The two Masters walked away to the gallery at the edge of the hallway. Hugo leaned against the railing.
"Careful there," Hedish said.
The Zaatsu looked back. "How low does this trench go?" he asked, staring into the darkness extending downward indefinitely.
The Mystic smiled. "Back when I worked here as a guard in my early 20s, we used to throw stones into that trench. Couldn't ever hear a sound back..."
Looking back ahead, Hugo asked, "So, where is Master Mujin?"
"Went out for dinner. Should have been back by now…"
"He was talking about some irregularities within the Cults this morning."
"Hmm, two of them dropped off the radar."
"Disappeared?"
"Ran away, disappeared, or destroyed… anybody's guess."
"What do you guys think? The Parliament, I mean…"
"Fiona is looking into it."
"So, the disappearances were in Asia."
"One was in Asia."
"Oh… ok."
"Yup. The other one was a neighbouring Cult to the Ravens, don't remember their name though. Used to operate in Finland, exclusively. Very isolated. Very limited."
"Ah, Diyanis."
"Yes! Diyanis… the traders of lies."
"How serious is the situation?"
"Like I said, anybody's guess at the moment. But it is all very odd. The timing of all of it, Vincent, the Cults acting up, the remnants, it's all mounting up."
"Yeah. Just nine months ago we were dealing with the South American bandits."
"I still can't believe we escaped that without a war with the Cults there."
Hugo giggled, scratching his head. "Yeah."
Silence prevailed, thereafter. The Ravens, who had also moved away from the cell and were sitting on the floor, stood up. But before they could go back inside to continue the questioning, Hugo stopped them.
"Hold on a moment," he said, rushing towards them.
"What's the matter?" Hedish asked.
"I wanna give it a try."
"Master, rest assured, we will break through," Layla said.
Carlisle added, "It has just been two hours."
"I am not doubting you people," Hugo stressed. "But I think I might have a way to get through to him."
Hedish quickly asked, "What way?"
"Bargain."
"With what?" Layla questioned. "By the looks of it, that man has nothing to lose and nothing to gain and…"
"I know, I know," Hugo quickly said with arms extended, interrupting her. "He has nothing to lose or gain. He is like a proud animal, powerful and majestic. Like a lion. But the thing with a lion is, it hates being in a cage."
Hedish interrupted, "You're surely not suggesting…"
"Yes, I am, Master. I will give him a chance to go back out into the wild again. When I gave him that chance the other day, he never hesitated to take it."
"Not how we heard it. We heard you had to beat him to take him along."
"He's the guy with nothing to lose. These guys have just confirmed that. He doesn't fear death, he has no weak spots, no relationships to exploit, and he seems to want nothing either. When I 'beat him up', he could've just said no. Think about it. He could have at least tried to resist. But he didn't. He tagged along. And not only that… he actually helped us."
"And where do you intend to take him now?"
"To look for that tongue-man, Derek. He is so skilled he thinks he will always win, so, let him think he's won. Fuel his ego but remain in control."
"A man with that much potential and that track record does not seem to be someone you should trust, Hugo."
"I'm not trusting him, Master. I am just trying to do what's necessary here."
After pausing for a few moments Hedish asked, "And you wish to do this bargaining yourself?"
"Yes," Hugo replied with a nod before adding, "Alone."
"Beg your pardon?"
"I want to talk to him alone… but not right now."
"Then when?"
"In the morning."
"Then let these people have him for the night."
"No. I want him to think that he has won, and we have given up. Send someone in to heal him."
"One of your people is in there," Carlisle said. "A Magicist from Civenna was assisting us in keeping his body in shape."
"Great. Let his wounds heal slowly through the night, but don't erase them completely."
Graduates of the Civenna Medical Facilities of the City of Ayn were Magicists specialising in arcane healing arts. No matter the severity of a wound, these Magicists were able to heal it in a very short time. Channelling their Ki into the patient's body they simply helped hasten the body's natural healing process while numbing the pain. They could fix broken bones within hours and heal gaping wounds just as fast.
Leaving the bounty hunter chained to the wall inside the pitch-dark room, all parties dispersed.
When the Ravens left the Atramentum, Hedish and Hugo finally made their way out as well.
"Obadiah wants you at the academy," the Mystic said as they exited.
Hugo looked over. "Why?" he asked. "Anything special he needs?"
"No, no. It's just that having you as a hostel warden seems like a waste. We all share that worry. And then we see your disciples out in the field and honestly, the Eye could use more of those enthusiastic ones."
"Oh, come on…" he looked back ahead. "He's the highest-ranked Zaatsu, the most powerful guy in the world right now. And I think he's doing fine as the head of the academies."
"Hmm, but he doesn't really have the experience you have, son. He has never worked with the likes of Warren or Marion or Mustaqeem directly. He worked with Yang, but the ones you worked with and trained with… Plus, your time at the outposts has groomed you in a way that is different from Obadiah. It hardened him like the rest of us. But it softened you. You connect with kids better than most of us."
Blinking incoherently, Hugo looked at Hedish once more. "Oh… well… I guess you could send Kenji to the hostel then," he said. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I was stationed there by Master Mujin for a reason."
"Hmm," Hedish looked at him, "the battle royale…"
The duo laughed.
Hugo shook his head and said, "If you really need me up there then send Kenji here."
"Well, we'll see."
After a moment's pause, the Zaatsu smiled and said, "Tell Obadiah he'll have to spar with me once if he really wants me there."
Giggling, Hedish replied, "He'll run away…"
The two laughed some more and stopped at the Seear's Hall's entrance. "I'll brief Renekom about what happened," Hedish said. "You can go home now, son. But do consider it."
With a deep breath, Hugo said, "Sure. I mean, at least let this mission be over, then I'll shift back if you guys want it so bad."
"Well look at this mission even… and the many before. Your own team is made up of your disciples. And look at them go. They have already become such important assets for us."
The Zaatsu smiled and dropped his head.
"Even Ella. She has been taken under her wing by Fiona. She's been training her for three years now, but all Ella talks about is her time with you. You always leave a mark on your students."
He looked up. "Oh, that must upset her," Hugo said with a bright smile.
Hedish smiled too. "What is with you and Fiona?" he asked.
"Well, she's a competitive colleague and a fierce one at that. And once my students went up against hers and, well… she has been trying to one-up me since…"
As the duo laughed some more, Hedish placed a hand on Hugo's shoulder. "Well, son," he said. "Keep up the good work with the squad. But in your spare time, be at the academy if you can… I'm not forcing you! Just saying it would be better. Alright?"
"Yes, sir. Of course."
Thereafter, Hugo left and Hedish made his way to Renekom's office inside the Hall. He explained to his friend all that had unfolded at the Atramentum.
"What about Hugo?" Renekom asked.
"Doesn't seem suspicious at all," Hedish replied with a shake of the head. "He was a bit embarrassed when I suggested that we were waiting for him, and he seemed not bothered about the condition of the bounty hunter either."
"He is Warren's direct disciple. One of only three people who ever got a chance to train with him at that level, that boy is his heir."
"Relax." The Mystic brushed aside the Seear's concern. "Warren's people died with him."
"We don't know when or if he even died, Hedish! We never recovered a body!"
"I knew him a bit longer than you, old friend. He was never a man to stay in the shadows letting someone else take charge."
Renekom leaned ahead in his chair. "Whenever I see him fight, I see Warren in him, just like today when he sparred with the bounty hunter."
Hedish shook his head. "One, Warren's dead. Two, even if he is the old freak's heir, he cannot face the might of the entire Eye and hope to win. Plus, the boy has shown nothing but respect for the Eye and its ways. He has been your go-to person for three years now. Zeta Squad has been running for almost two years, Renekom. Don't get sceptical now. I refuted giving him the rank, but back then you trusted him, and in return he gave you nothing short of the best."
His voice dropped. In a near whisper, the leader of the Eye said, "But how much does he know, Hedish?"
The Mystic took a deep breath. "I can only guess, my friend." He smiled. "But by the looks of it, he does not seem like trouble at all."
"In any case, keep tabs on him. You have grown quite fond of him and have forgotten to notice the vast array and range of his skills and areas of expertise."
"He remained on Cult duty at the outposts for seven years. Seven years, Renekom! What else do you expect?"
Renekom leaned back. "That is exactly how Warren became Warren!"
Hedish laughed. "You're paranoid!" he said. "He is not Warren Ford! Relax! And if it makes you feel any better, I've told him to get back to the academy after this mission. That way, we'll be able to keep a close eye on him. I'll even ask the Parliament to keep tabs. Savvy?"
Renekom nodded. Thereafter, they went their separate ways.