"Ugh, what a disgusting thing!"
Lilith couldn't hide her revulsion and immediately unleashed a fireball, aiming to burn the ballet girl to a crisp.
But the ballet girl, clutching her music box that was still playing its eerie tune, struck a ballet pose and vanished instantly. Lilith's fireball hit nothing but air.
A moment later, the ballet girl reappeared about six or seven feet from her original spot, now much closer to Lilith. The music stopped abruptly.
Lilith's brows furrowed. This creepy-looking ballet girl could teleport—an ability that was a wizard's worst nightmare. A teleporting melee fighter was bad news for any spellcaster.
Luckily, Lilith had plenty of combat experience. After her first attack missed, she held back, choosing to observe the ballet girl's fighting style instead of rushing in.
As Lilith stopped attacking, the ballet girl froze too, holding the music box with both hands, standing on her tiptoes, completely still.
If the enemy didn't move, Lilith didn't move. If Lilith didn't move, the enemy stayed put too.
They locked eyes in a tense standoff—well, sort of. The ballet girl didn't exactly have eyes.
Lilith frowned, starting to suspect this bizarre creature was just a distraction conjured by Jack Snyder to buy time. For all she knew, that jerk had already slipped away.
The thought made her anxious. If Jack had really escaped with Jennifer's soul, Lilith would be in deep trouble.
No more waiting. Lilith decided to go all out, unleashing a tidal wave of telekinetic force at the ballet girl.
Telekinesis was a favorite among modern witches because it was subtle and hard to dodge. Even witches like Madison, whose talent was telekinetic control, or Ophelia (Fiona), who had other gifts, were masters of it.
Lilith hadn't known this trick originally, but after learning from Jennifer and the Apocalypse Coven's four young witches, she'd picked it up. After all, as one of the first witches, her magical talent was leagues beyond Jennifer's.
Too bad her sneaky telekinetic strike missed completely.
The music box chimed again, and the ballet girl vanished, reappearing in a new ballet pose somewhere else.
Lilith wasn't giving up. She tried other attacks—fireballs, telekinesis, illusions, gravity magic, transfiguration—but not a single spell could land.
The ballet girl dodged every attack with graceful, eerie ballet poses.
By the time Lilith's final transfiguration spell failed, the ballet girl was right in front of her, striking the iconic pose from Swan Lake.
(That pose.)
Lilith was horrified. She was starting to piece it together: this ballet girl was a mechanic monster, one of those creatures bound by weird, specific rules.
In horror games and stories, monsters generally fell into two categories: stat monsters and mechanic monsters.
Stat monsters were the classic kind—werewolves, vampires, serial killers, deformed cannibals. They killed humans because their physical stats were just better. Simple jungle law: the strong crush the weak.
Mechanic monsters were different. They didn't always have superior physical stats. Instead, they killed using specific, often bizarre rules. Take Freddy Krueger: a mechanic monster who killed through nightmares and fear. Drag him into the real world, and he might not even beat a teenage girl in a fight.
Back in the day, mechanic monsters were rare; most were stat-based. But in recent years, with creepypastas and Cthulhu-inspired lore exploding online, mechanic monsters had become more common, born from the collective imaginations of internet users.
The yellow-clad clown and Slenderman that Roy had faced before were mechanic monsters too, though they had decent stats as well.
The key difference? With mechanic monsters, if you figured out their rules, you could beat them easily. Stat monsters? If you couldn't match their raw power, you were toast.
As one of the original witches who'd lived since ancient times, Lilith had encountered mechanic monsters before. They shared a common trait: most came from outer space.
Pennywise, the yellow clown, Slenderman, the Color Out of Space—all cosmic entities. This ballet girl, with her lamprey-like face, was probably from the stars too.
(Lamprey eel vibes.)
Lilith didn't dare move, afraid of triggering the ballet girl's mechanics. Her mind raced for a solution.
But then, out of nowhere, an iron hook shot through the air, yanking Mary Shaw's soul right out of Lilith's grasp.
"Damn it!"
Lilith lunged to snatch Mary Shaw's soul back, but she was too slow. She only managed to grab the puppet, Billy.
And then the ballet girl moved.
The music box started playing again. In the haunting melody, the ballet girl's neck stretched grotesquely, her mouth gaping impossibly wide. She swallowed Lilith's entire upper body like it was a snack.
Crunch. The sound of wood and straw being chewed filled the air.
At the last second, Lilith used an ancient decoy spell, teleporting away. In her place, a straw-stuffed scarecrow was chomped to bits.
Sure, Jennifer's body could heal from most injuries, but getting her upper half bitten off? That was probably beyond even her regeneration. Only someone like Adrian, with divine healing magic, could fix that.
"What the hell is this thing?"
Lilith was shaken and furious. She'd never seen a lamprey eel, so her confusion was understandable.
But her real fear came from losing Mary Shaw's soul—the one thing she could've used to bargain with Jack Snyder. Now, not only had she lost Jennifer's soul, but Mary Shaw's was gone too. All she had left was this ugly puppet. How was she supposed to explain this to Roy?
The thought of facing Roy's wrath pushed Lilith over the edge. Losing her cool, she charged at the ballet girl, ready to fight hand-to-hand.
Surprisingly, it worked. The ballet girl was great at dodging magic but clumsy in close combat. Her long neck and oversized head threw off her balance, making her a lousy fighter up close.
Lilith had been intimidated by the ballet girl's terrifying appearance at first, which led to her misjudgment. In her demonic form, Jennifer's body was ridiculously strong. Even without much melee skill, Lilith could overpower most monsters with raw stats alone.
"Die!"
Lilith darted behind the ballet girl and delivered a brutal kick.
The ballet girl went flying over thirty feet, much to Lilith's surprise. That dainty little head had grown massive, but her body was still light as a feather, unable to withstand Lilith's kick.
Realizing Lilith's melee prowess, the ballet girl burrowed into the ground.
Now Lilith was on the defensive again.
She extended her senses, trying to track the ballet girl, but it was like the creature had gone invisible—completely undetectable.
Some monsters could block perception, a trait that made them a witch's worst enemy. Lilith hadn't expected to face one today.
She stood on her tiptoes, barely moving, afraid the ballet girl would sense her and launch a sneak attack.
A second later, a massive maw erupted from where Lilith had been standing, swallowing a chunk of the ground.
Lilith immediately unleashed her telekinesis, trying to yank the ballet girl out of the earth.
But the ballet girl's magic resistance was insane. In a blink, she broke free of Lilith's grip and dove back underground.
Just then, an angel descended from the sky, crashing into the ballet girl's burrow with unstoppable force.
Boom!
The ground collapsed within a thirty-foot radius. Lilith, caught in the blast zone, was thrown into the air.
That's how powerful the impact was.
As for the ballet girl underground? Burrowing during an "earthquake" was like taking double damage. She was dead as a doornail.
[Ding! Obtained the Ballet Girl's Fate Chest! Open it now?]
"Lilith?"
Yup, the aerial strike was Roy's doing.
One look at Lilith's demeanor, and Roy knew it wasn't Jennifer. Their vibes were totally different. Jennifer had a cool, untouchable aura, like a flower on a high peak. Lilith? She oozed charm, with a sultry, nightclub-queen energy. Spend enough time with them, and it was easy to tell.
Lilith hit the ground, embarrassed. In the end, Roy had to clean up her mess.
"Master, we've got a problem! A banshee's scream forced Jennifer's soul out of her body, and then Jack Snyder showed up and took it. While I was fighting that monster, the Mary Shaw soul I'd captured got yanked away by his hook! All I've got left is this puppet."
Lilith came clean, not daring to hide anything. If Roy found out later, she'd be in for a world of pain.
Somewhere along the line, Lilith had started seeing Roy as a future demon king, treating him with the respect she'd give one.
Roy's brow furrowed. He hadn't expected things to spiral like this. At least Lilith still had Billy the puppet—there was still a chance to turn this around.
"Hand me the puppet."
Roy took it, about to activate his Hellhound Ring, when his Smith & Wesson M629 revolver started vibrating at his hip.
Francisca had something to say. Roy quickly summoned her.
"Roy, that Jack Snyder? He's gotta be the Hook Man!"
Roy's eyes widened. "You sure?"
"No doubt! The Hook Man loves using hooks, and he's got this face-swapping magic that lets him impersonate anyone!"
It clicked. That's why "Jack Snyder" had been pulling all those shady moves. The real Jack was probably long gone.
Roy remembered what Sasha Anderson had said when she first showed up—that she'd been in a car accident. That's likely when the real Jack Snyder got replaced.
"Got it. He's not getting away with this. Lilith, head to XXX Hospital. The young witches are there. Keep an eye on them and deal with the FEA. I'm going after the Hook Man!"
Lilith looked at Roy, stunned. "Master, you're not mad at me?"
Roy gave her a puzzled glance. "Why would I be? It's not like you meant for this to happen. The Hook Man's just too slick. Now go—I'm heading out!"
The shadowy forms of hellhounds appeared, sniffing Billy's puppet before bolting off into the distance.
With a tracking item, the hellhounds' range and speed got a major boost.
Roy didn't hesitate. He shifted into his ghost wolf form and sprinted after them.
Lilith watched Roy's retreating figure, touched. She almost wanted to bow and wish him luck, but he was already gone.
Roy wasn't the type to pile pressure on his allies. He took responsibility himself. Lilith, always assuming he'd act like her, had misjudged him completely.
Meanwhile, the Hook Man—aka "Jack Snyder"—had reached his car.
He used a sealing spell to trap Jennifer's soul in an iron hook, then released Mary Shaw.
Mary Shaw was still grumbling. "What took you so long? I almost got caught by that woman!"
"Shut up, idiot! I told you these people are trouble. Why'd you even come here to die?"
"They took my precious Billy! I had to get him back!"
Every puppet was like a child to Mary Shaw, and Billy was her favorite. She couldn't bear losing him.
"Then possess Billy and leave! Why do all the extra crap?"
Mary Shaw fell silent. If she hadn't gone into that bedroom to kill, she might've escaped.
Of course, neither she nor the Hook Man knew Roy was onto their tricks, ready for Mary Shaw's appearance. Even if she'd tried to flee, she wouldn't have gotten far.
"That guy's not gonna let us go!"
The Hook Man started the car, glancing at Mary Shaw. "I know. We're heading back to Ravensfall. I'll see if I can call in some backup."
He pulled out a sleek phone and started dialing.
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