After giving the shriveled captive a minute with his thoughts, Hyperion urged him to speak.
"I'm not at all high up in the chain, so I don't know much," he stammered, his body trembling with fear.
"All I know is that here in Or, many of us had been hired by a man named Kaiden, who claimed to be the 'right hand of the eighth Unkind,' a man named Harlem Puffridge."
The name drew an incredulous chuckle from Ida. "There's no way that surname is real," she muttered, shaking her head. She quickly quieted when Hyperion cleared his throat with a faint cough.
"Continue," Hyperion urged.
The captive, eager to please, explained that Kaiden was a loudmouth who had told them how Harlem was one of the few chosen to serve as a hand to the 'Rex crudelis.'
"Yeah," Hyperion thought. "Could've bet my life Puffridge wasn't his own boss." His internal monologue then turned to their employer. "Now, why did Mr. Wyatt ask us to take only him down? Does he think we'll naturally deal with the entirety of the Corvus Aurum, or does he believe the whole group will be too much for us? Well, no bother, that's a problem for future me."
He leaned forward. "Anyway, why don't you tell us about your base here?"
"The regular footmen number above seven hundred," the man continued nervously, "each as strong as a Grade six huntsman, which would equate them to a regular enforcer.
Besides them is Kaiden, who's always on ground giving orders."
He described Kaiden as hellishly strong, a master of metal manipulation magic who wielded a magical flail with superhuman skill. Harlem, he said, was usually on and off town, and no one but Kaiden was trusted with any substantial information. The narration was punctuated by the man's massive gulps of saliva.
He looked up, eyes wide with desperation. "Please, I beg you. This is all I know."
"Oh, no bother," Hyperion said calmly. "This is actually all we need from you, particularly."
Ida crossed her arms. "For what you've done for us, we can try doing you a solid. Now tell me, do you have any loved one among the henchmen?"
He shook his head. "No. We don't even know each other. Mask wearing is mandatory."
"Oh, thank goodness," Ida sighed with exaggerated relief, pressing a hand to her chest. "I thought we'd have to find your loved ones while purging the Ravens. That would've been stressful, and you'd have ended up being disappointed," she added, pointing at the man with mock sympathy.
"What's your name?" Hyperion asked.
"Cavill," he replied hesitantly.
"Well, Cavill," Hyperion said, "I pride myself in rewarding anyone who cooperates with me. Also, as an apology for the needless interrogation earlier, I'm appointing you as my confidential informant."
The man blinked, confused. Hyperion explained that he would keep his ears on the ground for any news, and in return, he would be rewarded with not dying by Hyperion's hands. He had already recognized Cavill's magical signature, and if he ever returned to find Cavill gone, the contract and Cavill, would be terminated.
Cavill swallowed hard, nodding quickly.
They went upstairs and found Luiz sitting on a chair, half-dozed, his large arms crossed over his chest.
"Thank you for your service, Mr. Luiz," Hyperion said evenly. "We'll be taking our leave now. I want you to let the captive go, we've already made a deal with him. And if he causes any trouble, I'm sure you can take care of him in our absence."
"Thank you for helping our town," Luiz said, standing. "I might have tried, but I'd never have achieved anything on my own."
"Firstly," Hyperion replied, "we're doing this because we'll be paid. Secondly, I haven't really helped your town yet. But notwithstanding, you're welcome."
He turned to leave, then added, "I forgot to mention, nice bracelet you have there."
Ida smirked as she stepped past him. "Rather beautiful wife you have too. Appreciate her," she said in a light, teasing tone.
Luiz nodded awkwardly. "Thank you," he murmured.
And with that, they left.
***
It had been a rather noisy day in Or. The air itself seemed uneasy, the wind carrying whispers of unrest. Still, Kaiden thought little of it, reclining in the ornate chair by his office window.
"Rather noisy in this town since morning," he muttered to himself. "Anyway, it's evening enough. I think it's about time the Ravens are sent off."
His words were cut short by a thunderous bang on the main gate.
He frowned, sitting upright.
A second bang followed, then a heavy, final crash. The deep metallic thud echoed through the entire compound, rattling the glass panes.
What in...?
He rushed to the window and froze. The enormous front gate; three layers of fortified steel had been flattened.
Standing before the wreckage was a frail looking woman, her long dark hair glinting in the dimming light. Behind her walked a golden haired boy, hands calmly folded behind his back, his expression one of withdrawal.
The woman stepped into the compound with deliberate grace, her eyes burning with an enthusiastic fire.
Kaiden slammed the alarm switch on his desk. The shrill klaxon screamed through the building.
Within seconds, hundreds of his men poured out into the courtyard, weapons drawn. Two hundred of them surrounded the intruders.
The woman took her first step forward, then vanished.
A moment later, ten of his men collapsed, their heads rolling across the ground.
"She..., she just!" someone stammered.
"She far outclasses them," Kaiden hissed, gritting his teeth. "There's no way those third rates can handle someone like that. Curses! How dare you invade my land, land that Sir Harlem graciously left in my control!"
He turned toward the door, ready to command a full retreat, when the golden haired boy appeared directly in front of him. The boy wasn't running. He wasn't even breathing hard. His hair shimmered faintly, as though dusted with starlight, and his calm, almost amused eyes met Kaiden's with an unsettling ease.
"Get out of my way, heathen," Kaiden spat. "I am nothing like those ravenlings down there. It would be wise for you and your lady friend not to pester me."
"Oh, but that's not the way we planned it," the boy replied, his tone smooth and unhurried. "You see, while my lady friend exterminates the 'ravenlings', I'm meant to entertain you. This doesn't necessarily entail fighting, of course. All I require is information, about the whereabouts of Harlem."
How dare he speak of Sir Harlem as though he were any other being.
"You bastard!" Kaiden roared. "You'll pay for your insolence!"
Metal swirled around his hand, forming into a flail with a roar of energy. He lunged forward and swung with enough force to turn the boy's body into paste. But Hyperion sidestepped with almost lazy reflexes. Kaiden followed up with several rapid swings, each strike powerful enough to crater the floor, but the boy simply evaded, his movements fluid, almost mocking.
"Close quarters is not where you'll find me lacking, Kaiden," he commented, voice maddeningly calm.
"Shut up!" Kaiden shouted, veins bulging. "I was chosen, handpicked by Sir Harlem himself! Do you think he'd waste his time on someone who couldn't crush a pest like you?"
With a snarl, he released the spikes from his flail, metal shards shooting out like a storm of knives. The sphere spun violently, each rotation extending the weapon's reach through his manipulation magic. The air itself screamed from the friction. The attack ripped through the walls, shattering the ceiling beams and tearing apart what was left of the upper floor.
Kaiden leapt out through the broken window, landing hard on the courtyard below. "Take that, you cocky bastard!" he spat.
From above came the calm, mocking voice again.
"Oh my. Who knew your moves would be this destructive? Harlem will definitely be mad when he comes back and sees this mess."
Kaiden's eyes widened in disbelief. The boy was alive. "That attack was too wide ranged," he thought. "Even I would've taken damage if I hadn't been shielding myself with metal control. Could he… could he also be a metal mage? No, that's impossible. To overpower my control over my own magic?"
The boy landed lightly before him, the faint glow of dusk outlining his silhouette.
Kaiden clenched his fists. "You're infuriating, speaking down on me, the sword of the Eighth Unkind. You'll pay for that."
The boy said nothing, just smiled faintly.
"You've done well," Kaiden sneered, raising his weapon again. "You seem to have skill worthy of accolade, accolade that would've been given if not for your mouth. But worry not, you shall still receive your praise. I will take you seriously now… and you shall rue the day you crossed Kaiden."