The Achievement Junkie

"What's going on? Mommy, what's that?"

"I don't know sweetie…"

Grabbing her infant daughter's hand all the tighter, the woman felt saliva lodge in her throat. She couldn't believe her eyes.

Only a few hundred meters away, a dazzling pillar of light rained down upon the center square and the majority of Pralis, Kustram's capital city. It was unlike anything she had ever seen and was so bright that the woman, along with every other citizen witnessing the event, could no longer see the buildings enveloped within the light.

But only a moment later. The woman clutched her daughter's tiny hand and covered her gaping mouth. A tear instantly formed, gliding down her cheek and flowing down her wrist.

Everything was gone. The city hall was no more. The trading pavilion was nonexistent. Nothing was left. All that remained was a hundred-meter deep crater burned by the intense light. It was terrifying beyond the scope of the woman's nightmares.

"We're leaving!"

"But mommy--"

"We need to run, Lanee!" The mother rushed to pick up her daughter, dashing away along with the majority of the remaining population.

"Look!"

"Is that…"

"It can't be?!"

Shouts and cries drew the daughter's attention to the sky above. "Mommy… What's that?"

"Don't worry sweetie, Mommy will--"

"But Mommy, look at the sky! It's so big!" the little girl shouted in awe, trying to forcibly move her mother's head to see the massive, golden figure descending from the clouds.

Finally, the woman caught a glimpse of the figure. Her entire body quivered, giving up her futile attempts to flee. "It's… It's… It's really happening…"

"Mommy? What's happening? Did that monster--"

"Lanee…" the mother called out her daughter's name again, dropping to her knees and holding the child tightly against her bosom. "... Mommy loves you."

Blinking, the daughter hugged her mother back. "And I love Mommy, too."

"He's here!"

"Thank the heavens!"

A new round of cries filled the area. Hope returned to their voices as their tears of sorrow became tears of gratitude.

"Skaryn…" Looking up, the mother felt her heart start beating yet again.

"Skaryn? Is that Skaryn?!" The little girl kept her arms around her mother as her eyes darted around the sky, searching for the second, much smaller figure to descend from the clouds.

"Yes, sweetie… That's him. Our protector really came…"

Together, the mother, the daughter, and all citizens close enough to spectate were enraptured by the standoff in the sky. They could hear echoes of their shouts, most of which was inaudible. But occasionally, certain phrases were loud enough for everyone.

"... Does she know about this..."

That sentence confused most everyone as it weakly echoed. At first, no one was able to tell which figure said what, only that there were two distinct voices.

"Answer the question!"

People started to think that voice was Skaryn's, as it seemed more human. But they weren't sure yet.

"Lanee… Will you pray with Mommy?"

"Mhmm!" The little girl bobbed her head up and down.

"Then close your eyes. All you need to do is pray in your heart," explained the mother.

With a final nod, the infant girl crinkled her face from shutting her eyes too tightly. She mumbled to herself under her breath, "Dear Skaryn… Pretty please…"

While her daughter was distracted, the mother kept her eyes focused on the sky above. She believed that Skaryn should be able to protect them, but a mother would never be able to stop worrying when their child's life is in question.

"Join me, Skaryn!"

Proving which voice belonged to whom, all spectators froze in fear as Halmut offered Skaryn the chance to work together. Such a thing would only lead to their doom. Unconsciously, the mother gripped her daughter's sundress even tighter.

"... I refuse..."

Relief washed over the Kustram people yet again, at least enough to keep them from having a heart attack. That faint echo kept their last strands of hope alive.

"... I have no addiction…"

Everyone thought they misheard something. No one could believe that the gods were talking about substance abuse, so they all assumed it was a misinterpretation. But their hearts didn't feel any lighter with such a belief. They only felt more eager to know the full context of the conversation.

"... and protect Mommy…" Still mumbling to herself, the little girl added to her list of pleas, making sure her mother was repeated frequently in her prayer.

Touched, the mother pressed her lips against her daughter's forehead.

"... you don't know anything…"

"... shut up…"

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

Halmut's roar passed over the entire island, ringing in the ears of those closest. At the same time, someone in the crowd looked to a different portion of the sky, the part directly overhead.

"T-that…"

On edge from the shout, the mother and the other spectators looked up in horror.

The dark clouds seemed to have another sun hiding behind them, but that patch of clouds grew whiter and whiter at a visible speed. Within seconds, a new pillar of light rained fell from the sky.

"Lanee!" The mother instinctively wrapped her arms around her daughter, wanting to someone defy the odds and keep the girl alive, even at the loss of her own life.

To the relief of the Kustram citizens, they all saw Skaryn in action. As the Dark God repelled the light pillar, cheers rang out in jubilation.

"... have you no shame…"

"... and the Flood Dragons…"

The next two statements still weren't entirely clear, but they were audible enough for those closeby to understand.

"Mommy," pulling her head out of her mother's chest, the little girl asked, "does Skaryn protect dragons too?"

The woman was unsure what her daughter was talking about until she followed her daughter's finger. That's when she spotted giant finned tails breaching the water, something that only occurred during the Flood Dragon mating season every few years. It was always a national festival and a great tourist attraction, yet it could be seen during such a dire time? It made no sense to the women.

Now that she was focused on the nearby waters, the woman heard the faint cries reverberating out of the water.

"They're crying, Mommy…"

Amidst the escalating situation, the woman managed to smile again for her daughter. "Don't worry, sweetie. Skaryn will protect them too."