HC: Pacifist | Ch. 183 - Rhapsody

The guild camp was north of the city, conveniently near the gate and the citadel. The proximity to the first was especially important because players had to keep running back and forth between the camp and the city. Although establishing their headquarters inside the city would be much more convenient, no guild had yet figured out how to convince the city management to let them do so.

The proximity to the white garrisoned fortress was also important because soldiers often came down to settle disputes between guilds. Roth wondered if any of the soldiers of the citadel had ever jumped down from the citadel walls to get to the reported skirmish sooner.

Roth felt the proximity of the citadel to the tent camp was no accident. It was as if the NPCs were mocking players for being unable to afford a nice castle of brick and mortar and reminding them that all they had were drabs hung over sticks.

After seeing how the camp hugged the north wall but was encircled by a palisade of sharp wooden logs everywhere else, he realized mocking players wasn’t the only reason the city wanted the guilds here. The city was using the players as a meat shield. Anyone who tried to invade the city would have to attack this camp first, giving the city plenty of time to react.

Even though it was the dead of night, Roth could see as clearly as day thanks to the torches up on the walls and throughout the camp and his [Farsight] and [Creature of the Night] titles. Roth was sure that visiting a tent camp was something completely unremarkable to the average player, but this was all new to him.

The camp's ground was all thin, dried dirt. The passing guild players had trampled the once-thriving grass until it was turned to dust. As a result, as thousands of horse hooves and running players moved about, they kicked up dust clouds, which, together with the torches and moonlight, gave the camp a mysterious look.

Entering the camp, he gasped at the size of the tents at the camp entrance. There was a downright castle made of cloth, two or three circus tents, only lacking the red and white catchy stripes to fit the bill fully, and a black tower covered in cloth.

Did his colleagues in the tailor profession make these? How many tailors had been needed to make these giant structures? Walking further into the camp, he saw that not all tents were as impressive. Some tents were so basic that Roth suspected they would be sent flying if a gust of wind hit them at the right angle.

Despite how mismatched the different tents were, the camp was kept in good order. There were signs marking the streets, and as soon as Roth entered the camp, his world map was updated, and he could zoom in and identify each of the guilds camped here.

He zoomed into the camp entrance and, non-surprisingly, discovered that the imposing castles of cloth belonged to the five guilds from the top 10. Finding this, Roth couldn’t help feeling his face to make sure his mask was on and tucking the sleeping Lin, hiding him in the folds of his jacket.

Thanks to the clear directions on the Union Collective’s website, Roth quickly found the Union Collective’s tent. The guild’s tent was tasteful, albeit not as fancy or imposing as others. Several poles sustained what looked like a stretched-out boat sail that would provide a cool shade when the sun was up. The lack of walls and the many torches gave the place an inviting look. At the tent's center, Roth spotted Drake and Sarg trying to break apart a fight between two girls.

As soon as Drake spotted him, he gestured for Roth to join them with his cybernetic arm. Roth approached cautiously and started to make out the screamed insults and the reason for the argument.

“You had no right to take that order, you crooked stitch! I arrived at the Union first!”

“Finders, keepers, Picasso! Besides, I don’t think your abstract stitching skills are considered fashionable anymore. Oh, wait… they never were!”

“Asymmetric idiot!”

“Two-left-handed subpar needler!”

The two girls were surprisingly young. Roth guessed they were 13 or 14. Rhapsody had a tall turtleneck and bangs so long that he could only get a good look at her nose. As for Leanne, she was short and had a round nose and a clean face that was kept fully visible with the help of a cutely tied ponytail.

“Ladies, ladies,” spoke Drake loud enough to make the girls stop bickering. “This is Pax. He’s one of the senior members of the Union and the one who placed the order.”

The wrath Rhapsody had been unloading on her fellow tailor was immediately diverted to Roth.

“I want that quest, mister. Leanne has sold her soul to the guilds. She doesn’t even deserve to be here. But I’m a pure craftsman. I deserve the VIP spot more than she does!”

“Oh, please. You’re such a drama queen. And I haven’t sold my soul. I just cut a deal with the Gorgons.”

“What do you even know about cutting? All your fabric seems like it’s been torn from the bundle without even using a pair of scissors!”

“Oh yeah? Your clothes look like a cry for help!”

And the bickering was back in full. Roth looked to Drake and Sarg for help, but they had disappeared. Did they have stealth or something? Realizing his friends had just thrown him under the bus, he messaged them immediately.

“Drake, get back here.”

“Can’t. Important meeting with the bathroom guild.” Roth stared wide-eyed. Drake was playing the game in the toilet?! That was gross. He tried Sarg.

“Hey, Sarg. A little help here?”

“A wise soldier knows when to retreat. I’m gone.”

Roth put his hand on his face, not knowing what to do.

“Meow?”

The bickering suddenly stopped. The commotion had woken Little Lin up, and the two girls looked like two deer caught in the headlights. Roth chuckled and pulled the kitten out of the fold of his jacket.

“Hush, baby. Hush,” he said quietly. “The girls are just friends having an argument. They will stop yelling so you can go back to sleep. Right, girls?”

The girls nodded promptly, entranced by the sight of the little kitten.

“Can I hold him?” whispered Leanne.

“Sure. But first, let’s talk.”

The sight of Lin had turned the two snarling wolves into two meek lambs. Roth wondered if Lin’s cuteness was a hidden superpower. What would happen if a fire-breathing dragon was chasing him and he held Lin up to it? He imagined a dragon screeching to a halt and stopping its attack, entranced by the sight of Lin’s adorable eyes. No living creature would dare hurt a cute kitty like this, right?

“So, I get that you want a crack at the order. Right?”

Rhapsody nodded.

“And you, Leanne, believe that since you got to it first, it’s your right to finish the order. Correct?”

Leanne also nodded.

Roth took a deep breath. “Leanne did get to the order first, Rhapsody.”

“It doesn’t seem fair that, just because I was offline, I missed out on an opportunity to enter the VIP roster.”

The girl was right. That did sound unfair.

“I have a solution for this. However, for this to work, Leanne has to be OK with it. She has every right to turn down my proposal.”

Leanne raised her eyebrows, signaling she was open to hearing him out.

“What do you say we hold a tailor battle? You two try to craft the equipment I asked for, and whoever crafts the best set gets to become a VIP in the Union.”

This was the only solution that Roth could think of. But for it to work, Leanne had to come on board with it. He doubted that would be the case. "She's guaranteed to have the order." Why would she ever agree to his proposition? The girl proved him wrong.

“I agree. Honestly, I think that’s what you should have done in the first place. If you want the Union to be a place that promotes crafting, settling scores like this is the way to go.”

“I agree. You should add a rule that other craftsmen can compete for an order. Competition fosters progress.”

Roth coiled, impressed at the girls’ maturity. He hadn’t been this mature when he was their age. It looked like them being considered heavyweights in tailoring wasn’t for naught. He seriously considered adding both of them to the VIP roster but shook his head.

“Very well. In that case,” Roth checked the system clock, “You have two hours to craft what I ordered. Whoever does best gets a seat at the VIP table.”

The two little girls turned to each other with flames in their eyes. They were eager to prove who was the better tailor. Leanne then turned to Roth.

“Also, whoever wins gets to hold and pet your kitty cat. Deal?”

“Uh… Deal?”

The flames in the girls’ eyes went from little flames to blazing suns. Were they going to go all out just to play with his kitten? Now that the girls came onboard, instead of breaking apart, they approached Roth, looking him up and down.

“Is the equipment for you, mister?” asked Leanne.

“Yes. And no need to call me mister. I’m only twenty-five. Just call me Pax.”

“Why do you want it to be made of lambswool?” queried Rhapsody.

“My character has a unique restriction that doesn’t allow me to use anything harvested from a mistreated animal. At the same time, I get a bonus from only wearing wool. Since I’m level 31, I figured that lambswool would be the way to go,” he explained.

The girls nodded, agreeing with his choice of material. They didn’t ask him what caused this restriction, earning a few more points with Roth. They seemed to be quite used to serving discreet clientele.

“Are you a medic?” Leanne asked.

“Why do you ask?”

“I’ll take that as a no. I don’t mean to pry. I just want to know if you need healing bonuses.”

Roth wanted the equipment to turn out well, so he answered truthfully. “I have a hidden class. I don’t need healing. What I need most are stats, mainly the ones I included in the order.”

Satisfied with all the answers, the two girls walked a few steps away from each other and pulled out two stools from their inventories. Roth just sat on the ground somewhere in the middle. These two tailors were much more advanced than he was. Maybe there was something he could learn from them.

The girls started pulling machines and gizmos out of their inventory bags, instantly turning the tent space into a workspace. Rhapsody pulled out a leather fold. Unrolling it, Roth saw several needles. They came in varied sizes and colors, each glistening in the light.

“Pax? Do you have an affinity unlocked yet?” she asked, turning to him.

“Yes.”

She looked up at him, surprised. She had asked the question expecting a no. “Interesting. Which one?”

“Light, and on my way to unlocking nature.”

Both girls stopped what they were doing. “Excuse me, did you say light?” asked Leanne, her voice in a squeaky pitch.

“Yeah.”

Both girls exchanged looks, and he could see Leanne mouth a silent ‘wow’ toward the other girl. After hearing his answer, Rhapsody pulled out a green and white needle from her leather kit.

“Excuse me, Rhapsody? Do those needles have anything to do with affinities?” he asked curiously.

“Yes. I have a special tailor skill. [Element Imbuement]. It will be good for you. I promise.” He rubbed his hands at the thought of equipment that boosted his affinity.

The hum of machinery made him pull his eyes away from Rhapsody. Leanne had brought a sleek machine with a needle sticking out and some pedals. “Is that a sewing machine?!”

“Oh yes!” she answered proudly.

“I didn’t know those existed in the game.”

“Not many people do. It’s a unique synergy between the technomanic and tailor professions.”

Roth noted that when he had asked them about these items, they hadn’t thrown jabs at each other. Even though they focused on different specializations within the tailoring profession, they respected each other. He could feel the tension in the air. These girls would give it their all and knew they were against serious competition.

As the girls set up, passersby in the tent approached with interest. Roth smiled. It looked like this would be quite a show. Thinking of what the girls said about competition helping craftsmen progress, he opened the Union’s forums and posted.

“Tailor Battle

Rhapsody vs. Leanne

At the Union’s tent in Hilsford. The winner takes a VIP spot in the roster.”

After the announcement, as the girls finished setting up, Drake and Sarg appeared out of thin air.

“We leave you alone for one minute, and you’ve already started something,” joked Sarg.

“You said it right. You left me alone.”

“Don’t be like that, boy!” said Sarg as he slapped him with such strength that Lin was almost sent flying. “Throwing someone into the lion’s den helps them build character.”

Hearing the word ‘lion,’ Roth shuddered. “Yeah, right.”

“But this is a good idea. We could organize battles between union members,” commented Drake. “You know… to keep things exciting.”

“I’m also getting some good ideas off this,” complemented Sarg. “Maybe this is the way to keep refining the union.”

After setting up their workstations, the girls pulled out copious amounts of ready-to-use wool and looked at Roth.

“Uh… Roth? I think they’re looking at you,” spoke Drake.

Roth stared back at the girls awkwardly. They were looking fixedly at him. It was kind of creepy. “Uh? What are you looking at me like that for?”

“Aren’t you going to say one, two, three, go?”

Ch. 182 - Yeti Yak

INDEX

Ch. 184 - Battle of Wooly Wits