The Achievement Junkie

"I can make them gods?"

Daruun nodded and then shrugged. "Given time, yes. That will be very possible."

"But I thought--"

"Just know that there is a way for you to make them gods, but to do so, you must first become a god," stated Daruun. "As for how they can become gods, just know that it involves killing a god, which means you should become a god first. If you get hung up on anything else, then you'll get distracted from what needs to be done now."

"Then that means… I'll need to become a god within a year?"

"If you're trying to extend Tralon's life, then yes. But don't lose your cool, Jack. I'm not saying it's impossible to do so, but the probability of that path intersects with a different path involving Sterfen," Daruun added, grabbing the attention of the entire room.

Sterfen and Jack tried to imagine what Daruun was going to say but the God of Fate continued to surprise them. "Jack, from this moment on, there are many routes to take toward your fate. You control that, not me. It's your decisions that might save the world or allow it to fall. Not every decision could be so consequential, but the decision you're about to make might lead to that.

"You have the option of Lorwynn partnering with Hadurt to carry Tralon until he levels up enough to potentially become a god before his death. Now, that path carries many complications and intricacies as well that would need to be executed perfectly to keep Tralon alive," reasoned Daruun.

"Another option is one that involves Sterfen and helping your mother leave the Holy Gods sooner rather than later," continued Daruun. "To do this, you would need Lorwynn's help, which would keep him from power-leveling Tralon with Hadurt."

"Also, by taking that option there's a chance that you complicate things for Lorwynn or even the rebel Holy Gods. But should he prove entirely successful, there's also a chance for him to remain hidden from the Holy God's as well. That path might also aid you in your quest to recruit Choron if executed correctly."

Jack's mind was throbbing from the pressure behind this decision. His emotions were fighting with his logic.

Heavily pandering Daruun's words, Sterfen started to imagine what sort of plan would involve helping his wife gain an early escape from the Holy Gods.

"Oh, and Lorwynn, you wouldn't need to worry too much in either of these scenarios," Daruun added, calming the former holy champion. "Should Jack choose the path to aid Tralon in ascending, you'll be focusing on dungeon runs. And should he choose the path to rescue Lunara sooner than later and aid Choron, you'll become Sterfen's personal aid as you both work toward those goals."

Stewing in deep thought, Jack hated the decision presented to him.

At the side, both Eliza and Daliea could recognize Jack's internal struggle. But while the elf girl hesitated, Eliza hurried to Jack, embracing him from behind. She whispered, "Whatever you decide, we'll all agree."

Jack's lips twitch upward for a second as he placed his hand around hers. He said nothing but he was visibly calmer.

Sighing, Daruun told Jack, "Don't feel pressured to decide now, Jack. I'm only telling you this much so that you can make a proper decision. You can prolong your decision for six days. If you take too much longer than that, then you'll have chosen neither path and you'll be left adjusting to the decisions of others."

Feeling better and worse at the same time, Jack nodded to Daruun and the others.

"Today will be my final day staying here. I've got other duties to attend to," stated Daruun. "After the wedding, we'll have a great feast before I depart. Now, shouldn't you and Daliea prepare for the ceremony?"

Struggling to reply, Jack was lucky to feel someone grab each of his hands. Both Eliza and Daliea were tugging him along, leading him out of the room.

"Come on, I'm sure the others are already here," stated Eliza. "Let's hurry up and transfer Appa to me to get your mind off everything else."

"Y-yeah…" Jack meekly replied, finally moving of his own volition.

"Then you'll need me," Daruun chuckled as he followed them out of the courtyard, along with Bowzer and Phoro. "Your party should be in the courtyard prepared for the wedding."

They took their time to travel through the guild, guided by Daruun. After ten minutes of wandering, they reached that courtyard to find dozens of chairs set up in a half-circle facing a constructed platform. In the seats closest to the platform, the other party members and Maura's family were waiting.

"Jack!" Seeing her husband being pulled into the courtyard, Maura hurried to hug him. She was quick to see that something was wrong and asked, "Is there something you want to talk about?"

Shaking his head, Jack replied with a soft smile, "No, not today. Let's talk about it tomorrow."

"Right, today is a celebration for our husband and our new sister," added Eliza, caressing Jack's arm while smiling at Daliea.

"Daliea, I was wondering if Eliza and I could be your maids of honor?" Maura kindly asked.

Nodding, Daliea giggled. "Of course… Who else could I ask?"

"Then let's go get you ready." Letting go of Jack, Eliza skipped around him to link arms with Daliea. "We'll help you pick out a dress and accessories. Maura, where's the dressing room?"

"Follow me!"

Delighted, the thee women ran back out of the courtyard toward the bride's designated area. Jack was left behind with only the men.

"Jack, why aren't you happy?" asked Bowzer. "I thought you liked Daliea?"

With a nervous chuckle, Jack answered, "I do, but that's not why I'm like this…"

"So you'll have to make an important decision, what's the big deal? Is it your first time?" Bowzer questioned Jack, hoping to get his point across.

"I… No, it's not."

"Then, take some time to think over which one you should do and then follow through on whatever you decide," reasoned Bowzer. "You can always call Daruun when you have a question."

"True, but that doesn't mean I'll always answer your questions," stated Daruun.

Stunned slightly, Jack asked, "And why not?"

"Because that's not how my crest works." Daruun explained, "My crest can contact me and it can summon me. It also represents that you're my messenger when needed. Which reminds me, feel free to check more of your recent notifications if you're want to feel better."

"What do--"

"Anyway," continued Daruun, "The crest will have the ability to contact me directly, light a contact crystal. But know that each time you contact me will use the same amount of mana as a peak-tier spell, and that's for each minute we share. So I'd recommend using it wisely and not for lengthy conversations like we have had in the past, Jack."

"What… Why does it need so much mana?!" complained Jack.

Daruun smiled and looked at Jack like the hero was stupid. "Did you already forget that I'm not staying on the planet? Did you think interstellar communication was so simple?"

"N… Yeah, sorry about that. I'm a little stressed out at the moment." Jack sighed. "It's hard to get my mind off of this, okay?"

"I'm sure Daliea will help ya with that later tonight," laughed Maynard as he walked up to Jack.

Rydel joined in, throwing his arm around the hero. "Yeah, I'm sure she'll keep him occupied, at least till morning."

A chuckle escaped Jack's lips but only for a moment.

"Jack, just relax. Either of those two options would make sense for what you're planning to do," added Tralon. "So why not enjoy the moment while it's here? You're not going to disappoint Daliea after all this, are you?"

"No," stated Jack, finally letting his usual tone of voice come out. "I'll treat her right. That much I can handle right now."