HC: Pacifist | Ch. 219 - Stealing for Dummies

“Listen to me, little Lin. It's not just about stealing because you can. You want to steal things the fun way.”

Roth wondered why he was lecturing in the human tongue rather than Felinian. Was this presentation just for Lin, or was he using the chance to brag?

“There are three ways to make stealing fun. I've only discovered this after much experimentation. Are you ready to learn them?”

Lin’s tail was wagging back and forth in interest.

“Way number one is to steal something without people realizing you ever stole it. This way of stealing doesn’t give you much immediate joy, but the more time passes without your target realizing it, the funnier it gets. For example, look at this.”

He called the attention to the papyrus with the black, mysterious stroke in it. It had to be a treasure belonging to a master painter or something.

“It wasn't easy to pull this job off. This is one of my most proud achievements. This is a stripe from a tiger’s butt.”

Roth choked. What? A stripe from a tiger’s butt? Did he mean Maudib? The scary-looking tiger?

“Not to brag, but stealing this was some of my best work. I used something called bleach papyrus. I sprayed it with some special compounds, and boom! The tiger’s stripe was sucked into the paper, and even his DNA was altered so that it doesn’t grow back. To this day, he doesn't know I've stolen it. Next time you see Maudib at the next Table gathering, keep a close eye on his butt. Not even his buddies, Nira and Shadow, have the guts to tell him about this. As far as he suspects, he has all his stripes. But now you know that there's one missing,” he said, winking.

Lin’s eyes are opened to how fun stealing can be!

+3 mischief.

Lil' Lin was soaking in every word that Oli said, listening attentively to the teachings of his master. Seeing the look of adoration in his pet and the increase in mischief, Roth was starting to regret bringing Lin here.

“Second most enjoyable way of stealing someone: You steal something that, no matter how they try to hide it, EVERYONE, including the target, will know they were robbed. Here. Check this out.”

There was a bone circle with sharp, pointy edges. “What is this? Some kind of fossil?” tried Roth.

“No. This is the denture of the Shark King!” he announced in a grandiose wave of his paw.

Roth was speechless. “A denture? Of the Shark King?”

“Well… previous Shark King, to be accurate. He had to step out of the throne because he became toothless. His son is king now. I stole this from him once I found he was leading all his clansmen on, making them believe he could still grow his teeth. It’s a big disgrace for a shark when they stop growing teeth. Long story short, I stole it the day before he had a big speech in the Ocean Assembly. He couldn’t hide he had become an old toothless shark and had to step out of the throne. Nyahaha!”

Lin learns how crime can pay!

+2 mischief.

Little Lin giggled, hearing Oli’s bravado, while Roth shook his head. This cat was evil!

“Last but not least, this is the most challenging and fun method. It also only works with very wealthy targets. Are you ready, my disciple?”

Lin nodded vigorously, his tail completely up.

“Here it goes: You warn your target you’re coming to steal them. Then, you only take one thing. But here is where it gets fun. You return multiple times, always telling them what you’re stealing next. It’s hilarious seeing them try to protect their treasures! Here. Look at this.”

Lin’s eyes twinkled with anticipation while Roth dreaded hearing what would follow. Oli directed their attention to one of the biggest items on display. There was a large dummy covered in beautifully crafted armor. Spikes covered almost every surface of the items, but Roth could tell the ensemble was incomplete. A shoulder pauldron and a boot were missing.

“This is a relic which used to belong to the Rhino General. It was in his family for generations. Every year, on the same day, I go to his castle and steal a piece. Poor rhinos. They only have three or four pieces left in their armory. I’ve already sent them a letter telling them I’m coming for the shield next week. It’s going to be hilarious.” Turning to Roth in a less friendly tone, he added, “Don’t you dare take any of these away. These aren’t like the knick-knacks you took from me last time.”

“Meow, trill, meow?” Lin asked.

“No! He didn’t steal from me. I let him take some garbage I didn’t need anymore.”

“Meow! Meow!”

“Fine, fine. Your human is great! I won’t talk smack about your pet anymore.”

Lin looked toward Roth and signaled how he had defended him from Oli’s critics.

His pet?! Roth smiled awkwardly. Did Lin really believe that he was his pet and not the other way around?

“Meow, meow?”

“Yes. A long time ago. Come, I’ll show you.”

Finally, Oli led them to the painting of his master. “Can you see anything, disciple?”

“Chirp, trill.”

“Just blurry, uh? Once your affinity with darkness deepens, you won’t be able to see even that.”

“Trill, cuff, meow?”

You are making more sense of the sounds around you.

Progress in learning Felinian: 12%.

“Master was a kind soul. He was an incredible craftsman, too. People all over used to come, begging him to craft for them. Despite being so busy, he always took time to play with me and pet me.”

“Meow, meow!” Lin said, gesturing with his little paw toward Roth.

“What? He? A craftsman? Yeah, right!”

“Meow, meow!”

“Fine!”

Unlike the two bickering cats, Roth could clearly see the painting. The image was as lifelike as last time; however, today, the portrait was motionless. He had thought that coming here after gaining a new tier of light affinity would unlock a new cinematic, but his guess was proven wrong. He stretched his hand and touched the plaque at the bottom, appreciating the craftsmanship.

Roth gasped. He was in a different place. His mind was transported to the same rustic house workshop he had seen in his last vision of Bergelmir. A man wearing an apron hunched over his workstation. His face was buried into a device similar to a microscope, and he shot bursts of red light from a tube in his hand. What was he doing?

Roth found he could walk inside this cinematic. It reminded him of when he started playing the game and was hovering in space. He walked over to the workstation to get a better view of the man’s work. He was working on a brick dark as coal. It was volcanic stone, if Roth wasn't mistaken. The little bursts of red light he had seen were a laser burning the rock's surface and forming a pattern.

Bergelmir steadily engraved on the brick, carving an intricate, beautiful symbol. Was he signing the brick? Why would anyone want to leave a mark on a brick?

The man then grabbed what looked like a glue gun, and, with his eyes leaning on the microscope-like machine, he pulled the trigger. Were it not for the [Farsight] skill that enhanced his vision, Roth would have missed the little beads of glass the gun was shooting. The man patiently left one bead at each intersection of the pattern. The degree of minutia required was incredible. Despite being delicate work, the man moved his hand steadily, never hesitating, never doubting his next move. In a matter of minutes, he was done.

“So, from how far in the future do you come?” the man asked as he inspected his work. His eyes were intelligent yet small, and he had a big nose, a long forehead, and silver hair.

Roth jolted backward. Who was he talking to?

As if to answer his question, Bergelmir looked straight at Roth. “I'm talking to you,” the man said. Bergelmir aimed the laser at one of the glass beads and activated it. The red light followed the carved pattern in the brick, bouncing off each glass bead. Not glass, Roth realized. Those are mirrors! The light made the pattern come to life and slowly faded.

“Good. It turned out OK. Time to put it into a vacuum.”

The man stood up, leaving a speechless Roth behind. “Aren’t you coming, son?”

“Right. Of course,” Roth yammered as he followed the artisan across the workshop. Bergelmir stopped next to a table with a tall machine. The craftsman pushed a button, causing the machine to open, and carefully deposited the brick in it. He then pulled a lever, closing it again. "This machine will seal the trap into a vacuum. Then all we need to do is choose the right light,” he explained.

“What kind of craftsman are you?” Roth asked. He still hadn’t figured out what this man did, exactly.

“A light trapper.”

“What does a light trapper do?”

“A light trapper traps light,” the man explained, smiling.

Roth still didn’t get it. “Fine. Next question. You can talk, but you're just a painting.”

“I'm light,” corrected Bergelmir as he walked back toward the workstation and got started on another brick.

What did that even mean? This had to be a special NPC, and Roth had to find out more about him. He played along, trying to unlock the correct dialogue. “How did you become light?”

“I trapped it, and then I trapped myself in it. I mean. I will. At some point,” he said matter-of-factly. “For us to interact, I trust you're somehow connected to Oliver,” he said, sparing a look at his gray and white cat, yawning at the corner of the cushion. “Shame that Rain of Fire business. Who knew that Oli would live so long, hey?”

“You’re from the past,” said Roth, looking at the younger version of Oli, “How are you talking to someone like me, from the future?”

“To a light beam, everything else stops.”

“You’re a time traveler, then?”

The man shrugged.

“Can you talk to everyone who looks at this painting?” tried Roth.

“Sadly, no. Just those with special sensitivity to light. You’re the first in many years or the last. I don’t know. This time thing is so confusing once you become light,” he said good-humoredly as he completed another carving on a brick. “Too bad, though. I wish I had more people to talk to. That way, I could somehow prevent this mess.”

He kept working for several seconds and then stopped. “That, of course, if you believe that time is in a closed loop and you can alter events,” he added, correcting his earlier statement. “It’s unfortunate really. Light trapping has many applications, and the Rain of Fire kills most of us.”

Finally discerning where this was leading, Roth gulped and bit the bait.

“Can I become a light trapper?”

“Yes. You have the gift to see the light. That means you can trap it.”

“How?”

The man wiped his brow as he finished another brick. He walked over to the same machine as before and, returning to his workstation, opened a drawer. Roth was expecting to receive a manual, but instead, the man grabbed a stick with different colorful feathers tied at the end of a string. Seeing Bergelmir picking it up, Oli was already up, his eyes glued to his owner.

“I could use a break. Oliver! Wanna play?” The cat jumped from his perch at once and rushed toward his owner, who was shaking the pole while laughing at Oli’s attempts to catch the feathers.

“You’ll become a light trapper then. Tell Oliver to give my legacy to you,” he said.

“Excuse me?”

“Oli. He’s kept my tools and a manual. You can get it from him.”

“Will he give them to me?” Roth asked in disbelief.

The man raised the cat toy, waving it while Oli jumped, trying to get it. “He will. Just tell him I miss playing with him. Tell him I named him Oliver because I found him under an olive tree.”

The cinematic was gone, and he was back at Oli’s hideout.

Ch. 218 - Blessings

INDEX

Ch. 220 - Trapping Light