Judith tackles the man to the oak flooring and pulls off his elaborate winged fiend mask. Diana snarls with rage in Herr Vasile's face. 'I-I can explain!' stammers Wolf Vasile.

Solomon and Judith remain for merely a moment in the clearing. Solomon Doe is wearing a wool cloak and carrying a single violet. The acrid marsh is covered in a pallid light from the full moon.

A reinforced bloodwood door obstructs the doorway to the unholy ballroom. Judith begins to climb up the demonically carved bloodstone stonework. Gunter swings back and violently pounds the door with his sturdy bastard sword. The door clatters to pieces.

Just outside the room, a strapping person is locked in a silver cage. The countess of the chateau rolls their eyes. 'Excuse the present chaos. Last night's orgy was very energetic.' Diana scoffs. 'Typical.'

Solomon is the first to discover the man. His corpse is half-dissolved by digestive fluid, clothed in a pair of ruddy fur-lined breeches. Solomon is saddened by a scene of such violence.

The stoic bedchamber is bathed in a blood-colored luster from the steel braziers. Gunter picks up an ancient hand-written journal from the armoire and flips through the pages. 'Oh sure.' He bluffs. 'I know this one.'

That night, Solomon and Judith dine at Schwarz's Respite. A brown-haired young man offers to buy Solomon a tumbler of red wine. 'Solomon is not interested in romance...' Solomon comments carefully.

That evening, Judith and Pisspot dine at The Sage and Moonsteel. A gorgeous young person offers to buy Pisspot a stein of cider. 'Waeuggh...' Pisspot snorts while he stares.

Adam Takács, the local carpenter's husband, is hosting Judith and Eldric. Herr Takács has prepared their traditional family recipe of pan-fried goose with an apple glaze alongside mulled wine. Eldric demurely refuses the food. 'I'm still on a bit of a liquid diet.'

The wind jostles the scrub brushes on the tundra. An ancient fir chest locked with a brass padlock stands on a lichen-covered boulder blocking the path ahead. Pisspot waggles his long tongue and flaps his lips.

Diana looks down at her hands covered in blood. The body of a young person lies on the ground. Diana bolts awake from the fever dream. Judith stares into the distance in the stark light.

The outraged mob is armed with torches and pickaxes. Earl Von Constantin looks out over the parapets. 'Can't a man enjoy his luncheon in peace?' Earl Von Constantin scoffs with displeasure.

An ancient obsidian door blocks the entrance to the hellish gatehouse. Judith commences to ascend the blackened obsidian masonry. Solomon is too large to follow and grumbles in anger at Judith.

A demonic purple cloud wafts between the vials in the damned laboratory. Judith picks up a hand-written book from the rack of vials and reads. 'Wojtech rips open Liev's loose linen sack-back dress tied with a violet ribbon and carefully slides his hand inside.' Judith sets the book back down.

The ice-hewn courtyard smells of anise and nutmeg, a thick cloud wafting along the limestone slabs. A dense limestone door is along the back wall of the courtyard. Eldric looks around with boredom.

The doctor motions Diana to the old farmhouse. 'That's where the child discovered John. They were pretty ripe by the time we found them.' The hair on the back of Diana's neck bristles slightly.

The dire tower is pulsating with a weird energy that sends a shiver down Diana's spine. Diana sniffs around the clearing cautiously with her ears flat back.

The indistinct light from the ruddy embers of the campfire is diffused by the falling snow. From somewhere in the darkness to the south, the rustles of a man-eating plant. Judith proposes to take first watch.

The arachnoid lunges at Judith, narrowly missing! Gwendolynn turns and fires her steel-studded pistol! The arachnoid thrashes violently before falling still. Judith grimaces and dusts herself off.

Michal Fuchs yells as their face turns scarlet. 'There's no imps in Budamárton! I will not tolerate such insulting defamation!' Judith glares at Michal suspiciously.

The hail pelts the trees along the main road. Solomon looks Judith in the eyes. 'Solomon worries about Judith. Stay safe.' Judith doesn't say goodbye, but tips her hat at Solomon.

The full moon paints a ghostly halo on the ice-slicked trees along the street. Diana stares at Judith stoically. 'So that's it? You're done?' Judith rides off and doesn't look back.

Judith slices at the revenant with her steel saber, landing a fearsome blow! The revenant stops dead in its tracks!

A mist wafts through the moss-covered trees in the wetland. A spectral breeze whistles through the damp stumps. Defiantly, Diana puts up her fists.

The bandit strikes at Judith, missing by a hair! 'Shoo!' Judith seethes.

One of the bandits from the gang strikes at the huge gold door below. Carmerlengo Emma Von Nagy looks out over the ornately carved parapets. The carmerlengo of the chateau cries out. 'Ready my carriage! Find my beautiful orichalcum ring!'

Sally is wearing a hemp tunic and carrying a steel hand-organ. They speak softly. 'There's forty copper leus in it for you if you can get rid of the arachnoids for us.'

A brass-studded dagger is embedded into an iron-barred cell nearby. A dense pine door is near the entrance of the cell. Judith says nothing and moves on.

Duchess Susanna Von Lupu IX is a charming ancient woman with a baleful aura about her. The duchess extends her ornate hand in greeting. 'Potentially I did kill Prof. Fazekas. What of it?'

Adam leads Judith to the old boarding house. 'Sofie Haider discovered Sara over there. They were filthy and covered in tiny scratches and bites...' 'Blchpwch!' Pisspot moans while he curls his lip upward.

Judith discovers the body of Ludwig first. Their corpse is filthy and covered in tiny scratches and bites and clinging to a damaged silver chisel. 'Rat kings.' Judith seethes.

Judith tackles the man to the earth and pulls off his convincing man-eating plant mask. 'Herr Bauer? I knew it was you!' Gunter brags. 'You absolutely did not...' Judith adds curtly. 'How dare you!' Baruch Bauer growls as his face turns red.

The hellish library conceals a large mural depicting a horde of ghouls. 'No good will come of this...' Diana mutters.

Aron points Gwendolynn to the slaughterhouse. 'The young men found the woman over there. The place was just covered in blood.' Gwendolynn jots down the information in her journal.

That night, Judith and Gunter dine at The Tarnished Sword. There is a juggler tossing broad iron shovels into the air performing at the inn. The crowd seems confused by the performance.

A mist wafts through the buildings along the street. Diana frowns. 'Fine. Go alone if you insist. It's your funeral.' Judith rides off and doesn't look back.

Judith leaps at the banshee, her amber-studded sword and buckler gleaming in the barely-visible light from the waxing moon. The banshee shrieks with rage!

That night, Judith and Eldric dine at The Blue Wolf. Eldric gets to know Franziska, a young woman wearing a fine paisley gown, over three steins of pilsner. Judith sips her flagon of lager silently.

Chancellor Von Stefan begins to remove his damask smoking jacket and beckons to the oak bed near the entrance of the chamber. 'Maybe there are arrangments we can come to outside of monster-hunting?' 'I don't need any more company tonight...' Judith responds.

Judith speaks while looking around the old meeting hall, her brass spear in hand. 'The body was found here. Ritually sacrificed.' 'Signs suggest a congregation of cultists must be nearby.' Gwendolynn remarks.

The angry mob begins to pound against the reinforced ironwood door. Judith looks out over the ancient flagstones. Judith draws her trusty iron dagger cautiously.

Eldric encounters the body first. His body is hanging upside-down and clothed in a pair of black trousers along with a bloodstained unassuming iron brooch. 'How most unpleasant...' Eldric contemplates with a slightly annoyed air.

The spring ball is a baroque affair. Undoubtedly, no expense has been spared. Viscountess Von Király curtsies deeply and offers her hand to Eldric. 'May I have this dance?' 'Mmm... I am tempted by someone full of such delicious... vitality as yourself...' Eldric declares with a smirk.

Along the back wall of the chamber, a rabbit wanders out from behind an ironwood dresser. The cardinal of the castle waves their hand dismissively. 'Excuse the mess. The fête last night was most bawdy.' Gwendolynn blushes but says nothing.

The substantial maple table in the ballroom is set with frankfurter würstl and cabbage bisque. Duchess Von Pintér sits surrounded by two courtiers. They speak to Eldric with an enigmatic look. 'Kindly pardon me if I eat while we discuss business.'

Pisspot the billy goat knocks against the colossal oak door with his horns. A person opens the door and grimaces. 'The sun is golden and the stars are icy...' Judith repeats cautiously. The person looks them over briefly before letting the two into the warehouse.

That night, Judith and Solomon dine at The Knackered Rapier. A handsome short young man offers to buy Judith a flagon of milk. 'I'm not interested...' Judith tells him.

The large bloodwood table in the ballroom is set with gulyás and port wine. Earl Von Gulyás sits sipping from a flute of port wine. They speak to Judith with a soulful look. 'Please, sit with me.'

That evening, Pisspot and Judith dine at The Flying Lamprey. Both are tired from their recent encounter with a horde of ghouls. Judith sips her mug of dark ale silently.

Anna ushers Judith to just past the boarding house. 'That's where Franziska Vlad found Gittel. She was disintegrated...' Solomon grumbles in acknowledgement.