The world of sorcery had become a place of regular breakthroughs. New incantations, seals, powers have been developed, and through incorporating modern technology into sorcery, sorcery had been catapulted into a new era.
Now, sorcerers are graded in order of an hierarchy:
1st-grade: The pinnacle - only the strongest, the legendary, are given this rank.
2nd through 8th-grade: a steady climb.
9th-grade: The bottom rung, reserved for the weakest of the weak.
Most sorcerers start as 6th or 7th-grade, with dreams of reaching 1st-grade. However, reaching the top was regarded as an impossibility. Most people believed 1st-grade sorcerers had attained the height of godhood, and are no longer humans.
And yet, aside all of this, there were still some who stood at the bottom; 9th-grade.
And one of them was Code Weber.
***
Hazen, Western Province, Eldrid Region
17-year old Code Weber stood hunched in a dark alley, barely lighted under the faint light from the already setting sun.
His eyes watched around, and darted about suspiciously. He had already been robbed twice that week. Now, he had close to nothing left, and his tattered clothes didn't have anything better to say.
He slowly stepped out of the dark, eyeing everyone who went by, until suddenly, a voice halted him.
"Code Weber!" The voice called.
Code turned quickly, alarm written all over his face, as he saw the man.
"Tch." He hissed. "Sending another person again?" Code whispered to himself, as he clenched his hands into a fist.
The man was clad in a black armor, and upon his chest was a 5th-grade sorcerer badge. His black hair fell to his shoulders, and his face boasted of a pretty handsome face, alongside a trimmed goatee.
Code jerked backwards slightly, eyes wide in alarm.
"What do you want?" Code shouted to the man, stretching his fists out, and taking a weird stance.
"Uh?" The man stopped, eyeing Code with surprised looks.
"Um, ahem!" The man cleared his throat. "I'm Ran Cowell," he replied, extendeding his hand for an handshake.
"Ran Cowell?" Code repeated.
'A thief with such a fancy name? The world is getting worse everyday...' Code thought, shaking his head.
"Um..." Ran brought Code back from his thoughts, stretching his hand to him, as he smiled.
Code hesitated slightly, but after a short while, he shook his hand, forcing a smile that was obviously fake.
"Haha," Ran chuckled lightly in response.
"So..." Code's expression turned serious. "What do you want with me?" He asked.
"If it was the landlord that sent you, go back and tell him I will not pay until he returns my bed!" Code added.
"What?" Ran blurted, almost bursting into laughter.
"And Plates!" Code exclaimed, brows furrowed.
"Ok, ok, that's weird, but I'm not here for that," Ran replied, suppressing his laughter.
"Then what are you here for?" Code replied almost immediately.
Ran's tone turned lower and darker, and his aura changed.
"I've got a mission," he said.
"Mission?" Code raised a brow. "I'm sorry, I don't do dirty jobs. I might look like I'm poor, but that ain't mean I'm gonna do some dirty job." He replied.
"It's not totally dirty, you know," Ran smirked, forming a convincing eyes. "You see, a mid-class demon's been spotted near Sylva, a little help could do in defeating it."
"Uh?" Code staggered backwards. "Isn't that the work of a sorcerer?"
"Yes and no." Ran argued. "The problem is for some weeks now, the demon has been ravaging freely, and WAS hasn't responded by sending any sorcerers to take care of the situation, so, the village affected offered us some payment if we could help defeat the demon," he explained.
"Hmm..." Code raised his hand to hold his chin.
"And it's not like we're dealing with a very powerful demon, it's just a mid-class, even a 9th-grade like you has no reason to fear," Ran added with a smile.
Code pondered, trying to make a decision. He was at war with him self; a part of him wanted to go, but the other didn't.
He knew it was very risky, and a serious crime for uncertified or 9th-grade sorcerers to engage in a demon-raid, and a 9th-grade sorcerer like him had no talent whatsoever, or even fighting experience. Some say he was lucky to get off by getting a 9th-grade, even though being a 9th-grade is same as an average human.
Code raised his head to look at Ran, and he realized he was right - Ran's 5th-grade badge was a fake.
But somehow, his smile seemed to grow wider by the second.
"Arrgh," Code finally gave in after a long time of ponderings.
However, something important still wasn't clear.
"What's the cut?" Code asked, trying to sound casual, but his eyes betrayed his anticipation.
Ran's smile dropped slightly. "One percent."
Code's gaze dropped instantly.
"Is that a joke?"
"Joke?" Ran replied. "We're talking business here," he added.
"Tch. Go find someone else to joke with. I've got better things to do," Code hissed, as he turned to leave.
"Uh?" Ran exclaimed.
"Okay two!" His voice boomed from behind.
Code didn't even look back, instead, he kept walking.
"Four!"
Code stopped.
"Really, four, I can't go beyond that," Ran begged.
"Four?" Code replied, as he slowly turned back to face Ran. "I guess I could consider that, given my worth," Code replied, trying to sound cool.
"Arrgh," Ran sighed. "Four percent it is!" He said.
"Yes!" Code replied, stretching his hand for an handshake. "Nice having business with you," he replied.
"2 PM at Sylva sharp." Ran replied, shaking his hand, after which he turned to leave, waving his hands.
As he trudged on, he bit his lip, brows curving in anger. "Tch," he hissed.
"The bastard thinks he's a hot shot."
As soon as he disappeared, Code jumped in joy, hands flaying up. "Now, I don't have to think of how I'd survive," he whispered.
He turned around, checking to see if anyone had heard his conversation, and luckily, no one had.
Life in the slums was really tough.
Code shook his head, as he disappeared into the next alley. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.
***
To be continued...