The Red Rose

Chapter XXXII

Both Carmilla and Erik turned toward me when I realized what was happening, and the scene was surreal.

Lorelei emerged from the water, her intense emerald eyes glowing, her curvaceous and sculpted body glistening. Her beautiful hair was drenched, and her skin had taken on a scaly texture. She was truly a mermaid, just as my grandmother had told me.

I noticed that her legs also had that scaly appearance, but it was more prominent, almost as if she were wearing strange, tight pants. Her absurdly beautiful face made me break into a smile.

"Oh, dear angel. Are you still wallowing with this filthy thing?" she said, looking at Carmilla with disdain, and the latter did everything possible not to lunge at her. Lorelei's scent was truly captivating, and I remembered all those stories of sailors who fell under the sirens' spell, but I also recalled Nemo's words, saying:

"Bah, you're only here for my blood! You don't fool me. At least Carmilla makes an effort to restrain herself. You're no better than Dracula or any other vampire. I know everything about you and your kind—you're nothing more than a vampire with fins."

Lorelei looked at me with an amused expression, responding:

"Don't compare us to those horrid creatures! The undead, created by dark and eldritch magic. I was born this way! I'm authentic! We've always been like this, unlike her! Look closely, angel, and you'll see we're not so different."

She then spread her fins like a bat's wings, or rather, like a flying fish.

"We can also fly. Both the air and the sea have been our domains for millennia, and we've been waiting for the right opportunity to emerge and finally reclaim our position on the surface. Miguel, we will offer you an entire vast kingdom—you only need to come with me, and you will be my prince for all eternity. You'll have the opportunity that the legendary Odysseus never took."

Lorelei extended her arms and smiled at me in a captivating way, almost as if pleading for me to come, as if her life depended on it. But I knew what she really desired was the power, the same power that emanated from my veins. Yet her scent was too much; my foot began to move almost on its own.

This awakened Carmilla's instincts. She began to open her mouth and reveal her fangs, focusing like a cat on Lorelei's delicate neck. Lorelei noticed this and began to whisper a symphony with her lips, and we both fell under the siren's trance.

Suddenly, a piano melody snapped us out of the trance—I found myself just centimeters away from Lorelei. It was Erik; his piano had broken the spell. Carmilla kicked Lorelei several meters away, and Lorelei finally revealed her true nature, showing her sharp fangs. From the sea, various grotesque humanoid sea creatures emerged and began to launch themselves at us, murmuring almost incomprehensibly.

"For Dagon, for Mother Hydra!"

As the battle between Carmilla and Lorelei took on a personal tone, several of these creatures lunged at me, and I struck them one by one, sending them flying, where they slammed into the brick walls, creating holes on impact.

Lorelei pulled out a kind of trident and charged at Carmilla.

"Take this!" she yelled at Carmilla as she threw the magic sword at her, and both weapons clashed with a thunderous blow.

"A triton!" Erik shouted.

A large creature tackled me against the wall, which shattered on impact. Erik kept playing his symphony to nullify any attempt by Lorelei to use her song, and I could see her frustration.

Some creatures lunged at Erik's piano while he played, and he threw various objects and books at the monsters. After dispatching the horrendous creature by knocking it out, I rushed to help Erik, striking several of those beings everywhere, kicking others like soccer balls. Every blow I landed on these creatures, which seemed incredibly tough, created shockwaves that trembled through the dungeon and agitated the waters in circular ripples.

After their numbers began to dwindle, Lorelei ordered them to go after Carmilla, almost as a last personal gasp. Carmilla finally broke the trident, slicing it with the sword, and I managed to intercept several monsters with some of the Alicanto's arrows.

The creatures regrouped around Lorelei, attempting to shield her as Carmilla continued to execute them with the magic sword. I tried to aim an arrow at Lorelei, but one of the creatures jumped in the way, using its body as a shield.

The triton retaliated, landing a blow on my chest that sent me crashing into a wall, which shattered, scattering debris everywhere. As it turned toward Erik's piano, Erik moved one of the blue flames that lit the dungeon, distracting the monster just enough to give me time to recover.

With a leap, I punched the triton again, and it partially fell. Lorelei finally decided to abandon her gang and fled, leaving the other sea creatures at the mercy of Carmilla and the sword. Some managed to escape through the lake, while others met their end.

The triton refused to give up and tried to stand, but I got on top of it and kept punching its nearly impenetrable face, making the entire dungeon shake.

"Stop, Miguel! If you keep hitting it, you'll bring the whole place down!" Erik pleaded, watching as the ceiling seemed to spit out bits of earth, and the lake water surged, flooding different areas.

Carmilla finally handed me the sword, and with a single thrust to the head, I ended the Triton, which slowly seemed to lose its form.

"Sorry, guys, I got carried away. These things are really tough," I said, letting out a victorious sigh.

"What did you expect? They probably live in places even the toughest submarines can't reach," Carmilla replied.

"Whatever. By the way, I'm hungry. Anyone up for sushi?" I joked.

Carmilla put a hand to her head, and Erik responded, frowning, "Your ability to find humor in dire situations is... peculiar, but admirable."

We tried to clean up the mess, but unfortunately, the water had soaked many of his books and written compositions.

"This is a disaster. We're so sorry, dear Erik. So many beautiful compositions and pieces, probably lost," Carmilla lamented.

"There are things that transcend any musical piece. What will become of art and music if there is no one with a noble heart left to appreciate it?" he responded.

And so, he handed us his notebook with the plans for Dracula's bunker, which he had miraculously saved from the water and the attack of the deep ones.

"Your mission transcends any artistic expression, my dear friends. This battle with those creatures has cleared any doubt about the importance of what is at stake. The bond between you two is admirable; if I ever get the chance, I will compose a grand melody to commemorate our friendship and the bond between you. Farewell, and good luck, my friends."

We climbed into the boat and slowly drifted away, finally leaving the opera, soaked but with a clear mission. We just had to return to Vienna and plan our assault on Dracula with our dear friend Juanpi. We will finish what Holmes and Dr. Van Helsing couldn't—destroy Dracula.