The Achievement Junkie

Purple energy cascaded over Dradich and the party atop his back. They felt the overbearing heat disappear, letting them all release a subconscious breath of fresh air. But once the purple energy dispersed, they saw nothing else.

There was no artificial lighting and there were no kari crystals lining the ceiling. The party members struggled to see their hands in front of their faces and the wyrm they were sitting on.

"Everyone, no matter what, we stay together on this floor. No one should leave Dradich's back!" Jack shouted, making sure everyone heard his warning. "Phoro, Ssildro, Cerdot, you and the other cranes should enter Vixus's bestial storage for now. If you get lost or separated, then there's no telling what may happen."

"Sound great to me." Phoro rushed to Vixus's side. "Please, store me away as Jack ordered."

Struggling to keep the bony fiend from breaking free, Vixus and the Flame Tiger were both preoccupied. Vixus sighed, "Can I get a little help, Jack?"

"Once you store the cranes, Phoro, and Ssildro, then we'll help," stated Jack.

"Fine…" Vixus lifted a single hand bearing the ring. "I can store Ssildro but what about Kims?"

"Well…" Jack started to think and gave Vixus a wry smile. "Has anyone ever stored a human in a bestial storage before?"

"That--"

"The issue with storing humans is that they'll fight being stored, like a wild beast. But if they're unconscious, in theory, they can be stored," Tralon spoke up, still lying down to recharge. "Maybe I should get stored too, thinking back on it."

"That… You can't be serious? Then we'd be just like--"

"I'd recommend you not finish that sentence." Argyle's cold tone startled the beast tamer. "These beasts are our equals. They're either our companions or their members of your guild, Vixus. Don't forget that."

"R-right!" Vixus coughed to regain some of his lost composure. "Then I'll just store the other two away as well."

Phoro was the first to be placed inside the bestial storage, followed by Tralon who was beside Vixus. Ssildro was next with Kims and the cranes were last with the broken councilmen.

"Now, can you help us out, please?" Vixus asked, still fighting the uncompliant fiend.

Jack sighed as he carefully walked over. "We don't have time for this. Why not just take a beast from this floor? They all use dark magic."

"What?! Then why did you let me bring this in here?!" Fuming, Vixus almost released the fiend by accident.

"Because we need bait to test something." Once he was beside Vixus, Jack started pulling the fiend to the edge of the giant wyrm. "If you want to catch a big fish, then you need a smaller fish as bait."

Grasping the situation, Vixus nodded.

In a swift motion, Jack retrieved a sword and slashed one of the fiend's wings. The beast snarled and spat in a rage as it was then thrown into the blackness with no means of flight.

Vixus, Argyle, Jack, and Bowzer heard the fiend's screeches as it vanished before their eyes.

Only a second after the fiend disappeared, a bloodcurdling wail rang out, drowning out the fiend's screeches. Then, the snapping and grinding of bones echoed off the cavern walls, causing Vixus to flinch in terror and curiosity of what could've caused that.

"Now!"

With an arrow already nocked, Jack shot into the darkness. Attached to that arrow was a powerful cord, the same used to handle and restrain high-level beasts. He received a few as a complimentary gift when he had purchased Appa. Now, he could put them to better use.

When the cord stopped moving forward, Jack clenched it in his fist, yelling, "Pull!"

Being directly beside Jack, Vixus grabbed hold first, followed by Argyle.

"Bowzer, give us some light!"

'O-okay!' There was some hesitation and exhaustion in the fox's voice. But Bowzer still ignited his flame body and started to burn away the surrounding darkness. Though his white flames were waning more toward red, Bowzer forced himself to stay ablaze.

It was clear to the others that Bowzer was more exhausted then he let on, but they didn't have time at the moment to help him. They were busy dragging a four-meter black, tentacled beast from the thick, murky darkness.

"What is--"

"That's going to be your next beast, Vixus. Your welcome!" Jack laughed loudly as he stared into the beast's one large eye. "You, what's your name?"

'Me…' The singular jaded, yellow eye of the beast leered back at Jack as he spoke back at the party using telepathy. 'I'm Mooldrat… What… are you?"

"I'm Jack, a human who's only passing through this limited space toward the next one."

'You… seek death?'

Noticing the beast's change in tone and it's unusual speech pattern, Jack squinted back. "What do you mean by that, Mooldrat?"

'Many… travel though that circle… None… come back.' Both the party and the beast stopped fighting the rope jutting from the beholder's side, simply maintaining a few meters between each other. 'Why… do you seek death… beyond that circle?'

"But you shouldn't be able to access that circle," replied Jack. "Tell me more about this circle. Does every circle transport you away, or only one?"

'Just… one…' answered the beast. 'If… you're here for that… then… why do you try to take me?'

"We may seem ill-willed now, but we're nicer than you think. Wouldn't you like to escape this place? There will be no more limited space to contain you."

'No… I don't want it.' The beast's spherical body moved from side to side. 'Only… death comes from that circle.'

Rethinking his pitch, Jack took one hand off the rope. "Mooldrat, how about you take us to that circle. Then we won't bother you or any other Dark Beholders along the way."

'There… aren't many left. Little… food is found here. Most… died through the circle. Many… have gone crazy with time.'

"Dark… Beholders…" While Jack and the beholder were conversing, Vixus was mumbling to himself and letting his mind run wild at the thought of being the master of a legendary beholder.

"Do you or the other beholders know about the world outside this space?" Jack asked.

'World… outside? What… is it like? I… forgot.'

"Moodrat… how old are you?" Baffled, Jack had to ask to satiate his curiosity.

'Me… I don't remember.' Mooldrat shook his head, which was his entire body minus his ten black tentacles.

"Were you born in here?"

'... No… I… was born outside… I think…'

"Mooldrat, can you tell us how you've survived so long?"

The beholder's blood-red iris shifted and looked back to Jack. 'I… eat my family… We… eat each other…'

Jack swallowed some saliva, wanting to ask another question but fearing the answer. No one in the party could see Mooldrat's level since that was one of the beholders' most well-known traits.

"Mooldrat… what level are you?"

'My… level? I… forgot I had one…' The beholder's gnarly yellow fangs curled into a smile as it chuckled and the blood of the freshly eaten fiend dripped from its lips. 'I'm… lv. 78.'

The party members all froze, stiffening their grip on the rope. Vixus's dreams were shattered. Argyle glared heavily at the beholder, keeping himself aware and alert. Dradich also readied himself, preparing to flee the moment he was given the signal.

"That's pretty good!" Jack started to laugh loudly, startling his serious-faced companions.

'Really? Then… that's good!' Mooldrat's laughter grew louder, matching Jack's to echo throughout the pitch-black cavern.

"Tell you what, I'll protect you against what's on the other side of the circle. If I can do that, then how about you join me and my friends outside. I'm sure you'd like to talk to others and we can feed you all kinds of food, however much you want."

'Food… all kinds and whenever I want?' Salivating, Mooldrat didn't hide his lust for sustenance. 'If… you give me so much food… and… protect me… then…'