HC:Pacifist | Ch. 174 - Earthquake & Bombardment?!

The hesitation in the air was palpable. Roth could see the gears turning in the heads of the guild representatives. They ran the numbers, possibly even consulting with their leaders or colleagues but hadn’t placed a bid yet. It wasn’t a matter of whether they had the means to save Roth and shield him from Loki, but of whether the benefits outweighed the costs.

Any respectable guild had the means to protect its elders and star players from harm. Safety protocols, such as apartments in secure condos, trustworthy bodyguards and drivers, and other measures, were commonplace in the industry.

Gamers had left their athlete counterparts in the dust decades ago. Their salaries went up to millions of credits, and when more famous players signed a contract with other gaming companies, it wasn’t uncommon for it to make the local news.

If guilds couldn't protect their VIPs, the whole pyramid would collapse. These measures were necessary, especially when dealing with unscrupulous guilds like Loki’s. However, these safeguards were expensive and only given to top guild members. Guilds didn’t run charities. They only provided these perks and safety to whoever was worth their investment.

Roth had pushed the guilds against the wall and was strong-arming them into giving him treatment only afforded to guild elders. And that was when he was only level 30. Additionally, taking Roth in could be seen as a declaration of war against Pegasus. This sort of decision couldn’t be made lightly.

Roth’s heart thumped heavily. Several seconds had passed, and none of the bidders had raised their hand. Was this it? Were the benefits he was giving out too little? Or was it Loki that was too scary? Maybe the 14th and Drake would have to roll up their sleeves and rescue Roth, in the end. By the looks of it, Roth and his friends were on their own.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The loud noise alarmed Roth. Where was this sound coming from? He paused and looked around. Was it a skill? Was this the signal that he was being forcefully logged out of the pod? He paid attention to the guild representatives and saw no reaction in them. What was this about?

Your pet egg is about to hatch.

Roth looked at the notification. Had the Leafy Queen laid more eggs? He thought she was still nursing the first litter of larvae. Why would the eggs beep anyway? He had only gotten notifications about his pet ant colony so far, never this kind of sound.

Blinding light burst from his inventory bag, and smoke started coming out. The people in attendance stood up, alarmed.

“What is this? Is this part of the auction?” Roth heard Mel ask.

“Blue, this kid is awesome. Look, he’s even brought special effects to the auction.”

Roth felt his face burn. What was this? Just as he was trying to make these millionaire organizations take him seriously, his inventory had rebelled and started acting independently. “I’m sorry, everyone. Just give me a moment. Something funky is happening with my inventory. Just bear with me.”

Contrary to his promise, his inventory window opened unbidden, and the machine Mario had fixed for him materialized in his hands, vibrating and glowing red. The beeping sound now could be heard by everyone.

“What in the world is happening?” He turned the machine over but couldn’t figure it out.

The guild representatives, all high-ranked players, now stood up from their seats, trying to get a better look at the machine creating this kerfuffle.

“Oh, Blue. This guy is so much fun. Bid so that we can have him for a few months,” begged Cyclops.

“Hush, Cyclops. It’s too soon.”

"Roth, what machine is that? Where did you get it?" asked Mel, voice laced with curiosity.

Another notification appeared before Roth could understand what was happening or answer any of them.

Congratulations! You’ve cloned Oli, the cat.

The Table watches you.

What would you like to call your cloned kitten?

Roth looked at the notification in front of him and gasped. Cloning?! Was that what this machine did? Smoke came out of the machine, and the sphere at its core opened. As the smoke faded, the players in the room let out a collective aah.

“Oh my goodness! It’s so cute!” he heard Jaila say.

“It’s my first time seeing one in the game!”

Roth carefully reached into the sphere and picked up the little furry creature. It had scruffy fur, and its eyes were glued shut. It looked so fragile. At the sight of this baby, it was impossible to feel anything. He held the cute kitten in his arms.

“Aren’t you the cutest thing?” Roth petted the little fur ball and brought it to his chest to keep it warm. “I’ll call you… Lin.”

You’ve named your pet Lin.

+2 affection with Lin.

Lin (Pet)

Pet rating: S+

Lvl. 1

Affection: 2/100

Subterfuge: 5

Skills: [Nine Lives]; [Owner]

Nine Lives (Pet Skill)

Description: Your pet has suffered a special mutation and has nine hearts. Every time it dies, it loses one of its hearts, unlocks a new stat, and gains incredible powers.

Effects:

1st life - No bonus.

If you die, your pet dies. If your pet dies, you die.

Your pet can only respawn eight times. After that, it’ll die for good.

Owner (Pet Skill)

Description: Humans don't own cats. Cats own humans.

Effects:

Your pet doesn't occupy a pet slot.

Roth gulped. An S+ grade pet?

“What’s its grade?” asked Jaila in a message.

The Phoenix representative's question startled him. It was as if the rep from the Phoenixes had read his mind. Other messages came pouring in. All the other guild representatives wanted to know Lin’s grade.

“Oh… Sorry, everyone. I did this quest, and this… uh… egg was hatching, and I didn’t think it would come out during the auction. Please take your seats, and we’ll get back to the auction.”

“Is it B?” probed Jaila in a message.

“Is it A?” tried BlueFire.

Roth was sweating profusely now. If a level A pet was so rare, what would these people do to him if they knew he had an S grade one? He paused. Wasn’t he trying to get their attention? Maybe this was what he needed to tip the scales in his favor.

“Everyone, please stop sending me messages. It’s just a measly S-plus-grade pet. It’s nothing worth stopping this auction for?” Roth bit his lip, hoping he hadn’t sounded too cocky.

“Just an S plus? Just?” complained Mel loudly. Everyone’s eyes turned greedy. This was it. None of these guilds would ever get off his back. Maybe it was for the best that things had worked out this way. At least he’d piqued the guilds' curiosity. He was getting more private messages asking for a glimpse into the pet’s stats and skills.

“Please, if you could all take your seats, we can return to the auction. And please stop sending me private messages!”

All exchanged angry looks at each other, more aware of the competition. As everyone returned to their seats, Roth regarded Lin and thought about what Oli would do when he found out he had cloned him. He could see the same fur pattern in Lin, with the grays and the whites. He was in trouble with the cat, but what could he do? He had never suspected that the cat kept a cloning machine in his garbage!

Additionally, when he gave the gray hair to Mario, he never imagined this was what he would use it for. This wasn’t Roth’s fault! But none of that mattered now. If he didn’t survive, nothing would matter.

“I apologize for this interruption. So, returning to the bidding, we were about to ask who would make an offer-” BOOM!

Everyone jolted upright. There was a massive explosion somewhere outside.

What was it now? Roth just didn’t seem to be catching a break. BOOOOOM! Another large explosion. This one made the whole auction house tremble. BOOOOM! It sounded like there was a natural disaster happening outside, something between an earthquake and a bombardment. The doors to the auction house burst open, and a tiny creature stepped through the doorway.

“MARTYR!” roared Oli. “What have you done?!”

With each step, the tiny cat cracked the floor of the auction house.

“I-I can explain. It’s all a big misunderstanding.”

Oli approached Roth, showing none of his usual nonchalant relaxedness. This was a cat that had turned into a beast. His fur was all erect, only a sliver of his pupils was visible, and his claws were fully drawn.

“Explain to me what has happened. What has made all my fur stand up like this? You’ve done something. It’s causing ripples all over the Table. What-”

“Meow,” came the small whimper from Lin. Oli’s ears immediately honed in on the source of the sound, and his eyes fixed on the kitten hidden in Roth’s arms. Oli’s pupils dilated, his ears drooped, and his fur shrank back down. He sniffed the air and approached Roth.

“Impossible. A kitten.”

Roth spared a glance at the big shots he had summoned and saw that they were all petrified, afraid to move a muscle lest they attract the attention of the cat who had just barged in. Outside, explosions kept shaking the city.

Roth worried the guild representatives would be furious with him, but instead, all he could see was fear and respect. They looked like taut wires, not daring to speak. Roth received a message.

“How do you know this NPC? Who are you?” came a private message from BlueFire.

Roth was hopeless. They were going to think that Roth was some kind of big shot. This was all just a big misunderstanding. Roth started writing a message to explain himself to BlueFire but was interrupted by Oli. “Let me hold him,” commanded Oli.

Roth coiled, shielding the kitten. “Will you hurt it? It’s just a baby.”

The cat’s tail made an erratic movement, flushing the frustration at Roth’s comment. Roth studied the cat and saw no violence in its eyes.

“Fine. Be gentle. Here.”

Oli grabbed the kitten and smelled it.

“It smells just like me.” The cat started licking it, and a deep sound came from him. It was like a pneumatic hammer on a construction site. Then, another similar sound, but higher-pitched, joined in. The cats were purring!

Lin appreciates the bath.

+3 affection.

“Martyr?”

Everyone turned toward the source of the voice. A woman in her fifties in white robes was standing by the door. Even though her sharp facial features and gray hair revealed that she was aged, her skin was flawlessly soft and supple. She stood by the door.

“Magister Mildred!” exclaimed Roth.

“Hello, peacemaker. It looks like you’ve made a commotion with the Table,” she laughed. “They would have leveled the city if I didn’t let them in.”

“HOW DO YOU KNOW A MAGISTER?!” came the messages in capital letters from the guild representatives.

Mildred turned back toward the corridor, “He’s here. Come on in.”

A parade of cats entered the room, stopping the message inflow once again. One was a cat slightly larger than Oli but with long ears and legs. He had never seen anything like it. There was a spring to its step that betrayed swiftness and speed. A panther, black as night, followed it.

After that entered the biggest cat of the group. He had black stripes striking his otherwise orange fur. Unlike Oli, who had a certain playfulness to him, this cat was all hunt and death. Its drooping whiskers and the patches of less pristine fur gave him away as an old tiger, but he sported a warrior's heavy muscles. Whereas Oli and the other cats cracked the marble they walked on, the tiger left powdered sand in his wake. Roth noticed how even Mildred seemed nervous when the tiger passed her. She hadn’t revealed any nervousness when the other cats entered but seemed wary of the tiger.

Finally, the last two animals entered together. Even though they were slightly smaller than the tiger, their presence was the most impressive thing Roth had seen in AstroTerra. When they walked in, the air became so thick that Roth felt he could cut it with a knife.

It was a lion and a lioness. The lioness moved with the sway of a huntress, but the lion was a creature that exuded majesty. Its magnificent mane looked like a sea of rolling hills. The moment the lion entered through the door, his presence transformed the auction house into a regal palace.

The hawk on Mel’s shoulder flew down to ground level at the sight of the lion, opened its wings, and bowed its head. All of the guild's big shots looked like pale children at the parade that Roth had gotten started. Oli, too, sensing the lion’s presence, kneeled and bowed.

Its black eyes focused on Lin and then on Roth. The lion turned toward the magister who waited by the door. “Mildred, thank you for showing us in.” Its voice was deep and strong but pleasant, and it spoke without an accent.

“Not at all, your majesty. You honor us with your presence.”

All the cats lowered their heads as the lion passed. He ignored everyone and walked straight toward Roth.

Ch. 173 - The Five Bidders

INDEX

Ch. 175 - Bright Blue