Sceptical

Everyone in the room looked at Eclipse, slight concerns written all over their face as they had yet to see the man so heated while still looking so calm at the same time.

"Why do we not enter his room, Eclipse?" Hler asked, leaning in on the table. "Is there something in his room?"

Eclipse thought back to what it was like back in the man's room, frowning slightly. All that slime and goo and what not. He could not even tell what that was but … just stepping into the room did things to his own mind that he could not even understand.

There was this sense of unease, almost as though my body knew that we were not supposed to be in there. But … even if I have an idea of what that might be, if I do not have something to lead with it then trying to tell it to them is not going to change anything at all.

Though, I could tell them something. It might not be the best but something is better than nothing.

"I did see something strange in the room." Eclipse said, leaning back on his hair, feeling his hair fall over his back. "I cannot say what I see because, again, I do not know what that is. But it is not something pretty."

"I see," Aseko said, nodding his head at him. "It would be great if you could actually tell us what you saw because … I am still a little sceptical of everything."

"I don't blame you for being sceptical. Honestly, I am still sceptical of myself as well." He chuckled, running his hands through his hair. "But … the only thing I have to go off of is that I trust my instincts."

"And your instincts say to get an old man's underwear?" Hler asked as Brick suddenly burst into laughter.

"I think that is certainly the best thing that could happen." The younger man said, resting his head on Eclipse's, "After all, Eclipse's appearance here is not really the most normal thing to happen. So, why don't we just enjoy the ride?"

"We can't just simply 'enjoy the ride', Brick," Ash said, letting out a sigh. "We need to make sure that it is something that we are careful of. If we are not … it will not turn out well."

"But Eclipse is harmless. Look at him and tell me he can kill an ant." He said just as Eclipse picked up one of the butter knives and threw it at the wall as a screeching sound came from nowhere before the gooey creature appeared, trying to pull itself out of the knife that embedded it into the walls.

"No way! Is that-?!" Hler ran to the creature, immediately pulling out a little book from his coat pocket and began noting down things on the pages.

"What is that, Hler?" Aseko asked as Eclipse went back to eating honey straight from the jar, humming to himself as though he did not just impale a blob creature that moves like a slug with a very dull butter knife.

"This is known as an Efa, if I am not wrong." He said, pocking it with his pen as the creature hissed at him though it did not appear to be having any mouth for the sound to be coming out from. "They are very sneaky creatures and can swallow a person whole.

"Once you are consumed, you had better say your prayers because there is no way for you to escape out from them," Hler said, pocking the creature as everyone, including Eclipse, noticed that the creature avoids the object like it is made entirely of water and the object is oil, refusing to mix.

"You see, they do not have much offence power but their defence power is on an entirely different level. Nothing can pierce through them. That is why I say that, if you are consumed by them, the only thing you can do is say your prayers and hope to die soon."

The creature suddenly started hissing at everyone once again, still trying to pull its lower body from the knife still tightly embedded on the wall, to no avail.

"But that doesn't add up." Brick said, turning from Hler to Eclipse who is just about finished with all the honey from the pot. "How is he able to impale it then?"

"That's the thing I want to know!" Hler said, eyes bright with amazement. "How did such a dull weapon, which is not even a weapon, go through this creature? Is there a specific spot in its body that you have to target to immobilize it or something?"

Everyone turned to Eclipse who is busy shoving bread into the empty jar of honey, trying to get even more of it out, stubbornly refusing to believe that it is over.

"Kid," Aseko said, patting him on the shoulder. "What do you know about this creature?"

"Hmm? That?" Eclipse asked, getting up from his seat and walking to it as everyone watched, curious as to what this strange person is going to do.

It hissed at him as he reached his hand out before it consumed one of his hands, covering him up to his elbows in the same black goo.

"Eclipse!" Brick and Hler ran to his side but Aseko stopped them as the red head turned to them, smiling and holding the long slimy creature up, still consuming his hand while blood flowed down from where the creature held on.

"I don't understand what is it with this place and my hand." He chuckled, trying to shake the creature off but it only kept getting higher up his arm.

"Eclipse! We will need to cut your arm off with the creature before it gets to your head." Hler said in a panic, looking around for some kind of weapon.

"Eh? I won't get to keep my hand?" Eclipse asked, looking at the creature and the Hler and then the creature again. "Why not?"

"Because these creatures will kill you the moment they have the chance to do so." He said, pulling out a long sword from nowhere as Aseko just stared at them blankly.

"Can't I just pull it out?"

"They do not let go unless-"

Grabbing the creature by the back of its head, Eclipse held on tight to it, finally pulling it out of his hand, along with his flesh and skin before throwing it against the wall.

"Or you could just do that," Hler said, still holding the sword up cautiously at the person in front of him. "Are you not in pain?"

Aseko walked over to Eclipse, inspecting the hand that he just pulled the creature out from as blood continued to spill to the ground.

"How would you rate your pain, Eclipse?" Brick asked, looking at his hand and then at his face, trying not to show his concern too much.

"On a scale of one to ten?" He asked, thinking. "I would say … two? It does not hurt as much as I thought it would."

"Two?? How is it just two??"

"Hler. Come here." Ash called the Vampire as Brick followed, the three staring with intrigue as the flesh on his skin grew back as though nothing happened at all.

"That speed of recovery …" Hler said with wide eyes, feeling along Eclipse's arm. "And look how perfectly his arm healed. His body is incredible, boss. Nothing like anything I have seen before."

"Not even in Vampires?"

"Not even in Vampires." He said shaking his head. "Or … any other creatures. I have observed and seen many people with great healing power.

"But, they can only choose one thing, the speed or the precision. Most chose speed because, if they need to force their body to heal that quickly, it means they are in danger and precision is not something they should be bothered about.

"However … this … it is speed and precision. Not a speck of injury on his arm, no signs that he was even injured in the first place." He said, eyes wide as he looked up at this person in front of him who is still smiling sweetly. "Just who are you, Eclipse?"

"Even I want to know." Eclipse said, sighing, slightly tired of this question already. He turned to the creature wriggling on the wall start to inflate. "What in heaven's name is going on here?"

Immediately they turned to the creature blowing up like a balloon filled with helium. Aseko stood in front of Eclipse as it continued to get even bigger while they stepped back, staring at it with awe.

"What is happening, Hler?"

"I don't know. It just had some of Eclipse's flesh and blood. We can only watch to see what will happen." He said, frowning and stepping back before setting up a barrier around them. Just in the nick of time too, the creature suddenly exploded, shaking the entire building.

"What the fuck?!?"