Storm the castle.

You and Niki lead the charge. Your mage and cleric walk behind. In between, there's Alice--the wildcard. You're not really certain what her true potential is, though for now, it's best to keep her safe. At the very least, she can't have her blood sucked if she doesn't have any to begin with. Apparently there's a castle north of the town. It's far enough to not be seen from here, though close enough to where it endangers the residents. It's still the middle of the day, so you should have plenty of sunlight to go. All you need to do is get there and hope they have no idea you're coming. If they have defenses set up, you're going to be in big trouble.

In your hand is the magic blade Lauo, and although its magic effect has been mostly useless, it's still a strong, sharp sword. Around your finger is the magic ring Tol'vuus, which you have yet to use. Though Queen Catherine II explained that it could actually capture magic and fire it right back. That may be incredibly useful. In your other hand, you have the flask given to you by Dixby. Soon it'll be time to drink it down.

You walk through the hills. No monster is in sight, though you imagine coming at night time would be a nightmare. The wildlife has probably been scared away--other than those that come out when the sun goes down. This is the optimal time to slay a vampire. There are no bats flying by, or wolves hunting you down. The sun is radiant in the cloudless sky.

A few hours pass. Your legs start to tire when you spot the ruins of a castle on the cusp of a forest. It looks ancient, and definitely not something someone called the Vampire Queen would build, which leads you to believe that perhaps this is either a temporary abode or she recently moved in. Catherine didn't seem like the kind of woman to live in a ruin. On the bright side, there are giant gaps in the walls around it, so getting in won't be as difficult as it would have been otherwise. There is a large set of double doors in the front, and a path leads through the courtyard into the grassy field you're currently standing in. There is no guardian outside either. Nobody would be foolish enough to attack them, and most probably don't even know she's here. Unfortunately, you are foolish enough, but at least you came prepared--as prepared as this party can be. They don't have a great track record of following the plan.

It isn't gigantic. The castle is more like a fortified manor, though less-so now. There are at least four visible windows from this position. As your group scopes out the area, you nestle between the grassy knolls.

"I say we charge in through the front door. I bet I could knock it down," Niki suggests.

"We want the element of surprise," you reply.

"That would be surprising."

"I'd rather not alert the entire castle. For all we know, there are a hundred vampires in there. Look over there. The first window up on the wall right of the front doors, where the walls turn inwards. That window is the only one that's open."

"We can sneak in," Eva continues. "And worst case scenario, it's day time, so we can just blow up the ceiling."

"If you're actually able to do that, please don't." You turn your attention to the window. Then, you pop the cork of the potion Dixby gave you and drink it down. It sort of tastes like Sprite. Immediately, you feel a comforting warmth flow through your body.

Lastly, you hold the last two vials of holy water to Alice. "Here. You take these. I think they'll be best in your hands, and I already have a magic sword."

"Are you certain?" She grabs them carefully.

You nod. "Let's go. Quickly now. We're heading to the window."