As soon as the elevator door opened, Sam could already feel his nose tingling from the smell of alcohol and burning metal. It was not surprising since the sixth floor housed the two most important facilities of the Order - the Infirmary and the Forge. He headed to the left path without delay and kept walking until he saw an automatic glass door. Even without passing through the entrance, Sam could see the Nightingales waiting in front of a blue double door. "Oh no," Sam muttered nervously before storming inside, prompting the siblings to turn their heads toward him.
"You sure took your time," said Rupert.
"Sorry," Sam swiftly apologized. "How are they doing?"
"It's hard to say. Michael and Morgana are treating right now," replied Lucy before asking Sam, "What's up with Cindar? Did you manage to bring him to the 7th floor?"
"Well, about that," Sam then recounted the incident to the siblings - from the time Cindar tried to poison him until the Captain of the Swallowtail's sudden visit.
Rupert was quivering, struggling to keep himself from laughing out loud. On the other hand, his younger sister couldn't stop cursing, even after Sam finished telling the whole story.
"He really did that? The guy really tried to pick a fight with Rowanna?" Lucy commented, facepalming herself.
"Wow, I always knew Cindar is one mad lad, but he totally got himself in deep shit this time," the elder Nightingale smirked in return, "On top of that, he even got his nose broken by the Scarred Empress. Again."
"All those aside, I just hope Thomas will lock him away for good this time," Sam sighed before he let out a few mild coughs.
"Are you okay?" Lucy asked worriedly.
"I'm fine. It's just one of Cindar's nasty gases."
"You should probably get that checked. I mean, some of the gases he uses could do serious damage."
"I know. It's just…I don't know how to phrase this, but um…I feel like Cindar wasn't trying to kill me."
Their conversation, however, was soon interrupted by a bespectacled man who walked out of the double door - still in his scrubs and face mask.
The trio charged toward the man, anxiously inquiring about the condition of the younglings.
"They're stable," Michael calmly retorted before removing his mask, "Aside from a few broken bones and weeks of physiotherapy, they'll be just fine. But I must say, the kids are either lucky – or the assailant purposely missed their vitals. Either way, he needs to be apprehended before he causes a major headache to the Order – and more importantly, to me," Michael complained. "Now, if you'll excuse me – I've got patients to tend to," the doctor added before trotting back through the double door, leaving the trio by themselves.
As if a heavy weight was lifted from her chest, Lucy let out a loud sigh of relief before leaning his back against the wall.
"See? I told you the kids will be alright," Rupert chuckled.
"Yeah, or else, I'll find Cindar myself and break both of his wrists."
"You sounded just like Rowanna," said Sam, which led the elder Nightingale to nod his head in affirmation.
The moment of solace was interrupted by Markus, who suddenly barges through the Infirmary's front door. "There you are. I came here as soon I heard the news, and judging from your faces, I assume both younglings are safe?"
The trio bobbed their heads in unison. Then, Markus turned his attention to Sam, "And how about you, Mr. Edelweiss? I heard about your little altercation with Cindar in the Training Hall."
"Yeah," Sam quickly answered, "He sprayed chlorine gas into my face and, if it wasn't for Rowanna, I might have to take him down myself."
"Well, it's a good thing you didn't," Markus retorted as he patted Sam's left shoulder. "But, I'm afraid I'm here as a bearer of bad news." The trio tensed up after hearing the change in their supervisor's tone.
"Are we…?" Lucy couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence.
"Due to your recent adventure, the probability of you three getting suspended is what I would say…inexorable. In other words, Thomas is not happy, and the same can be said about the Opal Sun residents."
"Seriously?" Lucy grunted. "Well, it's not like we're expecting to fight a Mangler in the middle of a forest, no less."
"Patience, Miss Nightingale. I'm not done yet," said Markus, "Now, for unknown reasons, Thomas wants to give you a chance to redeem yourself. "
"A chance? That sounds pretty...dubious. As long as I knew him, he wasn't exactly the charitable type," Sam remarked, his eyes narrowed. "So, what does he want us to do? A clean-up duty? A guarding post?"
"A search and rescue mission," Markus then pulled out a crumpled paper from his back pocket and handed it to Sam. "Two days ago, Elisabeth Rosier, the Overseer of the Desert of Ashes was reported MIA. The Hornet was dispatched soon after and they discovered Miss Rosier's cabin was completely ransacked with its owner nowhere to be seen.
Among the three, Lucy was the first to notice the fading emblem.
She blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't imagining it, "I-Is that legit?"
"The Disciples of Vidia," Sam blurted out, prompting Rupert to jump into the conversation with a bewildered expression.
"Wait a minute, THE Disciples of Vidia? That same group of mad scientists who experimented on people like us?!"
"Not only that, but they also managed to abduct Lizzy WHILE her cabin is still in one piece? With the temperament she has, I expected her to, at least, put up a fight," Lucy further added.
"Precisely. That's why I want you to find out what really happened and bring Miss Rosier back alive if possible. Marie will be waiting downstairs with all of your equipment," before Markus spun around, he had one last thing to say to the trio, "Good luck. You'll need it."
ɹɹ********************************************
Rowanna pushed Cindar into the small, dank room and slammed the steel door in the man's face. Shortly after, she heard laughing from beyond the barricade, followed by a sarcastic comment, "Isn't there a better accommodation than this dump? I am the apprentice of the Chief himself, ya know?"
"Zip it!" Rowanna exclaimed as she furiously banged her fist against the door. "Let me remind you that Thomas will not be covering your ass this time."
"I don't expect him to," said Cindar as he wiped the blood on his chin. He could still feel his jaw throbbing, thanks to the kick Rowanna gave him earlier. "Not bad. For a former Throat-Gasher, that is. Why didn't you finish me off back in the Training Hall?"
"What does it matter to you?" Rowanna replied before taking a step back from the steel door.
"Well, actually I'm rather…fascinated by their way. Is it true that each Votary that failed their duty will be lashed 50 times in the back?"
Rowanna remained quiet, refusing to entertain the incarcerated man's question.
"I'll take that as a yes," Cindar giggled sinisterly. "Tell me: were you lashed when the Throat-Gasher was still thriving? Did it hurt when one of those spinal whips chafed you in the back?"
The auburn-haired woman took a deep breath and exhaled. A tiny smile appeared across her face shortly after, followed by her response, "Was that it? Was that your best attempt at making me angry? I must say, that was pretty…weak."
"Oh, come on now. There's no need to put on a brave face."
"I'm not. Though, I can't say the same about you," Rowanna sneered. "The fallen son of a revered hero – that has a nice ring to it, don't you think? I can't imagine the amount of humiliation you must be feeling right now."
BANG!
The steel door rattled as Cindar suddenly launched his fist towards it; a reaction that made Rowanna snickered. "It seems someone hasn't gotten over his daddy issues," the auburn-haired woman persisted with her taunting.
"That man was no hero," Cindar grunted. "The fucking drunk wouldn't stop blabbering about his 'glory days', so much so that he was ostracised by his community – the same community that once revered him as a hero. The funny part is the Faceless Order never offered any help to him – not even once."
"Then, you are greatly mistaken. The Order did try to help him, but your father stubbornly declined our offer over and over again."
"Then, he is a greater fool than all of you."
"Is that so?" said Rowanna, both of her eyebrows raised. "The last time I checked, I wasn't the one who is enclosed behind a solid steel door. So, I suggest you shut your fat mouth and sit down in there like a good little puppy," after finishing her sentence, Rowanna stomped off, leaving Cindar alone in his cell.
With his head raised, Cindar stared directly at the tiny dome camera fixed to the ceiling. With a sneer on his face, he made an obscene sign with his fingers before uttering a barrage of unpleasant-sounding words.
**ɹɹ******************************************
Lucy crossed her arms in silence; her azure eyes were fixated on Sam who was unknowingly massaging his throat ever since they left the Infirmary. At first, she wanted to bring it to his attention, but as soon as she saw the scowl on Sam's face, she knew her advice would only fall on deaf ears.
The elevator door slid open and the trio marched out together – heading toward the direction of the Chamber of Convergence. As the main entrance swung open, they saw Marie pacing back and forth in the middle of the room with a black handle claymore strapped to the left side of her waist.
"The Stream of Anguish," Lucy murmured. Named after the fabled weapon from the Old World, the two-handed sword was said to bring misfortunes every time it was unsheathed. She also recalled other strange tales attributed to the object - the most popular one was how the blade was made from a mixture of iron ores and human bones.
"Oh, there you are. Took you long enough," Marie greeted the trio with her usual motherly smile.
"Miss Marie," Sam replied, his voice was slightly hoarse.
"Ooh, you don't sound too good," Marie remarked out of concern. "Are you sure you're up to it? If you need more time to recuperate, then-."
"I've rested long enough," Sam interjected.
"Um…if you say so," Marie answered before she noticed Lucy staring intently at her Core Blade. "Don't worry, darling. I can assure you that most of the things you heard about this cheeky little girl are exaggerated."
"Most? So, some of them are true?" Lucy responded.
Marie shrugged both of her shoulders and simply countered, "Who knows?"
"I don't mean to intrude," Rupert suddenly jumped into the conversation. "But Markus said you have something for us?"
"I do," said Marie before she reached into her jacket to produce three items from her coat: a small black case containing three earpieces, a glass orb, and a rectangular device the trio used back in the Wailing Forest. "I believe all of you are already acquainted with these little gizmos. The Order's standard issue for every field mission. You'll find the coordinates to Liz's cabin in the Projector – you know? this flat, cuboid-like gadget." Marie then handed all the tools to Sam before she shuffled toward one of the arches. "Do you have any questions?"
"Well, we have never gone to the Desert of Ashes before. What should we expect?" Sam inquired.
"Sands. A lot of them – though I'm sure that wasn't what you wanted to know," Marie chuckled mischievously. "Thanks to Lizzy's effort, the Distorted's presence in the Desert of Ashes is declining rapidly. Unfortunately, that does not mean there is no immediate danger."
"What do you mean?" Lucy further asked, her head tilted slightly to the right.
"Someone I knew told me this: big or small - ferocious or not - an unseen enemy is a dangerous adversary, more than the one you can see."
The trio glanced at each other in total confusion, wondering what the emerald-eyed woman was talking about.
Marie proceeded to giggle after seeing the puzzled look on the trio's faces. She, however, quickly regained her composure to assure the trio, "Don't worry, fellas. You'll see what I meant soon enough."
After finishing her sentence, the lady in black snapped her fingers which caused one of the arches to light up, creating the familiar rippling surface the trio went through yesterday.
"Mind your steps," Marie told the trio; her glinting emerald eyes darted between the three fledglings. "And try not to die."