James hadn't expected to be interrupted during his training by a phone call. Mischief coming to warn him about an attack on the warehouse, or perhaps even the shop? Sure, that was part of the plan, but a phone call meant the ones that needed him were the group in the Sunken City, and those should have been able to handle themselves with the Shadow Commando, a few infused, Mother Greenheld and Solvent around. Although he had done his best to keep his cool and keep his act together, he was still very nervous when he answered the call.

"Silhouette here. What is the emergency?"

"Uh, boss. There's a guy that showed up at the door, I think it's the wizard you invited in some time ago. He says his name is Mesker Duskenfer or something. He claims he has some info you'd want to hear, what do we do?"

James was thankful he didn't have lungs right now, though the temptation to sigh in relief was there. Still, what could Mesker have to tell him? He had only interacted with the mage to buy magically binding contracts and that one time to hire him as a consultant before fighting the demon. In hindsight, he hadn't been that useful, but according to Techlord, the exorcist had kept the curious monk at bay for a while so his presence hadn't been entirely useless.

"Is he still there?"

"We invited him in and put him in the same office as last time, with some snacks. We are guarding the door and a few of the nuns are keeping an eye on him while the rest is watching over the kids. Since he's somewhat of an ally we're being nice, but we're also ready to rumble if he decides to pick a fight."

"Good job. Solvent and I will take it from there."

"Alrighty then, boss. Uh, by any chance, do you know how long we'll have to stay here? The atmosphere's great once you get used to the ghosts, but I'm kind of missing the sun. Pretty sure we should invest in getting food high in vitamin D at least."

"Your concerns are noted. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting that may or may not completely change my plans to attend."

"Ah, right. Sorry boss."

James was very tempted to form eyeballs to roll right now. But, he had more important matters to attend to. He quickly readied himself and began to meditate, and as soon as he appeared in his soul space he searched for his connection with Solvent. Soon the mental link between him and the slime was strengthened, and he might as well have been piloting a robot or a video game character with the way he could immediately order his host around and perceive through its senses in real-time. A quick whisper was all it took for the bone-covering black goop to go to join the unexpected visitor in the office he had already welcomed him in the exact same way not so long ago.

As soon as one of Solvent's tendrils opened the door, the old mage turned in his seat, a roasted cockroach pinched between his fingers, and let out a pleased hum before standing up and bowing slightly at the waist, a gest James had Solvent mimic while they entered the room and closed the door behind themself.

"Silhouette. It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Likewise, Mesker. My men told me you had information you wished to sell?"

Mesker nodded as he returned to his seat, Solvent going around him and the desk to settle down into the leather chair facing the pyromancer.

"Yes. Since you've been a good client and a good neighbor, I'll tell you the first part for free: Runar tried to hire me to aid him to capture you."

Solvent tensed, their body instinctively ready for a fight, but James calmed them down as he noted the verb his visitor used.

"I take it you refused, and I am thankful for that. But why come to me?"

Mesker took a second to answer, and James wondered if perhaps he had noted how the shadows around Solvent had grown sharper.

"So you know him, then. But don't take it the wrong way, it wasn't just for you. My motto is that I only work on demonic problems, and you don't qualify, it's as simple as that. As for why I'm here..."

A cunning smile formed on the thin lips of the mage.

"As I've said, you've been a good client and neighbor. Runar? He and his men have the tools to properly analyze demonic energies, they know you shouldn't qualify as a target for me. The fact he tried to hire me anyway is proof he wanted to trick me into doing the grunt work for him. He could have asked a regular mercenary but no, let's bother the old man who made it his life's work to exorcise creatures that put this world at risk."

Mesker scoffed.

"He already tried to recruit me once, you know? Back when he was first kicked out of this cabal of idiots, Wicked Witchcraft. He said he had great plans, that I could play the spy or directly support him, that together we would become the greatest magical faction Zalcien had ever seen. Rubbish, all of it. He just wants the boons of having a powerful magic noble name backing him, and since his family disowned him, he thought Duskenfer would make a fine replacement. Ah, the joke's on him, the Duskenfer have no fancy faction to play with."

By that point, the frown on his wrinkly face had turned into a self-satisfied smirk. James, on the other hand, had been a little confused by the old man's rant. Thankfully the pyromancer returned to his more severe disposition and promptly explained himself.

"I couldn't just say no or he would understand I knew you, so I asked him to give me a few days to think his proposition over. The way I see it, he'll realize I know more than I let on, and he'll come after me soon. While I would more than capable of handling most of his minions, I know he has an assassin or two around, and with his magical tricks boosting them, I'm not certain I'd be able to get rid of them without getting injured. And that's where you come in."

James had Solvent nod along.

"If I antagonize him further, his resources will be stretched too thin to go after you."

"I was thinking of something more permanent."

James wasn't expecting that.

"As much as I would wish to get rid of him, I do not believe I have the means to take him down now - at least not without suffering tremendous losses. But, I assume this is the second part of your offer."

"Indeed. You just have to sign a contract, and then I'll tell you all I know about Runar, his operation, and his defenses."

"What of payment?"

"Well, I have a feeling Runar will get some rare materials very shortly. I'll give you a list, when you're done beating him black and blue and start looting the place, put those things aside and bring them to me. That will be my pay."

"And if they're not there?"

"Money will do the trick. Luckily for you, if all goes well, you'll soon get your hands on a lot of it, along with runic items that I'm sure you'll be able to sell at a good price."

"This is a very tempting offer, Mesker. Perhaps too tempting, truth be told. Are you certain you have nothing more to gain from this?"

"No, no. But, there is one thing that makes this little endeavor riskier than it should be."

"Let me guess, you won't tell me more without a contract which will more or less bind me to act anyway."

Mesker pulled at his wick-like beard before speaking one more with a somber tone.

"Silhouette, I understand your worries. But trust me, this is your biggest chance to rip the problem in the bud. As soon as he realizes I've been playing him for a fiddle, Runar will change things around, making some of my information useless, and he will become more aggressive. I assume you've been preparing yourself to deal with him, well he has probably been doing the same. The longer you wait, the more he'll be ready for you, and he knows more about you than you do about him. Do not forget, he may be at the head of a criminal group, but he's a runemaster first and foremost. Preparation is their forte."

The pyromancer shifted in his seat.

"I've seen what you could do when you went against Sydakors. I've seen the kid's toys. I'm certain you have what it takes to best him and his elite, all you need now is the element of surprise, and knowing what to expect."

James pondered the situation. On the one hand, although he had planned to get rid of Runar, this was very sudden and meant rushing in without all the preparations he wanted to make. On the other hand...

Mesker is right. The more time passes, the more he can prepare. This gives me a short time frame, but it's my best bet to get rid of Runar. And once he's gone, the kids and I will be able to go to the city without worrying about the people here, no one will try to track us down, and the shop will keep making a profit until we're settled there.

"Fine. Hand me that contract."

There was a spark in Mesker's golden eyes as he took out a scroll from the inside of his robes and gave it to Solvent - not a spark born of magic, but rather of joy, or contentment, perhaps satisfaction.

Much like he had done once in the past during their first meeting, a tentacle emerged from Solvent's body to unfurl the contract, and, as soon as James was done reading it and agreed to the terms, his energy flowed through his connection to the infused slime and entered the scroll where darkness appeared and morphed to spell his alias, "Silhouette", right below where Mesker had preemptively put his name. The deal was sealed, and the old demonologist took back the scroll and hid it in the shadows of his robes once more.

"I must say, to this day, you're still the only one who ever managed to put so much of yourself in one of those."

"What do you mean?"

"When Motiro or Marie or even myself sign one of those, it only takes the minimum of energy required to recognize your innate signature. With you? I wouldn't be surprised if you could accidentally take over the contracts of someone less experienced than myself. That spinning ink trick is sure to intimidate them, at the very least."

James wasn't sure what to say to that, and the pyromancer didn't wait for an answer.

"So, let's get the worst news out of the way first: Runar may have been disowned by his family and kicked out of Wicked Witchcraft in all but name, but he still has a very big contact we can't ignore. Abrakaboom."

James may not have been a local, but even he could recognize that name.

"The most powerful magic user in Zalcien, at least on the Villainous side of the law. This... Complicates things."

"The good news is, he likely won't get involved in this mess. Runar is too prideful to call his friend for help. As for Abrakaboom..."

Mesker's gaze fell to his blackened hands before he let out a sigh.

"Regardless of magic, a mortal mind can only last for so long before it collapses. Some species and races last longer than others, and every once in a while you get an individual who pushes the limits further than logic dictates, but at the end of the day no one lasts forever. It's a poorly kept secret among the elite of Zalcien's magic community that Abrakaboom is losing his mind. It's minor things, for now, but everyone in the know agrees he won't last for much longer. A few years, maybe a decade at best."

The mage's melancholy came to an end as he focused back on the situation at hand.

"So, he probably won't be there to help Runar, and if getting rid of that snake angers him, chances are he'll forget about you before long, and if he doesn't you won't have to worry about him in a few years."

"This is still incredibly important information, Mesker. Information you should have mentioned sooner"

"Well, whether you planned on killing him tomorrow or in a year, Runar would still be friends with Abrakaboom and you would have had to deal with it. Now you know."

James was still unhappy, but the mage ignored him in favor of continuing his explanation.

"Anyway, the big thing you have to know about Runar's security is that his office is on on the roof of his building, but it's also covered by an incredibly powerful shield. Frankly, even with your Techzooka thingy, I don't think you'll be able to break through that thing. And if you try to use your powers to corrupt it away, it will take too long and his forces will have the time to go after you. You know what? Since he warned me about you corrupting magic shields, I have no doubt he's preparing something to counter it or even a trap that will only activate if you do it."

"So, attacking his office directly is out of the picture. You want me to force my through by the front door, climb up while fighting his minions, and have a final showdown against him in his office, which I'm certain is filled with traps?"

"I'll give you the address of someone. They sell a lot of fancy trinkets, including some rune disturbers. They're not incredible and will frankly be useless against Runar and his elite, but they should take care of the minor stuff and whatever fancy stick he gave his thugs. It's better than nothing, which is what you had until now."

"What can you tell me about his knights?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. Runar and I have only interacted a few times, though he gets on my nerves enough to be more memorable than some of my long-term clients. I only went to his office once, to take care of an imp he purposefully brought in to have an excuse to invite me so he could try and recruit me in his latest scheme. Every other interaction I've had with him was over a crystal ball. I've never had the chance to see him or his armored buffoons fighting."

James was getting more and more annoyed by the situation.

"If you have nothing to say about his defenses beyond the very basics and if you have nothing to say about him and his elite, then what can you tell me?"

The old pyromancer smirked.

"I'm going to teach you how to fight a mage who knows what they're doing, and how to ruin runes while we're at it."