"Where's Payne now?" Leo growled, making sure to keep up the appearances.

"At base!" The man cried out. "He returned a bit after the explosions started and mobilized everyone available."

Good start. He noted and asked another question, "Where did he return from? The Supercluster?"

The prisoner nodded frantically. "Yes! He had been going there every day since he returned injured a few days ago. We barely see him now. Most of our orders come from the Commanders. Today was the first time in a while that he spoke to those not favored by the Lord."

Not favored by the Lord? Leo frowned. Is he talking about anyone who Geron didn't change at the beginning of the Outbreak? He must be...

"Those Commanders. They are the Winged Emissaries, right?" He hummed when the man nodded again. "How many of them are in your ranks?"

At that, the human hesitated, his eyes darting around, searching for a way out. Leo sighed and tightened his shadow prison, earning another pained wail. "I asked you a question."

"Four!" The man sobbed. "Only four of us had the privilege to sprout wings like the High Leader. But now..."

"Only two remain," Leo finished, and the human flinched. "Very well... What's Payne's level? Did he evolve yet?"

"I don't know; nobody can Identify him, I swear! Please believe me," the poor man begged as tears continued to fall. "He looks a bit different, though, and his injury is gone. That's all I know. Really!"

So, he most likely evolved. No surprise there. He probably had to after getting hit by Ruination like that. Leo sighed, standing up. "Why did you come here?"

"I was ordered to," came the instant answer. "After the High Leader returned, he gathered everyone with high Grace attribute and told us where to go. Some went toward the explosions while I was supposed to check why Commander Gracia hadn't come back with his team yet."

Sounds reasonable. They probably have some protocols set up for situations just like this. Well, that or Payne somehow knew what happened and just sent someone to check for sure. You can never know with Geron involved. Shit...

Leo shook his head and turned his glare on the prisoner again. "What about other survivors? Other groups in London. Are you supposed to hunt them? Is Payne planning something?"

Instantly, the other man scowled, his expression turning nasty. "You mean the traitorous whore and her band of bastards? They will die soon—they and anyone else who dares to stand in the Lord's way."

Leo narrowed his eyes, ignoring the jab at his sister. "What do you mean by that?!"

The human offered him a grin filled with blood, the look of absolute terror fading from his eyes. "Fuck you, demon. Die!"

At once, bright golden light burst out of Emissary's skin, destroying the shadow prison. Somehow, the man jumped to his feet and rushed forward with a dagger of light in his hand.

Yet, before he could even strike once, Leo grabbed him by the neck and held him high.

"Wrong move, my friend," he muttered. "I gave you a chance, and you threw it away."

Before the Emissary could even utter a word, waves of Ruination Essence crashed into his body. His eyes bulged out, a scream leaving his mouth as the skin around his neck withered. Leo didn't stop there and continued to force more energy into him, watching as the curse of the Void spread further and further.

"Dear god," he mumbled, dropping the Emissary, who now resembled a Cursed Human. Even the standard crimson eyes were there.

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"What did you do?!" The man gasped as he rose to his knees, looking down at his malformed hands. "What the fuck did you do, you bloody demon!?"

I have no idea. Leo wanted to say, but he couldn't. This was no Minor Takeover. He had simply forced Ruination into the man, expecting him to die, not to turn into some budget Voidling.

"Answer me!" the former human screamed again. "The System isn't answering! I can't feel my light, you bastard! Take it back!"

What? Leo grabbed the Emissary again. "What did you say about the System?"

"It isn't answering my call! I can't feel anything," the man hissed, obviously uncaring of his new position. "Fix this! Now!"

The guy got balls, that's for sure. Leo thought, and just then, he spotted something weird happening on Emissary's exposed shoulder. The corrupted skin slowly continued to wither, turning to dust. For some reason, the man didn't notice it, but if he really couldn't feel anything...

Well fuck. He tightened his hold on the human. "I will help you if you answer my next question truthfully. Do you understand? I will know if you lie."

Of course, Leo had no way of reversing the corruption or telling if someone was lying. He just wanted to get the most out of this interaction. He already pretty much tortured the guy. What was another lie or two at this point?

I'm not sleeping for at least the next week...

"I will do whatever you want. Just reverse this, please!" the Emissary shouted, fear entering his crimson eyes again.

"What is Payne planning? Simple as that."

"I don't know! We just listen to orders. Maybe the Commanders would know, but not me. I'm just a lowly servant of the Lord."

Leo growled. "You must know something, anything. Didn't you hear or see anything? Think!"

"I..." The man hesitated for a moment only to shake his head. "A few scouts were sent away from London recently. Nobody knows why or where... And... and some of us believe that the High Leader doesn't venture into the Supercluster just to kill Voidspawns. That's all I got, I promise. Now, please help! Something's wrong with me. My Essence..."

But Leo ignored him as he mulled over the new information. He could imagine why Payne would send scouts outside London. It was quite obvious, after all. However, the part about the Supercluster? He had no idea. Naz'Tor might have told him what to expect from that place, but with an Old One involved, all his information could be useless.

"Fuck!" He hissed, throwing the Emissary on the ground.

"Hey! Hold up," the man shouted, climbing to his feet on shaky legs. "You promised to help me. Don't walk away now!"

Leo stopped, and without turning around, he whispered, "I'm sorry."

One final scream was the answer to his apology as his shadows surged out of the ground and finished the Emissary's cursed life. There was nothing else he could have done. Ruination would have slowly killed the poor sod anyway. This was mercy.

The road to hell really is paved with good intentions...

----------------------------------------

Leo ran out of London like a man possessed. He thought of checking on the Wildborn's liar and informing Malcolm of what he had found, but he wasn't even sure if the man had already returned. He could still be with Lily and the others for all he knew.

As such, he continued onward and left the capital behind. Every minute or so, he let out a Hunter's Pulse, hoping to find the scouts the Emissary spoke about. Only to fail each time.

Not that he expected any other outcome. He wasn't anywhere close to Wolford yet, and it wasn't like his Pulse was all-powerful. If Payne could hide from him, then others could definitely, too. The hunter job would be way too strong if it could find anyone, anywhere.

It wasn't until he passed the traveling group and got within a few kilometers of Wolford that his Pulse started to pick up on something. It wasn't much—just some trails that didn't lead anywhere and faded after a few seconds—but still better than nothing.

It took him another hour of following those faded tracks and running in circles to arrive at a small village quite close to his hometown. He had already been here two nights ago, but evidently, he had missed something important.

There you are, Leo muttered in his head as he stopped right in front of a small cottage. All recent trails led into this building. If Payne's scout wasn't inside, he didn't know where else to search.

No way to do this quietly. I'm way too large for this place. He sighed and activated Reinforcement. A standard Hunter's Pulse washed over the building next, instantly making him grin. Two inside. Very well...

Leo dropped Stealth Shroud and rammed into the nearest wall at full speed. It didn't stand a chance, and he stumbled into the cottage's living room, just in time to watch two Emissaries scramble to their feet.

However, neither got a chance to act as he flashed behind them and stabbed the nearest one in the heart. At the same time, shadows rushed toward the second person, enveloping him in a tight cocoon.

"And that's it," he muttered, picking up his new prisoner. "Maybe Tony and Frank will have a better way of getting information out of you. I ain't doing it again..."