"Diego."
Silas weighed the name, then shook his head.
"Only my lord can dictate his fate. He is not a force you can control."
"But he is meddling in matters he does not understand. You should know better than anyone that his grand experiment has caused ripples in the void... We care nothing for your nation, as you well know, but such actions are forbidden to us."
"Forbidden? How amusing to hear that word from your mouth."
"It is not difficult to understand. All we care about is stopping his efforts—and having you take his place."
That invisible voice was as slick and tempting as a venomous serpent's hiss, but Rubitael saw that Silas remained unmoved.
"Save it, dog of the Blood God. I remember that you were never so silver-tongued. My lord has plans for everything concerning him, and I have my own place. Remember this... I am no longer the mortal you investigated. I am the Masked Prince. My true existence is not something you can glimpse."
"Ha, I know better than anyone what limitations beings like you face in the material realm."
"Stop playing your tricks before I lose my patience. The only task my lord entrusted to me is to destroy the rising tide."
"Your descent was only for the Orks?"
Silas raised an eyebrow at that. He showed no further reaction, but Rubitael beside him froze for several seconds before quickly regaining his composure.
Yet the turmoil within him only grew fiercer. It seemed he was brushing against a secret he should never have touched.
"Is it worth that much?"
"All dogs of the Blood God are creatures who replace their brains with muscle. Do you understand the immense value of this target? Can you fight an enemy like this?"
"The Blood God is the