Lowly Ascent

Knock Knock Knock

"Isaac Bur? I've been sent by the Bureau."

Isaac opened the door to meet a man in a black trench coat with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Name's Laimir. I'm your senior and your new partner. I'll train you for the next few weeks, then we'll go out in the field." He explained in an unempathetic manner. 

Isaac nodded and was about to say something but Laimir turned around and walked to his car.

"You coming rookie?"

Forgetting what he was going to say, Isaac got in the car.

The car ride was quiet, Laimir listened to the radio, and neither spoke. Before long, they were at the Bureau.

"We're here." Parking in the interior parking lot where only staff was allowed, Laimir got out and Isaac followed.

The Bureau was like a machine, people moved about efficiently and smoothly. There was no room for error, everyone was an expert in their field.

"We're going to the Enforcement Sector. It sucks the parking lot is attached to Administration, there's always so many people." Laimir commented.

The Bureau had four Sectors, Administration, Enforcement, Intelligence, and Research. Each had multiple sub-sectors and those sub-sectors had sub-sectors. The Bureau was across the nation and had many branches. Luckily, Isaac joined the Headquarters of the Bureau where resources were abundant.

There were many countries in the world but the country Isaac lived in was considered the largest and most advanced. The Capital was even crowned the city of the future by multiple newspapers.

Entering an elevator, Isaac and Laimir went to the lower levels. There was an immediate change, the structure became visibly older and less maintained.

"This is the Enforcement Sector?"

"We don't care for looks, it's results that matter," Laimir replied.

Isaac frowned.

Following Laimir into a training hall. Isaac was surprised to find it empty. Laimir took off his trench coat and turned to him.

"Alright, come at me so I can gauge your abilities."

He made sense, the kind Isaac liked most. The student didn't need to ask why and attacked the teacher with all he had.

The two sent fists at each other on the mat. After three rounds Laimir grabbed Isaac by the back of the neck and slammed him to the ground.

"You're decent, but you need practice. We'll spar every day. While we do that I'll also teach you the different paths available to you. However, each agent is required to go down one of the three main paths along with the secondary path they choose.

"You've already walked the path of sacrifice but you haven't gotten a strength boost from it. If you decide to pick Sacrifice, you'll have to sacrifice something else that will give you combat power. It's stupid I know but it helps with fewer deaths in the long run." Laimir's words were tasteless as if he was reading straight from the handbook. 

Isaac nodded, Laimir closed his eyes and put back on his coat. Unlike him, Isaac couldn't get up after that last attack.

...

"Bah! None of these talismans came out right. Oh well, at least the first one I made was done right. It can protect me for a minute in theory! Now I can confidently go to the black market again haha!" Vincent laughed as he pocketed the talisman.

"After purity comes fullness, now that I purified my soul I must fill and expand it. It requires rare materials and experiences that bring about growth. First I will go to the black market and if I can't find anything I'll try and figure out what the journal means by growth!"

Opening the door Vincent was about to step out. Cain suddenly landed on his shoulder.

"Rowan? What is it? Wait...you want to come, don't you? I can't possibly take you! If people see a raven they will surely attack me!"

Cain flapped his wings but didn't fly. Vincent understood what the bird meant.

"You'll fly and watch? ....Okay, you can come. As soon as we're outside you must fly though!" Vincent didn't find it strange Cain could understand him, there was much mysticism surrounding ravens. Some texts even said ravens were human souls trapped in birds, dyeing their colorful bodies black in the sin of humanity.

...

"I got genuine snakeskin from the yellow desert, a pound for one purple credit!" A stall owner yelled.

In this world, credits were the currency, they were distinguished by their color, marking their value. The ink used was special, and there were over a hundred methods to find if a credit was fake, most of these methods involved mysticism. Due to this, not many people tried to counterfeit credits.

"Ten buckets of ebony ink sourced from Inle Mountain! Only five green credits!"

"Looking for pixie powder, I have as many white credits as needed!"

Hundreds of voices resounded in a corner of the industrial district. The entrance of the black market was a run-down warehouse on the edge of the city, it led into a landfill that was no longer in use. The criminals of the city used it as one of the locations for the black market, making a sort of spiral downward, the farther down, the more expensive the items.

There were even caves dug out to make shops.

The smell was horrid, but everyone used masks anyway to hide their identities so it was bearable. Some smart merchants even sold mask scents; they flew off the shelves like hotcakes.

'Everything has its uses, even if it's a trash pit, it has a purpose that's more than the eye can see.' Cain flew above the landfill, his eyes following Vincent.

No one seemed to notice him, there were multiple birds already in the sky, and they would scavenge the trash heaps from time to time, some even stealing from the humans. The lucky ones got away while the unlucky became the meal of some vagrant.

"Not this...not this either. Looks like I'll have to head deeper." Vincent shook his head in defeat as he went deeper into the hole. In response Cain flew lower, perching on stalls so he wouldn't be noticed for flying.

Near the lower levels, the black market became like a bazaar, cloth and fabrics blocked light and any spying eyes from above and almost every stall became a store dug into the trash. Some of the better stores refurbished the inside and made it into an actual shop.

"Need guidance in the supernatural, our store sells booklets on all three main paths! Sacrifice, Soul, and Voice, we have them all! Today we have a sale, buy all three, only pay for two!"

Cain was on top of the fabrics of the bazaar peering through holes. When he heard the crier near Vincent, his eyes dilated.

'Three main paths. Voice, Soul, Sacrifice. It sounds like there are others too. This place isn't unique like the Spirit Lands which had a fragment of Dao. How does it have so many powers, and why does a territory exist below the Landfill? It's hanging from the roots of the earth roots. In addition, it is round....'

Diverging his gaze, Cain found Vincent again, he was speaking to someone at one of the few stalls.

"300 Green Credits? Are you insane?! I can do 300 Orange Credits but not green." Vincent bartered.

The stall owner didn't budge, "No can do, I'm only the middle man, the one who asked me to sell these lost a lot of good men fighting a Wight. The ghostly thing froze two men and dismembered the other. They still have to pay the families."

"Hah...if you make it Red Credits I can do 300. But Green Credits are too much, I can buy a car with that much."

The stall owner thought for a moment and then agreed, "Fine, it's not like my friend will get a better deal."

Vincent took out three red chips with the number "100" and handed them to the stall owner who gave him a damp sack.

"Ghost essence obtained! I can dilute this into my meals and it will bloat my soul! But the effect is little, it will take a year or two with only this..."

Vincent looked around a little while longer but found nothing desirable. He saw a few more ingredients but their prices were exorbitant. In the end, he headed back and Cain followed.

When the pair got home, Vincent sat at his desk and reread the journal.

"Growth....growth...from what Mabel alludes to, growth seems to be things like learning new skills or knowledge. Anything that can improve the person acts as growth. Exercising is recommended as the best way, not only will I get in shape but it's a good stimulant for the soul as well."

He slammed the journal closed, "That does it! I'll go get a gym membership starting today!"

Vincent wasn't let down he had to improve himself; he was quite happy. He was a lazy person and now he had a reason to improve rather than sitting around and doing nothing. He came from a wealthy inheritance and his only hobby was the occult.

Vincent finally got the chance to drown in his hobby, and he was jubilant that it was helping him break through into other hobbies, he was a smart person after all. Vincent knew what was best for him. 

Although he hid near the less desirable places in the city, he was a rich man who owned a chain of jewelry stores that he got from his father. He maintained the business well and opened two stores in the last 5 years. Even with the Bureau knowing who he was and what he had in his possession, they couldn't do anything to him without evidence that he had.

In all honesty, the Bureau could care less, if they could get the book they would. It was unfortunate the agents who went after Vincent were so aggressive.

"I'm off Rowan, I left food on the table in the corner, enjoy!"

Cain looked over at the dish of bird feed covered in what looked like glowing jello.

The door shut and Cain flew over and had his fill.

'How thoughtful of him.'

Cain devoured the food and licked his beak.

'Now.' He turned to Vincent's desk and the bookshelf attached to it. 'Time to see if I can learn anything else about this world.'