The Achievement Junkie

"The next day, Skaryn's father beaten beyond recovery and brutally murdered after becoming a useless, crippled slave. Witnessing his father's death wasn't heartbreaking at all for Skaryn, though," added Daruun.

"Among the slaves, the concept of parents wasn't very present. They had all been separated at birth, only recognizing their parents later due to bearing a similar serial code engraved in their unhidden slave curses. And the parents never cared or searched for their children either. They had been drugged and forced to mate like animals in a tyrannical zoo, not allowed to show love or even understand what love is. That was the environment that shaped Skaryn."

Seeing Jack pondering in silence and Duorda anxious to hear more, Daruun continued, "After spending years examining the crudely made curse, Skaryn inevitably learned a few tricks to weaken it. That was when he not only took the beatings without complaint but began to seek them out. Skaryn wanted to become as strong as he could, arguing with the managers to get heavier wagons and to increase the weight of each load. He wanted to get stronger.

"An escape plot had emerged in Skaryn's mind and he played it out to a tee. He gained less security after years of unmatched good behavior. All the while, Skaryn chipped away at the curse each night to weaken it more and more. Physically, Skaryn had become a monster, mimicking circus elephants with their incredible strength but an unwillingness to revolt after proper training. Only it was all a ploy.

"Skaryn had brought the curse to the limit, barely keeping it active at all so that no one would be the wiser. Finally, he was ready to execute his plan.

"After enduring two more trips, it was the third trip after having weakened the curse that Skaryn made his move. Everything went as it commonly would. Skaryn drove his massive wagon with vigor. He led the caravan like he always did.

"On that particular route, there was a giant uphill portion. During that stretch, the slavers would chain other wagons and carts to Skaryn's. This made sure that the other weaker slaves wouldn't collapse from exhaustion and let the precious cargo drop down the hill. They chained up all the cargo and let Skaryn begin the ascent. Nothing was strange or peculiar about it. Not until they were half-way up the hill.

"Once they were at the half-way point, Skaryn acted. He had already picked the locks of his restraints, mimicking his father's failed attempt at escape, and was wearing them casually to keep up appearances. With the perfect moment arriving, Skaryn undid his restraints and broke the handle used to pull the cart. Before his lax guards could act, Skaryn had already snuffed out the final portion of the slave curse.

"Skaryn's speed alone was enough to outrun anyone present but he also allowed his massive wagon to become the perfect distraction. The wagon fell back and crashed into those behind it, dragging everything to the bottom of the hill like an anchor would fall to the seafloor. No one had the time or ability to chase after Skaryn in such a situation where the lives of slaves and the condition of the merchandise was at such a great risk."

Finally, Daruun paused and waited for Jack to say something.

Sighing, Jack asked, "Why go into so much detail? I appreciate the storytelling, but--"

"To understand his character, you need to thoroughly understand his actions," stated Daruun. "I won't recount you his entire life, but only a couple of key points, one being his upbringing and escape.

"Now that you understand how crafty, patient, and calculated Skaryn can be, I can explain what he did next with less detail," reasoned Daruun.

"After escaping, Skaryn made sure he couldn't be tracked. Using his rudimentary understanding of dark type mana, Skaryn concealed his home in shadows to avoid magic detection. Being the first to crack the curse was also a huge help as the slavers were trying to use the curse to paralyze and locate their prized slave.

"Spending more than a year focusing on survival and step-by-step growth with magic, Skaryn finally felt confident to attempt what he wished," stated Daruun.

"Skaryn used his shadows to sneak into his old home. He crept through the slavers' property and assassinated the slavers in their sleep. Effectively, Skaryn had freed all of the organization's slaves, those in charge of crafting goods, those in charge of raising crops, those in charge of maintaining the ranch of animals for food trade, and more. If there was a viable trade in that economy, there were slaves demanded to fulfill that trade's needs day in and day out, but not anymore.

"That act led to a revolt across Kustram and a reformation of the Kustram's government. The more slavers Skaryn killed, the more eye-opening it was for the king. When only a few major slave organizations were left, the king made the decision to side with the newly released slaves.

"The king liked the idea of an increased labor force to boost the economy and remove the ever-growing influence the slavers were gaining over his kingdom. And the thought of gaining the favor and appreciation of so many newly recognized citizens would guarantee his long-term rulership. It was a brilliant political move that Skaryn forced into play. Skaryn and the king met before they partnered up to remove the final slave organizations from the Kustram map.

Nodding, Jack agreed, "So Skaryn changed the nation as a whole, somewhat indirectly."

"Correct," answered Daruun. "The king was already fed up with the slavers but had no means of dealing with slavers. After Skaryn proved himself capable against the slavers, the king was more than willing to back up and cement his influence into the nation in place of the slavers."

"What did he do next?" asked Jack.

"Skaryn was offered the position of Royal Captain of the Guard, but he turned it down. He didn't want to feel burdened with responsibility, not after he had just freed himself."