The Achievement Junkie

"Wait, you have a roc?!" Jack yelled, shocked to hear that Tridon had captured such a beast.

"Of course!" Tridon proudly stuck out his chest. "I've got the great collection of beasts this side of the continent! With a mythical beast, how could I dare make such a claim?"

"Yeah, but your roc isn't as mythical as a pure ancient bloodline, like a Hell-flame Fox," Rydel chimed in, determined to get that roc as his beast companion. "It only has a descendent bloodline, so why make such a fuss about it?"

"It may only have a descendent bloodline, but it is still a king of the skies! Don't dare look down on the roc's abilities," argued Tridon.

"Fine, then prove it. Show us the mighty ruler of the skies."

Tridon groaned and clenched his fists, but Jack also spoke up. "Tridon, you know I'll probably find even more beasts during my journies, and considering how many cetuses we gave you, why not agree? Having a roc would speed things up and make it much easier for us to travel. Please, I'll make sure to bring you another descendent bloodline beast to replace it."

"Make it an ancient bloodline beast," quipped Tridon, eager to at least get something worth his loss of a roc.

"Fine, I'll make sure it's at least got an ancient bloodline, but I can't promise a pure bloodline."

Tridon sighed and nodded as a pulled a key out of his pocket. He proceeded to open the steel door and rolled it aside. "Come in, but don't touch anything other than the roc, got it?"

Once they all agreed to Tridon's condition, the beastmaster led them into the most secured area of the large manor. Some of the cages were empty, but those that were contained beasts that would shock any adventurers.

"A Stone Bear… He has a Red-hot Tortoise…" Besides the many cetuses now occupying most of the stalls, the other two beasts were just as terrifying. Jack gained more respect for Trident after seeing those powerful beasts in his control.

"Yeah, but you're all after that one." Tridon pointed to the largest cage at the end of the spacious room. It had a huge open area, like a giant birdcage with room for the large roc to fly around. "Good luck taming her. Without the chief's help, it'll be a fun show."

Rydel groaned when he noticed the roc. It was a magnificent beast, with regal, dark brown feathers. Though it was still an adolescent, the roc's wingspan was almost five meters wide. It could comfortably carry to average-sized men on its back while it flew. The most disappointing part was that it still had a higher level than Rydel, despite not being fully grown.

"Don't worry, I'll help." Jack's statement calmed Rydel slightly. Glancing at the cage's lock, Jack asked, "Can you let me and Rydel in? We need to hurry up and get going."

Tridon laughed, sure that they would struggle to calm the lv. 36 roc enough to let him perform the beast seal ceremony. "Fine, I'll get the pen ready. Don't waste too much time!"

As the smallest entrance to the cage slowly creaked open, both Jack and Rydel entered without a second thought. Rydel pulled out his bow and ready an arrow, but Jack lowered the hunter's arms, not letting him take aim. He looked at Jack strangely until he saw Bowzer hop-off Jack's shoulder and saunter toward the roc.

The proud roc noticed the small fox and thought nothing of the weak lv. 20 fox. As a future king of the sky, why would it respect such a young, stupid fox? Strength was everything in the world of beasts!

Irritated to see a weakling near it so casually, the roc opened its wings and dove toward the young Bowzer. It was fully ready to tear the fox to pieces.

Suddenly, to the roc's dismay, a horrible heatwave passed over the roc as Bowzer's flame body grew bigger than the roc and his level outshined the mythical bird. With a single snarl, the roc was oppressed by Bowzer's level and superior bloodline.

While Rydel was all smiles, Tridon looked smug. He at least wanted to enjoy watching Rydel struggle to tame the beast. He never would've thought that Bowzer's bloodline was powerful enough to force the bird into submission without a fight. Bowzer had done the same with the Earthen Ape and the Thundercat, but they only had strong bloodlines, unlike the roc's descendent bloodline.

Tridon kept to his word and drew up the seal. Lucky for Zariff, Maynard, and Rydel, Bowzer's bloodline was so intimidating to other beasts that they had all agreed to a mutual seal. Normally, they would still face difficulties at the beginning of their new beast-master relationships, but Jack's companion skills made things far easier than normal.

"Finally, we can leave!" yelled Jack.

"First, tell us where we're headed," said Rydel.

Jack looked at them all and saw that they were eager to learn about the trip, even Tridon. "Fine, but I won't repeat myself due to time. We're off to the Zuran Empire, but not the capital. There's a life spring hidden beyond the border."

"The Zuran Empire?!" Everyone yelled back at Jack with dazed looks on their faces.

"What's wrong? I know it's possible," reasoned Jack.

Rydel shook his head. "It's not that it's impossible, it's that we can't hope to get there and back so quickly with so many of us. And you can forget about the chief joining in, he's well known in the Zuran Empire thanks to the many skirmishes and battles on the border."

"Really, it's that bad?"

"Yeah, it is," added Zariff with a depressed sigh. "Unlike Reinolt, the Zuran Empire has no local association branch. Some of the more powerful nations don't need any outside help so they'd rather not allow outside forces to grow inside their borders."

"Hmm… That complicates things." Jack scratched his head, determined to find a fast solution. "So, what if it was only Maynard, Rydel, and I?"

"That won't work wither. Other than Zariff, who do you think caused the most carnage during the last major battles among association members?"

Jack frowned and looked to see a proud smile on Maynard's face. "So, you're saying that only me and Rydel have any chance of entering and exiting the Zuran Empire within our week-long timeframe?"

Zariff nodded and explained, "Jack, you're lucky we got our hands on Tridon's roc--"

"You mean my roc!" Rydel didn't hesitate to remind everyone that he was the roc's new owner and partner.

"Right," sighed Zariff. "Either way, you're lucky Jack. It's almost like fate is always on your side."

"Well, I hope it is." Jack looked toward the heavens as he commented.

"What part of the Zuran Empire are ya heading for? Ya think the both of ya can handle it?" asked Maynard.

Jack pulled out the rough map he had received a long time ago from Jezelle. He scanned it until he nodded and pointed at a specific point on the map. "There, that's where we'll find the life spring."

"Hmm, that's just outside of Ponlinne so you'll have to be careful," explained Zariff, making sure Jack realized that he may need to stay hidden near the town. "There shouldn't be anyone much stronger than Rydel in that town, it's about the size of Baltwood. Keep a sharp eye and focus on staying out of trouble. The less attention you draw the better. Just keep the roc away from the city."

"Thanks, Mom. Do you want a hug goodbye too?" laughed Tridon, replacing Zariff's worry with anger.

"Thanks, I'll remember that," said Jack.

"Also, ya have to be extra careful, Jack. No one there will know Rydel, but ya are famous so the word might have spread already," added Maynard.

Jack smiled wide. "Don't worry about that, Zarris already helped me with that."

"Zarris? How'd he so that?" asked Zariff, always curious to learn more about the mysterious merchant.

"Check this out." Before Jack could finish speaking, he covered his face with his hand and his appearance suddenly changed. The young, proud demeanor he always had become a slouched, stern posture of a middle-aged man. "What do you think?"

"How…" They were all baffled by Jack's disguise. Thanks to Jack already owning the Privacy Screen soul-piercing, Jack's middle age appearance was unquestionable. He seemed like a mysterious traveler the wasn't worth looking into.

As Jack lowered his hand, his appearance returned to normal and a mask was in his hand. "It's an ancient item called a Joker's Mask. Back then these were cheap, so it makes sense that they're not impossible to find. With this, I should be fine so long as Bowzer stays inside my cloak."

"Well, it seems like you'll be able to stay hidden. Be careful, alright. Even if you find the life spring and bring back some water for Slivia, what's the use if you die on the way?"

"I'll keep that in mind," joked Jack. "So, Rydel, are you ready?"

"Now that I've got Ayden, I'm ready." Rydel smiled while he gently stroked the roc's feathers.

"Ayden? You've already named her?" Tridon shook his head, sad to see that the great bird would never really be his.

"Of course, hop on Jack! And open the gate!"

Rydel's shout reached them just in time. The moment Jack landed on the adolescent Roc's back, its wings flapped as it took off through the air. Tridon barely managed to open the cage in time, watching the bird vanish in seconds as it passed the steel door and flew into the clouds.

"Ya think they'll make it in time?" asked Maynard, glancing at the branch chief.

Zariff shrugged his shoulders. "Without that roc, it would've been impossible. Now I don't know, I'm guessing it's a fifty-fifty chance."

"You know who's stationed in Ponlinne, don't you Zariff?" Tridon's comment caught the adventurers' attention. The beastmaster smiled and continued, "If they can weasel their way into the life spring under Commander Pire's nose, I'll laugh to death."

"Commander Pire…"

Both Maynard and Zariff sighed as they thought about the war veteran they had once faced. It really wasn't going to be an easy trip after all.