Ding!
The bell that hung above the door to the bookshop rung as Ace walked in.
The place looked like any ordinary book shop, with rows and rows of shelves containing books as far as he could observe.
Ace walked towards one of the shelves and picked out a book with black cover. The cover was blank, with no title written on it but he proceeded to walk in a direction which led him to the bookstore keeper.
An old man with round spectacles perched on his nose sat behind the counter. He regarded Ace with a smile as if he didn't even notice the suspicious mask he wore.
"What would you like to read today?" He asked, still keeping his smile.
Without saying anything, Ace placed the black book on the counter and the old man picked it up, adjusting his round spectacles on his face.
"Are you sure?" The old man asked, his fingers tracing the book's empty cover "This book is filled with forbidden words."
"Every forbidden word is a key to a hidden door." Ace simply replied.
The black market wouldn't have been kept hidden for this long if just anyone had access to it.
To access it, you needed a code and that code was exactly what Ace just said.
Although Alister cringed everytime he had to say some cringe line to access to the black market, he never let his acesona show it.
The old man stood up and walked with Ace to a certain book shelf that stood i to pl to un a corner of the bookstore that no one would think to visit.
He placed the black book at an empty space between two other books and pulled it forward a bit.
The shelves moved, revealing a dark opening with stairs that led downward. That's right, the black market was just below the legal market as it had been for years now.
"Then may you choose your words wisely." The old man said as he stepped aside, allowing him access to the entrance.
Ace stepped into the dark opening, the faint glow of runic lanterns lining the walls lighting his way down the narrow staircase.
The stairs spiraled downward, and with each step a low hum of activity grew louder as he approached the bottom.
The black market was revealed as soon as Ace got to the bottom of the stairs. It looked just like the legal market with stall everywhere and merchants standing behind them.
What was different was the items being sold at said stalls. From scrolls that contained runes not normally sold to the public, to enchanted weapons.
But Ace wasn't here for these items, not today. He moved through the market with a destination in mind.
A couple of steps later, he arrived at a building that looked like a really old theater, this was the venue the auctions usually took place.
But before he could walk through the entrance a man approached him.
"If it isn't the legend himself," the man said as he approached, his tone showing his amusement.
Ace stopped, his masked face tilting slightly as he sized the man up. Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a well-tailored coat with golden embroidery along the cuffs—a display of wealth, influence, or both.
"Legend?" Ace echoed, his voice carrying mild disinterest. "You've got the wrong guy."
The man chuckled, shaking his head. "Come on now. You really think people around here don't talk? Word spreads fast when someone shakes up the underground."
Ace said nothing, merely standing there. The silence stretched, making the man wonder if he was just wasting his time.
The man's smirk widened, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—mild irritation, maybe. "Oh, I think you'll want to hear me out. After all, I know exactly why you're here."
Ace remained still, his masked face betraying nothing. But inwardly, he was curious about what the man knew. "Is that so?"
The man nodded. "And I know that if you walk through those doors, you're walking into a trap."
That changed things. The auctions were supposed to be neutral ground, a place where even sworn enemies set aside their grudges for the sake of business.
Ace exhaled slowly. "You'll have to do better than vague warnings."
The man leaned in slightly. "Let's just say certain people weren't happy with your last job. They put a price on your head, and the moment you step inside that auction house, every bounty hunter, mercenary, and assassin in the room will be looking to cash in."
Ace's mind worked fast. A full-scale hit inside the auction house meant two things: first, the bounty was high enough to make people forget the unspoken rules of the black market.
Secondly, the gods were really pissed that he got away with Loki's shard of power, so much so that they were willing to get involved with the black market, a place they considered filled with rats.
"Why tell me this?" he asked, his voice gave away nothing. "Expecting me to owe you one?"
The man grinned, his posture relaxed, but Ace knew better than to underestimate him.
"I've got my own reasons. Maybe I like keeping things interesting. Maybe I want to see how a 'legend' handles himself when the odds are against him." He said
Ace let a slow smirk form beneath his mask. "Then I hope you enjoy the show."
He then proceeded to walk into the theater with the man walking closely behind.
Normally, he wouldn't balantly walk into a trap but today was different, today, he was willing to take the risk to test out his newly gained ability.
"Oh and don't worry, I'll be fine," Alister said with a chuckle, as he continued forward without hesitation. "Besides, knowing the odds are stacked against me just makes it more fun."
He pushed open the heavy theater doors, stepping into the dimly lit interior where hushed conversations filled the space. The auction hadn't started yet, but the room was packed—too packed.
"Let's do this, then," he thought, amused.