The Achievement Junkie

The short time the party had was ticking away quickly.

With a frown on his face, Rydel eventually returned to the inn where the others were staying. After searching for nearly two hours, Rydel had again come back empty-handed with no intel. All he knew was that all military personnel had been moved away about a day ago, just like the last town they visited.

Thanks to the receptionist, Rydel learned what rooms his companions had rented and made off to break the news to them.

A soft knock sounded out. 'It's me.'

Not even a moment had passed before the door creaked open and let the hunter inside. He entered the room to see Daliea behind the door and Keela at the table, both showing no signs of rest.

"What are you two doing? This was your time to rest and recharge. There's no telling when you'll get some shut-eye next." stated Rydel, baffled by the sight before him.

"We had other preparations to make that were more urgent," replied Keela. "But don't worry, we're fully ready now. Got any good news?"

Rydel sighed, "Sadly, no. All the soldiers were moved elsewhere urgently. I couldn't find exactly where, but I know what direction they went in."

"That's good," added Daliea. "So we should get going now before we miss our chance."

"Right. Lucky for us, I don't think they're too far from us," explained Rydel. "If my hunch is right, their reinforcements are probably stationed in Zurden."

"Oh… That complicates things, right?" asked Keela.

"Right. That changes a lot, actually. It makes some strategies more effective, but while others are near impossible." Rydel shook his head, mumbling, "I just wonder what Jack is willing to do now that it involves civilians."

Both women nodded in agreement, easily understanding Rydel's train of thought. A moment of silence filled the room before Daliea spoke up.

"Well, if we must act to save a nation, we must also be willing to burn down a nation."

"But Jack won't agree to that," retorted Keela. "We all know that he would never agree to kill innocent people."

"So?" Keela and Daliea were struck silent by Rydel's casual yet cold tone. "Limneer has never cared about the lives of the innocent. They've destroyed entire villages and towns in Trodar. Rather than defend them and claim them as their own territory, they thought it easier to raze them to the ground and not have to worry about them."

"That was how I was raised, avoiding the cruelty of the Limneer armies, who forced my family into misery," continued Rydel. "Even if I had to burn down all of Zurden, that would only atone for a fraction of all the innocent Trodan's that they've killed."

Noticing the awkward air, Rydel regathered his composure. "Either way, we need to fill Jack in on everything and get moving."

Rydel calmly opened the door and walked with haste toward the third floor. The women soon followed him after locking the door behind them.

Once on the third floor, they found the couple's room with ease and pounded their knuckles on the solid wood door.

No answer.

Again, Rydel knocked, saying, 'It's us.'

Again, no answer.

The three party members shared a glance and readied themselves for the worst, preparing to charge into the room. Just as Rydel was about to kick down the door, a soft voice filled their minds. 'Just a moment, let me unlock it.'

Relieved that they misunderstood the situation, the three relaxed and waited for the lock to be undone and the door to creak open.

Their now calm demeanor quickly changed to startlement after they entered the room. When the door shut, they were even more shocked.

Only covered by a half-open robe, Eliza stood in front of the door with a blushing smile. "I take it you've got a lead to follow?"

"Y-yeah…" replied Rydel, who next looked to the bed. He chuckled when he noticed the slumbering hero naked under the covers. "Well, it looks like you two made the most of your time."

"We sure did," giggled Eliza. She sauntered over to the bed and brushed the side of Jack's face. "Honey, it's time to get up. Rydel's got our lead."

"Huh?" With a yawn, Jack sat up and stretched his arms, revealing his bare chest to everyone's wide eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Dear. They're just surprised, that's all."

"Surprised?" Suddenly, it all made sense to him. Seeing his wife in her robe, what Jack had assumed was a dream became cemented into his memory. And with the others now looking at his bare chest, he couldn't help but turn bright red.

He quickly retrieved clothes and put them on before getting up. With a cough to try and regain his self-confidence. "Hhhh hmmm! Sorry about that. I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Don't be. I'm just glad you finally opened up. With Eliza taking your first, she and Maura shouldn���t have it too difficult anymore," joked Keela.

"I--"

"So, Rydel, what did you find out?" asked Eliza, keeping anyone from pushing Jack to far. She didn't dare risk losing the progress she had worked hard to get.

"Like before, there was no military personnel anywhere in town. They were all sent away with a distinct destination given, but I do know which way they went," explained Rydel. "Considering that the other towns are most likely in the same situation as this one, reinforcements are either found in the wilderness near the mountain, or they're waiting inside Zurden."

"Oh… And you don't think they would be hiding out in the nearby forest?" asked Jack.

With a sigh, Rydel shook his head. "No, I doubt it. Limneer has been known to not care for civilian lives during times of war, and considering we dealt a decent blow to the army they thought was secret it wouldn't surprise me if they would use their own civilians as a shield in order to keep the upper hand."

Falling back onto the bed behind him, Jack rubbed his brow, irritated with the development. "You really don't think they'd just hide in the forest near the border? Wouldn't that let them travel faster?"

"Yes and no. They would be better situated to attack sooner, but they would also be at risk of being found by Trodar's military if they camped too close." Rydel's reasoning got everyone nod in agreement, even Jack. "So there's no reason why we shouldn't assume that they're using Zurdern, a city with great defending walls that's also situated close to the border, as a makeshift base."

"Jack, I agree with Rydel. I think we should hurry and make way to Zurden," stated Daliea.

"And then what?" Jack showed his half-defeated eyes. "I'm not saying I'm against fighting in Zurden, but…"

"You don't want to get the civilians involved, do you?"

Jack looked to Keela's soft eyes. "Yeah… I'd prefer not to involve them."

Keela then added, "You know, whether it's Limneer or any other nation, every major general would launch an attack on the city, regardless of the citizens living there. Considering how Limneer broke the war pact and is about to invade, everyone will understand if you attack the city and not the army inside it."

"But…"

"Everyone will forgive you, Jack. They would even call you crazy for not doing it."

"But I wouldn't forgive me."

Taken aback, Keela paused, letting Jack have a moment to continue his response.

"Keela, everyone… As much as I want to guarantee that we all live, I just… I can't bring myself to kill an entire city…"

Everyone sighed, but not in disappointment.

Jack continued, "Even if it's what everyone else would do, it's not what I want to do. I don't want to fuel the fire for war with Limneer to continue. I would rather make peace and avoid war altogether. But if we burn down Zurden, even if it would make sense strategically, how would the people of Limneer willingly agree to peace after that?"

"... Jack…"

While everyone remained silent, Eliza's gentle voice brought Jack's mind back to the room. And to his surprise, he found himself tightly embraced by her.

"Jack, I'm so proud to be your wife."

With the thumping of his heart, Jack felt a lot of his remaining stress fading away in the warmth of her embrace.

Keela smiled. "Jack, we all knew what you would say. We just wanted to hear you say it."

Snickering to himself, Rydel stated, "Well, I can't say I didn't see this coming. As much as I would hate to admit it, if you want real peace with Limneer, then we'll have to do things the hard way. But don't expect me to take it easy on the Limneer army."

"I wouldn't dream of it," replied Jack.

"Well, if you think it's best to spare innocent lives, then I'll do as you say." Daliea bowed her head, doing her best to hide the blush in her cheeks.

"Hurry up and get Bowzer out. Shouldn't we fill him in?" whispered Eliza.

"Oh yeah!" In a flash, the adolescent fox appeared in the room to the side of Jack and Eliza. But before Jack could say anything, Bowzer howled and smiled.

'Oh! You finally made Eliza your woman! It's about time!'

"Shut up, you nosey fox!" Jack's shout startled the others, filling the room with laughter as they easily guessed the situation.