Interlude II, Devil Hunters

Within the labyrinth existed a grand building that could only be described as a temple. A white structure in the form of a tower raised and fixed itself into the ceiling.

It looked bizarre compared to the camp as if it had taken shape naturally from the walls around it.

The armed guards welcomed Aurora and Abram into a single room within it, a large meeting room where multiple desks had been lined together, full of maps and documents. An old woman was sitting in its center. She was wearing formal black military attire with a white overcoat, her grey hair hidden beneath a cap. She looked at Abram and nodded as she closed a book on the table. She had a small scar around the right side of her face, but as she stood up, Abram could tell she was still quite fit for her age.

Behind her stood a tall and strong man, he was of Asian descent, which was not unusual near Argia. He wore a monocle and was a distinguished-looking gentleman, likely middle-aged but looking quite young at the same time, he dressed in the same kind of Black suit Aurora did so Abram could only assume it was a uniform.

He welcomes them both with a small bow.

"Thank you for bringing Mr. Abram here. We couldn't have him get lost in the labyrinth on his first day on the job. I'm Emilia Azarova, acting commander of the Devil hunt. The man behind me is Mr. Cao Jing Sheng. He is our expert in demonology, so I expect you to cooperate with him in the future." He gretted Abram with a bow but his expression stiffened.

"Thank you very much, the forgotten bride is an unusual demon, and I've never heard of her contracting with a man before, which is quite curious."The tall man offered to the two of them to take a seat

''So, I'm guessing you guys already investigated me or something?'' Abram looked at Cao with a tired expression.

"We don't hunt our prey without knowing all we can about it. Not that there was much to find. You escaped a slave camp with your team, but you managed to beat up a bunch of wolf mobsters on your way out. Not an easy feat, but hardly much to talk about in this area." Aurora sat down, reaching out for a document with multiple photos of Abram. He looked concerned about being tracked but said nothing about the matter. ''

Nothing about you sounded particularly dangerous, but the bride is far too risky to leave unchecked. It makes people forget you. That is indeed a terrible curse, but making your enemies forget you have its uses for sure. " Cao clapped excitedly as he looked at Abraham with clear interest.

''All right, I get it, but aren't you worried about that too? If you people are close to me, your memories can suffer as well. "

"People already cursed are quite resistant to another demon's curse. The Commander and I are already on a contract with the devil, and we won't have our memories of you erased that easily, but we will keep an eye on you for sure." Mr.Cao answered with a sharp tone.

"Enough, there is no need to threaten the boy. We are here to ask you to join us. You must already know what our role is. We are hunting devils. But to do so, we need to fight fire with fire, or else we would just be sending people to the slaughter in vain. You have already proven yourself capable of hunting. In exchange for your work, you are to be given a solid salary and a place to live here, for you and the lady, of course. Be aware that your silence is required.'' The old woman stood up with both of her arms behind her back with a strict posture.

"What do you people even get from this? Are you from some other country's army? Is this some sort of invasion into the city of Argia or something?''

"I doubt there are many countries left with an army. Consider us a private army. Its only sponsor is myself and all that remains of my family fortune. What we are here to achieve is quite simple, really. Demons can't ever die, but we can erase them. They will never be summoned by another person again. No one else but us can do it. All because of the demons around us. " Emilia looked at the ceiling and at Abraham did as well with cause. On the ceiling, there was a painted bull with glowing white eyes.

"Minos is a demon that needs to be constantly fed. Anything that is consumed by it is forever lost within the labyrinth and that includes devils. Unfortunately, if I don't feed it, the beast will one day reach me. I can't ever leave the labyrinth due to this curse. It has been ten years or so since I last saw the sun" Abram closed his eyes as he leaned against his chair.

"That must suck, but I don't really care. Why should I even bother killing demons just so a cow won't eat you? "

Because all of us here have one single belief in common, this world does not need demons. This city is cursed. Demons have only existed within its walls ever since the devastation. I'm sure you must also agree that demons have only made your life a nightmare. "Abram Shrugged.

''I guess it doesn't matter, I'm not getting any better job offers these days anyway, but you are suspicious as hell old lady.''

''For the time being, consider our relationship a simple trial, Mr. Abram. "She said with a mocking smile, he didn't really have any real choice in the matter.

''The only problem left, is that I can't kill a demon? How do you people even do that? " Emilia snapped her finger and Mr.Cao brought a sheet of paper.

"This is a devil subcontract. Many organizations use it to tie multiple people to a single demon in the city. If the commander and you sign this contract, as soon as a devil is slain by your hand, it will be consumed. In exchange, you can come and go into the labyrinth as you please. Worry not, this contract doesn't come at any cost; only the commander must bear the curse of Minos." Cao opened a small box with two pens. Emilia grabbed one and passed the other one to Abram.

Abram looked at the contract. It was rather simple. The only requirement from his side was to either hide the existence of the labyrinth or be consumed. The two of them signed it and the paper began to burn with a blue flame.

"Welcome. I hope we can work together to make a difference. For the time being, you will be working as a member of Aurora's squad. She will be training you as well."Emilia looked back at Aurora, who nodded in agreement.

"Don't expect any special privileges, demon or not. You are still kind of a wimp. That said, welcome to the team." Aurora gave him a thumbs-up with a mocking grin.

"All right, as long as we can live safely in this weird place, I'll do whatever it takes." Emilia sat down again and looked at him with caution.

"I hope you will understand our purpose sooner rather than later. A weak resolve like that will only let this city consume you, boy." He waved, taking his leave.

"Don't worry, I will survive this out of sheer spite if I have to." As he left the room, Abram looked at two statues of a bull. The statues only made his concern more obvious, so he simply hid his eyes with his cap and left the room.