The Achievement Junkie

"Quallace! Why can't I enter!"

"What do you mean?" Quallace questioned. "We're already on the second floor waiting for you."

"But why can't I enter! The doors have opened but there's some invisible force not letting me enter," barked Kaldor. "Did you trick me into coming?"

"Of course not! What would I gain by sending you all the way here," Quallace replied as he tried to grasp the situation. "Argyle is already on the third floor, so the level cap should just be a rumor."

"Level cap? You sent me to a dungeon with a level cap and didn't tell me about it!"

"Kaldor, calm down. There has to be a way for you to get inside. Argyle's with Tralon already so there has to be a way," argued Quallace, trying to reason with their ace-in-the-hole.

"Maybe Tralon knew about the level cap and had a way to get him inside," Vixus stated, overhearing Quallace's frantic side of the conversation.

"Right, Tralon must have some way to get people in despite the level cap!"

Still furious, Kaldor shouted, "But how does that help me? You got me involved so I would hold back Argyle while you faced Tralon, but you can't get me in without facing Tralon and stealing whatever it was that got Argyle inside. You pestros!"

"Kaldor, we didn't mean for this to happen. How could we know that the Leisure Guild had an enforced level cap on the storehouse? No one has ever entered it since the guild's founder disappeared," Quallace reasoned. "There was never a chance to learn the truth, so don't blame us."

"I don't the others, I blame you, Quallace! Don't go around offering deals when you can't back them up, pestro!" Kaldor refuted.

"But Kaldor--"

"I still expect to receive a share of the treasures. I didn't come all the way here for nothing!"

"Kaldor, that's absurd! How could you expect us to do that when you aren't able to help us?"

Kaldor barked, "You offered to be allies but you want to be enemies instead?"

"We…" Fearing the wrath of a lv. 72 and his organization, Quallace chose his words carefully. "Let me speak with the other councilmen first. We can get you a portion of the treasures, but not a majority."

"Fine, inform me once you've made a decision."

Quallace stopped speaking with Kaldor and looked around him. The other three councilmen were eyeing him, already knowing what Quallace wanted to discuss.

"I say we give Kaldor your share of the treasures, Quallace."

"Vixus, that's--"

"You're the one who got Kaldor involved without guaranteeing that he could enter," argued Vixus. "Also, you convinced us that we would have his support to face Tralon and Argyle. That also turned out to be a lie."

"That's unreasonable to say. How did I lie?"

Kims replied, "Sure, I'm fine with coming to kill things and gain EXP, but you said that Kaldor would be able to hold off Argyle while I got to kill Tralon. Now we've already entered the dungeon and can't turn back, so who's going to hold off Argyle?"

Quallaced gulped, not happy to have the other three men eyeing him like that. "Don't look at me. I'm a sorcerer. With his speed, Argyle would close the distance and do me in."

"But you're the highest level," stated Vixus. "Even if you don't face him alone, you should still bear that responsibility."

"Then who will help me? Any volunteers?" Quallace looked to both Bikkem and Vixus. "Kims may have the most fighting experience, but he's also five levels lower than Argyle. One of you two should help me with Argyle."

"I think the monk should do it."

"What about you and your beasts?" Bikkem argued. "With the help of your beasts, you'd be able to divert Argyle's attention off of Quallace while Quallace goes for the killing blow."

"But you have the greatest defense, greater than all of my beasts," reasoned Vixus. "You may be able to hold Argyle off just as well as Kaldor with Quallace backing you up. My beasts will be needed elsewhere."

"Really? And where would that be."

"Have you forgotten about the son-in-law hero with a Hell-flame Fox?"

Everyone paused for a moment, remembering the legendary beast. Quallace shook his head. "Vixus, he's much too low to be--"

"I doubt he's as weak as you believe him to be," stated Vixus. "If he's gone up against the syndicate and been successful, I doubt he's so easy to handle. Either he's much stronger than we give him credit or he's a master tactician that we should fear facing. Both scenarios are something we should be ready for."

"Vixus, stop complaining and--"

"Quallace, Vixus has a point," added Bikkem. "In that case, I'll team up with Quallace against Argyle. We'll hold him off while Kims faces Tralon and Vixus quickly finishes off the young hero and the fox."

"Really, Bikkem? Are you sure?" asked Quallace.

"Yes, I'm sure that would be best. Once the hero and the fox are dealt with, Vixus could then control Tralon while Kims goes for the killing blow. Then all four of us will be left against Argyle, should he choose to keep fighting by that point," Bikkem explained.

"So long as I get to have my fight, I'm fine with that."

"I second Bikkem's plan."

Quallace looked back at his fellow councilmen in a stupor. "And… what about the treasures?"

Bikkem nodded. "How about this. Kims, Vixus, and myself will take fifteen percent each. We'll give Kaldor ten percent and you five percent, leaving the remaining forty percent for the city's treasury."

"That--"

"I second that thought," added Vixus.

Kims chuckled, "Sounds good to me,"

"But I shouldn't be getting only five percent. I was the one who organized this!" shouted Quallace.

"And due to your poor organization, we've had to completely change our plan. You'll already be taking the most credit for bringing the storehouse treasures to the city, so be lucky that you're even getting five percent," reasoned Bikkem with a straight face.

"I… fine. But at least let me pick the first item."

When the three councilmen agreed to that condition, Quallace sighed into his contact crystal, "Kaldor, you'll be receiving my share of the treasures. Alright?"

"Good. Then I'll be patiently waiting outside these doors," Kaldor angrily chuckled.

Quallace put his contact crystal away and looked back to the party of councilmen. "So, are there any other things we need to discuss?"

"When are we making a move against them?" Vixus asked, wanting to get a read on his fellow councilmen.

"The sooner the better!" shouted Kims.

Quallace shook his head. "We should wait until we near the final floor. So long as we attack before the eleventh floor, we'll be fine. Let them handle the mobs while we attack their backs."

"But should we wait that long?" Bikkem questioned. "What if they present us with a better opportunity? If they get caught up facing mobs and are left weak, why not strike sooner?"

"We could do that, but what about the rest of the dungeon? The eleven floors only get more confusing and random as we go deeper, right? If we kill Tralon in the early levels, can we guarantee our success on the later levels?" reasoned Quallace.

"For once, you have a point, Quallace," Vixus laughed. "I think we should wait till the last half of the dungeon to strike, but as soon as an opportunity appears in the latter half, we should take it. I don't think we should wait till the ninth or tenth level unless it's absolutely necessary."

"I'm alright with that reasoning," Bikkem agreed. "We shouldn't waste opportunities when there's no guarantee of a better one to come."

"I just want to kill him, so I'm fine with whatever. But that does sound like the best plan, so let's go with that."

Quallace covered his face with his hand and sighed. "Fine… then we'll strike on either the sixth, seventh, or eighth floor, depending on when an opportunity presents itself. Does everyone agree?"

"Agreed."

"I'll agree to that."

"Yeah!"

With everyone reaching an accord, the councilmen waited a bit longer. They wanted to make sure that the next floor was clear and that they weren't spotted till the last half of the dungeon.