The Achievement Junkie

"This place… What… Who made all this?"

The dragon turned its head to Jack, surprised by such a question. "You can see down here?"

"Not exactly…" replied Jack. "But I can sense the ruins through the ground. You used sound waves to find your way, right? I can do something similar through the ground, but I can't get a clear picture like you can."

"Come in. We've been expecting you."

A calm voice caught Jack off guard. The dragon that had guided Jack then nodded and said, "Enter that passage and the following room. If anyone can explain things, it will be Perchet, should you be worthy."

Jack felt the rush of wind from the dragon's takeoff, leaving him with zero answers and countless questions. He blinked and did his best to sense the cast open chamber he was in but it was too large for Jack to sense without transforming. And since Perchet's was clearly inside the building a few steps away, Jack felt that was his best chance of getting answers and not randomly exploring the ruins. At least not without skiing first.

There was one thing that Jack could instantly spot with his eyes, however. In the corner of his menu, Jack spotted a new notification. Jack opened it only to be dumbstruck yet again.

[Ace of discovery: completed]

[Discover Kartonia's most ancient burial grounds and catacombs, the Dusk Dragon Mausoleum. Legendary reward: 2,000 skill points. Would you like to claim this reward?]

"Come on. We have other things to do," added Perchet.

Quickly claiming his skill points, Jack exited the menu with one question answered and dozens more added to his mental list. Taking two more steps, Jack gripped the doorknob and opened the heavy door with relative ease. Closing it behind him, Jack found the next door and opened it slowly as he was blinded by the light unleashed upon its opening.

Jack groaned, blinked, and squinted as he entered the well-lit room.

"JACK?!"

Hearing a women's voice, Jack regained his senses a bit quicker. "Yes?"

"Perchet, what is Jack doing here?!" Kylon questioned. "You said--"

"Please forgive me, both of you. I was vague with each of you which has caused confusion," stated Perchet. "Give me a moment to explain, Kylon. Jack doesn't know any better about this. I'm the one who fooled you."

"Then you're only after killing--"

"No!" Jack shouted, catching Kylon off guard. The hero rubbed one eye as he added, "Auntie Kylon, I just came to help you."

"A-auntie?"

"Well, I don't want to call you grandma, even though Lunara is my mom. I think auntie is better given your relationship with Skaryn, after all."

"A-auntie… Skaryn… W-what do you mean?!"

"Calm down, Kylon. As I said, I'm the one to blame here. Let me explain some things, such as why we're down here to have our chat."

As Kylon closed her mouth and did her best to calm down, Jack was silently regaining his vision. They both listened carefully as Perchet explained himself, "We're down here because it's the most isolated place in Kartonia, where Halmut has no means of hearing, seeing, or sensing us. He knows nothing about this place or its existence, and I want it to stay that way.

"Now, addressing the matter at hand… Kylon, we can all speak openly and freely with each other here. No matter what, Halmut and the others will never know about what we say here unless you tell them. So there's no need to dull the pain you feel or hide from help. Do you not trust Jack as Lunara's son?"

"I… didn't realize he was related to her… But still!" Kylon replied, arguing with Perchet and herself.

"Auntie Kylon, there's no need--"

"Stop calling me that…"

Sighing, Jack replied, "Why not?"

"... Skaryn and I were never--"

"Do you still believe that?" Perchet questioned, not letting Kylon enter denial so easily. "If you trust me, then allow me to vouch for Jack along with Lunara and Sterfen, who adopted him as a demigod."

"But… You're falling out with us… Why should I believe every word you say without question?" reasoned Kylon.

Perchet nodded. "True. I never said you weren't allowed to question me. Feel free. Maybe if I explain the reasoning behind my desire to leave Halmut's side, then you'll better trust me.

"My people and I hail from a draconic bloodline that Halmut knows nothing about. But the moment he learns of it, he'll wipe my entire race from existence, simply for existing."

"... What bloodline?" Kylon asked.

"Dusk Dragons?"

"Jack is correct," answered Perchet. "Long before Halmut, my ancestors were as noble as the Sun Dragons and Spectral Dragons. They too would evolve four times and wield many magic types, as Halmut does now. However, they were a peaceful people that sought calm lives. They're the ones who created this underground space and made Shadow Gorge above what it is today, making it the only location in Kartonia that naturally repels people from watching or listening or spying from afar."

Pausing, Perchet added, "Now, I don't blame the Sun Dragons or the Spectral Dragons for what happened in the past and eliminated them. Such is the way of the world."

"Wait, they teamed up to face you?"Jack asked.

"Not me, my ancestors," corrected Perchet. "In that time of peace, the Dusk Dragon population had grown substantially, almost outnumbering the Sun Dragons and Spectral Dragons combined. That was the reason behind their attack, fear of my ancestors as some younger, naive Dusk Dragons began to throw their weight around the world. If I had been a Sun Dragon or Spectral Dragon at the time, I most likely would've attacked as well.

"However…" Perchet's tone shifted, becoming more serious. "Something like that won't be overlooked by Halmut. The moment he realizes that we've been lying to him about our population or he learns that we wield more than sound magic and occasionally dark magic, then we'll be wiped out."

"So you do wield water magic!" Jack shouted, getting a nod from Perchet and a look of disbelief from Kylon.