HC:Pacifist | Ch. 177 - Hurrying Things Along

Roth looked into the eyes of each of the cats and began, “I have seen what these parasitoids can do if they spread. Trust me. It’s not pretty. I can see that some of you don’t want to get involved in this at all. " Roth glanced at the tiger, who showed him its teeth in response. “Some of you want to dive head-on into this conflict.” Now, he looked at Oli, who remained motionless. “As for me, all I want is for this war to end quickly. If you, powerful as you are, can help this conflict end with as few casualties as possible, I think you must do so.”

“So you want the Table to kill off these creatures?”

“I don’t want anything to be killed off.”

“What do you want then?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that I want peace.”

After Roth said it, he realized the last remark wasn’t just about the war with the alien parasites. He felt Zion’s heavy gaze on him for a long time. The lion then turned to the other cats.

“The proposition is to move forward this war’s inevitable conclusion. All those in favor?”

All the Table members exchanged looks and, one by one, raised their paws. Roth also helped little sleeping Lin raise his paw.

You’ve made a proposition that every single member of the Table accepts.

+10 righteousness;

+40 nature affinity;

+10 reputation with the Table.

Roth was impressed by the boost to his nature affinity. Getting all these cats to agree on something was a bigger deal than he had assumed.

“All are in agreement. It’s been a long time since this last happened,” commented Zion. “So be it. The Table will make it so that peace comes sooner.”

Zion bellowed a roar, and all the other cats joined him. They weren’t saying anything in particular. This was a roar made for the sake of roaring alone and marking the importance of the decision that had been made.

King Zion stood up and walked toward Roth. Seeing such a powerful animal head toward him like this made his heart race. Were it not for the cats telling him he had been acquitted, he wouldn’t fight the instinct telling his legs to run in the opposite direction.

The lion approached and let out a breath on Roth. The breath was warm and moist but, thankfully, didn’t stink as Roth assumed it would. As Zion’s breath landed on him, his light affinity responded, and his skin began glowing. After a few moments, it went back to normal.

You’ve temporarily learned [Lion’s Breath].

Lion’s Breath (Legendary)

Description: You can realign the atoms in the air and create a wormhole. King Zion has loaned this skill to you temporarily.

Effects:

Active. Opens a portal that leads to the Hive King;

One-time use;

Up to 100 players can use the portal.

This was the first time that Roth saw a legendary skill. After reading its description, he realized how the cats moved so fast. They could open portals! After receiving the skill, the quest received an update.

[Vanquish the Darkness] has been updated to [Surgically Remove the Darkness].

Surgically Remove the Darkness

After you’ve shown a parasitoid egg to the Table and expressed your wish for peace, the Table extends a helping hand.

Objectives:

Lead a team of players to hunt down the Hive King.

Roth felt butterflies in his stomach as he read the quest's objective.

“Are you telling me to lead a troop of players to hunt the Hive King?”

The king nodded.

“But this is not what I signed up for. I’m a peacemaker! I don’t harm others.”

“What did you sign up for then?” asked Zion.

“For there to be peace,” Roth noted how the other cats recoiled at the tone in the king’s voice. What was up with them? He was just asking a question!

“Don’t you want the conflict to end quicker?”

“Well, yes.”

“Do you want to drag out this war? To make it so that one side has to pay for every step they take on the battlefield, to spend many days in the trenches with their blood?”

“No, but…”

“Do you want the Hive King and the humans to send out their troops to fight in battlefields where they just become numbers while they stay as far away as possible from each other?” the lion’s voice became graver and mightier with each question.

“Of course not.”

“Then accept the gift, and quiet down, kitten!” roared the king. “You are a coward! You ask for peace but fear letting war run to its bitter end. Let them fight and finish their business.” Roth stared speechless at the king. It looks like he had angered the lion.

“But I thought you would step in and…”

“You said you didn’t want the Table to kill off anything,” riposted King Zion. “We merely acted by what you asked.”

As he recovered from the shock of being reprimanded by Zion, the lioness stepped in. “Martyr, this way, we don’t get ourselves too involved, and the conflict will end more quickly.”

“But beware, human. The fluctuations we've been feeling in the dark abyss indicate that the enemy has grown powerful,” added Shadow.

“Thank you,” mumbled Roth, embarrassed after being chastised by the king.

“One last thing,” said the lion. “The egg.”

Roth threw the cantaloupe sized egg to the lion, but in the blink of an eye, it was gone.

You’ve reduced a parasitoid egg to smithereens.

+30 light affinity;

+10 righteousness.

Roth couldn’t catch any movement and didn’t know who did it. Were it not for the notification he received, he would have doubted that the egg really was gone.

“I declare the Table closed. We will reconvene again on the next moon,” the lion declared. They headed toward the door.

“Where?” asked Roth.

“Just follow the compass. We won't be coming to meet you every single time,” explained Sawabi. Even as she did, the other cats were already leaving. Maudib was already out the door.

“And what if I don't show up?”

“Well, we'll come to meet you then. But you won't like it,” spoke King Zion.

Hearing the threat of the lion, Roth paled. “Very well. Thank you all for your trust.”

All the cats were gone as quickly as they had appeared.  The only one left in the room was Oli. He was licking Lin and smelling him. Roth watched the usually apathetic cat shower love on the kitten.

“Are you mad at me for accidentally cloning you?” asked Roth.

“How can I stay mad after seeing this little furball? It’s okay. Even though we're the same, we’ll be different.”

“And is that a good or a bad thing?”

“Time will tell.”

Roth was having trouble figuring out what Oli was thinking. He pressed, “What will make Lin different?”

“You will. I had a master. He’ll have you.” Oli jumped off the stage. “I'll see you around, human. Make sure you use the opportunity the king granted you. Otherwise, this war will last for a very long time.” In a blink of an eye, Oli had left, too.

After the cats left, Roth realized how heavy the air had been. Only now he could breathe comfortably. Or could it be that it was his imagination, and he was just nervous about how this had delayed the auction for his freedom?

Right now, the priority was to call the guilds. He sent them a message saying the coast was clear and they could come without being randomly killed by one of the cats.

While Roth waited, he thought about the last part of the Table meeting. This was not the outcome he expected. Roth recalled King Zion's words to him and felt his cheeks burn. Had he really been that out of place? Was he too naive? What was he expecting? For the cats to step in like a primary school teacher breaking up a fight between two naughty kids? That wasn’t going to work.

He then looked at his new skill. Was this portal thing the best way to solve the problem? It’s true that if the guilds could hunt the Hive King down, there would be peace. But at the same time, did he want the guilds to do to this alien creature what the treeants had done to the blue caterpillar? He shuddered at the memory of the squirming illusionist being torn to shreds by the treeant soldiers.

On the other hand, bringing forward this battle could prevent many deaths. Instead of dragging millions into the conflict, only a few hundred would settle the matter. Roth wiped the sweat off his forehead. The battle between the Hive King and the guilds would happen sooner or later. All he was doing was making it happen quickly. Even though he didn’t enjoy the idea of arranging a battlefield for them to settle their differences, King Zion was right. It was the best solution.

As Roth made a decision about whether to tell the guilds about the portal, the Cerberus guild elder entered the room. He peeked around the doorway to ensure the terrible, scary cats were gone. Realizing he was again the most powerful person in the room, he smiled, relaxed, and headed toward Roth in large strides.

“Mr. Manny, welcome back,” greeted Roth, amicably.

“You are a surprising fellow,” the representative of Cerberus said. “Not only do you know the cat burglar, but also Shadow.”

“You know Oli?”

“Our guild leader has done a quest that made him cross paths with it. Nasty little pest. He steals what he wants, and you can do nothing about it.”

Roth laughed. “That’s Oli.”

“Anyway, Roth, I have to say: I’m impressed.”

“Well, then show it when you bid for my freedom," thought Roth. Outwardly, though, he maintained a diplomatic smile. “Thank you for your compliment. Now, please take your seat. We’ll resume the auction.”

Roth climbed the stage to ensure that others who arrived didn’t come and chit-chat with him. He wanted to resume the auction as quickly as possible. He watched from behind the pulpit as BlueFire and Cyclops came in, then Mel, Jaila, and finally the Gorgons. Although none of them had been impolite to him when they had first arrived, Roth could see a new level of respect in their eyes. They were taking him more seriously now.

As soon as all had sat down, Roth picked up where they had left off. “Well, before everything else, I apologize for this interruption. I just had to settle a small matter with some good friends. They keep dropping in unannounced like this. You know how it is with friends. Who’s going to send the king of all predators away? Haha.” Roth cringed at how obvious his humble brag sounded. “Before we return to where we were when the auction was interrupted, I have to announce that I have a new listing to add to this auction.”

Roth didn’t miss the eager look on the guild representatives’ faces. All of them thought that it was something related to his visitors. Well, they weren't wrong.

“I can open a portal whenever I want that leads right to the Hive King's doorstep.” Roth was sure he would hear a pin drop in the room. Even Lin’s very small breaths sounded loud right now. “I’ll auction front-row seats on the expedition to kill the Hive King. I can't stress enough how many rewards there must be for hunting the Hive King.”

He saw some nervous looks, fidgeting fingers, and feet tapping in the crowd.

“I have 99 seats to offer. And I am willing to give all of them away to the one guild that sets me free.”

Immediately, screams of protest rang out in the room. “Why don't you split them? That way all of us can bid.”

“I don’t care for splitting it equally, ladies and gentlemen,” answered Roth, annoyed. “All I want is to make a big juicy package that warrants as many days of safety as possible. So be it if the guild that secures all the slots in this expedition wants to sell them off to other guilds. All I care about is keeping my family safe.”

Guilds were so used to diplomacy and stepping on eggshells that Roth’s blunt remark caught them unguarded. Some of the people in attendance exchanged embarrassed looks. He was sick of seeing these people only care about profit and not his welfare.

Making an effort to put a warm smile back on his face, he continued, “So, in sum, we’re selling ten exclusive slots at the union collective, granting several levels worth of stats, access to Antioch, a new and unexplored world region, And, finally ninety-nine slots to hunt down the Hive King. Do I hear 30 days?”

Ch. 176 - Maudib

INDEX

Ch. 178 - Calling Grandma