Ch. 241..250

Chapter 241

Though time passed Jack was still unable to decide what was right and what was wrong. Eventually, the first girl poked her head out of the tent, curious about the tired looking Jack.

Whenever she asked him what was wrong he only said that once all the girls were up they would call Rydel and everyone would discuss the plan.

With that being said, Eliza took the initiative to make a wake-up call and bring everyone to the camp’s center. Once Rydel joined them, all eyes were on Jack.

"Just so you guys know, we’re going to have to delay this army for five days while Trodar tries to put an army together. If we can’t do that, then Trodar’s in trouble."

"Are we getting any help from Tralon?" asked Keela.

Jack shook his head. "Sadly, he can’t. If he was caught doing that then Trodat would break the war pact and that could lead to who knows how much chaos. We’ll have to work without him for the most part but we don’t have to fight the army directly. We’ll just use delaying tactics in order to waste their time and hopefully give Tralon enough time.."

"And what tactics would those be?" Daliea stared curiously at Jack.

During all this Rydel remained quiet but his passionate stare gave the girls a sense of disapproval.

"Since all we have to do is delay the army, that’s all we’re going to do. Our first course of action will be to destroy any food or supplies that we can, forcing them to wait longer for the next shipment to arrive. Then, we’ll target those shipments instead of targeting the army directly. By doing that we should be able to buy at least five days if not a week. Also, it’ll be much easier to deal with smaller groups than the entire army."

"Or we could just kill the general and escape."

Again Jack shook his head. "Rydel, we talked about this. Were not going to use sacrificial tactics when we don’t have to. If there’s a way for every one of us to come out of this, then that’s what we’re going to do."

As Keela and Eliza nodded, Daliea squinted. "Well... With my illusion magic an assassination might be very possible... We might even be able to--"

"I’ve already decided that there’s no assassination. Just stick to the plan and we’ll be able to hold out," refuted Jack. "But like you suggested, you and Rydel will be key to this plan, Daliea. You two will be the ones to infiltrate and destroy all supplies you can before escaping. Then we can just monitor the situation and target any incoming companies of soldiers with the new supplies."

"It’s not like that can’t work, but wouldn’t assassinating the general be faster?" She tried to sound considerate toward Jack but Daliea’s experience made her feel that Rydel’s idea would be far better. "Both plans would work and I’ll go along with whatever you decide, but I do agree with Rydel that killing the general would just be better."

Frowning, Jack looked to the others at the table. "What do you two think?"

Keela shook her head. "I don’t know what to think because I’m new to this. I’ve never been in this kind of situation and I honestly don’t know which would be better."

"Same. Both ideas sound possible, but I wouldn’t want to sacrifice anybody so I think we should go the safer route," added Eliza.

"I feel the same way," sighed Jack. "You two may not think it’s the best idea but it will get the job done and I stand by it. "

With a shrug of his shoulders, Rydel chuckled a little bit, defeated. "Since you’re finally standing up for yourself and your ideas than I guess I’ll go along with it."

"Just tell me what to do and I’ll try to make it happen," said Daliea with a smile.

Feeling a bit better about himself Jack sat a little bit straighter. "Rydel already knows the layout of the camp and he’ll talk with you about which paths you should and shouldn’t take. What I want you to do is be in charge of the escape, ensuring that both you and Rydel can get out of their alive. Most soldiers won’t be a problem but it would be best if you can leave without any fighting involved. What do you think would be best given the layout of the camp, Rydel?"

"If she can make a distraction of some kind, then I know I’ll be able to get inside and destroy all the rations. As for their supplies, I can destroy the extras they have laying around but most of the soldiers keep their equipment on them or inside their shared tents," replied Rydel.

"And... What if we found a way to set fire to said tents?" asked Daliea.

Everyone paid close attention to the beautiful goblin’s strange smile. They started to think about the idea as Rydel asked, "Wouldn’t they be able to stop the fire before it got out of hand? Or do you know a spell that they can’t trace back to you?"

"It wouldn’t be too hard if we recruited Bowzer as well," added Daliea. "If you guys can pull off the same stunt you did at the goblin city, then wouldn’t he be able to ravage the tents and set everything ablaze?"

"Maybe... but I don’t want to give away that we’re the ones doing this if we don’t have to. And if they recognized him as a Hell-flame Fox, that would be the same as admitting I was here," argued Jack.

"Maybe, but what if Bowzer controlled his size and stayed small like he did when he was testing his fire back in the courtyard? Wouldn’t he be mistaken for some other kind of fire-related fox?"

Before Jack could reply, Rydel stood up in excitement. "That would be perfect! While I destroy the rations Bowzer can destroy the barracks, then they’ll be left even more miserable than we had thought possible."

"But what if they decide to invade early because of that?" Jack slowly stood up to meet Rydel’s gaze. "If that happened, then their invasion would be on our hands and our fault. And we all know that we can’t stop that big of an army, so why should we risk that?"

"Jack, I know it sounds risky but it’s worth it," stated Daliea. "What if we did that but we only burned the Sandros army and not the Limneer army?"

"What do you mean? Why not the other way around?" asked Rydel. "If we can burn the Limneer army and blame Sandros for it, then Sandros wouldn’t involve themselves any further in the war."

Rydel reasoned, "If we really tried we might even be able to convince Limneer that Sandros has partnered with Trodar. Then they would never team up again..."

Suddenly, the new riskier plan started to sound more attractive to Jack. "Okay, then let’s think this through a little bit more. How exactly are we going to blame Sandros for burning down and destroying all the tents that Limneer has? And how will we give off the idea that Sandros was teaming up with Trodar?"

"That’s the hard part... We would have to plant evidence somewhere where Limneer officials could find it, but it also has to be somewhere believable enough to convince them," stated Rydel.

Keela also added, "And don’t forget that we have to leave evidence behind of how Sandros burned down the tents. If we can’t do that, then there’s no way they can be blamed."

"True... But it would be the best plan and it would definitely stop them from invading." Though not everything added up Rydel still wanted to push for the destruction of the Limneer army in some way.

"Rydel, I know you want to destroy this army but I don’t think that’s in our best interest at the moment. There are only five of us and they have over five thousand soldiers. We only need to slow them down so that’s what we’re going to do. Unless you can think of a reasonable way to blame Sandros for burning down those tents, then I don’t think that’s a good option."

Brainstorming together the party tried to piece together the means to blame Sandros for this plan; even Jack was trying his best to find a reason for such a plan.

A couple of minutes passed before Rydel stepped back and started to pace. Then, he started to whisper out loud to himself, speaking his thoughts. In no time everyone could hear him as he pitched an altered idea of the same plan, the only logical way he thought they could blame Sandros and get away with it.

At first Jack was against it, but then Daliea, as well as Keela, agreed with the idea. And once Eliza was convinced, then Jack was the last to agree, albeit reluctantly.

 

Chapter 242

"Hmmm..." A man sat behind a makeshift desk with papers scattered about which were covered in scribbles, coordinates, and various orders given by him or other military higher-ups. He clasped his hands and fiddled with his thumbs. "It seems that we’ll have to speed up our schedule. Gather the officials and tell them that we leave tomorrow night."

"Gen. Toms, are you sure?"

"Yes, I’m sure, you two assistants will pass the orders onto the officials, who will then pass them on to the captains. After that, enjoy a good meal and get a good night’s sleep. There’s no telling when the next time you’ll be able to enjoy that," stated General Toms.

"Sir, yes sir!" Both men saluted and left the general’s tent in a rush.

One assistant looked to the other and smiled. "Dirk, we’re finally getting out of this place."

"Yeah, but Loire, are you really looking forward to the massacre waiting for us?" asked Dirk.

Assistant Loire’s footsteps came to a halt as he smirked at Assistant Dirk. "This is what we signed up for. This is why we became assistants to the general. If you’re not wanting war, then why did you take the position? That doesn’t make sense."

"Maybe I just wanted to pay raise and a way to make sure that my family got what they needed." Assistant Dirk continued to walk on without a care for Assistant Loire. "If you don’t hurry then you’ll be late for our meeting with the officials."

With a chuckle, Assistant Loire caught up to Assistant Dirk and rambled on about the excitement that was waiting for them on the battlefield-to-be.

After a few minutes, they entered a tent which had a number of other soldiers coming in and out. But then the other soldiers took a seat at a large table and gave their attention to the two assistants.

"Men, we’re finally leaving this mountain pass and we’ll soon go on a rampage in Trodar. Tomorrow night we head out, so make sure to tell the captains and to inform the Sandros soldiers as well. Also, enjoy yourselves while you still can. Unless you’re confident you’ll survive the onslaught, get your fill now." Assistant Loire was the one to give the order while Assistant Dirk looked on and paid attention to the different faces and reactions of the officials.

While some officials were excited, others seemed nervous and a few had a look of terror or regret. But none of them spoke up as they knew the assistants and the general were unforgiving to anyone who dared rebel or disobey orders.

"You’re dismissed. Now go inform the others," stated Assistant Dirk with a nod.

The officials promptly saluted and exited the tent, leaving the two assistants to bicker or laugh amongst each other.

Most officials immediately left for the soldiers’ tents in search of the captains. Only a few dared go elsewhere first, most likely in search of some alone time to take in the situation before reporting it or to finish up some matters they already had on hand.

One of those officials made his way toward the cafeteria once he was out of sight of the others. He easily weaved through through the foot traffic of the camp and entered one of the largest tense they had, filled to the brim with soldiers enjoying an evening meal.

The officials scanned his surroundings, as if looking for something that wasn’t there or something that seemed out of place. Eventually he got some food and sat himself sitting at a distant table in the far corner, the one nearest to the kitchen storage and not the exit.

Like always time passed as more and more soldiers found themselves leaving the cafeteria, but the official did not. He had been slowly consuming his meal, almost meticulously. His head stayed down for the most part while he only inspected the area on occasion throughout his meal.

"Official Harolt, how’s the meal been?"

Suddenly filled with energy and alertness the official shot to his feet and saluted. "Assistant Loire, the meal’s been good."

"Hmmm... I see. How did the captains take the news?" asked the assistant.

"Sir, I’ve yet to give the report. I myself felt a bit distressed about it and took the liberty to grab a meal to calm myself and allow me to better deliver the news," replied Official Harolt.

Assistant Loire blinked and tilted his head as he chuckled. "Really? I wouldn’t expect that from you. I’ve got some time, so how about you and I go and give the report together? Then we can come back and drink the night away while we still can."

"Yes, sir. Why not?"

The official started raking the remaining food into his mouth as he cleaned up his plate. Though he seemed delighted to have the assistant’s help, alarms were ringing inside his mind. ’Daliea, do it now!’

’But it’s too soon--"

’It’s now or never,’ stated Rydel. ’One of the assistants wants to take me to the tents to the soldiers’ tents and you need to act before he arrives.’

’Got it!’

An audible sigh rang out in both Rydel’s and Daliea’s minds. ’Just be careful and don’t do anything that would guarantee your death.’

’Don’t worry, Jack. We got this covered,’ added Rydel.

’Yeah, together with Bowzer we’ll make sure to get the job done,’ Daliea assured Jack confidently as the mental conversation came to a close.

Daliea, who had the appearance of the Limneer soldier, found one of the many empty tents belonging to an absent soldier in his company. She quickly changed her appearance to that of a man in a Sandros mage’s uniform with the mark of a lieutenant on his shoulders, ready for battle.

Just before the rush of soldiers returned from the evening meal to the privacy of their tents, one of those tents at the center of the campground exploded in a plume of fire.

Everyone nearby rushed with buckets of water and large blankets to try and put it out but the fire kept growing and growing, expanding to the nearby tents unstoppably. The most terrifying thing was that they couldn’t put the fire out.

These flames were both orange and white with a tinge of blackness that seemed so dark that even the devil’s heart couldn’t compare. Every possible thing they could think of to put the fire out was rendered useless, not even able to stop the fire from spreading. The flame seemed to spawn from hell itself.

Captains and officials tried their best to get closer to the fire’s center but it was impossible. The heat was too much to bear and they weren’t strong enough to make it past the outer ring of the flames.

News spread across the entire camp as all soldiers and officials made their way towards the company tents.

Inside the cafeteria, everyone started to yell and shout as they bolted for the exit. Assistant Loire’s face suddenly tightened up as he turned his head toward the distant tents of the thousands of Limneer soldiers as if he could peer through the canvas surrounding the cafeteria.

"Harolt, come with me! We’ve got to put that fire out!" Assistant Loire was shouting to official Harolt while he was already halfway out of the tent.

Unable to disobey orders, the official followed suit and dashed alongside the army of soldiers hurrying back to their quarters. Before long they arrived but it was too late to save the majority of the tents.

By then they were focusing on salvaging the remaining tents instead of fighting the fire. The officials and captains had ordered their soldiers to douse the remaining tents in water and dirt in order to create some kind of barrier between the canvas of the tents and the ensuing flames.

The look on Assistant Loire’s face was baffling as his mouth fell agape. Official Harolt reacted the exact same way, or at least he did on the outside.

Chapter 243

Faced with the rapid growth of the unquenchable flames Assistant Loire looked to Official Harolt. "Spread out! Do everything you can to keep more tents from burning."

Then, without any warning, the assistant dashed into the flames. His figure disappeared as he ran through the orange and white fire, seemingly disappearing or burning away. No one could tell which was true.

Official Harolt, as well as the other officials, all gathered around the fire, trying to encompass it and soak all remaining tenants. Well, everyone thought official Harolt was doing that. Instead, he disappeared among all the chaos.

Not only did he disappear but he seemed to vanish out of thin air in the blink of an eye. And since no one was keeping their eye on him like before, the man had successfully escaped his responsibilities and fled from the scene of the fire.

Within the flames that’s all there was, flames.

Assistant Loire was adept at using fire with his quick attacks and throwing knives. He even wore fireproof clothing in order to better handle his own overwhelming flames. However, even with his skill and aptitude for fire, Assistant Loire was sweating and he could tell that his clothes were still intact but wouldn’t be able to survive direct contact with such intense heat.

The assistant weaved through the flaming tents, making sure not to touch them directly. He squeezed by them as fast as possible in order to quickly find the source of the flash fire. It took longer than he would’ve wanted, but he did manage to make it to the center of the camp.

There was nothing left. The flames had already extinguished themselves because there was nothing left to burn. All that remained was charred ground and gravel with sprinkles of ash covering everything. Also, there was a man standing there, staring back at Assistant Loire.

"Someone finally decided to show up."

Assistant Loire scoffed as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Who are you and why are you doing this?"

"I thought you’d be able to tell?" laughed the man as he held his arms open wide, showing off his Sandros uniform.

"You... You’re with Sandros?"

"So, are you here to stop me or question me?" asked the man, still laughing while keeping calm.

"Why can’t I do both?" Assistant Loire charged the man at full speed. His dashed steps covered the distance needed as he lunged at the man with a flaming knife.

That man only kept laughing as the knife reached its target but then flew right through it. It was then that Assitant Loire realized that the man’s image started to disperse and become more illusory. A solemn look filled with fear crossed Assitant Loire’s face.

"Did you really think it would be that easy? Mages like myself wouldn’t be able to reach my rank without being able to deal with hand-to-hand combat specialists, like yourself."

A sense of threat spread and shivered over Assitant Loire’s body. He glanced to the side as he jumped back, narrowly avoiding the fireball hurled toward him. It wasn’t white like most flames but it was still bright orange and yellow, almost enough to burn through his clothing on contact.

Just when he thought he had avoided the disaster with the fireball whizzing past his face, a second fireball slammed into his back, launching him forward into the ground and burning away the back of his commissioned jacket.

"Come on, that all you got? I thought you’d at least put up a challenge." The illusory man’s figure had returned to view but on the opposite end of the clearing. "But if you’ve got nothing else, can you just jump into the flames and save me some time? You won’t be able to stop me like this."

Assistant Loire threw off his coat and let it burn away to cinders. "Fine, I guess there’s no talking, is there?" He twirled dual-wielding daggers as they lit themselves on fire, with the same brightness of the mystery man’s flames. "I guess this will be a good test to see who’s stronger. An assistant from Limneer or a lieutenant from Sandros."

"Hurry up and get serious or I’ll get bored and burn everything else to the ground," the mystery man continued to mock Assistant Loire

Not giving in to the taunt, Assistant Loire once again charged at the mystery man, but this time while hurling flaming knives in order to avoid falling for the same trick twice.

Like before the man’s figure became more illusory as knives flew through him but he didn’t disperse fully and somehow came back together after each knife passed through him. This only confused the assistant even further but all he could do was continue the attack until he could find a way to stop the man.

On another side of the camp the man disguised as official Harolt ran through the empty cafeteria, still invisible. He went into the backroom to find a few cooks still there, scrambling to put food way. However, unlike Assitant Loire who presented a threat to Rydel, these cooks weren’t even lv. 30.

He quickly dispatched those cooks before they even knew they were dead. Then, he found himself alone with crates and crates of raw and preserved ingredients. Everything with it was within his grasp and at his fingertips with no one to stop him from destroying them.

Yet rather than destroying them, Rydel held out his hand and placed it on one of the large crates. It then disappeared with a flash of his storage ring. The hunter repeated this until he is stored every morsel of food that he could find. He then went to the dead cooks and took all of their storage rings, finding even more supplies.

With this abundance of material and resources, Rydel laughed in the echoes of his mind, ’It’s done. Let’s get out of here.’

He then left the camp and the cafeteria altogether just as easily as he had waltzed into the cafeteria and taken everything away with him.

’Great job, Rydel,’ replied Jack. ’Okay, Daliea. Stop playing around and just escape. Bowzer will help you out of the white flames and you already know what to do after that.’

’Got it.’

The mysterious man suddenly stopped laughing at Assistant Loire’s futile attempts. The same figure which the assistant had been aiming at then dispersed into the air, leaving behind no evidence of a physical form. "I’ve had enough fun, but thank you for amusing me."

"Get back here, you pestro!" Assistant Loire shouted and ground his teeth as he threw flaming daggers in every which way to try and find his target. But he failed. Raging shouts were droned out by fire as he scoured the ashy remains at the center of the camp to no avail.

The fire continued to rage on without anyone finding a way to stop it.

The Limneer soldiers soon came to a conclusion. After dousing dozens of tents in water and failing to stop the flash fire, they decided to take down as many tents as possible. They did it in a hurried fashion and didn’t bother bundling everything up properly. They rolled everything together and threw it to the side as far as possible in order to keep the tents far from the flames.

Eventually, Assistant Loire returned from within the flames. His clothes were singed and some articles of clothing were missing altogether. The most notable thing about him was the obvious frown which seemed to cover his entire face and distract everyone from his burns and injuries.

The assistant noticed that the fire was still raging but no longer able to spread. He sighed as he angrily glared at the unknown flames which even he couldn’t touch without consequence.

"What did you learn?" asked Assistant Dirk.

"We need to investigate the Sandros army."

"And why is that?"

Assistant Loire released a long sigh, filled with both relief and angst. "I fought a lieutenant in there. He was a master of illusions and fire. If we can find that such a person really exists within the Sandros ranks here, then they’re the one to blame."

"You know this will change everything. We won’t be able to leave tomorrow if that’s true and there’s no way to keep each side from questioning the other if you go through this," reasoned Assistant Dirk. "Are you sure?"

Assistant Loire shook his head. "We can do it quietly. We don’t have to question the Sandros army, we only need to ask them if we can speak with their lieutenants and narrow the search. The man I fought was lv. 35, so we’ll keep that in mind and test for their magic type. If there’s no match, then we know someone else impersonating them."

Assistant Dirk smirked and gave his fellow assistant the slight nod. "Makes sense. But still, we have to delay our leave a couple of days because of everything that happened, but I think the Sandros army will be fine with a few questions, as will the general."

"Then let’s go, right now. Let the officials handle this. We’ve got something more urgent on our plate."

Both of the assistants walked side-by-side as they casually talked in whispers while any nearby soldiers were scrambling around the remaining flames, waiting for them to die off and allow everyone to search if any of their belongings had miraculously survived.

 

Chapter 244

By the time both assistants reached the general, Rydel had not only left the camp but he had returned to the camp.

After returning he snuck Maura, who had hidden herself among the scrambling soldiers as a lowly private the Limneer army, the blessed bracer so that she too could become invisible and leave without a trace.

Once he handed off the bracer to Rydel, Jack returned to the camp within the cave to find Keela and Eliza throwing a small celebration of sorts. "You know, the mission’s not over yet."

"We know, but the worst is over so why not relax a little bit?" reasoned Eliza. She poured a glass of wine and placed it on the table across from her. "Come on, it’s only one drink. It’s not like you’ll get drunk from a few sips."

The young hero sighed as he smiled and shook his head. He took a seat, grabbed the small glass, and took a sip. "Wow! Where did you get this stuff?"

"I took the privilege to borrow some from my father’s personal stash before we left Federal City. That way we can look forward to celebrating more often." Eliza sat up proudly with her chest out, getting Jack to smile even wider.

"Where’s mine?" Keela asked in a teasing manner.

The three of them slowly sipped on their drinks as Rydel and Daliea made their way back to the cave and soon joined them for the tiny celebration.

As it got later into the night, the mugs were eventually emptied. Everyone was left at the table without anything to hide the serious mood that followed their actions against the army camp.

"So, now what?" asked Rydel as he glanced around the table.

Daliea was the first to answer, "I’m sure this will stop them for a day or two, but they’ll figure out that it wasn’t Sandros who caused this. It might leave them with some doubts in the end but it won’t separate the army."

"True, but that’s not what we were after," replied Jack. "The incident with the tents was enough to stop them for a day or two. If you add on their food shortage, then the army shouldn’t be able to move within two or three days before they’re able to get more supplies. That alone is huge, not to mention how we can give this food and supplies to Tralon in order to speed up Trodar’s military efforts."

"Yeah, but what do we do next? They’ll find out that it wasn’t Sandros pretty soon and I’m sure they’re going to increase the amount of security, as well as scope out the nearby mountains more closely," stated Rydel.

"We need to hurry and move out to a new location. That way we can stay hidden while still keeping an eye on the camp. Plus, we need to keep watch for incoming supplies and military units. If we can eliminate those, then the army shouldn’t be moving for at least five days total, just like Tralon asked."

Everybody nodded as they stood up from the table and started to take down camp.

It didn’t take long as everything was able to be stored away and there was no fire to put out. In minutes they were already walking out of the cave and creeping through the night, leaving the mountain pass.

They continued to walk till the morning sun started to creep over the mountain’s edge, shedding light on the stealthy party.

While keeping close to the route toward the mountain pass, the party made sure they were far enough away to not be found by military scouts. From this distance Rydel would only check up on the mountain on the army camp every other day. His main focus, however, was to find the soldiers that would deliver the next round of supplies and able bodies to the army.

Fire was still not allowed within camp and kari crystals were also frowned upon due to the lack of enclosed space to hide their light. Other than Rydel, everyone would stay within earshot of the camp and gather any needed supplies from mother nature while the sun was still out.

The day that followed their intrusion on the hidden army went by peacefully. They didn’t face any problems or altercations and had managed to escape the search of the Limneer military. They weren’t entirely sure of the exact actions or orders given to the hidden army after what they had done, but they knew that the army wasn’t moving anywhere just yet.

At dusk, those at the campground gathered together while Rydel gave the mental report of everything they needed to know.

There was still no sign of incoming troops coming to aid the army. And there was still no sign of military scouts coming to close to their small hidden camp.

Jack took the night watch as Rydel eventually returned to get some much-needed sleep. After staying alert for almost two days straight, the hunter finally agreed to get some rest.

Nothing happened. That night was uneventful and left the lone Jack to ponder what might come next.

He still worried about the party’s safety, though he did his best to keep those worries under wraps and out of sight from the other party members. The fear wasn’t quite as bad as before but there was always a small part of that worry eating away at him.

Now they had successfully stolen resources and destroyed countless tents of the Limneer army, there was no telling what would happen if they were caught. It would be obvious.

If caught, Jack and his friends would be forcefully executed on the spot, with only a shrivel of possibility that one of them would be detained and tortured for information before they were slaughtered in the end.

Such thoughts kept Jack from getting any sort of rest or letting his mind feel at ease. He didn’t bother any of his sleeping friends to talk or chat because he was already too insecure about his own origins as a hero and his false bravery.

Begrudgingly, he clutched his fingers around a stone until he finally decided to pour some mana into it and make it glow.

The whistling of the wind came to a halt. The rustling of insects and small creatures in the undergrowth came to a pause. The gentle calls of the owls and other nocturnal predators were no longer heard.

"So, what would you like to talk about?"

"You already know what I want to talk about."

The sound of Daruun’s stress-filled sigh broke the silence. "Normally, I should only let the tutorial stone be used when you have a question... But I’ll make an exception this once since it doesn’t involve crucial information."

Daruun made his way to the table at the center of the camp and sat himself. "Come, I’m all ears."

Jack finally looked back at the god he was pledged to, not knowing what to expect from the conversation he was about to have. He silently walked over and sat across from the god.

The encounter was so nonchalant and underwhelming that if the other party members somehow managed to wake up and see this, they would struggle to believe that that was truly Daruun, one of the most powerful gods.

"I have to commend your party for that plan of yours. It was a smart move to strike like that while you still had the advantage of surprise. But that’s why you’re so worried now, isn’t it?"

"You know, you’re never subtle. Has anyone ever told you that?" asked Jack with a smile that wasn’t the smile.

"Most definitely," chuckled Daruun. "You know, whatever happens in life isn’t always in our control. Sometimes fate has reasons that none of us can understand."

"That means a lot coming from the guy who knows everything, including how many people will die, where they’ll die, and the cause of their deaths." Jack clicked his tongue as he couldn’t decide whether he wanted to be angry at Daruun or thank him for telling him about the hidden army. "I thought being close to you would make my life a lot easier, not the other way around..."

"Well that’s not what you signed up for, now is it? You will have to trust me, but I can assure you that I am a far greater help than I am an encumbrance." A moment of silence passed as Daruun twiddled his fingers back and forth in thought. "Maybe if I told you a story you would feel better."

"Oh boy, storytime! I’m so excited..." mocked Jack as he shook his head and laughed.

Jack continued his weak laughter as the god simply and patiently stared at him. After some time Jack calmed down and raised an eyebrow to Daruun, who still waited. More time passed till the hero was completely quiet and fully attentive to the god before him.

Daruun continued without acknowledging Jack’s sarcasm. "You should know that this story is 100% true, so don’t question its legitimacy."

Chapter 245

Daruun began to recount his tale, "A man once sought ultimate power, just like most men. He was willing to do anything and everything in order to get. Some of his motives were noble while others were not, just like everybody else. After countless years of searching and scouring, this man finally found the ability to have all the power in the world, the ability to defy fate itself and anything else that tried to go against him.

"Just as everybody does he had gone through countless cycles in his life of good times and bad times. Of emotional highs and emotional lows. At that particular moment, he was at what he would call his greatest emotional low...

"Throughout most of his life, this man had sacrificed everything he had to finally gain this power. But now he had no one and no thing to share it with..."

An even longer pause took place, so long that Jack interjected, "And what does this have to do with me? I’m not after having the greatest power, and I’m not willing to give up everything and anything for it if I had the chance."

"Sorry, I was caught up in an afterthought but I will continue." Daruun raised his hand as if not to worry.

"This man wasn’t always like that either. In the beginning he was much like you. He wanted to enjoy life to the fullest alongside his love. Sure he sought power, but not by unconventional or self-destructive means. The man was happy to be strong with no need to be the strongest.

"But one day that changed. Unbeknownst to him, his most cherished love was murdered. She was tortured... Mutilated... Burned... Along with his growing family... And he had no clue. He was away on a business trip as trading was his expertise at the time. During his weeklong journey, his family was hunted and removed from existence without his knowing. When he got back... The man broke...

"The culprits didn’t try to hide anything. They left behind a symbol, a crest. It was the crest of a guild that the man had refused to do business with because of the unjust stories that he had heard of them..."

Taking a moment to swallow some saliva caught in his throat, Daruun frowned as he looked off into the distance. "That man did nothing wrong, in fact, he was absolutely in the right to avoid the evil that guild took part in. He then tracked those people and made sure to pay a visit to that guild leader. Any guesses as to what happened then?"

Jack stared at Daruun who didn’t meet his gaze. "He killed them all in a rage, I’m guessing."

"No... He was almost killed because he was too weak. He had always considered himself strong until he was threatened and confronted by those at the top of the world, who are willing to do anything on a whim so long as they desire it. And if they don’t have their way, then they’ll only make things worse."

"So... Are you saying I shouldn’t settle with my strength until I’m at the top of the world? Isn’t that a little bit much?" reasoned Jack.

"That’s a good question. I wonder how the old Jack would feel about that, the Jack that became the Achievement Junkie, one of the most accomplished and feared ancient heroes?"

"It was just a game back then. If it were--"

"It may have been a game but you had the same ideals when you first arrived here, remember? Or have you allowed your own fear to keep you from acting how you really wish?" stated Daruun while finally looking back at Jack.

The young hero was glaring at the god but Jack felt tongue-tied when he felt the brokenness behind Daruun’s eyes.

Daruun eventually continued, "I’m not trying to say that you should abandon your emotions. What I want you to realize is that sometimes you’ll have to act against your emotions to get what you really want the end. Nothing will ever work out exactly how you wish. It’s your choice. You can fight for what you want or you can coast through life and hope that your agenda doesn’t conflict with that of someone stronger, who is willing to fight."

"... There’s no other option?" asked Jack, blinking to keep water from building up in his eyes. "Is there really no way to live without risking our lives? What’s the point of living if there’s no option to live how you wish without risking your loved ones? That doesn’t sound like any kind of life I want..."

"That sounds like quite a cause to fight for. Maybe after all this, you can help the rest of the world feel such freedom."

"In other words, I’ll never have such freedom with my friends?"

"You will, but not before fighting the gods to earn it."

Neither of them said anything after that and since the rest of the world was frozen in time momentarily, not even the quiet crickets could join the conversation to break the silence.

"Well, if you don’t have any more questions about my story or any other questions for me, I should probably get going."

Jack’s mouth scrunched up as he tried to think of something to say. "Daruun..."

"Yes?"

"That man, how long did it take for him to get that power?"

"Technically it took him more years than he could count." Just as the hero was about to frown Daruun added, "But it won’t be the same for you. The system you’ve been given is incomparable to anything that man was lucky enough to find."

"Then how long will it take me?" asked Jack.

"Not sure. That’s up to you and how hard you’re willing to work for it," replied Daruun. "And as for your friends, some of their lives are in your hands, and some aren’t. Only time and circumstances will prove whose fate you can somewhat control."

He then opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself. Daruun refrained from saying too much.

Giving Jack a soft smile, Daruun nodded his head in a graceful manner. "Thank you, Jack. Though you accepted the quest, I am still at fault for bringing you here and making you go through so much hardship. Note that I’m trying my best to help and that I’m doing everything possible to help you succeed and keep your friends alive."

Jack was taken aback. He was used to talking with the know-it-all Daruun, not the grateful god who was willing to bow his head in gratitude. "You’re welcome... I hope you mean that."

"I do... I do."

In the blink of an eye, Daruun’s figure vanished and the world came back to life. Only Jack didn’t seem as lively as before. He sat there and thought, not caring how much time passed.

It was early in the morning while the sun was rising when Jack next heard someone else’s voice. It rang loud within his mind and wasn’t from any party member.

’Jack, how are things looking? Has the army left yet?’

With a chuckle the young man replied, ’No, they’re still cooped up in the mountain pass. I imagine they’ll be busy for the next couple of days, at least while they wait for support and supplies.’

’What did you do?’

’All we had to do was set fire to their tents and steal all their food. But don’t worry about us, right now we’re not even within the mountain range. All that’s left is targeting the regiments bringing the next round of supplies and fresh troops. Once we do that, then they should be halted for at least five days, like you wanted.’

’That’s great! Of all people I knew that you could make it happen,’ replied Tralon ’What did you do with the stolen supplies?’

’I was going to ask if you needed them. Since you’re raising an army and we have enough supplies for an army, why not put the supplies to use.’

’Can I come to pick it up now?’ asked Tralon.

’Sure, I don’t see why--’

Before Jack could finish his reply, Daruun had already appeared in a flash of light. "Wonderful! Your efforts and aid will not go unnoticed in Trodar, that’s for sure. With this, so long as you’re at least lv. 40, you may gain enough support to join the Council next election."

Jack flicked a ring to Tralon with a smile. "If doing this much would give me a shot, then just wait till you see what else I have in store. After this, we’ll be cutting off the supply lines from Churstin to Prachten and paying a visit to Korten."

"Really?!" Passionate fire burned within Tralon’s eyes as he looked to the young hero. "You’re just a spectacular, even at a lower level. I’m proud to call you Master."

"Enough of that. Get going and go deliver the news. That should cause a surge in army applications so you’ll be even more ready to face Limneer when the time comes," stated Jack as he held up his hands innocently.

The two old friends smiled at each other and nodded. Then, in another flash of light, Tralon disappeared.

Chapter 246

It was now the second day after the party’s attack on the army. Surprisingly, it went by calmly.

Everyone made sure to release their beast companions, passing the time together and strengthening their bonds little by little. Though they had given the command to stay quiet and vigilant, the beasts had no problems with that. If anything, it helped to have their highly attuned senses keep everyone on edge in the case that they were discovered.

The only beast that had to go back inside of storage was Appa, who would’ve been easily noticed given time. He was well fed and then sent back in until the time came for them to leave or there was enough space to roam free.

Passing the time together with Bowzer and the other beasts definitely helped Jack loosen up. He still had some worries, but Jack was able to overlook those while watching Bowzer and the Flame Tiger wrestle. Neither of the two beasts could use their flames but the two seemed to be getting along better and better by the hour. By dinner they seem to be best friends, always wrestling and testing each other when they least expected.

That night Rydel took the night watch once again. Both he and Jack would take turns in order to make sure they were always at peak awareness.

After the sun was long set a message woke up the newly slumbering Jack. ’I’m to the northeast of camp. Hurry over here.’

Not wasting a moment Jack scrambled to his feet and hurried to find Rydel, was high in the trees overlooking the makeshift path toward the army within the mountain pass.

Once Jack was at his side, Rydel began to recount what happened up to that point. ’It seems a small group is making their way to the mountain pass. There are only three of them but they’re scattered about thirty meters apart from each other. It’s likely that their delivering supplies without risking extra troops, at least not until the army has the supplies to move on its own and meet the other troops elsewhere.’

’So you think the reinforcements are camping somewhere else?’ asked Jack.

’That’s exactly what I think. They don’t know who caused that disturbance and they don’t know how large of a force we have. It makes sense for them to resupply and gather elsewhere, somewhere we wouldn’t know about.’ Rydel grabbed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Light groans were made as he pondered and pondered about where the reinforcements might be.

Jack began to feel tense but he also noticed that the veteran hunter was even more riled up than he was.

After a couple of minutes, Rydel’s eyes shot open. ’If I were them I would want to meet somewhere not too far from the border yet still hidden. It has to be somewhere they can access quickly. I’m guessing that they’re not too worried about us finding them within a few days, but rather immediately...’

’Aren’t there a few border towns near here? You think the Limneer army would be willing to risk a town’s safety in order to quickly hide reinforcements?’

’I’m not sure. It would have to depend on the general’s decision. If he’s cutthroat, then yes he would be willing to. Sadly, I didn’t have much time while in disguise and wasn’t unable to learn enough about him to be sure of that.’

’Then should we take out these three?’

Rydel shook his head. ’I don’t think so. For all we know they’re not even carrying anything and are only testing us. If we attack them, we’ll be revealing our location and may become subject to an ambush. I’d much rather find the reinforcements before they gather.’

Jack scratched his head. ’Then what should we do about this army? Do you think we should just leave it be?’

’Why not set a few traps and see if we can stall for more time?’ reasoned Rydel. ’We wouldn’t need a lot of them. We’ll only need to set a few magic formations that are large and explosive. So long as we set enough to guarantee that at least one trap goes off, then the army will be forced to delay further and scan the area for more traps before departure.’

’Not bad... We can get Daliea after this and have her get started immediately,’ stated Jack.

’Way ahead of you.’ Daliea’s voice sounded out in Jack’s mind, both startling him and causing him to smile.

’We’ve already been talking,’ explained Rydel. ’By tomorrow afternoon we should be ready to start looking for the reinforcements.’

’Since you’re already so prepared, where’s the first place we’ll go to search for the reinforcements?’ Jack asked the focused Hunter.

’Well... We should definitely check the nearby towns. If the general’s really daring, then we may have to check a couple of cities. We’ll have to play things very carefully because even after the traps the army will only be delayed for an extra day. Then, that army is sure to meet up with reinforcements and attack Trodar before they suffer any serious casualties from their unknown enemy.’

’In other words, it can only get harder from here...’ rephrased Jack. ’I guess each day will cost us more and more effort. At least we don’t need to buy Trodar a week, but five days is still... difficult to manage.’

A halfhearted chuckle made Jack look back at Rydel. ’You know, anything could be waiting for us in those reinforcements. For all we know, a small band of reinforcements might be even more terrifying than that five thousand man army.’

’That’s what I’m afraid of...’

’Well, that’s what we agreed to. There is no reward worth any effort without some kind of risk. The reward of defeating Limneer won’t be so easy to earn. Thousands of people have already risked their lives or lost them for such this cause, so why not ours. Compared to most members of the Trodan army we have a higher chance of survival behind enemy lines than they do on the battlefield.’

Mulling over Rydel’s words, Jack again scratched his head. That thought made him feel a bit better about the task at hand but it also confirmed his worries. Nervously, Jack looked into the distance in the direction of the nearest town. ’I’m finally starting to understand why some people are willing to be so cruel...’

Curious, Rydel asked, ’Really? Why is that?’

’Some generals find it easier to be cruel toward an enemy population than it is to sacrifice the lives of their soldiers...’

’So you had the same idea, huh? But would you be willing to do that? Would you be able to live with that on your conscience?’

Jack took a deep breath. ’I... I don’t know...’

’Then think of it this way. If you’re willing to sacrifice a few hundred or a couple of thousand lives of your enemy, then you can guarantee that each of us will live through this,’ reasoned Rydel. ’That’s why only the most cutthroat people are allowed to lead the war effort. It would be the first time that Trodar’s done this, but Limneer was the first to do it. Remember what happened to me and my family? It would only make sense to return the favor.’

As Rydel was getting more riled up, Jack got quieter and quieter. The hunter continued to ramble on about the many families he knew that were trapped inside of burning villages on Trodar’s borders when Limneer first attacked. Limneer had always been the most aggressive and still was. Them seeking aid from Sandros already proved that.

Eventually, Rydel paused. ’So... What you plan to do, Jack?’

No answer was given. The moment passed as Jack slowly climbed down the tree and walked back toward the campsite.

Chapter 247

It was still early morning and there was plenty of time to rest, but Jack couldn’t find it in himself to sleep. His turbulent mind wouldn’t let him calm down.

As the others eventually woke up they quickly found Jack sitting in the center of camp with black lines beneath each of his eyes. Most ignored it but Little Lina made sure to comment on them.

Lina tilted her head to the side as if to get a better view of Jack’s face. "Big Bro, what’s wrong?"

"Nothing’s wrong. Don’t worry about it, okay?" replied Jack, showing a hint of a smile to ward off her curiosity.

Before long everyone was up, giving Jack the chance to update them all on the next steps of the plan. Like Jack expected, everyone agreed whole-heartedly and worked together to make some breakfast before taking down camp.

Though he was smiling, the other party members understood that Jack was ridden with stress and worry. But they couldn’t do much about it since he wouldn’t acknowledge it with anyone else. They could only wait for a better opportunity to discuss it or for Jack to open up on his own. Of course, they had no clue that he was also stewing over his most recent conversation with Daruun.

A few hours later both Daliea and Rydel returned with smiles on their faces. Not much else was said verbally as the party silently left the area and made their way to the town not too far from the base of the mountain.

It was late in the afternoon by the time the entered town, but they quickly left without saying a word. There was no military personnel to be found anywhere.

Moving on to the next border town, they hoped to have more luck. And since they refused to use Appa in fear of being caught, they managed to arrive late into the night.

’I’ll scout the town,’ Rydel called out mentally to the party. ’Everyone should get a quick rest at an inn, even if for only an hour or two.’ Having said his piece, the hunter dashed into the dark streets of the quiet town.

Jack tried to voice his own opinion of not resting quite yet but Eliza grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the nearest inn. ’Come on everyone, we shouldn’t waste any valuable time. Let’s rest while we can so we’re ready for whatever comes next.’

’Right behind you!’ agreed Keela.

Dahlia nodded and walked behind the couple, following them without hesitation.

The party approached the barren front desk. Eliza was about to call out for someone when a head popped up from below with a yawn. "Hi, what can I do for you?"

"We need a few rooms for the night," stated Eliza with an amiable smile.

"Well, I’ve got two left. One with two beds and a single bed."

Again Jack tried to interject but Eliza was too quick with her reply. "We’ll take it." She hastily set a few coins on the counter. "Keep the tip."

As the man at the front desk happily swapped the coins for two keys, Jack was frowning and giving Eliza a mean glare.

"Come on, it’s not going to kill you to share a bed with your wife," joked Eliza. She was completely unperturbed by Jack’s antics as she pulled him up the stairs to the third floor toward their room.

Keela giggled as she watched the two leave her and Daliea behind on the second floor, where their room was located.

The two girls made themselves at home after locking the door behind them. Yet as Keela pulled the covers over her, she noticed that Daliea wasn’t anywhere near her bed. Instead, she found Daliea at the table in the corner of the room.

"What’s up? Aren’t you going to sleep?" asked Keela.

"Not yet." Daliea shook her head and pulled out a blank piece of paper along with a quill pen.

Too curious, Keela then asked, "What’s that for?"

"It’s... a letter."

"To whom?"

Hesitant, Daliea coughed to clear her throat. "To... Jack."

"Oh? Why write him a letter? Why not just talk to him?" reasoned Keela.

"Well, this is in case... If I don’t get a chance to tell him this before I..."

Realizing the personal significance of the matter, Keela started to back off and put less pressure on the goblin girl. "Oh, sorry to pry."

"No, don’t be sorry," stated Daliea. "I just saw Eliza do this, so I thought why not write one too."

"Wait, you saw Eliza write one of these letters?" questioned Keela even more curious than before, considering she was always with Eliza yet never saw such a thing.

"Yeah..." Daliea replied softly, having said something she probably shouldn’t have.

"Did she tell you why?"

"No... I only saw a piece of it," replied Daliea.

With stars in her eyes, Keela hopped out of bed at sat herself across from Daliea. "Wait, you saw the letter? Tell me more."

Feeling a sense of duty to finish the conversation she had fueled, Daliea begrudgingly explained, "It was in the middle of the night, the one night where Jack wasn’t on guard duty. I was... hidden, since I had been helping Rydel scan the area before that."

"Sure you were," giggled Keela.

"So, when I got back to camp Eliza was finishing up her letter," continued Daliea. "All I know is that it was address to Jack and was about their relationship."

"That’s it?" groaned Keela. "If that was all, it wouldn’t have inspired you to write your own, right?"

With a sigh, Daliea added, "Well... Eliza did add one other thing."

"And that was?"

"She... She took out her Phoenix Lilly and hugged it tightly. Then she put it in a new storage ring... which she then put in the envelope."

"WHA--?!"

"Shhh," Daliea threw her hand over Keela’s mouth, trying her best to silence Keela’s surprised shout. "I shouldn’t have told you this. You know Eliza wouldn’t like us to know about that."

"Well... I guess you’re right." Keela sat there for a few moments. Suddenly, she nodded to herself and pulled out her own piece of paper and a quill.

"Keela, what are you--"

"Well, if you’re both writing some final words, why can’t I? Who knows, you’ll probably never have to read it anyway."

Neither of the two girls said anything more, letting each other focus on their own letter and only sneaking occasional glancing at each other’s words.

*****

"Jack..."

"Jack..."

"Jack!"

"What is it, Eliza?" Jack rolled over inside his bedroll, letting him get a better view of Eliza, who was sitting up on the bed.

"Jack, what’s wrong with you?" asked Eliza.

"Nothing, now let me sleep." Jack closed his eyes and tried to ignore his wife. But she quickly said something that caught his attention.

"How about a massage?"

Looking back to Eliza, Jack lifted his head from the pillow. "Well..."

"We all know that you’re stressed out and worried about what’s about to happen. Don’t I, as your wife, have the responsibility of supporting you and easing your burdens?" stated Eliza as stood up.

"Well..."

"’Well’, what? Are you going to lay down on the bed or not?"

With a quick nod, Jack got to his feet and prepared for the massage. Knowing what was needed, he removed his shirt and pants before approaching the bed.

"The boxers too."

A look of surprise crossed Jack’s face. "But I--"

"For a full body massage, those will only get in the way. Since you’re more stressed than ever, I’ll make sure to relieve you of it all."

Not arguing with her, Jack then removed his boxers. He did his best to cover up with a towel he retrieved before laying down.

Happy to see him compliant, Eliza stood over Jack. "We won’t be needing this."

"Hey, that’s--"

In a flash, the towel was thrown away and lotion was poured onto Jack’s back, not letting him get up.

"Quiet, Honey. Just relax and enjoy yourself."

Like magic, Eliza’s hands started to glide over Jack, sometimes slowly and other times quickly. Her varying pace and movements forced a few light moans from Jack’s mouth, who was incapable of denying the amount of relief he felt.

Taking her time, she worked every inch of Jack’s back and shoulders before moving down his arms. Eventually, Eliza moved on to his feet before gradually moving up to his calves and thighs.

At every new area, she would briefly pause while applying more lotion, but it never lasted longer than a second. However, after rubbing Jack’s thighs another pause occurred, one slightly longer than the others.

Jack was about to awake from his relaxation to check on Eliza but the massage quickly continued as she revisited his back. But something was different.

What was rubbing against his back... didn’t feel like hands. They felt soft, yet firm. It was warm, yet shivers ran down Jack’s spine as thought more about it.

"Do you want me to stop, Jack?"

Those soft words trickled into Jack’s ear just before he hesitated. They caused him to drift back into relaxation and submit himself to the bliss.

Eliza smiled. Finally, Jack let down his walls.

 

Chapter 248

The short time the party had was ticking away quickly.

With a frown on his face, Rydel eventually returned to the inn where the others were staying. After searching for nearly two hours, Rydel had again come back empty-handed with no intel. All he knew was that all military personnel had been moved away about a day ago, just like the last town they visited.

Thanks to the receptionist, Rydel learned what rooms his companions had rented and made off to break the news to them.

A soft knock sounded out. ’It’s me.’

Not even a moment had passed before the door creaked open and let the hunter inside. He entered the room to see Daliea behind the door and Keela at the table, both showing no signs of rest.

"What are you two doing? This was your time to rest and recharge. There’s no telling when you’ll get some shut-eye next." stated Rydel, baffled by the sight before him.

"We had other preparations to make that were more urgent," replied Keela. "But don’t worry, we’re fully ready now. Got any good news?"

Rydel sighed, "Sadly, no. All the soldiers were moved elsewhere urgently. I couldn’t find exactly where, but I know what direction they went in."

"That’s good," added Daliea. "So we should get going now before we miss our chance."

"Right. Lucky for us, I don’t think they’re too far from us," explained Rydel. "If my hunch is right, their reinforcements are probably stationed in Zurden."

"Oh... That complicates things, right?" asked Keela.

"Right. That changes a lot, actually. It makes some strategies more effective, but while others are near impossible." Rydel shook his head, mumbling, "I just wonder what Jack is willing to do now that it involves civilians."

Both women nodded in agreement, easily understanding Rydel’s train of thought. A moment of silence filled the room before Daliea spoke up.

"Well, if we must act to save a nation, we must also be willing to burn down a nation."

"But Jack won’t agree to that," retorted Keela. "We all know that he would never agree to kill innocent people."

"So?" Keela and Daliea were struck silent by Rydel’s casual yet cold tone. "Limneer has never cared about the lives of the innocent. They’ve destroyed entire villages and towns in Trodar. Rather than defend them and claim them as their own territory, they thought it easier to raze them to the ground and not have to worry about them."

"That was how I was raised, avoiding the cruelty of the Limneer armies, who forced my family into misery," continued Rydel. "Even if I had to burn down all of Zurden, that would only atone for a fraction of all the innocent Trodan’s that they’ve killed."

Noticing the awkward air, Rydel regathered his composure. "Either way, we need to fill Jack in on everything and get moving."

Rydel calmly opened the door and walked with haste toward the third floor. The women soon followed him after locking the door behind them.

Once on the third floor, they found the couple’s room with ease and pounded their knuckles on the solid wood door.

No answer.

Again, Rydel knocked, saying, ’It’s us.’

Again, no answer.

The three party members shared a glance and readied themselves for the worst, preparing to charge into the room. Just as Rydel was about to kick down the door, a soft voice filled their minds. ’Just a moment, let me unlock it.’

Relieved that they misunderstood the situation, the three relaxed and waited for the lock to be undone and the door to creak open.

Their now calm demeanor quickly changed to startlement after they entered the room. When the door shut, they were even more shocked.

Only covered by a half-open robe, Eliza stood in front of the door with a blushing smile. "I take it you’ve got a lead to follow?"

"Y-yeah..." replied Rydel, who next looked to the bed. He chuckled when he noticed the slumbering hero naked under the covers. "Well, it looks like you two made the most of your time."

"We sure did," giggled Eliza. She sauntered over to the bed and brushed the side of Jack’s face. "Honey, it’s time to get up. Rydel’s got our lead."

"Huh?" With a yawn, Jack sat up and stretched his arms, revealing his bare chest to everyone’s wide eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing’s wrong, Dear. They’re just surprised, that’s all."

"Surprised?" Suddenly, it all made sense to him. Seeing his wife in her robe, what Jack had assumed was a dream became cemented into his memory. And with the others now looking at his bare chest, he couldn’t help but turn bright red.

He quickly retrieved clothes and put them on before getting up. With a cough to try and regain his self-confidence. "Hhhh hmmm! Sorry about that. I’m sorry you had to see that."

"Don’t be. I’m just glad you finally opened up. With Eliza taking your first, she and Maura shouldn’’t have it too difficult anymore," joked Keela.

"I--"

"So, Rydel, what did you find out?" asked Eliza, keeping anyone from pushing Jack to far. She didn’t dare risk losing the progress she had worked hard to get.

"Like before, there was no military personnel anywhere in town. They were all sent away with a distinct destination given, but I do know which way they went," explained Rydel. "Considering that the other towns are most likely in the same situation as this one, reinforcements are either found in the wilderness near the mountain, or they’re waiting inside Zurden."

"Oh... And you don’t think they would be hiding out in the nearby forest?" asked Jack.

With a sigh, Rydel shook his head. "No, I doubt it. Limneer has been known to not care for civilian lives during times of war, and considering we dealt a decent blow to the army they thought was secret it wouldn’t surprise me if they would use their own civilians as a shield in order to keep the upper hand."

Falling back onto the bed behind him, Jack rubbed his brow, irritated with the development. "You really don’t think they’d just hide in the forest near the border? Wouldn’t that let them travel faster?"

"Yes and no. They would be better situated to attack sooner, but they would also be at risk of being found by Trodar’s military if they camped too close." Rydel’s reasoning got everyone nod in agreement, even Jack. "So there’s no reason why we shouldn’t assume that they’re using Zurdern, a city with great defending walls that’s also situated close to the border, as a makeshift base."

"Jack, I agree with Rydel. I think we should hurry and make way to Zurden," stated Daliea.

"And then what?" Jack showed his half-defeated eyes. "I’m not saying I’m against fighting in Zurden, but..."

"You don’t want to get the civilians involved, do you?"

Jack looked to Keela’s soft eyes. "Yeah... I’d prefer not to involve them."

Keela then added, "You know, whether it’s Limneer or any other nation, every major general would launch an attack on the city, regardless of the citizens living there. Considering how Limneer broke the war pact and is about to invade, everyone will understand if you attack the city and not the army inside it."

"But..."

"Everyone will forgive you, Jack. They would even call you crazy for not doing it."

"But I wouldn’t forgive me."

Taken aback, Keela paused, letting Jack have a moment to continue his response.

"Keela, everyone... As much as I want to guarantee that we all live, I just... I can’t bring myself to kill an entire city..."

Everyone sighed, but not in disappointment.

Jack continued, "Even if it’s what everyone else would do, it’s not what I want to do. I don’t want to fuel the fire for war with Limneer to continue. I would rather make peace and avoid war altogether. But if we burn down Zurden, even if it would make sense strategically, how would the people of Limneer willingly agree to peace after that?"

"... Jack..."

While everyone remained silent, Eliza’s gentle voice brought Jack’s mind back to the room. And to his surprise, he found himself tightly embraced by her.

"Jack, I’m so proud to be your wife."

With the thumping of his heart, Jack felt a lot of his remaining stress fading away in the warmth of her embrace.

Keela smiled. "Jack, we all knew what you would say. We just wanted to hear you say it."

Snickering to himself, Rydel stated, "Well, I can’t say I didn’t see this coming. As much as I would hate to admit it, if you want real peace with Limneer, then we’ll have to do things the hard way. But don’t expect me to take it easy on the Limneer army."

"I wouldn’t dream of it," replied Jack.

"Well, if you think it’s best to spare innocent lives, then I’ll do as you say." Daliea bowed her head, doing her best to hide the blush in her cheeks.

"Hurry up and get Bowzer out. Shouldn’t we fill him in?" whispered Eliza.

"Oh yeah!" In a flash, the adolescent fox appeared in the room to the side of Jack and Eliza. But before Jack could say anything, Bowzer howled and smiled.

’Oh! You finally made Eliza your woman! It’s about time!’

"Shut up, you nosey fox!" Jack’s shout startled the others, filling the room with laughter as they easily guessed the situation.

 

Chapter 249

Well before the sun began to rise over the mountains of Limneer, Jack and the others had left town under the cover of night.

With Zurden as their destination, they all hurried at top speed on Appa’s back. Though it was riskier to travel that way, they didn’t dare give the army on the mountainside enough time to regroup. Time was what they were lacking, so they had no choice but to do everything they can to make up for it, hoping night offered enough cover for the massive bird.

Thanks to the risk, the party managed to reach the outskirts of Zurden just before the sun came up. And with haste in every step, they quickly entered the city.

’Everyone, it may be best if we split up and search for any lead we can get throughout the city. I’ll go on my own while you all split into groups of two,’ mentioned Rydel as he bolted into a shaded ally.

’Keela, let’s go.’ Daliea, already disguising her goblin self under an illusion, grabbed the cleric’s hand, but was surprised to feel some resistance.

’Just a moment.’ Keela turned to Eliza and handed her an envelope. ’Hold onto this for me, okay?’

’Okay. What are you, some sort of secret admirer?" joked Eliza.

’Just hold onto it. It’s in case I don’t get a chance to tell you all something later. Okay?’

’Oh... Then I’ll keep it safe for you.’

’Alright, let’s go, Daliea!’ Keela, in turn, grabbed Daliea’s hand and ran off in the opposite direction as Rydel.

’Then that just leaves us.’ Eliza smiled as she grabbed Jack by the arm and pressed herself against him. ’How about we check out the city square together?’

’I guess.’ Jack easily caved and escorted his wife through the streets. ’But let’s make sure to not draw too much attention.’

’Well, so long as we don’t draw the wrong kind of attention, then there’s nothing wrong with the right kind of attention.’

’What do you--’

As Jack looked back at her, he was caught off guard by her sudden kiss, but he didn’t fight it. In fact, it was the first time he returned the favor.

After their moment of passion, Jack then noticed the many eyes gathering on him, some green with envy and others filled with approval.

’See, Jack. Sometimes the right kind of attention is better than no attention at all. None of them would guess that we’re here covertly or have intentions to fight anyone. Right?’ reasoned Eliza.

’R-right... Let’s just keep that to a minimum, though.’

’Okay.’ Happy to have him agree, Eliza brushed his arm while holding tight, making sure Jack and everyone else know that she cared for him.

Thanks to there couple’s antics, the two of them found it easy to make their way through the streets that were growing more crowded as the sun continued to rise. In less than half an hour they found themselves in the center of town, near the market, town hall, and all other important buildings.

’What’s that?’

’’Look’s like some sort of bulletin board. You think we’ll find any interesting announcements there?’ Jack led Eliza closer to get a better look. But as the many posters became discernable, his face stiffened. ’Is that...’

’We need to tell the others now!’

*****

To the west side of town near the most rural areas, Daliea and Keela wandered the streets side-by-side.

It had only been a couple of minutes since the party had split up and they already noticed a dramatic change in the social class of the citizens. Though they weren’t at the center of town like Jack and Eliza where the wealthy lived, the run-down shacks and half-destroyed buildings stuck out like a sore thumb.

’What is this? What happened here?’ Keela couldn’t help but question herself about the surroundings. ’Was it like this when we last came here?’

’... No... it wasn’t.’ Also stuck in a daze, Daliea did her best to remain astute. ’My question is, where are all the men? All I see are women and children.’

Both of the girls were blown away by the rubble of the west side of town. The further from city center they got, the more startling the sight became. After five minutes of walking in shock, they paused in confusion.

In front of them was the very inn at which they had stayed, or at least what was left of it. Most of the buildings in the area were still standing, albeit missing some walls or a roof. But that inn was only rubble, completely demolished.

’What... What happened?’ mumbled Keela in the depths of her mind.

As they were in utter shock of the scene before them, a small gathering of women was coming out of hiding. Each of them was paying close attention to the two girls frozen in the middle of the street. Some were even signaling to each other, gradually surrounding them from inside the remaining buildings.

’Keela... did you notice that?’ asked Daliea, who was more used to the cruelty of the world and didn’t completely forget her surroundings.

’Huh? What do you mean?’

Daliea grabbed Keela’s hand and once again started walking. ’I think we’re being surrounded.’

’Really?’

Now realizing the truth of her surroundings, Keela acted calmly and followed Daliea’s lead but they were both quickly blocked by a small mob of women.

Since the women said nothing, Daliea was the first to speak, "Would you please excuse us."

"No, we can’t let you do that. Not without handing her over!" shouted a middle-aged woman at the frown of the crowd.

"Her?" Startle again, Daliea pointed and Keela to see all the women nod in response. "And why is that? Has she done something wrong?"

"Yes!" Following the mob mentality, each of the gathered women shouted in unison.

Their leader continued, "Hand her over and we can let you pass. Otherwise, we’ll be forced to take action against you both."

Appearing clueless, Daliea asked, "Well, can you at least tell me what she did wrong?"

"Because of her, all of our husbands have been forced away to serve the military on the front lines..." The woman’s voice started to crack, showing the depravity she was trying to hide. "But if we can bring her in, then they’ll bring us back our husbands safe and sound!"

"But... That doesn’t make sense," reasoned Daliea. "How could she have caused such a thing?"

"Because that’s what she caused! The general made himself clear and the only hope for our husbands to return alive is for her to be turned in."

"But what has she--"

"Will you give her up or not!" shouted the woman as she held back tears. "If not, then we’re bringing you in with her!"

Keela and Daliea both looked to each other. They didn’t seem worried, but they weren’t relaxed either. It had become clear that things were going to be far more complicated then they had anticipated.

*****

In the northeast part of the city, Rydel weaved through allies and scaled rooftops unbeknownst to anyone thanks to Sterfen’s blessing.

This being notorious as the midnight district, Rydel was sure there was dirt to be dug up.

The silent hunter stalked many businessmen and wealthy merchants visiting the many exotic establishments. Only the truly proud and powerful were willing to visit in broad daylight.

After a few minutes of searching, Rydel caught sight of a peculiar target, someone he knew personally. They had only spoken a few times and the man didn’t even know Rydel’s true face, but Rydel knew the man’s.

Rydel immediately chose the man to be his target and stayed within earshot to not miss anything the man said as he approached a plush building made for the most wealthy of men to enjoy themselves.

The man smiled and bowed his head to the doorman. "I’m here as an assistant to the general."

"Right this way," stated the hulking man while propping the door open. "I’m sure Assistant Loire will find himself at home with our services."

"Thank you." Assistant Loire slipped the man a gold coin before entering the room and seemingly disappearing before Rydel’s eyes.

Noticing the enchantment lining the inside of the building, Rydel knew that his only hope of learning more was to get inside and personally follow the man he had previously deceived.

Being noticed wasn’t the issue, it was getting the door to stay open long enough for him to enter. The doorman had meticulously opened the door for not only Assitant Loire, but the previous guest who had entered. At that rate, Rydel wouldn’t have enough time to enter without cousin trouble.

Taking the chance, Rydel crept closer to the door. He was practically leaning on it, only leaving the area near the handle unoccupied. And after a couple of minutes, another wealthy man approached the doorman, who in turn bowed his head and moved toward the door.

With one hand over his mouth, Rydel made sure not to breathe on the man directly in front of him.

As the door was unlocked by the doorman and slowly pushed open Rydel ducked under the doorman’s arm and heaved a quiet sigh of relief as he too vanished into the luxurious building.

 

Chapter 250

As the hunter secretly entered the enchanted interior of the building, he slunk to the side, making sure to avoid any possible traffic in the entryway or the halls.

The aroma of lavender and aged wine filled Rydel’s nostrils. Multiple musicians flooded the place with their melodies, overlapping one another and harmonizing for the enjoyment of the patrons. Fine metals and precious jewels covered the walls, doors, and even the clientele.

Scoffing under his breath, Rydel hurriedly yet carefully crept through the main hall. That led him to a great room with many solid gold instruments atop the mantle of a massive fireplace, the largest of which was hanging from the ceiling with jeweled letters etched into it, reading "The Lavish Lute."

Tables and futons were scattered across the vast room with over a dozen men enjoying themselves to the company of many beautiful women. Laughter and whispers came from each futon, most of which carried a tone of belittlement.

Rydel scanned the room but still found no sight of his target. Next, he looked to the staircase at the back of the room, and then the balcony that wrapped around and gave onlookers a great view of the action downstairs.

He didn’t bother paying any of those pompous pigs any attention, nor did he watch their perverted actions, some being done openly for all to see. Rydel’s eyes were fixed on that certain someone who was calmly walking along the balcony toward a group of men on the second floor.

Before Rydel’s target reached his acquaintances, Rydel was a couple of meters away, ready to listen in and learn everything.

Assistant Loire showed a toothy grin as he approached his friends with open arms. "Boys, I’m back. Did you miss me?"

"Of course not!" laughed a lanky, bald man in a black vest. "With you gone, I was able to spend more time with my beloved. What was her name again..?"

"Enough of that, there are more than enough women for us all," a stalky, bearded man with a top hat joked. "Besides, we’ve all seen you two share before."

The bald man kept laughing but resumed to watch the perverse show below. "True! The more the merrier, right?"

"Anyways, I’m glad to be back, but I don’t have much time at the moment," added Loire. "I’ve got something for you, Trank. It comes personally from General Toms."

"Oh?" The bald man turned back toward Loire with a smile only a stalker would appreciate. "And what is it that he wishes me to do? Or shall I say who?"

"Read it for yourself. I’m sure you’ll be more than satisfied with the contents."

As Loire passed a large envelope to Trank, Rydel repositioned himself to the wall behind the tall man.

"Well, no use in reveling in the suspense. Open it already!" stated the man in the top hat, patting Trank on the back.

"Hmmm... Oh, this will do nicely." Trank licked his lips as he fingered through a few pages of documents, some with sketched profiles at the top. Once on the fourth page, a twisted smile resurfaced on his face. "Oh! This will be splendid!"

As Rydel caught glimpse of the envelopes contents, he started choking on air. His heart sped up with each passing second, especially after seeing the man’s sadistic grin from.

"So, these are the suspects you’ve searching for, I presume?" asked Trank.

Loire nodded. "Precisely. But you must be careful with this batch. We’re not certain of their abilities. All we know is that the same unusual white flame we witnessed burning down our camp was sighted and reported within the city just days before."

"It took some time for us to recover the little information we do have. After a couple of days, we finally discovered the owner of the property where the flames were spotted, a good-for-nothing innkeeper who didn’t know how to speak. So, we had to teach him the hard way," Loire explained with jovial laughter. "In the end, we were forced to extract his memories, and that’s how we uncovered their identities."

"Well, I wouldn’t call this pitiful amount of information their identities," laughed Trank. "All you’ve given me are their faces and a couple of generic names which are most likely false. I’ll have to try extra hard in order to find them with such poor information."

"Consider this the advance." With the flick of the wrist, Loire tossed up a storage ring. "Will that cover the issue?"

"Oh yes, it will. I can see that the general must really have his hands full." In the blink of an eye, the ring vanished into Trank’s own storage ring. "If that cheapskate is willing to cough up this much, then these folks must have given you hell."

"Well, you wouldn’t be wrong about that."

"I even heard that you were sorely beaten, so badly in fact that you couldn’t manage to recognize your opponent, let alone touch him," the man in the top hat added, verbally jabbing Loire in the gut.

"Well now, I’m not sure--"

"And not only were all of your tents and stations burned to ash, but your entire camp was robbed blind in the midst of it all," Trank laughed along with his friend. "Talk about kicking you while you’re down."

Loire took a deep breath before grinning and bearing with the jokes. "Enough of that. I’ve delivered the message and the payment, so I should be off."

"Oh, so soon? Don’t you want to stay and enjoy yourself at least a little?" questioned Trank. "Since you’ve brought me such a nice present, this one will be one me."

"Really? Since when did you become such a nice guy? I’ll have to take you up on that. But I’m not sharing this time, I want my own room," stated Loire.

Trank nodded. "Very well, go pick one for yourself and claim a room. I’ll sure the owner will be fine with that, right, Darto?"

"Of course that’s fine, anything for one of my best friends and clients." The man with the top hat proudly pounded his belly as he pointed down the hall on the second floor. "No one’s using any rooms on the second floor. You should have the place to yourself for the next few hours till we start filling up."

"Good, then I’ll make myself at home." Loire confidently walked toward the hall and approached a few of the serving girls at the end of the balcony. "Hmmm, I choose... you! Come with me. And Trank, don’t barge in like you always do. I haven’t had this in ages, I need this."

Both the tall and the short man waved him goodbye as they turned their attention below, letting Loire pull the gently-frowning girl toward one of the large rooms at the end of the hall.

"Ladies first," Loire joked as he pushed the woman inside the room. He snickered as slowly closed the door behind him. Then, Loire swiped his hand over a gem embedded in the wall. "Don’t worry, no one will be able to hear you, so you can scream all you want."

"N-no... P-please, be gentle..." stammered the girl ridden with fear.

"SLAP! Huh, what was that?!" Leaving a bright red handprint on her delicate face, Loire took one step closer for every step she took back. "Don’t worry, like I said, no one will hear you."

"Please... PLEASE BE--"

"SLAP!" Loire’s snickering soon became laughter on the verge of lunacy. "I’ll have to be quick, so I’ll apologize in advance for not letting you savor the pain."

Loire stiffened his wrist and lashed out with the back of his hand, intent on breaking the woman’s jaw.

"AAAAAAHHHH!!!"

Suddenly, Loire let loose an agonizing scream. He frantically looked down to see blood pouring out from his wrist where his hand had once been.

"Shhh, that’s enough."

That voice sent chills down Loire’s spine, but it wasn’t as terrifying as the feeling of a cold blade pressed against his neck.

"Who-who are you?! Do you know who I am?! Do you realize what you’ve--"

"Assistant Loire, though we’ve met before, I never would’ve pegged you as the most perverted bastard I’ve ever had the displeasure of conversing with." The calm voice came from the left side of Loire, and it was close enough for Loire to feel the invisible man’s breath.

"W-what do you mean? Who are you?" questioned Loire, desperate to understand the situation.

"First." Allowing himself to become visible, Rydel showed his calm self in all his glory before the quivering military assistant and the confused, terrified woman.

"It’s you! You’re one of those--"

"I said that’s enough." Rydel shut the man up by pressing the knife ever so slightly, letting Loire’s cold blood trickle down his own neck. Then, the hunter nodded to the woman. "Don’t worry, you’ll be fine now."

"B-but I..."

Before she could finish speaking, Rydel’s left chopped at the base of her neck, carefully knocking her out.

"Now then, back to business," Rydel mumbled as his hardened eyes stared at the pitiful Assistant Loire. "The last time you saw me, you called me Dirk if I’m not mistaken."

"Y-you were... But I..."

"And since this is the last time you’ll see me, I’ll tell you my real name. That way you can tell the devil who claimed the reward on your filthy soul."

"I.."

Without another word or any hesitation, Rydel’s blade cut clean through Loire’s throat and spine, leaving his head attached by only some remaining flesh and muscle.

As Loire dropped to the floor motionless, Rydel flicked the blood from his knife and stored it away.

Suddenly, a loud message went off inside Rydel’s head. ’Everyone, be careful! They’re already onto us!’