The Achievement Junkie

Continuing, Daruun added, "So long as everyone does their best and does everything to keep the Leisure Guild as the focus of their mind, then you'll find everyone waiting for you by the time you return, Jack. Okay?"

Then, Daruun looked to Jack's wives and party. "I know it may be hard, but can I ask you all to please not contact Jack while he's away. He may worry but that will motivate him to be faster."

Nodding without a smile, Daliea responded, "I can promise…"

"Me too…" added Maura.

Eliza sighed, "I… I can promise too… But only if you promise that Jack will come back alive!"

"That I can guarantee," Daruun stated with a smile. "You'll be amazed by what will come to pass after his return. Use this time to prepare yourselves physically and mentally. Things will only get worse until this finally comes to an end."

Having said his piece, Daruun bowed his head to everyone again. "I'll let you all get back to work while I do the same. It was nice seeing you all again."

One more flash filled the great room, blinding everyone as Daruun left the world.

Understanding his lack of time, Jack hurried to Argyle. "Can you promise to protect them while I'm gone?"

"Why are you asking only him?" Hadurt sauntered over and threw an arm around Jack's shoulders. "Remember, all of us are here for that."

"But when they leave--"

"Eliza will be staying here," stated Dragas, catching everyone off guard. "She'll listen to her mother and stay her. That way I can protect my daughter and my grandchild."

A bit taken aback by that statement, Argyle asked, "Sure, you may have adopted her but I raised her. If she wants to--"

"She's staying with me until Jack returns." Dragas stood her ground, but showed Argyle a sly smile. "You seem like a competent father… If you don't like me ordering her around as her adoptive mother, how about we make it official?"

"WHAT?!"

Before Argyle could say anymore, he caught whiff of a gentle smell nearing his nostrils. As he stared into Dragas's eyes, he felt his heart soften a little.

"Come now… I won't bite, not until you ask me to," the goddess added, not afraid to seduce Argyle in front of everyone.

Jack and Eliza both enjoyed seeing Argyle struggle to handle Dragas. At the same time, Jack went to his wives and wrapped them with his arms. "I'll make sure to set a dungeon record so I can get back ASAP."

"What's a-sap?" Daliea asked with a chuckle.

"It means 'as soon as possible'. I don't want to be gone any longer then I need to be," explained Jack, getting all three of his wives to hug him tighter.

"Be safe…" mumbled Eliza, fighting the urge to beg Jack to stay a bit longer.

"Always. How else will I get to see my beautiful wives again?"

A moment later, they let go of each other with a sigh. They only waved as Jack hurried to Choron and Moranti.

They said only a few words before Jack started performing his pact with each of them. In a rush against the clock, Jack hastily wrote the pacts as Kori and Lorwynn approached him. The moment Jack was finished with both pacts, Moranti waved good-bye as he opened a spatial rift for the trio.

One last time, Jack waved to his loved ones before stepping through the rift.

*****

Unharmed and perfectly capable, both Oosam and Tralbok appeared inside an underground chamber. As the transporting light faded, Tralbok rushed to his seat at the viewing table.

No one else was there but Tralbok eyed the other seats while retrieving a contact crystal.

"Get back now!" Tralbok ordered. "There's been a change of plans! If you don't want to die Moranti's hand, come back now!"

Oosam calmly but stressfully sighed as he too returned to his seat. Joining Tralbok, he waited for the others in silent meditation.

*****

"Perchet, tell Naparn to hurry up. It's too late to not feel ashamed so least he can do is get his humiliation over with quickly so we can begin."

The blindfolded man nodded. His mouth and lips moved but no one at the table heard anything.

Not even a minute later, Naparn rushed into the room in a cold sweat.

Seeing this, Halmut chuckled. "Perchet, what did you tell him?"

"That if he wasted more time, then you'd remove a single digit for every minute more we waited," Perchet answered, getting everyone at the table to billow with laughter.

"What?! How dare you lie to--"

"Sit down already!" Halmut ordered, getting Naparn to finally concede and take his seat. "Good. Now that we're gathered here after so long a time, let me ask this first. Is there any news that I should be aware of?"

The table was silent and solemn. Only one figure rose from his seat to face Halmut at the table's head.

"Grixor… What is it you need to tell me?"

"Your excellency, I lost the key."

"WHAT?!" Halmut roared, letting his draconic fury show. "What do you mean?! How could you lose such a thing?!"

"It was a long time ago…" Grixor explained. "While I was hibernating, a hero snuck into my temple and stole some of my treasures."

"You let--"

"He succeeded in stealing them but I killed him before he could escape," Grixor continued, not daring to stop his story until it was finished. "But the hero's death created a sealed tomb and I had no way to enter it or activate it."

"Then… the key is among the treasures inside that tomb?" Halmut brought his boiling anger down to a simmer. "Hmm… That may work in our favor. Not even the chaotic gods could--"

"But someone else did activate that tomb," added Grixor. "But by the time I rushed in, they were gone with all of the treasures…"

"You… YOU FOOL!!" Halmut slapped his hand through the air, hurling a mass of holy energy at the hulking figure of Grixor. While the Quake Dragon was thrown into a nearby wall, Halmut snarled. "How dare you lose the most precious item I entrusted you?! Kylon, tell me that you still have yours!"

"Of course I do." The woman stood up and bowed her head with a small smile.

"Good…" Halmut's temper died down again.

"The enchantment key is still in my possession, always safely guarded," Kylon added.

While he glared at Grixor scrambling to his feet, halmut reminded, "Make sure to always be on guard. Thanks to Grixor's failure, it's the final key that remains. You should remain entirely focused on safekeeping it."

"Very well."

As the Kylon sat back down and Grixor returned to his seat, Halmut looked to Lyrun. "Remind me of that two-timing coward's offer?"

"Tralbok agreed to bring Moranti in chains in exchange for fair treatment and conditions when joining the holy gods," stated Lyrun. "However, I think Tralbok will be changing that proposal."

"Why?" Halmut asked, not happy to be promised Moranti's life only for those words to be withdrawn.

"I saw something take place in my looking glass. It was a fairly quick exchange, so quick that there was nothing I could do." Lyrun explained, "When Tralbok and Oosam started rushing toward Olympic Chateau, they were intercepted. Choron and the neutral champion led Lunara, Sterfen, Eedaj, and Jin to free Moranti. The moment Moranti was freed, Tralbok fled with Oosam."

"Oh… That means that loose canon is at large…" With dissatisfaction riddling his face, Halmut leaned back in his great chair. "If that's so, then accepting Tralbok and the others may not be a bad option. Of course, their contracts will be far more strict but such is the fate of those on the losing side… They must agree to the conditions of their superior or fall."