The trio sprinted as fast as possible while avoiding the falling rocks and debris. "Come on! We're almost out of here!" Sam cried out soon after seeing the light at the end of the crumbling tunnel. It was a close shave, but they managed to escape the Nest seconds before it caved in.
The comforting morning sun gazed down on them; even then, the trio could not afford to waste more time just to take a breather. As they turned around, a giant arm exploded out of the ground, scattering the golden-brown maple leaves and bits of soil all over the forest.
"Holy shit," Rupert muttered excitedly at the sight of the goliath's torso crawling out of the depth of the earth -- his sister, however, did not look too happy.
"The locals are definitely not going to like that. Markus is not going to like that," Lucy grumbled.
"Oh, cheer up, Lil sis. Just tell that old man that it was all an accident."
"Yeah, right. Then, what, brother? We're gonna hold hands with the villagers and dance with them in circles? We'll be lucky enough to have our heads intact after all of this is over."
"Stop it, you two! We'll cross that bridge later," said Sam before removing his mask. "First things first, our honorary guest," he gestured at the Mangler -- who had just pulled out its left leg from the crater it created.
"I can go cut its head off," Rupert volunteered, much to his sister's chagrin.
"That's pretty bold of you, Rupe, but the guy's neck is as thick as a log. I don't even think combining your power with those little sickles of yours will do the trick," Sam replied. He then shifted his attention to the youngest Nightingale, asking her, "Does it have any weak points?"
"Well, um," Lucy fidgeted. "If I remember correctly, its heart is hidden behind one of those faces...thingy. Lucky for us, its chest tissue is also much softer than the rest of its body."
"Uh, you DO notice there are nearly a hundred faces on its chest, right, baby sis?"
"Oh, excuse me? Don't tell you're more intimidated by those faces than, I don't know, THE FREAKING GIANT THAT HAS THEM?!" As soon as Lucy finished, she took a deep long, breath before saying in a much softer voice, "Sorry, that was uncalled for. Sam, if you would please continue with your explanation."
"Um...Well, the good news is it's not a hundred. More like," Sam's eyes vigorously move from left to right, counting the number of faces on the Mangler's chest. "34."
"Is that so?" Lucy sighed, "The question now is how exactly are we going to get up there? He's about, what, 500-foot tall?"
Sam could only shrug his shoulders at the young Nightingale's assumption and replied, "More or less." Shortly after, his eyes lit up as an idea popped into his head. "Maybe we don't need to climb up its body."
The siblings looked at Sam with a confused expression; curious and anxious about what kind of plan their friend cooked up this time.
"Alright, let's hear it. You've come up with dozens of riskier ideas before -- so, I don't think it's gonna be a whole lot worse, right?" Lucy retorted.
"No. We just have to topple him over and restrain him long enough for me to get on top of it," uttered Sam.
"Right. And let me guess, you're going to use the Fiery Edge to burn all the faces off, aren't you?" Lucy exhaled as she found the proposition to be quite rash. "You know, Sam? I usually have no problem with any of your schemes but don't you think you've gone a bit too far this time?"
"Come on, it's not that bad. At least it gave us some room for...improvisation," Rupert replied with a triumphant smile.
"THAT is precisely what I'm afraid of."
"It's the best I could come up with on such short notice. I'm quite sure if Markus was here, he would approve my suggestion."
"Please don't drag his name into this," said Lucy, before the ground beneath them shook once again. They turned their gazes forward, and as expected, the Mangler had finally freed itself from its earthly cage. "You know what? Let's do it. Let's go with this so-called plan of yours. It's not like we're gonna die if we fail."
Although he did not show it, Sam was relieved that Lucy changed her mind in the end -- despite the latter's obvious reluctance. "Great! Now, listen closely..."
ɹɹ********************************************
"That's it?! That's the whole plan? No contingency or anything?" exclaimed Lucy, scowling at the vermillion-eyed man.
"I like it. It's simple but effective," Rupert answered, bobbing his head confidently.
"We only got one chance at this. If things did decide to go south, we just have to...improvise -- but let's just hope it doesn't."
"Then, what are we waiting for?" Rupert retorted, clapping his hands together. Then, he drew his kama and went ahead, leaving Sam and his sister behind.
"Rupert, wait!" Despite Lucy screaming her lungs out, her brother had already scampered away, waving his sickles around like a child.
As the elder Nightingale approached the Mangler, he saw the giant slowly raising its muscly right arm over its head.
'Planning to crush me, huh? 'Rupert grins from ear to ear. The cheerful youth then came to an abrupt stop before swinging one of his kama upward -- creating a powerful gust of wind that hit the Mangler in the face.
The goliath staggered for a brief second; it let out a loud, muffled moan that could be heard throughout the forest. With the monster still addled by pain, Rupert took the opportunity to slice into one of its ankles, causing a black slime to ooze out of its ankle. Compared to his previous assault, there was barely a reaction from the Mangler, but Rupert could see the furious look it was giving him.
As a response, the elder Nightingale taunted him with his index finger -- quietly taunting the giant to make its next move. And, much to Rupert's expectation, the Mangler took the bait; it bent itself down with the intent to grab the man with its bare hand.
Rupert swiftly rolled away before he was caught in the creature's grip. Then, just as the Mangler lifted its hand up, Rupert stabbed his sickles into the monster's wrist. Moments later, he was hoisted up to the sky with his legs dangling above the Mangler's head.
"Crap, this is much higher than I thought!" spouted Rupert, his head spinning from the extreme height. However, the dizziness he was experiencing soon faded when he saw the Mangler glaring at him with its blood-red eyes.
"That doesn't look good."
A slit began to form across the Mangler's face, on the spot where its mouth was supposed to be. It eventually opened up, but it was not a row of razor-sharp teeth or even whip-like tongues that awaited the elder Nightingale -- it was, instead, a pitch-black abyss where the light from the sun itself did not touch. "Ah-ha! So, that's how you ate those people. I think I'll pass," Rupert blurted before climbing up the giant's forearm -- using his sickles as makeshift pitons.
Noticing the man's ascent, the Mangler attempted to grab him with its other hand.
"Oh no, you don't!" Rupert remarked before dislodging himself from the monster's arm. He plunged straight into the open palm of the Mangler and waved both of his kama simultaneously. In a blink of an eye, all five fingers of the giant were severed by an invisible blast of air, prompting it to expel an ear-piercing scream of agony. Blackish fluid spurted out of the amputated sites and rained down on a large area of the maple forest.
"Oh, shit!" exclaimed Rupert in mid-air. He quickly twisted his body and planted his kama into the Mangler's thigh. In spite of his arms writhing in pain from the sudden change of momentum, Rupert continued his descent without releasing his grip on his weapons.
The man eventually landed on the ground safely, and the first thing he did was look over his shoulder -- directly at a huge gash running along the Mangler's right leg. "Wow, did I do that?" said Rupert, gawking at the large wound. Seconds later, the Mangler's heavy body wobbled as it tried to lift its injured foot.
"Uh-oh."
Rupert bolted after realizing the giant was falling toward him. Even when his body grew heavier from fatigue, he kept running until he was safe from the expanding shadow's reach.
BOOM!
The elder Nightingale stumbled as the Mangler crashed to the ground -- only missing him by a few inches. "How...about...that?" Rupert beamed even though he was out of breath. Unfortunately for him, the moment of respite was cut short when the giant raised itself by using its arms like a pair of stakes.
"This is good enough," sighed Lucy after appearing out of nowhere. As she held out her left arm, tendrils of crystal-clear water gushed out of the blackened ground and wrapped themselves around the monster's limbs -- including its neck. "Upsy-daisy," Lucy murmured before snapping her fingers.
The Mangler gasped as the watery shackles yanked its enormous body, causing it to land on its back. Then, the chains gradually tightened up, tethering the goliath firmly to the ground.
"Nice work, Luce!" Rupert complimented his sister.
"Hush! I need to concentrate!"
"I supposed it's my turn now," said Sam, unsheathing his sword. He ran past the siblings to clamber the monster's right arm. It was a rocky climb, but sooner or later, he made it to the giant's broad chest. Sam trembled just from seeing the faces sticking out of the Mangler's breast; each was different in size -- ranging from toddlers to adults. But, there was one thing that associated them with each other. Their facial expressions. They were said to be the last faces the Mangler's victims made before being thrown into the giant's maw.
'Do not resist, Child of Fire,' a familiar monotonous voice echoed inside his head. 'Your search for your past will bring you nothing other than pain and suffering.'
"Maybe. But it is a sacrifice I'm willing to make."
'Oh, do you? You might be able to accept who you are, but your so-called companions? Your Order? They will despise you -- shun you from their folds without a second thought.'
"What are you - Argh!" Sam yelped after being hit by a sudden headache. A flash of blurry images flooded his mind; some were from his dream, while the rest were something new. He caught a glimpse of a small wooden house that he had never seen before, and yet, it gave him a certain sense of nostalgia. Then, he heard the voice again, repeatedly saying, 'Do not resist.'
"SHUT UP!" Sam yelled in vain.
'The Flame's fate is neither to save nor to build. It is to burn. To devour. To destroy. That is your destiny, Child of Fire. Always has been. Always will be.'
"Yeah? Guess what -- that is not up to you to decide," Sam chided before slashing the monster's chest with his katana.
As soon as Sam jumped off the Mangler, the giant immediately burst into flame. The monster barely showed any reactions even when its flesh gradually turned to charcoal, much to Sam's surprise.
Then, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Are you alright? You looked spaced out just now. Did something happen?" Lucy asked worriedly.
"I'm...I'm fine," replied Sam.
"Fine, you say?" said an orotund voice, prompting the trio to make a big gulp in unison. They hesitantly turned around and saw a well-built man clad in a grey uniform glaring at him with a pair of shining onyx eyes. With his jet-black hair and neatly trimmed beard glinting under the sun like morning dews, the man gave out a pleasant aura -- only to be betrayed by his stern expression.
"You three better have a good explanation for this," the man uttered, crossing his arms together. "Speak, and do not even think of lying to me."