The Achievement Junkie

"Tralon… Where is that pestro!" Quallace shouted at Argyle and Jack.

"Tralon? Hmm… Remind me who that is." Jack acted clueless as he examined the four councilmen.

"You…"

"Calm down, Quallace. He's messing with us," stated Bikkem. "We don't mean either of you two any trouble. We're here for Tralon and Tralon alone."

"And that's why you can't find Tralon," Jack replied. "If you were able to find him, then you'd team up on him and teabag him."

"We… What?" Caught off guard by Jack's choice of words, Bikkem hesitated. "Either way, we don't want to fight either of you two, so can we at least agree to back off and go our separate ways?"

"Go our separate ways? This is a dungeon! There's only one way to go!" Jack laughed. "Besides, you're all trespassing and there's a rule we've had in the guild since this dungeon was first opened. Would you like to know what it is?"

The councilmen stayed silent, trying to realize the underlying hints in Jack's statement.

"All uninvited nonmembers of the guild are to be slaughtered!"

That stole the attention of the councilmen, not giving them much time to think. Bikkem replied, "You plan to slaughter us councilmen? That breaking the greatest law in all of Trodar!"

"You broke it first, oh mighty Lord Bikkem," Jack taunted with a bow of his head. "And this guild was founded before Trodar existed, so the guild rules are superior. Unless you have something to convince me otherwise."

"We can give you everything in the vault!" shouted Quallace. "So long as you two don't interfere, we'll kill Tralon and you can have everything inside the vault!"

"Hey! That's not what we agreed on!" Vixus refuted.

"Quallace, don't make statements that we would need to discuss as a group. And don't make it sound as if we're afraid to fight them either," stated Bikkem, not daring to take his eyes off the tricky duo threatening them. "Also, if I heard him correctly, it seems that this young hero is already a member of the Leisure Guild."

"Not already, I've always been a member, since before I was summoned."

"Oh… That explains a lot." Bikkem nodded. "Then you've been the one leading the way and not Tralon?"

"You're sharp, much sharper than the idiot who willingly sold us his entire stock of potions. Now you don't have enough for the whole party while we have an abundance," chuckled Jack, stoking Quallace's anger.

"Quallace, keep calm. He's targeting you so don't play into his hands."

"Right!" Quallace tried his best to control his breathing, not letting it get too wild.

Bikkem squinted and glared at the lv. 71 swordsman. "Argyle, can't we come to an agreement on this?"

"Bikkem, you brought this on yourself," replied Argyle, not wanting to talk too much as he eyed the furious Kims. "Don't you want to keep playing?"

"I think they all want to keep playing," Jack laughed. "Am I wrong?"

"What are you going to do to us? We're still council members, so killing us would only hurt your public image, even if you're with the Leisure Guild. The Leisure Guild isn't as powerful as it was in the past. Now, the council holds all the power!" Vixus reasoned.

"Right, you can't kill us and there's no telling on whether you three can even accomplish that feat," stated Bikkem, grateful to have Vixus to aid in the discussion. "It would be best for both sides to stand down, wouldn't it?"

"How about this, I'll stand down if you can answer one question."

Bikkem eyed Jack carefully and nodded. "Good, then state your question."

"Why do you want to kill Tralon and why do you want to erase the Leisure Guild?"

"That's simple. We want the treasures that it contains so that Trodar can begin to prosper like during ancient times."

"So if I take you to the eleventh floor and open up the vault for you, then you won't kill Tralon?"

Bikkem bit his tongue, not letting himself answer too quickly. He had underestimated the tact of the young hero.

"What's wrong? I thought you only wanted the treasures? What if I sold you half of the property too, then the Leisure Guild would have diminished to a minor guild both in strength and influence. Then the council could do whatever they wanted. How's that sound?" Jack continued.

"There's no proof that you could offer such a--"

"If Jack allows it, then I would agree."

Startled further by Tralon's voice in his head, Bikkem coughed. "That… That would take too long of a process. We're in the middle of a war and we need the assets immediately in order to--"

"Be honest with me or we fight right here," ordered Jack, shutting Bikkem up. "I also remember that coward Quallace offering us everything in the vault, so long as we let you kill Tralon, which doesn't add up with your logic. So, who are you working with that wants Tralon dead?"

"We're not working for anyone, so why don't you--"

"QUALLACE!!"

"Ahh… You're proven guilty by your conscience, I see," Jack snickered as he glanced at the uneasy Quallace. "If you don't give me some sort of answer in the next five seconds, then my father-in-law, my Hell-flame Fox, and myself will attack you without mercy according to guild rules. 5…"

"I agreed to come here through bribery of a great sum of money by Bikkem and the promise to gain a particular item in the vault along with other treasures," Vixus stated, catching wind that there was more to this then meets the eye.

Jack nodded to Vixus and turned to Kims. "4…"

"I'm after EXP and growth," Kims replied with a nod. "I'm the newest and the weakest council member. Though Tralon is weaker in terms of level, his experience is more vast than the entire council combined, so I see him as a great challenge and rival. Also, I've been trying to kill everything within reach of my sword, Vixus can attest to that."

Though Kims was a very straightforward person, he was still a councilman and was plenty smart in his own right. He too could sense that Bikkem and Quallace were hiding their true motives against Jack's questioning.

"3…" Again, Jack nodded to Kims and moved on to Quallace.

"..." Tongue-tied, Quallace had no clue how to respond.

Bikkem then interjected, "I'm only after improving Trodar as soon as possible so that we can reclaim our lost territories and regain our world-renowned fame. Whether you believe me or not, that's the truth."

"Then why aren't you on the offensive? You should've jumped at the chance to find Limneer breaking the war pact, yet you denied it and refused to investigate. Explain that to me?" Jack argued.

Opening his mouth, Bikkem smiled and struggled to reply. "That… Tralon brought me no supporting evidence on the matter and I was busy handling the three-front war."

"The three-front excuse is lame," Jack scoffed. "When was the last time Iscantor attacked? And Prachten only has skirmishes every now and then, right? It was always Limneer taking the initiative, which you blatantly ignored when Tralon pushed for an investigation. It seems that your issue with Tralon is deep-seated and personal, not just for the greater good like you stated over and over."

"That…" Bikkem thumbed through replies in his mind, not managing to find a clear-cut response.

"2…"

"Kims, will you fight with us or against us?" Tralon's voice crept into the young councilman's head. "If you fight with us, you'll gain EXP throughout the next six floors and enter the vault."

Kims quietly closed his eyes and thought to himself without giving a reply.

"Jack, we're only doing this for the good of Trodar. How come you can't see that?"

"Because your actions speak louder than words," Jack sighed nonchalantly, completely unconvinced. "1…"

Bikkem swallowed some saliva and looked to Quallace, who nodded. Then he looked to Kims and Vixus, who also nodded.

"Attack!"