97 Chapter 1 (1/2)
Dungeons are wondrous constructs. They are both the homes of the most magical of creatures known to man and the pillars of his economy. And when I say magical, I mean that literally. Elementals are beings made up of solidified masses of mana. Till date, only Fire and Earth elementals have been recorded. There are unconfirmed rumours of Water elementals but without having laid my eyes on them, I will neither confirm nor deny their existence. After all, who knows what lies within the unexplored depths of the vast oceans? Not even the Mer can claim to have complete knowledge of what the seas have to offer and they live in it. If elementals of other species exist, then they have yet to show their faces to us.
According to myth, Terra, the Goddess of the Earth created the very first elemental of Earth and her father, Ignis breathed life into the beings of pure Fire.
These constructs of pure mana are found deep within the earth and nested within the magma chambers of active volcanoes. Their presence causes the increase in the density of their respective element's mana in their area of residence. This means mana crystals form easily in their vicinity. In fact, over 90% of the supply of Terran crystals and Inflammation crystals come from their lairs; Dungeons, as they are popularly named.
Elementals multiply by splitting off parts of themselves. Born with Tier 5 prowess, the new-born searches for a suitable perch for itself far from its parent. Being sedentary creatures, they nest for life. Once they find a suitable location (mineral lodes for earth elementals and magma chambers for a fire elemental), they fuse with it, begin to absorb mana and grow. In the process, to defend itself, it embeds parts of itself into the local flora and fauna, converting them into Dungeon beasts. These mutated animals gain magical prowess and some have been known to grow strong enough to rival Tier 4 mages.
Riches and dangers coexist and there will forever be those willing to risk their life for the hope of a better future. To collect the abundant mana crystals within the dungeons; to slay dungeon beasts and extract their cores; to harvest the magical herbs only found in these unique environments; a new profession came into being. Dungeon delvers, or simply, the Delvers.
- Of Dungeons and Delvers; Cain E. Sinistra, Chief of the Delvers' Society
The atmosphere in the meeting room was grim. The top brass of the Firang contingent had gathered once again. Unlike the previous session, Mother had shown up this time, as had Major Cervidae. Marshal Corvinus, Marshal Canis and a few other Marshals with enough clout were also included in the discussion. As was I. As was Ceres.
I hugged Ceres' shoulder comfortingly as I sat side by side. A few of the Marshals were shooting dark looks at Ceres. I could almost read it from their faces. In the wrinkled noses, the narrowed eyes and the furrowed brows. 'Why must we allow the suspect at our table?'
Yes. Suspect. I could feel the slight tremors of Ceres' body as she leaned her shoulder against mine for comfort. My wife had been marked a suspect and was to be investigated for collusion with the Traitor, Hotaru Vulpine.
If only they knew. I was sure she would rather die than allow herself to bring any benefit to the Duchess. Hadn't her detonation of her Geas already proved that? But, sadly, bringing that up would only open a whole new can of worms. I'd left that decision up to Mother and Father. They knew the ins and outs of the military better than I did. If they felt that revealing her origin would keep Ceres out of lockup, then they were probably right.
I could feel the tension radiating off her and her grip on the hem of my shirt had her knuckles turning white. I squeezed Ceres shoulder. She relaxed slightly.
Another officer gave Ceres the stink-eye.
I could understand their resentment. We were already fighting a war with the ant legion; even recalling all the highest ranked officers from the battlefield for a few hours for this meeting had made it extremely strenuous for the remaining soldiers to support the defences against the continuous assault. Now, there was a war on the horizon with the Duchess' forces, whenever they finished quelling their captured lands and decided to extend their hand towards us, and a member of the clan responsible for it all was in their midst. Tensions were running high and Ceres had provided an apt target for them to vent.
I understood their antipathy, but I couldn't condone it. Ceres had spent enough of her life in chains. I would do my utmost to keep her from experiencing incarceration again.
After everyone was properly settled, Father cleared his throat to draw attention. ”Ahem. Well, it seems that we are in a bit of a tight situation. First of all, the ant legion is breathing down our neck. We have absolutely no spare energy to divert our attention and send aid to the forces of south and central. What's worse is that there is no guarantee that the eastern District will be able to hold out for too long under the assault of a force which is able to subdue two districts in such a short time. The worst thing is that we have absolutely no information on the Traitor's forces, her motivations or her plans. We are fighting her blind.”
Major Ursa raised his hand.
”Yes?”
”I was wondering why the Border Defence Forces aren't sending reinforcements to the East, South and Central districts… it's not like Firang is the only Border outpost. We have two more along the Eastern Border. Why don't they just send aid?” he questioned in his ponderous tone.
Father smiled wryly. ”Because they are under attack as well.”
”What!?” ”How's that possible?” ”Who?”
That bit of explosive information brought about several exclamations and questions. Waiting for the hubbub to die down a bit, Father continued, ”As you know, the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries were employed by Regiis to help in the war efforts. After an – unfortunate altercation involving me, we had to switch our employment target to their rivals the Crimson Coyotes… Their employer was Hotaru Vulpine acting on behalf of the Emperor. Now that she has defected…”