The Achievement Junkie

"Come with me to the Leisure Guild."

Hadurt looked at Lorwynn like he had gone insane. "Huuuuh?! That crappy guild that's barely surviving?"

"There's much more to it than either of us realized. That's where I'll introduce you to the other champion," replied Lorwynn with a smile.

"The other champion… I didn't even know he was active and you've already met him?" Taking a second to think, Hadurt asked, "What's so special about the last champion? What can he do for us that we can't do ourselves?"

"He can help us become gods."

Hadurt's mocking expression fell from his face. "You're not lying to me, are you?"

"Would I go through the trouble of destroying two godly weapons and denying my master's blessing so I could lie to you?" Lorwynn laughed, "I wouldn't joke about this, Hadurt. You're the only other person that understands how miserable it is to be in our shoes. To be at the cusp of godhood yet to never be given the opportunity… That's a life of torture and you know it, whether you admit it or not.

"So, will you come with me or not? You can kill me now and still run back to the chaotic gods before it's too late," added Lorwynn. "Once you enter the property of the Leisure Guild, there's no going back."

Taking his time, Hadurt casually swung his sword around as he pondered Lorwynn's offer.

"This is you're only chance to surpass the lv. 89 limit, Hadurt. Are you going to turn that down?"

"No… I'll come but I'm not agreeing to anything else. I only want to learn the truth behind your words," stated Hadurt.

"Then change your clothes and put that sword away. We stick out too much like this." Lorwynn changed his apparel in the blink of an eye, appearing to be a common adventurer with a plain sword at his waist.

Hadurt chuckled when he saw the greatsword at Lorwynn's side. He too changed his apparel to common clothes and a simple greatsword. "That enough? Now hurry or I'll kill you in impatience."

"Don't worry, we're not as far as you would think," chuckled Lorwynn. "We're currently in the Silk Woods. So long as we head north, we'll reach Gilga within the hour."

"You… You planned this all out knowing I'd tag along? And what if I said no? What would you have done?" questioned Hadurt.

"I would've died." Lorwynn nodded with a smile. "So I'm glad you chose correctly. Now we can both become gods."

"And what makes you so sure of that?"

"Two things," replied Lorwynn. "I know that the other champion is already a demigod."

"What?! You're joking?!" struggling to accept that, Hadurt denied that statement outright. "Champions are champions. Why would the gods let us join them?"

"I asked my master that same thing, Hadurt. But he always said that the Neutral Gods saw things differently, something my master wishes he had noticed before joining the Holy Gods," Lorwynn replied. "He said that the neutral champion's job would be much more difficult than ours because his true fight wasn't with us but with the gods."

"That's ridiculous though. How could someone ever expect a mortal to grow to defeat a god, let alone face two entire pantheons of gods?!" retorted Hadurt.

Lorwynn turned and started walk as he answered, "Wouldn't the all-knowing and all-seeing God of Fate be able to do just that, though? Also, I already know the true identity of the neutral champion and it's far more prestigious than either of us. You could even say that in his past he achieved more than both of us combined, so it would be logical for him to be chosen by Daruun."

"Wait… Is the other champion a summoned hero?"

"Now you're catching on," chuckled Lorwynn.

Piecing it all together, Hadurt's mind started to see the bigger picture. Since they were heading toward the Leisure Guild, that meant the champion must've been a former hero from Trodar. And if that hero had done more than both himself and Lorwynn combined, there was only one hero from Trodar that matched that description.

"Daruun chose the Legend of Trodar?!" blurting out his discovery, Hadurt ran in front of Lorwynn and grabbed him by the shoulders. "You're kidding, right?! You've got to be kidding me?! After all the training I've done to become the strongest of us champions, the Neutral Gods chose him?! But how?!"

"Calm down, Hadurt, I don't know that much," Lorwynn replied, shaking free of his rival's grip. "That's something I want to learn to, but we'll only learn that after going to the Leisure Guild."

"Then why aren't we running?" Hadurt suddenly booked it, leaving Lorwynn in the dust.

Lorwynn sighed and chased after Hadurt, glad to see that the berserker was in high spirits.

*****

"Argyle," Baral knocked a door before entering. "Everyone is accounted for."

"That's great…" Argyle sighed, relieved to no longer being chased by so many high-leveled experts. Now fully at ease, Argyle waved away his manager and smiled to the man sitting beside him. "Tralon, thank you."

"Don't mention it, Argyle. How things are now, there's no reason why we wouldn't help you." Tralon returned Argyle's smile and added, "I'm sure Jack and the others will be glad to have you here."

Still relaxed, a sorrowful smile crept onto Argyle's face as he asked, "What do you think happened to Federal City?"

"I'm sure we'll hear about the news shortly. If Hurmot is as wise as I believe, I'm sure he escaped and I'm a bit shocked that he hasn't called me yet," Tralon laughed, but it wasn't anything more than an attempt to keep a positive outlook. "Sadly, I don't think the rest of Federal City will escape such destruction.

"The last time I saw such a storm was during the Godly War. Those storms ravaged battlefields, killing indiscriminately. It was a special ability of Pestro, the Demon God," added Tralon. "Wherever those clouds appear, so long as they can't be negated, even a victory will come at a loss for both sides."

"Also, what did you do to seal the teleportation circle? I thought they would've followed me here?" asked Argyle.

"Oh, I didn't seal your circle. I destroyed it." As Argyle groaned at the loss of such an expensive treasure, Tralon continued, "It's a custom of the Leisure Guild to place a spell of self-destruction embedded into each teleportation circle that connects to our main hub. I was simply following the tradition that Jack had instigated in the guild."

"Self-destruction? Doesn't that also mean you could just destroy anyone linked to your hub?"

Tralon nodded. "Yes, that's correct. But we're not that type of guild, unless someone forces our hand. In reality, I believe it was just something that Jack would use to rid himself of pursuers after his constant mischievous acts."

Chuckling, Argyle agreed that Jack would be that kind of person.

"Anyway, shouldn't you go speak with your guild, Argyle?" asked Tralon. "You're more than welcome to stay with us here and consider the first month's rent on me. That should give you spending money to advertise and connect with the market here in Trodar."

"Thanks, Tralon. You've been a bigger help than I want to admit."

"Don't forget Jack. He's the reason we could make your teleportation circle in the first place. And he's the reason Daruun was summoned, who encouraged us to hurry to Federal City in place of helping Jack fast travel to and from Korten," stated Tralon. "He's the key to all this, so we mustn't forget that."

"Right. I'm sure he'll be glad to know that I'm here to stay," chuckled Argyle. "And I'm glad to know that we're under the protection of a Draconic Centipede, a horde of Dark Beholders, and a small flock of Celestial Cranes. Not to mention Dradich, my new wyrm companion, and the Golden Condor I got for the guild."

"Or the remaining shadow goblins?" Tralon added with a smile.