"Let's forget about it.", sighed Yerive.
Tepo frowned faintly. It seemed he didn't help his friend much.
"I called because of something else anyway."
"Right. You said something strange happened?"
"Yes.", nodded Yerive. "I just learned about it today. Parton has been admitted to the city guards."
Tepo was taken aback for a moment, but he smiled right after. Although the young man didn't have a good opinion of the mayor, this shouldn't affect his friends. The city guard sounded like Parton's dream job, so Tepo could only congratulate him.
"Great! We should celebrate with him!"
"But… that's not all…", said Yerive hesitantly.
Tepo looked at his friend's uncertain face. He somewhat got a bad feeling.
"Parton… he has just joined the guard, but he was already placed in an exploration team. A soldier even informed Parton when I was with him. It… didn't seem coincidental."
"Did they say anything else?", asked Tepo with a frown.
"Yes. The soldier pretended to be cordial. He talked a lot with Parton. For example, about the dungeon they would activate today. Or how some teams were too busy, which would leave the dungeon unprotected for a day. Only after their teams returned could they explore it."
Upon hearing this, Tepo felt immense rage boiling in his chest. He had the urge to shatter the table before him into a million pieces, but he immediately suppressed it again.
What are they planning?! Is this a threat? Are they trying to lure me into the dungeon by threatening me with Parton?
It can't be a coincidence, right? Only a few days ago the director offered me to enter a dungeon with them, and today Yerive brings such news? What the f*ck is the mayor playing at?!
Tepo was confused and angry. His muscles tensed, but he did his best to hold back. He didn't want to drag Yerive into this. It was for the best if his friend didn't know that this was a plot aimed at him. Therefore, he put on a puzzled expression:
"The soldier said so much?"
"Yeah.", nodded Yerive.
Pretending to fall into deep thoughts, Tepo lowered his head.
"Do you think they had any purpose?"
"I don't know, but it's odd.", said an uneasy Yerive.
"First, they throw you into jail, now they recruit Parton. I feel like something dubious is going on."
"Hmm, I'm not sure.", disagreed Tepo. "After all, I did insult the mayor and he pardoned me quickly. Now Parton simply gets his dream job. Maybe we are thinking too much."
Yerive fell silent. Why was Tepo not angry at the mayor? Who had ever been thrown into jail during the awakening ceremony? Had Tepo really forgiven Taren? Was he the one overthinking things?
Noticing the strange mood his friend was in, Tepo felt rather guilty. But so far, he hadn't even figured out why the mayor seemed to target him. The young man didn't want to drag his best friend into such a dangerous situation.
Not wanting to harp on the topic, Tepo urgently needed a diversion. And luckily, he found exactly the one he was the most familiar with. His eyes lit up as he gazed at the red-haired waiter.
"Raka! Get us two beers!", yelled Tepo.
Opposite him, Yerive's eyes widened.
"Tepo? What are you doing?"
"Getting us something to drink of course.", stated Tepo confidently.
"But I… have never drank alcohol.", whispered Yerive.
Tepo almost wanted to laugh, but he held himself back. It seems alcohol wasn't as omnipresent as in his old life. In the World of Endless Depths many drowned their sorrows at a young age.
"Don't worry. It's only a single beer."
"Exactly, it's not that bad. I had my first one at fourteen.", laughed Raka who had quickly arrived at their table.
"See!", encouraged Tepo. "It's just to loosen up somewhat."
Being looked at by Raka and Tepo, Yerive felt a bit embarrassed. He stared at the golden liquid sparkling in the glass in front of him.
As Raka resumed his work, Tepo raised his own glass, holding it towards Yerive.
The young adult still hesitated. But suddenly he remembered something. Didn't he want to be a manly hero? Didn't he want to travel the world and meet other heroes? Wouldn't they celebrate together in taverns and inns? Would he need to… drink a lot then?
Taking a deep breath, Yerive looked like he was prepared for a battle. Determination found its way into his eyes. Under Tepo's encouraging gaze, he raised his glass and clinked it against Tepo's.
"Cheers!"
"Ch… cheers!"
The rest of the evening turned blurry for Yerive. Even Tepo noticed that his new body was unaccustomed to dealing with alcohol. Especially since it tasted like the beer in this world wasn't the same he knew.
But it was worse for Yerive.
For the next few hours, he started conversations with all kinds of people. Together with Tepo he assured everyone that he was the future king of swords. The drunken youngster brought a lot of joy to the inn.
Unfortunately, this was over when Radac entered the room. The old man scolded Tepo before dragging Yerive home. Naturally, Tepmodus didn't stay much longer.
Walking along the quiet streets, his mind quickly cleared up. Although his young body wasn't used to alcohol… yet…, but a single beer still wasn't enough to get the experienced Tepo drunk.
A forlorn atmosphere accompanied Tepo as he quietly stood at a certain street corner. His eyes fell on his comfortable home not far away. He sighed lightly as his fists clenched.
It's alright. I had a few great days. Now is not the time to get lazy. The mayor is clearly targeting me and is even dragging my friends in. It's time to take action!
Eyes growing determined, Tepo turned around. He pulled out his com from a pocket and made a call.
"Tepo? Do you need something?", sounded Reahva's gentle voice.
"Mom. I… I'm meeting with Yerive. I might not come home tonight."
"Alright!"
Tepo almost staggered. Wasn't this too easy? Did his mom ask no questions? Wasn't she concerned for his safety?
"Ah, then… bye?"
"Bye! Love you!"
After his mother cut the connection, Tepo shook his head. Why was Reahva so easygoing? Could it be that the city was this save at night? This was impossible, right? After all it was full of strong warriors.
Not able to wrap his mind around it, Tepo could only burry his doubts. Right not it was more important to focus on his goal. It was time to clear his first dungeon.
Despite this clearly being a trap, Tepo had no other choice. He needed to clear the dungeon, take the artificial core, and escape unscathed. Only then was Parton safe.
Naturally Tepo also realized that Taren Raunej could prepare the same ploy again and again. But fortunately, dungeon cores didn't grow on trees. Tepo only needed to get stronger hurriedly. If he had enough power, it was easy to protect his friends and family.
Having come to this conclusion, Tepo didn't hesitate any longer. From Yerive he later even learned that the dungeon was activated somewhere west of the city.
The young man sneered. Why would the guard search a random place for their dungeon? Wasn't this just to avoid the public eye?
Tepo soon entered one of the public ships.
He did his best to regulate his breathing and heartbeat. The young man wasn't sure what he felt as the city slowly sank into darkness.
Fear and excitement battled in his mind. He contemplated asking someone for help, but soon dismissed the thought. Everyone he knew was either too weak or wouldn't dare to antagonize the mayor. Or both.
Thus, it was only him now. He rode along the wind channels in a big ship, observing the flickering lights of various buildings. Even at night the city was still beautiful. It didn't deserve such an ugly mayor.
Despite Tepo's wild emotions, the ride remained peaceful. After about half an hour the young man got off the ship close to the city's western end. Although Floating Rain wasn't big with its about 400.000 inhabitants, it still occupied quite a lot of space due to the clouds it was built on.
Surrounding the city were strong storms, which couldn't be crossed easily. Without special means or high-quality ships, it was only safe to stay on the wind channels. Fortunately, Tepo found something in his memories. There was a special method commonly preferred by many traveling warriors.
After asking around for a short while, Tepo soon arrived before a big building on a busy street. A smaller house at the front only held a reception, but it was dwarfed by the massive structure annexed behind it. When Tepo's eyes fell on the sign hanging from its wall, he knew he had found what he was looking for:
"Faryo's Flying Beasts"