Hotel Selten

Glimpse of Greed

“What do you mean, Miss Eve?”

Ophelia looks at the lady beside her. “Nothing, I just sense someone who has an intention specifically to you is just wandering around.” Miss Eve explained to her, Ophelia bites her tongue for a bit. She wishes no one has the ability here to tell lies, or else she will be busted. She doesn’t even know why is she nervous, because she was mistaken that French man for someone. But, the lady seems right, it feels like someone’s following her. 

“If that’s so, a threat to Ophelia is a threat to us,” Blaise said as they arrived at their trusty truck. “Let’s chase this doctor down.” They all board the truck and their driver maneuvered it to take their trip to Paris, which is a bit longer than they thought it would cost them. The others were still inside the truck while Blaise along with Thilda is in the front seat once more. 

“I estimated this will be a two-hour long ride, I hope. Our only problem is the encounter with the doctor because that will be hella mad.” Blaise said as he draws his tablet and places it just in front of him. “Especially we heard he has backup now there, I won’t be surprise if he is preparing now for us.” He added as he set their map and GPS and start traveling out of Strasbourg. Miss Eve joined the conversation, “We need to prepare for that. I don’t think he will let out a bunch of wild experiments he did, unless there’s some back there where he was.” 

“Or other things he can use to slow us down. He is a nerd like I am, it’s impossible he got some gadget there to create some monstrosity once more. And, he’s not really that smart anyways, why evacuate on a place crowded with tourists and people? He could’ve flown out of the country if he really wants to flee.” Blaise said as he twists and taps the driver’s wheel left or right here and there. “He doesn’t want to flee, Blaise. He just wants to take advantage and prepare once more. He has bloodlust, and he won’t hesitate to crush us.” Thilda said as she looks around. 

“Thilda’s right, he just flees to recover once more. Without his experimental underlings, he is weak and vulnerable, he won’t stand against us. He let this victory of us slide, he will come for revenge.” Miss Eve sighs as she looks around. “I am already missing the hotel.” Peony commented as she puffs in boredom. “Don’t worry, we’ll get there soon, we just need to pin this organization up. We aren’t gonna be rested until this people who kept bothering us won’t stop.” 

“If we are gonna be left alive,” Bennet said which made everyone except the ones in the front either glare or look at him. “Don’t be such in negative spirit, Bennet. I am sure we will survive this.” Alice said as she was twirling her hair that was separated on her ear. “I am not being negative, just being practical. Besides, we are only like 9 or 10. We won’t stand against a million of an army if we ever encounter one.” 

“Actually, Bennet is right. I know this is a bad idea to start with, but we already started a war. Asante will come back to us no matter what. It’s between we die standing and watching as our fate come upon us or we die while we fight for our freedom and peace. I will most likely prefer the second one, at least I won’t blame myself that I didn’t do anything before I perish.” Miss Eve concluded. 

“Mind if we stop in a gas station or something? Or at least on somebody’s house? I forgot to bathe while back at the city.” Alice said while she was smelling her shoulder. “Can that bathing set aside? We are all smelly here, not only you Alice.” Melvin said as Alice rolls her eyes. “Arabella, any magic in your magic book that is some sort of bathing spell?” Ernest giggled along with Melvin that made the little healing witch smile and Alice a little bit more upset. 

“Speaking of bathing… I really need to uhm… Pee…” Ophelia shyly said as Blaise look at them from the mirror. “We are approaching a gas station. Hold it for a while. And Alice, I don’t really know how you will take a bath there but okay.” Blaise was holding his laugh as the lady who kept being targeted rolls her eyes for the nth time. “I can see your cheeks puff, Blaise. And, if you still do not know, some gas stations have some shower rooms. I thought you are smart—” 

“Hey, I am not outside smart! We literally live in an isolated hotel, in the middle of the forest. I don’t even know where you got this knowledge.” Alice smirks, “Miss Eve literally found me in a gas station shower room.” Blaise giggled, “That’s not a fancy place to be in for a fancy person like you.” Alice sighs, “You are not gonna trigger my memories again.” 

“We are here!” Blaise exclaimed and diverts the topic. “While we are at it, might as well take this opportunity for all of you to take a bath, if you want.” Miss Eve said as Blaise parks their own little delivery truck that they stole. One by one, they all exited the trucks and went separate ways in the gas station. “Hey, Hugo. Do me a favor and manipulate that guy right there.” Blaise said as he nudged him on the elbow, looking at the filling station attendant. Hugo sighs, “Get something from him.” 

He nods as he stealthily approached the attendant and pulls off a small device to suck some of his blood. He points it at his bare upper arms and lets the needle pierce through his skin. It was a fast operation, he quickly walk like nothing happened after he pulled out the needle. The guy holds his arm and looks at it. It left almost no mark that made him dismissed that he was just tired for the day. 

Blaise approached Hugo and handed him a small sample of his blood contained on a test tube that is just the size of a small bean. “Here ya go, I hope it’s enough.” The manipulator accepted it, “This is more than enough.” He closes his eyes and starts his usual ritual to manipulate the filling station attendant. He then looks at Blaise, “Go on, do your thing.” The inventor smiles like an i***t, “Thanks, bud. You’re the best.” He pats his shoulder as he boards the truck again and parked it near the filling station that the attendant is attending in.

“Hey, fill up my tank,” Blaise said as the guy reached the gasoline pump and approaches the gas tank of the truck, and starts filling up the tank once more. The others did their own thing as some took a bath with the help of Hugo’s magic once more. “Aren’t we getting a little bit abusive with Hugo’s powers?” Ophelia said as she exits the bathroom. 

“It won’t hurt anyone.” Peony said as she was munching a lot of chips. “Besides, they won’t notice that some of their products are missing.” She added, which made Ophelia a little bit more uncomfortable. “We have a lot of food back at the truck.” Peony sighs, “Come on, don’t be a bummer, Ophelia. Here, you can have some.” She tossed a pack of potato chips. Ophelia caught it for courtesy and set it aside in her backpack. 

Suddenly, Alice was forced to equip her necklace whip. “Guys!” She exclaimed as they approached her. In front of them of what was a humanoid that is composed of melted gold. “What is that!?” Arabella exclaimed. “There’s more of them!” Adam said as he draws his grass sword that emerged from his hand. Ophelia looked up, her eyes widen as she saw some just chilling on the roof of the convenience store.

“What are these?” Thilda said as she pulls up her sleeves and stabbed through a charging towards her. “I don’t know but they are surely violent!” Ophelia said as she runs inside the store. “They seem made out of gold,” Hugo concluded as dodges one that was attacking him. Thilda took care of it and stabbed it in the chest. “But, their vitals are the same as humans.” She added. 

People that were present in the gas station panicked. Ophelia looked inside the convenience store as her eyes were wide in shock. “The counter attendants are one too.” Alice and Melvin followed her, “This is chaos.” Melvin said as he tackled one of them and blast their heads against the wall. Alice keeps using her whip. Ophelia focuses and all of the bottles and containers with water that was enclosed exploded. She used the water she has to attack the store staffs that revealed themselves as these monsters. 

Minutes of fighting later, they looked around as many of the enemies were already in the ground. “We need to go now, people and the police might come.” Miss Eve said as they board the truck and quickly went out of the place. She was right, police came up just as they left the place. It was a relief that the police didn’t bother to follow them. “Hey, Blaise, turn on the radio, there might be a broadcast about it now,” Ophelia said as he pressed some buttons on the radio and found a suitable frequency to listen to. 

“Jeremy, what’s happening right there?” A news anchor asked as a rough voice of a man was heard next, “Mister Fred, we are here at a gas station where another mysterious thing has happened again. According to what I can see, it seems like humans covered in gold, for more information, we will have Chief Inspector Duran here. Sir Duran, what are your current findings in this chaos that was ensued in this place?” He asked which was answered by another man. “It was another day of weird happenings in France. The humans that you are seeing by now seem made of minerals, particularly gold, there are some that have some diamonds.”

“Diamonds? These humans seem expensive, sir Duran.” The officer giggles a bit, “It is, we will have further investigations about this and we will update the media about it,” the chief said. “Thank you, sir, that statement came from the chief investigator himself. First, we had those spider things, then we have those anthro canines, and now we have these humans made of gold. Bizarre things happen here in France. Moving on, we will interview one of the witnesses of what happened. What’s your name, miss?”

“I am Miranda, I was just buying some food for my family when all of the sudden things started to be chaotic. I thought it was that fraternity war that happened just weeks ago when I am buying things also here, but it was not. I don’t know if I am imagining or not, but I saw teens fighting them. There was a girl that has a whip and water was floating in the air. What is happening to the world, to France!? What are these shenanigans, what is—” The lady was cut as the reporter took over the microphone. “It’s getting real chaotic here, Fred. Miss Miranda is right what is happening to France? Back to you, Fred and Claud.” 

Blaise shut off the radio as he looks at them. “Well, we are really known by now, and maybe our truck.” He said as he sighs. “We should continue going to Paris, if we would be known, might as well this organization that is pursuing us. Asante has a lot prepared for us, I bet.” Thilda said as she looks outside and pulls her sweater sleeves to hide her blade hands.

“Do you guys suspect Asante of what happened earlier?”