As I left the inn, it started to rain. I wanted to avoid it but it seemed like it could prove to be an advantage for my hunt. I followed the directions that the bartender gave me. I reached the mansion in the evening. I decided to tie Schneider to a tree and went uphill on foot. The mansion was just like the old man had described. Elegant and sumptuous. However, I knew the reality. Then again I was quite amazed at the illusion that the beast had created to lure innocent people. I decided to play along for a while. I hid the weapons I carried in my bag and knocked on the front door. After a while, a gorgeous lady answered the door. She was tall, had blue eyes and blonde hair. Her cheeks were red, her lips were pink and she wore a very beautiful purple gown.
"Yes?" She asked.
"Hello, there ma'am," I said. "My name is Jason. I come from far away and need to go somewhere. But as you can see, it is not possible in this rain. Could I please stay the night? I will leave as soon as the sun rises."
The lady was quiet for a moment and then she smiled.
"Sure. Please come in." She said.
I followed her inside. The mansion was humongous. It had huge windows with red curtains, a wooden floor, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The lady led me to the room upstairs. The room was quite luxurious as well. It had a stylish bed, a table, a rug that looked quite expensive and a window. I thanked the lady and settled in for the time being. All of the stuff in the room seemed real. As if it was not an illusion after all. But even then, I remained on guard. After I was done getting out of my wet clothes, somebody knocked on the door. It was the lady.
"Dinner is ready." She said. "If you would follow me."
I followed her downstairs to the table filled with exquisite food. I sat down while the lady sat in front of me.
"Do you live alone here?" I asked.
"Yes. My husband died a couple of years ago and I have no children." She answered. "I live here with my servants."
However, I did not see any other person at this mansion other than her.
"You must be really rich," I said.
"It is because of my husband. He left an enormous fortune for me before he died." She said.
The lady seemed quite vulnerable. Her actions and personality were captivating. As if she was welcoming me, to do something to her. I found it a bit strange. Then again, it was not my first time dealing with such a situation. I believed the food she gave me contained sedatives. Even though I knew it, I still progressed. I did not wish to raise suspicion. I finished the meal and returned to my room. I prepared my crossbow and my sword and ate Bokrull root. Bokrull root was known to counter the effects of sedatives no matter what kind or how effective. I was laying on the bed, waiting for my host to come. After about an hour, the room started to change. I was now laying on a big flat stone. And a dirty sheet covered me. The luxurious room became a dark dirty cellar.
However, I was accustomed to the dark. I clutched at my crossbow and trusted my instincts. A while later I heard the door opening. I heard steps approaching me. Then something grabbed my shoulder and as it did, I kicked it hard and stood up. Whoever it was, hit the floor because of the impact.
As I stood up, I realized it was the same lady and she was in shock.
"But how?" She asked.
"Let's just say this is not my first time meeting someone like you," I answered.
She frowned at me.
"You did seem strange. Who are you?" She asked standing up.
I then revealed my crossbow and aimed it at her.
"Your death," I said.
She then suddenly transformed. Her human skin stretched and tore. Enormous legs protruded from all over her body. Giant claws appeared from her shoulder. Under her neck, two huge red pearls appeared, and the human face twisted to the side while the monstrous and beastly face emerged from underneath. The beast growled in fury and lashed at me. I dodged it and jumped to my left. The beast collided with the wall. I rolled and aimed my crossbow at it. As soon as the beast raised its head from the rubble, I fired at its eyes. Two arrows pierced its eyes and it screeched in pain. As I went forward to finish it off, the beast spitted some kind of a liquid at me. I was blinded and the beast hit me hard. I was tossed in the air and I hit the wall hard. I fell to the ground.
I had lost my crossbow, however, I still carried my sword underneath my shirt. The beast grabbed me by my neck and lifted me in the air. As it howled in anger, I immediately unsheathed my sword and swung it hard, cutting the beast's arm. It screamed in agony. I wiped the fluid from my eyes and clasped my sword hard, using both of my hands. The beast lashed at me again. This time it was faster, but I was ready. I lashed at it too. As the beast opened its mouth wide, ready to devour me whole, I ducked and evaded its huge claws. I swung my sword slashing the beast's jaw. Its jaw dropped on the floor. I immediately got on my feet and grabbed one of its huge legs and got on its back. The beast shook its back trying to force me down however I used the momentum it generated and jumped forward in the air. As I came falling, I drove my sword into the beast's head. Green slime gushed out of its head, as the beast screamed in agony.
The beast weaved its head in pain and then fell on the floor. I was covered in that smelly slime from head to toe. The beast lay there lifeless. I spotted my crossbow and picked it up. Meanwhile, the beast's ugly wormlike body dried up and crumbled to dust. That was a sign that my work there was complete. I grabbed my stuff and walked outside. As I went outside, the luxurious mansion was now nothing but a ruined mass of rubble. As I was walking out, something caught my eye. It seemed like a picture buried under the rubble. I removed the rubble and realized that it was the picture of the same woman and a man. Both were holding hands and smiling. So she was a human but the question was, what turned her into that hideous beast. I had to find out.
I searched the premises for more clues. I found a staircase during my search which led to a hall beneath the mansion. As I went inside, I found some black candles and soot on the floor. The candles smelled of rotten meat and a magic circle was drawn. These were signs of necromancy. In the corner, my eyes caught a ring. It was familiar. I saw the man in the portrait wearing it upstairs.
So I had an idea of what might have happened. The lady could not bear the loss of her husband and decided to use magic to bring him back. But turns out she got cursed instead. Necromancy is a difficult art. If not done properly, you get cursed. Either you become a ghoul and wander the land in search of a body, or a beast that knows only hunger and feeds on humans. The hall had many doors. As I opened them, I realized each was a dungeon. The walls and the floor had dried blood on them. I believed this was the place where she fed on her prisoners.
I went back upstairs and left. The rain had stopped and Schneider was waiting for me downhill, feeding on the grass. I patted him and we rode off.