Mesker rubbed his wick-like beard with one of his black arms as he stared at the corpse of the demon Silhouette had killed, the mysterious monk that had arrived soon after the fight began at his side.

Killing a demon was a complicated matter, and it was why exorcists didn't need to be powerful to make a living and be helpful even to the most mighty of Supers. Demonic entities were made of demonic energies, and without the right knowledge to counter them, they might seem invincible. Still, once you knew how to ignore this natural resistance they were much easier to handle.

In this case, although the demon - Sydakors if what he heard from the two opponents' banter was correct - was a bit stronger than the average lone demon in the middle of nowhere, it was still a starved one that Mesker reasoned he could have defeated on his own, even without his usual preparations. It might have been bloody, but it would have been a victory.

The fact the monk was so quick to join the fight meant he either happened to pass by, which would be a great coincidence, or he was watching over the demon, which would then mean that either he was under an oath similar to Mesker's own that restricted his ability to fight the demon or that he believed it would defeat him, in which case the demon probably had a few tricks it hadn't had the chance to use against Silhouette or were reserved to exorcists, things which Mesker himself could have some problem handling.

Still, although he didn't know much about Silhouette aside from what the man himself was willing to share and what Mesker managed to glean from his subordinates, Mesker didn't expect his encounter with Sydakors to go this way. The blast from the enchanted weaponry and Core that this Techlord had put together was impressive, and it convinced Mesker to update some of his tower's defenses to reflect attacks rather than just block them. The follow-up powerful spells wielded by Silhouette were just as remarkable, and although their structure was incredibly simple the power and intent behind them would make some professional mages he knew blush, especially without any ritual or obvious casting focus to amplify his powers.

But what he did with the demon's soul... That was something else...

The platinum-blonde monk approached the old wizard, his golden accessories chiming against his skin as he walked, his triangular pupils still focused on the demon's body.

"Who are you people and what did you do."

"No introductions? Poor manners from a follower of Triotaur."

The monk finally stopped looking at Sydakors' corpse and met Mesker's gaze with a frown.

"Introductions aren't as important as figuring out what happened here, demonist."

Mesker scoffed.

"No, demonologist. Do not mistake me for one of those fools who believe demons can be tamed."

The monk narrowed his eyes.

"Which order?"

"I'm an independent. My name is Mesker Duskenfer the Third, scholar, pyromancer, and as I have stated earlier demonologist, what is yours, monk?"

The monk's long pointed ears twitched when he heard Mesker's name.

"Duskenfer? Like-"

"Like Sacredawn Duskenfer, my esteemed great-uncle and master, as well as a historical ally of your cult."

The monk stared at Mesker for a few seconds before bowing, all animosity gone from his face.

"My apologies, Duskenfer. I am Bo, servant of Malk."

"Malk? Wasn't your leader Chiz?"

"The honorable Chiz joined the great Triotaur in his realm a month ago. The honorable Malk has taken his place."

"Uh, good for her. So, may I know why you were in the vicinity of a demon-infested house?"

"You will not make me forget why I came here, Duskenfer. I'm the one curious about your involvement with the release of the demon Sydakors, as well as who are the people currently handling its corpse."

"And do you have the authority to force any of us to speak?"

"I do. We were hired for a long-term contract by Lady Bones to watch over every demonic spot in the Sunken City. I was the one in charge of the surveillance of this house."

"You people must have done a poor job then, considering the imp infestation I had to deal with when I moved here."

"The contract is a recent affair. The honorable Chiz had been contacted but had refused the offer, whereas the honorable Malk did. Now, will you talk?"

Mesker sighed.

"I suppose I must. I was hired as a demon expert by this group, to help them evaluate the threat it might represent. Since there was no official bounty on the demon's head, I couldn't do anything more."

"Yes. Sydakors' status as an official diplomat of the demon realm to the Old Zalcien two centuries ago complicated the situation."

"In any case, they chose to handle the demon themselves. They fired an experimental weapon to weaken it, and then their leader, Silhouette, handled the situation."

"This Silhouette, I assume it was the creature fighting the demon? The one that disappeared into nothing?"

"Yes."

Bo began to frown.

"The one that showcased faint traces of demonic energies distinct from Sydakors'?"

"Yes. Rest assured, I had the same worries and scried him myself. Based on the results I obtained I believe Silhouette has a demonic ancestor but nothing more. You saw it yourself too, had he had any knowledge on demonic matters he would have employed them to defeat his opponent much sooner."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"And how do you explain what he did to that soul? To seal a demon with no vessel is an easy task, but to break them... Even demon lords would fear this sort of power, or harness it to lay waste to their enemies. I only know of two methods to achieve this sort of power... A willing contract certified by an entity equal in strength to interstellar gods... Or the Destruction Aspect..."

Mesker looked at Bo and guessed the thoughts that went through his head. The old wizard considered all that he knew about the cult of Triotaur and Silhouette to find the best course of action but in the end, it was his instinct that led the words that left his mouth.

"How old are you, Bo, servant of Malk?"

"What sort of question-"

"Let me give you a piece of advice, from an old veteran to his junior."

"Junior? In case you hadn't noticed I-"

"You're a celestial high elf, I had noticed, but you can't be older than a century, and how much of that time has been spent as a child or hidden away in a monastery far from the world? Here, in the real world, you will find that it's in your best interest to keep secrets. A good exorcist is one that doesn't ask questions."

"But-"

"I told you what I could, and you saw him yourself. Does this look like something an exorcist should handle?"

"No, but-"

"Then stay out of it."

"But he could-"

"Threaten the peace of this city? Yes. Just like Doctor Bones. Just like the honorable Malk. Just like Triotaur. Yet I never saw any member of your order go against Abrakaboom."

"Then maybe we could-"

"Recruit him? Hire him to permanently get rid of troublesome demons' souls? Maybe, but those are matters best discussed freely. Using what you know as blackmail... Tell me, do you think that you could have handled that demon on your own? Do you think you could handle someone with no training in exorcism that still managed to beat it?"

The relative calm and friendliness Mesker had gotten out of Bo disappeared, the monk returning to his earlier distrusting professional behavior.

"... You are quite different from the esteemed Sacredawn, Mesker Duskenfer."

"I'm alive, he's not. Now, if you wish to know anything more, inquire with Silhouette's employees. I have already gone beyond my required duties, and I do not wish to have a man like him owe me a favor. Those things never end well."

Mesker walked away from the monk and created a wall of golden and purple flames that danced and quickly rose taller than him.

"Farewell, Bo, servant of Malk. Do not antagonize forces beyond you and we may meet again."

The celestial high elf frowned before bowing.

"Farewell, Duskenfer. I do hope you'll find the time to visit our monastery, your great-uncle the esteemed Sacredawn was always welcomed."

The old wizard scoffed before stepping into the fire, the flames collapsing behind him and leaving nothing behind but black marks on the stony ground that the celestial high elf stared at for a few seconds, lost in his thoughts and the contemplation of his encounter. But he didn't have the time to ponder about the heir of his cult's ally or his words, he still had a job to do.

With a few jumps fueled by celestial energy, Bo was back in the air before landing in front of one of the men carrying Sydakors' body.

"Whoa, dude! Watch it!"

"Who are you?"

"Nah, who are YOU?"

"Like, yeah, you're the one spooking us out dude."

"That is not of your concern. Tell me who you are and everything you know about this Silhouette."

The various goons carrying the body exchanged a look before nodding.

"TECHLORD!"

"WE GOT A PROBLEM!"

"THERE'S A GUY ASKING STUFF!"

"I THINK IT'S THE GUY THAT TRIED TO PUNCH THE DEMON!"

A man clad in a black suit covered in odd contraptions landed next to them in a dramatic pose, one knee bent and his arms raised.

"You know you don't have to scream, I was right there."

"Sorry, just wanted to be sure."

"Yeah, in my last job some guy slept on guard duty. So many organs..."

Techlord stood up and stretched his neck by tilting to the side and back to normal.

"Bah, don't worry. You guys go to the nearest base, I'll handle goldilocks. After that we're going back home."

"Roger that!"

"Good luck Techlord!"

The merry goons suddenly picked up speed and ran away while still carrying the gigantic corpse of the demon as its head tentacles and vein wings dragged on the ground in a limp noodly mess. It sort of reminded Sam of how the car of some newlyweds had cans attached with strings to the back in one of the episodes of Captain Cyan Goliath had made him watch.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes behind his helmet at the stray thought and the Shadow Commando's behavior. They were lucky they were dealing with the body of an extremely resilient creature and not something more fragile and dangerous, like nitroglycerine. Now that he thought about it, he probably should take the time to create a contraption for that, just in case.

"So, goldilocks, mind introducing yourself first?"

"I'm the one asking questions here, Techlord, was it?"

"And what do you have to ask that Mesker hasn't handled yet, Bo?"

The celestial high elf's eyes widened.

"How-"

"Come on, with those big ears of yours you shouldn't be unfamiliar with eavesdropping, right?"

"But how-"

"Because you are dealing with Silhouette's head inventor, tinkerer extraordinaire, Techlord!"

Sam posed one more time, this one in truth being an unorthodox combat stance with his right arm stretched forward toward the monk, gadgets ready to act, and the left one left in the air, not far from his waist and belt.

"So, Bo, I'll make myself clear. I don't care one bit about who you are or who you work for. If you want to talk business, just leave a number to call or a place to meet up and wait for the boss to contact you. If you're looking for trouble..."

Small black electric arcs ran between the fingers of his right glove.

"You'll see why we knew we'd kill that demon."

The monk stared at him, his brows furrowed and wisps of golden energy forming around his fingers.

"You overestimate yourself, inventor. I am not one of the brutes that roam this accursed city underground. I am a monk of Triotaur, a servant of Malk, a demon killer. And today, I wield the authority of Doctor Bones, leader of the Sunken City. Do you truly wish to antagonize me, inventor?"

Sam scoffed.

"I am a guy who said no to Sunburn. What makes you think I would obey you?"

Bo's triangular pupils shrunk.

"What?"

"I faced the flames of the strongest Villain in Zalcien and lived to tell the tale. You think I'm scared of your little light show?"

Sam's left arm grabbed onto an electrogun attached to his belt and without leaving his pose he raised it and aimed straight at Bo's forehead.

"Go ahead. Fight me. We'll see if you can outrun lightning."

Bo grit his teeth and slowly backed away, the golden aura that had begun to form around his hands dissipating.

"I'll remember this, inventor."

"Oh, I'm sure you will. And don't try to follow me or the dumb brigade, I'll know."

Bo's answer was simply to jump back high into the air before landing on a nearby building's roof and running away, Sam keeping track of his every move both to ensure this wasn't a ruse and to gather some intel. If he or even Silhouette got into a fight with the monk, it would be best to know what sort of trick he could pull and how he moved.

Once he was sure the monk was gone, Sam sighed and got back on top of the old library to get his bag and Techzooka back. The weapon had survived the test and outdone all expectations, and he couldn't wait to take some time to make more ammunition for it. Though it really wouldn't be that fun, and sadly although he was an expert in gadgets he had to admit he had no idea how to make automatization work. One day, maybe.

The teen shook his head, now wasn't the time for dreams. He still had a bunch of idiots to escort and protect on the way back home. He just hoped Silhouette wouldn't ask for his opinion on the corpse, he knew less than nothing about biology and anatomy, and demonic and eldritch stuff was always ten times more cryptic.

----------------------------------------

Back in his tower, Mesker rubbed at his beard as he thought back to what he had seen. Silhouette already was a mysterious and intriguing individual, one that was luckily very open to business, but learning that not only could he defeat a demon but also that he had the Destruction Aspect and could erase their soul with it...

He needed to order a lot of materials for scrying rituals.