The Achievement Junkie

As Duorda's body seemingly separated into two individual skeletons, Jack was in utter awe. He had nothing to say nor did he have the ability to say anything if his brain was properly functioning at that particular moment.

The most jarring thing wasn't even the separation into two skeletons! Jack's system instantly changed the title that Duorda's statistics had shown prior. For as long as Jack knew it, Crypt Lord Duorda was the most feared boss, with the exception of rare god-facing events in-game. But that most feared title became all the more unique and startling.

[Duorda, Yin Yang Death Knight]

Reading that title left Jack completely dumbstruck for a moment. He watched as both the white skeleton and the black skeleton turned and faced Jack, each wielding their respective sickle. Then, rectangular shields appeared in each of the skeleton's off hands.

"You're not a spell blade?" Jack asked, finally managing to put together some words.

"No… I have a unique class and subclass," the black skeleton answered. The white skeleton then stated, "But given your abilities, I'm sure you're similar. Now, we can fight in our true forms. It's your turn."

"Right…" Jack sighed, shaking his head. "Just give me a moment. I wasn't expecting to see such a unique and cool skill from you."

"Take your time. I've waited thousands of years for this, so a few minutes of a few days are nothing to me."

"Before I transform again, let me explain something," Jack stated, trying to be nice to the most overpowered boss beyond his imagination. He was still trying to imagine what Daruun's advice meant.

"Go ahead."

Jack continued, "My transformations come from all the beast companions that I have. My unique class and subclass allow me to access their bloodlines. Up till now, I've only shown you three of the four bloodlines I have access to."

Earth energy erupted from Jack's body as he assumed his Draconic Centipede form, causing Duorda to fill with even more excitement.

"You formed a contract with a Draconic Centipede? Amazing…" commented Duorda, admiring the powerful claws and body armor Jack created.

"You've already seen me combine bloodlines, boosting their potency according to my needs. But you've never seen me combine three bloodlines at one time," explained Jack. "Would you like to see it?"

"YES!" Duorda emphatically shouted.

Taking a deep breath, Jack also assumed a neutral position. "Very well.. Give me a moment, as you'll be the first person to see me do this."

"Even better! Take all the time in the world!"

Assessing the situation, Jack pondered for a moment about what three bloodlines would be best for the situation. Once Duorda had shown his true form, Jack lost the ability to see-through the boss's health and mana stats, but Jack was sure both forms were at decent levels of both. And since Duorda proved he was beyond comparison to any boss in-game, including himself, Jack felt it was best to assume that both skeletons that were Duorda were stronger than his former form.

"Do we really have to fight like this? I'd much rather work with you than against you," stated Jack. "I don't see why we have to--"

"Jack, I'm not opposed to the thought of being allies," Duorda mentioned, surprising Jack. "However, that's only if you prove more capable than I. If not, then you'll fail to fulfill my purpose."

"And what purpose is that?"

"Find out after defeating me. Either die now in suspense or succeed to learn everything there is to know."

"Everything there is to know?" Jack scratched his head, trying to understand such a statement.

Duorda added, "But without proving yourself capable, you'll remain in the dark. Now show me this final form!"

"I'll be honest…" Jack sighed. "I can't yet use my final form. To do that, I need to upgrade my skill more and combine all four of the bloodlines, then--"

"That would be beyond spectacular!" shouted Duorda. "The pure ferocity of the Hell-flame Fox's fire… The undeniable speed of the Minokawa… The absolute defense of the Draconic Centipede… The versatility and adaptability of the Spectral Dragon… To have all four combined to form an indomitable bloodline… I feel giddy just imagining such a form!"

"But like I said, I can't do that yet," continued Jack. "For now, I can only merge three bloodlines. If you want to see my final form, your best bet is to work with me until I can max out my bloodline skill."

"A tempting offer… But I can't accept until you overcome me," Duorda stated firmly, sidelining his earlier excitement.

"Too bad… Then I'll at least show you my penultimate form…"

Jack clenched his fists tightly. All muscles of his body flexed as he half squatted. "Aaaaaaaahhhhh…"

He began to yell as ferocious amounts of energy exploded out of his body. Streaks of red, yellow, and purple wildly danced around Jack. The purple wings remained on Jack's back, however, a layer of exoskeleton armor rushed over the portions of the wing where bone was found. Long protruding claws jutted out of the wings' tips, thinning to a needle-like point at the end. The white of Jack's eyes darkened, almost turning black as the three energy types made themselves present in his Draconic iris'. Fire pulsed in and out of the minute gaps of the exoskeleton, matching Jack's breathing. The hero kept his hands and sharper-than-razor claws but could feel the heat hiding beneath the exoskeleton trying to escape through the gaps of armor around his fingers.

"Beyond comparison…" Duorda was in awe. He giddily watched as Jack showed the magnificent form. "The destructive fire of the Hell-flame Fox, the complete defense of the Draconic Centipede, and the versatile abilities of the Spectral Dragon… Indeed, you're the most formidable of all opponents that have faced me, even though you're a whole level below what they were. Absolutely amazing…"

"Does that--"

"No, you'll most definitely fight me," stated Duorda. "But now I'm not so sure what will happen in the end. Perhaps, you truly may fulfill my purpose."

"But if I kill you, then how can we--"

"Come at me, Jack!" shouted the white skeleton. The black skeleton added, "Give my undead life meaning!"