HC: Pacifist | Ch. 221 - New Beginnings

Turning the page, Roth found one simple triangle. Was this it? He had unlocked this incredible profession, and the pattern was only this? In the cutscene, Bergelmir had carved convoluted, intricate patterns. This looked like a child’s drawing in comparison.

He kept reading the manual.

“This is the triangle frame, a beginner-level trap. It’s one of the simplest shapes you can make, making light bounce twice before returning to its original position.

The more reflection points your light trap has, the more power it will hold. With time, you will create incredible labyrinthine patterns that will make light dance within. Recreate this trap using the tools I left with Oli, and you will begin your journey as a light trapper.”

Roth was tempted to try it immediately. He already had the tools, but where should he etch a light trap? The manual did mention fibers, metal, and wood. He had seen Master Bergelmir craft a trap in a brick. Just as he picked up the laser and started looking around for something to etch a pattern in, Oli quickly burst his bubble.

“Hey, you're not going to start crafting here, are you?”

“Uh. Why not?”

“I've already taken enough time from my morning nap to accommodate you. I don’t want the noise pollution on my turf. Lin,” he said, turning toward the kitten, “by the way, here’s the second commandment: Sleep. Sleep. Sleep.”

“Meow meow?”

“Yes, it's just that.”

Again, the little kitten became lost in thought, hit with inspiration. Applying the lesson right away, it started yawning.

“Who wrote the cat commandments?” asked Roth curiously.

“All cats came together to decide.”

“The Table, you mean?”

“No, just the civilized cats,” he said, gesturing toward him and Lin. He remembered Maudib calling Oli domesticated, but Oli preferred the term civilized.

“Wait a minute…  You're the only cat. I mean, there are two now, but you're the only adult domes- I mean, adult civilized cat.”

“I am,” he confirmed.

“So when you say that all the cats came together to write these commandments, you're referring to you sitting down and thinking of these on your own, right?”

The cat grinned.

Congratulations on seeing through Oli’s play on words.

+1 insight.

This little cat burglar! He was a handful, wasn’t he?

Anyway, if he didn’t want him to craft here, he would do his experiments once he reached the city. Disappointed for not being able to create his first light trap yet, Roth closed the book and put it away in his inventory.

Even if he wasn’t going to start making light traps right away, he was pretty sure he had a good grasp on what his new profession did. It was similar to the imbuer profession in New Earth, which became increasingly popular as the game progressed.

Once players reached the top levels, they kept the same equipment for months. Imbuers, using various methods, could enhance items and give them powerful stats. It involved playing a mini-game of skill and luck. The more imbuements an item received, the harder it was to give it a new one. He remembered how he had once spent a fortune trying to bring his sword from +6 to +7, and the imbuer had still failed!

Once the imbuements reached +8, there was a chance the item would shatter after a failed imbuement. Many weren’t able to avoid the addiction of trying to imbue their items just once more. A crazy guild leader back then had almost bankrupted his guild to bring his staff up to +12. The Staff of Heavens, despite being of an epic grade, rivaled the might of even mythic-graded items! The famed staff owner had used the powerful weapon to trample over other guilds and quickly got his money back with interest. Of course, he was extremely lucky and had broken many staffs and precious items in the process. Most weren’t so fortunate.

Still, the first imbuements were fairly cheap and simple, and any respectable player brought their equipment up to at least +2. So far in Astro Terra, he had heard about chip slots, but it looked like light traps were a second way of making items stronger. The possibility of strengthening an item, regardless of whether it had chip slots, was very appealing.

Roth was sitting on a gold mine! Who wouldn't like to have their items enhanced? He had to invest some time in this profession. Roth’s to-do list, which had recently become a little shorter, was on its way to growing again. He opened the notes app to check all that was pending.

• Getting out!

• Find a place for treeants to forage

• Help Lua find her herd

• Find the Crow Emperor

• Free the camel slaves

• Locate Mario's mom

• Exonerate the dwarf exiles

• Become a card master?

• Become a herbalist?

He added two:

• Teach Lin some manners

• Level light trapper profession

Looking at the to-do list awakened a sense of urgency in Roth. It was time to get going.

“Oli, thank you for having us. Lin, say goodbye to Oli.”

“Nyah. Trill?”

“Soon, disciple,” said Oli. “Your pet has to come to the Table. Otherwise, Zion told me he would rip him to shreds.”

Just as he thought Oli was warming up to him, he said something aggressive. Hearing the violent threat, Roth hurriedly opened his note app again and added a new item to his list.

• Be at the Table!!!

“Of course! I’ll be there. Just you wait and see, Oli. Next time we meet, I'll be the finest light trapper in the world.”

“You already are. You're the only one.” Roth's shoulders slumped. Oli had been petty enough to throw his earlier accusation back at him.

“Well, anyway, we have to get going.”

Yawning, Oli replied, “Yes, you have. Oli needs to run a quick errand and then needs his nap.”

Grimacing at how Oli had addressed himself using the third person, Roth left Oli’s lair, and the entrance to the tree disappeared behind him. That had been a productive visit, leading him to gain several levels and obtain nature affinity, a new tier of light affinity, a legendary skill, and a new profession!

Lin called out to him, and he understood one of the sounds for the first time.

“Meow. Climb.”

Roth kneeled, letting Lin climb aboard. He climbed his pants, disappearing into his shabby jacket, then resurfaced at Roth’s collar, only his head popping out. Roth petted him a little and started walking northeast. It was time to start fresh in a new world region.

*

Meteor punch!

The mob blocking the gate was sent flying, and Jaw-Long stepped triumphantly into Core. Spotting a tall young man with a crimson sleeveless shirt sitting under a crystal tree, he walked toward him. He had a sharp nose and posture almost as impeccable as his.

“Hello, sir. How was the hunt?” he greeted.

“Interesting, to say the least.”

“Just got the notification that the event is over? Did you manage to stop Loki?”

“He’s been stopped,” spoke Jaw-Long with a tone of finality. “Although Zin will be a headache in the future.”

“Have you heard about his new guild?”

“The Horizon Networks Usurpers,” said Jaw-Long mockingly. “And such a powerful sponsor, too.” Shaking his head, Jaw-Long started walking. “Come, son. I could use some stretching. What are the Dragons up to?”

“We were about to go hunt the Jade Giant.”

“Very well. Show me the way.” They started walking east toward the Glass Grasslands.

“How are the other guilds doing?” asked Wei-Liang as they crossed the Crystal Forest, the first map at the entrance of Core.

“Oh, they're doing well. They've become more powerful. I've had a few surprises. ColdHand is scary, as always. And Ogre… well, in a drawn-out battle, he's bad news. But that wasn't the biggest surprise.”

“No?”

“Remember what I told you about this Roth Taylor character?”

“Oh yes, the Slayer. A scary berserker.”

Jaw-Long sighed. He really was getting old. His son had told him that he had fought the Slayer in New Earth. A few years ago, he wouldn’t have forgotten something this meaningful. “He’s interesting.”

“Interesting, as in, let’s bring him into the fold?”

“No. He’s unpredictable.”

Wei-Liang let out a whistle. “Wow.”

“What?” asked Jaw-Long.

“That’s very generous praise.”

“I wasn’t praising him,” countered Jaw-Long.

“That's how you praise people, sir.”

Jaw-Long grinned. “You know me well.”

A gust of wind blew, and Jaw-Long felt danger. His son was already back-to-back with him. He’d felt it, too. The instincts they had honed in so many battles told them that there was a powerful presence lurking nearby. There was another gust of wind, and the sense of danger disappeared.

After a few long moments, Wei-Liang finally broke the silence. “What was that?”

“I don't know. But there was something here. Are you OK?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let’s go. Tell the Dragons to come here and meet us halfway. I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Sir! Where are your pants?!”

“Uh? Excuse me?” The old man looked down and saw that the bottom part of his equipment was missing, revealing only the undershorts that poor beginners used. Jaw-Long’s face flushed. “But how... I was wearing….”

His son was trying to hold his laughter. It didn’t work. Wei-Liang couldn't control himself and burst out laughing.

“This is not funny. Those were part of my legendary set.”

“What can I tell you? It’s just too funny.”

“Where are my pants?!”

“Relax, sir. They have to be here somewhere. Let’s go look.”

They separated, trying to look for any signs of the missing pants. Then Jaw-Long finally found something. It was a piece of paper nailed to a tree. The handwriting on it seemed to belong to a child.

“Coming for the jacket next week, same time.” Then, it was signed with a small paw mark.

“What kind of animal leaves this mark?” asked Wei-Liang. “It almost looks like….”

Jaw-Long remembered how he had grabbed Roth’s pet, thrown it at Loki, and grimaced. “A cat.”

*

“The safe specifically says that players can not break into it. How on earth were my treasures taken?” Loki demanded furiously.

“Sir, I’ve checked, and there’s no problem with the game’s programming. A player didn’t break into your safe. There is no contradiction here.”

“Then who? An NPC?”

“I can’t say, sir,” the GM answered amicably. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

Loki waved the GM off, and he disappeared from view. He opened the menu and logged out of the game. He waited for his surveillance to check if the coast was clear and let the building’s mechanisms bring him out of the pod.

As he was deposited into his wheelchair, Loki glanced at the window. It was dark outside, but the horizon was starting to gain some color. He rolled his wheelchair over to his desk and used the computer to dial one of his contacts in Nexus.

“Sir?” the man answered in a sleepy voice.

“Marius, someone stole items from my guild’s safe. I need your help figuring out who it was,” said Loki, ignoring all pleasantries.

“Sir, your account is under surveillance. They already suspect you of foul play. If my superior finds out….”

“Do it!” barked Loki.

The man cursed under his breath but did as he was told. After a few moments, he responded. “An NPC used a special skill.”

“What NPC?”

“Let me try…” After a few moments, the man typed a few commands into his computer and cursed, sounding flustered, “They locked me out.”

“Are you compromised?”

“No, I used a dummy account. It wasn’t easy to set up,” he said sadly. “Oh, man.”

“That’s it?! You can’t tell me anything else?”

“Sir, it’s one thing to get you the coordinates of the occasional wild boss. However, Nexus has strict security protocols and compartmentalizes access. Game content tagged as valuable is monitored and…”

“Enough. I’ll be in touch.”

Loki sunk into his chair, disappointed. He had hoped to gain a clue, but it looked like this was a dead end. Why would an NPC steal from him? Was it the Slayer’s cat? When he spotted him, he was coming from the direction of the safe. Could it be? As he thought of the Slayer, all the pain and humiliation of the last few days returned to haunt him.

Loki made himself look out over the city. The sun was rising, but his mood was still dark. The windows of the skyscrapers twinkled in the hues of the morning light, a crude attempt to emulate how the lake's surface did the same with seeming ease and a better visual impact.

Loki’s grip around the arms of his wheelchair tightened. So much of his meticulous plan had been compromised. Loki sighed. He had to change all his plans and rebuild his strength. Zin had to be eliminated, and so did Roth.

End of Book 4!

I hope you've enjoyed it! Roth's adventures continue in the next book in the series: Saphira.

Ch. 220 - Trapping Light

INDEX

Ch. 222 - Blur