The Achievement Junkie

Jack sighed, not sure how he should feel about the conversation he just had. He was left curious about too many things without any answers, and he wasn't even allowed to search for the answers himself.

But he couldn't complain. There was a chance that Lorwynn was right and Jack would only bring himself trouble that he's not ready for.

Until he was higher leveled, Jack would only focus on the Leisure Guild and grinding EXP.

The young hero left the booth and found his companions eating without him. Taking a seat and grabbing a turkey leg, Jack tried to eat away his troubles.

They all asked what happened, but Jack didn't answer any questions or explain anything.

Like always, Eliza tried to get near Jack but not even a massage was enough to break his defenses this time.

As the sun set, Jack took the liberty to be the first to retire for the night. In his own room with Bowzer, Jack let his mind drift.

Eventually, his tiredness overcame him and Jack was sound asleep.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

With a yawn, Jack was forced awake. "What is it?! It's the middle of the night!"

"You have a guest, and he said it was urgent!" shouted Marisha.

"But I'm sleeping, just wait till--"

"Brat, just open up the door! It's an old friend of yours!"

Hearing Zariff, Jack was startled and confused. Jack got up and rubbed his eyes as he hobbled toward the door. As he opened it, he was met by a surprisingly familiar face. "Tralon? What's up?"

"We'll discuss that now." Tralon walked right in, pushing past the tired Jack and closing the door. He quickly cast silence and sat on the bed. "Jack, a few things have happened and we need to talk."

"Alright, go ahead."

"Trodar is in trouble. You already know about the current wars, but it's nothing too serious at the moment. But now Sandros appears to be getting involved again," explained Tralon. "There's not enough evidence to convince the council to act, but I'm certain that Sandros has agreed to join hands with Limneer, making things far worse than they should be."

"What about you guys? If you're the weakest member of the council, then how come you aren't acting?"

"To keep the wars from breaking out into chaos and causing too many casualties to count, Trodar signed a war pact with Limneer, Prachten, and Iscantor. That pact agrees that none of us will send anyone over lv. 40 for the time being. In a couple of months, that pact will be null and void though, so it seems Limneer is trying to get Sandros to help overwhelm us while it's still applicable."

"Hmm… So, in other words, the current war effort is about who runs our of supports first?"

"Exactly," replied Tralon. "If none of us nations can guarantee the safety of our men, which most are under lv. 40, then there's no reason for them to uphold their current government in the face of other offers."

"And since the nations all used to be one in the first place, the citizens aren't exactly loyal to those new nations, are they?" reasoned Jack.

"Right again. But that's changing as they've proven that they can hold up against us. If anything, it's our supporters that are considering abandoning Trodar," stated Tralon. "With the newer nations thriving and growing, they're not happy about our inability to reclaim our territory. And with Sandros joining the fight, as well as Iscantor trying to for a trade treaty with Korten, the people aren't too happy with the council."

"So, shouldn't the council act to stop Sandros?"

"It should, but most weren't in favor of it. They'd rather hold out for longer to save our troops, at least until it's time to renegotiate our war pact."

"Then… why did you come here to explain this to me?" asked Jack.

"Because I think this is the opportunity you'll need to gain the favor of the people. Think about it," explained Tralon. "Right now, they can't send anyone lv. 40 or higher, so wouldn't it be the perfect moment for you to step in as the hero when the council waited on the sidelines?"

"Actually, that's not a bad idea."

"However, I will tell you that the Leisure Guild doesn't have anyone we can send to help you. Most of our members aren't even lv. 30… And those that are older members are mostly lv. 40's. You'd have to handle this on your own."

Scratching his head, Jack sighed, "Then, do you think I should take my whole team? I was already thinking of heading to Sandros to try and recruit a lv. 70 for the guild."

"Don't even think about that right now. Considering the current state of the guild, not even considering Trodar as a whole, no free lv. 70's would agree to join. You may have great items, but that's not enough for them. And they'd just kill you, not caring about the association," reasoned Tralon, putting a frown on Jack's face.

"Jack, you have to believe me on that. You don't know enough about Trodar's current situation to understand that, but you'll figure it out soon. But for now, I think you should go and investigate the movements of the Sandros military. If they really plan to move together with Limneer, then do anything you can to delay them. With enough delay and evidence, the council will make a move against them."

"So… should I bring my whole party?"

"I don't think you should," stated Tralon. "This is mainly for secretly tracking military units so you don't want a lot of people, but you'll also want to bring one of your strongest party members. I'd bring one of your strongest party members and your stealthiest party member. That way you can gather intel, and then hit them hard before you run away."

"Then Rydel is definitely coming along. As for the other person… It would have to be Daliea. She's arguably the strongest in the party, yet she also has illusion type magic. I'm sure that will come in handy," reasoned Jack, sharing his thoughts.

"She's the shadow goblin, right? I think that would be perfect."

"Is there anything else you've heard of? If Limneer is finding a new ally, why wouldn't Prachten or Iscantor?"

Tralon sighed, "That's what I fear as well. We know that Iscantor is focusing on trying to ally with the Korten, so we're not too worried about them trying anything too sudden. But we haven't learned anything about Prachten's movements, which is suspicious but we have no leads."

Staring at his map, Jack had a sudden thought. He frowned and asked, "Prachten wouldn't agree to work with Talrania, would they?"

"No, there's no way." The old pointy-eared man shook his head. "Talrania is completely isolated from the rest of the world and doesn't let in any outsiders. Trying to work with them would be even more difficult than with the elves."

"Really?" Shocked, Jack rethought the situation. "Then what about Churstin to the south?"

"Maybe, but we haven't noticed anything. For now, just focus on Limneer and Sandros. The moment you confirm they're allies, find a way to delay them. After that, contact me immediately and I'll summon the council to act accordingly."

"Also, consider this an official assignment of the Leisure Guild, so I'll give you these." Seven emblems appeared in his hand as Tralon held them forward. "With these, you and your party will officially be recognized as members of the Leisure Guild."

Jack laughed, "What about the exam process that I set up?"

"You made it, so I don't think you have to take it. Plus, there's no time nor need for such a test. I look forward to the day that you can take the patriarch's seat from me. If the world would allow it, I'd give it up right now," chuckled Tralon.

"I'll need one more emblem, we gained another member recently. She's the daughter of two gods, so I was happy to accept her as my little sister."

"Two gods?" Tralon stroked his beard in thought. "Jack, did you become a demigod?"

"What makes you think that?"

With a hearty laugh, Tralon patted Jack's shoulders. "You used to steal from the gods, on multiple occasions, yet you always returned safe and sound. I've been around long enough to know about demigods. And if I were a god, I'd agree with your new father that you've got the potential to become a god."

"Well, I'll make sure you talk with Sterfen and Lunara sometime. I'm sure you'd be able to answer a lot of their questions."

"Anyway, I should get going now. Again, the others don't know about my sudden leave, so I need to hurry back."

"Wait!" Jack grabbed Tralon's hand before he could escape. "Let me give you the updated pact. I don't want to steal your EXP when you clearly need it against your curse."

They quickly rewrote Tralon's pact, only to get interrupted by someone contacting Tralon. The moment the pact was complete, Tralon waved goodbye and disappeared in a flash of light.