The Achievement Junkie

A sigh of relief left Chraat's twitching lips. The level of threat Jack showed was unprecedented and it truly scared the troll captain.

Not only was Jack a physical threat and his body could be a weapon itself, but his planning was impeccable. He was able to aid Byron in recovering while stealthily stalling for time against a foe that was far stronger than himself.

Chraat couldn't help but shake his head at his terrible luck to meet such a foe without prior knowledge.

"Are you done saying your last prayers?"

The voice of his executioner brought Chraat back to reality. He was still laying on the floor, chest up and almost unrecognizable due to the bodily damage Jack's unimaginably hot flames caused.

"At least tell me this, who and what is he?" pled Chraat.

The troll admitted defeat, certain that there was no hope for his victory. Thanks to his tussle with Jack, he was too weak and physically handicapped to act further. Even his one good limb was no longer usable. He had grabbed Jack's neck tightly not once but twice, causing his left hand to receive the worst burns of all.

"I'll be honest," said Byron as he lifted his saber. "I have no clue myself."

With a flash of green light, the blade easily cut through Chraat's chewed-up neck, silencing him forever.

Byron fell to the ground, sitting upon the dungeon floor. The cold stone felt surreal in contrast to the warmth that lingered in his body, mainly from the heat the Jack put off.

Slivia ran out towards Jack who was sprawled across the stone floor, naked and unconscious.

"He's probably fine. I'd guess it's MP exhaustion from that insane stunt he pulled," said Byron.

"You're probably right," responded Slivia with a shy, blushed expression. She didn't dare look at Byron, too embarrassed to see him without any cover.

Byron laughed, "Your one lucky girl, to have a man like that."

Slivia's face instantly turned bright red. "He's-he's not my man. He's a friend, from my new party."

"Oh? That's it?" asked Byron. "Don't tell me you have no feelings for him, not after what he just went through."

She was silent, only become a deeper shade of red as more blood rushed to her cheeks.

"Well, am I wrong?"

"N-no…" Slivia quietly muttered as she examined Jack's body carefully.

Looking at him, she was baffled. There were no visible signs of bruises or damages on his skin. As a cleric, she prided herself in diagnosing her companion's injuries, but she could find any issues.

To double-check, she began casting a basic healing spell regardless. When she did, her eye went wide in shock.

"What? What is it?" Byron noticed her shocked expression and got the feeling that something was off.

"This… I've never felt something like this before," explained Slivia. "Looking at him, I would give him a clean bill of health. But while using magic, I can get a small feel for how they are feeling internally."

"Really?"

"Mhm, I can feel the magic channel across their bodies and begin the healing process. From what I can feel I know he's hurt internally, but his body is only channeling a portion of the magic. That's the first time I've ever heard of something like this," stated Slivia, who was still staring at Jack's uncovered body.

"That's…" Byron didn't know what to say. Like Slivia, he had never heard of such a rare occurrence. He assumed it might have something to do with Jack's ability to transform but he had no way to verify that.

*****

Out on the battlefield, the samurai were still fighting for their lives.

Brunar and Troni were near complete exhaustion. They had held off well, but the reinforcements were drugged and were able to fight with their full strength. This pushed them further than they were able, leaving them only able to defend and prolong the inevitable.

Both of them had many serious cuts and injuries, tempting them to try another potion. However, they both knew that they most likely wouldn't be able to maintain consciousness after the pain from another potion.

Maynard still on the defense against the captain and the fat troll. Occasionally he'd get a strike in and deal some damage, but not enough to turn the tide of the battle or make up for the injuries he was accumulating.

Numerous times he had tried to contact Rydel or Jack, wanting an update on the situation and back up.

Sadly, no response ever came from either of the two. Maynard instead felt like the connection they had had for the past few days was severed.

There was this sinking feeling that he was alone with his disciples, waiting for the slaughter. When he thought about that, Maynard couldn't help but sigh in disbelief that this could be their end.

"Keep it up! Stall for as long as ya can!" Maynard tried to encourage his disciples. "Hold out for a while longer, things will turn around soon enough."

"Yes, Master!" yelled Brunar, more determined than ever. His true colors were magnified under the pressure, proving that he's a man that welcomes any challenge no matter the difficulty.

"Yes," said Troni, panting and out of breath. Unlike his counterpart, Troni had very little hope left. His movements were getting sluggish and extremely predictable. Troni would be the first to go if help didn't arrive soon

Thanks to the goblin and troll tag team, Maynard was unable to help his disciples and he hated that feeling

Currently, Maynard was in the middle of his two opponents and at the mercy of their attacks. That's when he noticed a shift in the goblin's gaze that confused the ronin.

The goblin captain suddenly lunged forward at Maynard, going in for close combat.

Stunned by the goblin's change in plans, Maynard was forced to take another defensive stance and wait for the troll to follow with an attack.

But the goblin's attack never came. The goblin continued to lunge forward, effectively passing Maynard and charging the troll.

Laughing, the troll was glad to offer an indiscriminate follow-up attack. It would be even happier if it could hit two birds with one stone.

However, as it swung its heavy club forward and targeted Maynard, it noticed that the goblin didn't stop and attack. Seeing the goblin duck under its club and drive a blade into its chest, the troll shouted in pain and rage.

"What you doing!?"

Smiling the goblin hurriedly removed its shortsword and slashed across the troll's chest, from the shoulder down.

Maynard followed along and le both of his katana glow blood red before diving into the troll headfirst and releasing a bloody cross.

Blood oozed out from the trolls cuts and the corner of its mouth. It was confused and didn't quite understand what was happening.

Before the troll could counter, it had already received a deadly blow from Maynard and was then quickly finished off while yelling in misery.

As the goblin captain removed its shortsword, Maynard raised his blades through force of will, ready to lay it all on the line.

When the goblin saw this, it chuckled. Retrieving a contact crystal, the captain began to speak in goblin.

Maynard was awkwardly standing there in a guarded stance in front of the casual goblin.

Taking a moment to reassess the situation, the ronin peeked at the other side of the battlefield. He was dazed to see that the remaining goblins not only stopped fighting, but the gathered into a group and no longer gave off any sense of threat.

"Umm, Master, what's going on?" asked Brunar.

"I… I have no clue."

"But they're not fighting us anymore; what did the other do exactly?" Troni let himself collapse on the floor, speaking his thoughts softly.

Maynard tried using telepathy again but to no avail. Instead, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He turned around to see the goblin captain extending its contact crystal, motioning for Maynard to take it.

Hesitant to follow along, it took Maynard a few seconds to willingly take the crystal in his hand. As soon as he touched it, he became really confused.

"Hey, are you still alive?"

The familiar voice rang out in Maynard's mind. "Ya sly hunter, what did ya do this time?"

"I've been busy talking matters over with the queen. She was surprisingly reasonable," answered Rydel. "Oh, and you're welcome for the help."

"Why didn't ya answer any of my calls?"

"I didn't get any, but you didn't answer mine either so we're even," replied Rydel.

Baffled by the weird situation and the strange circumstances, Maynard remembered something very important to the plan. "Hey, what happened to the kid?"

"I'm not sure. Last time I talked with him he was headed for the…"

"Hey, what happened? I lost ya for a second there," stated Maynard.

"Call me on your own crystal, I've got to hurry to the dungeon!" yelled Rydel.

"The dungeon? What's down there?" asked Maynard.

"The boss troll, that's who!"

When the connection cut off, Maynard instantly dashed into the city gate.