I was a little taken aback when she spoke, not only because of her strange accent that I couldn’t place, but by the fact that she knew who I was. At that moment, I telepathically communicated a message to Eira telling her not to say a word. Something told me I needed to be careful around this woman.

"You know of me?"

"Of course we know everything."

I made sure to note her use of the word "we."

"Does that mean you also know why I summoned you?" I asked, which caused her smile to widen.

"More or less."

I stared at her, trying to decipher whether she was bluffing or not, but with her real body not being here, it was hard to figure out anything. I continued to stare at her silently. I learned that if you stay quiet and give others the chance to speak, more often than not, they would reveal things without you asking.

It worked like a charm.

"Your name has been making the rounds ever since you killed the youngest heir of the Veylmont clan. Some are calling you the dumbest werewolf to ever exist."

I bet vampires are the ones calling me that. They have always looked down on us since they were several times stronger. But now... I wonder how they would fare against my primordial werewolves.

"You are currently the most wanted creature on this earth."

"So they placed a bounty on me?" I asked.

"They don’t need to. Killing you would put anyone in the Veylmont clan’s good graces. No amount of money can buy that." She chuckled. "Some people are afraid to even mutter the name Veylmont, and here you are killing one of its members. Do you wish your entire bloodline extinguished? Is that it?"

I let out an arrogant chuckle and leaned back in my chair as if I didn’t have a care in the world. This caused a vein to form on the witch’s head.

"It’s been over two months since I killed Victor, and in that time, nothing has happened. You witches and vampires are all talk."

The smile on her face twitched.

"The only reason you managed to evade us for so long is because of the demons that fell from the sky!" she snapped.

"Us? So you are working with the Veylmont clan. And you even know that the monsters are really demons."

Her eyes widened, and for the first time during our conversation, her expression changed to one of utter shock.

"Y-You baited me... Cunning... I’ll have to be more careful around you. You’re more cunning than I thought. Don’t you all just lick your claws and howl at the moon all day?" She mocked. She was trying to get under my skin since werewolves were known for their hot temper but of course, I was different. Realizing this, she sighed heavily. "No wonder you were able to defeat Danzo."

She was wrong. It was I who have to be more careful. These witches are more knowledgeable than I thought. I just realized how much of a risk just speaking with her was. These witches fought with their heads, using the information they have at their disposal.

I did the right thing ordering Eira to keep quiet. This woman would’ve surely wrung something out of her.

"Anyway, as to why I called you here—"

"You want access to Purgatory," she smirked.

She read my mind perfectly. Though it wasn’t surprising, the Veylmont clan mostly resides in the supernatural city, Purgatory, and if I were to face them, then I needed to get to Purgatory. And the only way to get to Purgatory was by using a witch.

"I also want a barrier, one to keep out demons and other supernatural creatures. I already know it’s going to be expensive, so let’s skip the mind games and just go ahead and tell me what it will cost."

The witch licked her lips greedily and smiled.

"Indeed, something like that is expensive. But luckily for you, I think we can come to an arrangement."

"Go on."

"There is a certain high-ranking demon that has been getting in our way."

High rank? So the demons do have ranks. I wonder what that kind of information would cost.

"We want you to take care of this demon," she continued.

"I’ll need you to tell me more about this... demon."

The witch smiled, seemingly pleased by my response.

"Very well, she is known as the Moth Queen. She is of the rank Greater Fiend, not that you would have any idea what that means. All the Bloodmoths and Mothmen you’ve encountered are all part of her legion. She took an entire city as her stronghold. It was a city frequented by witches, but now it’s home to that demon."

"I’ll need you to elaborate more. Exactly how powerful is this demon?"

I mainly wanted to find out about this Greater Fiend rank. What creatures fall in this rank?

"You’ll have to face her to find out."

This was a huge risk. Facing an enemy whose power level is unknown was uncharacteristic of me. But still... It was a risk I would have to take.

"Okay, deal."

"Good, but before anything is agreed, let me do a formal introduction." She said then lifted up her skirt slightly and did small bow. "My name is Ember Lightning-Gale, and I serve the Witch of Greed. Everything I do is in service of her."

"The Witch of Greed? Is that supposed to mean something?"

A teasing smile appeared on her face. Every time she withheld information from me, it seemed to bring her some level of joy.

"Never mind that for now. As for our agreement, we witches adhere to a strict rule about any agreement made. If we fail to live up to our end of the deal, then the cost will be my life. As for if you fail to honor our agreement, then you’ll be blacklisted and won’t be able to make any deal with any other witch ever again. Do you agree to our terms?"

"Seems fair, I guess."

"Alright then. Our deal is a verbal one. As long as you make sure that the Moth Queen no longer poses a problem in Starlit City, then I’ll build your barrier and help you get into Purgatory." As she spoke a strange glowing symbol appeared on her forehead then disappeared in an instant.

"Starlit City? Strange... That is the city that I originally came from."

"Yes, it is also one of the many places where the first wave impacted."

First?!

Will there be more? A witch as cunning as her would never let information like that slip out by accident.

"Each one of these places where the rift opened up has a high-ranking demon there," she continued, seemingly oblivious. "I must also warn you that the demon has made this city her home, encasing it inside a giant cocoon. The moment you enter, she’ll know and bring down her entire army of Bloodmoths and Mothmen on you."

"I see. You witches do hold a lot of valuable information."

"I’m only telling you this because it will aid in your success. Anyway, contact me again when you have proof of your success. Until we meet again, we’ll continue this game of ours."

She gave me one final smile before she disintegrated into thin air.