After the whole situation with the Treyt, they set off… Fiona, Sophie, Lina and Cinderella of course wanted to learn more.
Sophie: "Hmmm.. this robot is really well built."
Fiona: "Mhm…"
Lina: "I have seen a robot like this before."
Sophie: "Yeah… me too… it reminds me of the robot from Grazburg…"
Fiona: "True… Grazburg has always been known for things like that…"
Sophie: "So what now?"
Fiona: "We have to help Cinderella… get her blood back. I am telling you, if Zantanel wants to use Cinderella's power, then we might as well forget trying to stop her."
Cinderella: "Hahhh… I am hungry."
Sophie: "(sweat) unfortunately she is really annoying… she complains a lot."
Fiona: "Hahhhh… doesn't matter… I think we should go somewhere else first… what if another robot shows up…"
Cinderella: "Hmmm… um… guys… I think we should hide."
Sophie: "Hmm?"
Fiona: "What is it?"
Lina: "Huh… there are at least three Treyts coming in our direction."
Fiona: "Ugh…"
Sophie: "Huh?"
She looked over.
Sophie: "Oh my god… we are in trouble…"
Fiona: "We really should hide but where…"
Sophie: "Hmm."
Lina: "Huh… what was that?"
(Dong)
They looked down.
Sophie: "A sewer?"
Cinderella: "What forget it I am not going in there."
Fiona: "Well we don't have a choice."
Sophie: "Oh… I have to say I agree with Cinderella… is that really necessary?"
Lina: "Hmm."
Fiona: "Come on now…"
Sophie: "Hahh."
Lina went down first, then Fiona.
Lina: "Oh… it is surprisingly okay here… no smell."
Fiona: "Yeah… strange."
Sophie and Cinderella went down as well.
Sophie: "Oh… lucky… maybe it was cleaned… Dnilpo is one of the cleanest places…"
Fiona: "Hmmm… it would be good if we had a map…"
Lina: "Yes… true."
Cinderella: "Hmmm…"
Sophie: "I suggest we just keep going and look for a safe place."
Lina: "Mhm."
Fiona: "Okay."
Cinderella: "Good idea."
They kept going…
Sophie: "Uhh… hahh…"
Fiona: "Hahhh…"
Lina: "Ugh…"
Cinderella: "Is something wrong?"
Sophie: "Wait… I don't understand why… can you breathe normally… the air here is too stuffy…"
Cinderella: "Really?... hmm… probably because I am used to it… I have been in places like this often because of my little brother… and my body adapts quickly… is the air really that bad for you?"
Sophie: "Hahhh…"
Fiona: "(cough)… we should get out of here quickly…"
Lina: "Hahhh… look… there is an exit."
Sophie: "Hahh… okay."
They quickly went there, went up and opened the door.
(Crash)
Sophie: "Ahhh… hahhh."
Fiona: "(cough)… I never want to go in there again."
Sophie: "Yeah…"
Lina: "Hahh."
Cinderella: "Hmm… seems like we are in an old building…"
She touched the stairs.
Cinderella: "Puhhh."
She blew dust away.
Cinderella: "At least eighty years abandoned… this is the best place to hide."
Sophie: "Hahhh… yeah."
Lina: "Hahh."
Fiona: "Seems like a place where robots would not be expected."
(Patch!) (Patch)
Unknown: "Well… who do we have here… what a beautiful visit."
Cinderella: "Ugh."
Sophie: "Huh!"
Fiona: "Hmm?"
Lina: "Who is there!"
It was a young man with red hair and dark green eyes… an eyepatch on the left…
Lina: "Ugh…"
Cinderella: "Well well… at least he is hot."
Fiona: "Shut up that is not important right now."
Sophie: "But you have to admit he looks good."
Fiona: "Not you too Sophie… who the hell are you!"
Unknown: "Oh… where are my manners… my name is Siegfried Matteo Hugo… people call me Mr Hugo… some also call me Matteo… because Sieg does not sound so cool…"
Sophie: "Your parents probably had a strange taste…"
Fiona: "And what do you want to be called, Siegfried or Matteo?"
Siegfried: "Uh… yeah… you can call me Siegfried… hahaha… what beautiful ladies…"
Sophie: "Okay."
Fiona: "Simpfried would have been better."
Sophie: "Shhh…"
Siegfried: "As I see… you have entered my beautiful clean house."
Sophie: "This is anything but clean…"
Fiona: "Puh… (cough)… (cough)… ahhh… you get lung cancer here."
Cinderella: "Tell me… have you always been this funny… hehe… I guess I underestimated you."
Siegfried: "As I see… you have an older lady here."
Cinderella: "Hahaha… he means you Fiona because of your white hair and cane."
Siegfried: "No you…"
Cinderella: "Me?!… I look hot!"
Sophie: "That means pretty…"
Fiona: "Please stop acting like someone from this era…"
Lina: "Um…"
Siegfried: "Hahaha… Cinderella right?"
Cinderella: "How do you know I am Cinderella!"
Siegfried: "(sweat)… well… because you are wearing an outfit that only Cinderella wears in descriptions."
Sophie: "Ah… what!?"
Fiona: "So much for being quiet and unnoticed… is your brain made of ash too?"
Cinderella: "I will give you one in a second."
Fiona: "Hey you there Simpfried…"
Siegfried: "(sweat)… I am not a simp… okay."
Fiona: "The pictures of women all over the house say otherwise."
(Silence)
Sophie: "Oops… oh no she is showing half her leg…"
Fiona: "Sorry Siegfried… I don't want to be mean but…"
(Silence)
She looked at him seriously.
Fiona: "You are not a normal human, are you."
Siegfried: "Hmm?... why do you think that?"
Fiona: "Simple… I can see ghosts… and from what I see, you can too… that is why you are looking at the spirit behind Sophie like that."
Sophie: "Aaaargh a ghost behind me!"
Fiona: "Relax… it is the spirit of a child…"
Siegfried: "Indeed… I am someone who understands ghosts… that is my arcane ability… I am an arcane…"
Fiona: "Hmm… you are a Hugo… they were known arcane users… but I thought they were all dead."
Siegfried: "Well… what can I say… I survived but because of that black hole I ended up in this place."
Fiona: "Wait… you are also from our time."
Siegfried: "Of course… wait… you too?... hahaha… how interesting… that must be fate… hahaha…"
Sophie: "Fiona… he scares me."
Fiona: "Me too."
Cinderella: "He is really rude."
Fiona: "You are the last one allowed to say that."
Sophie: "Yeah… no right to talk about that."
Fiona: "Listen… Siegfried…"
Siegfried: "Yes… dear…"
Fiona: "My name is Fiona Philomela Househould… I am a detective working for Dark Umbrella… you have surely heard of us."
Sophie: "Hmm."
Siegfried: "Of course."
Sophie: "I am Sophie Valeria… also a member of Dark Umbrella… and by the way both Fiona and I are crows of Dark Umbrella… that over there is Lina Adelheid…"
Siegfried: "An Adelheid… hey then we are alike… you are also a well known arcane family…"
Sophie: "Hmm."
Fiona: "But what are you doing in this house."
Siegfried: "Hiding from the Handelspeter."
Sophie: "Handelspeter?"
Fiona: "Hmm?"
Siegfried: "You are lucky you have not met them yet… well… the Handelspeter are killers… by the way this is not a house… but a castle… and the Handelspeter… always come when the bells ring…"
(Dong)
Siegfried: "Haha… good timing… ugh… fuck… fuck… they are coming… hide quickly come with me."
Sophie: "Huh?"
Cinderella: "I think we should trust him for now."
Lina: "Hm."
Fiona: "Okay."
They followed him.
Siegfried: "Hahahh… come on… hide in this clock tower… or in these boxes."
They did so… he as well.
(Crash) (Crash)
Handelspeter: "Hahhhhh…"
Sophie: "Ughhuh!"
Fiona: "What in the world…"
Lina: "Hahhh…"
It was a large figure with gray skin… its lower jaw covered in blood… it had a large drill…
Sophie: "What… is that…"
Fiona: "Hhh…"
Handelspeter: "Hhhhhh…"
As it turned around, you could see it also had a head on the back… actually it had four faces… one on the left side… one on the right… one in the middle and one on the back… each face had a wide open mouth that was dark… and the eyes as well… from them came a black liquid.
Handelspeter: "I smell something delicious…"
It saw a bird… just as it tried to fly away it grabbed it… tore it apart with its bare hands and swallowed it…
Handelspeter: "Hhhh."
Left face: "Hey… I wanted some too."
Right face: "What a fool… share with your siblings!"
Back face: "How rude… brother!"
They watched in shock.
Sophie: "Hahhh…"
Fiona: "Hahhh…"
Lina: "Mmmm…"
They covered their mouths.
Sophie: "(What is… that… I am… I am scared…)"
Fiona: "(Hahhh… even Crane and Herold… I feel their fear… and… I am afraid too… what… is that thing!)"
Lina: "(There is nothing human… that is a monster…)"
The monster looked around… when it left, everyone stayed silent…
Siegfried: "Hmm."
He looked at Sophie and Fiona… he nodded… they went out.
Siegfried: "Are you alright."
Sophie: "No… what was that thing…"
Fiona: "Yes… what was that."
Cinderella: "Even I have never seen something like that… what is it…"
Lina: "What if it comes back."
Siegfried: "That is a monster that roams the city… searching every house where people are and whose doors are not closed… what do you think why no one is outside at night… the city looks cool from the outside and in evening morning… but once it is really night… it is a true nightmare…"
Sophie: "What kind of monsters are they?"
Siegfried: "The Handelspeter siblings… a being that appeared because of a curse years ago… a witch named Minel was killed here… out of anger and rage she cursed the city with these things… from the abyss…"
Sophie: "Hahhh… what if it comes back."
Siegfried: "It will… we should get to the upper level as quickly as possible follow me… and by the way… no matter what happens none of you are allowed to cry… did you hear… no matter how painful… no matter how much it hurts or how scared you are… do not cry…"
They went up…
Sophie: "Huh?…"
It was a train.
Sophie: "How long does it go up?"
Siegfried: "Up?... no this goes down…"
They entered… it went down…
Sophie: "Huh."
Fiona: "Alright… tell us why no one should cry."
Siegfried: "Did you notice how they behave like children?... the Handelspeter… that is because they are four children… who were killed because of a tragedy… people thought they were cursed… so they killed them… but Mele… gave them a way to take revenge… if you want to know who Mele is… she is the wife of none other than Oz!"
Sophie: "What!"
Fiona: "Ughh…"
Siegfried: "Exactly… even after the death of Oz… she stayed calm… Oz had several wives… it is said at least fourteen…"
Sophie: "Oh oh oh… wow…"
Cinderella: "Hmph… I met Oz once… by the way… if you are looking for one of his wives… I am standing right in front of you."
Sophie: "What!"
Fiona: "You were with him!"
Cinderella: "Yes… not for long… about ten years."
Sophie: "That is damn long!"
Cinderella: "Ah he was cute…"
Fiona: "We are talking about the dark mage Oz of Zo!"
Sophie: "Hahh…"
Cinderella: "He was young back then… hehe…"
Siegfried: "I see…"
Sophie: "Where are you taking us?"
Siegfried: "Hmph… I will show you… you surely want to know what is really going on in this city…"
Fiona: "Hmm?…"
Siegfried: "Just look…"
Sophie: "Ughh!"
Cinderella: "Hmm."
Lina: "Ghh…"
Fiona: "Hahhh…"
Siegfried: "Welcome to the middle level of the lower layer of the ship…"
Sophie: "Hahh…"
Everywhere old houses and poor people lying on the ground begging…
Siegfried: "This is what the city hides… on this level the poor live…"
Sophie: "This is terrible… even the water looks dirty…"
Fiona: "I see…"
Siegfried: "The monster you saw… is the one watching over them… it kills anyone who tries to go up… only guards are allowed there… it also often goes up… to kill some who do not follow the rule of not being outside at night."
Sophie: "You are an aristocrat yourself… why do you care about these people?"
Siegfried: "In my mind… a human is a human… no matter origin, appearance or gender…"
Fiona: "Hmmm…"
Siegfried: "They put the monster here so it does not kill people above… but they still let it go up sometimes… but only in the zone where you were… that zone is empty and no one is allowed to visit it… neither those below can go up… nor those above can go down… do you understand now…"
Sophie: "Hmm."
Cinderella: "Hmph… one thing I have to say… no matter how long I live… humans have always failed to convince me…"
The elevator landed… they got out.
Siegfried: "Most people here… are really poor… people who were driven out by nobles or settlers…"
Sophie: "Wait… the people above are not from Dnilpo?"
Siegfried: "No… they are nobles who came here… and since then they do whatever they want… they also use Cinderella's blood… even though her blood used to be for the poor…"
Sophie: "I see."
Lina: "And… why are the people not allowed to go down?... I mean it makes sense those here cannot go up… but those above are nobles… so why can they not go down."
Siegfried: "There are exceptions… nobles with a good heart… one rich person came here once and tried to bring justice… his name was Lord Hector… a count… but he was found dead under mysterious circumstances… they said it was suicide… of course no one can stab themselves multiple times in the back… so everyone knew that was not possible."
Sophie: "Hahh…"
Fiona: "Great… this mission is getting more complicated…"
Cinderella: "No… the goal is still to get my blood back… they are responsible for all this… if we take my blood, they will have no energy and then… beep… they will be desperate… what happens after that is your business."
(Patch) (Patch)
Siegfried: "Dnilpo is a ship… at least the biggest city of it Meltow…"
Sophie: "Hmm okay… and why did you bring us here?"
Siegfried: "Right now this is the safest place from the Handelspeter… because they mostly watch the upper layer corridors… as soon as the bell rings again… we go back up… and again… do not cry…"
Sophie: "Why?"
Siegfried: "I do not know exactly but when someone cries they somehow… become extremely angry… they can hear it even though we are down here… why do you think there are no babies here… why do you think for ten years there have been no children between 4 to 10… if a child is born here… they put it into a device that suppresses crying… but… many children died because of it."
Sophie: "I feel like I am in a horror comic…"
Fiona: "Mhm."
Cinderella: "So… we wait then…"