Theodore looked at the massive, steel-reinforced door that required the delicate, slow activation of a pressure plate.
"We don't need a pressure plate, Alcina. We need a cannon,"
Theodore stated, stepping back.
Alcina immediately understood. The subtle rules of the house were beneath them.
She drew a deep breath, flexing her powerful, cured muscles. Even without her monstrous form, she possessed strength far beyond any normal human.
"With pleasure, my Lord,"
She said, savoring the chance for direct confrontation.
She placed both elegant, white-gloved hands flat against the thick metal door. She didn't push; she simply gripped. With a grinding, agonizing screech that tore through the quiet house, she began to tear the door off its hinges.
The metal groaned, twisted, and buckled. Mortar crumbled from the frame.
Alcina exerted herself fully, treating the door not as an obstacle, but as a sheet of tissue paper.
CRREEEEEAK! BANG!
The hinges ripped free, and the door was violently thrown across the stone hall, embedding itself in the far wall.
The pressure plate mechanism lay exposed, crushed under the force of the displacement.
Theodore cheered,
"That's how you skip a puzzle! Well done, Alcina!"
Ethan just stared at the wreckage. He was no longer questioning the physics; he was simply cataloging the impossible power display. 'A literal human cannon...'
The excessive noise and destruction finally caused a critical failure in Donna Beneviento's control system. The entire manor suddenly plunged into complete, suffocating darkness.
A high-pitched, childish, yet incredibly menacing cackle echoed from the depths of the basement stairwell, growing louder.
"Naughty, naughty! You broke the house! Angie is going to make you pay!"
The Dimitrescu sisters instinctively huddled together as a wave of intense fear and illusion washed over them.
Donna Beneviento's most potent defense was psychological terror, and the dark, quiet basement was her stage.
"She's trying to separate us!"
Bela shouted, grabbing Cassandra's arm.
"We can't get lost in the dark!"
Theodore pulled out his phone/map and checked his status. The lighting system was gone, but the objective was clear: Find and destroy the source of the hallucinations—the puppet, Angie.
He reached into his inventory and pulled out two items:
* A Glowstone (Dark Souls): A small rock that casts a soft, temporary, weak light.
* A Fire Blossom (Elden Ring): A crafted item that launches a small, concentrated burst of flame.
"We need light and a distraction!"
Theodore yelled over the growing, maddening cackle. He activated his Eagle Eyes skill again, despite the lingering cooldown penalty, forcing the system to operate.
[Skill Activated: Eagle Eyes (Overridden)]
[Warning: Cooldown Time Doubled (220s)]
His vision sharpened, allowing him to see the outlines of the dark stairwell. He tossed the Glowstone down the stairs, providing a small beacon.
Then, he launched the Fire Blossom. It flew down the stairs, illuminating the darkness with a flash of fire.
For a split second, the light caught the small, white puppet Angie as she attempted to phase out of the shadows.
"She's there! Running to the first bedroom!"
Theodore barked.
"Alcina, wall her off!"
Alcina, now focused and immune to the illusions, roared and punched the heavy wooden banister of the staircase, causing it to collapse and send a wave of splintered wood and debris down the steps, momentarily blocking Angie's path.
"Go, go, go! Before she resets the puzzle!"
Theodore commanded, plunging down the damaged stairs, the entire team following the glow of the single Glowstone.