The Achievement Junkie

General Toms shook as he took in the sudden change to his surroundings. Never had he imagined such a sight would happen in Zurden, a sight that he would only wish on his greatest enemies.

The general took out his contact crystal and whispered, "Trank, make sure your men hold their positions. Don't let this affect the plan unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Sure thing, Toms."

Focusing fully on the new challenge before them, Toms continued to speak using the crystal, "Dirk, what have you learned?"

"General, it's the same flame…" Assistant Dirk was at a loss for words, struggling to say much else.

"Any ideas on how to stop it?"

"I… I've no clue," replied Dirk. "Back at camp, none of us were able to stop the flames. The only solution we had was to break down the unaffected tents and keep them away from the flames so it wouldn't spread. After that, the white flame eventually dwindled and died without any more fuel."

"Great…" General Toms gave a self-mocking chuckle. "So what do you recommend we do?"

"To stop the flame we'll need to keep it away from anything that can catch fire, and that would mean the immediate destruction of all buildings near the city walls."

"Impossible… That would take far too long for the guards."

"Well, General, if our forces joined the effort, then it may be possible to--"

"I said it was impossible. Think of something else," stated General Toms, unfazed emotionally.

"Yes, of course…" dejected, Assistant Dirk sighed. "There may be some parts of the city wall that aren't affected so badly. It would be near impossible for something like this to happen so quickly, so I'd imagine that they attacked portions of the wall that would let the flames eventually connect."

"So we need to look for where the flame is the weakest and breakthrough before we're trapped in a flaming hellhole? Now that's a plan."

"Also, General, that person who set the camp on fire was a master of illusions. So there might be--"

"You don't think all of this flame is real?" Toms asked. "Not a bad thought. Then we need to hurry and send the scouts to join you in testing that theory. Once we've found a weak spot in the flame, we'll destroy that portion of the city wall and hurry toward the border."

"General, don't you think we have enough men to help escort the citizens out of the city? It will go faster than destroying the--"

"Also impossible. It seems that I've underestimated how desperate this band of assassins are to stop us from attacking. That gives us all the more reason to push forward without any delay," reasoned General Toms.

"But… Can't we at least--"

"Enough, Dirk. You know your position and you know how important our mission is," stated Toms. "If you're worried about the morality of the troops, then we'll use this to fuel their anger against Trodar."

"But these aren't veteran soldiers like back at camp. These are all fresh recruits, most of which have families here in Zurden. They'll want to go and help their families--"

"The fresher the better, all the easier to convince them. Now that's enough!" General Toms clenched the crystal fiercely as he shouted back to the uncharacteristically paranoid Dirk. "I've already given my orders, so make sure they're followed perfectly like you always do."

"... Of course, Sir."

Defeated, Assistant Dirk rushed back while relaying the general's order through contact crystals. Immediately, dozens of scout took to the rooftops and scattered, each heading toward a different portion of the city walls.

However, there was one slight tweak to the general's orders. The scouts all hurried to their assigned areas to inspect the wall, but Assistant Dirk was going elsewhere, the contact crystal still in his hand.

"Where are you? Are you safe?"

Almost immediately, a response filled Dirk's head, "Yes, we're at home. I hear a lot of shouting outside. Is something wrong?"

Relieved, Dirk sighed, "Something has come up, but everything should be fine. I'm on my way to pick you up now."

"What?! You're coming home?"

"No, I'm coming to get you," replied Dirk. "Help Stella and Stephan to pack everything as fast as possible. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Uh, okay… I'll do that."

A burden off his shoulders, Dirk continued his near frantic pace as he got closer and closer to home. Though reports we're coming in, Assistant Dirk had already established a chain of communication, one where he wasn't necessary, so he ignored them.

Just like he had told his wife, Dirk soon arrived at a decently sized home on the east side of Zurden. Without any thought, he pushed the door open and entered the house.

"Honey, are you okay?" Instantly hearing her husband's heavy footsteps, Wenda ran into the main living area, the room directly in front of the entrance.

"Wenda, I've got to--"

"Wow, I have to give Rydel and Daliea more credit after this."

An unfamiliar voice caught Dirk off guard. He immediately scoured the room but found nothing.

"Oh right, you still can't see me," stated the voice. "How's this?"

Finally, Dirk found his home's perpetrator but it only made him all the more furious. He found the perpetrator holding his wife, covering her mouth with one arm and holding a knife not too far from her neck with the other.

"You… You're one of those assassins, aren't you?"

"Wow, even under all this you won't raise your voice. Trying not to scare the children?" Seeing some hesitation in the assistant, the man continued, "Don't worry, I'm not here to threaten anybody. I just wanted to make sure I had your attention."

As soon as he said that, the perpetrator released Wenda and threw the knife to the ground. He sauntered over to the couch while Dirk hurried to his wife's side.

With a wave of his hand, Silence was cast and the man sat himself while motioning to the couch beside him. "Come, have a seat. I came all this way to talk with the man that even my scout had high praise for."

Dirk's impression of the invader improved slightly, but he still remained cautious. "Wenda, make sure the kids stay in their room."

"She's more than welcome to join the discussion, Dirk. In fact, I'd prefer it. I think you'll want her input on what I have to say," insisted the man. "And like I said before, I'm not here to threaten anyone. If I was, why would I wait till you were home?"

"Wenda, let the kids play in their room but come back." Dirk couldn't help but find this man all the more intriguing. The man had a point.

"So, Dirk, how's General Toms treating his favorite assistant?" asked the man with a smile.

"Before we continue this conversation, can I know your name or at least a name that I can call you?"

"Sure. The name's Jack." The man stretched his arms and back casually, not offended in the slightest.

Wenda quickly reentered the room and sat next to her husband.

Seeing that she was still scared and avoided Jack's gaze, Jack sighed, "Like I told your husband, my name is Jack. Also, that's my real name, not some code or disguise. Depending on how this conversation goes, I might even show you my real face."

"Y-you're real--"

Before Wenda finished stammering, Jack's appearance changed in the blink of an eye to middle-aged woman, baffling Wenda and stunning Dirk. Jack did this two more times before reverting to his true self. "This is the form that you sketched for my wanted posters, so it's probably the easiest to speak in."

Dirk nodded out of reflex while Jack laughed to himself.

"So, Dirk, you didn't answer my question."

"I'm doing fine under General Toms," replied the assistant. "Get to the point, I have things I need to do and I'm already breaking regulation in being here, let alone talk with you."

"Okay, then I'll get right to it." Jack sat up and leaned both arms on his knees, looking confidently back at the husband and wife. "Dirk, I want you to join Trodar."