The front room was exactly what it appeared to be, a legitimate trading house selling legitimate goods. But beneath the polished floors, he could feel vibrations that suggested a lower level, a basement that didn’t appear on any official building plans. And behind the door the clerk had passed through, his enhanced hearing picked up multiple voices, at least four people, maybe more.
"Guards," he murmured. "In the back. At least four."
Sera nodded slightly, acknowledging the information without reacting visibly.
They waited in silence for several minutes before the clerk returned, her expression carefully neutral.
"Master Corvus will see you now. Please follow me."
She led them through the back door and down a short hallway to a room that was clearly designed for private meetings. Heavy curtains blocked any view from the windows. The furniture was dark wood and leather, expensive but impersonal. And standing behind a large desk was a man who could only be Corvus himself.
He was older than Nacho had expected, maybe sixty, with silver hair swept back from a weathered face and eyes the color of storm clouds. His clothes were simple but well-made, the uniform of someone who wanted to be taken seriously without drawing too much attention. And despite his age, there was nothing soft about him. He moved like someone who’d spent his youth doing violence and had never quite lost the habit.
"Please, sit." His voice was mild, almost pleasant. "I understand you’ve come from Valdris. And that you claim to know Mirela Thorne."
"We don’t claim anything," Sera said, settling into one of the leather chairs. "We worked with her. Until recently."
"Until recently." Corvus remained standing, his hands clasped behind his back. "I heard about what happened to her operation. A messy business. Many people are unhappy about it."
"I imagine they are."
"And yet here you are, invoking her name as an introduction." His eyes moved from Sera to Nacho, assessing. "That takes either considerable courage or considerable stupidity. I haven’t decided which."
Nacho met his gaze without flinching.
"We’re not here to cause problems, Master Corvus. We’re here because we have information that certain parties might find valuable, and we need something in return."
"Information." The word came out flat, skeptical. "What kind of information?"
"The kind that explains exactly how Lady Thorne’s operation was dismantled. Who was responsible. What they know. And more importantly, what they’re planning to do next."
Corvus was very still. His expression hadn’t changed, but something shifted behind his eyes, a calculation happening in real time.
"And what would you want in return for this information?"
"Access to a facility in the northern provinces. A place called the Hollows."
The silence that followed was absolute. Corvus stared at them for a long moment, his face utterly blank. Then, slowly, he began to laugh.
It wasn’t a pleasant sound. There was no warmth in it, no genuine amusement. It was the laugh of someone who’d just heard something so absurd that laughter was the only appropriate response.
"You want access to the Hollows." He shook his head, still chuckling. "Do you have any idea what you’re asking?"
"Yes."
"I don’t think you do." He moved around the desk, his movements slow and deliberate. "The Hollows isn’t just some warehouse where we store contraband. It’s the heart of operations for the entire northern region. Security that would make the Imperial palace look careless. Personnel who’ve been vetted and tested beyond anything you can imagine."
He stopped in front of Sera, looking down at her with something approaching pity.
"Even if I wanted to help you, which I don’t, I couldn’t. The location is compartmentalized. Only the inner circle knows exactly where it is. I handle logistics. I move things from point A to point B. But I don’t know what happens at point C."
"You’re lying."
The words came from Nacho, flat and certain. Corvus turned to look at him, his expression hardening.
"Excuse me?"
"You’re lying." Nacho stood up, his movements casual but his eyes never leaving Corvus’s face. "Your pulse accelerated when you mentioned the location. Your pupils dilated slightly. And your thoughts..."
He tapped his temple.
"Your thoughts were very interesting."
Corvus’s hand moved toward something at his belt, but Nacho was faster. His Sovereign Tentacle manifested in a blur of darkness, wrapping around the older man’s wrist before he could complete the motion.
"I wouldn’t do that if I were you."
The guards Nacho had sensed earlier burst through the door, weapons drawn. Four of them, heavily armored, moving with the coordination of people who’d trained together for years. They froze when they saw their employer held immobile by something that shouldn’t exist.
"Everyone stay calm," Sera said, rising from her chair with her hand resting on her sword hilt. "We’re not here for violence. We just want to have a civil conversation."
"Civil?" Corvus’s voice had gone tight with barely suppressed rage. "You invade my place of business, threaten me with some kind of monster, and call it civil?"
"Monster is a strong word." Nacho let the tentacle’s warmth pulse against Corvus’s skin, watched as the older man’s expression flickered from anger to confusion to something else entirely. "I prefer ’aggressive negotiator.’"
[Sovereign Tentacle effect activated. Charm multiplied by 15x. Current effective Charm: 705.]
[Target’s receptivity: 23%.]
Corvus was strong. Years of dealing with dangerous people had built walls in his mind that most wouldn’t be able to breach. But most people didn’t have access to a tentacle that could amplify charm by fifteen times.
"Let me explain how this is going to work," Nacho said, his voice soft and reasonable. "You’re going to tell your guards to stand down. Then you’re going to tell us everything you know about the Hollows. The location. The security. The personnel. Everything."
"And why would I do that?"
"Because if you don’t, I’m going to reach into your mind and take what I need anyway. And that process is considerably less pleasant than just telling me."
[Target’s receptivity: 34%.]