We awoke in Aljiba. You know for sleeping in a sitting position. Normally I can't do it. But I did sleep well. Once we were all woken up. We entered a shop for food. We bought a lot of chicken and bread as well as fruit and water. Once we left the shop. We were approached by Crystal Trader.
" I'd like to exchange my Blue Crystal for your White Crystal " the Crystal Trader said
" Why is that " asked Lisa
" This one will suit more to what you will face for your next few adventures " said the Crystal Trader.
So we made the switch. We exchanged our White Crystal for his Blue Crystal.
" Much luck in your travels to come '' said the Crystal Trader
So after that we headed into 2 shops. We found out the merchants were selling Garlic and Laurels. After we bought some garlic. The merchant had something to say to us.
" Outside of Aljiba lies the Camilla Cemetary. There are 3 tombstones. In front of the first one drop a bulb of garlic to the ground. They say something will happen " said the merchant
" What exactly will happen '' asked Hayley
" That I cannot tell you, but you might want to try it " said the merchant
" Alright then, thank you for your help " said Meav
We then hit the shop where the merchant was selling Laurels. We bought some laurels. Though the girls wondered what laurels were used for. The merchant carefully explained to them.
" Laurels have the power to protect people from the draining effect of traveling through marshes " said the merchant
" Thanks for the info. I'm sure we'll need these at some point " said Chloe
" Yes, I'm sure you will '' said the merchant
So we left the shop. It was then we needed to find out where we were going.
" What do you all say we go to Camilla Cemetary. Let's find out if what that merchant said was true or not with dropping a bulb of garlic in front of the 1st gravestone " I said
The girls were in no mood to disagree with me. So Camilla Cemetary was the place we went to first. Soon we reached the 3 tombs. And we walked up to the first grave.
" Ok, we're at the grave. Does anybody have garlic with them " I asked
Lisa then opened her knapsack and gave me a bulb of garlic.
" Thank you very much Lisa " I said
We stood back as I dropped the bulb of garlic in front of the first gravestone. And suddenly a merchant wearing a lime green cloak appeared. He then spoke to us.
" I will give you a silver knife to save your necks " said the merchant
So he gave us the silver knife and then faded away. I then looked at the map to see what we could accomplish on this day.
" What's on the agenda today Justin. As well as what needs to be done and taken care of today " asked Deidre
I rallied them around me.
" Well girls, we're very close to Yuba Lake and the 2nd mansion being Rover Mansion. I think those are the next 2 areas to explore " I said
" Alright then, let's go '' said Orla
So we left Camilla Cemetary and Aljiba and headed back into the Aljiba Woods. After fighting through more enemies we took a path we didn't explore yet in the Aljiba Woods. So we headed in that direction. We had to brave through an area infested with bats flying in a high to low arc. After that we reached Yuba Lake.
" Looks like we've hit another dead end " said Lisa
" Not quite, hand me the Blue Crystal " I said
Hayley handed me the Blue Crystal.
" Hold on for a few seconds '' I said
I clutched the Blue Crystal in my hands and knelt down on my knees for about 7 seconds. Suddenly the waters parted and a stairway formed.
" Unbelievable '' was all Chloe could get out
" I know, how could that be '' said Hayley
I was willing to stand around and figure out what happened.
" Let's forget about it. Rover Mansion's down there " I said
So we pressed on and walked down the steps and walked a short distance. And surprisingly there was Rover Mansion. The 2nd mansion we had to explore. We walked in and were ready to do battle with knights this time around. After we dispatched the knights Simon's spirit had appeared in front of us.
" You all are doing great. I'm very proud of you. In this mansion just keep going straight. There are some blocks that you may think are solid. But you can walk right through them. Keep walking straight ahead and you'll find another merchant with a stake. He can tell you where to go from there " said Simon
" Thank you Simon, we appreciate the help '' said Mairead
" It's not a problem. I'm counting on you to restore peace to Transylvania, as well as send me to Heaven to reunite with Linda. But of course I know if you succeed I will make good on my promise to send you all home " said Simon
And with that Simon's spirit faded away. We continued to battle knights along the way as well as making jumps across small pools of water. After all the fighting and jumping we reached the merchant.
" Care to buy a wooden stake " said the merchant
So we bought another wooden stake for the 2nd body part of Dracula.
" Where's the 2nd body part '' asked Meav
The merchant pointed to the stairs we would have to take.
'' From there you'll need to climb up and down 4 flights of stairs to where the 2nd body part is kept " said the merchant
" Thank you for your help '' said Lisa
So after parting ways with the merchant we began our climb up the flights of stairs. It seemed to take an eternity walking up and down the 4 flights of stairs. But we managed through it. We had to drop a few feet but we were tall enough so we could climb up on some of the stones and retrace our steps. After all that on a stone platform sat an orb on a pedestal.
" Anyone got the wooden stake " I said
Deidre had it and handed it over to me.
I rammed the wooden stake into the orb and the orb shattered. In it's place now was a bag that contained Dracula's heart.
" Who's up for carrying Dracula's heart '' I asked
Hayley came forward.
" Thank you Hayley " I said
She opened her knapsack and I dropped Dracula's heart in.
" Now we get out of here right " asked Lisa
" Exactly, we leave here '' I said
So after an hour or so of finally retracing our steps we finally reached the entrance to Rover Mansion. We finally left and headed back up the stairway that was a part of Yuba Lake. When we reached the top of the steps I pulled out the map.
" So where do we go next Justin '' asked Meav
We all gathered around and looked at the map together.
" Well, 2 mansions and 2 body parts down. It's still early afternoon. Let's make our way through Aljiba Woods on to Dabi's Path. Beyond Dabi's Path lies the town of Veros " I said
So we went along our way taking care of the usual skeletons and spiders along the way. As we left Aljiba we entered Dabi's Path. Suddenly I stopped the girls.
" What is it Justin " asked Mairead
" Hand me a bottle of Holy Water "
Mairead handed me a bottle of Holy Water. And I threw the bottle down on 2 blocks and watched them disappear. In the distance I could see a brightness coming from inside 2 blocks. I asked for another Holy Water and I threw it at the wall and we received the Sacred Flame. It wasn't too hot or too cold to touch. I added that into my knapsack. After that we continued on our way through Dabi's Path. We could see the marshes that the merchant who sold us the laurels talked about.
" Be careful girls, you don't want to be drained of energy falling into that marsh. One by one we made our way safely on the stepping stones. When we were all across we left Dabi's Path and entered the town of Veros. We managed to reach the church and we rested inside. Lisa, Meav, and Mairead were the food carriers and they opened their knapsacks and we had our usual round of chicken, fruit, bread, and water. We rested for a couple hours. It was about 5:30 in the evening. And I decided I wanted to visit a shop real quick before it got dark. I told the girls I'd be fine. So I walked a few doors down and entered the shop.
" Good evening merchant, what are you selling " I asked
" Would you care to buy a dagger " said the merchant
Now realizing we had the silver dagger. I decided to buy the dagger. And besides it was cheap anyways. I left the shop and headed back to the church just in time before the evening and darkness came. I entered the church doors. The girls were still sitting down when I left them last.
" So what did you buy Justin '' asked Deidre
'' A dagger, although we have the silver knife. The dagger was cheap " I said
" Oh ok '' said Chloe
" I only have to wonder if there's a gold knife " said Mairead
" I guess we'll find out won't we '' said Hayley
With it nighttime and no reason to go running around at night. We made ourselves at home on the church benches. We all took a bench and then drifted off to sleep.