SURVIVAL 23: MINIONS

“I’m sorry, First. I never thought of that. Thank you.” I apologized.

“I’m sorry too, and thank you for being alive.” He said. I smiled. "There's a map here. You need to stay in a hotel first.”

He mentioned to me that my life percentage is only 91%. It must have been because of the first encounter with Zarod. To help him, I tell him and describe my position and environment.

"Okay, turn right on that street.”

I follow the directions he tells me to find the hotel.

"Can you still control me even if you can't see me?” I asked him.

"That's the good news, yes, I can. I can prevent you from an attack.”

"You're here.”

I raised my head and looked up at the 8-story hotel. ‘The Grand Chase Hotel’. I entered the hotel’s lobby.

"Bonjour," The receptionist greeted me, I guess.

I raised my two eyebrows, asking, ‘what did you say? Excuse me, please '.

"Que puis-je faire pour vous, madame?"

What is she talking about? I can’t understand one thing.

“Um, sorry. I didn’t understand you. Anyway, can I have a room please?”

“Quel type de chambre voulez-vous?”

This must be a foreign language on Earth or a specific language on the nth planet.

"First, why can't I understand what she’s saying?”

"Oh, I forgot. This is a virtual reality game. The settings changed. Look what's outside.”

I looked outside the hotel and I was shocked...

Eiffel T-Tower.

"That's right. It changes from time to time. I'll now change the language settings. Which language would you prefer?”

"English, please,"

"Affirmative”

The receptionist spoke in French. No wonder I understood nothing at all.

"You may now talk with her. There's money in your pocket.” He informed me.

"Alright. We'll talk later after I rest. Thank you."

“Got it.”

I have bitten the lower part of my lip twice.

I took a solo room to save money. I entered and exited the elevator and searched for room 205. I pressed the hotel’s key card to open it. I went inside and saw a small bed, a small bedside table and lampshade, a cabinet, and a clean bathroom.

***

I looked out the window, and it was snowing. It's 9:00 AM. I had six hours of sleep. I forgot that it's been over 5 hours, and First can already see me on his screen. When I got up, I noticed that there were pamphlets, booklets, and fliers on the small bedside table. I took one and what is written here is all about the hotel. ‘TGCH’ is the acronym of the hotel.

"What are we going to do?" I requested him for a plan.

"You need to leave the hotel and fight those minions of Zarod.”

"What? He has minions?”

"Yes, our only goal is to defeat Zarod. But I think we must first defeat the lower-class enemies, and then we'll plan on how to trample their heinous leader.”

"Where can we find the minions?"

"I can detect some of them in Dark Street near the hotel." First can see the mission objectives of the game on his screen.

"For now, our first mission is to kill all of his minions. Zarod has minions, that's why he can murder his victims stealthily without any trace, witnesses, and even the police can't capture him."

"How can we fight them?"

"There are weapons in your inventory. I'll select one of them and be in charge of your motion for combat fighting."

I have turned off our communication to save time. I left the hotel. There are people outside. I can ask someone where Dark Street is.

"Young lady, are you asking where that street is?" an old man approached me. He is carrying an old basket and he wears dirty clothes.

"Ah, yes. I am kind of lost in here,” I chuckled. “Why do the streets here not have signages?" I asked him since I pondered why I see no single street labels here.

"There was an incident here. Several houses and properties were damaged.” Oh, that’s why some of the lots here are empty, rugged, and unused. “What street are you looking for?”

"The Dark Street”

"Come, I'll lead you." I helped him walk because he was limping. I carried his basket.

"Here we are.”

We reached the destination. The aura here is a bit eerie compared to the previous streets we’ve passed. There are no people except the two of us. This must be called Dark Street for a reason.

"Thank you for guiding me here," I gave him the basket I carried.

"Bwahahaha!”

I was surprised by the old man's laughter. A stern pair of brown eyes are currently staring at me that stoned me. I’ve seen those eyes before…That laugh… No, Zarod’s eyes in his real form are bright red.

I was even more surprised by his transformation. He got taller and looks younger, aged 16-18 years old. His eyes became pure black, staring deadly at me. I saw that there were two... four... They became six! Six of them came out from his back. They all look alike and are dressed in black cloaks.

"First!" I shrieked as the seven monsters surrounded me.

"Second, be calm as much as you can. We are now facing them."

"Them?" I pondered.

"The minions”

"Eh?!"

“Try asking them what they want.”

I inhaled and exhaled to compose myself. "Y-You are Zarod's henchmen, right?"

"We are! And we're here to kill you!" a fiendish, strange voice came out to one of them who spoke.

"I am activating your weapon... Okay, grenade, pistol, bow, and arrow, or a sword?”

I thought for a moment as the seven gradually approached me and planned to corner me. I also backed away while sweating from the cold.

"I don't know. Anything will work.”

I knelt quickly to pick up the metal scrap beside my feet. I swayed it up and down, left and right to the seven minions. One minion started attacking me with his fist, targeting my face. I dodged it… No, First made me dodge it.

"There's a problem. I can't click the pistol as your weapon. I already tried others, still can't.”

The minion continued beating me up but First is good at keeping me out of those punches.

"There's a dialogue box. It says, 'solve the riddle first to activate the weapon that the system has chosen for the player'." First is confused as well.

"What riddle? Tell me," I requested. "Ah!”

Another minion attacked me, so I closed my eyes, but I saw myself using my two hands to block the two clones’ fists.

"Because of the stupid system thing, I'll control you by combating without using any weapons for a while. While they’re attacking you, I'll control your movements and solve the riddle."

The two clones backed away because I pushed them—of course, it was First. The two of them continued to attack while the remaining five remained standing on the side. First and I continue to cast defense to counter their attacks.

"First, you'll take care of my moves. We can't beat them with this. Tell me the riddle, I'll answer it."

"There's only a clue given to solve this. The clue is 'The hotel where the player stays'.”

"How did that turn out to be a riddle?”

"Look out!”

"Argh!" I groaned in pain.

A clone hit my left leg. I ignored the pain and let First do his work.

'The hotel where the player stays''

That's the clue. Hotel? At ‘The Grand Chase Hotel’. What's up there?

"Second, there's another clue. It is 'Acronym Strokes'," First said.

Hmm... Hotel, Strokes? A kind of illness as in a stroke? Or the one when writing?

Wait, in the fliers I read earlier about the hotel, the hotel is also known for its acronym, 'TGCH'

What do acronym strokes have to do with this? Does it ask how many strokes there are to write the letters T-G-C-H?

Let’s try... T = 2, G = 2, C = 1, H = 3... 2 + 2 + 1 + 3 = 8

8 is the answer, I guess.

"There's a clue again. 'Co-character'.”

Is my co-character First since he’s my partner? Oh, but he’s a player who controls the character in-game. It must be I, Fourth, Sixzen, Aiezen, Sectwen, and Aeith. 8 acronym strokes and Aeith (8th) is one of my co-characters.

The hotel and Aeith have a connection to solve this one.

“Another clue. ‘Game categories’ order’.” Clues are slowly showing up.

‘The Grand Chase Hotel’ or TGCH. The TGCH has eight strokes in its acronym. Coincidentally, the hotel has eight floors. And I also have a co-character, Aeith, who is currently playing in another game category... now, what did Aeith choose again? We stumbled on my last chosen game category, ‘The Firearm Assassination’. It asks the order of the game categories.

Wait, Author talked about first 'The MMA combat' then... second among the game categories was 'The Firearm Assassination'. Apart from my number name, Second (2nd), what’s with the second?

“First, any more clues?”

“Yeah. It says, ‘Last clue: Room number…” Uh-oh, just one last clue remaining. I hope we’ll get this. “‘then eliminate the number you got previously,’”

I stay on the 2nd floor of the hotel. My room number is 205. The number I got earlier as an answer is second, so that’s number 2. Is that 205 minus 2?

“First, try 203,” I suggested.

“Sure… It says incorrect.”

I am currently running away from the seven minions because we can’t win like this.

“How’d you get 203?” First asked.

“The second to the last clue, I got second as an answer which is number 2. I subtracted my room number, 205, to number two and got 203.”

This is so hard.

"Second, a dialogue box appeared. It says, 'Riddle solved.” He stated.

“Wait, how?”

First made myself hid in an abandoned warehouse to buy some time while the minions were looking for me.

“Good deduction, Second. The last clue says to eliminate, not to subtract. The answer is number zero and five.”

I should’ve eliminated number 2 in 205.

“The screen shows the weapons that you can use. A sword.”

I felt I was holding something in my right hand. It really is a long, sharp, and heavy double-edged sword.

With the oncoming minions, I drew my sword and ran closer to seven.

"Hya!” I shouted.

I keep on wielding the sword. This is a good strategy because we need a stronger defense as we’re against these seven.

As time passes by, I notice that my stamina, agility, flexibility, and coordination are greater compared to when I fight a single minion. Each minion has different vital parts that serve as both its strength and weakness—arms, feet, neck, eyes, abdomen, head, and chest. We managed to hit a stab on the neck, eyes, abdomen, head, and chest while the arms and feet were cut into pieces.

All the minions died and turned to ashes. I have more scratches than before when I face Zarod.

“Take a full rest.”

“I’m good. Let’s go for Zarod.”

"Apparently, there are still eight minions, a total of fifteen.”

"Fifteen?!” I was in disbelief.

"Want to continue our first mission?"

"All right… Let's finish the remaining eight today. And tomorrow, we'll do another mission."