HC: Pacifist | Ch. 184 - Battle of Wooly Wits

By now, over ten people in the tent had gathered around Leanne and Rhapsody, who stared daggers at each other and had a look of resolution and total concentration. They also glanced at Roth, waiting for him to signal the start of the battle.

Roth scratched his head as he watched what he had inadvertently started. He sighed. The girls were right. This battle needed some flare before it could begin. It would also be good for the Union. However, Roth had something better in mind than just a ‘one, two, three, go.’ He smirked, stood up, and addressed the growing crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, union members of all ages! Welcome to the epic battle that will dictate who will earn one of our precious spots in the VIP roster, granting unmatched power and precious stats, a benefit unique to this union. Welcome to the first-ever craft battle in the history of the Union Collective.”

Applause and cheers went around the tent. Roth spotted Maggie and Emily arriving and joining the circle. They waved at him and went to take their seats by Sergeant Sarg and Drake.

“To my left, we have a lone wolf in the world of tailoring. Rhapsody and her rainbow needles!”

The girls giggled at Roth’s introduction. Despite being such well-accomplished tailors in AstroTerra, they were still just kids and were enjoying Roth’s silly antics. The sergeant started throwing his fist into the air and chanting a few ‘uh’s, to which the other soldiers and the others quickly joined, making the atmosphere more epic.

“To my right, we have a tailor that has stitched together the world of machinery and tailoring. I give you the one and only Leanne and her legendary sewing machine!”

The girl stood up and made a bow eliciting a more festive round of cheers.

“The rules of the challenge are simple. Two hours! You are to use the same materials and make a complete set of wool for a level 30 medic. The set that offers better stats and options wins. Is that clear?”

The girls nodded.

“The battle will now begin!”

The second the battle began, Leanne turned one of her machines on, activating a mechanical wheel spinning rapidly. She picked up bundles of carded wool she had prepared previously and gently guided them into the machine.

As the machine caught the fibers, it spun them, and a thin wool thread came out on the other side. Seeing how deftly Leanne guided fleece after fleece into the machine, and a perfect thin thread came out, Roth felt embarrassed at how long it would have taken him to achieve the same results.

You observe a new spinning technique and feel enlightened.

+10 ecotailor XP.

The notification surprised Roth. He could gain XP from watching other craftsmen working! This only made this type of battle more enticing to craftsmen in attendance. Roth took a screenshot of this, blurred the ‘ecotailor’ text out, and posted it on the Union’s forum. The moment he did, Drake next to him hit him with the elbow in his flank.

“Ouch!”

“Must you be so impulsive, kid? No harm in asking for a second opinion.”

Roth then felt the sergeant’s big two-thumbed hand hit him in the back of the head.

“Hey?!”

“Remember the chain of command, son!”

Maggie and Emily to the sides giggled at seeing Roth being bullied by the two old men. Roth knew that they were joking, but they were right. Two heads were better than one. He should check in with them more often.

Although Leanne was already spinning the wool into thread, Rhapsody did something completely different. There were various objects flying around the tailor girl. Different bottles of liquid were being poured into two separate vats, and one after another, the fleeces of wool flew into the vats as if guided by invisible hands. The scene reminded him of Magister Mildred. The girl was a telekineticist and she was using her class’ skill to help her crafting!

Even while observing her, he could tell that compared with Magister Mildred, Rhapsody’s telekinetic skills lacked fine control and finesse. Still, it was impressive that the girl managed to blend her esper class with her crafting profession. Most players did things the other way around, using bonuses from their professions to boost their classes.

You observe a new dyeing technique and feel enlightened.

+20 ecotailor XP.

Dyeing? Was that what Rhapsody was doing in those vats? Was she dyeing the wool? After a few minutes inside the special solution, the fleece emerged from the vats. Some were incredibly shiny and had a faint white glow, whereas others had a vibrant green color. They were still dripping with liquid.

Wind Gust!

You observe a new drying technique and feel enlightened.

+10 ecotailor XP.

The blow of air that came out from Rhapsody made the fabric of the tent flap wildly and the clothes of people in attendance flutter. The girl was holding the fleeces telekinetically while simultaneously using a skill originally meant to knock back enemies to dry them. Roth wondered if fire-related skills would also work.

In the meantime, while Rhapsody was still drying the fleeces, Leanne already had neat balls of thin yarn. That was fast! It would have taken Roth half an hour to go through all those fleeces, but Leanne was done in just five minutes. She powered down the spinning machine and started to set the balls of yarn carefully into another machine.

Funny enough, now the noisy side was Rhapsody’s, who kept drying the wool with different wind skills.

Howling Gale!

Air Push!

After several uses of these skills, Rhapsody examined the wool and, judging it dry enough, lifted two rings with her mind that started spinning in the air. She guided the fleeces toward the telekinetic-powered contraption. Roth noted how she used her hands to perform this task. Perhaps some tasks were too delicate to do with telekinetic abilities and required her to use her hands instead of her mind.

In the meantime, Leanne started the other machine. She had tied the ends of all the balls of yarn she had produced and now the machine brought all the separate threads together. The contraption rotated different bars in an intricate ballet that made them go through and under one another as multiple threads of yarn came together and turned into cloth. It was a loom!

You watch how a veteran tailor uses a mechanical loom and feel enlightened.

+30 ecotailor XP.

More and more people arrived. Roth wondered why the girls hadn’t bothered to ask for the battle to be held behind closed doors. Weren’t they afraid their secrets would be given away? Or were they so confident in their skills that they didn’t mind others watching? Roth had a feeling that it was the latter, which only made him more impressed with the tailors. Such faith in their own skills!

The announcement Roth had posted on the forums had made the Union abuzz with excitement. Leanne and Rhapsody were easily the most known tailors in the union, and Roth’s post kept receiving comments from players saying they were on their way. Most players in the Union Collective happened to be based in Hilsford, and as craftsmen, usually hung around the crafting district. The 10 minutes that had elapsed since the competition began were enough to allow several to arrive, and by now, the spacious tent was beginning to feel more crowded. There were easily 50 people in attendance.

After Leanne’s loom finished making a long piece of woolen cloth, the girl drew shapes on it with a piece of chalk. Roth was entranced by how the girl made every line perfectly straight and every curve gracious and elegant. Even if Roth had a ruler, a set square, and a pair of compasses, he didn’t think he would be able to draw those shapes so perfectly.

Rhapsody’s telekinetic rings finally stopped spinning and she had her yarn. The girl placed it around her and closed her eyes, concentrating. The needles she had chosen beforehand, flew off the ground and hovered before her. There were three of them: One was made of wood, similar to the knitting needles Roth used; one was green, made of some sort of precious stone—jade, if Roth had to guess; and the last was made of glass or crystal. Rhapsody seemed to be visualizing what she was going to do. She opened her eyes and started knitting.

Roth gasped as he realized she had been holding two other knitting needles in her hands. As she knitted, the three other flying needles complemented her moves. She was knitting with five needles at the same time!

You behold the rare five-needle knitting technique and feel enlightened.

+300 ecotailor XP.

You behold the rare elemental needles in action and feel enlightened.

+1000 ecotailor XP.

Seeing the fantastic boost to XP, Roth felt his throat go dry. These had to be very high-end tailoring techniques for them to grant so much bonus XP to onlookers. Something else that caught Roth’s eye was that she was knitting with threads of two different colors, resulting in a beautiful mixed pattern of forest green and brilliant white. It looked like Rhapsody had started by making a pair of mittens.

On Leanne’s side, she held a pair of golden scissors and was halfway through cutting the patterns in the fabric. Leanne seemed to have a very methodical approach to tailoring. She did everything in stages, streamlining her process. Once finished, she brought the stack of fabric to the sewing machine and sat down.

She confidently put piece after piece through the machine and engaged its pedals, making it run a line through the seams, joining the pieces together. Unlike Rhapsody, who had chosen to start with the smaller pieces, Leanne had started right off the bat by making the jacket, which was the largest and most complex piece of clothing as well as the one that traditionally granted more stat points.

By now, the crowd had reached three digits, and Roth was surprised to see a familiar face within the crowd waving at him from the other side of the circle. Roth stood up and went out to meet his mother.

“Oh baby,” she said, hugging him.

“Hey, Ma. Sorry, I didn’t tell you about the plan.”

“It’s OK, son. I was pretty mad at you and the others when they whisked us out of the house, but you never told me you were sending us all to a resort!”

Roth’s jaw dropped. A resort? Did his mom think he had sent her on a vacation? The Ogres’ condo had to be really nice for her to think that. That, or her old house had been really dingy. At the thought of his real body being surrounded by spas and luxury he couldn’t enjoy, his mood soured a little, but considering how his mother and brothers were having a good time, he felt happy for them more than anything.

“I-I’m glad you like it.”

A round of applause went through the crowd. One of the girls must have done something exciting. He had to have lost some precious professional XP for being distracted here. He forced himself to look away from the competition and focus on his mother. She was the most important. What were some measly XP points compared to talking to his mom?

His mother caught his distraction, though.

“We can talk more later. Go be with your friends,” she said happily.

Roth smiled awkwardly at being treated like a child but obeyed.

“Thanks, mom. I’ll call you later.”

Roth turned around and squeezed his way through the crowd to make it back to his viewing spot. After all, he was hosting the battle.

“That’s my son. He’s really handsome, isn’t he? You should see him in real life. He’s single, you know?” he heard his mom say.

Roth whirled backward and saw his mom talking to two other girls his age. She was pointing at him, and the two girls were giggling.

“He’s just out of prison. Don’t you girls love a bad boy? But don’t worry, he’s now a changed man, the kindest man you can find. Kindness is an important quality in a husband, you know?”

Roth’s face reddened. What was his mom doing?! Was she playing matchmaker?! He pulled up the hoodie of his [Black Toxicologist Set] and stomped toward the sitting area. Maybe bringing his mother into the game wasn’t such a good idea.

Ch. 183 - Rhapsody

INDEX

Ch. 185 - Blue Orchid