Ashes of Vile

07

CHAPTER SEVEN
An Infinity Of Us

Cassidy Idgen felt an ever-changing shift in her energy, already paranoid at the spreading mysterious infection, it certainly didn't help that her weakness felt physical rather than mental. Abourne and Inez were starting to get a little better, although still bedridden, they stayed awake for the most part since the pain was tolerable enough to feel it. But Cassidy didn't voice out her concern, she only set it aside and concluded it was delirium from the change of setting and routine ever since she had been with the group. Cassidy lay awake, sprawled on the floor of the interrogation room, staring at the ceiling. She had been waiting to accompany Lilac in her quest to obtain the ancient ruins omitted from the Pierce family's past. Everyone was in dread, finding anything that could help them answer the burning question; the question Cassidy Idgen raised herself. It wasn't an ideal position to be the new one and seems to be the only one who brought trouble, a sardonic paradox of being the least intimidating person. Even Lilac Evergreens whom she had known for years was certainly more intimidating and troublesome.

"Well, don't you look sluggish," Lilac entered the room in a navy blue suit paired with the same colored navy pants. Her hair was tied into a bun with a few strands that fell loose and she looked well-groomed to do their tasks. Cassidy picked herself up and looked at her with her back hunched and chin slightly raised, a lazy position but just enough to tell Lilac that her attention was on her. "I look fine," Cassidy playfully shot her a bitter expression while Lilac chuckled in response. "We've got a lot to do, get up!" Lilac pulled her arm up.

They walked the fine streets of Ashgrim that had fallen silent since the big scandal. It felt like a commenced lockdown as people felt locked in despite having zero changes in the law. Though after all, the famous saying, 'Ashgrim, a lawless land, thank Vermithis' that truly summed up the municipality and its people; there still were unspoken laws. One was to never disrupt the watchmen and the Valkyrie especially when their intent meant solid work. Their force of strength, a symbol of threat and vigor, waking down the pavements was no coincidence. They wanted people to be uneasy, to display the image of tenacity so people would surrender to their knees. So they could catch the delinquents.

Cassidy had been staying at the deserted bar for a few days so she never got to experience being in the position of the rest of Ashgrim: to be interrogated and to be intimidated by high power. They seemed to have already passed Cassidy's area, so she didn't have much to worry about. "So, exactly are we searching for?"

Anything. We're definitely going to the treasure vault of Maeve's family, try to dig up anything. They knew about the beast, they must know where the orbs came from. Lilac stated. So where? Cassidy asked again, her reputation being someone of many questions. I know a place. Lilac said. The many advantages of Lilac were her great facade of having the ability to morph into whoever she wanted to be. Whether she was to get into the character of being a hero star, a troubled girl in distress, the assistant of the Valkyrie herself, or being a fortune executor. And that was exactly who she was that day.

"I repeat, we need verification ma'am." The lanky man at the front desk spoke in a hoarse and tired-of-everything voice. Lilac rolled her eyes and dug through her suitcase which really played the character. She pulled out an ID and placed it aggressively on the hard-surfaced desk. The ID looked extremely authentic and on it was Lilac's important aspect of being the malevolent fortune executor: a dead-pan poker face. The man looked at her with more certitude and sighed then began typing on the big keyboard projector, which really looked like he was fiddling the desk. But technology was bound to become absurd, and as long as it was benign as time goes, it didn't matter. He clicked his tongue and airily talked to himself, "Deceased," He repeatedly said as he went on and on down the list. "Keep going down that list, I'm sure you'll find an ancient being still alive. Now that would make headlines." Cassidy grinned.