Damien and Luc came through the door into a well-appointed room. In the center of the room was a large, lacquered table. Surrounded by padded chairs and around the room were bookshelves filled with books and couches for lounging. Fox was sitting at the table reading. Shadow and Wraih were in a corner talking quietly. Wolf was lounging on a couch, and Cobra was sitting on a chair watching everyone quietly. When Damien and Luc walked into in the room the others looked up at them. Fox smiled “Are you done with your chat” he asked. “Yes” said Damien as he set at the table “So let's discuss about what the black market”. Fox closed his book and looked at Damien. “It has come to our attention over the last few months that a new group is working in the underworld. We have been able to discover very little about them. Only that they exist and that they are growing in power. We have found several small gangs have been joining this new group and we they are selling these out on the streets.” Shadow came to table and two books down before Damien. Damien looked down at the books. The books looked exactly like tomes that he had seen in the archive. Damien touched on of the book and felt something strange about them. The power the books should be emanating was weakened like it was a shadow of the original. “It is a copy” Damien said, “it is a copy of a dark magic tome.” Fox smiled at Damien “I thought you would catch that Damien”. “What are you talking about” asked Luc “How do you know that these are the copies”. “I know because each tome or artifact of magic has its own power. The power they possess is a part of the process needed to create them. The power from these despite looking like the tomes in the archive are just shadows of the power of the original” Damien said. Damien began to examine the other book the same copy of the same book exactly, but the power was different. “The power in this one is different” Damien said. “Yes” said Fox “can you guess why? “. “They are perfecting the process but why? they could just make the copies and replace the originals, why make more copies and sell them. Why draw the attention that would bring?” Damien asked. “My questions also” Fox said. “How did you find these?” Damien asked. “We found out about them when we were investigating some of the gangs that turned” Wraith said. “When we found out about them Cobra managed to procure those tomes, they are apparently selling them all over the city”. “Interesting it gives me new places to investigate but that does leave the question of what the larger plan is.” Damien said.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

