It wasn't hard for Dame to meet up with Fixteen now that he had appeared in Repton. Or, more precisely, it wasn't hard for Fixteen to find him.
Dame knew the news of his return would quickly spread. He could feel the intense looks in everyone's eyes. However, they weren't the same as before, the ones that looked at him as a useless fool.
Either way, it didn't matter; he didn't care about his reputation, good or bad. He just knew that his return would be informed, and with it, he headed to a common place where he and his friends would meet up regularly.
It was the three-tiered restaurant, where Dame would do all of his meetings with his guests. The place wasn't too busy tonight since it was quite late. The only ones that were still inside had one too many drinks.
There were some that were a bit more clued in; mercenaries, bandits, other clan members just enjoying their time in the corner here and there. And then there was Dame, who patiently sat on his own at a square table where there were four benches one on each side.
He had made his order, and it didn't take long for him to see Fixteen, Carlson, and Kirk walking through the door. They looked the same as ever, and scanning the room, Kirk was the first to notice Dame.
"He's right over there, he's right there just like you said he would be!" Kirk pointed and went to run ahead with a smile on his face, but Carlson had quickly pulled him back.
"Hey, don't you remember what we said?" Carlson whispered. "That we were going to ghost him for a bit, just like he did us. I mean, who just ups and leaves like that and doesn't tell us anything."
Fixteen hadn't told the other two what had really happened, but since he was in the room, he had seen it himself. He had seen Dame rush through the portal before it had even closed.
Honestly, he wasn't sure how long he would be gone for in that other world of his, but he felt like Dame needed some punishment for making them worry.
The three of them walked over, and when they did, they all sat down on the same bench, one opposite to Dame. None of them looked him in the eye as they turned their heads away.
"I know you guys are upset with me, but either way, I'm happy to see you all, and happy to see that all of you are fine. I don't know what I would have done if you were punished because of me, or sent off to fight in some crappy battle somewhere," Dame said.
"You're an idiot," Fixteen replied. "You can go off, but you should at least do so with a plan first. Otherwise, we might not be so lucky next time."
Dame smiled and ordered a few drinks for everyone. As they started to settle in, Dame did all the talking, asking them questions here and there about their general lives and talking about the past.
There was no mention of where he was or what he had been doing. His friends weren't like that; they weren't nosy and knew he would speak up if he felt the need. In the end, it was Dame that asked the first question.
"How is my father?" Dame asked.
At this point, both Kirk and Carlson were already too drunk to do anything. Fixteen, who didn't drink alcohol, was level-headed, and he somewhat knew these questions were going to come up.
"There are bigger issues at hand than you for him, so you are in the clear. But it's safe to say that I don't think you will be first in line to become the head of the Clan anytime soon," Fixteen smiled.
"I was never planning on becoming the head," Dame replied. "I want to carve my own path, and I'll be honest with you. I have a feeling that with the Dark Magus, I might be able to do it. I think I might even be able to create something even bigger than the Neverfall Clan."
Due to how Dame acted with the Clan, many might think that he had next to no ambition. But those that knew the real Dame, they knew it was different; he had no ambition to do anything regarding the Neverfall Clan.
"I heard some rumors around, and you said my father was struggling. Do you know what that's with?" Dame asked.
"It's the Light Faction," Fixteen answered. "Your victory against them, I guess, didn't rub too well, so they have been aggressive on the border. Honestly, your father was looking for you so you could earn more credit with the Demonic Faction, but since you weren't here, you can guess what he had to do."
Fixteen didn't need to say anything; it meant the task had gone to one of his other siblings, one of his brothers or even his sister.
"Speaking of the Dark Magus, Alba has stayed in Repton for quite a while," Fixteen started to change the subject. "It seems like she hasn't been able to get any leads on the Dark Magus, so she's returned to the one place where she knows she can get one."
"She has been on my back quite a bit, and not just on who this Dark Magus person is, but on getting some more product as well."
Dame started to rub his hands as he heard this, and looking down, he was hiding the smile on his face.
"Tell her to come and meet me in a couple of days. I'm sure she will be surprised, and make sure she brings quite a bit of coin with her. If not coin, then at least high-value items. I'm sure she won't be disappointed."
Hearing this, Fixteen's eyes started to widen. "Does that mean you returned with the Dark Magus? But then... you couldn't have come through the portal, how did you make it here?"
"What happened to the portal?" Dame asked.
"That was one of the disputes, so Beatrix went in and defeated the Dimension Boss inside. The portal no longer exists. So does the Dark Magus have some way to get here as well?"
When Fixteen heard himself saying those words out loud, he realized how frightening they were. An individual that could mass travel individuals to different areas. It was something that every Faction would fight for, as it could change the tide of wars.
"He is here, but keep it a secret, of course."
The group continued to catch up and enjoy their time together, and as they continued to talk, Fixteen wanted to bring up one more rumor that he had heard.
"Ah, have you heard of this talk of this new rising star from the Dark Faction?" Fixteen asked.
"Rising Star?" Dame replied, raising his eyebrow. Fixteen had no idea he was currently in the Dark Faction, but since he was limited to the academy, he didn't hear much news or information.
"Yes, apparently, he's still a student at the Pagna Academy. They say he's a superstar, the next big thing to come from the Dark Faction. Of course, these things are often exaggerated, but they are calling him the White Dragon. Have you heard of him?"