With the cryo-mist holding Cassandra rigid, Theodore dashed forward.
He uncorked the Blessing of Marika flask and splashed the glowing, golden liquid across her chest.
A blinding flare of light erupted from Cassandra's body, followed by a violent shriek of agony. The frozen form convulsed.
The black cloud of insects that had composed her body was instantly burned away by the potion's powerful, anti-Megamycete properties.
Cassandra collapsed onto the stone floor, her form now completely human.
She was breathing raggedly, clutching her head as the remnants of Mother Miranda's control vanished.
"W-what happened?" Cassandra stammered, looking up at Theodore with wide, confused eyes.
"Just cured you of a bad case of the bug-brain," Theodore said with a triumphant grin.
Suddenly, a playful, unsettling voice cut through the cavernous chamber.
"Oh, Casy! Did you fall down?"
A third woman, Daniela, appeared in a rush of flies near the ceiling rafters.
She looked similar to her sisters but moved with a manic, giggling energy.
She saw her two siblings—Bela tending to a stunned Cassandra, and both of them standing next to the invaders.
Daniela immediately understood the scene.
"You betrayed us, Bela! Mother will kill you all!" She let out a terrifying battle-cry and shot down toward them like a falling stone.
"Not so fast, last bug!" Theodore yelled.
He threw the jar with precision.
She screamed as the freezing magic instantly encased her in thick, magical ice that wouldn't melt as quickly as the regular coolant.
Theodore turned to Bela. "Quickly, give her the cure!"
Bela, empowered by her own freedom, didn't hesitate.
She grabbed the last Blessing of Marika flask and broke it over Daniela.
Another flare of light, another scream, and the third daughter fell to the floor, coughing but completely human.
"Three down! That's a new record!"
Theodore cheered, holding up a fist.
The victory was short-lived.
A sound like thunder rolling through the stone walls started rumbling from the upper levels of the castle. It wasn't the sound of a large object falling; it was the sound of pure, unrestrained rage.
A second later, the ceiling of the wine cellar cracked open, and debris rained down. A shadow fell over the room.
Lady Alcina Dimitrescu stood in the enormous hole she had just created, her white dress stained crimson, her eyes blazing with a terrifying yellow light.
She had skipped her relaxing blood bath.
"Mother!" Cassandra shouted, instinctively hiding behind Theodore.
Alcina didn't see her daughters; she only saw the enemy and the betrayal.
She recognized the golden residue on the floor where her children had been cured.
"YOU! TINY MAN!"
Alcina roared, her voice shaking the foundation of the castle.
"You enter my home, steal my belongings, and you corrupt my daughters! I will tear the flesh from your bones and drink every drop of your miserable blood!"
She plunged her enormous, razor-sharp claws through the hole in the ceiling, ripping the stone and mortar like wet paper.
Ethan, finally shaken out of his stupor, grabbed his V61 Custom and aimed. "Theodore, we need a plan! She's huge!"
"Plan?" Theodore yelled back, a manic excitement lighting his face.
He pulled out a scroll, activating an aura of purple energy around him. "The plan is to smash! Just like I planned back in my room!"
He turned to the three terrified sisters. "Bela, Cassandra, Daniela—get Ethan out of here! Find Duke! I'm going to have a boss fight!"
Before the women could protest, Alcina's massive form dropped into the room, her silhouette filling the entire chamber with imposing darkness.
"You will not escape my family's wrath!" she hissed, bringing her claws down in a sweeping attack.
Theodore faced her with a reckless grin.