the Eurasian wolf. I will have to lower the concentration of the wolf DNA next time.

"Test subject 035 - Lycan

"This time, there is more human than wolf for the Cadou. While they have certain characteristics of the animal counterpart, the body is mostly human. They also retained the intelligence of a human, managing to wield weapons and save bodies to feast upon later. They will attack in packs like many wolves. So far they are the most promising subject yet, however Mother Miranda wants something else. I am running out of ideas of what else to test the Cadou on."

Ethan listened to this all, and it made the gears in his head turn. Moreau was the one who made the monsters in this area, and the Lycans. He really was living up to his fictional counterpart from the book. "Well, this definitely explains where these monsters came from."

Hilda placed the journal back on the desk, stepping away as she rubbed her arm. "I can't believe Mother Miranda would go this far… The Cadou was supposed to live up to its name…"

Ethan raised a brow as he looked at Hilda in confusion. "What do you mean? What does Cadou mean?"

The child looked up at the adult. "Cadou is Romanian for 'gift'. It was the stable of the Village for centuries. Because it was given to the one who found this place."

"The one who found it?" Ethan repeated. Did this Cadou have something to do with the Megamycete? It did seem like the parasite came from it. But… Ethan thought the Cadou was only discovered by Miranda, after she lost Eva. Yet Hilda said that this creature had been around the Village for longer? Did that mean someone else found it before Mother Miranda? His thoughts were interrupted as he heard howls coming from outside. Heading to the door, he unlocked it and checked the area. Before him, he could see it. The Varcolac, sniffing around and hissing through its snout. "Damn… that thing again…"

"I thought you killed it…" Hilda questioned.

"No, I just managed to evade it…" He looked back out, the creature was clearly searching for any prey it could locate. And if Ethan didn't do something soon, he and Hilda would be on the menu. "No way we can get past it…" Ethan knew that evading the Varcolac would be out of the question at this point. Even if they could sneak around it now, it would just show up again and cause problems for them later. Checking the chamber of the magnum, he had about five bullets. He knew that the ammo for this weapon was rare, aside from the Duke selling some earlier, but at this point he was willing to use whatever he could. "Hilda, can you make more of those explosive bottles?"

The child looked back at her bag, digging up the parts she had collected around the area after the Hunters were defeated. It took a bit out of her inventory to craft some more bottles and a few other items for Ethan. Once the Winters took them into his care, he looked at the child. "Stay here, don't move until I tell you. Understand?" Hilda nodded up at Ethan, as the man was grateful she understood. He then headed through the door and closed it, making his way over to the overgrown wolf as it stuck its large head into the house below him. He had to play this smart, blindly shooting at the monster would only piss it off. With his limited amount of bullets, he had to be resourceful. Ethan crouched into the grass, trying to stay out of the line of sight. At least he had his shotgun and handgun shells, though he doubted they would do anything with the beast having full strength.

He would have to weaken the B.O.W, rather than blindly rushing in and killing it with everything he got. Ethan noticed that the creature was walking on all fours, and lacked the intelligence that a Lycan possessed. That put the Winters at an advantage. If he could make the monster immobile by taking out the legs, he could get some distances and get better shots at it. Making up his mind, Ethan put his plan into action. First, he got out one of the explosive bottles and lit the cloth. Once he threw it, it landed right on the back of the monster. The glass got stuck into the skin as its fur was set ablaze by the flames. Ethan watched as it jumped up and down, hissing and howling in pain as the creature rolled on the ground to put out the fire.

Taking his chance, he went over while holding the Magnum. Pulling the trigger, he shot the Varcolac in the left leg. Ethan was surprised to see that the bullet alone took out a large portion of the flesh, making the leg crippled as a result. The monster howled in anguish, then turned to see Ethan staring at it. Now that the Winters had the advantage, he went at it. The Varcolac scrambled towards the human, even with one of its legs unusable, it was still fast. Ethan ran off, dodging in time as he used another of the explosive bottles and tossed it over. Once again, the B.O.W was covered in flames and glass, distracting it long enough for Ethan to use up another bullet, taking out the right arm with most of the tissue and fur. The creature was beyond pissed as it now realized its survival was at stake. Despite being so weak, it tried running after Ethan. Thankfully, the wolf-creature was blinded by the flames covering the eyes, so Ethan was able to dodge and shot his third magnum bullet at the right leg. With three of its four limbs down for the count, Ethan knew he could pocket the rest of the magnum ammo and use his shotgun shells instead. Taking out the other weapon, he loaded the chamber and aimed right for the head.

One shot. Two shots. Three shots. Four shots. After much struggling from the B.O.W's part and five shells later, the creature stopped moving all together. Ethan panted, watching as the body began to disintegrate before his eyes, leaving a large skeletal frame with many crystals surrounding it. The Winters went over to it, picked up the treasure and decided to pocket it. He figured that it would be given to the Duke for Lei. At least he would have some pocket money to buy more supplies. Ethan finally caught his breath and headed back inside the Clinic. "Hey, Hilda?" He called out at the windows and door. "It's safe now. It's over." He told her.

Ethan watched as the door slowly opened, revealing the child in the frame way. "Are you sure?" She asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah… we're alright." Hilda ran out of the Clinic and looked up at the man, seeing that he was unharmed. Ethan was glad she listened to him, since he thought she would try to run off. "Alright, let's head back." Hilda nodded, following the man as he and her walked down the path. They had to move quickly if they hoped to get to Alice. Thankfully, from the notes of Moreau's monster subjects, Alice had twelve hours until her body would succumb to the toxins. Though he wasn't sure how long she had been poisoned, he knew it hadn't been that long. Just as they were about to cross the small bridge to get to the Windmill, Hilda scurried away from Ethan's hold as she went over to a certain place. "H-Hilda!" He ran after her, seeing the child going over to a small shrine with a chest inside of a pillow and curtains. She jumped up to try and get to the item inside the box, but she was too small even when she hopped up and down.

Ethan walked over and picked the item up. It looked like a small metal ball, with the image of a mermaid engraved into it. "A ball?" Ethan questioned, turning the shape around as if expecting it to hold something.

Hilda gasped as she reached up to the ball, which Ethan eventually gave it to her. She then began to run off, with the Winters following her. They made it back to the Windmill, where the child went over to what appeared to be a strange contraption that had a water wheel, other windmills, wooden railings all above a lake and mountains below. Hilda placed the ball at the very top, tilting the objects from left to right to make sure it went through the rails, onto the wheel, down a few flights until it reached the hole. Once she succeeded, the puzzle chimed with small bells and confetti produced from it. The child smiled and clapped, proud she solved the puzzle. Ethan watched as the glass case opened up, while Hilda reached in and took it out as she held two objects. In her left hand, it was a large fishing hook that looked a bit rusted. There was a keychain attached to it, along with a few fish pendants with it. The second was a letter which was curled up in a scroll and fashioned with a ribbon.

"These must be Lord Moreau's treasures!" Hilda stated in a gleeful manner.

"Treasures? Why would he keep them in there?" Ethan questioned

"All of the Lords kept some sort of belongings of theirs in these labyrinth puzzles." Hilda explained to him.

"This is the first I'm seeing it." Ethan admitted. Even though he didn't particularly care about these items that held value to these Lords, part of him was curious to know what kind of connection they had with the rulers. Hilda seemed like she was ready to see what the parchment held, fascinated by the mystery of how it was connected to the third of the four Lords. Just as she reached for the paper, the child's body froze as she felt a presence coming closer. The young girl looked over at Ethan, who noticed her posture. But it was the thing behind him that caught Hilda off guard.

"Look out!" Ethan only had time to turn around for a reaction. The next thing he knew, he found himself slashed across the face, which caused him to fall down. When he looked back up, he saw that the Hunter was hissing and growling down at the human. Ethan grunted as he tried to get away from the sharp claws of the overgrown lizard. He quickly reached for his handgun, hoping to stun it, but the Hunter looked over at Hilda as it bared its razor teeth over at the child. Just as Ethan managed to get his weapon, Hilda was screaming as she was against the wall of the building. The Hunter growled as it was a few inches from her, raising up its arm to deliver a strike.

"Hilda!" Ethan cried out as he tried to get his gun out to save her. The child merely stared up at the creature, scared as she wondered if this would be the end for her. Just as the B.O.W was about to bring down its hand, the monster began to convulse. Ethan and Hilda watched as it screeched in pain, before falling to the ground and became unresponsive. They looked closer, noticing wires connected to the back of the monster. Following them lead the two to see a woman with blond hair holding a stun gun.