You feel bitter cold on your wrists. Unconsciousness shutters the terror from manifesting still. But it isn’t long before you heave your eyes open and haul in the sight of decayed grey stone and iron rods consumed by rust. Your body writhes to escape discomfort; the strident rattle of chains chases after. You gasp in panic, terror creeping in. You flail some more in futile grasp of the hope this will all be confined to a terrible, terrible night’s sleep, but the cold gnawing at your skin and the sharp, putrid air ripping through your lungs and the thumps pleading with your heart to barge out makes it all too real.
You swallow hard, quivering. As you go to find some means of escape out of this place, the stench of damp dirt and rotting flesh helps you to recollect how you got into this situation...
Your name is Ethan Winters. You came to Castle Dimitrescu to investigate the people who went missing from the village. The memory of Alcina Dimitrescu, that vile, matronly vampire, becomes fresh a wound in your mind. You recollect the scene of her daughters dragging you before her. Turning and standing to face you, the vampire towered over you. What she said next still rings in your ears, "Let's see how special you are."
Now, as you shuffle to your feet and take a calmer look around the cell, you're able to better inspect your surroundings. Rotten iron bars block your way and the chittering of rats echoes in the subterranean hallways. Moss invades the gaps in the stone and... a note is curled up next to you, wedged in a crack in the wall.
You waste no time opening it to read:
"To whomever is trying to escape this place,
I hope this note will be of some assistance. You don't know me, but you will have to trust me if you want to survive.
First you will need to get out of this cell.
Then, collect the five key fragments I have hidden in the castle. Together, they will unlock the grand door in the main hall. Good luck!"
You struggle against your chains and feel the crumbling