61. The Town in the Abyss

As Ket had said, the sun was low in the sky when he pushed back a branch to reveal the town. Ike startled, a little taken aback. Even though Ket and Tana had forewarned him that it was smaller than the enormous city and undercity he'd grown up in, it was still surprising to see how small it truly was. It barely spanned further than the distance from his uncle's villa to the far end of the processing plant. A stone castle dominated the far end of the wall, built atop the hill. The wall climbed down the sides of the hill and encapsulated a small portion of the flat beyond. Most of the buildings within the walls were made of the same stone as the walls. Few wooden or shambling slum buildings stood anywhere. For the most part, the houses were clean and well-built.Well, if this city is comprised of people who fell into the Abyss, it would be comprised entirely of hunters and mages. Ordinary people aren't allowed beyond the walls. Even if they were, and by some miracle survived the fall, they'd almost certainly die before they reached this town. Whether the citizens of this town fell in accidentally like me or were banished like Ket, they all have some Rank, and thus, a system and the superhuman strength and skills that come with it. There might be few people in this city, but all of them are mages. They're strong enough to defend the city and hunt monsters. Strong enough to carry stone from distant quarries and build extravagant houses, if they're so inclined.

"Welcome to Abyssal," Tana said, smiling.

"Abyssal?" Ike asked.

"Not the most creative name, I admit, but to be fair, our founding fathers were somewhat beset when they built the first walls," Ket explained with a small, knowing smile.

"It's a good name," Ike said quickly.

Ket chuckled. He nodded at Ike's feathers. "I'll warn you that the town's prices are going to be a bit low for monster parts compared to what you're used to. The one thing we have in the Abyss is an abundance of monsters. Even rare monster parts like that are going to go for cheaper than goods from the surface."

"Oh," Ike said. It makes sense, I guess.

"Plus, there's only so many of us. The economy is a little bit of a flatline down here, since there's not much fresh income. Prices are going to be a bit lower than you're used to, in general." Ket paused a moment, then shrugged. "But then, it's not like you're leaving anytime soon. Consider this more a 'get-used-to-it' warning than me telling you not to sell monster parts."

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"Right…I understand that," Ike said, agreeing. If the queen only had one escape crystal, and it was gone, then that implied that no one in Abyssal knew how to escape the Abyss. I guess I'll be living down here for a while. At least until I'm as strong as the city lord. Strong enough to escape.

He paused, then, thinking of something. "You know, the city has a bit of a monster problem, right? Not enough monsters. But the Abyss has plenty. Would that—"

"We'd only be a temporary patch." Tana pointed upward, at the Abyss's walls, visible from where they stood. "We're but a narrow segment, compared to the forest outside. I believe we're something like the city's final, last-ditch reserves. The final wildlands, preserved in the hopes that the Abyss will spawn a monster powerful enough to allow the city lord to Rank up."

"To…what?" Ike asked.

Tana nodded. "The city lord is on the verge of Ranking up. He's been there for a long time. So long, in fact, that he's likely running out of life force. But he set no limits on the killing of monsters in the sect's territory, in hopes of growing stronger warriors.

"And he succeeded, but at a cost. It was fine when the city was young, but now that the city is a large, mature sect, he faces the consequences of his own decisions. All the lower-ranked monsters he and his friends killed hundreds of years ago are dead. They have no chance of Ranking up and becoming powerful monsters that the city lord can, in turn, kill to Rank up. The city lord used them to empower himself and his friends. But now, there's nothing left.

"The city lord knows it as well as his enemies do. They mock him by sending monsters of just low enough rank that the monsters' skills are worthless to him, with thousands of years to go before they Rank up—long after the city lord dies. He's trying to keep up appearances. By sealing off the Abyss, he's acting as if he has an ace in the hole hidden within, but…" Tana shook her head.

"There's no monster like that in the Abyss?" Ike guessed.

"Not that I'm aware of," Tana said. "The city lord is Rank 4, so the monster would have to be at least a Rank 4 monster, if not Rank 5, to be useful to him."

Hmm. Rosamund implied that their enemies didn't know. But then, she's a sheltered brat. What would she know?

War is looking more and more likely. Do his enemies know it, too? That the city lord has no option but war. Is that why they sent the doll army? Ike considered it, but his brows furrowed. He shook his head. That still doesn't feel right. There's still something I'm missing. But what?

"Let's not stand out here talking all night," Ket said. He gestured them on. "The forest around here is dangerous at night. We'll be safer inside the walls."

"I slept out under the stars," Ike offered. It's not that dangerous at night.

Ket waggled his finger. "You were at the fringe of the true Abyss. Here, in the depths, it's a different story."

Ike bowed his head. He nodded. "Right. Sorry."

"Besides, we don't all have a handsome wolf like yours to guard us at night," Ket said, tossing a wink at Loup.

Loup lifted her head at being addressed. She looked at Ket, then glanced to Ike for guidance.

Ike ruffled her ears. "I could use some real food, anyways."

"Excellent. Onwards!"