The guards circled them. Arthur wasn’t afraid. He had nothing to lose, being level 1, and Bram was with him.
A powerful NPC from the dragon kingdom. These guards couldn’t touch him. Bram could probably fight the whole city alone and still win.
"I’m here to visit a friend of mine," Bram said, taking the lead. "He’s the mayor. Can you bring his old ass here?"
The guards shouted at him.
"Old ass? Don’t talk about the mayor like that. You’re going to jail."
Bram had been a chill dude since the moment Arthur met him. But threatened by weak guards like these? He just couldn’t take it.
He let his aura leak, just a little. The guards trembled.
"I said call the mayor. I’ll wait here."
The guards didn’t fight. Obviously. Bram’s level was so high they couldn’t even see it. All of them ran back into the city to fetch the mayor, just like he’d demanded.
Some guards stayed on the watchtowers by the gate, bows aimed at Arthur and Bram. A few mages had their staves up too.
"Your friend is the mayor?" Arthur asked, shock plain on his face.
The king ruled the kingdom, along with the royal family, but each city had its own ruler too, one everyone called the mayor.
It was one of the highest authorities in the city. The holy church held real power as well, alongside the rest of the city council.
Either way, the mayor mattered. For normal players, meeting him took forever. You had to earn a high reputation in the territory first, and only then could you land his quests.
None of that mattered here. Bram was a good friend of the mayor, so Arthur would meet him without earning a shred of reputation.
They didn’t wait long. The mayor arrived, and Arthur recognized him instantly.
A tall older man, thick grey beard, a long fur cloak. An eye patch over his right eye.
Beside him floated a sphere, his weapon, a magical construct that marked him as something more than ordinary. The mayor had a special class. He was strong. Really strong.
When he saw Bram, he stopped dead. Scrubbed his beard like he didn’t trust his own eyes.
"Bram? No fucking way. Is that you?"
Ray ran and hugged him, both men slapping backs like old soldiers. The guards watched, still not quite believing Bram actually knew the mayor.
"Ray, you look old, my friend. What happened? Too much drinking?"
"Ha, stop that. Only you can fight time and win. What brings you here? And who’s this young man with you?"
Ray’s gaze slid to Arthur, scanning him, reading his strength in an instant. Arthur felt naked in front of him, like there was nothing left to hide.
"He’s my new apprentice."
Bram leaned closer to Ray and lowered his voice. "We need to talk. Something important. I think you’ll want to hear this."
Then he pulled out a locked box. "And I brought you a gift. Or rather, a gift for your daughter."
"You did? Don’t tell me you forged something. This is epic. Come in, both of you."
Ray extended a hand to Arthur. "Nice to meet you, young man. If you’re his apprentice, then you and I are friends."
They shook hands. Things Arthur never thought would happen to him were happening on his very first day. Unbelievable.
They walked together through the streets. Early morning, but the city was already awake, already moving. Everyone had somewhere to be.
People waved when they spotted the mayor. Some came close, and Ray smiled, greeted them, asked after their day. Everyone seemed to like him.
"Aren’t you scared someone might try to attack you out here?" Arthur asked.
Every city had its thugs, its criminals working in the shadows. An assassin could try for the mayor any day of the week.
"Thank you for your concern, but it’s not like they could do anything to me. Well. Maybe if someone really powerful tried." He shrugged. "Nah. Not even then."
Arthur believed him. Ray was one of the few mayors who never died, not even years after the game launched. Eventually he just stopped being mayor and vanished.
Maybe he died on some adventure somewhere. But Arthur doubted it. Ray was too strong of a mage for anything that simple to take him down.
They reached the city center, where Ray’s tower stood. Massive. Many floors.
Ray lived at the top, with several floors below reserved for his studies and experiments. The first floor held the adventurer’s guild. The rest were administrative offices.
Ray stopped at the base of the tower.
"I don’t want to go through the main door. The guild wants to talk to me about something, and I don’t have the patience for it right now."
He tapped Bram and Arthur on the shoulder, just one finger each. Arthur’s body went light instantly, and a notification popped.
[Ray Frostheart gave you the ability to fly.]
[Duration: 5 minutes.]
One tap. That’s all it took for Ray to hand them a spell most people would kill for.
’He’s stronger than I thought. Flight alone is high-level magic. Giving it away like pocket change...’
Arthur had never flown before. He moved through the air clumsily at first, awkward and stiff, until Ray’s magic caught him and pulled him steady, guiding him and Bram up together.
They reached the top floor and slipped in through an open window.
Ray poured wine for them both, handing a glass to Bram, then to Arthur.
"So. What do you want to talk to me about?"
Bram threw back the wine in one go.
"The Chosen Ones."