The Achievement Junkie

Chapter 418 The Syndicate“s Response

Flying over the clouds, Pestro shouted with all his might. He was trying to relieve himself of all the pent up aggression that Jack and Rikko had cause him. Not only did he fail to find a lead on Choron, Pestro had been humiliated on a personal level.

"Pestro, where are you now?"

A voice sounded in Pestro’s head, causing Pestro to grunt one last time before taking out his contact crystal and replying, "Tralbok... I’m leaving Drulgen... There was nothing there that traced back to Choron."

"Good. Make your way to Trodar immediately."

"Trodar?! But they’ve already started gathering gods there!" argued Pestro, confused.

Tralbok replied, "That’s exactly why you’re going. Our plans have been compromised and we can either pull out of Trodar or attack now. We chose to attack now since we still have people within Gilga at the moment. You’ll attack with the syndicate forces from the outside while our plants and hidden reinforcements attack from the inside."

"What about Eedaj and Sterfen?"

"Don’t worry about Sterfen," stated Tralbok. "Knowing him, he’s not even in Trodar. He’ll be busy tending to his wife as always. As for Eedaj... That will be up to you to handle. I don’t have to kill him but you must keep Eedaj from stopping the syndicate. Is that clear?"

"Yeah... I guess that makes sense. It’s now or never isn’t it?"

"Correct, Pestro. It’s either we attack now while we can to cripple the neutral faction’s growth or it becomes too late. And should they grow to match us and the holy gods, then we’ll be the first to fall due to our situation," explained Tralbok. "We must stop them from growing."

"Then why not send more gods?"

"Because if we do that, we’ll leave ourselves vulnerable to the holy gods," Tralbok reasoned. "Are you saying that Eedaj is too much for you to handle?"

"Of course not!" Still infuriated from his encounter from Jack and Rikko, Pestro shouted, "Even if you told me to kill that elf I wouldn’t worry. I was just curious, that’s all."

"Good, then hurry to Trodar at top speed, and don’t worry if others see you. You’ll be making a public appearance anyway so why let that slow you down?" stated Tralbok.

"Then I’ll be there before tomorrow morning!"

"Good. I look forward to your victory."

The conversation ended, leaving a smug grin on Pestro’s face. He was looking forward to the slaughter of the Leisure Guild. And, knowing that the champion was on the other side of the continent, Pestro was all the more excited to ruin Jack’s home while the hero was away.

Ignoring cloud cover, Pestro’s mount suddenly picked up speed and rocketed across the night sky with unbelievable speed.

Some people below saw it and were confused as to what it was. It was similar to a shooting star but it flew across the entire sky in a straight line. A few were betting that it was some powerful creature that had suddenly awakened in search of something. What those people thought didn’t matter though, as they wouldn’t be able to witness the devastation that Pestro would cause once he reached Trodar.

*****

’Tralon, make sure you get a good night’s rest tonight. Tomorrow you’ll be opening a rift for Rikko and all the goblins.’

’Jack, where exactly will all of them be going?’ asked Tralon.

’We’ll send them to that abandoned city on the fourth floor of the storehouse,’ Jack answered. ’That way they have their privacy and Rikko can temporarily remain a secret resident of Trodar.’

Tralon sighed with a smile. ’Alright, then I’ll make sure to retire at a decent hour.’

’Good, I’m glad to hear it! Also, if my wives ask, I’ll be staying the night in Drulgen to make sure the goblins get along well with the guild.’

’Very well, I’ll let them know should they ask. Don’t party too much without us, Jack.’

Laughing, Jack replied, ’I’ll keep that in mind. See you tomorrow, Tralon.’

’I’ll see you then, Jack.’

As the conversation ended, Tralon heaved a long sigh. He stared at the papers piked on top of his desk, most of which he had just finished filling out.

After their stunt in the city, the Leisure Guild had many people abandoning smaller guilds, whether they were adventurers, merchants, or regular folks. The draw of the Leisure Guild was huge! Just being affiliated with them could increase the sales of local merchants and gave a sense of security to common citizens. Most of them wouldn’t reside in the guild property but they were still promised protection as they partnered with the guild either for work, small quests, or doing business with them.

That influx led to Tralon and Vixus being swamped with recruit forms. And though some managers were being trained with Dirk’s help, losing Ilgor meant that everyone else had to pick up a piece of his large workload.

Noting that it was already well past sunset, Tralon decided to do something he rarely did. Tralon left the unfinished forms on his desk for the following day. It would turn the next day into an extra-long, stressful day but it would allow him to help Jack in the morning. That mattered more to him than anything.

Before Tralon cleaned up the rest of his desk, a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," stated Tralon.

In walked Hadurt, surprising Tralon. The straight-faced warrior asked, "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No... I was just cleaning up before I left for bed," replied Tralon. "How can I help you?"

"I want to discuss the syndicate, at least a little bit. After what happened today, let’s at least talk about how they’ll respond," Hadurt stated, acting more seriously than usual.

Tralon nodded. "Okay, then how do you think the syndicate will respond?"

"First off, I doubt they’ll let their members die in public," answered Hadurt. "I’m sure they’ll retaliate in some way before that happens. Given their usual conduct, I expect them to act out within three days."

"Three days? So soon?"

"Yeah, the syndicate prefers to take precautionary action or precautionary stalling. With the Leisure Guild declaring themselves as enemies of the syndicate, I know the syndicate won’t stay quiet for long," reasoned Hadurt. "We need to prepare for a full-scale attack, just like they did in Federal City."

"Hmm... I see your point." Tralon stroked his beard in thought. "Tomorrow we’ll gain the support of Rikko and the goblins, so we’ll gather everyone afterward and make plans when Jack returns."

"Good... I’m glad the Leisure Guild is willing to stand up and act more than the association ever did," Hadurt joked.

Tralon laughed as well, "With Jack leading the way, I’m sure we’ll be doing more than just acting against the other factions. If anything, I fully expect him to incite their wrath in no time at all. So long as he’s the same Jack I adventured with, he’ll always be the most targeted man under the heavens."

"Sounds like this will be fun... If that happens, then joining you guys will have been more than worth the risk."

"I’m glad you see it that way. How are you feeling inside the guild? Are you disappointed?"

Hadurt clicked his tongue and sighed. "Not disappointed, just really bored... I’ve lived in dungeons for the past five hundred years, only leaving for brief exchanges with Lorwynn. Everything else is boring by comparison."

"Well, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of chances to level up soon," Tralon replied with an amiable smile. "With Jack’s current plan, he’ll be leveling up like there’s no tomorrow. Soon you’ll be able to become a god thanks to him, so I’m sure you’ll be more than just glad in the end."

"With ascendance on the line, I’ll do anything if it keeps that dream alive..." Hadurt sighed again, longingness filling his eyes. "To waste five hundred years of effort... I don’t want to waste that."

"Oh, I can understand exactly how you feel. I already experienced that," stated Tralon, reminding Hadurt of Tralon’s age. "I was once lv. 85, now I’m nothing but lv. 62... I’m so weak now, I don’t know what to do. And with only eleven months left, how could I dare dream a false hope again."

"Hey, with Jack on the case, don’t you think it’s still possible?" reasoned Hadurt.

Tralon sighed and stroked his beard. "Maybe..."

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