---Holy Land, 3 days later---
On the evening of the fifth day, Seth and Tano'Mol had razed almost 50 garrisons and settlents to the ground. The haul of these five days of work was over 16,000 small, about 2600 dium, 40 big, and 2 massive souls of various qualities.
They were leaving the last dungeon on the list, when the blacksmith also finally got a ssage from the demon Maestro, just before the end of his deadline. He gave them coordinates to a place in the Holy Land, saying they would find the target there. Seth and Tano'Mol arrived at the an hour later, riding the golem griffin
“Agh, my butt hurts...” The demon complained as he quickly slipped of the griffin's back. Although the griffins were better than the golem horses, the blacksmith couldn't argue against Tano's complaints.
The place they reached was not too far from the maestro's territory. It was easy to find, since it was marred by signs of a recent battle. The rock faces and boulders looked molten, corroded by acids and a penetrating sll of chemicals filled the air.
Remnants of the maestro's test subjects littered the ground. Severed limbs and blackened bones, were severely damaged from chemical burns. So of them were still burning with colorful flas, spreading a putrid stench. It was quite obvious that whoever the maestro was fighting here was an expert in chemical warfare.
“Urgh, what kind of disgusting bastard did that Maestro get to co?” Tano'Mol comnted, holding his nose.
“I think he called him Neloth?” Seth answered the goat's question while looking around.
“Fuck, seriously?” the demon cursed out of character. “Even I know who that is. He's a scourge of the battlefield. Wherever he fights, he leaves a toxic wasteland. The worst part is that he is known to randomly appear on battlefield nobody wants him and test his concoctions on all sides. Quite a few souls I peddled died an unfair death, because he had so new invention to test. Do you really think you can take him?” the demon kept on rambling while Seth was looking around the place.
“Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can,” the bard answered with unwavering certainty.
“What makes you so sure?” Tano'Mol asked surprised.
“Because the al was already cooked. I just have to eat,“ the blacksmith joked and pointed to a boulder.
When the demon followed the direction he pointed at, he found that there was a figure leaning against a boulder. It was a humanoid demon wearing a ragged black robe. He was missing an arm and everything below his waste.
The face was horribly disfigured, with half of his skull sunken in. Tano'Mol would have been sure he was dead if his chest was not moving up and down laboriously. It was a miracle the person was still alive.
“Neloth, I presu?” Seth asked the beaten maestro. The demon's yellow eye with a snake pupil looked up to the imposing figure that suddenly appeared before him. Neloth quickly added one and one together.
“That damn... Who would have thought that he would end our rivalry not by killing , but by selling out? Where are you from? Chrona? Spatia? Staxi? Hapan? I heard Bragmomal was in this world, did he send you?” the demon kept listing enemies to the point it even surprised Seth.
“Wow, you were collecting enemies like trophies, huh? Unfortunately, I belong to none of them. I don't hold a grudge against you. Your good frie- rival simply sold you out to save his own skin. I guess an introduction is needed.”
Seth crouched down beside Neloth, looking him in the one working eye.
“Hello, I'm Seth Smith, a blacksmith, and I will be taking your soul,” the bard said with a bright voice and smile, prompting the demon to vomit blood. The demon tried to protest, but the Wraithguard had already pierced his chest.
As a demon, Neloth's soul was strong and willful. Seth had already expected that the extraction was going to be difficult, even if Neloth was close to death. This was why he was wearing the wraithguard, which made the extraction much easier.
Slowly, despite his struggles, Neloth's soul separated from his destroyed body and entered the spirit blacksmith's possession.
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