Sorcerer in the Marvel Universe

"What do you want?"

Gornos didn’t touch the soul crystals.

Instead, he studied Evenson with the caution of a veteran merchant.

Demons loved contracts, and they loved loopholes even more. Hidden clauses, deceptive wording, conditions disguised as decorative script... a careless signature could cost far more than the price written on the page.

But once a bargain was properly struck, demons usually honored it.

Oddly enough, they were often more reliable than humans in that regard.

That was why Gornos refused to pocket the payment before hearing the offer. If he accepted the crystals first and later proved unable to fulfill the request, returning the money wouldn’t be enough. Breaking a contract carried consequences.

"I need..."

Evenson had barely begun when another hand appeared in front of him.

He looked sideways.

"What now?"

Agatha smiled sweetly.

"Witness fee."

Evenson stared.

"...You’re serious?"

"I agreed to guide you here," she replied with an innocent shrug. "I never agreed to supervise your business dealings. That’s a separate service."

Evenson sighed dramatically before fishing out another soul crystal.

"Fine."

Agatha accepted it, turning it over between elegant fingers.

"Only one? And this one’s mediocre."

"You can always give it back."

"Absolutely not."

The crystal disappeared into her robes with astonishing speed.

She flashed him a grin.

"Consider it a discount. Trade with confidence. As long as I’m standing here, nobody’s going to cheat you."

Evenson snorted.

"As if he’d be able to rob me without you."

He wasn’t entirely joking.

Some lesser demons preferred simple robbery over negotiation. Why bother paying when violence was free?

Technically, if no deal had been finalized yet, there was no contract to violate.

The stronger demons, however, generally looked down on that sort of behavior. It was crude, beneath their dignity, and usually less profitable than an honest bargain.

Kil’jaeden himself was proof of that. Despite bearing the title the Deceiver, he had an impeccable reputation when it came to contracts. Any mortal capable of meeting his impossible demands received exactly the power promised.

From Kil’jaeden’s perspective, granting strength cost him almost nothing.

The worlds he gained in return were worth infinitely more.

As for weaker demons...

Most never had the opportunity to rob anyone in the first place. Nobody sought them out for deals, and if someone actually did, there was no guarantee they were the stronger party.

Gornos occupied an awkward middle ground.

Powerful enough to be dangerous.

Not powerful enough to be untouchable.

Exactly the sort of demon one might reasonably keep an eye on.

Not that Evenson was worried.

The circular saw embedded in Gornos’ left arm looked intimidating enough, but if things turned violent...

Killing the engineer wouldn’t be especially difficult.

"I won’t play games," Gornos said calmly.

Partly because Agatha was watching.

Partly because Evenson clearly wasn’t an easy target.

And partly because Gornos still possessed the pride of someone who had once mattered.

He picked up one of the crystals with the mechanical pincers mounted on his right arm and held it beneath the magnifying lens replacing one eye.

"Mediocre quality," he muttered.

Then he nodded.

"Still... these days, mediocre is better than nothing."

He lowered the crystal and looked back at Evenson.

"So."

"What does the warlock want?"

"A soul engine."

At last, Evenson managed to say it.

"Can you build one?"

Gornos burst into harsh, metallic laughter.

"What kind of question is that?"

He proudly pointed toward the enormous circular structure looming in the distance.

"See that?"

"I built it."

Evenson followed his finger.

The building resembled a massive domed fortress, dark and silent beneath the sickly sky.

"...What am I looking at?"

Gornos froze.

The smug expression vanished from his face.

"That’s the soul engine, you idiot!"

His mechanical arm waved emphatically toward the structure.

"It powered every fel cannon in the entire Rift."

Evenson looked again.

Now that he examined it more carefully, the architecture did resemble the Warcraft soul engines he remembered.

"I expected it to glow."

"In my head, soul engines are always surrounded by eerie green light."

The building ahead was little more than a dark silhouette.

Without the signature emerald radiance of burning souls, he hadn’t recognized it.

"It glows while it’s running," Gornos explained.

His voice softened with unmistakable regret.

"It isn’t running anymore."

Evenson frowned.

"Broken?"

His confidence in the engineer immediately dropped a notch.

If the Legion’s own soul engine needed constant repairs, trusting Gornos with a custom fel engine suddenly seemed... questionable.

Gornos immediately caught the suspicious look.

"Don’t look at me like that."

"I know exactly what you’re thinking."

He jabbed a thumb at his chest.

"I designed that engine."

"I supervised its construction personally."

"As long as it hasn’t been physically destroyed, it does not malfunction."

There was enough pride in his voice that Evenson found himself believing him.

"Then why did it stop?"

"No fuel."

The answer came so naturally that Gornos almost sounded offended by the question.

"No war means no souls."

"No souls means no fuel."

"No fuel means the engine doesn’t run."

"...That’s it."

Evenson’s eyes drifted toward the silent engine again.

"So every fel cannon here is offline?"

"What else would they be?"

Gornos shrugged.

"Should we ask the demon guards to line up and throw themselves into the furnace?"

Without warning, the spinning saw detached from his left arm and shot across the room.

A wandering imp was sliced neatly in half before it even realized it had been targeted.

The saw curved back into his arm with a metallic clunk.

"Or maybe feed it imps?"

He sounded almost hopeful.

"I’d enjoy that."

"Unfortunately, their souls are worthless."

He held up one of Evenson’s crystals.

"Even these are better fuel."

Agatha finally spoke.

"This is the Legion’s rear territory."

"No one’s attacking us."

"And we’re not attacking anyone."

"There isn’t much point in keeping a soul engine running."

Fair enough.

Evenson gave the dormant structure one final look before turning back to Gornos.

"All right."

"I’ll trust your craftsmanship."

Then he added with complete seriousness,

"But I want a warranty."

"If there’s a manufacturing defect, you refund everything."

Gornos had no idea what a warranty was.

A refund, however?

That concept translated perfectly.

He laughed confidently.

"Deal."

"My work doesn’t fail."

Satisfied, Evenson spread his hands to indicate the dimensions he wanted.

"I need one about this size."

Then he added the crucial requirement.

"And it has to run on soul crystals."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!