The holdup ahead caused by a commotion stalled the people on the floatway, and their immediate reaction was to drop to the ground. But of course, that was everyone's reaction, so instead of people being able to fit because they were floating in three dimensions, they were squished together in a crowd.

Yuriko spread her perception towards the commotion and blinked in consternation. The road was narrow here, and directly across each other were two buildings, each labeled by a sign that read: Adventurer's Guild. And out of their doors spilled dozens of men and women, adventurers, she assumed, falling onto each other in a drunken brawl.

"Woof!" Fluffington barked as he sped along the floatway. Yuriko held her place using her kinesis, avoiding the pressed up crowd. She watched the brawl with amusement then caught Fluffers before he drifted off.

"What are they fighting about, I wonder?" Yuriko muttered.

"For the rankings, of course," a woman said from underneath Yuriko, and a little bit to the left. She had bright green hair, a caramel skin tone that was almost Heron's shade, and amber eyes. She was clad in a blue robe that revealed just as much skin as a dress, and hovering over her shoulder was a pale blue orb about five inches across, bobbing up and down to a rhythm only it could hear. It had eyes of a deeper blue shade than the rest of its body, and somehow, those peepers conveyed emotion, currently presenting curiosity directed at Fluffers.

"Rankings?" Yuriko asked as she alighted from the floatway's anti-gravity field. She positioned herself next to the woman.

Greenhair looked at Yuriko from head to toe, then focused on her hooded face. She arched an eyebrow and said, "Carina Evanova. Steel-ranked Adventurer. Independent."

"Yuriko Mishala Davar." She pulled her hood back just enough that her face could be seen out of the shadows. Carina whistled.

"Huh, you're too hot to hide your face."

Yuriko smirked. "On the contrary, if I don't, people stare and get in the way."

"Modesty is overrated, it seems."

"It's simply the truth," Yuriko responded to her teasing tone. "You said something about rankings? I was under the impression that they were on the same side?" Yuriko gestured vaguely towards the guild signs.

"Well, both are Adventurers' Guilds," Carina said, "but they belong to different factions. They're fighting over who got the best delve score. And since they got a draw, some cock-ups decided a street brawl was the best way to settle things out."

"They're disrupting traffic."

"Yes, and they do every other week or so," Carina shrugged, "All in good fun. Look, none of them are using spells or summoning their monsters."

The brawlers were flailing around with fists, feet, broken mugs, and table legs, but no actual weapons. A half-empty bottle of wine, red from the scent, flew over the crowd and, coincidentally, straight towards Yuriko's head. She caught it deftly with a hand, and twisted it upright before it could spill.

"Cute wolf pup, I guess you're a tamer, too?" Carina said idly. She focused on Fluffington for a long moment, then her eyes widened. "Ooh, he's far along to be able to adjust his neoteny, huh?"

"How do you know that?" Yuriko wondered. In truth, although she and Fluffington shared a bond, she was uncertain how he grew and applied his Anima.

Monster tamer? Or was it monster summoning? Why call them monsters in the first place? Or was she mistranslating Carina's Wojan? Come to think of it, the interplanar tradespeak had a wider reach than she thought, even if only the basic elements were the same. Every civilisation added its own twist to Wojan, and somehow, everyone who knew it could understand the variant Wojan after listening to it for a few days or so. The Void Ocean variant had more changes, loan words, and slang than a typical variant but context gave away intent easily enough. Hmm…was Wojan supported by a vast Truth? No way to really tell, but something to consider, huh?

"It's easy enough to see, if you know what you're looking for. Hmm, I guess you're a new tamer?"

"Fluffington and I have only been together for less than a year," Yuriko admitted.

"Fluffington?"

"Duke Fluffington, Paragon of Fluffiness, First of His Name."

Carina's smile widened and she guffawed. "Hah! A fitting name! This here's Sir Blue, Wisp of Perfect Roundness!"

The sphere…wisp…bobbed up and down over her shoulder, indicating agreement. It rolled sideways and the only way it was apparent was because its…his…eyes weren't dead center.

"Nice to meet you," Yuriko said while giving a small wave.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"So, rookie tamer, huh? Can't be all you have, right?" Carina glanced at the crowd, then shrugged. "You new in town, I suppose? Wanna grab a drink?" She nodded towards one of the other establishments. Yuriko glanced up at the reflector orb, but unlike the normal projection of the Radiant Sun, this one didn't give an easy indication of passing time.

"Alright," Yuriko shrugged. It was as good a way as any to get to know the city.

"Awesome!" Carina grinned then jerked her head for her to follow. The four of them pushed their way across the road towards another establishment. It was labeled as the Puzzled Octopus and had a rough painting of an octopod with each tentacle wrapped around different beverages. The ground floor was crowded, but most of the patrons were actually peering out the windows to watch the fight. Some were even placing bets on the result.

"Is it such a mundane occurrence that people take it so casually?" Yuriko asked.

"Oh yeah, if not here, then close to the orbital elevator. It's over Wall One, and the more prominent guilds are based there. More rowdy, though, and more brawls that disrupt things."

"That can't be good for the city…" Yuriko commented, before shrugging. Node 626 wasn't a terrestrial city and probably wasn't home to more normal and steadfast folk.

"It is, actually," Carina chuckled. "With how much wealth comes from delving the first level of Shangria, people can afford to be careless with things."

"That's wasteful," Yuriko muttered.

"People got used to it," Carina shrugged. She pointed towards the stairs, "Let's go up. Better seats and away from the noise."

"I don't mind."

A light thread had formed between the two of them, but Yuriko didn't feel her Mien affecting the woman all that much. She could check the dreamscape if she got too curious later, but perhaps the obvious bond between Carina and Sir Blue was in the way. Not that she wanted to enthrall someone she just met.

They took seats at a table next to the window, though the shades were pulled down. A holographic screen popped up in front of Yuriko with a list of beverages and snacks, along with prices. The only difference between this technology and Dragon Fall City's was that the screen wasn't backed by a device, but projected in the air. She could also interact with it by touch, but through a black square that operated a cursor. She wasn't about to drink from an open bottle of wine, so Yuriko ditched it before they entered the tavern, but looking at the prices, that might have been a mistake. Either way, she opted for fried potato chips drizzled with melted cheese and ground meat, as well as a bottle of sweet wine.

"Did you arrive today? I saw an update of a couple of Voidships arriving."

"Yup. I let the others settle accommodations and credits while I scoped out the city," Yuriko admitted.

"Oh, you already have a group?" There was a trace of disappointment in her tone, quickly hidden behind a mask of joviality.

"You're looking for one?" Yuriko asked. "I was under the impression that the Bore would only open later in the year."

"The Bore? Who'd want to go all the way there? That's deep in the ninth layer." Carina waved offhandedly. "Adventurers and mercenaries delve the first layer of Shangria every day, and while the area around the orbital elevators is relatively safe, they're often picked clean hours after Shangria resets."

"Resets? What is Shangria, anyway?" Yuriko asked, "I was under the impression it was the way to get to the next level? Of the Eternal Tower?"

"The Eternal…oh! You must have come from outside, or the ground level, huh? Well, I can't say you're one in a million, heh. Lots of folks come here to try to get to the next level, but most stall out at the second layer of Shangria. Die, in the worst case, but mostly stop trying to get to the Bore since the 2nd layer's already great. Lots of rare stuff, natural treasures, and monsters." Carina caressed Sir Blue's shell. "I tamed him on the second layer," she admitted a bit wistfully.

"Oh," Yuriko said neutrally. Their order arrived soon after, and she enjoyed the fried potatoes even if Fluffington ended up eating most of them.

"Can I assume you and your companions are looking to delve?" Carina asked halfway through the meal. They'd been chatting about life in Shangria's orbital rings and Yuriko enjoyed Carina's dry humour and funny anecdotes. Besides, it seemed they had the same naming sense.

"Yes, also the tournament, I think."

"The Martial Faction's tournament? Ah, the Bore." Carina shrugged. "Well, I suppose that's one way to get to the Bore, but there are other ways to get a key, you know. Not to mention the difficulty of actually reaching the ninth layer."

"Seems like a fun idea anyway," Yuriko shrugged, "but if I don't have to, I guess I won't. What ways are you talking about?"

"Well," Carina shifted on her seat, took a sip from her mug of beer, then continued, "It's said that after a reset, Shangria would be flush with new material. All sorts of esoteric energy come up through the Bore when it opens for the reset, including materials for the key. Or, you can try delving up to the eighth layer. Nobody reached the ninth layer so far this cycle."

"How can you tell?" Yuriko asked.

"Because the cycle hasn't shifted. Anyone entering the Bore successfully also triggers a reset. And if anyone actually reaches the sixth layer and makes it back, they'd be crowing all over the rings."

"Is the place that dangerous?" Yuriko asked.

Carina grinned, "Nah, at least not the first through third layers." She tilted her mug until it was drained, then ordered another one, "Listen, I have to admit having an ulterior motive here. And not just 'coz of how gorgeous you are."

Yuriko raised an eyebrow, then teased, "Should I be offended?"

"Oh, nah," Carina blushed lightly, "As you could have guessed, I'm in between teams at the moment, and my funds will run dry by the end of the cycle. I'd rather not get indentured when I can't pay my debts."

"You want to tag along?" Yuriko asked. "I suppose we could use a guide. How long before the reset anyway?"

"A couple more years," Carina said, "but the Martial Tournament's been set because those musclebrains managed to scavenge materials from outside and want to build a proper delve party to the ninth. I hear the faction master finally wants to go beyond the Void Ocean but isn't confident of making it. Plus, the Mystic Union is building up a campaign too. Those two dragged the other three factions into a pissing contest on who can reach the ninth layer first this cycle."

When the new mug of beer arrived, Carina didn't gulp it down but took a careful sip, "What do you say?"

Yuriko hummed, "I ask the others, but I don't mind. Actually, I think I'd like to see what Shangria's like."

Carina's eyes widened. "You want to go soon?"

"Why not now?" Yuriko grinned. "You've got Sir Blue, I've got Flyffington, and you said the first layer around the elevators is fairly safe. What say you?"

Carina shook her head, then laughed, "You're pretty confident, aren't you? Fine, I like it! Let's go!"

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