It was night when the carriages finally reached its destination. The moon was at its brightest and the metal cage was cold where it pressed uncomfortably against Azaroth but his unblinking eyes were trained on the outpost.
Four massive stone towers surrounded the outpost, taller than the wall of the outpost. Azaroth could see Hounds patrolling the towers and more walking on the wall.
It was the biggest outpost Azaroth had ever seen, easily twenty-the size of his father's bunt outpost. The carriage split then, the one carrying Commander Apex and two others continue their journey to the front of the gate.
The ones carrying the children turned right around the wall until another gate appeared, two Hounds opened the gate for the carriage and Azaroth entered his new home.
They moved through twisted streets and roads, the horse hooves and the creaking carriage the only sound.
Azaroth wondered why they weren't seeing anyone, had the Hounds cleared the streets? Or was there a curfew? He stored it away.
Their carriage slowed down as they approached a gated wall, the gate was massive, and painted on it was the head of a snarling dog with flames coming out of his mouth.
The Hound.
Kael Hound came out of his carriage, his robe ripping around him as he went to the door.
Alex sucks in a breath. "Is that Kael Hound? One of the legendary captains of the Hounds! He is the right-hand man of Commander Kael but only in name! I pray he becomes our instructor!"
The blue haired girl made a noise in her throat but said nothing because her eyes were trained on what Azaroth was watching.
Kael Hound was talking with the dog head painted on the door. His voice was low but Azaroth's eyes were zeroed on it like an eagle's. This might be his chance to learn something important.
Whatever defense that was put on the door must be done by Awakener. As Azaroth watched, the painting ripped and snared something at Kael who replied.
The air hummed and the painting's eyes turned red before the door opened.
A password, Azaroth thought. The Hounds are using passwords to control the door.
Their carriage went through and the painting's eyes followed them throughout. Azaroth thought it was trained more on him but he was already looking past that.
The inside was massive with lots of big and small buildings, that were made of stones. A large building dominated the center, it was made entirely of metal and writings had been burned into the metal.
They made their way to one of the stone buildings and the Hounds came to unlock their cage.
Then they were told to come out and form a line.
Azaroth clenched his jaws as blood started circulating down his lower body again. Crouching for hours in a moving cage would do that to the body.
Azaroth studied his environment. It was a big compound and it must be safe both from Awakeners and physical attacks because Azaroth saw no guards standing.
They must have a safeguard, he thought.
They filled them inside the stone building and the first thing Azaroth noticed was the smell. He had entered a slaughterhouse once and it didn't smell this bad. The smell of blood hung in the air and the fire lantern on the wall showed flecks of something red and dry on the stone floor.
A raised wooden dais was at the front and three people stood there. Azaroth recognized Kael Hound but not the two. A man and a woman, dressed exactly like Kael, in black clothes and with a black mask with flame patterns.
"Only captains wore the flame mask," Alex whispered from where he was behind the blue-eyed girl.
Azaroth didn't look at him.
There were about sixty in the room but the room swallowed them with still lots of space left.
Kael stepped forward. "Welcome to East Haven of the Inferno Legion. We are the second city beside the capital that produced the highest numbers of Hounds in the Inferno Legion."
Kael tilted his head. "And we only produced quality Hounds here in our East Haven units."
The woman stepped forward next. "Be glad, you have been removed from the company of weakling and given the chance that that many will die for...."
Azaroth almost snorted. What bullshit, they were all forced and there was nothing like the chance many will die for. The Hounds were feared because they were the dirty knives of the Inferno Legion.
Azaroth studied his fellows. Dismissing most while he took special study of some.
Two twins with brown hair that held each other's hand, a tall boy with short black hair who looked around coldly, and a short girl with long bushy pink hair. Then there is the blue-haired girl and Alex.
They all had the same sharp focused eyes. It was the eyes of survivors, their eyes were trained towards a goal. Except for Alex, he was talkative and restless but Azaroth hadn't missed the way his eyes sized up everything.
"......Is there anyone who would rather go to the city and work instead of being here?" The woman asked.
At first, no one answered. They shifted and looked at each other until a boy raised his hand.
"You are a good boy. You knew what you wanted for yourself. Come here. Anybody else?" Twomanmen said Sweety and came forward.
More hands went up and they joined the first boy. At least a third of them had joined. They were separated.
The woman opened her hands wide as if to hug them and her voice was still as sweet and sing-song as ever.
A red aura covered the woman, light bloomed in the near darkness and fire in the shape of two giant hands came out and covered the children. Not even their screams were heard.
Heat washed over them and the shock of the power pushed the other children back. When the fire hand disappeared, there was only a black spot remaining on the stone.
The other children flinched back, the reality they were trying to hide from smacking them in the face.
Delusional fools, Azaroth thought.
"Rule number one. Once you joined the Hounds, there is no going back." The woman's voice carried a smile.