It was almost evening when Tepmodus finally reached his target. Not that he could tell from the environment though. The difference between day and night wasn’t big enough.
There was no gorgeous evening red in the world of Endless Depth. Without the persistent clocktower most citizens would only realize that evening had passed when darkness had already settled within minutes.
Tepmodus was among the rare few who carried a pocket watch with them. But he didn’t have to use it often. He almost had an unbelievably keen sense for time. Some of his comrades in the army had even jokingly called him the walking clock from time to time.
The investigator frowned slightly. Why did he think about the army again? Oh, right. Because he looked into the faces of those orphans.
He just couldn’t help but see himself in them. Even after so many years this happened every time he came across those poor children. He always thought about all kinds of things from his past. Be it his parents or his friends.
Sighing lightly, Tepmodus noticed that he was quickly surrounded by curious faces. It seemed he was still somewhat approachable. At least these young kids didn’t have much fear as they inspected the drago with big eyes.
Fortunately, the beast had a good temper. Despite their slightly silly looks an angry drago can be quite the menace. Maybe it knew that if it lashed out at these kids, a bullet would land between its eyebrows.
After a few minutes the children’s excitement slowly died down. An older lady came out of the shabby building across the street. She called the orphans for dinner, who happily followed her.
This lady was also smart. She had fought for this spot close to the only hotel in the city. It was obvious that people who could still travel in this world where either wealthy or strong. Or, like in the case of Tepmodus, they were both.
Watching the leaving children the special investigator shook his head. He fished a small bag out of his coat. After opening it, a translucent, small crystal rolled on his palm. This was a force crystal, which served as currency in their world.
Throwing it elegantly, it landed in the old lady’s hands. With a bright smile she bowed slightly before disappearing into the orphanage.
Unbothered, Tepmodus turned towards another building. Although a small, flickering sign identified it as a hotel, it didn’t look much better than the orphanage. Run down walls and milky windows didn’t look that inviting, but this was the best one could get.
Jumping down from his mount, Tepmodus sauntered over. He didn’t need to order the drago. It knew to wait in front of the hotel until some staff would bring it something to eat. As a beast it was used to sleeping without a roof above its head.
With a loud grinding noise, the investigator opened the old door. A strange mix of a moldy and sweet smell entered his nose. The man was already familiar with this smell. He took a deep breath as he eyed the woman sitting idly on a chair to the side.
“My room. In one hour.”
Only now did the woman react. Her bored eyes cleared up as she gazed at the newcomer. She hurriedly set her skimpy clothes straight, a bright smile on her face.
“Tepo? My favorite customer is back in the city?”, she asked with a sultry voice.
The investigator rolled his eyes. He glanced at the black-haired man sitting behind a counter.
“Hey Ben. Did you tell her my nickname? You think I wouldn’t take her otherwise?”
“Haha, Tepo. Don’t misunderstand! Lara here just wanted to be closer to you!”
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“Whatever.”
Ignoring the young woman he hadn’t seen more than a couple of times in his live, the investigator talked to his old acquaintances:
“What’s going on in the city? Anything interesting?”
“Ahh what could happen here. It’s the same as always.”
“Outsider attacks?”
“A few, but the army dealt with them. Those monsters haven’t been able to cause much trouble in a long time.”
“I don’t understand them. From their perspective it really makes no sense to continue their attacks. Either stop and come to harvest from time to time or just overwhelm us with numbers.”
“Well, if even you don’t know what could I say?”
Lara felt left out as the two men conversed. Noticing a short pause she quickly chimed in:
“Don’t forget those strange blood thefts, Ben. So far, the outsiders never used such a tactic before.”
Tepo raise his brows slightly, while Ben glance at Lara in disapproval.
“Don’t spout nonsense, girl. What do you think the investigator is here for? Don’t influence him!”
Unfortunately, Tepo’s curiosity was already roused.
“What thefts are you talking about, Lara?”
“People all around the city have been waking up feeling sudden weakness. Doctors have quickly found out that they were missing a lot of blood.
It was stolen overnight, but no one heard anything. Even though some doors have been broken!”
Lara shivered slightly, imagining those eerie scenes. And she wasn’t the only one. Many people in the city didn’t dare to sleep anymore, afraid of having their blood silently stolen.
“Hmm, interesting.”, commented Tepmodus. Inwardly he was surprised. Could it be that the outsiders were really using new tactics? This had never happened. So far, they were only attacking mindlessly, often throwing their lives away.
If this was really the outsiders’ work it would have far-reaching consequences. Not only would it mean that they suddenly found their brains, but also that they managed to infiltrate a city undetected.
Tepo felt a headache just thinking about it. He hoped that he would find a different explanation. Otherwise, it would be bad news for humanity.
Having just learned that he had to deal with such troublesome matters tomorrow, Tepo wasn’t in the mood to talk more.
“Sorry Ben. I’m pretty tired. Can you give me the keys.”
“Sure.”
“Thank you. Let Lara bring me something to eat later.”
Nodding towards the two people, Tepo quickly grabbed the keys handed over by Ben before disappearing into the familiar hallway.
Left behind, Ben glanced angrily at Lara.
“You better make up for this later.”
Knowing that she might have been a bit rash, the pretty woman smiled sheepishly.
“Of course. I always give my best.”
“Hmpf.”
Tepo wasn’t really annoyed by Lara in particular, though. Rather, it was the potential threat which made his stomach churn right now. As someone who fought at the frontline, he knew that the outsiders were actually strong enough to eradicate humanity. But they didn’t do so.
This behavior had been consistent for dozens of years. Any change on the enemies’ part certainly wasn’t favorable for humanity.
Hoping for the best Tepo arrived at his room. Closing the door behind him, his eyes roamed the room. This familiar place also hadn’t changed. The doorknob was still greasy, the air still stuffy, and the only nightstand still dusty.
At least this made hope that the small TV was still working.
Throwing his coat and shoes into a corner, Tepo roughly punched the TV’s power button. With a crackle it luckily turned on, showing a solemn female’s face as her voice filled the room. Tepo threw himself on the short bed, listening with one ear.
“…again attacked. 200 adult humas have died during the fights. On general Rater’s order the reinforcements arrived quickly, killing at least one thousand outsiders.
In the former city of Adlanda the outsiders have once again held a sacrificial ritual. Army scouts report that no god seemed to have answered them. They used at least 1000 liters of blood. Stronger attacks are thus expected during the next few weeks.
Outsiders have sent a message towards the army once more. They demand immediate surrender. In the message they proclaim that the god of Limitless Storms will descend to our world within the next week. Whoever does not surrender will be killed without mercy. This is the 43rd time we have received this message.
Now the weather…”
Tepo threw his pillow in annoyance. With an accurate hit, the TV turned off. It didn’t matter anyways. The investigator felt as if he had heard the same news a thousand times already. Nothing ever seemed to change.
Relaxing his agitated mind, Tepo laid spread eagled on the bed. His feet dangled of the edge as the bed was way too small for any adult human.
After closing his eyes for a while, a knocking sound came from his door. Happy about some company the grumpy man swiftly opened.
In the hallway stood a brightly smiling Lara. Her young face lit up, as she presented the things in her hands. A plate with some unidentifiable grey soup and a bottle with transparent liquid danced in front of Tepo’s eyes.
“I brought three snacks for you!”, exclaimed the woman flirtatiously.
With a light smile Tepo stepped aside, inviting his company for the night in.
Hopefully the small bed could endure two people.