The Achievement Junkie

'That's enough, Phoro!'

The Minokawa chuckled as Jack gave the order to slow down, returning to his usual half speed. 'I hope you get stronger sooner. I want to fly freely, not at a snail's pace.'

Laughing, Jack looked back to the women as he replied, 'If that's a snail's pace, I want to get a snail as my next companion.'

'That's… too fast…' Eliza groaned, feeling a headache from that explosion of speed.

Jack tried to comfort her and Daliea. 'Told you to brace yourself. How else were we gonna lose those elves following us?'

'Fine… just don't do it again,' replied Eliza.

'Yes, let's not do that again,' added Daliea, who felt a bit better since the incident took her mind off the negotiation with Gwendon. 'Are we there now?'

'Not quite,' Jack answered. 'At this speed, we'll reach there in a couple of hours. So just relax for now.'

Feeling at ease flying at a more comfortable speed, the party recuperated a bit before resuming their chat. Daliea was the first to kick off the discussion.

'Jack, do you know anything else about my race?'

Shaking his head, Jack replied, 'Sadly, no. All I know is that you're from an ancient elven race that supposedly disappeared from history by disguising themselves as powerful goblins. But even after that, they were eventually wiped out like your tribe.'

'And what about Eedaj?'

'All I know is that he's the oldest of your race and that he knows the true history of what happened to your people."

The thought of learning the truth filled Daliea with peace. She instinctively leaned her chest and head into Jack's back, making herself more comfortable.

Jack didn't object but he looked back to Eliza, who smiled and nodded.

Eliza was the next person to ask a question. 'Jack, do you think I'll be able to get Lyrun's blessing?'

'I would think so,' answered Jack. 'Sterfen said that he's a rebel god, so why not?'

'What did Daruun say?'

'I… I didn't ask Daruun that…' Recounting his conversations with Daruun, never once did the God of Fate mention getting Lyrun's blessing as key to Jack's visit to Korten.

'But do you think I can still get his blessing?' Eliza asked again.

Jack sighed, 'If he's too stupid to offer you his legendary blessing, then I'll find you a new, better blessing. Don't worry too much, okay Eliza?'

'Okay, darling.' Eliza's hand reached past the smaller elven girl and felt Jack's chest. 'I'll do as you say.'

'Thanks, hon.'

Jack smiled, enjoying the tender embrace of the two women behind him as they continued toward the Prehistoric Forest.

The next two hours flew by until Phoro asked, 'Jack, I'm guessing that's the place?'

'Yeah, you can't miss it,' chuckled Jack.

The women gradually opened their eyes, getting a full view of the sudden change in plant life ahead. Everything was enormous! The bushes looked more like trees and most of the fauna was taller than them. And the trees… They could only be looked down on by the Ancient Life Tree in Estonya. Otherwise, the Prehistoric Forest might claim to contain the tallest trees in Kartonia.

'Start the descent, Phoro,' ordered Jack. 'We're going to meet the Nature God.'

'Sure thing!'

The Minokawa took his time to slow down and land just in front of the massive forest. That was when the party noticed something peculiar.

A thin layer of phantasmal energy faded in and out of existence, surrounding the entire Prehistoric Forest somehow. Jack reached out to touch it but he went right through the barrier instead. It seemed that Gwendon wasn't lying about the ability to enter the barrier, but he wasn't sure about what would happen after entering. Keeping that in mind, Jack looked to his party with caution.

'Everyone, we'll have to stay on our toes once we enter the forest. If the elves haven't been hunting in there for so long, then there's no telling what we'll run into once we're inside.' Jack added, 'But before that, Lyrun should be just east of us.'

Leading the party, Jack walked long the illusory border with his map tab in the corner of his view, like a minimap. As he got closer and closer to where Lyrun was marked, Jack eventually came to a halt.

"Lyrun! We know you're here, so can you make it easy on us and come out already!"

Jack's shout echoed through the area, bouncing off all the trees and thick foliage. It was nigh impossible to find the god although Jack was certain that Lyrun was nearby. That's why Jack shouted, hoping that Lyrun was willing to cooperate.

"Very well… Does that mean you're with Daruun?"

A soft, androgynous voice reverberated through the wooded area, coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

"That depends, are you?" replied Jack.

"A good answer…" Suddenly, the bark of the tree three meters ahead of Jack started to peel apart, slowly creaking a cavity within. From that cavity emerged a tall man with elven features and vitality, unlike anything Jack had witnessed before. The man then cast a gigantic barrier to engulf their surroundings and spoke, "I am Lyrun. It's a pleasure to meet with the man I assume is Daruun's champion. It's been a long time coming."

"Lyrun… So, it's true that you're one of the rebel gods?" asked Jack.

The Nature God nodded. "That's correct. Please, speak freely as no one can hear or see what's taking place in this space."

"Have you been expecting us?"

"In a way, yes. I was recently told that Daruun had been summoned and have been waiting here since then," stated Lyrun.

Jack tilted his head and asked, "Who told you?"

"No one that you would know," answered Lyrun. "But that source is entirely reliable so I don't doubt it. And now that you're here before me, you've confirmed that he was correct."

"What else do you know?" questioned Jack. "Do you know anything about the plans of the Neutral Gods?"

"I know nothing of the sort," Lyrun stated, shaking his head.

"Then let me fill you in a bit, but first allow me to introduce a few people." Motioning to his party members, Jack introduced them, "This is Phoro and this is Bowzer. I assume you already know what types of beasts they are, so allow me to introduce the two people most interested in you. First, there's my wife Eliza who wishes to pledge to you. And second, there's Daliea who's a surviving member of the fallen greis elves."

Lyrun kept his slight smile but took a deep breath in through his nose. "I see. Well, allow me to say that it would be better that she doesn't receive my blessing, as I can't offer the legendary blessing your most likely after."

"Why not?" asked Jack.

"Someone else is currently using that blessing, that's why." Looking to Daliea, Lyrun's slight grin shift to a small frown. "Allow me to first apologize for what occurred in the distant past to your people, Daliea. And please know that it was all my fault."

Caught off guard, the party looked to Lyrun with curious eyes. Daliea was feeling a tumult of different emotions, differing from rage to empathy and sorrow to courtesy.

Lyrun continued with a humble bow. "I'm certain that you'll soon be meeting with Eedaj, so I won't go into detail about the past. I just wanted to formally apologize. You're welcome to hate me as my brother Eedaj has grown to."

"Your brother? You and Eedaj are brothers?" Jack asked.

With a nod, Lyrun mentioned, "That's true, yes, but the reason I came was to warn you. What is your name, by the way?"

"Right, my name is Jack. I'm a summoned hero that's technically under the Adventurers Association but I'm more focused on the revival of Trodar and the Leisure Guild," Jack finally introduced himself.

"Leisure Guild… And a summoned hero… Are you Jack J., perhaps?"