The Achievement Junkie

'Good, now let's strike hard one last time!'

'Yeah!'

A unifying shout sharpened their focus for the battle to come. Both Jack and Daliea changed their appearances, one becoming a hooded man and the other becoming Assistant Loire. Rydel's invisibility already allowed him free reign to go wherever he wished, he ould even attack while invisible now. Keela positioned herself near the gate to the back of the manor, in range to heal anyone yet prepared to escape at a moment's notice. And Eliza would wait behind the wall near Keela for the attack to begin so she could support Jack from a distance.

Bowzer sadly wouldn't be joining the fight, as that would give away their identities in a heartbeat. Though the party's faces were known, they knew little to nothing about them. But if a Hell-flame Fox showed up, then there would only be one conclusion the could reach.

While Bowzer would sit out the fight, unless something dire happened, Daliea and Rydel would release their Flame Tiger and Roc to support themselves since Eliza would be busy helping Jack.

With nothing left but the execution of the plan, the party split up and got into position.

Rydel easily slipped past all guards and walked right in through the front gate without any issues. Daliea and Jack did the same, but with Daliea disguised and walking with one another.

"Welcome back, Assistant Loire!" The guards on both sides stood tall and saluted Daliea as she walked by.

Thanks to her past encounter with the assistant, she knew his basic appearance and the sound of his voice, something simple to imitate for a master of illusion magic. "At ease. I'm just following orders to bring an old friend for some help."

"Sir, yes sir!" Relaxed and unalarmed, the guards let the two pass with bothering them further, afraid to rub their superior officer the wrong way.

'Nice job, Daliea,' Jack complimented her while hiding his smiling face in his hood.

'That was the easy part,' replied Daliea confidently. 'Now comes the hard part. I just hope no close friends of this guy are here.'

'I don't see the other assistant present, nor do I see the general,' Rydel relayed his latest discoveries from within the walls. 'There are more soldiers here than I expected, nearly one thousand. But since Assistant Loire was placed in charge of them, there should only be three officials among the small army to assist Loire in leading the troops.'

'So each of us needs to find an official before we strike, I presume,' commented Daliea.

'Correct. Till we've located them, don't do anything to draw attention,' Rydel assessed. 'Daliea, maybe you and Jack should--'

'Way ahead of you.'

Both of them passed through a small garden along the way. Once the coast was clear, their appearances changed yet again, now becoming two commonplace Limneer soldiers. They stepped back out as Daliea asked, 'Will this do?'

'That's perfect,' chuckled Rydel. 'Also, I've found the first official. He's probably the furthest one from the gate, so I'll come back for him once we find the other two.'

With the encampment now in view of the two new additions to the Limneer army, Jack made note of the official before turning his attention elsewhere. 'What's with those makeshift stables? The beasts inside aren't consistent at all ranging from large to small.'

'That's only a futile effort to strengthen their force by any means necessary,' reasoned Daliea. 'Focus on the officials, don't let those untamed beasts worry you.'

Sticking to the plan, the pair split up to cover more ground. Searching through nearly one thousand soldiers wasn't going to be too easy despite their hopes.

'I've found a couple of captains… but no officials.'

'Keep looking, Jack.'

'Nothing yet for me either.'

'Don't worry, Daliea. We'll find them soon enough. Keela, Eliza, keep waiting. Don't move till my signal.'

With Rydel there to keep everyone in check, everyone else was able to remain calm, cool, and collected. Other than his complete invisibility, the hunter's experience in stealth was their greatest asset. He effortlessly directed his team and kept them both motivated and relaxed, two things that were imperative to such a stealthy operation.

'I found one!'

'Where is he, Daliea?' asked Rydel.

'He's inside one of the captain's tents. He and the captain are playing poker.'

'Good, just stick close to that tent for now,' ordered Rydel. 'Once Jack and I are in position, you'll enter as if to pass news to him and we can all strike together.'

'Very well. I'll do just that.'

'Any luck, Jack?'

'No, not yet, Rydel.'

'Don't worry, you'll be fine. Just stay calm and keep searching at a casual pace. Don't let your anxiety make you stand out.' As if Rydel could still Jack, he called the rookie out on the most basic of mistakes.

Jack readjusted his pace and took a deep breath. He then put a smile on his face and nonchalantly strolled through the next portion of the camp, more easily blending in with the crowd.

*****

The outside of the manner was calm like it always was. A few guards would patrol the perimeter on a schedule like clockwork. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except for an elderly woman lying against the back wall of the manor.

"Excuse me, ma'am," the guard on duty called out to her. When she didn't respond or even move he quickened his pace to approach her. "Ma'am, I'm sorry but I must ask you to leave."

Again, she didn't move or show any signs of life.

Somewhat paranoid, the guard reached forward to grab her arm hanging to the side. But it suddenly moved away from him.

"Boy… What are you doing?" Finally, the woman spoke up. "Don't tell me you're taking advantage of a mature beauty like me in public, are you?"

"N-no, ma'am!" The guard was completely off his guard by the woman's response.

"Then just leave little old me alone. After some rest, I'll be on my way again."

"But ma'am, I'm not permitted to allow anyone to loiter these walls for the time being," explained the young guard.

"What? You're worried about an old biddy like me? Has my age turned me into such a repulsive monster?"

"N-not at all ma'am!" Still uncomfortable, the guard swallowed some of his courage and continued to push the conversation. "Ma'am, I'm sorry but I must ask you to leave."

"Oh… But I'm still weak from travel and haven't rested," stated the woman, still only showing the sagging bottom half of her face through her hood. "Just another half hour of rest and I'll be fine and on my way again."

Taking a huge breath, the guard didn't give up. "Ma'am, if you're too weak, then maybe I can carry you to a nearby inn. That should be fine, right?"

"Boy, I have no money and no possessions to my name. How can I afford the expensive inns here in Zurden?"

"Don't worry, ma'am. We're not too far from a cheap yet accommodating inn on the west side. It's cheap enough that I can cover the cost," stated the guard persistently. "Just give me a moment to inform the other guards. I'll be back shortly."

"Wait! Boy…"

No longer listening to the woman's cries, the young guard ran off to inform the other guards of his temporary leave.

The old woman groaned, not happy with the sudden development. 'Everyone, I have a problem. One of the guards wants me to vacate, even offering to carry me to a nearby inn.'

'Well, we can't let him take the old hag away…'

'Jack! I already told you--'

'She is my old hag, after all.'

Rydel gave his two cents on the matter. 'Hmmm… this complicates things. How much longer until he takes you away?'

Eliza thought for a moment before answering, 'I've got maybe five more minutes.'

'Only five minutes huh… No luck yet, Jack?'

'Not yet.'

Thinking on his feet, Rydel sighed, 'I'll be there soon, Eliza. I'll handle the guard. That should buy us another fifteen minutes before the next guard checks the perimeter.'

'So, I've got to make this quick,' Jack made Rydel's intentions clear, letting everyone know that they were now on a time crunch.

Daliea also asked, 'Should I join him in searching for the last official?'

'No, yo stay there,' answered Rydel. 'You won't be able to rush back to your target without drawing too much attention to yourself. With a captain nest the official, it already complicates things more than I would like. However, I'm sure you'll be able to handle them both without drawing much attention, so long as you play it smart.'

'Ok… Good luck, Jack.'

'Thanks, Daliea. I'll try my best.' Still acting casual, Jack's mind behind the facade was running rampant. He should still be able to find the last official in time. But if the official isn't found alone, and given no time to plan his attack, Jack's part of the strike was definitely the most difficult.