The Achievement Junkie

Chapter 681 - 12-13

"Why did you let him get so close?!" Halmut roared, backing away from Sterfen.

"I deserve to have some fun, given how long you’ve taken..." the voice replied jokingly.

"WHAT’S GOING ON?!?!"

"Calm down, Sterfen. There’s no need to shout. We’re in the same room."

Only a few meters from Sterfen and Halmut, a shadow suddenly appeared in the form of a standing silhouette. Gradually, the darkness swirling around the figure lessened and a human man was left standing there. However, the swirling darkness still covered the man’s entire face.

"See, I’m right here. No need to shout," laughed the man.

"You... Who are you?! How dare you interfere with Kartonia--"

Clicking his tongue and wagging shaking his head, the man interjected, "Uh, uh... You have no right to belittle me. Please, address me properly or not at all. I don’t mince words."

"Halmut..." Sterfen glared at the Sun God, who was sighing in relief while rubbing his nearly-punctured neck. "What have you done?"

"I’ve done nothing outlandish. Given my circ.u.mstances, I merely did what was necessary," stated Halmut.

"The high and mighty Sun God needs help from outsiders? Proof of how incapable you truly are..."

"That--"

"He’s not exactly wrong." The man shrugged. "I like you Sterfen. We’re more similar than we are different. Don’t tell me you’re mad about being outdone at your own game? I thought you would be excited to learn that there’s someone capable of teaching you more..."

While the anonymous man rambled for a bit, Sterfen contacted Jack and Daruun immediately, or at least he tried.

"By the look on your face, you’ve realized the truth of your situation." From the man’s tone alone his smile was apparent. "Call me 12-13. It’s a pleasure to finally speak with Kartonia’s expert on intel gathering and secrecy. I very much admire your work and tenacity. Personally, I believe that we can get along quite well. So, why not tell me how your mind is so well guarded for a man of your caliber?"

"You... 12-13, how are you blocking my telepathy?" questioned Sterfen, now ignoring Halmut’s existence.

"No asking questions!" Halmut roared, gathering energy for a breath attack. A plume of the dragon’s various coagulated energies erupted from his mouth only a couple of meters from Sterfen, intent on reducing the unguarded assassin to cinders.

The flames engulfed Sterfen along with Halmut’s bed. Both burned for a few seconds until the flames around Sterfen died down to reveal a thin barrier of darkness surrounding the assassin.

"No, Halmut. I want him alive..." 12-13 stated with a smile, snapping his fingers and dispersing his defensive darkness. "The block on his mind is far more intricate than I expected. For him to have such restrictions protecting him... it makes me ever so curious about what we can learn from him. Why not willingly share your story and mind, Sterfen? Then we can work together and I’ll even take you under my wing."

Sterfen remained silent. He cautiously stared at the mysterious man, trying to understand him better. "Why 12-13?"

"Why not?" chuckled the man. "Why Sterfen? How about we both open up and share our stories. You first."

Not getting anywhere, Sterfen said nothing more. He could assume what was coming. Both he and his father had underestimated Halmut’s importance to Jewel and now he was going to pay for that mistake via mental torture. But Sterfen also had the utmost confidence in his father’s mental barriers, knowing that only a select few across the void could successfully crack them. All he had to do was survive and that didn’t take any words.

"No? What if I reaffirmed your beliefs, that I’m from a place far from Kartonia and far more powerful than you can imagine?" 12-13 chuckled. "Still nothing? Then I suppose you’ll be fun after all..."

Acting calmer than Sterfen had ever seen him, Halmut retrieved a sofa from his storage and lounged back with a long sigh. "Finally..."

"Your job isn’t over yet." 12-13 turned his head to face Halmut. "We still need you to get that from Glacier Keep."

"Right, right..." Halmut casually responded and nodded.

The Sun Dragon then took out one of the sacred fruits that had recently been delivered. Lobbing in the air, Halmut opened his mouth in anticipation to enjoy his sweet reward.

"That’s mine!" A tentacle of darkness reached out and snatched the fruit from the air, fetching the sacred fruit for the shadowy man. "We had a deal. Don’t get ahead of yourself. After we get those fruits and that item, then I’ll take you and your surviving subordinates away for a brighter future."

"Fine... But can you at least explain why you want those fruits so badly?" Halmut asked while tossing a storage ring filled with the other sacred fruits. "Those were never part of the deal until--"

"Because I never expected Daruun to hide such a rarity on this backwoods planet of his. Had we known that, we might’ve taken a different approach to all this. But now that Glacier Keep will already be opened, the least we can do is take them along with us. You’ll receive special treatment for this find, that much is certain."

"Then I’ll make sure they’re taken away after the challenge begins," replied Halmut, glancing at Sterfen frozen in the air. "Once Jack and his people enter the keep, who will stop my Flood Dragons from raiding the rest of the fruits?"

"Just be glad that Tralbok still has that amulet," commented 12-13. "Now, you’ll be able to enter without needing to confront Daruun. And the moment you’re victorious, use the other amulet to return here and we’ll leave immediately. Wouldn’t you like to join us, Sterfen?"

"..."

"No?" Clicking his tongue, 12-13 sighed, "Well... If you don’t want to come along, then that’s fine... I’ll take my time extracting everything from your mind but I should finish in time to leave. I’ve got to make sure to fully extract your memory and leave nothing behind with nothing tracing back to me. But you already understand that since we’re both in the same line of work. So, tell me. Who was it that restricted your mind? Was it Eedaj? Or Jack? Or did you do it yourself?"

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