Two months since we left off

Finally, after spending two months working all day everyday I now have enough information to pass as a native, and enough money to buy a small plot of land in the middle of a mountain range not far from here with an abandoned mine shaft. I plan to use this as a place to crash, stash, and make cash. How you might ask? Well, what industry makes a lot of cash, highly illegal, and makes huge waves in the Underworld whenever a development happens? Narcotics.

I found out after brainstorming with the Taken King that I can infuse substances with Darkness from the crown, making them more susceptible to following the Darkness, then, everything clicked. Selfish people like money, power, and strength, and will achieve then at all cost. this is what the Darkness wants in a follower, they take what they want, seeking strength above all. The strong and willful will thrive while the weak and unchanging shall die. What kind of people live by this rule? Criminals, and what makes a lot of money for criminals? Drugs. Bam, full circle. I provide drugs, they give money, power, fame, glory, and most importantly, strength for me and the Darkness. The Taken King doesn't like my slow, peaceful methods, but I assured him that in this strange and unfamiliar world, we must be cautious, and build up our foundations in the shadows. only once we are for sure can we strike at the light and reclaim it as the dark.

And so I managed to make two pills one that induces euphoria, and another that causes hallucinations, both have addictive properties so I can keep roping them in. With the production out of the way, all I need now is a distributor. the only problem is, I don't have any criminal connections yet. Guess I'll do it the old fashioned way.

I made my way to the projects district, to the slums specifically. Even in a golden age, poverty still exist, some might even say due to the heightened prosperity those who live in poverty will stay in poverty forever. I make my way to a corner and begin hawking my drugs, which I've dubbed Happy Pills and Trippy Pills. It doesn't take long for a mean mugging Cabal to come over to me.

"Oi, I don't know who you are, but clearly you ain't knowin who's turf this is, fuck off right now, or a lesson is gunna need to be learned here, capische?"

"Yeah yeah yeah, I gotcha, listen, you gotta boss I can talk to? You ain't exactly the most important person now are ya?"

"Tha fuck you say to me you little bitch? Care to say that to my face?"

"I just did, but it seems youre a little hard of hearing, I said You. Aren't. Important."

The Cabal swings at me, I duck and when I come up I uppercut him and knock him on his ass. He gets up, or tries to anyways, before I kick him in his ribs again and again.

"Mercy...please..."

"Mercy is for the weak, given by the weak. Nevertheless, I do need you. Take me to your boss, and I suppose I'll let you live."

"Thank you."

The Taken King pops out 

"Szaryx, you said it yourself, mercy is for the weak by the weak, what you did is not the way of the sword logic."

"Incorrect, I did not give clemency, what I did was utilize a tool. You should know more than I do that physical strength is not the only strength the Darkness desires in it's subjects. Cleverness is also a highly desired trait, and so is a thirst of knowledge, isn't it...Aurash?"

"Do not speak of that name to me undead Lightborn"

The Cabal looks at the possessed ghost

"What is that? And an undead? Lightborn? Sword Logic? Who are you?"

The King addresses the Cabal

"You do not understand your position cretin. I expect silence and obedience from a worthless creature like you. I have waged countless wars with your empire, slaughtering billions of your kin, I see no issue with adding one more."

The Cabal...pales? Not exactly a genius on Cabal physiology. I talk to him

"Hey big guy, what's your name?"

"Caitrox"

He replies very nervously

"Don't worry, as I said I won't kill ya, just take me to your boss. Oh, but a piece of advice, get stronger. I know it seems obvious now, but after I'm gone, you'll get stagnant and cocky again, and then what are you gonna do when I roll around again? Don't. Train your body, your mind, everything. Strength is everything. If you ever wanna get stronger, come find me."

"Ok..."

Caitrox seems rather reluctant but curious. Seems we could have our first follower. Maybe.

We arrive at a concrete box looking building, with no windows and a single door. Caitrox knocks a code, and it opens. 

"What is it?"

"Someone wants to meet the boss"

"Who?"

"I don't know, some drug dealer."

"And you couldn't take care of him?" 

"No"

"Alright, we'll take him up top then"

"Come on in"

I walk in, the other cabal leads me into a room. He tries to put me in a headlock from behind I grab his arm and throw him in front of me. He stumbles and I kick him behind the knee, causing him to fall down. I Stomp on his head twice and on the second stomp i cracked his skull like an egg. I feel a small amount of power flow into the Crown of Corruption, presumably small because he wasn't much of a threat. I look to Caitrox.

"Get the boss. For real this time."

I hear a voice found the corner

"Don't worry, I'm here. Let's talk."

I turn around and my surprise, it's a big ass Eliksni the size of an Archon.

"An Eliksni huh? A big one too, how much ether did ya eat big guy?"

"Enough to starve out my entire Ketch. Slaughtered them all so I can become the strongest."

"What's your name, and what's with all the Cabal? Why no other Eliksni or literally any other species?"

"I am Skinat. I employ cabal because they don't consume ether, and they make excellent muscle. Now, you. Who are you and what do you want?"

"I am Szaryx, and I come providing gifts, and a potential for profit. Look at these here, I call them Happy Pills and Trippy Pills, one induces euphoria equivalent to sex, and the other causes hallucinations. It works on all species except for Hydori and obviously Exo. Now apart from this, I have another proposition. You seem to pursue strength and power yes?"

"I do indeed"

"I serve an entity, called the Darkness. It values one thing and one thing only. Strength. It will give you the tools necessary to gain strength, but you must achieve it yourself. You gain strength the same way, by killing and survive being killed. However, the strength you recieve will be extraordinary, personally tailored to you.  Currently, due to the distance, and lack of followers here, it's powers are weaker. However, as we grow, get more people involved, the Darkness will get more powerful, and so will we. I used to be immortal, Everytime I died I would simply come back. I could corrode the armor of my enemies, melting the flesh off my enemies. Tell me, does immortality interest you?"

Skinat looks very interested. 

"Of course. However, how do I know you are telling the truth?"

The Taken King pops out of his mini dimension and flys over to Skinats face and gazes into his 6 eyes.

"Bug man. I am older than your entire species, and have caused more races to go extinct than the amount of breaths you have taken. I worship this very same being as my god. I slew one of it's most powerful beings who I thought was a god and killed it, turning it's flesh into a ship, a superweapon that causes entire fleets to DIE. I was once the most powerful beings in existence, and now I am reduced to this. If you want proof, touch the shell I reside in, and you will see your proof, but you will not be the same afterwards."

Skinat ponders, but touches it in the end. He begins to seizure immediately, and after 30 seconds or so he jolts backwards, unconscious.

"Milord, what did you do to him?"

"I merely showed him some things I have done in the name of my god."

Skinat awakens, I can feel both the fear and excitement flowing through him.

"So, will you accept?"

"Yes."

The power in my crown surges, and some flows out, and into Skinat. He receives the power in awe.

"So, what kind of power did you get?"

"All my muscles have been strengthened and and it's density is absolutely insane. I can make walls just disintegrate with a punch. I've never been so powerful"

"Good. Now, about these drugs. They have a small amount of darkness inside, and when consumed people become more inclined to join the movement. Also, it has addictive properties, so they keep coming back for more."

"Genius. Make it cheap at first so everyone wants a piece and then when it gets more mainstream jack up the prices, all the while gaining comrades."

"Exactly, now, when can we implement this?"

"Right now"