Hotel Selten

Another Trouble

“I don’t think so.”

Blaise answered her that made all of them look at him. “You totally know what his capabilities, right? He might have his way to sabotage us in any way. You probably know what inventions he can create.” Thilda insisted as he shook his head. “I don’t think they are his creations. Just a gut feeling. Something in me is saying it's not from him." He turns his head slightly on his back, "Miss Eve, do you have any clue about this?” He asks as he continues to look at the road. “Well, I have… I have encountered them before.”

“Really, what are they, Miss?” Alice asked as she patched up the line of wounds that was caused by the claws of those gold humanoids. “I don’t really know what they are called. I just know they are part of demon-based groups that are wandering the earth ever since humanity was created.” She explained which sparked the curiosity of them. “Demon-base? Like what they say ‘the spawns of Satan’? But, literally.” The lady nods, “Based on their characteristics, they are based on one of the seven deadly sins, greed. They live like normal people on the earth, just like the others.”

“Why did they attacked us earlier?” Ophelia asked which made the lady sighs, “That, I can’t answer. Some of them are passive, I don’t even know why they even exist. Most likely, Asante has come to touch one of them, because they are one of the most destructive demon-based monsters.” Thilda chuckle, “Told you, Asante is behind this once more! That guy has a lot of connection. It’s like everything around us can be used by him, who knows? He’s a crazy man. Well, a crazy genius man. Which just makes him much more powerful and scary.” Blaise shrugs,  “I guess gut feelings are unreliable, oh well. Anyway, we are reaching his location, I hope this wouldn’t be hard.” Blaise said as he takes a turn on the intersection in the road. “From what I’ve learned from the past few fights, Asante wouldn’t make things easier for us.” Thilda stretches her arms as Blaise sighs. 

In the distance, both of them can see the buildings just ahead of them. Blaise look at his tablet as he can see the line for their distance is slowly becoming small. “We are approaching.” He said as he took a turn once more. “Maybe we should approach this without the vehicle, Asante can blow us up if we are in the same spot.” Ophelia said as Blaise nods, “Let’s just stop here.” He approached the parking lot. He approached a vacant parking space and parked their truck there. They went down their vehicle as they look around. “This is so beautiful!” Arabella exclaimed with great excitement in her voice. "Of course it will be since we are stuck in one place for almost our life." She glares at Alice, "You are a bummer." The latter giggles, "Just saying the truth." Ophelia looked at the boutique in front of them and an idea popped in her head. With a determined smile in her face, she looks at Hugo.  “Hugo, can you put your magic once more? I got a plan.” 

“Are you sure about this?” Thilda looked at herself wearing a black v-collared t-shirt with a flower-based designed black scarf for her upper and jeans on her lower. Ophelia puts a pair of sunglasses on her face. “There you go.” She lowered her glasses, “We look funny in these! At least give me something that has less obnoxious floral patterns unlike these.” Thilda protested. Hugo went out of the dressing room with his red blouse with collar, its sleeves are reaching his elbows and his wearing jeans also. “I look cool on these!” Blaise exclaimed while he looks at the full body mirror with his white shirt, jean jacket, and beige trousers. 

“Wouldn’t this be an odd fashion since… It’s literally autumn right now?” Alice said as she fixes her hair. “I am sure it wouldn’t, this is not some summer collection fashion. And, besides, this is not too short and fresh to be considered summer wears. Just make sure it hides things you need to hide in plain sight. We don't want people discovering our hidden talents.” Ophelia said as she grab a hair tie and ties her hair into a ponytail. She was wearing a blue sweater with white round collars and black leggings for her lower body.

She felt something soft landed on her head as she saw a black beret on her head. “And the cherry on top. Well, black cherry on top…” Blaise said as she looks at the mirror, “That’s alright, I guess.” She looks disappointed but forced a smile. Miss Eve left the dressing room with her blue dress with a high collar, reaching her chin, paired with long sleeves. It was just like her usual style, but one thing was different for her, she has a fancy fascinator on the left side of her head, resembling a small black veil with small holes on it. “Miss Eve looks like a royalty, which is kinda weird for her just to be walking around, or be on a truck!” Peony said as the lady giggles in her shenanigan. “Let’s go now. People might start coming.” Ophelia said as they went out of the boutique. When they are in the right distance, Hugo hands the small container to Blaise. “You can reuse that if you want. Supplies are hard to obtain nowadays, especially when you are not in your laboratory.” As Blaise accepted it, the counter of the boutique snaps back to reality. Completely oblivious about the fact that their shop was been robbed by a few teenagers. 

“Just act like we are tourists." Ophelia smiles as Thilda looks at them, If something happens, we have no choice but to react." "Of course." They started walking around. “Honestly, we don’t need to act, we are tourists anyway or refugees… I guess. What I mean is, we are new here. And an added sprinkle on the top is me having a gadget makes our cover much better.” Blaise said as he throws his arm on the back of his head, acting like he was laid back. “Whatever, how many miles are we from the museum?” 

Blaise draws his gadget out from his jacket as he looks at it, “Approximately 10 kilometers”. “That’s a long distance! We should go back to the truck or something.” Peony protested. “Asante knows we are coming for him. If we took the truck, he can just send a battalion with some guns or any explosives. It will just make things a lot easier for him,” Ophelia said. While they were walking, Melvin saw a tour bus on stop to fill it with some people. “Let’s have some ride.” He pulled one of them and went on the line. The rest follows whether it’s against their will or not.

They cheated the line as they enter among the people on vacation. They took the upper portion of the tour bus. “Can we just take a seat down below?” Alice said as she came to halt. “This is a better view, Alice. This could do and we have an advantage if something happens.” The lady said as she looks around her surrounding. Minutes later, the vehicle starts moving and a tour guide was accompanying them. “This is so cool!” Peony exclaimed as she extends her upper body past the banisters of the bus. Thilda pushed her back, “Don’t do that Peony, it was said by the weird guy over there.”

“Why? It’s so fun! I can back to the vehicle if anytime I want!” Thilda shushed her, “Don’t be too loud about that, people might find it weird.” The energetic flower sighs, “You’re right, that lady over there is already glaring at me.” She whispered to Thilda, secretly pointing to a lady with a fancy fur coat. Thilda giggles and sways her face in the other direction. 

Miss Eve looks around, looking for any suspicious things. People sometimes look at her, which made her a bit conscious of her appearance. It was rare for her to feel that, she feels her dress may be too formal for a tourist or maybe too fancy for a commoner. “Don’t mind them, miss. They are just jealous you have better clothes than them.” Ernest chuckled which made the lady smile. 

“Miss?” An unfamiliar voice said behind her back, she turned her head as he saw a man behind her. “Yes? Why?” She was confused and she hopes it will be gone soon. “Nothing. Just curious why these kids call you miss. Are you some politician or something?” Asked the man, which was responded by a gentle shake on the head as a no. “No, you can say that these are orphans and I am their caretaker.” It made the man smirk, “Seems familiar. I have read this before. Anyway, is this peculiar enough for you?” 

The lady grips on the banister as the man starts to morph. More tentacle-like arms start to grow out of his side and his face started to be scarier. It made the people around panic as some of them decided impulsively and jumped off the bus. Others start to morph and some started to attack them. They have no choice but to unleash their hidden talents.

The monster in front of Miss Eve grabs her as she struggles. She looked at it and its mouth starts to open. She shook the fascinator out of her head and flips her intentional bangs as her left eye was revealed. Its pupils start to be thin and it glows a bit. The monster starts to turn into stone starting from the tips of its tentacles and feet. It screamed as it tried to make an effort to eat her quickly as her powers start to take effect quickly, half of its tentacles were stone that it can’t lift anymore.

The bus was halted, throwing some of the people on board still on the top. The monster holding Miss Eve was thrown too as the final parts of it’s body turn to stone. As it touches the ground hardly, it broke into pieces, even the ones holding the lady, freeing her. It was a great impact that made her dizzy and a little bit disoriented. “Miss Eve!” Peony exclaimed as she helped the lady to stand. 

The others start to fight back. Thilda with her trusty blade as her hand slices the head of one of the tentacle monsters. It went down the ground, as she thought it was already dead, in front of her it regrow its head. Her eyes widen, cursing in the process. “Their heads regrow!” She exclaimed as she started dodging its attacks and try to think how to kill it once more. “I know, right!?” Peony said as she witnessed what her best friend witnessed as she was finished squeezing it’s head off. 

Ophelia just came from a distilling station bringing a lot of water. She started to defend herself with the resources she got. “How can we kill them!? Their tentacles regrow too!” Adam said as he sliced all the tentacles of the monster in front of him, which seem to mock him as it regrows its body parts. “They are regrowing their body parts! This is not good!” Alice said as she captured one of them with her whip. 

“Miss Eve! I know you are weak and all, but can you manage to turn them all to stones like what you did to the one before, please!?” Peony said as she approached Miss Eve while holding one of the monster with her vines. The lady sighs, “Tackle them and keep your eyes shut.” The rest nods as they used their own powers to stop and pin the monsters on a place. “Close your eyes!” Thilda shouted as Miss Eve flipped her bangs as her left eye’s pupil became thin like a snake’s eye. The monsters start screeching and screaming as every tip of their body slowly turns to stone. She opens her eyes wider to fasten the process. Seconds later all of them were completely stone. 

“There you go! Miss still has it!” Peony said as she slammed the stone that was seemed carved into a monster for someone who saw it out of context, turning it into rocks, pebbles, and dust. Some coughed with the dust flying around the air. Thilda looks at the lady who seems weak, “Miss?” She said as she approached her. “Are you okay?” Miss Eve nods as her skin went paler and her breathing went slow and heavy. 

In a split second, it was too fast, all they knew that they saw Miss Eve with Thilda holding on her feet as they soar upon the sky. “Miss Eve!” They screamed, a second later their eyes widen, and runs in a certain direction. “Thilda!”