Damian knew Amadeus through a woman named Zila. She ran their spy operation concerning law enforcement. Damian sold the information, and Amadeus gained it through Zila's plans. Amadeus infiltrated law enforcement and got insider information to sell to criminals.

In other words, they were scum who helped criminals avoid the law.

Despite his disapproval to put it lightly, Aurelius went along with it. He had to. Damian insisted it had to be Amadeus. Nobody else had the skill and especially not the motive to go against a powerhouse like Nexus.

The problem was that Amadeus had gotten out of the business at around the same time Zila was caught and executed by law enforcement. The only lead they had was some guy Damian had heard Amadeus work with.

After a few days, Aurelius and Damian were making their way into a hideout, Aurelius' head well-hidden under a hood.

As expected, Damian had brought them to a nasty place.

Damian had a reputation around scum. A rather famous nickname even. It brought trust which made things easier.

They were let into places and found themselves in the dark basement of a gambling den. They walked through a hallway with stained walls and lamps made with tinted glass, bathing the area with faint red light. On the sides, there were multiple rooms filled with sounds of... moaning?

"Urgh." Aurelius looked at Damian who looked back at him with a helpless expression.

"Aurelius, remember, I do the talking. You're here just to ensure that things don't go bad. Oh, and these people probably don't even speak Miran."

"No problem," Aurelius said in the language of Arkryk. Damian looked a little shocked. "Oh, you thought I did so much killing I forgot to pick up some Rykian on the way?"

"Your accent is horrible. Just don't talk, and this will go over smoothly."

"Tch." Aurelius made his way to the reinforced door at the end of the hallway and knocked on it hard.

The door opened and a man larger than Aurelius himself greeted them with one of the deepest frowns he had ever witnessed.

"Hello, I am Damian, I go by the code name Bird of Midnight. I'm looking to do business with your boss, Hermeris."

The burly man leaned his head back and grumbled, "Who is your friend?"

"Bodyguard," Aurelius answered bluntly.

"You can come," the burly man said to Damian. "Your bodyguard stays."

"No, I don't."

"No, wait," Damian said hurriedly. "It's fine. He can wait here."

Aurelius glared at Damian and then at the burly man. "Look, if you don't let me through, I will put a fu—"

"The Bird of Midnight!" A flamboyant voice called from the back of the room. "Come in, by all means."

If he had heard the name, he had been listening for a while. He was just waiting for a chance to butt in and make himself appear in better light. Aurelius looked at the burly man who stepped aside and frowned. He was instructed to act unfavorably. Mercy for him then.

Aurelius marched into the bright red room after Damian and gazed at the man on the couch at the back of the room. Hermeris was a rat of a man with greasy hair and no visible jaw but a smile like it was everybody's honor to look upon him. He looked almost 40 with two barely clothed girls around his arms who looked young enough to be his daughters.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Hermeris spoke to a pair of younger men before waving them off. Aurelius brought his hood lower before his eyes as the men passed and went out of the room.

He still heard Hermeris' insufferable voice. "I have heard of you, the Bird of Midnight."

"It's just Bird of Midnight," Damian said, his voice straight line.

"And you brought a friend?" Hermeris asked, ignoring Damian's comment.

"A bodyguard. Now onto business, I—"

"A fine man he is." Aurelius had trouble making out the sentence. There was an unfamiliar word. Still, he knew he did not like it. "Is he for sale?"

"No."

"I was asking him."

"No," Aurelius answered.

"I could make you a very rich man."

"Hermeris, tell us what you know about the name Amadeus."

"Hah, an informant coming to me for information?" Hermeris scoffed and crossed his legs. Then he said something about him only being... a pimp? Aurelius did not know the word.

"He covers his tracks. But you have done business with him, have you not? Where can I find him?"

"He comes to me."

"We both know he doesn't," Damian sneered. He couldn't stand the man either. It made Aurelius like him more. Not enough to ever consider him a friend. At the end of the day, he was a selfish person who took the easiest way of the world.

"Are you insulting me?! After I let you bring in your brute? What is under that hood of his?"

"You don't want to know."

"I beg to differ," Hermeris spat and motioned something. A large hand tried to grab Aurelius. He caught it by the wrist without looking.

Then with one estimation of the opponent's position and a rapid backhand to the jaw, the burly man slumped to the ground.

"You two," Aurelius said to the ladies. "Leave, please."

"You don't obey him. You obey me," Hermeris said in a panic. "Stay!"

There was a frozen moment. Then Aurelius stomped the ground so hard the girl practically bounced to their feet and ran out.

"Now, you tell us, and I may just let you live," Aurelius said, taking his hood off.

Damian stood wide-eyed. It was too late now. He probably cursed Aurelius.

Maybe he could look at what was in front of him and tell himself it was none of his business. He couldn't save everyone in any case. Aurelius couldn't abide that logic. Excuses for weakness of character.

The man in front of him had gone his whole life violating people and getting away with it. So much so that he thought the end would never come. Now Aurelius was there. He was the end. The bounce back of the world that had misfunctioned to let this creature prowl around for so long.

"You." Hermeris sneered at Damian. "You said this was business? What is this circus?"

Aurelius was in front of him and grabbed him. The man's eyes swam. He had never been thrown before. Not like Aurelius threw him. He hurled through the room like he was a common piece of trash and thumped on the floor. Aurelius followed almost bored.

"Amadeus. Do you know where he is? An..." Aurelius couldn't think of the Rykian word for Approximation. "Give us a city. Or I kill you."

The man coughed, having fallen on his back before rolling around on the carpet. "I don't know. He told me he was relocating to Silvia almost two years ago. That's all I know."

'Shit. That's even further from the capital. It'll take us over a week to get to Orpheus from there," Aurelius thought.

"I gave you what you wanted. Now, get out!"

Damian gave Aurelius a pained look. Aurelius raised a brow at him.

Then he reached a blood-red hand out to Hermeris. "Right, our business is concluded," Aurelius said in his own language.

"What?" Hermeris asked but took Aurelius' hand.

Aurelius squeezed before kneeing Hermeris' elbow inward.

The man screamed. Aurelius looked around, fairly sure that the room had thick walls. Intentional design.

"We'll make for Silvia today. If we don't find Amadeus there, we will make another plan. I don't have the time—"

"You think you can get away with this?! People rely on my services. People more powerful than you can even imagine!"

Aurelius glanced at Hermeris and then at Damian. "You should wait outside."

"Arghhh!" Hermeris knew how to make sound. "Nryaahhh!" Pathetic sound.

"Just be done with it," Damian said.

Apparently, he was going to stay. His choice.

"You're a coward!"

"Don't mind him. Make it quick. He doesn't deserve attention."

"Tch. Hiding behind gloves." Hermeris spat up at Aurelius from his knees. "You're pathetic."

Aurelius' eyes went wide, his expression twitching. "Oh yeah?" Aurelius removed his right glove and a flicker of blue light appeared in his hand

"No, don't!"

Damian was too late. The ball of essence spurred into existence in a split. In the next moment, Aurelius exploded Hermeris' head.

Bits of brain and skull flew and the room was covered in gore. The lamps broke and they were led in a dim, flickering light.

Damian stared into the distance; Aurelius at the remains. Both of their whole front sides were smeared in blood.

Aurelius breathed in through the mouth. Out through the nose. Then he turned and exited with a steady step. "Come. We have work to do."