Ch. 101..110

Chapter 101

Jack took a couple of minutes to calm his mind. The river of blood in the streets caused his heart to pound as if the sight was begging for someone to seek justice for those common citizens who were innocently slaughtered.

Soon he asked Daruun, "Then why would both invade? I thought Skaryn was the one forcing chaos on the world?"

"Technically, he was. But that doesn’t mean that Halmut was a saint just because Skaryn wasn’t," stated Daruun, catching Jack off guard yet again. "Halmut always claimed to be the most powerful god and was determined to keep it that way. At the time, Trodar was arguably the most powerful nation, all the more reason for Halmut and Skaryn to covet it."

Daruun looked back at the wide-eyed Jack. He let out a long sigh as Jack never bothered responding or looking away from the remnants of the massacre. "Don’t be foolish. Remember, you only knew these people as NPC’s, nothing more. Are they worth risking your life for revenge against the most powerful factions of Kartonia? Even after five centuries have already passed..."

With a grunt, Jack finally looked back to Daruun. "So, I’m just supposed to forget all of this? Wasn’t Halmut the Righteous God, the Slayer of Evil, and the Bringer of Justice? Who will bring justice to him? Huh!?"

"At least, not yet," interrupted Daruun.

Jack’s facial expression froze, keeping his cold eyes focused on the god before him. "What do you mean, yet? Was this all a part of your plan, too?"

"Not exactly. I will admit, I knew all along that this would happen, and I knew this would rile you up enough to agree with any plan I present to you. But, do you think I wanted it to happen? Do you think I wouldn’t have stopped it if I was able?" Daruun met Jack’s gaze with an uncharacteristically cold glare, sending chills down the hero’s spine. "You know nothing of the slaughter that was caused or the terror that those two have wrought. Given time you will learn more about, for now..." He didn’t finish his sentence and snapped instead.

As the lights flashed, both Jack and Daruun blinked, letting their cold feelings start to subside with the change of scenery.

Jack looked around him, surprised. They were no longer standing on air but they were walking together inside a vast temple, a demolished temple.

"You know this Temple of Gilga was once one of the largest across the continent, the only one to ever contain shrines for more than one god. Here, each of the other six neutral gods kept a shrine. This is what it has been reduced to," said Daruun emotionlessly, as if it was meant to be.

"And you’re not mad about this?" asked Jack.

"No, at least when in comparison to everything else that has happened. Their time of judgement will come. For now, focus on what we both need you to accomplish. The Achievement System was created as a means to empower you, my chosen one, to bring balance to Kartonia. As you grow, being unaffected by the influence and benefits offered by those two power-hungry mongrels will allow you two understand the world clearly."

Jack squinted and scratched his head. "So... in other words I’m just another piece to your plan."

"Incorrect," answered Daruun while lightly shaking his head. "You are the plan. Without you, everything will crumble and the world will again enter a state of catastrophic war, even worse than before."

"How soon?"

"Can’t say, not to you at least. Such information is unnecessary for you. Now you know that the Achievement System was created specifically for you, abling you to grow at a rate unexplainable to the rest of the world and to face threats that no mere mortal should," explained Daruun. "I’m here to help you throughout your journey. If not, why else would I give you so much information in regards to your question? I’m doing my best to give you the most information despite being restricted by the laws of fate. So, please, believe me."

It took a moment for Jack to consider Daruun’s words. Having noticed that the other two main gods did so much for power, he couldn’t rule out the possibility of Daruun trying to use him.

"If I wanted to use you for my own benefit, why would I create such an achievement list as a requirement?" asked Daruun, who already knew what Jack was thinking. "Also, let me finish my explanation before you consider what you’ll do next."

Jack nodded subtly, agreeing to listen.

The corners of Daruun’s mouth turned upward. The god of fate knew that Jack would ultimately agree to work with him, especially considering their past in-game relationship and the lack of better options.

"As you can see, this temple was demolished long ago, and as I said, it was done under my command. The other neutral gods followed in my example with their properties, allowing us to keep others from stealing our resources and to create new shrines or temples in secret. Your Achievement System is only in its first phase. After finding my hidden temple your system will evolve to its second phase; that’s what you should seek out."

"Wait, you have a temple?" questioned Jack, startled to hear such a thing.

"Yes, didn’t I just say that? So far not a single soul has ever found it or entered it. You will be the first when the time comes. Is there anything you wish for me to repeat or revisit?" asked Daruun.

"Hmm..." sighed Jack. "No, I think that’s all for this question. Now, on to my second question."

"Already?" chuckled Daruun.

"Yes. Where are all the temples and shrines of Modern Kartonia, both hidden and not hidden?"

A white, toothy grin appeared on Daruun’s face. "I knew I chose the right person. Normally that kind of information would be restricted to even the other neutral gods. None of them know the locations of each other’s temples or shrines. I’m glad you’re bold enough to use one of your questions for that. I’ll mark the locations in your map function, but you’ll have to figure out how to enter yourself."

Without hesitation, Jack opened the menu and instantly opened his map. There he found a tab that if selected would show the locations of any temples, including those that were currently erected, those that were hidden, and those that are now in ruins.

Jack eagerly selected it and watched multiple red dots appear across the continent and a list of the gods and their shrines on the side. He was happy with his findings, until he noticed that only twenty-six gods were listed.

"Why isn’t your temple shown?" asked Jack.

"It is, just not on the map you’ve currently uploaded into the system," answered Daruun, hinting with a smile. "If you want to gain entry and access to any of those hidden temples then you’ll have to rely on your intuition and your inventory to do so. Also, considering your friends, I’d recommend they pledge to one of the neutral gods sooner, rather than later. And make sure not to enter the temples of the other gods who are still living. Who knows what might happen if they notice your presence."

"Thank you, Daruun." Jack bowed and smiled. He was happy that Daruun was giving a few helpful hints together with his answers. "Don’t worry, I’m saving my last question for any special circumstances that might come up."

Suddenly, Daruun’s light smile stilled and became emotionless again. "I know. I’ll be waiting for our next chat."

"You’re forgetting something."

Daruun kept staring at Jack and nodded again. "Very well. Jack, are you wanting to pledge to me and gain the benefits as a patron of the god of fate?"

"Yes!" yelled Jack, answering the moment Daruun stopped speaking.

"Good, I’m glad." Daruun raised his arm and it emitted a bright light, overwhelming Jack’s vision like before. As Jack was absorbed into the light, a gentle voice reached his ears. "Just be you, Jack. You’re the Achievement Junkie and you can save the world because of that."

After the light faded, Jack found himself back in the newly discovered tomb, with Bowzer on his shoulder and Slivia walking towards him with curiosity in her eyes.

When she received no answer from her previous question, Slivia again asked, "Why’s that so special, and more so than an ancient spellbook? This is worth a fortune!"

"Nevermind, you’re right," replied Jack with a subtle shake of his head. He decided that it’s best no one knew about his conversation with Daruun.

First off, who wouldn’t be intrigued to hear about a mortal conversing with a god that most of history had forgotten. If such news was leaked or discovered, he wasn’t sure he could keep it safe, even with the Adventurers Association behind him. If anything, the association may take from him. Though Bowzer could be seen as extremely valuable, he had already formed his one and only bestial bond with Jack. The tutorial stone had no link with him and could technically be used by anyone, why wouldn’t the association be willing to confiscate it?

Second, Jack determined that the humble tutorial stone was possibly the greatest treasure he could get his hands on within the entire continent. Being the only patron to Daruun in all Kartonia, he was confident that he could receive more benefits from it than anyone else. And who wouldn’t want the god of fate on standby to ask any question their heart desired?

 

Chapter 102

Slivia looked at Jack’s pensive expression for a moment before she nodded and said, "Okay, then now what? How do we divide the goods?"

Jack took the map and opened it up for them both to get a better look. To Slivia’s surprise, the map was of the entire continent yet she didn’t recognize it at all since it was from Ancient Kartonia, like all starter maps for new players of "A Hero’s Tale."

"Is this... Ancient Kartonia?" guessed Slivia.

"You guessed it," said Jack with a smile and put the map away. "Let me have this, it might come in handy later. What kind of scroll and book are those?"

"The scroll is a one time spell I think. I don’t recognize it, but what else could it be," answered Slivia. "The spellbook will teach any mage the peak-level spell Flame Burst! At the right merchant, we can get a fortune!"

"Nope." Jack closed the book and pushed it into Slivia’s chest. "That spellbook is for you."

"NO!" yelled Slivia. She stored the scroll and pushed the book back to Jack. "With your flame body, this spell would be perfect for you! I’ve already taken two sets of armor and the spell scroll, so you can’t tell me no."

Looking into her determined gaze, Jack opened his mouth to respond but couldn’t form the words. In the end, he surrendered and stored the book away. "Fine, but let me see the spell scroll. Maybe I can recognize it."

With a satisfied smile, she took it out and held it open for him to see. After a few seconds passed she asked, "So, what do you think?"

Jack’s eyes went wide as he recognized the spell. Though it was only lv. 15, it was quite rare. He was guessing that it might be the only low-level teleportation scroll he could find without having a summoned hero make one for him.

"You need to keep this and not show it to anyone, do you understand?" stated Jack, looking deeply into her eyes.

"I guess, but what is it?"

"Do you promise?" reiterated Jack. "Do you promise to not show or tell anyone and save this for emergencies?"

"I... I promise," sighed Slivia, touched by Jack’s concern for her.

"Good," said Jack. "This is a low-level teleportation scroll that can allow you to teleport yourself anywhere within a kilometer. Nowadays these don’t exist, right? So save it for when you need it most."

Slivia’s heart fluttered when she realized how much Jack cared for her. Her face softened as she nodded and put the scroll away. "I don’t want to waste such a treasure, so you better protect me and keep me from using it."

A soft chuckle sneaked out of Jack’s lips. "I’ll do my best. But just in case, don’t hesitate to use the scroll when you need to."

Without waiting for a reply, Jack left the tomb and returned to the forest outside. Slivia took a moment to calm her heart and followed behind him.

Soon they were back inside the city and heading to the town square. As they entered the market, Jack grabbed Slivia hand and pulled her past numerous tents.

She looked at his with a smile, happy to see the blush on his face. "You have a merchant in mind?"

"Of course! Both me and Zariff know him; he’s definitely the best you can find in the city." Jack ignored the many merchants trying to catch his attention with shouts and signs. It didn’t take long for them to find a humble stand with an old man sitting calmly. "Let’s head to the back. You’ll want to see this."

"After you," replied Zarris. The elderly merchant quickly opened the curtain and held for the couple to enter before doing the same. "Before we get to business, would you care to introduce to this lovely lady of yours? My name is Zarris."

"Oh, she’s not my--"

"Hi, I’m Slivia, Jack’s girlfriend," Slivia quickly introduced herself before Jack could answer shyly by reflex.

"Oh, that’s wonderful! Then you’ll share his discount whenever you want to browse my wares," said Zarris with a sly smile. " Now, what’s so special that you rushed here before sunset?"

Jack looked to Slivia and said, "Go ahead and show him the armor, the valkyrie set first."

"Okay." Slivia walked to a nearby table and in a flash, a few matching pieces of armor appeared on it. "What do you think?"

"Hmm..." Zarris took his time to inspect it, letting his expert poker face show his professionalism. Minutes passed and he finally looked back at the couple. "Do you already know what this is, Jack?"

"Of course, it’s a limited edition valkyrie set that was created during Ancient Kartonia. I knew you would be interested so I made sure she showed you first. What do you think it’s worth?" asked Jack.

"Are you wanting to sell it or trade? If I remember correctly, you were still searching for some rare materials, right? I could hold onto it in exchange for other products or for future trade as well," reasoned Zarris.

"So, what value do you give a full set of high-tier armor? Shouldn’t it almost be equal to a peak-tier item?" countered Jack, making sure to admit that understood the armor’s rarity.

"If it were a higher level, of course, but it’s only lv. 10. Only some incredibly wealthy nobles will want something like this, so there’s no real demand at the moment. But I would definitely make it worth your while in trade value."

"Got anything you’d recommend for her?" asked Jack, nudging Slivia forward.

"If I was able to find anything about Death Rattlers nearby, then that would’ve been best. However, I have some great armors that, although not high-level, are unique and stylish while still offering great boosts to your abilities."

"She doesn’t need armor; she has her own peak-tier set. What else do you have?" replied Jack.

"Peak-tier armor set!?" yelled Zarris. He immediately cast a spell to keep any nearby ears from possibly hearing their conversation. "She has a peak-tier set!? Can you please show me?"

"She can show you, but it’s not for sale. Do you even have anything good enough to trade for it?"

Slivia returned to the table and slightly frowned. Reluctantly, she waved her hand and retrieved her "feline femme" armor, placing it on the table.

The moment it hit the table, Zarris appeared above it and snatched the cat ears with sparkling eyes. "This really is... Where did you find this?"

Shocked, Slivia looked back at Jack with half a smile, unsure of what to think. She was ecstatic to have something so valuable, but it wasn’t anything like she would expect peak-tier armor to be.

"Now you’ve seen it and I’ve proven that I can bring you valuable items as a patron, so I look forward to us taking care of each other," answered Jack. "What do you have that can help her as a cleric, maybe a high-tier weapon, or even a peak-tier if you have one?"

"You know that this would only cover most of a peak-tier lv. 15 weapon. If it were a lv. 15 set then maybe, but you still--"

Suddenly, approached the table and a small pile of white coins appeared on the beside the valkyrie armor. "That should cover the rest, right? I think you’re one of few people in the city with peak-tier items, right?"

Jack showed off the platinum with a wry smile, hoping he guessed correctly about the mysterious merchant that also works with Zariff, one of the three most powerful people in the country.

Nothing happened for a few moments as the two men stared each other down, each holding fast to their assumptions of the other. Finally, Zarris smiled and said, "I guess you’ve proven to be a good enough business partner and just as mysterious myself."

Just then a metal staff materialized in his hands. It was silver with gold accents and a cloudy white sphere embedded into the top.

"This is a peak-tier silver staff designed to boost a cleric’s healing abilities and their own health capacity at the same time. I think this would be a fair trade, right?"

"What do you think?" Jack grabbed Slivia’s hand and helped her grab the silver staff from Zarris.

Slivia was in shock. She, who had always struggled to afford adventuring gear that wasn’t preowned, had come to gain peak-tier armor and a peak-tier weapon within the span of a single day. This was too much for her to process all at once.

"Go on, see how it feels."

She nodded and grasped the staff tightly. Sending some of her energy into the staff, she felt a rush of pure, holy energy wash over herself. It took some time, but she eventually looked at the other two people present and said, "This is amazing..."

"Then it’s yours." Jack quickly shook Zarris’s hand and continued. "Got any high-tier swords and bows for lv. 20 and lv. 25?"

"I don’t want peak-tier?" asked Zarris as two bows appeared in one hand and two swords in the other.

"Nah, I won’t be at that level long enough to be worth that much."

"Fair enough," laughed Zarris. "For these, two-hundred platinum is enough."

Without a word, another pile of platinum appeared on the table and Jack stored the new weapons. "If you hear anything about the Life Tree Dew or Death Rattlers let me know."

"Of course. Till next time," replied Zarris with a quick bow.

Jack looked to Slivia and saw that she was still stunned to see so many things of insane value at once. "Hurry and store your armor, it’s getting late."

Slivia snapped out of it and stored her armor. With Jack’s hand in hers, they left the marketplace and strolled back to the association building.

Chapter 103

The night winded down calmly. It seemed like any other day for most, besides the news of Jack owning a Hell-flame Fox. There was a mix of emotions about it, some were filled with fear while others were filled with respect. With the support and assurance of the Adventurers Association, the general public accepted the news and was eager to see what might happen in the future.

The busiest place of the night was the docks. Reinolt City was a well-known port city and its pier was far larger than most. Each dock had two levels, a lower at sea level and a higher level for easy entrance to the massive ships that arrived daily.

Filled with the latest arrivals, Reinolt Pier was bustling. Dozens of deckhands were unloading and loading cargo. Sounds of crashing waves began to grow, surprising a few experienced sailors.

"What’s going on?" asked a young sailor, looking to his captain.

"Change of plans, we’re staying in Reinolt for the night. Go and get us a few rooms," replied the captain. His steely gaze pierced into the distance, trying to understand the coming rise of the tides.

Without a word, the new shipmate hurried away into the city. He wasn’t alone, many others were doing the same.

High up on one of the upper docks stood two men. One wore a full set of armor, showing his status as a city guard captain. Next to him was a weathered old man in an open blouse. The young captain looked to the old man and asked, "Got any idea what’s going on? Is it just a sudden storm?"

"I can’t be sure. It seems too sudden to be natural but we didn’t find anything strange before we docked," answered the man.

The captain was surprised for a moment before he calmed his gaze. "What should we do?"

"Brace the ships. Keep the troops on standby. Stay away from the lower docks."

Taking the advice seriously, the captain turned to leave but heard one last thing from the old man. "Give the orders now, don’t waste any time."

Shocked by the man’s stern tone, the captain walked to the edge of the upper docks and yelled, "Men! Brace all ships, double time! Hurry and leave the lower docks before high tide! We’re on standby until further notice!"

Both the old sailor and the captain left for the nearby dock house. Everyone, soldiers and sailors alike, was astonished to hear the guard captain’s orders.

Like lightning, everyone rushed with ropes to tie down the ships and leave the lower levels. As the water was rising and began to pass the lower docks the last few people managed to finish their chores and return to safety.

They all looked out to the sea with a sigh of relief. Storm clouds were rolling in the sky and the waves were becoming rougher as they crashed into the newly-braced ships.

Back in the dock house, the old sailor continued to look at the rough weather. He felt uneasy. The old man wasn’t too powerful, not even lv. 30, but his vast sailing experience let him feel that the storm wasn’t anything normal.

"How many men do you have stationed currently?" asked the old man.

"Around fifty, but most of them are only privates stationed here for manual labor. Why?" The captain was again surprised to hear concern from the old man.

"How many are higher than lv. 15?"

"Maybe a dozen. Why?" replied the captain, still trying to get the old man to explain his worries.

"Ask for back up," stated the old man.

"Father, you know I can’t do that without an explanation."

"Trevor, just do what I said and tell them it’s at my request. Send the message immediately."

"But why? They need an explanation or I’ll just look like a fool."

The man glanced at his son and shook his head. "You may be the youngest captain, but they won’t blame you if you’re doing it for me. Now go, give the command."

"Fine," said Trevor, who felt defeated. Whether he was able to get reinforcements or not, his reputation might take a hit. No one would want to send troops just to help prepare some ships and he was already viewed as someone who only reached his position due to his father’s reputation.

Soon word spread and the troops stationed at the dock were dumbfounded. They could see that the lower docks were already underwater and were surprised by the sudden storm, but asking for more troops when they were on standby made no sense to them.

The command was followed and a few messengers were sent. After a half-hour, each of the three messengers returned with an additional ten men, all of which were very reluctant to be sent to the docks.

"Remain on standby and await further orders!"

They all heard their captain’s orders and felt dejected. None of them could understand their leader’s logic and kept staring at the stormy sea.

The young captain returned to the dock house and looked to his father. "We now have eighty men total and eighteen are above lv. 15."

"That’s all?" The old man sounded disappointed. "Ask again, this time make sure to get more above lv. 15."

"Seriously?! I’ll be a laughing stock with such a ridiculous command! We have plenty to handle the storm, especially now."

"The storm’s not what I’m worried about," stated the old man.

"What do you mean? What else is there? I don’t see anything and there haven’t been any unusual reports. The storm has been going on for almost an hour, it’s just a sudden storm. What more could it be?"

The man stroked his peppered beard and sighed, "I’m not sure."

Suddenly, everyone heard the creaking of wood. They all looked to one side of the docks, the side given to the Reinolt Navy.

As the storm grew more violent, the creaking grew louder and more violent. Then, there was a snap. All eyes were on the most distant navy ship, which had broken in half and began to sink into the man-made bay.

Trevor was stunned, unsure of what happened. He was about to step outside to the dock house balcony and give an order, but a rough, calloused hand grabbed his shoulder as his father said, "Wait. We don’t know what we’re up against."

Slightly calmed by his father’s words, Trevor nodded and looked back out to the docks.

The same scene repeated itself with the next ship. Soon, almost half a dozen ships had been sunken.

"Call for back up."

"Men, Send word for reinforcements immediately!" Trevor yelled, no longer hesitating to follow his father’s advice.

Without question, five messengers took horses and left for the barracks, the three city gates, and the castle.

The rest of the city guards tried to remain calm. Most had never seen battle and only became a soldier to earn a wage for manual labor while maintaining some kind of status above the norm. Those men were trembling, unsure of everything happening before their eyes.

Most of the veterans grabbed the hilt of their swords. They understood that whatever was happening to the ships wasn’t natural, and the navy ships seemed to be targeted. Waiting for the order to charge the upper docks, the veterans were determined to lead the charge and claim as much glory possible. Such was the mantra of the Royal Court; glory for all is the glory of Reinolt.

"Father, what should we do? Shall we charge?" asked Trevor, who was growing more impatient.

"Wait. What’s the point of sending your troops if you don’t know what you’re up against? You may be sending them to their deaths unknowingly."

"But the ships, they’re my responsibility and I--"

"Forget the ships. Lives are what matter, not wood and rope. So long as you’re men stay alive, it’s a victory," reasoned the old man.

Unable to retort his father Trevor watched on, eager to find the cause of his ships’ destruction.

Less than five minutes had passed since the first ship was destroyed, but over a dozen other navy ships had already joined it at the bottom of the bay. Reinforcements wouldn’t arrive for at least another ten minutes and no one had any idea what the cause of all this was.

Just then, the last of the twenty navy ships stationed at the pier was destroyed. The water level had already reached the upper docks and that side of the upper docks began to shake, startling everyone.

As the water seemed to stall after reaching the upper docks, everyone could see figures swimming in the water around the shaking docks.

Those figures didn’t look human, yet they didn’t look like fish either. They all thought their eyes were lying to them because those figures were the same shape as a tiger or lion. Seeing over a dozen of those underwater silhouettes sent shivers down the soldiers’ spines, who couldn’t even imagine what those things might be.

 

Chapter 104

The eighty soldiers stared at the shadows hiding below the water’s surface.

"Men, ready yourselves!"

Their captain’s command awoke many of them from their nightmarish imaginations. All veterans stepped forward, ready to lead the charge upon command. Most of the inexperienced soldiers followed suit, grateful to have people to follow.

"Father, what are those?" asked Trevor. There was a hint of fear in his voice, fear of the unknown.

"I have no clue," replied the man. He kept staring at the watery silhouettes but couldn’t ascertain anything about them. Maybe if they were above water he might have an idea.

It didn’t take long for them to see that side of the upper docks begin to splinter and be pulled under the water.

"Father, what about the dock?" Trevor stared at his father, hoping for some kind of miracle answer.

"Let it go. It’s easier to replace a wooden dock than to replace human lives."

"But..." Trevor couldn’t think of how to reply. He didn’t want to waste the lives of his men, but he would be held responsible for the pier’s destruction, which would have major repercussions.

"I know what you’re thinking. Stop. Even if they removed you from your position, it would be better than you living with the regret of sending your men to useless deaths," stated the old man with a hesitant gaze, as if he were speaking from experience.

Remembering his father’s military career, Trevor nodded and continued to watch the destruction of Reinolt Pier.

No order was given and not a single soldier moved. Fifteen minutes went by and reinforcements arrived. Another fifty men arrived with two other guard captains in the lead. "Where’s the captain?" yelled one of the arriving captains.

"Captain Fronks, Captain Prat!" Trevor’s shouts grabbed their attention as he approached the troops as well. "We have no clue what the enemy is, but we know they’ve targeted the navy from underwater. As the water reached the upper docks, all our stationed ships were destroyed and now the rest of the pier is in danger."

"And what have you done to prevent this?" asked Fronks coldly.

"Sir, there’s no way for my men to fight as the enemy has yet to reveal itself and has the ability to sink the docks they would be standing on," answered Trevor.

"Still, you must at least send a small scouting party. Maybe then we can at least learn what we’re up against," retorted Fronks, who was no longer looking at the young captain. "Men, I’m in charge now! You ten, go and scout the upper dock! Yell the moment you get a visual on the enemy!"

Those ten veterans swallowed some saliva and looked at each other. They all knew that is was practically a suicide assignment. All the guards stared at Captain Fronks with despise in their eyes. No one dared say anything, but they all immediately understood that they didn’t matter in his eyes.

"Hurry up!" yelled Fronks impatiently.

"Yes, sir!"

The ten men drew their swords and walked out onto the upper docks carefully. The entire upper level was now swaying, affected by the underwater beasts’ assault on the docks.

"Faster, get moving!"

Fronks orders caused the small group to grunt in displeasure, but they followed orders. They ran to the dock’s edge, nearing the bestial silhouettes and the sinking end of the dock.

Before they could reach the splintered end of the dock, more snapping and creaking was heard. The ten men came to an abrupt halt as they felt the dock beneath them quake uneasily like it was about to be torn apart.

"Don’t stop! Push forward!"

Fronks order reached them, but they didn’t dare move. They could feel that one more step might be the end of their lives.

"That’s an order! Now get--"

Before Fronks could finish his command, a thundering snap was heard. All the gathered soldiers trembled at the sight in front of them, even the captains.

The dock was ripped open from below and a hole appeared beneath one of the men in the scouting party. However, that man wasn’t even able to fall into the water. He had already been trapped by razor-sharp teeth and dragged under the water.

It happened too quickly for anyone to get a good look at the beast, but they all knew it wasn’t anything they had ever seen before.

The old sailor on the balcony of the dock house was watching everything carefully. Like the others, he couldn’t recognize the beast and watch in horror.

"Fall back!" It wasn’t Captain Fronks, but Trevor that gave the command to retreat.

"No! Stand your ground!" shouted Fronks, determined to use those men as a sacrifice to learn about their foes.

The men on the dock disregarded Fronks’ order and made a mad dash back to safety, but it was too late. They were already over fifty meters away from the dock’s entrance and were surrounded by water.

Another snap was heard together with a scream as another man was dragged beneath the docks. The same thing happened to all ten of them. None had survived.

Fronks frowned and looked back to the soldiers on standby. He fixed his gaze on a batch of inexperienced dockhands and pointed at them. "You, go onto the docks!"

"What!?"

They all yelled and complained. Unlike most soldiers, they weren’t used to the cruelty of battle and war or the coldness of a commanding officer.

"Hurry up onto the docks, or you’ll be killed for treason against the Royal Court for disobeying an order!"

Those fifty men from reinforcements surrounded the remaining seventy who were originally stationed at the pier. They showed their determination to follow their captain’s orders.

Saddened by the reality they found themselves in, those ten young soldiers eventually walked onto the docks, albeit quite slowly. At a snail’s pace, they neared the place where the past group was dragged under.

Again, more snapping and screaming was heard as the first victims of the new group were dragged under. Those that remained alive scrambled without any organization. Some tried to run back to safety. Others accepted their deaths and drew their swords, trying to maybe slay one of the mysterious beasts and survive.

More snapping occurred and there was only one man left. Somehow he had managed to dodge the initial attack and dove to the side. He felt relieved but soon fell back into despair as the same beast rose out of the hole and began walking on the dock.

Everyone was shocked and confused by the scene. They noticed that the beast was the shape and size of a lion, but had no fur or a feline head. It was covered in deep blue scales that let it blend in with the water. All four of its paws were webbed and there was a dark purple fin that ran from the top of its head to the tip of its tail. With a long serpentine neck and head, it appeared to be from the darkest nightmares of the most experienced sailors.

The beast snarled and bit into the lone man’s leg before diving back under, dragging the soldier to a watery grave.

Every soldier was frozen where they stood. Such a beast had never been seen before and was far more fearsome than anything they had predicted.

"Men, send word to the Adventurers Association immediately! Inform them of that over a dozen of these things are threatening the pier and we request immediate support from every able body they have!" yelled Fronks, with a tinge of fear.

"What about the palace? Should we request the magic guard?" asked Trevor.

"The association should be able to handle things, no need to bother the magic guard," replied Fronks, shaking his head.

Trevor was shocked to hear such an explanation. "What do you mean? The magic guard are our sworn protectors and seniors. The association only has adventurers for hire. Of the two, clearly, the magic guard should have priority."

"Are you saying that I don’t comprehend the situation enough to give the correct orders. The magic guard will be informed in time, but the association should be able to handle the situation without too many casualties." Fronks remained firm, denying any change in orders.

Both Trevor and Captain Prat were floored by Fronks’ statement. It was clear to them that he only wanted to weaken the association given the opportunity.

Captain Prat frowned and yelled, "Men, send word the magic guard and inform them of the situation! Request backup immediately! Now, go!"

Without delay, a messenger on horseback left before Fronks had the chance to stop him.

Fronks looked at the other two captains and grunted unhappily. "Men, prepare to stay your ground! Before reinforcements arrive, we must hold the line! Frontlines, step forward and take on the enemy!"

Trevor’s face paled. All of his men were surrounded and pushed to the front lines, forced to be sacrificial lambs to stall for time. He had no clue how he could avoid the deaths of his men.

 

Chapter 105

Jack and Slivia had long since returned to the association building. Jack was very shy to hold Slivia’s hand within the association building, but she held on extra tight to make sure he couldn’t escape. This caused some commotion and rumors to develop the moment they entered the reception area.

Each of the association members sat down to a nice meal in their small restaurant, happy to have their cook back. By the time the storm had encompassed the entire town, most people were either sleeping or drinking the night away. Jack was one of the former, enjoying a good night’s sleep.

Unexpectedly, a hard knock came from the locked entrance, and everyone could here someone tried to force their way in. Then, they heard a shout from behind the door. "Come quickly! The pier is under attack! Open the door!"

Maynard instantly appeared in front of the door and unlocked the latch, letting in a man who was soaked from head to toe.

Everyone who had been drinking stood up and approached the armored guard as he said, "Hurry! Gather all able hands and head to the pier immediately! At least a dozen unknown monsters are destroying the docks! They’ve already destroyed all navy ships and are pushing to enter the city!"

"Boys, you heard him! Wake up the lazy bodies and be back here. We’re leaving in less than five minutes and anyone who’s late pays a fine!" Zariff’s booming voice sounded throughout the building, waking up some of the light sleepers. He looked to the drenched guard and asked seriously, "What’s going on exactly? What are we up against?"

While those two were discussing the situation, Maynard and Rydel hurried to Jack’s room. They threw it open and were surprised to see Jack up and ready to go with Bowzer on his shoulder. "What took you guys so long? Let’s go to the old fart and figure out more."

Maynard laughed, "I’m to see ya so excited."

"Let’s not waste time. The chief should be waiting for us especially," added Rydel as he turned and led the way.

They passed Slivia in the hallway and she asked, "What’s going on Jack?"

"I’m not too sure. A guard came saying that the port was under attack. He should be explaining it all now," said Jack. He grabbed her hand and hurried to the entrance. When Zariff came into view Jack asked, "Hey old fart, what’s going on? What are we facing and why haven’t we left yet?"

Zariff looked back at them and smiled. "Now that you’re here, brat, we can go. Everyone else, just head for the pier! We don’t have any time to waste!" His loud voice echoed in the halls and alerted the other association members before the first group hurried to the back alley and left on horseback.

Jack was surprised to see Daliea and her guards joining them on horseback. Other than those three, there were seven others in the early group: the messenger guard, Zariff, Rydel, Maynard, Brunar, Jack, and Slivia. Maura was forced to stay home with her mother, which annoyed her but she had no way to say no to her father.

Zariff glanced at the guard and asked, "Now you can tell them all what’s happening. Other than the other lv. 30’s who left on missions after the trial, these are the most trusted members of our branch."

"Very well," the guard kept the lead while yelling so that everyone could hear him. "A sudden storm rolled in, and we’re almost certain it had something to do with those mysterious beasts. They’re the size of a lion with serpent heads and fins. All our navy ships stationed in the pier were destroyed and the upper docks were under attack when I left."

"Who’s in charge right now?" asked Rydel.

"Captain Fronks is in command but Captain Prat and Captain Darmut are also there to help the situation."

"Fronks..." Rydel grunted, making sure he was loud enough for all to hear the disgust in his voice.

"The revered captain has managed to hold off the beasts and is in the act of doing so currently. Show some respect!" shouted the guard.

"Hey, that’s enough!" yelled Zariff, startling the guard. "We don’t need your lip! If there’s nothing else we need to know then shut up. Other than the cleric in the back you’re the weakest one here, so you don’t have authority to speak down to them."

"Hmph!" With a grunt, the guard turned back towards the road in front of him. He did, however, take a quick glance at Jack. Seeing the young Jack with a hidden level, he decided he wanted to take out some frustration on the young adventurer. "Hey you, make sure to listen to orders. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee your safety."

"Hmm... You talking to me?" asked Jack with a wry smile.

"Of course, who else!" replied the guard.

When the others saw the guard taunting Jack they all started laughing, which surprised the guard. The guard then asked, "What’s so funny?"

"Nothing," said Jack. "It’s just that you still won’t shut your yap! Keep quiet or I’ll make you."

"Don’t talk back to me!" yelled the guard more infuriated than before.

"Just a heads up," added Zariff, "I wouldn’t recommend getting on Jack’s bad side. You won’t be able to handle him, let alone his Hell-flame Fox."

"Hell-flame Fox!?" The guard’s face stiffened as he looked back to Jack and saw a young fox’s head poke out from under Jack’s cloak. "He’s the..."

"Yup, he’s the summoned hero who fought a troll captain head-to-head. He’s not bad unless you get on his bad side," joked Rydel.

The guard remained silent, no longer looking for trouble.

After five minutes of riding, they finally reached the dock house. The party was shocked to see most of the upper dock in pieces and countless ships in ruin. Hurrying to join the fight, they rushed to the encirclement of guards, where they could hear the sounds of battle and cries of pain.

As they neared, the guards opened up and let them in without issue. To the party’s surprise, they saw over a dozen large, blue-scaled beasts be swarmed by dozens of guards.

When Jack saw the beasts personally, all his guesses were confirmed. Originally, he had guessed them to be a certain beast, but he had put that guess aside because they were a rare beast during Ancient Kartonia, let alone Modern Kartonia.

"Cetus..." Jack’s statement brought fear to others in his party. Jack then shouted, "Anyone under lv. 20, get back and form a perimeter! Everyone else tag team the beasts, their too quick to take on alone for anyone under lv. 30!"

Suddenly, all the guards tense up. Almost all of them were under lv. 20, especially those young soldiers who were forced to become sacrifices by Captain Fronks.

"Hold your positions!" a yell retorted Jack, surprising the young hero.

"Forget your orders! Cetuses are known to display a false level and kill their prey before you realize it!"

As Jack responded to Captain Fronks rebuttal, he had already drawn his bow and launched an attack to the nearest cetus.

The others in the party also took action. Zariff charged into a group of soldiers who were trying to retreat and held off three cetuses by himself. Maynard and Brunar charged ahead and tag teamed against some cetuses. Rydel was circling around the inside of the perimeter, shooting anything they tried to stop the escaping soldiers. Slivia began to go through the injured soldiers, helping them all stabilize and prevent any grave injuries. Daliea stayed back with her guards, not wanting to reveal her strength unless needed.

Unable to recognize their true levels, Jack had to settle with using his lv. 2 bow skill to the fullest as a means to slow and corral cetuses. It was difficult and only one was killed so far thanks to Zariff, but it wasn’t easy. Thirteen were left, and Jack was guessing that all of them were at least lv. 30!

"Don’t hold back! Somehow they’re all at least lv. 30! Be fast but be careful!"

Jack’s warning was like an alarm to the soldiers as they all took a few steps back and let the adventurers take the lead.

"Men, focus on the perimeter! Don’t get in the adventurers’ way!" yelled Fronks, causing any soldiers willing to battle to leave and enter the perimeter.

"What are you doing!" yelled Trevor. "Let’s get in there and help them!"

"We’ll only get in their way. They’re the Adventurers Association, and they have a Hell-flame Fox on their side now. They should be able to handle it fine," said Fronks, speaking quietly yet firmly so only the captains could hear him.

Trevor was torn at what he should do. He understood that they should help and he was happy to see the adventurers saving the last of his men, but he feared that he would get on the bad side of his seniors and they would prevent him from helping like before. He thought to himself, ’What should I do?’

Chapter 106

’What should I do?’

Trevor’s thoughts were clouded and he felt uneasy. Not wanting to put his men back into harm’s way, he struggled to give the order to help without the other captains’ support.

Jack and the others were busy facing the thirteen cetuses without any military help. He didn’t expect much from Fronks but it still infuriated him nonetheless.

’Bowzer, get ready to join in. Wait for a good opening to kill in one strike,’ said Jack telepathically. Bowzer nodded and Jack shouted for everyone to hear, "Captains! Your men may get in our way, but you’re all plenty strong. Get in here and help so we can end this, or is the Royal Court filled with cowards who only know how to ask for help?"

Many soldiers frowned when they heard Jack’s statement, but he paid them no mind. He was busy launching as many arrows as possible. He was too weak to kill them, but he could slow them and support others.

A few seconds passed without a word from the captains and a bellowing war cry sounded out. Zariff roared at the top of his lungs, "ROOOOOAAAARR!!!"

The nearby beasts were startled momentarily but quickly came to their senses. However, Zariff took advantage of their hesitation. A roughly chiseled war axe appeared in his hands before he swung and brutally tore the nearest cetus’ neck in half.

"Just a dozen left! Careful for stragglers!" yelled Zariff as two other cetuses surrounded him, making four in total.

Brunar and Maynard were busy holding off four as well and Rydel had attracted two himself. The remaining two barreled toward Jack, seeming to be even faster with each sheet of rain falling over them.

Jack looked back at Daliea and shook his head, not wanting her to step in until absolutely necessary. It would be best that she did nothing so she wouldn’t attract attention. It’s not everyday that a powerful unknown mage appeared in Reinolt. If people began to investigate her, it could lead to a lot of trouble.

’Get ready, here they come. I’ll distract the first one and you go for the kill.’ Jack and Bowzer readied themselves for close combat. Their blood had already started burning, just waiting for the right moment to ignite their flame bodies.

Jack released one last arrow, targeting the second cetus after him to try and create a better window to attack the first. Then he stowed the bow and began to shuffle backward, keeping his eyes on the approaching cetus.

As the cetus lunged forward and brandished its shark-like teeth at Jack it sensed that something was off.

Suddenly, Jack’s body burst into flames and grew to the size of a troll and his level jumped from lv. 18 to lv. 22. A falchion appeared in his hand and immediately began to grow read as steam formed all around him.

Everyone watching was astonished, not knowing what to think. Even the cetus flinched back and narrowly avoided Jack’s swinging blade, only receiving a small cut.

Unlucky for the cetus, it then felt its windpipe shatter. It tried to growl but collapsed in Bowzer’s now flaming jaws. Bowzer had hidden himself in the flames on Jack’s arm and instantly went for the kill after igniting his own enormous flame body.

"Hell-flame Fox..." The crowd watching the fight was aghast. Their jaws were all slack as they trembled at the sight of the massive flaming fox.

The other cetus roared, filled with rage for its lost companion. As if hearing a call for help, one cetus facing Zariff and another facing the samurais darted towards the flaming duo. They all felt far more threatened by that living flame which could burn despite most level differences.

"Get back here!" Zariff tried to rush the escaping cetus but the other three covered it, letting it slip out.

"Watch out!" After warning Jack, Maynard ran toward the one evading him. When the other three tried to cut him off, Maynard vanished from where he stood.

Another roar sounded as Maynard’s blood-red blades slashed into the unsuspecting cetus that attempted to charge Jack. That lapse of attention to its enemy caused its death.

Seeing three of those terrifying beats die in rapid succession was overwhelming to the soldiers watching the onslaught. They had all seen dozens of men die to those things and were unable to slay a single one. Witnessing five adventurers kill four without casualties was a blow to their pride as Royal Court soldiers. And seeing the Hell-flame Fox in action only added to the shock, especially since Jack appeared to have the same ability.

Trevor was astounded. "Adventurers are this strong..." He couldn’t help but praise them in his heart.

Captain Prat was also experiencing some shock. He knew about Zariff and Maynard thanks to there bloody reputation, but Rydel was only ever known as a lazy hunter amongst the captains. Almost out of nowhere he now appeared as a lv. 30 adventurer who could hold his own against two of those beasts, despite only stalling them.

Fronks frowned deeply when he saw what was happening. Unlike the others, he was hoping the adventurers would experience some casualties at least.

Unable to spare time with the crowd, Jack was busy running from the incoming cetus. Bowzer managed to face one of the two after Jack, but it was ready to face the fox and wouldn’t let Bowzer get any free attacks.

As the Cetus was gaining on Jack, he was trying to come up with some kind of plan. He could feel that his flames weren’t as strong thanks to the rain so he wasn’t fully confident he could seriously injure it with fire alone. Plus, using his fire would mean getting in range of the cetus’ mouth and he wasn’t willing to trade blows after what happened with the troll.

Only seconds later the cetus caught up and forced Jack to turn around. As the cetus dove at Jack with his jaws and claws, Jack sidestepped away from the cetus’ head. He parried the cetus’ claws with brute force with help from his scalding hot blade.

At the same time, another sword appeared in Jack’s other hand. It was only lv. 15 and was a common sword but he stabbed it into the cetus’ side.

A scaping sound was heard as the scales clashed with the shortsword. Some blood was seen but the wound wasn’t deep. Jack was barely able to scratch it and he was already feeling exhausted.

The cetus snarled and quickly repositioned itself before attacking again, unfazed from Jack’s maneuver.

On the sidelines, Trevor drew his sword and prepared to join the fray. He had finally made his decision, despite the obvious intentions of the other captains.

"Hold!" Fronks stopped Trevor and grabbed his arm. "Let the adventurers handle, that’s what they get paid for."

Trevor was about to snap and yell back to Fronks but a pained cry interrupted him. He looked back and saw blood dripping from the jaws of a cetus and Jack holding his bloody right shoulder.

"Out of my way!" yelled Trevor fuming mad.

"Hold! That’s an order from a superior officer!" retorted Fronks plainly.

Jack was cursing the Royal Court in his heart. He was now having a staredown with a cetus that he was sure was at least ten levels higher than himself. His heavy breathing brought a cruel smile to the cetus, who seemed to be playing with Jack.

Like Jack suspected, his flames weren’t able to cause much damage to the cetus despite the creature biting his flame body. He wasn’t sure whether it was due to the level gap, the rain, his low-leveled bloodline skill, or a mixture of each. All he knew was that he had no confidence facing the cetus alone.

Slivia was watching on the side with terror in her eyes. She shouted, "Jack, run!"

Not daring to look away from the beast before, Jack avoided giving it any openings to strike. HE wanted to stall as long as possible.

Aware of Jack’s plan, Cetus neared Jack and lunged to him, again targeting his right side.

Jack did his best to avoid damage but a claw still slashed his abdomen. He grunted in pain and saw the Cetus’ many layers of teeth reach for his neck.

Not wanting to accept his death he stabbed with his sword but to no avail. His death seemed imminent.

"No!" Zariff shouted and forced his way toward Jack but was constantly slowed by the cetuses. The beast appeared to change their strategy, stalling the strongest fighters while they picked off the weaker ones.

Maynard tried to activate his sudden death skill but was slashed before he could vanish, forcing him to stay with his current opponents. Rydel was under the same pressure, unable to aid Jack in any way.

Jack could feel the cetus’ warm breath. He shivered in pain and anticipation. His short-lived life as an adventurer was flashing before his eyes.

 

Chapter 107

As Jack did his best to brace for the life-ending attack, he was frightened by the beast’s roar.

"Roooaar..."

Suddenly, the cetus in front of Jack cried and fell to the side like a ragdoll.

Breathing heavily, Jack tried to calm his pounding heart. He looked at the now lifeless cetus. It had been stuck to the stone ground. In its neck was a harpoon that had embedded itself in the stone, showing off the strong force that was used to throw it.

Jack followed the path of the harpoon and saw a stout old man in a simple sailor’s coat. The man was now on the edge of the battlefield and was walking casually toward the fighting.

The old man grunted loudly with plenty of audible disdain, "Hmm... I can’t believe what rubbish the court’s soldiers have become. If this is what they amount to, I’m glad I’m no longer apart of such a disgraceful group of cowards."

When the soldiers watching the on the sidelines noticed the old man and heard his words they were taken aback. Most didn’t recognize him and didn’t know what to think. The few that recognized his face lowered their heads and didn’t dare lookup.

Fronks was furious. Hearing such blatant disrespect was too painful for him to swallow. Captain Prat opened his mouth but said nothing in the end.

Trevor, the old man’s son, shivered. He could hear the disappointment in his father’s voice and the old man looked directly at him as he emphasized the word "cowards." It was clear that his father was livid at the performance of the soldiers and utterly disappointed in his son.

"Zariff, I’ll team up with the boy! Just kill, nothing more!" As the old man shouted to Zariff he ran to Jack and asked, "Are you okay, boy? Can you keep up?"

Jack nodded with a grunt and followed the man’s lead. They hurried to help Rydel.

Though Rydel was able to stall the beasts, he wasn’t exactly a master of close combat and wasn’t able to deal a killing blow to either of the beasts. In fact, he had already received some minor injuries himself and was only able to defend.

The two cetuses tag-teaming the hunter whined and one of them ran to take on the incoming duo of Jack and the old man.

There was no hesitation as the man retrieved a cutlass and fought the cetus head-on. "Boy, help your friend. Don’t worry about me. Kill that one and then we’ll be able to support the others together."

Leading with his red-hot blade, Jack flanked the cetus facing Rydel. It went on the defensive and avoiding the falchion, but was unable to avoid the knife that hurried past its neck.

"ROOAAARR!!"

It roared and tried to join its companions but was stalled again by Jack. As Jack kept the defensive, it didn’t take long for Rydel to find a small window to finish slashing the beast’s throat, letting it fall to the ground.

Without losing a beat, a bow appeared in Rydel’s hands and began to launch an endless volley of arrows to those against Zariff, Maynard, and Brunar. Jack rushed back and bullied the cetus between him and the old man until it fell to the man’s cutlass.

"Good work, boy! Now rest, we’ll take it from here," said the old man with a smile. He looked back to the others and was happy to see Bowzer finish off his opponent and run to Jack’s side, as well as the cleric girl who arrived with the adventurers.

Jack watched the old man dash toward Maynard with an excited grin. He dropped his flame body and some of the adrenaline in his system disappeared as more pain set in, causing him to groan.

"Jack, are you okay?! Let me help!" Slivia got to him as fast as she could and was already casting her best healing spells.

"I’ll be okay, thanks Slivia." Jack smiled and chuckled. It felt good to see her so concerned about him.

Bowzer deactivated his flame body and jumped onto Jack’s shoulders. ’Jack hurt again.’

’It’s nowhere near as bad as last time. But I am lucky that the old man joined in. If not...’

’Jack rest, need rest now,’ said Bowzer as he brushed his fur against Jack’s neck.

Those three watched the others quickly pick off the remaining cetuses one-by-one and finish off the three surrounding Zariff together. They could finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Men, gather the corpses and bring them to the palace!"

Fronks’ order sounded out for all to hear and many soldiers stepped forward, ready to follow his command.

"Hold up!" That yell reverberated throughout the area, making all soldiers hesitate and look up to the association chief. "We bagged all these without any of your men lifting a finger. They’re our trophies, don’t touch ’em!"

The men were unsure of what to do. They all meant to follow orders but Zariff was known to be a merciless man who wasn’t afraid to act out if offended, and considering the strength they just witness, no one dared offend him.

"Men, I gave an order!"

"Shut up already!" This time it was Jack that retorted Fronks. "Our kills, our trophies. There wasn’t a scratch on them by the time we showed up. Maybe if you captains weren’t to chicken to join the fray we could share them, but your too shameless to admit that, aren’t you?"

Fronks glared at Jack. "You..."

Rydel chimed in, "In the contract the between the Adventurers Association and the Royal Court, it clearly states that any and all materials that were the cause of the Adventurers Association’s assistance in assigned work will belong fully to the Adventurer Association. What do you have to say to that?"

"You weren’t hired as this was never officially assigned to you by a captain or commanding officer. So of course, those corpses belong--"

"I gave the order!"

An unexpected shout surprised everyone, especially Fronks and the old man. All eyes were on Trevor, who continued, "I send word for reinforcements. When I received so few men, I sent word to the association, isn’t that right men?"

"Yes, sir!"

In unison, all of his remaining men instantly agreed with their captain, happy to see him finally stand against the other cruel captains.

"You! What are you talking about?! You never--"

"You’ve already heard the witnesses, Captain Fronks. I gave the order and made an official offer to the association. They shall receive full payment for each beast killed based on their levels and will keep all corpses and materials that resulted from their work. The contract will be upheld," explained Trevor, more stern than anyone had ever seen him before.

The old man smiled, happy to see his son finally show some backbone without his interference.

Zariff and the others were surprised but the didn’t show it, going along with Trevor’s story to make sure they get what they deserve.

"Rydel, Maynard, store the bodies. Let’s hurry back and get out of this rain," ordered Zariff. He looked to the old man and gave a quick bow. "Thanks, old friend. Without you, the casualties would’ve been great."

"It’s the least I could do for an old pal. To show your gratitude how about to treat me tonight?" The old man understood that it was well past midnight, but he had a lot he wanted to talk about after witnessing the Royal Court’s bias against the Adventurers Association first hand.

"Of course, my treat!"

It took only a minute for Rydel and Maynard to gather the corpses. Everyone quickly hopped back on their horses and were joined by the old man, who had his own horse.

In the distance, the other adventurers came into view as they were running toward the pier at full speed. When they all saw their chief preparing to leave they came to a halt, confused at it all.

"Everything’s finished here. Anyone who made the effort to come will receive a cut of the payment, with favoritism towards those that fought," stated Zariff as his group on horseback trotted past the confused adventurers.

That group shrugged and began walking back, not caring about the rain since they were already drenched.

While the adventurers were on the way back, the three captains were in the dock house in a heated argument.

"What order did you give! Nonsense! Do you know what you’ve done!" shouted Fronks.

"I’ve honored the Royal Court’s contract with the Adventurers Association and maintained the court’s honor," retorted Trevor, not backing down.

"’What a load of crap! I’ll see you in martial court! After this, your title of captain will be as good as gone!"

"Impossible! It would be your word against mine," stated Trevor.

Fronks shook his head and smiled coldly. "No, it’s OUR word against yours. Both Captain Prat and I won’t stand for your foolish acts as captain. You’re a dishonor to our title!"

Before Trevor could respond, Fronks turned and stated, "Prat, let’s go! We’ve got a lot of paperwork to file and a traitor to report."

With that the two captains left with their men, leaving behind the twenty or so survivors of Trevor’s men. Inside the dock house, Trevor was fuming mad, again unsure of what to do next.

 

Chapter 108

Back at the association building, the small bar was lively as the misses offered everyone a round of drinks, despite the displeasure of her husband.

At one end of the bar sat Zariff, Maynard, Rydel, and the old man. It seemed like they were all mooching off the chief personal wine supply and enjoying themselves.

"Again, thanks Tomas. Without you, we may have lost that brat today. Here’s to you!" Zariff raised his mug, leading the entire bar in toasting to the old sailor.

"Zariff, forget about it. Old pals are meant for these things. I didn’t think an old man like me would be needed, but I guess the Royal Court’s grudge against you is worse than I thought," said Tomas. "With the dock destroyed and my son practically guaranteed a court-martial, I won’t be able to stay at the dock house anymore."

"Hows about you stay here? You and your boy are more than welcome," offered Zariff. "We could always use some experienced hands like yours. And I heard your son’s not half bad. He’s already lv. 26, right?"

Tomas nodded and sighed, "Aye, that’s right. Also, I’ll take you up on your offer. Might as well go all the way; where do I sign up?"

"Seriously?" asked all three of Tomas’ drinking buddies.

"Aye. I don’t want to affiliate with the court anymore. For years I’ve seen them change their ways. Why else would I turn down a cushy commander’s position and rot away in ships and the dock house?" reasoned Tomas with a smile filled with regret.

"That’s great! With you, any naval missions and assignments will be a cinch!" Zariff shot to his feet, still sober enough to keep from wasting time with rambles and tangent conversations. "Let’s get you signed up, and then we’ll have another round on me, for everyone!"

"Yeah!" everyone yelled, happy to see the chief in such a good mood and get another powerful lv. 34 adventurer.

Back in the infirmary was a small group of people around a bed.

"Really, Slivia, I’ll be fine. I just need some rest," said Jack as he laid on the bed.

"Magic really won’t help? I could at least try."

"You’ve been trying for the past half-hour, you know it won’t work, sadly," sighed Jack. "In a day or two, I’ll be back to perfect health. Besides, I leveled up again! Now, I’m lv. 20. Who would’ve thought that all of those cetuses were at least lv. 32. I made away like a bandit with EXP!"

"That’s enough! Even if you gain EXP, it doesn’t mean anything if you die." Slivia’s tone was harsh, yet comforting. She had been extremely worried about Jack and it made it worse that her new, peak-tier staff had no ability to heal Jack. "Promise me, you won’t die."

"Slivia, I..." Jack stared into her eyes and couldn’t find it in him to disappoint her. He wanted to tell her that growth comes from risk, but he couldn’t form the words in his mouth. Eventually, he nodded. "Slivia, I promise I won’t die."

"No matter what?"

"Yes, no matter what," answered Jack, staring into Slivia’s beautiful blue eyes.

At Slivia’s side was Maura. She busied herself by preparing Jack’s things, as well as some food and water on the side table. It was easy for her to overhear the couple.

Deep down she was envious of Slivia. It seemed easy for her to express her feelings and Maura longed to feel so comfortable with someone, like Slivia was with Jack.

Maura had considered Jack as a possible love interest in the future. She didn’t have many people to choose from and Jack had always seemed different, confident yet quirky. No other boy she had met was able to get her father’s approval like Jack was, so that played a major part as well. However, just as she started to entertain the thought of her trying to pursue Jack, Slivia appeared and whisked Jack away in no time flat.

The young, twenty-year-old girl was very happy to have a sister-like figure in her life thanks to Slivia, but she was also jealous of Slivia’s relationship with Jack for multiple reasons. But Maura would never admit that to Slivia; she was too kind-hearted.

"Here, that should do it. I’ll you two love birds alone." Not giving Slivia or Jack a chance to stop her, Maura hurried out the door.

Not sure what he should do or say next, Jack stammered, "Slivia, I... Thank you, for everything."

"What do you mean? You don’t have to thank me, this is the least I could do. If I didn’t do this, I couldn’t call myself your girlfriend," replied Slivia, not hiding her blushing face.

"Sliv..." Jack was touched and at a loss for words.

"Jack..." Slivia caressed Jack’s face gently with her hand and leaned in slowly. Soon both of their lips met and they shared a moment that seemed to freeze in time.

That soft kiss ended with both of their faces bright red. Slivia looked back to Jack and said, "I’ll let you rest. I’ll come to check on you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. Good night."

"Night."

After Slivia’s exit, Bowzer popped his head up from under the covers. ’Jack, you sleep now?’

’Not yet, I need to check a few things. Give me a few minutes.’

Jack’s day had been a rollercoaster of emotions. He had gone to court, went on his first date with Slivia and they officially became a couple, he had the chance to speak face-to-face with Daruun and learn a lot of surprising information and had nearly lost his life to a surprise battle with cetuses. In all that, he never had an opportunity to sit down and go through his latest update of the Achievement System.

Rushing past the main menu and entering the achievement list, Jack’s eyes went wide and his heart began to pound.

The achievement list had grown exponentially! It was like it had been in "A Hero’s Tale," filled with different achievements of all kinds. Some seemed ridiculous to accomplish in real life and others seemed story-driven like they were feeding the main plot. All of his old achievements were still there and there was now a set of tabs for his achievement list to help him filter them.

One tab was for everything, another was titled "Generated," and there was also an "Event" tab. There were even tabs for "In Progress,""Completed," and "Claimed." Also, there was a plus button that would let him create his own tabs and filters.

Jack thought to himself, ’This must be thanks to my pledge with Daruun. It seems like the system before was only generating its own achievements. Now that I know Daruun created the Achievement System, I can understand why all these general achievements exist.’

Jack skimmed through his updated system, curious to see what else his pledge to Daruun may have changed or caused. Soon he found himself in the "Events" tab and was surprised to find two achievements listed and not one. There was still the [Infestation] achievement but there was now also an achievement labeled [Internal Conflict] below it. He opened it, curious to see what it entailed.

[Internal Conflict: In Progress]

[Discover the cause of the internal conflict within Reinolt City. Reward: varies on means of completion. Event reward: 40 skill points.]

Intrigued to learn more about it, Jack exited the [Internal Conflict] achievement and sighed. However, something else caught his attention. He glanced back over the [Infestation] achievement and swallowed some saliva.

[Infestation: In Progress]

According to his system, the infestation wasn’t over. This was startling for him as he began to run all kinds of scenarios in his head.

Now that he knew what kind of beast he was dealing with, it made his guessing easier. But, it left him with more uneasiness since he knew how powerful cetuses could be.

If the infestation was anything like the in-game events, infestations always happened in waves until you eventually clear the minions and face a high-level boss. Though he wanted to be wrong, Jack was assuming that the same logic applied in his current situation.

The scariest thing was that they had only cleared the first wave and faced fourteen cetuses over lv. 30. He didn’t want to imagine what the next wave would be like, or the boss wave.

Back in the bar, everyone was celebrating their newest member’s entry into the association. While everyone was toasting and drinking their fill, a knock was heard at the door.

"What is it now? Did they come for those bloody corpses?!" yelled Zariff. The chief took his time standing up while he finished his mug of high-quality brundy. When the knocking resumed Zariff yelled, "I’m coming! By Halmut’s beard, shut up and wait!"

The drunken Zariff waltzed over to the door with the grace of a toddler still learning how to walk. Only he knew how many mugs he had finished so far. Finally, he undid the latch and opened the door a crack. "What is it? Oh... I didn’t expect to see you."

"May I come in?"

"Ha, I guess. I’m in a good mood so I’ll be nice." Zariff opened the door and let the man in, who stood almost the same height as the branch chief and appeared just as brawny beneath his soaked black cloak.

 

Chapter 109

The man entered casually and another figure followed in from behind. That second man was shorter and leaner. He had a katana at his side and removed his hood as he looked toward the bar.

"Brunar, master, what happened?"

"Troni, come! Join us! We’re celebrating!" Brunar cheered and lifted his mug happily.

"Celebrating?" Troni didn’t know how to react.

"We just got a stong new member," explained Maynard. "With another swordsman joining, ya will have another man to learn from. Come and meet your new senior!’

Troni looked at the man in the center of the cheers. He was old but his muscular figure was no longer hidden under his sailor coat and his groomed, grey beard gave him an aura of an experienced killer. At his hip was a brilliant cutlass. It was clearly high-leveled and well crafted, saying a lot about the man who wielded it.

"Troni greets the new senior," said Troni as he walked over and bowed.

"Lift your head boy. Swordsmen only bow to their master and the heavens, no need to do so with an old man like me," joked Tomas. "I’m happy to feel like a part of something again, so of course I’ll help a junior with his sword, especially if your one of Maynard’s boys."

While they were welcoming Troni into their drinking party, Zariff went upstairs with the other man. They quickly arrived at the conference room and hung the man’s wet coat before they took a seat.

"So, Tridon, what brings you here so late?" asked Zariff.

"You already know me Zariff. I want one of those corpses; I’ll even pay for it!" Tridon smiled widely. The moment he caught word that mysterious beasts destroyed the docks he was anxious to check the corpses personally. When he heard the rumor that they may be cetus corpses, Tridon wasn’t able to keep himself from waiting any longer.

"A guess we can part with a corpse or two," reasoned Zariff. "However, we want you to perform as an autopsy on one, and it has to happen here in the association building. Got it?"

Tridon rose to his feet as fast as lightning and showed a toothy grin. "Can I start now? I already brought everything I need."

Zariff laughed, "Sure, but first there’s someone you’ll want to talk to."

"Oh? Who’s that?"

"The brat with the fox, who else? He’s the one who instantly identified the cetuses and his information was crucial to avoiding casualties. I’m sure talking with him will help your autopsy’s chance of success," stated Zariff.

"Really?! Where is he? I must speak with him!" Tridon was having a field day! Not only was he able to meet a Hell-flame Fox, but now he could inspect a legendary cetus’ corpse. Hearing that Jack was possibly more knowledgable about mythic creatures that himself was a cherry on top of the proverbial cake.

"Calm down, man. He’s in the infirmary thanks to a cetus bite, but knowing him he might still be awake."

"Lead the way!"

The two men left the room and made their way downstairs. Zariff glanced back at the drinking party with envy. Tridon didn’t even look at the others, he was too anxious to speak with Jack as soon as possible and didn’t care about the rest of the world.

Soon they reached the infirmary and Zariff knocked lightly on the door. He waited a second until he heard a voice from inside. "Come in."

Without any more reservations, the chief opened the door and introduced the two men, "I thought you’d be up. Tridon’s hear to talk about the cetuses. I’m sure you can understand why."

"It’s a pleasure to meet you again Jack, and for such a great occasion!" Tridon grabbed a chair and sat himself down by the bed. "So, you know cetuses?"

"Let the brat breath, Tridon." Zariff followed Tridon’s example as he patiently sat next to the large man. "Jack, can we talk? You can trust him. He’s a freak about anything involving beasts, but he’s a good man. Why else would I call him a friend?"

Jack sighed, understanding Zariff’s intentions. "You know I don’t like too much attention for things like that."

"I’d disagree!" Tridon spoke up. "You may say that and you may understand that revealing more secrets will only bring you doom, but you’re acting like a hypocrite. Your actions are against your logic, isn’t it? What is it you really want?"

Not sure what to say, Jack opened his mouth but said nothing. He wasn’t able to deny Tridon’s words. During his all the time he had spent alone in the infirmary, he had plenty of time to refect on his past actions and decisions. And with Daruun’s mention of Jack’s multiple personas, the young hero was unsure of what to think of himself.

At times he felt like he was on autopilot as Jack_J, his in-game persona that did whatever he felt like and saught attention in every way possible. On rare occasions, he defaulted to his cowardly, old self, Jackson the janitor. He couldn’t help but wonder who he really was or who he wanted to be.

"So, Jack, what will it be? Do you trust me?" added Tridon. He also understood the meaning behind Zariff’s words. If he understood correctly, Jack had a lot more secrets and knowledge than he would’ve guessed.

Jack sighed. He stared at Zariff and glanced at Tridon. He coughed to clear his throat and said, "I’ll talk. What do you want to know?"

Tridon chuckled, "What do you know about the cetuses? How did you recognize them? No one’s reported a cetus sighting for over one hundred years."

"How could I not recognize such a famous beast? They’re legendary cetuses that live hidden lives in the open ocean and only show themselves when they’re certain they can kill their prey. They travel in pods, but those pods are usually only half a dozen strong. Seeing so many together too strange to be a coincidence," explained Jack.

When Jack finished his explanation Tridon was astounded and grinning from ear-to-ear. It was obvious to him that this wasn’t Jack’s first time facing cetuses, proving Jack’s mysteriousness. "So, you’re saying that there might be more to come?"

"Yeah, that’s what I think," Jack agreed. "I think this was organized and planned as a scouting party. It’s only the first wave, I’m sure of that."

Jack met Zariff’s gaze and nodded before continuing, "Also, you should understand something. If cetuses travel in anything bigger than a pod, that means they’ve formed a pride. Do you understand what that means, Tridon?"

The master hunter-breeder began breathing heavily. "You mean... There’s a pride lord?"

"That’s my guess, yes."

"Then what are we standing around for!" Tridon shot to his feet. His eyes no longer showed excitement, only fear.

"What are you two talking about? And what’s a pride lord?" asked Zariff. He was lost the moment Jack mentioned them forming anything bigger than a pod. The chief had never heard of the term "pride" before.

"Wait, you wouldn’t happen to know how strong a pride lord is, do you?" asked Tridon, ignoring Zariff. He recalled hearing that the cetuses hid their levels but someone managed to guess their correct strength to help sway the battle.

"At least lv. 40..."

Jack’s answer brought silence to the room. Tridon and Zariff were both trembling. They had never faced such a strong foe before. Beasts that strong were known to only appear in certain areas of the continent nowadays.

"At least..." Tridon mumbled as he tried to imagine the possible threat.

Even Bowzer, who stayed quiet under the covers, was shaking. He had the advantage against the cetuses they faced but his face wasn’t able to affect them very much, almost completely eliminating his greatest strength. Facing a cetus higher leveled than his flame body sounded like suicide to him.

"Yeah... At least that strong, maybe even lv. 50," added Jack, causing the others to breathe heavy.

"Lv. 50..."

Both Zariff and Tridon couldn’t even imagine what a fight against such a beast might entail.

"Are you sure? That strong?" Zariff was in disbelief. He didn’t want Jack’s words to be true, though he couldn’t deny that only Jack was confident enough to value a beast’s strenth so highly.

Jack began to laugh. Picturing a lv. 50 beast was never too terrifying for him before. It was always on a computer screen and he had almost always been far stronger than something like that. Now... it was a completely different story. He didn’t know what to think are what he might do.

"I’m certain that more will come, and I’m almost certain that there’s a pride lord involved considering how many cetuses we’ve already encountered," explained Jack. "All things considered, what do you two propose we do now? I can’t prove anything and you both know that the Royal Court won’t support us. If we deny helping them, we’d put the city at risk and the association’s reputation would be destroyed in the Reinolt Kingdom."

The two men looked at each other. Neither of them could think of a plan of action off the top of their heads. They were both still trying to imagine fighting a lv. 50 beast.

 

Chapter 110

Jack, Zariff, and Tridon’s conversation came to a close with that. The two men left Jack to sleep and get his rest. Tridon decided to sleep at the association building and wait for the next day to perform the autopsy.

As the night finally winded down and everyone eventually got their rest, the entire association building became busy and active in as the sun rose. Not many people got much sleep, but news was spreading throughout the building.

No one was allowed to leave the building for the time being as if they were trying to contain the rumor that was spreading within the association. Everyone was surprised to hear that Tridon was involved and was now performing an autopsy on one of the cetus corpses with some of the association’s higherups.

According to the rumor, the branch chief had made a call to the Adventurers Association headquarters. He had requested that more men be sent to the Reinolt branch and asked for all branch members to immediately return from their current missions on emergency orders. The most shocking part that most adventurers didn’t believe was that Zariff had requested men stronger than himself. Such people were higher ranked than him, so he had the ability to force such people to act, yet he made the request anyway. If that were true, no one could imagine the reason behind it.

In a back room on the second floor, a small group of people was gathered around a large table. Zariff, Rydel, Maynard, and Jack watched Tridon careful open up the cetus’ dead body.

Jack had his right arm in a sling and bandages across his shoulder, but he was far more stable and could move without pain. "Tridon, make sure to not ruin anything. Each corpse is very valuable and can be made into some strong items."

"Trust me. I may not know too much about cetuses, but I’m confident in my examination skills," said Tridon as he cleaned detached the cetus head while not damaging the beast’s vertebrae. "I’ll take extra care with such a fine specimen. If you’re impatient, just wait outside. I’ll have the entire body dissected by nightfall."

With that, Jack nodded and left the room. The other three followed him to the conference room. He saw Rydel go to a gem embedded in the wall and activate some kind of magic formation. "Silence spell, not bad."

"Now we can really talk." Zariff took the lead seat. "Jack, what can we expect to happen and what do you suggest we do?"

Jack took a moment to scratch his head and ponder Zariff’s question. "You want me to be honest? I’m not confident in facing what’s coming without someone higher than lv. 50."

"But what can we do? Ya think we can just leave and let the city be destroyed?" asked Maynard.

"Well..." Jack was having conflicting thoughts. Jack_J the Achievement Junkie never took on a challenge he wasn’t at least 75% confident in succeeding. In such a situation he would just forget about the event and come back to it when he was stronger. Jackson would leave the city without question, he wouldn’t even wait for proof that it would happen.

Deep down he agreed with everyone around him, but he felt inexperienced and nervous when faced with the current situation.

"Any idea who’s coming from the association? Anyone over lv. 45?" asked Jack looking for any strand of hope he could.

"I don’t think so..." Zariff shook his head with a grim expression. "I think another branch chief will be coming and he’s lv. 39. I couldn’t convince them to send anyone else with our lack of proof."

"I feared that..." sighed Jack. "How many people in the city are over lv. 35?"

"Including the noble families we should have at least be four," answered Rydel.

"That’s not including the number one in Reinolt, no one knows where he to find him or how strong he is," explained Zariff. "I’ve never met him, only the king has and he hasn’t even seen his face."

"Well... This will definitely make things more difficult." Jack scratched his head with his good arm, showing his nerves. "Do we really have to face this thing? There’s no way we could evacuate and relocate, at least temporarily?"

"There’s no way." Rydel shook his head. "The Royal Court would never agree to that; it would be their disgrace. And considering their enmity with us, I don’t think they’ll be much help to us, maybe in word but not in action when we’re under pressure."

"I have a thought, hear me out," said Jack as he scrunched his face, not expecting the others to agree with what he was about to propose.

The others gave Jack their full attention and waited to hear the first pitched solution from the young hero.

"I think we should ally with the goblins."

No one expected Jack to suggest such a thing, but no one spoke out against it while they considered the thought further.

"If we can get their support, we’ll have more lv. 30’s to help handle the strong cetuses. And with Daliea’s powerful magic--"

"Daliea?"

Zariff chimed in, showing the other’s confusion.

"Daliea, the goblin queen, is a powerful mage and can be a huge support in a large scale fight against the cetuses. What do you think? She said she was willing to ally with the association, right?" explained Jack.

"Actually, that’s not too bad an idea," added Rydel. "I think you might be on to something with that. What do you think, chief?"

"I’m willing to work with them. They’ve proven their strength and appear to be loyal to their promise. Time to test them," said Zariff. "Jack, go and talk with the queen after this. Do whatever they say to get them to agree, so long as it doesn’t harm the association. Got it?"

"Yeah, I can handle that." Jack finally showed a hint of a smile, glad to at least gain the support of a goblin army to challenge to cetus infestation. It was a strong ray of hope that helped calm his troubled mind.

"What else do you think, Jack? Any ideas on how to handle a cetus pride lord?"

Zariff’s question brought another tinge of fear to Jack’s calm heart. "Hmm..." As Jack groaned he was fiddling with the tutorial stone under the table. He wasn’t ready to use it yet but holding it at least helped calm him down.

"Maybe... we should search for unnatural strength?" mentioned Jack.

"What do ya mean?" asked Maynard.

"You’ve never used such a thing so it makes sense you don’t know, but there are some items that can temporarily boost someone’s level. Of course, it has its downsides but I can’t think of any other options at the moment, other than overpowering the pride lord with everyone over lv. 35 at once."

"Such a strategy is very risky, but if we can get the goblin’s support then it might actually work," said Rydel. "How are we going to get some unnatural aids? And what are the drawbacks you hinted at?"

"The drawbacks depend on the item you use. The only possible aid we can come up with might be a boost potion?"

"A what?" asked the others.

"A boost potion. It was something heroes made in Ancient Kartonia and is the easiest strength aid to get our hands on, so long as we can scrounge the ingredients in town," explained Jack. "However, it will drastically lower all EXP you gain while it’s active in your system and you’ll be left weakened after it wears off. The effect lasts for an hour and will boost you by five levels, but you’ll be left five levels weaker than normal for twenty-four hours afterward."

"So, you’re saying it will greatly strength us and possibly help us manage to win the battle, but the entire association will be left in a weakened state, something you don’t want to risk considering our relationship with the Royal Court?" Rydel hit Jack’s sore spot, easily figuring out Jack’s uneasiness. "What do you think, chief?"

"I think we should prepare for the worst. Let’s gather the material for those boost potions, but save those for emergency use only. Also, no one outside of this room can know about this," stated Zariff.

The branch chief was very serious at the moment, recognizing just how bad of a situation they were in. Whether it was the cetuses or the Royal Court, both represented a threat but one felt like it could happen at any moment.

"I’ll get you a list of the ingredients, old fart. Make sure only Zarris sees this, okay?"

"You got it, brat."

After righting down the need ingredients on a slip of paper, Jack bowed his head and left the room.

He came to stand in front of a dorm door, hesitating to enter. Before he could bring himself to knock, the door swung open and Jack could see Daliea’s illusory human figure in front of him.

"Hurry up. Enter."