After finishing work, Harvey didn't head home, nor did he head to the underground world where the others were for his meeting. Instead, he made a stop in a different place.
He found himself walking through a rougher area of the city. It was nothing like the world below. Instead, this was a place filled with guilds that took on all sorts of jobs.
Not all guilds were good, and not all guilds were public. If one wanted their hands on illegal enchanted items, medical-grade items, or other things, they needed a place.
No matter how good the world seemed to be, as long as there was a demand for something, someone out there would supply it, and this was true in Alterian as well.
The streets were littered with rubbish and filled with potholes. Even the sidewalk hadn't been repaired for what looked like years. However, there were certain entertainment establishments that looked more upmarket.
For one, there were some thriving restaurants in the area—after all, everyone had to eat. There were also nice gambling establishments with fancy lights on the outside and holographic displays.
Standing outside these doors were mages hired from other guilds to stop the rowdiest of customers.
Harvey continued to walk in the open until it looked like someone was about to bump into him. Lifting his hand, he used magic to push the person forcefully, sending them into the air and landing on the ground.
"What did you do that for? You just used magic on me for no reason!" the man shouted.
"You chose the wrong target today. I'm telling you now, leave and turn around. That enchanted knife in your pocket isn't going to do anything against me," Harvey said.
The man stood up from the ground.
"You can't just attack people with magic like that—you know you can get in some serious trouble."
Harvey continued walking forward, and toward the man, who then pulled out a glowing green blade. He sliced, trying to attack Harvey, but instead, Harvey avoided the hit and then grabbed his hand. With the knife, he forcefully pushed, with the help of Wind magic, making the man stab himself in the stomach.
Letting go, Harvey walked past the man who had stabbed himself with his own blade and fell to his knees.
"Don't bother calling the police—they don't show up in this area. I should know," Harvey said, leaving without knowing whether the man would live or die. There was a part of him that thought about going back, not to check if the man was okay, but whether to bring him with him or not.
Finally, after walking down one of the most dangerous streets in the city, Harvey stopped outside an old, abandoned restaurant. It had been boarded up, and only three letters were left in odd places: A, S, S.
Harvey was sure someone had stolen the other letters on purpose to spell the establishment, but he didn't mind—it was always easy for him to spot because all he had to do was look for "Ass."
As for the establishment itself, it had been shut down when several murders took place. A guild war had erupted in the restaurant itself. Several mages were killed as well as civilians.
Not even the people who lived in the area wanted to eat there anymore, so it had no choice but to shut down and try to find another buyer. It was hard, and no one was looking to buy it until someone eventually rented it out but kept it as it was, not fixing it, and keeping the signage on the outside as well as the boarding.
Going around the side of the building, there was a thick steel door in place. Placing his hand on it, a barrier could be seen. It was a magical one, so the door was reinforced with magic to stop even mages from coming in here.
A high-level one as well that would have cost quite the penny unless someone had access to some confiscated items that might have gone missing. Placing a special key, the door opened, and Harvey entered the establishment.
Entering the restaurant, Harvey was in the main area—it was still destroyed from the fight. Tables were broken, flooring destroyed, and more. Moving on from there, Harvey went into the kitchen and then started to head down the stairs into the cellar.
As he continued to walk, the sounds of moans, cries, and more were heard echoing into the place, and finally, Harvey reached the bottom. A cellar that was used to store drinks and other such items for the restaurant had completely been converted.
Now there were a large number of cells with iron bars blocking the way. These, too, were enchanted by magic, making it nearly impossible for people to escape.
"Please let us out!" a person cried as they grabbed onto the bars.
The room itself had around ten cells, each that could fit around five people. Most of them were full, but there were a couple that still had some space in them.
"Have you done as I asked?" Harvey said, looking at the man.
"How can we? How can we do what you ask?" the man shouted. "If we learn what you gave us, if we learn that, then we're as good as dead."
That's when Harvey started to clap.
"Right, right, so you're starting to get the picture, right? I've told you all several times: if you can learn the Dark magic spells I've given you, then you will be free to be let out. However, of course, if you learn Dark Magic, everyone knows the rules above."
Harvey then lifted his hand toward the man, and out of the palm of his hand, a Dark Pulse shot right through the man's head, killing him on the spot and causing him to fall.
A series of screams from the others were heard, while some of the people inside the cells covered the others' mouths to stop the screams.
"If you learn Dark Mlmagic, then you will be chased by the mages forever, which means those of you who have learned Dark magic will only have one place that can protect you all—the Dark Guild!"
"So all of you, get to learning Dark magic, and help the guild grow! I've got a meeting to go to now. I hope to see some progress when I get back."