"Two people - in those ridiculous-looking suits," said Rupert as he peered through the ventilation grille.
Lucy rolled her eyes before correcting her brother, "They're called PPE suits, for God's sake."
Rupert snorted, sneering at the mere sound of the term. "That's a funny way to name a piece of clothing. Are they called that because they resembled that certain thing when put on?"
"Enough with the crude joke," Sam softly reprimanded the eldest Nightingale. He then carefully pressed his face against the grating, and the first thing he saw between the gap was a large chamber filled with a staggering number of monitors and control panels. True to Rupert's words, two people were in the room - both were staring intently at the largest monitor.
“There’s no sign of Anemone,” Sam grunted.
“She’ll show up – sooner or later. She always does,” Elisabeth muttered.
Sam reluctantly nodded his head. "Alright, we're going to push this slow and steady. Got that, Rupe? Slow and steady."
"Roger."
Sam clasped the grille and said, "On the count of three. One, two…"
The grille easily slid out of its place, and the duo quietly placed it on the ground. The four Accursed snuck out of the ventilation shaft with Sam and Rupert tiptoeing toward the preoccupied Disciples.
"Now," mouthed Sam before he and the elder Nightingale grabbed the people in the PPE suits - strangling the latter until they were unconscious. "Well, that went far smoother than I expected," Sam remarked as he set the Disciple's body down.
"Don't celebrate just yet," Elisabeth retorted as her eyes scanned through all the monitors – searching for Silva.
"Wait a sec, is that what I think it is?" said Lucy, pointing at the far-left monitor. Displayed on the screen was an image of a large, diamond-shaped crystal suspended in mid-air with hundreds of cables strapped to it.
"The Crystal of Birth,” Sam uttered.
“Those bastards…they're still playing with forces they do not understand,” Elisabeth growled.
"Hold on, there's more," Sam muttered after seeing three figures approaching the crystal. It was unmistakably Silva, and he was tailed by two black hooded people. They later stopped in front of the glowing yellow crystal with Silva chattering something to his guests. Seconds later, the leader of the Disciples presented them with a small vial of sparkling golden liquid.
“Luce, can we somehow listen in to their conversation?” Sam asked.
“Well, I can try,” said the younger Nightingale as she began typing on the keyboard. “Ah, shit.”
“Huh, is it a good shit or a bad shit?” Rupert smirked.
“Bad. It needs a password.”
“Try ‘utopia’,” said Elisabeth.
“Oh? It…actually works,” Lucy huffed. “Aaaand…we’re in.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------
“….Is this stable?” said one of the hooded figures as he took the bottle from Silva’s hand.
“I assure you, it is – already tested it on myself.”
“After you tested it on your own subordinates.”
“Volunteers – who dedicated their lives for Lady Vidia. It is truly unfortunate that they need to die but it is for the greater good.”
“The greater good? Is that what you tell yourself every night?”
Silva’s confident smile immediately disappeared – replaced with a nervous grimace.
“I admit, Silva, your facility is truly a marvel. Yet, despite all of the technologies you have, you allow four intruders to move freely in your Complex – to make matters worse, they are from the Faceless Order.”
“A minor setback, sir. I’ve already ordered my men to search and capture them.”
“And then what?” spoke the second hooded figure. “They are trained to fight - you, and your subordinates, however, are trained to cower in the face of danger.”
“How dare you-!” the leader of the Disciples snarled.
“Now, now. Instead of getting upset by my…partner’s remark, shouldn’t you be focusing on them?”
---------------------------------------------------------------------
“What the hell?! Is he…pointing at us?” Rupert blurted out in surprise.
Shortly after, they could hear rushing footsteps outside the room, followed by loud crackling noises.
"Shock sticks. And here I thought they were just a bunch of scientists," Lucy chided.
"STEP OUT OF THE CHAMBER, AND YOU WON'T BE HARMED!" exclaimed a husky, masculine voice.
"Liz, how many are there?" asked Sam, unfazed by the offer.
Elisabeth placed her right hand firmly against the door, before swiftly replying, "10…no, 12.”
“12, huh?” Sam grumbled. “Right, we’re engaging them.”
“Seriously?” exclaimed Rupert, his eyes lit up in excitement.
“However, my prior rule still stands: No. Killing,” the vermillion-eyed man sternly reminded his friends.
“Ugh, you and your rules,” Elisabeth scoffed. “Alright, what’s next?”
“Which one of these buttons controls that awful sound and jams the mask's signal?"
Elisabeth proceeded to gesture at a yellow button encased in glass and a tiny red button, respectively.
"Thanks. Rupe, if you'll do the honor."
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
The elder Nightingale grinned at Sam's command. Without a sliver of hesitation, Rupert ripped the buttons off the control panel with his bare hand, effectively rendering it useless. "Done. So, what now, boss?"
"Put on your mask," replied Sam, as he walked toward the fuse box at the corner of the room, "And let's give them a show of a lifetime."
ɹɹ********************************************
The Disciples marched into the room as soon as the door parted open with long metal rods in their hands - the tips generated sparks of electricity. They had their eyes on the four Accursed, particularly on Sam, who was standing near the fuse box.
"Greetings, folks. It's nice of you to join us. You look awfully tired.”
“No thanks to you, Faceless. Come with us peacefully, or we’ll make you.”
“I’ve got a better offer. How about you put down your weapons and walk away – while you still can."
"You're not in a position to negotiate, Accursed," said one of the Disciples, prompting the rest of his companions to laugh confidently.
"Oh, you got it all wrong. That was not a negotiation," Sam replied before pulling down the power lever. Darkness immediately filled the chamber and the corridor, followed by the overlapping gasps of the Disciples.
A moment later, cries of pain and panic repeatedly echoed throughout the pitch blackness, accompanied by the flashes of the shock sticks flying around erratically.
Then, there was pure silence.
"All done!" Rupert spouted, and the light switched on once again.
All the Disciples are now lying on the floor - each and every single one of them was knocked out cold. With one of their problems out of the way, Sam swiftly picked a shock stick up, checking whether it was still functioning.
"Silva is five levels above us. We need to move right now," Elisabeth remarked.
Suddenly, all of them heard screaming in the corridor, later replaced with an inhuman-sounding screech. The four Accursed stormed out of the Control Room, and the first thing they saw was a Lacerator gnawing into an unfortunate female Disciple. The woman quivered uncontrollably as the Distorted slurped out every inch of her life essence, resulting in the woman's skin splitting apart like broken mirrors.
The Lacerator raised its head with warm blood dripping down its chin, its vacant eye sockets fixated on Sam and his companions.
'QaPeDiUoDuNa DaIeSi EiPi MaFeQiEoKuJaGeDi,' uttered the Distorted with its guttural voice that sounded like pure gibberish to the four Accursed. It pointed one of its long fingernails at the group and said, 'JaSeNiXo QaVeNi NaEe RaVe SaFeKi CaOeZi DaEeHiToZu OaFeSiTo.'
"Dude, did that...uh...did that thing just talk to us?" Rupert could barely form a complete sentence.
"It sure did," Elisabeth replied before cracking both of her knuckles. Then, the woman slammed her right fist into the wall and yanked out a long block of dirt. “It’s been a while since this little fella’s last battle with your kind. So, I hope you won’t disappoint him – and me.”
The soil disintegrated, revealing a black tactical ax with a glinting golden handle. The Lacerator instantly hissed, seemingly agitated at the sight of the weapon.
“Headhunter,” Lucy breathed, completely in awe at the magnificent Core Blade.
"Are you sure you want to take this?" asked Sam, and Elisabeth nodded in return.
"Yeah, it won't take long," the woman replied before she slowly approached the grotesque being.
'CaFeMiSoZuXa MaFeDiCo DaWeZiIo TaPeXi,' the Lacerator growled, scrapping its claws together.
"I have no idea what that means, but I'm guessing you're threatening me?" Elisabeth scoffed at the Distorted's gesture but at the same time, felt slightly uneasy at the creature's human-like behavior. It made her wonder whether it was mimicking a real person just to ridicule her or..."No, you're just imagining it. Yeah, that's it," she murmured to herself.
"Oi, Liz!" Lucy's orotund voice immediately broke Elisabeth free from her daze. Her reflexes kicked in as a cold breeze hit her left cheek, prompting her to duck down toward the ground. Although she didn't see it, she could feel the Lacerator's claws swept over her head.
Elisabeth later spun around and buried her ax deep into the Distorted's stomach before pulling it out again. The monster staggered backward as black, bubbly slime oozed out of its belly. As she noticed the gash started to close, Elisabeth swung her ax forward and chopped the Lacerator's head clean off.
However, Elisabeth did not display a hint of relief on her face - even after seeing her enemy's headless body fall to the floor. She felt something - a strong vibration beneath her feet.
Elisabeth turned around to face her friends and told them the truth, "Shit! The Distorted! They're here!"
**ɹɹ******************************************
||| THE PATH OF DECEIT: JAY |||
[Meanwhile…]
The blood drained from Silva's face as soon as he heard the voices of his subordinates screaming and crying in agony. He instinctively grabbed Jay by the collar and exclaimed at the top of his lungs, "YOU SAID THEY WILL NOT BE HARMED!"
"I did. But unfortunately, you and your acolytes have outlived your purpose. So, our superior sees no reason to keep you around anymore."
"You-!" Silva abruptly stopped as the cold edge of the trench knife pressed against her neck.
"Let's not cause any more trouble, shall we?" Cindar warned calmly.
Silva reluctantly released his grip on Jay, but not without spitting at the latter's shoes. "You Accursed are all the same. Selfish and narrow-minded, each and every one of you."
"Perhaps," Jay chuckled, "However, let's not forget one thing, Mr. Silva. You and your forefathers have been hunting our kind for hundreds of years. Although the Order did well in executing you ten years ago, I feel it is still not enough to avenge those who perished at your hands."
“So, what? You’re gonna kill me?"
"A tempting offer, Mr. Silva. Fortunately for you, I have a far more interesting idea."
||| THE END OF THE PATH OF DECEIT |||
****ɹɹ****************************************
After climbing several flights of stairs and traversing through a corpse-filled corridor, the four Accursed eventually reached the room that held the Crystal of Birth.
Elisabeth stared anxiously at the large steel door - both of her hands were trembling.
"You can stay outside if you want to," Sam suggested after realizing how agitated the woman looked.
"No, I need to do this. I've run away long enough."
Elisabeth placed her right palm against the door, and the structure opened up in a spiral-like motion.
Right in front of their eyes, the Crystal of Birth hovered above the ground, emitting a faint, pulsating yellow glow. But, what bothered the four the most was the large empty chamber. There were no signs of the scientists and more importantly, Silva.
"Huh? Where’s everyone?" Rupert commented as he jerked his head around.
"There's someone over there," the female Nightingale responded, pointing near the base of the giant gemstone.
They couldn't believe their eyes at first, but their suspicions were confirmed as soon as they took a closer look at the crystal. It was Silva - his whole body was somehow fused to the stone except for his head and arms.
The man let out a raspy laughter as soon as he saw the four, only for him to cough out a black, viscous fluid shortly after.
"A pitiful sight, isn't it, Rosa?" the man wheezed with a tired smile across his face.
"You brought this on yourself," said Elisabeth as she removed her mask, causing Silva to let out a weak, breathy laugh. “You were given a second and you threw it away for your stupid research.”
"Ah, still as rebellious as ever. It's such a shame, though. If you didn't try to run away that night, we could have unlocked the secret to the Accursed's power together. Your power is meant to be shared with the world."
"At what cost, Silva? Countless lives, including yours, are lost for the sake of your research. Now, don't go telling me that their sacrifices were not in vain, because we both know that's a lie."
"No, it's not a lie. You are now standing in front of me - our greatest creation, bestowed by Lady Vidia himself. You are the culmination of our work, Rosa. Our very own guardian angel."
Elisabeth's eyes widened at Silva's previous remark. She was completely in shock that the only word that left her mouth was, "What did you say?"
"Oh, you don't remember? Interesting. So, memory loss is one of the side effects."
"Stop rambling to yourself!" Elisabeth lashed out, "What do you mean by your very own guardian angel?”
"I think you already know the answer to that, my little Rosa. Those decaying corpses you saw in the old facility and underground? The claw marks on the walls? It was you, my child. It was you who killed them all ten years ago.”