When I reached the entrance of the dungeon, the place was completely empty. I wondered what had happened that made those kids not show up again, but I didn’t think that even the regular soldiers would be involved.
‘What happened here?’
It looked like the guards had left in a hurry since their tents were still around. Maybe a new dungeon emerged somewhere nearby… Moredall territory wasn’t that close to the border, so it certainly wasn’t an attack.
I stopped to think about what I should do… not returning to the dungeon seemed like a waste, but learning what had happened as soon as possible was the best option. Knowledge is power, after all. In the end, I decided to carve some bows in order to not have to return to the entrance for a few days. Thanks to my vehicle, I could return in two hours, but that was still a lot of time wasted.
In the end, I had to wait for a day before I eventually learned what had happened… it looked like Cassius imagined that eventually I would look for him in the city. It wasn’t that far away, after all. Still, he only recalled later that I didn’t know where he lived. Knowing him, I imagined that he would eventually send a message in case of emergency, but he came himself in a carriage.
“My apologies, Fletcher. Some troublesome situations have taken place, so I am kind of busy.”
“What happened?”
Cassius opened his eyes wide when he heard my voice for the first time… it wasn’t my original voice, but it was the ominous version that I had envisioned. Thanks to how it sounded, perhaps I could call myself Darth Regulus or something. Or perhaps just using the name Darth the next time would be fine.
Regardless, thanks to combining the effects of wind and muffling sound enchantments, I was able to learn the Sound Modulation enchantment. With that, I could change the tone of my voice from really grave to really loud.
“Your voice is different from I had imagined… Regardless, it took a lot longer for you to get tired of the talking with-notes nonsense.”
I stayed silent with my arms crossed and waited for an explanation of the situation. Cassius took another deep breath.
“We have a problem at the coast… while we helped the people of the Aquarian kingdom over the years, and the war with the pirates ended six months ago, a new problem has arrived. Thanks to the peace that it took place in the Great Sea, some… annoying fellows decided to take advantage of the good relationships with the Aquarian kingdom… to capture some of them.”
I raised my eyebrows… I didn’t hear about the end of that conflict. In any case, it took more than six years to end. I wondered if Reyner stayed there during the whole time. Since they were allies of the humans for decades, I found quite a bit of information about them in that library. They had three factions that were pretty famous. The first was the Tital Emissaries.
The Tidal Emmisaries believe in the importance of cooperation and peaceful coexistence with surface-dwelling civilizations and even other underwater factions. Their goal is to maintain trade, diplomatic ties, and peace between both worlds.
Their goal is to ensure that the seas and the lands remain in harmony. They work to prevent conflicts that might arise from surface pollution, fishing, or territorial disputes. They also seek to introduce the surface world to aquatic innovations and culture.
The second group was the Coral Keepers. They view the ocean’s coral reefs as sacred and believe in the careful stewardship of all underwater life. They act as protectors of the ocean’s fragile ecosystems, advocating for balance and harmony within marine environments.
Their goal is to protect coral reefs, sea creatures, and the marine environment from threats such as overfishing, pollution, or destructive magic. They seek to restore damaged areas of the ocean and safeguard endangered sea life.
Finally, there was the most troublesome one… The Leviathan Clan. The clan sees the ocean’s most powerful creatures, leviathans, krakens, and giant sea serpents, as the true rulers of the sea. They dedicate their lives to bonding with these creatures and using their power to protect or conquer.
Their goal is to become the greatest military power in the ocean, using their control over massive sea creatures to protect their people or wage war against enemies by using any means necessary to achieve their goals. They also seek to uncover and tame even larger and more powerful creatures hidden in the sea.
All in all, Tidal Emissaries were a group that focused on more talking and less fighting. The Coral Keepers were a bit rough around the edges, and the Leviathan clan was filled with nut jobs.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Capture?”
“I am not really going to get used to this voice of yours… Yeah, captured, for all kinds of purposes. Slavery, alchemy, amusement… we have been receiving complaints for a while, but once they attacked one of the ports, they confirmed that some of their people were being kept there and they are preparing for war right now.
Yikes… using people for alchemy. That was next-level nasty work. In any case, who was the moron who ruined the alliance and started another war even before people had the chance to recover from the previous one? It shouldn’t be that easy to capture people underwater when they can live there indefinitely.
“Thanks to that, we are sending half of our forces to help the coast… three ports were already destroyed, and it is only a matter of time before all of our maritime routes are completely cut off.”
“Why don’t you guys just give the people responsible for those crimes to the Aquarian kingdom?”
“... Easier said than done. They are powerful people. Too powerful, in fact.”
I wasn’t surprised. It looked like the more someone got power, the more they wanted to test it and see how far they could get away with it. I knew that most people in this world had a lot of problems since they hated half-humans just because they were half, but I didn’t think that they would be stupid enough to shield the scum just because they were powerful in the empire. Well, usually, an ever-expanding empire was just like that… filled with people who never get satisfied with what they have.
“How powerful, in fact? The type who is connected to the Emperor?”
“I would rather not say that, but…”
He didn’t say that, but he nodded. Regardless, it wasn’t my problem, so I just handled the bows and waited for my payment.
“Sorry, but our deal will have to take a pause.”
“Oh, really? I suppose it can’t be helped.”
I had the confidence that I could reach the thirty floors at the very least, but getting three classes for a couple of bows wasn’t half bad. I decided to take out my bike and then run for the hills before trouble arrived.
“I have a new offer for you.”
“I refuse.”
“At least, listen to me.”
“No way.”
“We will need some support on the ports and even on the ships, too. Few crafters and enchanters can defend themselves, but I am sure that you can do that! If you decide to help us, I can give you an item that has that effect that you asked for!”
A while ago, I told Cassius that I could work for him alone for six months if he found a magic implement with the mana-draining effect. He said that it was impossible and that an item like that cost at least fifty Ignis coins. So, he basically said that my skills for six months weren’t worth as much. I didn’t take it to heart since it was true.
However, for him to bring that out again at this time… as expected, he was too cunning. However, I found myself slowing down a bit. I didn’t have the connections to buy an item like that. They were only sold to those who were filthy rich and had connections as well. I stopped and then turned halfway on my bike.
“... Why the sudden change of heart? You said before that my skills were good, but not that good.”
“I didn’t use those words. I said that I couldn’t afford it. The situation is different now. I have some serious investments in one of those ports, and the guards in this territory are being sent to defend it as well.”
I knew that in times of war, the value of an individual can skyrocket based on the skills they bring to the table. It’s as though every ability, every specialized talent, gains heightened importance when survival and victory are on the line. Skills that might seem ordinary or even secondary in peace times, like smithing, healing, scouting, or strategic planning, suddenly become critical to the entire war effort.
Imagine someone with advanced knowledge in medicine; they’d go from being just another healer to a lifeline, the difference between life and death for wounded soldiers. Their skills in treating injuries, handling trauma, and even preventing infections would make them invaluable to any fighting force.
Thanks to that, I could understand the situation, but it still troubled me… this was a golden chance, but I might get involved with nobles. Adventurers had less influence, and they didn’t have the power to do anything with me if they found my appearance suspicious. Nobles were different in that aspect. That was clear, since thanks to a few of them, this war was starting.
In any case, Cassius could tell that I was being conflicted. If it were easy to convince me, I wouldn’t have refused to work for him for almost a year. Besides, this was an even worse business proposal since it involved a war. It was impossible to tell for how long it would last.
“I can arrange the relic before you start working and you will have only to work for three months for us.”
“Well, not like you guys wouldn’t benefit from having someone who can fight and use that kind of enchantment, after all.”
“Indeed… you will have to enchant weapons with that kind of effect, but you will be given the materials necessary and you will be paid for it as well. We can sign a magical contract with the terms.”
Wow, he was really in a tough situation if he was willing to go that far… the risk of dying would be high, but I was planning to learn how to fight against people sooner rather than later, so perhaps this was a good chance. Still, I couldn’t make such a decision so soon… that kind of effect would definitely make my life easier in the future, and it was a good card against mages and magic creatures as well, but was it worth risking my life?
Besides, I told Rayner once that I wouldn’t fight for the empire since it was filled with people who hated me. I would be doing this for myself rather than from the kingdom, but that still didn’t sit well with me.
“You are really difficult to negotiate with… What if I give you a skill book that will teach you the knowledge of how to make a quiver that summons arrows automatically?”
Something felt off…if he had such a skill book, why did he try to hire someone like me for so long? Still, I decided to accept the offer. This effect would speed up my plans quite a bit alongside the other one.