SockySake

  As soon as Fergus set down ptes in front of the other sleeping beauties, they were lured from their rest to the irresistible smell of Fergus's cooking. Although the dungeon meat didn't have a scent, the many spices used did.

  Higgins was much like Alex, eating in her sleep. She hadn't even taken off her helmet. Damian didn't even get to see her eyes open widely in shock from how delicious the food was. She only paused at the first bite. He'd have to wait and see if Fergus's food would ensnare her yet.

  She, too, will join the Cult of Fergus~ The best way to protect it is never to acknowledge that it actually exists~! Damian procims in his mind.

  The two groups enjoyed a hearty meal without speaking. Everyone was too engrossed in the food before them. This had to be what authentic fine dining looked like—speechless people who were too engrossed in mouthwatering food to bother conversing.

  "So, what did you see up at the royal castle? Was it the giant?" Natasha asked.

  "... Yeah, there was a giant wraith of tier 7 that was using the castle as its throne. It seems that the royal army killed it, or a Valkyrie did. Didn't see a Valkyrie though."

  "Haaa. I thought I was seeing things earlier. One moment, I saw a giant, and the next moment, once I grabbed Derrick's attention, everything was normal."

  "Um, for some reason, it doesn't look like it's disappearing, though. Just like our big ape over there. Any idea why?"

  "None at all, this is my first time battling so many wraiths. Any of you lot got an answer?" Her fellows on the casket shrugged their shoulders, but the earth shaper on the ground slowly raised his hand.

  "Um... it was in one of grandpa's journals. It's uncommon for it to happen because of the Valkyrie, but wraiths tier 6 and above become much stronger and gain a physical body. Um, they also don't disappear as other wraiths would. You have to either burn or bury them."

  "Oh~ I didn't know grandpa G was a big enough explorer to be involved with something like that."

  "Ah, no... He watched a Valkyrie deal with it. He noted that they were likely always the ones dealing with these rare cases."

  "Did his journal say anything about harvesting the beast's parts?" Derrick asked.

  Everyone's heads turned toward the ape.

  "Ah, no... The Valkyrie burned it all to dust at the time."

  *cough* *cough*

  "Probably best if we leave that to the crafters. For all we know, anything crafted from a wraith could be cursed."

  The implication began to sink in, making the idea of harvesting something that had once been a person much less appealing.

  "So, how long have you guys been working in town? We had only arrived a few days ago and entered the Spire right away."

  Natasha rolled her shoulders. "We've been working this dungeon for two years now. My cousin only joined us this year. If you were wondering what a long-time resident thinks of the situation, I think you're out of luck."

  "Most of the adventurers who've settled down here left for the residential & Inn districts once they stopped letting people into the dungeon."

  "Another group fled into the wider city after the explosions. The guards are probably too afraid or too loyal to speak up, lest they get punished for making conspiracy theories."

  Natasha pointed at the sleeping Higgins. Finn had only just noticed who was sleeping by their campfire and kept looking toward the entrance, then back at the sleeping Higgins for a double, then triple, take.

  "But if you were trying to make sense out of this situation, I'd say it's the succession battle between the first and second prince."

  "!!! Isn't this all too much for a succession battle? Wouldn't all of this weaken the country instead? It'd make more sense if it were one of the other three nations or another country within the Earthen Union vying for power." Damian questioned.

  "Plus, that's not even accounting for the fact that the Valkyrie will probably wipe the people who are responsible off the face of Tania," Frey added.

  "It's just my personal theory based on feelings I've been getting. This city's been like a tinderbox too close to a fire since we've arrived. The First Prince wants to focus on the economy, and the Second Prince wants to ramp up the war with the Fire Empire."

  "If you had spent more than a day in the city and heard the town criers, you would have heard any number of things. The First Prince was passing ws that aid his noble and merchant benefactors and stifle the common folk."

  "Or that the Second Prince was interfering in other nobles' succession battles to gain more support and push the war effort forward. I heard rumors that he'd done a quite number on some of them to put his supporters in power."

  There's probably a lot of mud-slinging mixed in from what I can tell. But from what I've seen from the common folk, when you can't beat someone in a fair fight, some y down and accept defeat, and others resort to pying dirty to get their way, the madness of it be damned." She whispered loudly, giving the traitorous words a little bit of courtesy.

  Damian didn't know what to make of Natasha's view on the situation. There were still far too many things he didn't know about the country's political climate. Finding out who was bad and who was less bad.

  He and Alex were from the country of Splee. The area they lived in was far too remote and inconsequential to really matter in the Union's politics.

  They had met Frey, Fergus, Donna, and Isaac in Shan, just west of Splee and East of Duco.

  They might know a little bit more, but they've been busy adventuring for the st couple of years together—no time to stay focused on the news of another country.

  To find out more, they'd have to ask someone who's been around for much longer. They could always ask Ms. Sanderson, but it was unlikely they'd get a straight answer from her. She had some connection with the First Prince.

  Without enough information, they'd have to see who remained once the dust settled. Only then could they piece the puzzle together from the remains.

  "So who's been winning the succession war so far?"

  "That'd be the First Prince."

  'sigh'

  ***

  As Damian and his party conversed with Finn's Spell Slingers, most of the people who went outside had returned carrying crates and tied up corpses.

  Down one of the side passages into the dungeon, a group of adventurers was seen escorting some of the crafters and healing center staff back. Damian didn't know what happened to the others. Hopefully, they just refused to move from a teleporter.

  "Can anyone guess what's keeping the Valkyrie tied up in the tower? I've been assuming that they'd fly out of the tower at any moment and come save the city." Finn openly asked.

  No one responded to the question, but several heads turned to the earth shaper, waiting.

  "Um... There wasn't anything like that in grandpa's journal."

  Natasha leaned forward, "Well, I'm certain that they haven't been killed. They're pretty much invincible, you know. I once saw one stop a boulder the size of a hill. She let it smack right into her, and she deflected it right back at other dungeon monsters. Had to have crushed hundreds of them."

  "Where the hell did you see that?!" Alex excimed while leaning forward, ready to hear a good story.

  Natasha grinned. "I was there during the st Dark Spire Campaign, three years ago. The things I saw, you wouldn't believe. If you're ever getting a big head on yourself, go there and find out what a little fish you really are. You can probably expect the next one in ten years or so."

  "What? Does it not even compare to what we've just been through? What about the tier 7 wraith?" Damian questioned. If this tragedy was small, then he didn't want to know what was big. Sure, he's heard stories from the Dark Spire Campaigns, but rumors were often blown out of proportion.

  "It's all about scale. Picture our little defense against all those tier 3 and 4 wraiths, but only thousands of times rger. There's a reason why all wars are put on hold to contain the waves."

  Natasha paused for a moment before continuing. "And this is a disaster because it was unforeseen. If the majority of our military weren't fighting against the Fire Empire, this would have probably ended a lot cleaner. You have no idea what tier 8s are capable of."

  "I've got to ask, did you enter the Dark Spire?" Alex's ears were practically wiggling, excited to hear the rest of a good story.

  "Hell no! That'd be asking for an early grave. I just posted up in the back as the hordes exited the Dark Spire. There hasn't been an official coordinated attempt to climb that accursed thing since the st tier 9 hero party passed."

  Damian had heard about that, too. By climbing the Dark Spire, you could dey the next wave or make it weaker when it came. The st tier 9 hero party was said to have deyed the wave by an extra ten years. That was over a hundred years ago, though.

  For some reason, the Valkyrie refuse to enter the Dark Spire themselves. Actually, they refuse to enter any of the dungeons connected to the Forsaken Lands.

  Damian didn't know the exact reason why, but there was a rumor he'd heard once. Apparently, the Valkyrie used to do so hundreds of years ago, but some of them actually died while inside. Ever since, they've refused to enter and only take care of the dungeon monsters that escape.

  Damian didn't bme them for not entering if that rumor was true. There are already fewer than a thousand of them in the world and no one has ever cimed to have seen a pregnant Valkyrie... no one credible that is.

  "Um, I like hearing about stories and all, but I think we got away from the topic at hand. Where are the Valkyrie?" Donna brought the conversation back on track.

  This time, Derrick shifted and leaned forward. He looked absolutely sinister to Damian. The dark bags under his eyes screamed vilin. Not to mention that the archer didn't hold another weapon with him other than his bow. Damn bow purists.

  "There were five Valkyrie here just a week ago. Three of them left the city for some reason. I hadn't cared to find out why.

  'sigh'

  We might never know what has the Valkyrie so occupied in the tower, lest we go try to find them ourselves...

  They talked for a while about lighter topics. Adventuring tales, tips against some of the monsters in the dungeon, advice on where to shop in the city, and the prospects of buying a home.

  They talked casually, trying to push the dread outside to the sideline for the time being.

  SockySake