The Achievement Junkie

After the sun hid for the night and the moon crossed the sky, all was peaceful in Gilga. However, not all was calm.

Given six weeks, the stories of the Leisure Guild's monumental victory had the chance to scatter across the continent. And with the threat of the syndicate still fresh in the public's mind, Gilga was instantly labeled as the new safest city in all Kartonia. A flood of immigrants flowed into Trodar with all hopes of feeling safe yet again.

The wars between Trodar and it's former territories was halted as they were too busy trafficking the wave of immigrants. Also, the citizens of those three nations were now wanting to seek peace with Trodar or even reunion with their former nation.

Prachten and Iscantor weren't against the thought of reuniting, but the nobles running Limneer were more against the thought than ever. After their dramatic defeat and getting caught acting contrary to the war pact, those nobles knew that Trodar wouldn't be lenient with them. They understood that Trodar might likely wipe those nobles out.

To counter such thoughts, they had started to spread false rumors all sorts, failing to sway many of its citizens from fleeing to Trodar. Morals were no longer an issue, so long as the nobles could retain their lives and power.

With crowded streets well into the night, Gilga was peaceful yet extremely busy.

When the sun began to climb the following morning, the filled streets began to part and make a path. Most didn't understand what was happening until they spotted a small parade of people, beasts, and a large cage.

Recognizing the simple insignia on the flags that were sported, everyone did their best to clear a path for the heroes of Gilga, the same heroes that had attracted those immigrants in the first place.

At the front of the line, Jack walked with his three wives. Bowzer and Kori walked behind them in their fox forms, startling all of the new arrivals to Gilga.

The parade moved south of the guild's main entrance. It took much longer due to the size of the crowd, but they eventually stopped after reaching Jack's statue in the southern regions of the city.

More and more people hurried there, mixing into the already-packed streets.No one wanted to miss whatever announcement the Leisure Guild had planned. Most of the current citizens hoped to hear that the guild would formally accept the responsibility of running and directly protecting them, no longer remaining a third-party that could choose to act only if it wished. Hoping for such a statement, the streets filled while Jack retrieved a raised podium from his storage and waited for the crowd to reach its limit.

When there was hardly enough room to raise one's arms within the crowd, Jack held up his arms and drew everyone's attention. "People of Gilga! People of Trodar! Finally, we, the Leisure Guild, will be making a statement about the recent battle against the Chaos Syndicate!"

All went deathly silent. None dared interrupt or mishear Jack at that moment.

The hero continued, "There are some things that need to be clarified. First and foremost, I want to make one thing very clear… I was not the one who saved you!"

Jack's voice echoed over the streets and the heads of the crowd. They didn't know how to react to that statement.

"The one who saved you is far braver than I! For years he traveled alongside me and then he took on the responsibility of caring for the Leisure Guild and Trodar after I left you long ago," Jack explained. "The man who saved you was Tralon Dyrshire!"

"Those who were present in Gilga that night remember a vibrant flash of purple light overtaking the eastern field. That was one of the greatest spells ever cast. That was Tralon's dying spell!" Jack shouted. "Tralon understood that there were two options. Either the syndicate's army would raze the city and the Leisure Guild would be forced to sacrifice the city to win the battle…"

Pausing, Jack let his words marinate in the crowds' minds for a second. "Or… Tralon could sacrifice his own life without any hope of resurrection in exchange for the lives of the city! Being who he was, Tralon found himself unable to witness the deaths of you all… He found it repulsive to imagine the destruction of the city he helped construct from the ground up… That marvelous man, Tralon Dyrshire, is your savior… not me."

While the Crowd joined Jack in a moment of silence, Jack gathered purple energy around his hand.

To the shock of the crowd and those from the Leisure Guild, Jack turned and sliced his hand through the air time and time again. A thin wave of sharp spatial energy left Jack's hand each time, aiming directly for the giant statue. Cleanly cutting through, those Spatial Slashes destroyed the statue and reduced it to rubble.

Looking back to the crowd with some water in his eyes, Jack continued, "As I am was not your hero, I don't deserve such praise! I'm still living and will prove my worth in the near future but Tralon proved to be a better man already. It's only fair that his statue should stand there for us to admire and remember for the eternities. None should forget his sacrifice!"

The crowd roared! Caught up in the moment, everyone's perspective of Jack changed at that moment, as well as their perspective of Tralon.

Most everyone believed that Tralon was an aging war veteran on his last legs with nothing much to add to the city, besides his former reputation. But now… It hurt just to realize how wrong they were. With Tralon standing up to save the entire city at the cost of his life, amidst a battle that involved gods, it proved just how influential the aging mage could be.

As for everyone's opinions on Jack, they were both humanized and idealized. With Jack being the former Legend of Trodar, the person that all kids grew up hearing stories about, he instantly became the idol of the city.

Seeing Jack step down from the spotlight in order to give Tralon the honor the fallen mage deserved was shocking. It was selfless, not something expected from the selfish ancient hero. And adding the genuine emotion on Jack's face was what cemented the citizens' new view of Jack. Not as the ancient hero but as the hero of this generation. Not as a former legend but as the current representative of the gods. Not as a selfish idol but as a caring human.

"Never forget his sacrifice!" Jack shouted again. "Tralon was the shining example of what we wish to accomplish, so I'll never forget him. And to honor his wish to protect this country, I tell you all now that the Leisure Guild will resume control over the Trodan Council to guarantee your safety."

Cheers filled the entire city. Such a guarantee was equivalent to life and death for the citizens and especially eye-catching for those new immigrants.

Continuing, Jack added, "Also, know that we'll be increasing the size of the city walls! We want to make sure that all are welcome withing Trodar and especially Gilga. With that, we'll also be introducing more gods into our ranks. Allow me to introduce them."

One-by-one all the gods stepped forward. Kori didn't at first but Rikko nudged him forward until it was too late.

"We have Rikko, the Goblin God of Trickery and a master tactician!"

Doing a backflip and dancing in place, Rikko showed off for the crowd and reveled in the excitement.

"Next is Kori, the Hell-flame Fox God who defended the west gate to the point of sacrificing his godhood. But rest assured, he'll ascend yet again along with others," Jack added. The crowd was amazed but Jack continued down the line while the other gods simply waved. "There's Lunara, the Water Goddess, the Nine-headed Glacial Hydra, and the wife of Sterfen, God of Secrecy, formerly known as the Assassin God. Also, make note that they're both my parents, of which I'm very proud.

"There's also Dragas, the Goddess of Seduction, one of the most beautiful women to ever live. You've already seen Eedaj, the Mind God, but Guuro, the God of Greed, otherwise known as the God of Bussiness has also joined us in Gilga," added Jack. "They're all--"

"Don't forget me!"