The Achievement Junkie

Chapter 690 - Adapting to Challenge

’One last thing. Moranti, can you go back to the other room and try teleporting back to us?’ Jack asked.

Nodding, the God of Space left in a hurry to test their theory. Confirming that would allow them their strategies to be quite adaptable, giving them an advantage on anyone that couldn’t move so freely.

’Mind if I take a different approach?’ Rynheart asked the party telepathically. ’Jack, can I keep that extra key? I’d like to scout out the keep and check through everyone’s room. Perhaps your map would work better after I rush through as many rooms as possible?’

Jack smiled and agreed, ’I like that idea, but stay invisible and only kill constructs if you need more keys. Let us try and hoard as many keys as possible. For later use. That okay with you?’

’Sure. I’m not after treasures anyway...’ The helmed swordsman shrugged and took his card. As Moranti teleported back to them, Rynheart extended his card to both Moranti and Lunara. ’Do you mind passing me your keys? It’ll help me sneak through more rooms and give us more intel.’

Moranti held out his card without a word, placing it under Rynheart’s for three seconds to pass his only key to the swordsman. Lunara did the same, glad that they have some sort of strategy.

The moment Rynheart had all four keys, a sheet of illusory energy dr.a.p.ed over him. Now invisible, Rynheart approached the next barrier which had a "1" displayed across its metallic surface. It quickly faded away like the previous barrier and the swordsman was on his way.

Jack then opened his map and checked to see if it was working. Casting god’s perspective briefly, Jack saw through Rynheart’s eyes and mind. To his joy, Jack returned to his own sight and menu to see that Rynheart’s exploration could indeed help Jack form a map of sorts. And there was something new as well. Each of the enemies that Rynheart had spotted remained on the map, although they weren’t unless Rynheart was actively watching them. Realizing that they marked where enemies were at the time that Rynheart passed them, Jack found the party far more capable of planning.

’The next room only has one construct,’ Jack commented with a smile. ’Rynheart left it alone for us and it’s lv. 97. Who wants it?’

’May I?’ Lunara asked, stepping toward the open passage. ’I haven’t had a chance to fight seriously since becoming a high-level god. This should help me a bit.’

’After you.’ Moranti bowed and motioned to the next room like a gentleman.

Following Lunara, the party entered the next room. They found the barrier already gone and the larger mannequin construct coming to life. Lunara stepped forward and retrieved her spear. She wanted to know how strong her human form was, giving herself a trackable benchmark of her strength.

To her surprise, she found the construct to be an easy foe despite her lack of transformation. Lunara’s frost spear stabbed through the construct and shattered it like a block of ice.

What no one was expecting was the different colored core. It was silver and glowed brighter than the previous cores. Lunara picked it up and got a nod from her teammates before crushing it and taking the keys inside.

’5 keys... So stronger opponents offer more keys, a classic concept,’ Jack concluded. The hero used god’s perspective yet again, finding the Rynheart three rooms further ahead. ’The next room has two lv. 95 mannequins.’

’My turn!’ Moranti chuckled, charging ahead.

Both Lunara and Jack laughed as they followed along. Their strategy was definitely making the trip easier and removing some of Glacier Keep’s mystery, at least so far.

*****

Hydra guards carefully stood watch at the trench’s entrance but they were unaware of the four Flood Dragons nearly a kilometer away. Those Flood Dragons waited there, hesitant and nervous. Their faces were riddled with worry and regret.

"Make your move now!"

"But... your excellency--"

"NOW!" roared Halmut. "Otherwise, consider your people as a useless and unnecessary existence that will be wiped out the moment I’m back!"

"Y-yes!"

Putting away the contact crystal, the Flood Dragon in charge looked to her three comrades and shook her head. Using general telepathy, she relayed the orders, ’It’s time... Remember, either we try or they die...’

The others nodded but were too saddened to reply. Together, all four Flood Dragons sighed and rushed toward the trench.

As the Flood Dragons reached the hydra guards, some guards shouted, ’Have you come back to--’

’Evade or die!’ shouted the lead Flood Dragon, unleashing a torrent of boiling water from her mouth. The spray fell onto one of the three-headed guards, killing one of its heads. When the guards tried to step up against the dragons the lead Flood Dragon shouted again, ’Evade or die! There’s no other choice!’

Four Flood Dragons tore through the barricading hydras, acting against their will and either killing or brutally wounding all who dared stop them.

Deeper down, word of invaders was already being passed through the chain of command and the hydra elders were quickly alerted of the incoming dragons.

’This...’ Raztol was already rushing toward the open space over Glacier Reef, followed by the elders doing the same. As Wingrieg and Hindrad arrived on the scene, Raztol sighed, ’This is what we feared...’

Hindrad scowled and argued, ’And where this protection that they offered us?! How dare they--’

’Here’s a part of that protection.’ All the elders turned to spot Jinbe swimming over, each with a different expression on their face.

’How dare you?! We have no way of trusting you after countless years of being our foe!’ stated Hindrad. ’I was against feeding you but only because we were promised that you would be leaving the deep sea after they returned from Glacier Keep. You have no--’

’Thank you, Jinbe,’ Raztol interrupted the consul and bowed his head to the mighty leviathan.

The angered consul was about to say more but Wingreig spoke next and smiled, ’Given your size and abilities, can we count on you to take one of the dragons?’