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It was a misty morning when an ailing Simon Belmont visited the resting site of his forefathers known as Angel's Hill. Ever since his duel to the death with Dracula seven years ago he felt increasingly unwell, and it had gotten to a point where he believed he wasn't long for this world. He sought to ask his ancestors and God for guidance here in this holy place, when in the midst of doing so he was visited by a vision of a woman that looked strikingly similar to Sara Trantoul, matriarch of the Belmont Clan. She told all- that the root of Simon's suffering was from a curse placed upon him in the form of a wound by the beast Dracula had become, and that in order for the curse to be undone he must gather the body parts of the count and burn them in the crumbled remains of Castlevania. It was not long after that Simon had set out on a quest to do such, for time was of the essence.
As Simon arrived in Jova, the town nearest to the Belmont hold and Angel's Hill, he fished out his pocket watch and gently flipped open the lid to gauge the time it had taken him to arrive here on foot. It was precisely 12:00 PM and not a second more, meaning it had taken him around two hours to get here with little resistance met along the way. The sun was at its peak and townspeople went to and fro about their business in the silence of daylight, as if ambivalent to the curse that had befallen their land.
Simon, on the other hand, was not the man he was seven years ago when he stepped through the gates of Dracula's Castle. His long blonde hair had been trimmed, now only neck length. The light leather armor he wore had been traded out for more adequate protection- a set of steel armor in dull red with gold trimmings. Muscles, once bulky and bared, had slimmed somewhat and were now shielded by the black fabric of a bodysuit to guard sensitive skin against the elements and the chill of night alike. The curse had weakened his body, weakened his mind, and stripped him of his pride. Simon Belmont felt he was half that man.
But there was no sense in idly lamenting when there was work to be done. The spirit that had told Simon of his curse, its cause, and cure told of only those things before fading away, leaving him to uncover the whereabouts of Dracula's parts on his own. The many passersby gave Simon an idea; where better to start than asking about? He spotted an elderly gentleman sporting a cane and politely stopped him to inquire information, briefly bowing his head in reverence. "I apologize for the intrusion, but do you know anything about the relics of Dracula?" The geriatric hums and runs a thumb and forefinger through his long white beard as he tries to make out the other through poor eyesight, assuming him an adventurer from attire and inquiry. "If you're set on a journey, the first thing to do in this town is buy a White Crystal."
"A White Crystal..." Simon repeats the item in question. "Whereabouts would I find that?" The old man inhales, then answers. "Well... I know a crooked trader is offering bum deals in this town." The wording wasn't very reassuring. Simon struggled to keep his expression neutral, but thanked the man for his aid nonetheless. "I see. I appreciate your time." They parted ways and Simon went off in search of this crooked trader, but it would be the crooked trader who would find him. "Hey, you there!" A middle aged woman called out to Simon, drawing his attention. "You're Simon Belmont, aren't you?" She held out a white sphere resting on a small pillow. "Want to buy a white crystal? It'll let you see things you'll never see otherwise!" It was serendipitous, this was the exact thing the gentleman earlier was suggesting he buy, though he also implied the one offering it wasn't doing so at a reasonable price. "I'm interested. How much is it?" Simon replied. "Only 50. You won't find a better price or find it anywhere else!"
50? 50 was all the coin Simon had on him. In fact, it was all he carried aside from the Vampire Killer, a watch and the clothes on his back. The old man was right, this wasn't worth the price. He was ready to decline and try his luck elsewhere, but opted instead to ask for elaboration on its abilities. "You said it allows you to see things you wouldn't be able to otherwise see. What did you mean by that?"
"Not everyone's magically attuned you know. Without that, why, you might miss what's right in front of your nose. The next thing you know you could trip and fall into a lake!" She gestures to her ware. "With this crystal, it won't matter if you've got magical skills or not because it does! And you seem like someone who would need it." A pause after the pitch, and then an offer. "So what do you say, do we have a deal?" This struck a chord with Simon. His magical abilities were always abysmal, which was why he trained his body to the extent he did. To compensate for it. If traversing the Transylvanian countryside would be troublesome without an affinity for magic or an ally at his side with it, then...
Coins jingled into the traders palm from a small sack until it was empty. "A pleasure doing business with you, Lord Belmont." She spoke in a slightly playful voice as she handed her customer the crystal, who looked none too happy about offering up all the money he had on hand for it. "Thank you." Came the curt words of courtesy from Simon, who proceeded to walk off with his purchase. "But wait! Want to buy holy water too?" Called out the crooked merchant, holding up a container of it.
No reply comes out of Simon. Not even a glance over his shoulder. But despite his dislike of this individual and her ways, it was likely he would be back for that holy water sooner or later.