Well, it’s been a few months. I guess I kinda lost interest. But I’m back with more ghosts and ghouls than ever before, due in no small part to new reviewer SilverOnith, whose review inspired me to revisit this story.

Flt. Sk.: Floating Skull is infuriated, because of both the author’s continuance of this abomination and that Floating Skull is unable to devour this new puny mortal’s soul.

Ivan: I’m reading the old book on Dracula. It’s way better than this. You people should go read it.

B.B.: No way, dude! That book’s way too big for me. I’ll go get Raven to tell me what it was about.

Ght. Flx.: The pizzle’s sizzle more kohizzle than pokashizzle!

B.B.: You say it’s not the size of the book that counts, but how good it is? Maybe, but that book’s still too big.

Enough. Today, Simon assaults Berkeley Mansion. Now, keep in mind that from this point forward, I will be taking some creative liberties with the story, both to make the story flow better, and to make it more interesting. Fans of Simon’s Quest will spot the changes in an instant. Enjoy!

Floating Skuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuull!!

-

My way from Jova was swift. The crumbling bridge was slightly more difficult to traverse, due to the way the remains were assembled. Still, I managed to cross it and head through the Veros Woods. The monsters still plagued me, but my new Thorn Whip was more than a match for them. Skeleton and wolfman alike were torn asunder with a single lash.

It was almost noon before I reached Berkeley. The structure, three stories in height, showed the obvious signs of age. Vines traveled up the walls, and cracks abounded the ancient structure. I had to wonder how the decaying building stood up to the ravages of time and nature. In front of the mansion was a simple courtyard surrounded by a rusty iron fence. Apart from the stone pathway connecting the gateway, now devoid of a gate, to the front door, the courtyard was filled only with overgrown weeds. No one remembers now why the five mansions were built, only that no one wanted to travel close enough to any of them to tear them down.

A rumble in my stomach told me I should rest before entering. For reasons unknown, the monsters stayed away from the mansion’s courtyard. Giving thanks, I hastily fed myself from my provisions. The blessing from the church had quelled both my hunger and thirst, but such things were only temporary. Washing down my short meal with a gulp of water I had brought with me, I laid my traveling gear down by the door, confident that they would not be bothered.

Entering, I came across the same pool as before. This time, though, I held the White Crystal out in front of me. There was a brief but brilliant flash of white light, and when it faded, an equally white platform floated in the water in front of me. I stepped onto it, only to have the platform lift upwards. The sudden movement nearly made me lose my balance, but my training once again saved me. The platform rose to the floor above and stopped.

Stepping off, I turned to examine the platform more closely. “How curious,” I mused. “A platform that can elevate a person or persons, and presumably do the opposite. If someone could harness this power, it would make traveling in towers, or merely multi-story buildings much easier! I shall have to make note of this device once I complete my quest.” A small voice in the back of my head replied, ‘If you complete your quest…’. I quickly silenced it. I had no room to doubt myself. “What shall I call this elevating device? Perhaps…an elevator? No, of course not, that’s silly. No matter, someone with more experience than I shall find an appropriate name.”

A soft clink behind me brought me back to reality. Without missing a beat, I spun around with my whip extended, knocking over the armored knight that had been sneaking up behind me. It tried to get back up, but a subsequent lash broke it apart. As I had suspected, it was merely animated armor, with no one inside. It had been armed with a trident, which could have gone right through my head. I cursed myself for allowing my curiosity to overcome my survival instincts.

Moving forward, I spotted two staircases in the dim, eerie light that pervaded the mansion, one leading up and the other leading down. But between them and myself was a skeleton, armed with a sword and shield. This one seemed sure of itself, like the ones I had fought during the night. But its bones were still fairly brittle, and weren’t able to move fast enough to block my ship from crushing its skull. Looking up, I gasped as I noticed a nearby window. Though it was just past noon, I saw nothing but darkness from my vantage point. I realized then that the time of day would likely have no effect on the monsters within the mansions.

With my foe defeated, that left only my choice of staircases. One surely lead to a dead-end, while the other would bring me closer to my goal. After debating for a moment, I ascended to the third floor, on the grounds that the Count seemed fond of hiding in the highest point of his castle. Surely he would do the same for his remains.

The room I entered led me back towards the front of the mansion. There were a few more skeletons, but I dispatched them as quickly as I had the first. The new length allowed me to strike them before they prepared their defenses. In the center of the room was a gargoyle statue. In between battles, I wondered why the builder had chosen such an ostentatious location for a gargoyle. At the far side of the room were a series of platforms leading upwards. Given the distance, it seemed to lead all the way up to the fifth floor, bypassing the fourth. To ascend, I would have to leap from one to another, until I reached the top. I was used to this type of obstacle from Castlevania. It would be irritating, but not impossible. Though how these platforms were suspended in midair, I would never know.

I was preparing to climb when I heard a noise close behind me, unlike the clink of the armor. Not bothering to turn, I swiftly dodged to the side, only to have a large shape lunge past. It was the gargoyle from earlier! It must have come to life via black magic. It turned with great agility and leapt into the air, attempting to land on me. I dodged a second time and lashed it as it landed. The beast howled, and cracks formed in its stone body, but it still moved. I reared back to strike again, but I was preempted by the gargoyle spitting a ball of fire at me. As close as I was, I was just able to dodge in time, wincing as the fire singed my ear. It attempted to launch a secondary flame, but my whip was too fast for it. The second lash proved too much for it, as the blow caused it to split in twain. I steeled myself, ready for it to continue its assault despite its injuries, but it remained still.

I quickly climbed to the fifth floor. There were more stairs in front of me, leading to the sixth floor. I decided to climb them, rather than explore the fifth. I fought a number of skeletons and spear knights as I roamed down the hallway. At the end, I was confronted by an unusual design feature. The hallway stopped, then continued about two feet above where it had ended. There was a hole below this next hall that allowed me to see the fifth floor below. “There must have been a small staircase here at some point,” I murmured aloud. “But why would this place be designed in such a way?” Remembering how I was attacked after riding the platform, I decided to worry about this at a later date. I leapt up onto the higher floor, only to fall right through it! The floor was only an illusion.

I had little time to brace myself for landing, but with my honed reflexes, it was of little concern. Nor were the skeletons that had awaited my arrival. The design above must have been a trap, one that would have felled a less abled warrior. Looking ahead, I noticed that sections of the floor were separated by rows of spikes, and that the safe spots were patrolled by skeletons. The wall behind them appeared to be solid, but I couldn’t help but feel they were guarding something. I leaped over the first row of spikes, surprising the skeleton with a mid-air lash. It never stood a chance. The next row proceeded in the same fashion.

With my foes dispatched, I examined the wall in front of me. I soon noticed that a few of the building blocks looked slightly different than the ones surrounding it. Examining it, I felt a magical pulse flowing through them. I tossed my Holy Water at the wall to have it fall away, revealing another blood-red tome. The clue inside read: A SYMBOL OF EVIL WILL APPEAR WHEN YOU STRIKE THE STAKE. Its meaning was lost on me, but I was sure it would become clear when it was needed.

Making my way back to the sixth floor, I soon approached the false floor. My only choice was to leap as far as I could and hope for the best. I ran up to the edge of the hall and jumped. I landed on solid floor, though could feel my feet skirting the edge.

As I continued down the hall, I encountered another skeleton. This one lacked a sword, but threw a bone at me as I approached. Avoiding the projectile, I proceeded to close in on my target. It threw two more bones at me. I lashed the first one away and caught the second one, only to drop it immediately. The bone had burst aflame upon contact and burned my hand. Shaking the remaining flame away, I looked around; the two other bones had caught fire when they hit the floor. I didn’t have time to look for long, though, as the skeleton continued its assault. I knew from Castlevania that these skeletons would never run out of bones, though the ones I fought came with the non-flaming variety. With this in mind, it only took me slightly longer to crush my foe.

At the end of the hall way, I found stairs leading down. Descending two floors, and defeating any enemies along the way, I found myself at another vertical crossroad. Once again, I opted to travel upward. The room above was set up set up like the previous room on the fifth floor, with rows of spikes across the floor. The only difference was that at the far wall was a small object on the ground, though I couldn’t make out what it was. I crossed the room in the same manner as I had before, and examined the object. It was an oak stake. I wondered why Dracula would keep such an object here, seeing as how an oak stake through the heart could kill a lesser vampire. Remembering my last clue, I put the stake in my tool bag.

Looking at the wall, I found another group of magic blocks. They were hiding the second clue of Berkeley. It read: DESTROY THE CURSE AND YOU’LL RULE BRAHM MANSION. Needless to say, this utterly confused me. “To destroy the curse, I’ll need to visit all five mansions. Does this clue really serve a purpose? I wonder…” I thought for a moment about the geography of Transylvania. “Brahm Mansion…that’s the one on the Dead River, I believe.” That’s when it struck me. “Of course! By ‘curse’, this clue must be referring to the unnatural fog that pervades the Dead River. I must dispose of the fog before I can reach Brahm.” I looked down at the tome. “Well, this was a waste. I could have figured that much out on my own.”

I proceeded back down to the fourth floor and again down to the third. At first glance, the room seemed only to lead down to the second floor, but a secondary glance revealed a third group of magic blocks. Fighting my way past a few skeletons, I uncovered yet another clue. A FLAME FLICKERS INSIDE THE RING OF FIRE, read the tome. I shook my head; this one seemed so obvious that it had to mean something. I resolved to keep my eyes open for such a ring in the future.

The second floor was indistinct, apart from the door at the end of the hall. The monsters in my path fell quickly as I made my way to it. I opened the door to enter a large chamber with corpses hanging from the ceiling by their necks. Once I was assured that they weren’t going to attack me, I approached the pedestal at the far wall. Atop the pedestal was an orb, softly glowing with a pale light. As I drew near, I felt the evil power emanating from the orb. I knew it must contain one of Dracula’s remains. The orb was solid to the touch, and refused to budge from where it was situated. I struck at it with my whip, but it remained strong. That’s when I remembered the clue. ‘Strike the stake…’ it had read. I reached into my tool bag and pulled out the oak stake, along with a small work hammer I kept on-hand. Positioning the stake, I struck at it with all my might.

In an instant, the stake shattered, but so did the orb. Where it had stood remained a single Rib. Though it looked normal, it oozed with an evil intent. Looking at it reminded me of my battle two years ago. The Count’s body had been impervious to all attacks. Only his head was vulnerable. And it certainly hadn’t easy to get there. The only time I saw his abdomen was when he drew back his cape to launch a wave of fire at me. Shaking off my memories, I picked up Dracula’s Rib and placed it in my tool bag. I had no doubt that it would suffer no damage, despite its seemingly fragile nature.

I started to leave the room when the door slammed shut of its own accord. An audible click told me that it was locked. A flicker of movement above caught my attention. I looked up to find a giant skeletal bat swooping down at me with its claws extended! I leapt backwards to avoid its lunge. Not missing a beat, the Skeleton Bat pulled out of its swoop and hovered in midair, somehow supported by its skeletal wings.

For a moment we stayed like that, sizing the other up. I had fought foes like this before at Castlevania, though those bats had a full arrangement of flesh. The curse had only taken affect a day ago, so it was likely that this one hadn’t the time to regain his, much to my advantage. Its body was frail, and looked as if a single strike would shatter it. Of course, the Skeleton Bat had no intention of letting me get that close. It lunged again, but I hadn’t the time to strike it before it reached me, and it fled too quickly for me to strike it then. ‘If only I still had use of my Axe,” I thought bitterly. That weapon had proven invaluable against these fiends in the past, and without it, I was left with little option.

Then I remembered the Rib I just obtained. The maiden had told me that I could safely tap into its dark powers. Concentrating, I felt its energy flow and merged it with my own. As I did, light began forming on my left forearm. In less than a second, it solidified into a medium-sized shield. It attached to my armor so that my left hand was free.

The Skeleton Bat lunged a third time, but this time I held my ground. It screeched in surprise as its claws met my shield. It the moment it hesitated, I seized my chance. It roared in pain as I lashed it with Vampire Killer, the thorns tearing into it. I was wrong about its density, however, it remained intact, though visible weakened. It struggled to regain altitude, but I wasn’t giving it that chance. A second blow from my Thorn Whip shattered the beast; its bones flying in all directions.

After the creature’s death, I felt a surge of energy from above. Shining light was combining into a green orb, which then fell to the floor. This was the Count’s reward to anyone who could crush his crush his guardians; an orb that would restore the vitality of whomever claimed it. Seeing this filled me with both relief and anger. It reminded me that though this war meant everything to my clan, and caused thousands of innocents to suffer, Dracula, in his longevity, saw it as a mere game. He loved watching my people fight their way through his increasingly powerful monsters, only to see if they can. “How dare he treat us like pawns on his chessboard!” I said aloud as I claimed the orb. My burnt hand repaired itself and my energy returned.

The door had unlocked itself, so I left the room. As I walked down the hallway, I pondered the mansion. The battle had been simple, even the guardian. “The curse must need more time to strengthen the creatures of the night. It’s too much to hope for that this is the best Dracula could…” My musings were interrupted as I fell through the floor. I had stumbled onto a false floor that I had missed on my way in. I landed on a platform hovering above a large waterway. Collecting my bearings I leapt from the platform onto the nearby floor. The next stretch was swarming with spear knights, skeletons, and even a few gargoyles. But with my new shield, I was able to face their attack and come through with only a few scratches.

I eventually came to a staircase that led me back up to the second floor. In fact, it was the first room of the mansion, as I spied the stairs leading me back up. Ignoring them, I strode back towards my white platform. “Elevator…” I said aloud, a small grin coming to my face. Riding it downwards, I exited Berkeley Mansion; my mission there complete.

The sun had begun its descent into the western sky. “About, 3 o’clock, I’d wager.” I decided to head to back to Veros to plot my next move.

-

Well, there it is. I know it wasn’t the best dungeon scene in the world, but you can expect the next mansions to be more interesting.

Flt. Sk.: And yet they will still be horrid abominations that will fill the readers with writhing agony. And when they fail to review, I will devour their souls!

Ivan: Why doesn’t this Belmont guy just carry garlic? I hear vampires don’t like that stuff.

B.B.: Oh my gosh, that was the scariest thing ever! I wet myself when that bat showed up…

Ght. Flx.: Yous off the hizzle wit’ yo konizzle.

Anyway, I’ll hopefully have another chapter up before too long. See you people later!

Floating Skuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuull!!