"My occult science I learned from a book", he shrugged. Or at least it was supposed to look like a shrug, while trying to move some muscles which haven't been responsive a minute ago. It stung, but that was an improvement.<br/>"Thing is, it wasn't written for me...or for humans, for that matter. I'm afraid I have only deciphered, like, 70 to 75% of it. The Daeva might be one of the words and phrases that didn't turn up. But that's how I started on this path: by finding a book two of them have contended over - or maybe it was something else, for all I know. What mattered were three things... one of them had a book which the winner took from him. The winner was weakened. The fight had gone to our world, causing quite a bit of collateral damage."<br/>The care-free way of saying this strangely contrasted with him tensing his jaw muscles... but at least he was using the towel to wash himself. There was blood on his chest, and his arms. He did his best to remove it, wetting the towel in the basin and scrubbing.<br/>"So I killed her off and took the book - because she has earned that much, and because I've always been able to do this sort of things. That's how things started - all my occult knowledge is acquired like that, pilfered, exchanged or negotiated, then the language it's been written on was broken like a code, by decrypting programs... well all of it, except for my knowledge of their weaknesses. This has been...tested."<br/>He looked at her appreciatively, while cleaning the last big spot from his knees and thighs.<br/>"I think there's some blood on my back, where I cannot reach...especially in my current condition. Would you mind...?"<br/>The demand was clear, or so the man assumed while handing her the towel back.