Death Mage with an SS-Rank Talent

City of Valora...Alliance HQ

"What is happening? Why are the cults so active in Rock City and its surrounding regions? Isn't that some remote corner that has no strategic or any importance?" one of the alliance's higher-ups asked.

"From what we knew, there was nothing there. The only thing near it of any importance was that ruin that we found in the Wastelands. Except for that, that region is of no importance, well, if you don't count the recent SS-Rank awakener", an assistant replied.

The first one who asked the question frowned, "We can ignore her as the reason for the activity in that region. Her parents were shifted to the Capital long ago. They are here. About the girl, though, I can't say for sure. After Lady Serena took her under her as a disciple, not much information was known about the girl, except for some resources requested by Lady Serena for Mary's training".

"Yeah, I forgot about that little one. We all thought she would be helpful with the Cult, but from the looks of it, we have to deal before she can become strong enough to threaten the cult", another said.

"Well, even if we deal with the cult, who says that there won't be another threat to us. The monsters are powerful and can threaten humanity, and there are the ones from the seas and oceans. We have no data regarding their higher ranks at all", another member spoke.

"Yeah, even though the monsters have turned back their attacks, and it was just as it was a few months before the war with them started, there is no guarantee that this peace would last long. As soon as we weaken ourselves fighting the Cult, they might attack. Even if they don't, a new threat might come".

"Even though Mary might not be a deterrent for now, she would be in the future. Let her worry about the future; let us discuss what is happening now and deal with it. We have veered off the main topic", one of the members pulled them back to the topic at hand.

"Yeah, let's talk about Rock City and what was happening around there. We have been alerted to the presence of many cultists in those areas", a member spoke.

"Yeah, after the failure of the attacks, we thought they might act as you should have read the report on how we got such a lucky break", a member who was representing Rock City and the surrounding region spoke.

"Yeah, a patrol member found some members to be suspicious. When he started walking towards them to see if his suspicions were correct, they ran, even after he identified himself. They were found to be mid-level cultists who were supposed to spearhead the attack on Rock City on that night. From them we got a lot of information, which saved a lot of people and reduced the mayhem", one spoke.

"Yeah, they were looking for that person for a long time. We made sure that no one found the name, but kept an eye on the cultists and their associates to avoid getting caught again. They were considered normal, until a few days ago, when they suddenly changed strategies".

"Their movements increased, not just in Rock City, but also in the nearby cities, towns, everywhere. At first, we thought that they were trying their best to find the person who caused their plans to fail, but after a day or two, that felt absurd".

"Even if they want to send a message to the masses, not to mess with the cults, directly or indirectly, that is too much. So, we erased that reason, which brought us back to square one. We have no idea what they were looking for", the Rock City representative spoke.

When they heard those words, everyone started to think, to remember if they had forgotten anything important about the city. No matter how much they thought, they couldn't think of anything.

Though the walls of the city were unique, such things existed, maybe even better things. So, that was not the cause, they concluded.

The Wastelands are very far away from the city, but they are close enough to be considered for the cause of the latest upheaval.

"Is this related to that ruin in the wasteland?" one of the members raised a question.

Except for that, there was nothing much of importance nearby.

"Hmm, that could be the reason", many agreed with the question, without actually giving out an answer, because no one knew what the actual reason was, and didn't want to be pointed out if they gave a wrong reason.

So, giving a vague answer was the best course.

"It could be a reason, but from what I heard, no one who entered the ruins, at least the parts that were considered true ruins, ever returned. Many think that they were dead. So, what could it be that they were looking for regarding the ruins?" The Rock City representative asked.

"Hmm, maybe a key to enter the ruins, without getting killed. Many think that the ruins came with the meteor that fell there, and what happens when a meteor enters the gravity well of the world?" one of the more educated members spoke.

"They fracture into pieces. Many small pieces burn before they reach the surface, but if they fracture, too close to the surface, they may have fallen nearby. With the destruction that it caused back then, no one saw if any meteor parts fell in the area. Maybe even in the devastated area, there could be some pieces, and they could be carrying the key to the ruins".

"Since the area is close to Rock City and the surrounding region, there is a high chance that people from the region could have taken the key without knowing it, and the cult is looking for it", one of the members proposed.

"But that was over a century ago. People move from place to place, and even the young from back then, most were already on the ground", the Rock City representative said.

"You are right, but it was just a theory and a start. Everyone has to start somewhere. Maybe they were looking, or maybe they got a clue. We don't know, until we find out more", another member chimed in.

"So, what should we do?" The Rock City representative asked.

He didn't want the cultists to stir any more than they did till now. The new ones they identified were left alone to watch and know more about the cult and eliminate as much as possible in one swoop.

"I think we should be looking into what they were trying to find, as soon as possible and see where it leads us", one of the members spoke.

Many nodded in agreement regarding the decision.

"Okay, let's talk about how we deal with this".

The members started to discuss on how to deal with the issue, before the cult finds out what they were looking for. The alliance members knew that once the cult got what it wanted, it would hide until they were strong enough to attack again.

The alliance has long been playing cat and mouse, but they were getting tired of the game. With the head of the cult imprisoned, they felt that this was the best time to clean the filth, or they were afraid a new head might grow, which would mean that they would be right at the start of the game.