The Achievement Junkie - 674 Ceasefire and Temporary Hostage

“What is it?” A reply came almost immediately.

“There’s someone who wants to talk to you.” Grixor then lobbed the crystal to Jack, who caught it with his free hand.

Glancing down, Jack found exactly what he had anticipated. Again, Tralbok was clenching a special amulet that was both similar and different compared to the travel amulets used by the legendary gods. Returning his attention to the situation, Jack spoke loudly into the contact crystal, “Hey runt, either there’s a ceasefire or we turn Tralbok into a living scarecrow to ward off pipsqueak Sun Dragons like yourself!”

“HOW DARE YOU?!?!”

“Take your pick,” continued Jack. “The moment we all enter Glacier Keep, consider the ceasefire rescinded. Either you agree to the terms or we slaughter your precious subordinates. And thanks to this weasel, I’m not in the mood for disagreements.”

“Never have I ever given into such treatment! And never will I!” Halmut roared.

“When you threaten my family, I don’t make small talk. Now answer me. Are you postponing the fight till we’re inside Glacier Keep or am I slaughtering them here and now?” questioned Jack. “Or maybe you’d prefer I come to Olympic Chateau and we can talk things out in person. But you’re not the type to show yourself until after you’ve lost subordinates, right?”

“Halmut, please consider the ceasefire,” Torian added his thoughts, using his contact crystal to reach Halmut.

“Torian, How dare you–”

“We can discuss my reasoning after Jack leaves the area, but for now a ceasefire would be best,” reasoned Torian.

Jack scoffed, adding, “Since you’re taking too long to decide, we’ll be holding Tralbok hostage until the keep opens. Whether you agree to the ceasefire or not determines what we do to his life and belongings.”

Sensing the below-freezing coldness to Jack’s tone and the lack of jokes, Halmut tried his best to not let his temper fly while he wasn’t there to control the situation personally. Torian’s voice helped Halmut in this case, though Halmut would only use Torian as an excuse and hold him accountable for everything later.

“… The ceasefire would end after entering the keep?”

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?” Jack snarkily restated.

“I’ll only agree on my own terms. If you take Tralbok hostage, his storage is to be handed to Torian before he’s taken into your custody. Also, no scarring, crippling, or weakening is allowed to take place or I’ll personally reduce Gilga to ash!”

“I doubt your abilities to do so but I’m fine with those terms.”

Halmut added, “And your gods must enter the keep at the same time as ours when the time comes. No waiting on the sidelines this time.”

“… Who of your gods are entering?”

“Why should I share that information?” asked Jack.

“If we’re discussing terms of war, it’s only logical to ask,” reasoned Halmut. “I’ll also reveal who will be entering.”

“If you’re desperate to know our plans, then how about we meet in person? I’ve got time to pop by and–”

“No, that won’t be necessary since we’re already plenty capable of communicating as we are now.”

“… Then what else can you offer in exchange for my information? I’m uninterested in who of your subordinates enters the keep as it won’t change the end result.” Then, Jack’s tone turned devilish and he finally exchanged his raging frown for a cruel grin. “But I can think of one thing that may change my mind…”

In front of everyone, Jack cast silence to cover only his head, thereby giving Halmut exclusive claim to Jack’s voice for the moment.

“Tell Kylon and your subordinates the truth of Kustram and you’ve got a deal.”

“You–”

“Then again, we can’t forget to mention how you’ve twisted and contorted Kylon’s mind,” continued Jack. “Tell me how you managed that right now and I’ll willingly tell you everything about my plan to conquer Glacier Keep without asking about your own plan. Go on, I’m all ears.”

“…” No words were said in immediate reply but Jack could hear Halmut’s heavy breathing which was basically a series of grunts at that point. “… Consider the ceasefire official…”

That was all Halmut said before cutting off the conversation, leaving Jack hanging without another chance to verbally abuse or accuse the Sun Dragon.

Dropping the small barrier of silence, Jack tossed the contact crystal back to Grixor and sighed in disappointment, “The ceasefire is official… Moranti, you’re in charge of keeping Tralbok contained till the keep opens.”

“Oh… With pleasure…” Moranti chuckled, retrieving a pair of shackles that Tralbok was quite familiar with. “I’ve wanted this for centuries…”

“No scarring, crippling, or weakening allowed,” Jack announced the terms of the ceasefire. “Tralbok will be returned in the same condition he’s in now and fully able to enter Glacier Keep when the time comes. Until the keep opens, there will be no fighting between gods or mortals of either side, so no mistreating or targeting the hydras either. When it finally opens, both sides must enter at the same time and leave no one sidelined to enter afterward. If you don’t believe me, confirm that with Halmut.

Glancing at Tralbok, Jack spat, “Hurry up and pass your storages to Torian for safekeeping. That way you guarantee that we don’t steal your stuff.”

Cautiously, Tralbok removed his storage ring and disgruntedly lobbed it to Torian. “Coward…”

“Enough talk!” Moranti shouted, eager to cuff the arrogant God of Time. As he placed the repaired shackles onto Tralbok, Moranti noticed something. “Are you supposed to give Torian your items?”

“I was told to give up my storage, not all of my items.”

“He can keep that…” Jack added, clicking his tongue as Tralbok gripped the amulet tightly with one hand and a contact crystal in the other. “Knowing Halmut, he’s probably already given Tralbok orders to report anything new he learns, so make sure to teach Tralbok all about Trodan hospitality.”

“Oh, I’ll happily agree to that,” laughed Moranti, leading Tralbok along via the chained shackles.