The Achievement Junkie

"To begin, since we don't lack time at the moment and more information will later help Jack make a certain decision, I'll give you some insight about how Skaryn and Halmut were long ago," added Daruun.

Jack and Duorda nodded but was the hero was left feeling particularly curious. They listened carefully as any mention of a decision by Daruun would always be glaringly important.

Daruun began his explanation, "I'll start with Skaryn since he's also a key piece of Halmut's story.

"Skaryn is nothing like you know him to be, Jack. I'll be frank as he was the first person that I ever saw potential in as a future partner. I wouldn't make such a decision lightly. He was also the one who asked me to include Halmut into my plans, vouching for him with their mutual beast seal as proof.

With Jack's eyes opened wide and his ears tilted forward, Daruun smiled and continued, "At that time, Kartonia was completely different. There was no unifying force apart from the separate nations fighting for supremacy. The world revolved around strength as leadership was constantly in flux due to the cruelty that existed back then. Anyone could do anything, so long as they were stronger, either financially or physically. With both of those things, a man could cause a genocide without any repercussions, which had happened a couple of times already.

"Skaryn was born into slavery on the island nation of Kustram. Just after exiting the womb, rather than be placed in his mother's arms, he was branded and given a slave curse," stated Daruun, getting a worried look from Jack.

"Such was the common practice for newborn slaves. All male slaves were forced to work under brutal conditions with four hours of sleep each night. Female slaves were treated as breeding machines for more free labor, while also maintain the estates they served. And all newborns went under that same ordeal, automatically eliminating the chance of having a weak slave since the weaker children wouldn't be able to recover from such treatment," explained Daruun with a straight yet uneasy face.

"That…" Jack stammered, not wanting to comprehend such a thing.

Continuing, Daruun shook his head, "Jack, across the void, I can assure you that more despicable things are happening now as we speak. By no means do I condone such acts but I couldn't interfere in Kartonia. Within the Fate District, I've abolished slavery for all acknowledged planets, meaning that every planet that knows of the universe beyond their own atmosphere must comply.

"However, Kartonia isn't recognized as an acknowledged planet and my interference would destroy the original purpose of Kartonia. Strength and growth of character are built through tribulations. Without that, gaining a true understanding of the world and the universe is impossible," reasoned Daruun.

"So you let them go through that knowingly?" asked Jack.

"Yes… I allowed them to experience such a thing," Daruun admitted. "But I also made sure that Kartonia was unique. Anyone that was tortured or endured such hardships and died on Kartonia will undergo a rebirth process on a separate world within the district. I'm not so heartless to allow injustice without recompense."

Feeling a bit better, Jack sighed, "Ok… well I guess that's understandable."

"As I was saying, Skaryn was born into slavery and was raised within one of the cruels slavers in Kartonia," Daruun continued. "The slaver and his managers were very interested in Skaryn, as he was different from the other slaves. After countless beating and reprimanding, as well as the deaths of his parents, the infant Skaryn eventually stopped complaining altogether. By the time Skaryn was an adolescent, he wore a smile on his face and eagerly looked to outwork all other slaves.

"Also, Skaryn soon became the most physically capable slave the slavers had ever found. His strength was unmatched and he would ask for extra whippings each day, occasionally asking if he could take the whippings of other slaves just for the fun of it."

Jack shrugged. "So, a slave that became a masochist. What's so new about that?"

Shaking his head, Daruun kept going, "Back then, spatial storages were quite rare in Kartonia. This was due to the lack of craftsmen sharing their trade secrets with their most capable and skilled workforce, the slaves. That led to using carts, wagons, and many cargo vehicles being all the more common. And since slave labor was free for the larger slave organizations, they used slaves to carry their cargo.

"Skaryn was quickly made to drive his own cart but showed excellence right off the bat. So the slavers would increase the load each trip, making the cargo vehicle larger each time. It got to the point where a teenage Skaryn was pulling fully loaded wagons by himself, all while he wore a smile on his face.

"Now, everyone called it masochism and Skaryn never argued that either. However, everyone would later learn the truth," stated Daruun.

"It took years but Skaryn's willingness to serve as a lowly slave had gained him a reputation among the slaves and the slavers. After showing his compliance, the slavers eventually started to decrease the amount of security around Skaryn. It got to the point where only two average guards were left to keep Skaryn in check. This marked the downfall of that slave organization."

Smiling, Daruun eyed Jack while continuing, "There was a little secret about Skaryn that no one knew of. Each night, Skaryn used at least one of his sleeping hours to attempt mana manipulation. He would get a rough, basic feel for his mana affinities. Also, Skaryn would try and examine the slave curse imprinted on him. His other mana practices and naturally high affinity allowed Skaryn to recognize the crude flow of mana over the branded curse on his forehead.

"It was a simple curse that instantly paralyzed anyone at the slavers' command or if they strayed too far from the slaver's estate. The only exception to that was during caravan travels, where the curse was temporarily linked to the manager in charge of the trip. Skaryn had seen his own father be captured by the curse, fleeing from Skaryn's side and attempting to escape the caravan after picking the locks of his restraints."