The Achievement Junkie

By the time both assistants reached the general, Rydel had not only left the camp but he had returned to the camp.

After returning he snuck Maura, who had hidden herself among the scrambling soldiers as a lowly private the Limneer army, the blessed bracer so that she too could become invisible and leave without a trace.

Once he handed off the bracer to Rydel, Jack returned to the camp within the cave to find Keela and Eliza throwing a small celebration of sorts. "You know, the mission's not over yet."

"We know, but the worst is over so why not relax a little bit?" reasoned Eliza. She poured a glass of wine and placed it on the table across from her. "Come on, it's only one drink. It's not like you'll get drunk from a few sips."

The young hero sighed as he smiled and shook his head. He took a seat, grabbed the small glass, and took a sip. "Wow! Where did you get this stuff?"

"I took the privilege to borrow some from my father's personal stash before we left Federal City. That way we can look forward to celebrating more often." Eliza sat up proudly with her chest out, getting Jack to smile even wider.

"Where's mine?" Keela asked in a teasing manner.

The three of them slowly sipped on their drinks as Rydel and Daliea made their way back to the cave and soon joined them for the tiny celebration.

As it got later into the night, the mugs were eventually emptied. Everyone was left at the table without anything to hide the serious mood that followed their actions against the army camp.

"So, now what?" asked Rydel as he glanced around the table.

Daliea was the first to answer, "I'm sure this will stop them for a day or two, but they'll figure out that it wasn't Sandros who caused this. It might leave them with some doubts in the end but it won't separate the army."

"True, but that's not what we were after," replied Jack. "The incident with the tents was enough to stop them for a day or two. If you add on their food shortage, then the army shouldn't be able to move within two or three days before they're able to get more supplies. That alone is huge, not to mention how we can give this food and supplies to Tralon in order to speed up Trodar's military efforts."

"Yeah, but what do we do next? They'll find out that it wasn't Sandros pretty soon and I'm sure they're going to increase the amount of security, as well as scope out the nearby mountains more closely," stated Rydel.

"We need to hurry and move out to a new location. That way we can stay hidden while still keeping an eye on the camp. Plus, we need to keep watch for incoming supplies and military units. If we can eliminate those, then the army shouldn't be moving for at least five days total, just like Tralon asked."

Everybody nodded as they stood up from the table and started to take down camp.

It didn't take long as everything was able to be stored away and there was no fire to put out. In minutes they were already walking out of the cave and creeping through the night, leaving the mountain pass.

They continued to walk till the morning sun started to creep over the mountain's edge, shedding light on the stealthy party.

While keeping close to the route toward the mountain pass, the party made sure they were far enough away to not be found by military scouts. From this distance Rydel would only check up on the mountain on the army camp every other day. His main focus, however, was to find the soldiers that would deliver the next round of supplies and able bodies to the army.

Fire was still not allowed within camp and kari crystals were also frowned upon due to the lack of enclosed space to hide their light. Other than Rydel, everyone would stay within earshot of the camp and gather any needed supplies from mother nature while the sun was still out.

The day that followed their intrusion on the hidden army went by peacefully. They didn't face any problems or altercations and had managed to escape the search of the Limneer military. They weren't entirely sure of the exact actions or orders given to the hidden army after what they had done, but they knew that the army wasn't moving anywhere just yet.

At dusk, those at the campground gathered together while Rydel gave the mental report of everything they needed to know.

There was still no sign of incoming troops coming to aid the army. And there was still no sign of military scouts coming to close to their small hidden camp.

Jack took the night watch as Rydel eventually returned to get some much-needed sleep. After staying alert for almost two days straight, the hunter finally agreed to get some rest.

Nothing happened. That night was uneventful and left the lone Jack to ponder what might come next.

He still worried about the party's safety, though he did his best to keep those worries under wraps and out of sight from the other party members. The fear wasn't quite as bad as before but there was always a small part of that worry eating away at him.

Now they had successfully stolen resources and destroyed countless tents of the Limneer army, there was no telling what would happen if they were caught. It would be obvious.

If caught, Jack and his friends would be forcefully executed on the spot, with only a shrivel of possibility that one of them would be detained and tortured for information before they were slaughtered in the end.

Such thoughts kept Jack from getting any sort of rest or letting his mind feel at ease. He didn't bother any of his sleeping friends to talk or chat because he was already too insecure about his own origins as a hero and his false bravery.

Begrudgingly, he clutched his fingers around a stone until he finally decided to pour some mana into it and make it glow.

The whistling of the wind came to a halt. The rustling of insects and small creatures in the undergrowth came to a pause. The gentle calls of the owls and other nocturnal predators were no longer heard.

"So, what would you like to talk about?"

"You already know what I want to talk about."

The sound of Daruun's stress-filled sigh broke the silence. "Normally, I should only let the tutorial stone be used when you have a question… But I'll make an exception this once since it doesn't involve crucial information."

Daruun made his way to the table at the center of the camp and sat himself. "Come, I'm all ears."

Jack finally looked back at the god he was pledged to, not knowing what to expect from the conversation he was about to have. He silently walked over and sat across from the god.

The encounter was so nonchalant and underwhelming that if the other party members somehow managed to wake up and see this, they would struggle to believe that that was truly Daruun, one of the most powerful gods.

"I have to commend your party for that plan of yours. It was a smart move to strike like that while you still had the advantage of surprise. But that's why you're so worried now, isn't it?"

"You know, you're never subtle. Has anyone ever told you that?" asked Jack with a smile that wasn't the smile.

"Most definitely," chuckled Daruun. "You know, whatever happens in life isn't always in our control. Sometimes fate has reasons that none of us can understand."

"That means a lot coming from the guy who knows everything, including how many people will die, where they'll die, and the cause of their deaths." Jack clicked his tongue as he couldn't decide whether he wanted to be angry at Daruun or thank him for telling him about the hidden army. "I thought being close to you would make my life a lot easier, not the other way around…"

"Well that's not what you signed up for, now is it? You will have to trust me, but I can assure you that I am a far greater help than I am an encumbrance." A moment of silence passed as Daruun twiddled his fingers back and forth in thought. "Maybe if I told you a story you would feel better."

"Oh boy, storytime! I'm so excited…" mocked Jack as he shook his head and laughed.

Jack continued his weak laughter as the god simply and patiently stared at him. After some time Jack calmed down and raised an eyebrow to Daruun, who still waited. More time passed till the hero was completely quiet and fully attentive to the god before him.

Daruun continued without acknowledging Jack's sarcasm. "You should know that this story is 100% true, so don't question its legitimacy."