Who is Mephisto?
He's the real deal—the Lord of Hell.
Across the vast and boundless multiverse, his name is infamous for cunning and cruelty.
He's on the same level of power as beings like Satan, Dormammu, and Odin—terrifying entities who each dominate their realms.
Wes instantly went on high alert.
"So… you're not here to give me a gift after all. You're here to give me a mission?"
"Mephisto? No, you're giving me too much credit," Wes replied cautiously.
He knew very well that with his current strength, facing Mephisto head-on would be suicide.
Seeing the obvious misunderstanding, the Ancient One gently explained:
"I'm not asking you to confront Mephisto directly. Ever since he was banished from Earth, his true form can no longer descend here. He can only manipulate humans through avatars or fragments of his will."
"Even if it's just an avatar, I still can't handle that," Wes said with a frown.
"I'm not asking you to fight him." The Ancient One finally dropped the mystery and spoke plainly.
"What I want is for you to protect something— the Contract of San Venganza."
"If you complete the mission, the gift I promised will be yours. I guarantee it'll be worth your while."
Wes didn't trust her words completely, but neither could he afford to outright reject a request from someone on her level.
He stayed silent for a long time while the Ancient One calmly sipped her tea, patiently waiting for his answer.
"Can you guarantee I won't run into Mephisto during the mission?" Wes finally asked, still cautious.
"I swear you won't. I could swear to a God if you'd like…" the Ancient One raised her right hand in a solemn gesture.
Wes immediately sweatdropped and muttered,
"Now that you mention a God, I feel even less safe…"
After weighing it carefully, Wes ultimately decided to accept the Ancient One's offer.
Of course, he could've used his panel to vanish on the spot. But he didn't want to burn this bridge—there was no guarantee that next time he came to the Marvel world, he'd still have the chance to sit calmly and drink tea across from the Sorcerer Supreme.
And truthfully, he was quite curious about this so-called "gift."
"Here, take this."
The Ancient One handed him a pristine, snow-white quill.
"It will guide you to the Contract of San Venganza."
With that, as if afraid he might change his mind, the Ancient One vanished without a trace.
"…I feel like I just got scammed." Wes's mouth twitched.
"Let's hope you're telling the truth this time. A Sorcerer Supreme shouldn't need to lie to me, right?"
"Jandy!"
At his call, the house-elf Jandy popped into view.
"At your service, Master," Jandy said respectfully.
"Pack everything up—I'm going to rest."
"Understood."
Wes headed back to his room to rest and recover his energy.
The next afternoon, Wes's figure appeared on Arthur Avenue.
...
What Wes didn't know…
Was that his photo, after being screened through multiple levels of clearance, had finally made its way onto Nick Fury's computer screen.
"So this is the mysterious mage," Nick Fury said, maintaining his usual cautious demeanor.
"Since last year, the intel division has been running checks on every single person on Arthur Avenue—residents, tourists, even the homeless. Every one of them has gone through at least three rounds of full background reviews."
"We even helped the FBI catch a few fugitives in the process," Coulson added with a shrug, looking a little weary from the workload.
"So what makes this Wes Elwin so different?" Fury's one eye narrowed as he pressed further.
"In the entire year, aside from out-of-town tourists, he's the only unfamiliar face to appear on that street."
As he spoke, Coulson rubbed his increasingly sparse hair.
After all, he had spent immense effort compiling the identity profiles of everyone on that street—residents, visitors, and wanderers alike.
"And his background is just… too clean."
Fury nodded for him to continue.
"Detailed investigations show that Wes Elwin vanished mysteriously from an orphanage at age eleven and was never seen there again."
"He has no school records, no hospital visits, not even a single credit card. No Twitter account, no social ties. Even his car was bought entirely with cash. For the past ten years, it's like he's been living in a completely different world."
Coulson's voice grew firm.
"Sir, I'm 80% certain Wes Elwin is that mysterious mage. And even if he isn't, there's no doubt he's hiding something massive."
"No credit card? Yeah, that's suspicious as hell," Fury muttered. Then, after a pause, he gave his orders:
"Keep eyes on him—tight. Assign three squads. 24/7 surveillance. If necessary, use satellite tracking. I'll grant you temporary Level 7 access."
"Understood, sir. It'll be done."
Coulson immediately turned to dispatch agents and launch the operation.
Meanwhile, Wes drove out of New York, following the direction pointed by the enchanted feather quill.
In no time, he had exited New York State.
Unaware of the covert tail he had picked up.
"Sir, he's headed north. That area's too open—hard for us to follow unnoticed."
Coulson responded to the field report without hesitation:
"Deploy satellite tracking. Rotate the tailing squads constantly—do not let him spot you."
"Have the intel team analyze his route and predict his likely destination as quickly as possible."
With orders given, dozens of agents leapt into motion.
Wes, meanwhile, handed the steering wheel over to Jandy the house-elf and relaxed in the back seat with a notebook in hand.
Later, he even enchanted the car to follow the quill's direction automatically.
Other than a quick fuel stop, the vehicle never paused once.
Thanks to his enchanted suitcase, Wes had plenty of supplies and space to rest, making stops unnecessary.
Coulson and his agents, on the other hand, were running themselves ragged trying to keep up.
Eventually, after entering Texas, Wes's car veered off the main road onto a narrow, winding path.
The road was bumpy and unpaved, leading eventually to a remote, desolate graveyard.
The quill's direction pointed to a run-down, weather-beaten wooden cabin.
Wes climbed out of the car, stretched, and muttered irritably:
"This trip was miserable… I should've just flown here on a broomstick. I really need to alchemize this thing into a luxury model."
He was already planning a full overhaul of his car using alchemy.
He turned toward the shabby cabin and whispered to himself:
"So this is where the Contract of San Venganza is hidden?"
Stepping forward, he raised a hand and knocked on the door.
Creak…
The door let out a painfully screechy groan.
But instead of a warm welcome…
He was greeted by the cold steel of a double-barrel shotgun.
°°°
Hungry for more chaps? Then check out our pătreon!
Link: Påtreon.com/BaphometFiction
I post 20 advanced chapters of this fanfic there.
If you do subscribe, please do so in the web patreon, not the ios app.