Tepo found it hard to believe his eyes. Here, within a floating ocean was a space devoid of water. At its bottom swam a big, light green rock. Its surface was smooth, shimmering mysteriously under the blueish light the ocean allowed to reach here.

On top of the rock was a giant tower. With at least ten floors the tower made from a dark brown wood should be even higher than the city hall of Floating Rain.

But what really left Tepo speechless was the giant snake-like beast coiled around the tower. Its huge body was covered in scales. Under the diffuse light those seemed to change between the vibrant green of jade and the elegant turquoise of the sea.

The beast had leathery fins pressed against its limbless body. But Tepo wouldn't dare to underestimate it. He wouldn't be surprised if a swing of its long tail could decimate entire city blocks.

Doing his best to stay calm under the beast's natural pressure, Tepo's eyes roamed its body until he stopped at its head. To his surprise this beast was wearing a huge, blue mask with some wavy, white lines on it.

Anvil had already turned around. She was eager to see the newbie's expression and it didn't disappoint her. With an open mouth Tepo only came back to his mind when the ship's hatch opened.

The snake's head slowly lowered. Thin, green eyes focused on the trio. Anvil grinned as she introduced:

"Newbie. Come, greet senior Wave. Senior Wave, this is newbie."

"Mhm…" a long, drawn-out sound echoed within the empty space. Tepo felt as if it pierced right into his bones. It was immediately apparent that he was facing an enormously powerful being. Even Quill couldn't give off such pressure.

"Senior Wave!"

Tepo didn't dare to say more before figuring out the beast's character.

Meanwhile Quill slowly steered his ship towards the ground.

"Ok guys. Don't disturb Senior Wave. Let's settle down first."

As the ship reached the ground and Wave turned her had away, Tepo took a deep breath. Only now did he realize how much sweat was running down his back. He was glad about Quill's suggestion. He didn't feel prepared to talk to Wave yet.

Jumping out of the ship, Tepo looked at Quill's back in contemplation. He imagined how many times stronger Wave might be than the warrior. Thousands? Tens of thousands?

Suddenly Quill turned around with a raised brow. Tepo was startled. Such keen senses! Obviously, no one here should be underestimated.

Anvil was already advancing ahead of the trio. The tall woman was glad to be home. She deserved a few days of rest now! With those thoughts she easily pushed the sturdy gate open and stepped into the tower.

Quill and Tepo followed right behind her, passing a short hallway, as Anvil's sudden yell echoed in the tower:

"We're home, cuties."

The trio arrived in an open room with a winding staircase at its center. The walls formed an octagon, with seven doors leading into other rooms.

Suddenly life came into the silent tower. On the ceiling smooth stones lit up, spreading a warm, soothing light. With a swish all the doors opened at the same time. Abruptly small beings floated into the room, dancing in the air.

The were tiny, with humanoid shapes but no defining features. Making cute cooing noises similar to birds they happily swarmed towards Anvil and Quill.

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Meanwhile, Tepo couldn't help himself but to break out into laughter.

The cute beings weren't made from flesh and blood, but from the energy of the four elements. Right now, one of those beings, with a body made from fire clung to Quill's arm. The strong warrior's eyebrow twitched. His sleeve slowly began to burn. His immaculate robe was damaged immediately.

But luckily a wind being came to the rescue! It glided next to the fire being, making a posture as if blowing air from a mouth. A strong jet of wind immediately came out of nowhere. The fire being let go of Quill, tumbling through the air. Instantly a water being appeared, putting out the burning sleeve.

While Quill mourned for his perfectly fine robe, the three beings danced around each other, seemingly conversing, or simply expressing their happiness.

Meanwhile, Anvil happily played around. She had an earth being standing on her hand, pretending to lead some deep conversations.

Quill looked at the chaos caused by the few dozen beings and sighed. Turning towards Tepo he explained to the amazed young man:

"Those are our spirits of the four elements. They manage all our bases. They can be quite chaotic but are mostly reliable. If you need anything you can just tell them. We simply call them fire, water, air, and earth."

Tepo nodded in understanding. However, a particular part of this introduction had caught his interest:

"Bases? So there are more than this one?"

"Nice try.", answered Quill leisurely.

"Come, let's get you a room."

Tepo smiled wryly as he followed behind Quill. The two men directly entered the first room to the right. Tepo was a bit surprised by the sporadic furniture.

A simple bed, a big chest, and a bathtub were all the room had to offer. Although everything was tidy and of good quality, the young man expected more from an organization which even had beasts as powerful as Wave in their rows.

As always, Quill seemed to know exactly what Tepo thought:

"You shouldn't care too much about the room. Once you become a warrior you will be traveling a lot. And all the really important facilities are at the higher floors."

"Ok, thanks. This room is more than I could've asked for."

"Good.", spoke Quill nonchalantly. "They all look the same as this one anyways. Now, you can store your stuff here. I will show you around."

Nodding thankfully, Tepo did as he was told. As the two men turned around, Anvil was already gone. Only a few elemental spirits still fluttered around, trying to tidy up their own mess.

But it was a case of taking two steps forward and one step back, as the water spirits cleared the fire spirits' traces, and the wind spirits blew away small rocks dropped by the earth spirits.

Tepo chuckled lightly. He didn't know why and how the organization employed these spirits, but he had to admit that they were great for lifting one's mood.

But he was uncertain if Quill shared his opinion. The warrior had at some point changed into a tidy robe before he led Tepo up the stairs.

Once they arrived at the second floor, the two men already heard some clamor. Anvil's voice came from behind a big door with a sign saying kitchen on it. The woman's cheerful conversation with some elemental spirits mixed with the sound of a knife cutting down continuously.

Around the two men were multiple doors leading to different rooms. All their names were displayed on the doors, so there wasn't much to explain. Tepo more or less understood what alchemy, artificer, and small laboratory meant.

Gradually the young man grew excited. The mysterious organization appeared to be more and more comprehensive and powerful. Now if only they weren't criminals…

Luckily not knowing Tepo's thoughts for once, Quill proceded to show him the third floor. It was made up of eight training rooms, a necessity for any warrior. Nodding his head in appreciation, Tepo was ready to continue when Quill suddenly stopped.

"Ok, that's all for now. If you want to see more, you have to pass the test…"

Tepo felt an ominous feeling in his stomach.

Right, I have been shown so much. And this organization obviously values secrecy. What if I don't pass the test? Will I be silenced…?

Drawing a sharp breath, Tepo felt a headache incoming. He had to pass this test, whatever they threw at him. He couldn't fail!

While Tepo was still worrying, Quill was already on his way down. The warrior reminded his new recruit that Anvil was making food for all of them. But the young man didn't know if he felt like eating right now. In the end his politeness prevented him from declining.

But as Tepo sat down together with Quill and Anvil, his mind soon relaxed. The trio chatted happily among the dancing spirits. A lively atmosphere filled the tower. Even Wave outside felt comfortable just from listening.

An hour later Tepo laid in bed with a full belly. Who would've thought that Anvil was such a great cook? On the other hand, for Tepmodus all meals in this new life would most likely taste great, at least miles ahead than what he knew from his past.

Still, all in all Tepo enjoyed himself. Quill and Anvil didn't appear to be bad people. The young man felt positive about his future as he slowly drifted into sleep.