“Adventurers, I'm glad you've come to speak with me. Ribbit. I have heard of your many deeds while assisting my subjects, and must thank you for that,” Ribbiton spoke like any other frogkin, except his words held a certain certainty to them, as one would expect from a ruler.

  “You are most welcome, your majesty. It is our pleasure to help those in need,” Alexion answered as cordially as he could.

  “Ha! I am no king, but a simple warrior chief looking to do what's best for my people. Ribbit. So, please call me Ribbiton or sir,” the frogkin answered, clearly amused by Alex.

  “As you wish, Sir Ribbiton. Now, if I may be so bold as to get to the matter at hand, we were told you wish to see us for an urgent matter?” Alexion continued, his two friends happy to let him deal with all the pleasantries.

  “Yes, I suppose that's best,” Ribbiton said, his tone turning serious, “Tell me, Alexion the Adventurer and companions, do you know anything about the brewing trouble among us frog folk?”

  Alexion was taken aback by Ribbiton using his name, but quickly figured that it had to be either dungeon intervention or the frog could have also learned his name from one of the many people the party had spoken with. Either way, it was odd being addressed so directly while in the dungeon, but he figured it wasn't anything to be worried about and answered the chief’s question.

  “We have heard of the impending troubles between you and someone named Victor. From what we have found, it appears he wishes to take the frog people down a different path than what you have planned. Is that correct?” Alexion answered, trying to maintain a formal tone and approach the topic with a certain level of seriousness.

  “Yes, Sir Victor Croakster is his name, and he wishes to migrate our people to the surface with hopes of expanding our reach. Ribbit. I, however, wish to follow our ancestors and stay here, a place we know and have called home for years on end. Ribbit.” Ribbiton responded, making it sound like Victor was a mad frog, while he was the reasonable one.

  “I see, yet, how does this matter involve us adventurers? And if this Victor is so keen on heading to the surface, why hasn’t he done so already?” Alexion questioned, curious about the reasoning behind the entire conflict.

  “I can say, those are valid questions. Ribbit. See, until recently, we hadn’t seen you adventurers around these parts, which allowed a certain stability between our two parties. That said, Victor hadn’t grown his faction much, but he has recently made a push in recruiting our young ones, whose sense of curiosity pushes them forward. Ribbit. Then, with you adventurers, and after hiring a powerful frog warrior to his side, Victor felt he could finally make a move.”

  “So, he hopes to recruit us to his side? And what? Use us to win the battle for your position?”

  “Yes, and no, see if he solely uses you adventurers, then those who follow him will question his goals. You see, Victor doesn’t simply wish to migrate to the surface. No, he also wishes to claim my place and use the lake as a base to expand into and conquer the surface. Ribbit. However, if he only uses adventurers, it will show his followers that we aren’t strong enough to accomplish what he has planned, undermining his claim of us frogkin being strong enough to claim the surface,” Ribbiton explained, making it sound like Victor was a fool.

  “It sounds like you don’t think his plan will work. Also, if we aren’t meant to fight, what is your reason for hiring us?”

  “I believe he will fail and kill many of our people in the process. Ribbit. I have spoken with him and explained that even here under the water, we frog folk are already challenged by the many monsters in the lake. However, we have managed to adapt and have survived. Sadly, he refuses to realize that life on the surface will present as many challenges, if not more than our life here. He has been consumed by greed and power. Ribbit.

  “As for you adventurers, well, he looks to recruit you for one single purpose. He wants you to convince the various powerful creatures in the lake to work for him. It was this act that has finally sparked the recent changes you have seen. Many frogs have chosen to side with him and are publicly declaring themselves in the hopes of recruiting more. And of course, I couldn’t let it be, so I must recruit my own adventurers in the hopes of gaining my own monster allies. Ribbit,” The chief finished explaining, sounding exhausted from it all.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “It is quite the problem that you have in your hands, and I believe my friends and I are open to recruitment.”

  “Wonderful! I am glad you are sensible, and I swear you will be rewarded rather handsomely,” Ribbiton answered, some life returning to him.

  “Yes, that said, we were hoping to receive a different reward than most,” Alexion added, instantly catching the chief's attention.

  “Oh? What is it you wish? Ribbit,” The frog asked with suspicion.

  “Your frogship, I do ask this with all respect, and will understand if you decline. However, my companions and I have heard you possess an item that has been passed down in your family. It is some sort of line,” Alexion told the chief.

  “Do you speak of Neptune's Golden Line? Ribbit.”

  “Yes,” Alexion said as confidently as he could, not knowing the actual name of the item they were looking for.

  “I feared so, and sadly, I cannot grant you that as a reward. Ribbit. Not only has the line been passed down in my family generation after generation, but there are other adventurers who will not receive such an item, and it is not fair to them.”

  “Is there anything we can do to maybe gain this item?” Alexion asked hopefully.

  “Sadly, nothing comes to mind. Though now I must ask, do I still have your support against Victor? Ribbit,” The chief asked, his voice tinged with worry.

  “Perhaps. May I speak with my team first?” Alexion asked, and received a nod from the chief.

  Turning to his two friends, Alexion began a telepathic communication with them.

  “So, what do you guys think?”

  “There has to be a way to receive the line. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gotten the quest,” Arctur stated, making a rather good point.

  “True, you guys think that if we side with Victor and he becomes the chief, he can give us the line?” Adriana asked, pointing out another possible path.

  “That is possible, but I am also thinking that there might be something we can do here that will give us a possible side quest to obtain the line. Sure, the chief says he can’t, but that might just be for show,” Alex told them.

  “That is possible, so what, do we join him then?” Adriana asked.

  “Either way works for me,” Arctur said, shrugging.

  “Well, if we join Victor, we have to swim all the way over there and listen to his side of things,” Alexion told the two.

  “Okay, that makes things easier, I say we join Ribbiton then.” Arctur decided.

  “I am fine with that,” Adriana told them, and Alexion smiled at the two and turned back to the chief.

  “Chief, I believe we will join you. What is it that you require from us?” Alexion told the chief, switching from telepathy to proper speech.

  “Wonderful! I am happy to have such strong warriors on my side!” The chief exclaimed, visibly excited, “As for your tasks, right now we must get in contact with as many of the powerful monsters in the lake as we can. Ribbit. Try to speak with them and convince them to join us, but do not fight them, at least not yet.”

  “That sounds counterproductive. Why not just force them to join us?”

  “As of right now, the worry is that pressuring any of the powerful creatures might make them join the other side, so I am following Victor’s own strategy and having you adventurers speak with them. Offer them food and other rewards, as long as it's not outrageous. Remember, the main goal is to convince them to join us. Ribbit.”

  “Very well, Sir Ribbiton, we will do as you ask of us, and do let us know if you require anything else from us,” Alexion told the chieftain.

  “Very well, I will be sure to do so. Ribbit. And if you have anything to report, pass by and ask for an audience with me, and my guards will let you inside.”

  “We will, and thank you for having us.”

  “It's been my pleasure. Guards! Please escort these adventurers out,” Ribbiton said as he swam out of his throne.

  Leaving the chief's house, the party finally read the notification updating their quest.

  ??Crystal Notice ??

  ?? Event Details??

  Name: Frog Conflict - Part 2.

  Description: Unknown to you, a conflict has been growing within the frog kin population. This conflict seems to be reaching its climax and has finally sparked a full-on clash. After being approached by the two factions around which the conflict revolves, you have been asked to choose a side.

  After speaking with Sir Ribbiton Croaker the Third, you have learned more about the conflict between the two frog factions and have decided to join him, and thus have joined the Deep Divers.

  Now knowing more about the conflict, you have been asked to find and speak with the various Beast Lords in the lake to try and get them to join the Deep Divers faction.

  Reward: Magical Item.

  ??

  “So, what are we thinking? I know Pepe told us a bit about a few of these Beast Lords, but what about the rest?” Adriana told them via telepathy.

  “I think if we poke around, we can easily learn more about the various beasts, especially now that the event is active,” Arctur said.

  “That sounds good, but who do we try to find first? In fact, how do we find them?” Alex asked.

  “Yeah, that’s a good point. We don’t really know where any of them are. I am sure we can probably find a few in their dens or something, but a few won’t do. From what we have been told, we need to find and convince as many as possible,” Arctur added.

  “I imagine we find them the same way we find any information on them: we go speak with the frog folk,” Adriana pointed out, adding a bit of sass to her statement.

  “Alright, that sounds good to me. Should we try to find that otter first?” Alexion asked his two friends, receiving smiles of agreement in turn.