The party watched the three idiots get chased down by Billy for a minute or so until they were out of sight. Once they were out of sight, they were partially out of mind, so they all continued downwards. As always, the plan was to gather information on additional Beast Lords and then continue their search. They still knew that it was very unlikely that they would be able to recruit any of the lords, but they had nothing better to do, something that changed when they arrived at the town.

  In the town, they were approached by a large number of adventurers. These adventurers quickly made it clear that among all of them, they had effectively gone to and met most, if not all, of the Beast Lords in the lake. This became especially true after the trio shared that they had met the tiger fish and beam gar lords, both of which many parties had given up on ever finding, as the turbulent waters were too much for one single party to take on, and adventurers didn’t often team up on their own, as they preferred to work alone.

  Anyways, after further discussion between all the adventurers, they concluded that if one or two parties had already failed to recruit a certain Beast Lord, then another two or three wouldn’t change that. After all, by this point in the event, the adventurers had begun to suspect that it was not really possible to recruit the lords, outside of the anomaly that was the two lords who had joined Victor. This information was then confirmed by veterans who were doing the lake for the second time, and some even the third time, as during their runs, no one had ever been able to recruit any of the lord during the current phase. So instead of wasting their time in search for lords others had already spoken to, they wanted to find a few that no one had been able to find.

  Naturally, the party agreed with their sentiment, and they joined as the search for the suckerfish Beast Lord began. This beast, Lord, was one of the hardest to find, and not because it was in a secluded area, such as the turbulent waters. Instead, the lord was good at stealth, but more importantly, it stuck to the bottom of the lake's floor. And not a certain area of the lake's floor, but anywhere in the lake's floor. Additionally, what made everything even more difficult was that the boss wandered around randomly, increasing the difficulty of any search attempt by an order of magnitude.

  Like with any search, it began with the participants being rather hopeful, as they believed they were the ones who would find whatever it was they were looking for. Heck, during the first day, they didn't even really try any tactics as they all swam around the lake floor trying to find the stupid lord. However, they didn't even get a hint of the lord's existence; what they did get was a demonstration of just how powerful the trio was, which led to many people trying to befriend them.

  The trio, unlike many others who disliked it when others tried to suck up to them, took the advances in stride. They knew that no matter how powerful they were, they were still in the lower ranks, and even when they did get to the higher ranks, it was always good to have underlings. As such, they were happy to start a following of sorts within the dungeon in case they ever needed them. Something that, in hindsight, would have been useful to have during this event.

  Putting aside how powerful the trio was, after the first day, their group of adventurers began to strategize. They attempted to divide the lake into a grid and use it to search the floor, hoping to cover a much larger area more thoroughly in this manner. Sadly, that did not improve their chances, even when they attempted to use bait to lure out the Beast Lord into specific areas. All in all, the adventurers tried many different tactics but ultimately failed to find the elusive suckerfish Beast Lord. Instead, they ended up finding the lobster and or crayfish Beast Lord, who also denied joining their group. Luckily, after a few days of trying, their search did eventually come to an end, but not for the right reasons.

  It was the day after they had found the lobster lord, and the adventurers had not given up. The trio had just packed up camp and were heading back down to the town so they could meet up with the rest of their group and continue searching for the suckerfish lord. However, upon arriving at the town's edge, it was immediately apparent that something had changed.

  When they had first visited Fraggles, it had been a vivacious town as a multitude of frogs wearing different and interesting pieces of clothing swam, drifted, and generally floated around. Then the first change occurred when the conflict between the two factions began, and the town saw an overnight shift, as it almost became a ghost town. However, ever since that point, it had slowly started to flourish once again as the frog folks returned to the waters. Yet as they watch the town, it was truly a ghost town, as not even a single normal frog was swimming around. The only frogs that were out and about were the guards, and to make a point of it, there were only the guards that were aligned to Sir Ribbiton.

  Seeing the state of the town, it was clear to the party that the next phase of the event had begun. The problem was that they had been out camping all night, so whatever had happened was unknown to them. They saw some adventurer groups swimming around town, but decided not to approach them, as it was likely they would not be able to share any information. Instead, the party decided to do the only rational thing and began making their way towards Ribbiton's state.

  Arriving on the outskirts of the state, the party noted the increase of frog folk guards swimming around the grounds and determined that such a sight was a hint as to what had possibly occurred. So, hoping to get clarification, even before meeting the chief, the trio decided to ask the guards who stopped them as they approached.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Ribbit. Adventurers, good to see you in these dark times,” The guard told them.

  “Good to see you as well, thought when we left yesterday, everything was fine. Would you mind filling us in on what changed the mood of the town so much?”

  “Oh, you don’t know? Ribbit. Someone tried to assassinate the chief last night,” The guard added gravely.

  “They tried and failed, correct?” Alexion asked for confirmation.

  “Indeed. Ribbit. They managed to get deep into the palace, but our chief is strong and subdued the frog without much issue.” The guard sounded proud, and with the end of his statement, they were let through.

  Heading into the residence of the chief, the trio felt many eyes on them, no doubt from the multitude of frog folks that surrounded the entire place from all directions. Inside, things were slightly calmer as there was only so much room, so there were fewer guards, but with a definite increase from when they had last come into the place.

  It wasn’t long after entering before they were once again at the throne, and only minutes later, Chief Ribbiton arrived, surrounded by many more guards than they had ever seen the chief with. The chief himself looked over the entire ordeal with the guards and was evidently relieved when he was left alone to sit on his throne.

  “Ribbit. Adventurers! Glad to see you unharmed!” The chief exclaimed as he finally got a good look at them. The frog was legitimately surprised and glad to see them, which was odd.

  “Isn’t that what we should be saying to you?” Alexion commented with slight confusion.

  “Ah, so you have heard of the scuffle I had last night? Ribbit.” The chief told them with the slightest hint of amusement, which was not mirrored by his guards' low ribbiting of disapproval.

  “Yes, and we have seen the town; it feels so empty,” Adriana said, speaking for the first time, her voice rather somber as she remembered how lively the place used to be.

  The frog chief, hearing Adrianas words, sighed in defeat, “Indeed, things have turned for the worse. Ribbit. I tried to speak with Victor, but his greed stops him from seeing reason.”

  “Chief, if you don’t mind me bringing the topic around, why were you glad to see us here?” Arctur asked, still curious about the chief's earlier statement.

  “It is surprising you haven’t heard, and even more lucky that you were not involved. Ribbit. From what I have gathered from a certain assassin, not only did Victor send someone after me, but also after your fellow adventurers. It seems some of your kin were attacked last night. Ribbit. Do not worry, however, as no one was killed, and only three men were heavily injured.”

  “That is rather concerning, but why would Victor target us adventurers?” Alexion asked, getting back into the conversation.

  “Scaring tactic. Ribbit. He hopes to further cripple me by taking away more of the adventurers who have pledged to my side. Speaking of adventurers, I must ask for your assistance.”

  “Of course, what is it you need?” Alexion said, curious about what else the chief could want, and wondering if this was when they would move on to the next phase of the event.

  “You see, due to the recent events, I now find myself in a bind. Ribbit. My guards are spread thin, to the point where I will soon have to, even if they disapprove, send a large number of my personal guards to the town and village under my control. However, that is not the issue; instead, when it comes time for a battle, a time that draws closer, I will be unable to field as many soldiers. So, I ask that you and your fellow adventurers take the role of guards at that point, at least until a final victor is decided. Ribbit. So, what do you say? Will you help me? Will you convince your fellows to help me?”

  The three friends, upon hearing the request and not having their quest update, knew that this was likely a possible way for them to gain favor and eventually acquire a certain fishing line. So, they didn’t even hesitate to accept.

  “Of course, we will speak with as many as we can,” Alexion told the chief.

  “We are always happy to help!” Adriana chirped.

  “Sounds like a plan,” Arctur added.

  “Wonderful! Ribbit. With that out of the way, I guess it is best if we move on to the other important issue at hand. Due to Victor’s actions, our conflict has escalated, and a final battle will soon be at hand. As such, we must now recruit Beast Lords to our side, whether they want to join or not. Ribbit. Like I have told the rest of your fellows, you may now find and forcibly ask the Beast Lords to join our cause. If they refuse, then they must be eliminated, as we cannot afford for Victor to gain any more advantages.” The chief's words were resolute, leaving no doubt in their minds that the next phase of the event was at hand. Even so, the screen that popped up after the frog finished speaking was also a welcome sight.

  ??Crystal Notice??

  ??Event Details??

  Name: Frog Conflict - Part 3.

  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 and try to get them to join the Deep Divers faction.

  You have attempted to recruit many Beast Lords but, alas, have had no luck, even if to everyone’s surprise, Victor’s faction managed to do so. Still, it seems that the time for talking has ended; an assassination attempt has shifted the waters of the lake, and in response, the recruitment tactics for adventurers have changed. As instructed by Chief Ribbiton the Third, you are now allowed to recruit Beast Lords by any means necessary.

  Reward: Magical Item.

  ??