HC:Pacifist | Ch. 137 - Anthiochian Ripples

Roth left the call with his back drenched in sweat. Calling Loki was something that he had done out of spite and rage. It wasn’t something that he had thought through. He had just wanted to see his nemesis’ face as he told him he was his equal.

What he hadn’t expected was how good it had been for his psyche. He hadn’t felt afraid of Loki. As soon as he saw the man, all he felt was regret at putting him in a wheelchair. As they talked, he realized that Loki was taking his achievements and his unintentional interference in his plans as a personal challenge. He remembered Loki was a very proud fellow and decided to stoke the fire. What did he have to lose? He doubted that Loki would honor the commitment, but perhaps, it would buy him a little extra time while he found a way out of the death trap Loki had set for him.

Whatever the case, his time was running out. He had to hurry. He dismissed the many calls he was getting from the 14th and Drake. He was being showered with messages inquiring about what was going on. Even his mother was trying to call him. It seemed that everyone had seen the world announcement.

Roth still wasn’t sure how valuable it was to have discovered a new world region, but maybe there was an opportunity for him here. He went to his friend’s settings and unlocked messages from strangers. He filtered out anyone who belonged to Pegasus and waited for the downpour of messages.

*

Kraken sat at a table with his guild elders. He looked at his core guild members. These were all veteran gamers, and he treasured their opinions. By listening to their collective wisdom, he guided the Krakens to their current ranking.

“Gentlemen, as you know, a notification that we hadn’t heard in a long time showed up several minutes ago. This is only the second time in two years that this has happened. The first was when the Dark Abyss was discovered. I don’t have to remind you of how much Pegasus grew after finding the place.”

A somber look abated over everyone in the tent. After Pegasus set a foothold in the Dark Abyss, their power skyrocketed. In Kraken’s opinion, whatever aces they had pulled out of their sleeves in the battle against the Ogres were obtained thanks to this achievement. “We don’t want to let other guilds put their hand in the cookie jar first this time. That brings the question: What do we know about this Pax fellow?”

Mel, the Hawk Night, took the initiative, “We know he’s on the Pegasus hit list for some reason. We can’t understand why. They’ve put a bounty on him in Hilsford.”

“Does that mean the entrance to a new world region is in Hilsford?” asked one of the dungeon team leaders.

“Maybe it means that it is anywhere but there. If one of the top 10 has put a hit order on this Pax character, he is probably long gone.”

“The biggest takeaway point is that a guild is after him. That says two things. He matters and needs protection. That means we have something to offer him. DavyJones, does the intelligence of our guild have any ideas as to where this player is?”

“As you know, Pegasus has been awfully quiet since they pulled a number over the Ogres and secured the Forest Fortress. But I received an interesting report a little earlier. One of our [Power Truffle] farming teams has reported many high-level Pegasus players roaming around the Green Woods. They asked the guild to come and intervene since their appearance prevents the Boar King from spawning.”

As the implications sank in, Kraken caught Mel’s pensive look.

“Mel, anything you want to add?”

“Well, a few weeks back, there was an uproar over the influx of [Power Truffles] and [Miniaturizing Potions] appearing on the Greensburg market. We never got to the bottom of how that happened. There was also that post about the secret chamber of the Rat Cave. Until now, I think no one has managed to interact with the NPCs there. Could it be that these incidents are connected?”

Kraken read the room. Even though some players looked apprehensive, DavyJones and ColdHand gave him a nod. They agreed with Mel’s assessment. That meant that there really could be something here.

“Jim, take an elite team into Green Woods and find out what Loki’s goons are up to. For all these high-level players to have gathered means something is up. See what other guilds show up and send me the list.”

“Aye, boss.”

“Mel, I want you to run point in contacting this Pax character. Find out what he needs and invite him to join the guild.”

“Why don’t you do it, sir?”

“Because he doesn’t want to show weakness. If the guild leader contacts him directly, he’ll give Pax the upper hand. That’s why he’s asking you,” said ColdHand.

Kraken smiled. It was hard to hide his intentions from ColdHand.

“Very well. Go back to your tasks.”

*

“Hello, Pax.”

“Good morning, Mel.”

“How is BlueFire doing?”

“He’s good. A fascinating fellow. He sends you his regards, by the way.” Mel studied the man on the other side of the line. He had brown eyes and a sharp nose. The long forehead revealed a receding hairline that didn’t match the youth on the rest of his expression. In some ways, this man looked like an old man in a young boy’s body.

After she first tried contacting Pax, he sent her a message saying he was busy on another call with BlueFire from the Ogre guild and would return the call as soon as possible. She hadn’t liked the cruel, calculating move. Seeing that he had also revealed to BlueFire that he would talk to her only made it more vicious. He was putting her on the back foot right from the start of the conversation.

“Congratulations on finding a new world region, Pax. How is it? It must be a very cool place.” Mel noticed that Pax had blurred his background and filtered out the noise from his background. A standard practice for anyone trying to hide their location.

“Oh yes. This place surely is a gold mine. I will start exploring it after I take a few more calls. I guess you’d like to come and visit, too?”

“Of course. Why don’t you tell me where you are, and I’ll go over there to meet you.”

“Nah. I first want to take a look by myself.”

She clicked her tongue. This guy seemed so comfortable around a high-level member of one of the biggest guilds in AstroTerra. It was like he was talking about his classmates. That told her that he had experience dealing with players of high-ranking guilds. Who was this guy? How come no one had ever heard of him before?

Mel decided to take a more direct approach. “What will it take for you to let our guild be the first to explore the place?”

“I’ll tell you what I’ve told the other guilds. My true name is Roth Tailor. I used to be known as the Slayer, leader of the IronIre mercenary guild in NewEarth.”

Mel frowned. How unusual for someone to start a conversation by revealing their true identity like this. The name ‘IronIre’ rang a bell. At once, she sent a message to DavyJones to ask him for more information.

“After falling out with Loki from the Pegasus guild, I beat him half to death and was sent to prison. After I came out, he kidnapped me and put me in a pod that I can’t get out of. He’s threatening my family and me.”

“That sounds hard to believe, Pax or Roth.” As she said this, DavyJones sent her a message. It contained a profile on the Slayer from when the Krakens played in New Earth. The information portrayed him as a mindless berserker that turned battlefields upside down. He was marked as someone extremely dangerous. She returned a message asking him for information on Roth Tailor and any references to him leaving prison.

“I know it is. The pods are supposed to be unhackable. But evidently, he has found a way. This leads me to my terms. All I want is for me and my family to be offered sanctuary. Loki is no one to be trifled with. If your guild manages to protect my family and me from Loki, the information on how to enter Antioch is yours.”

She got another message from DavyJones. A news article described how someone had beaten Loki half to death. There was also proof that he had entered prison and been released a few months back. Mel’s mind raced as she compared what she was reading in the articles and what this man said.

“So? Does everything check out?” he asked.

She flushed slightly. “And what makes you think that we can protect your family? Why don’t you just go to the police?”

“If Loki could get to your guild elders and high-ranking players, he would. The top 10 guilds keep a delicate power balance that can’t be easily broken. If the Krakens can protect you, Mel, I’m sure they can protect my family too.”

Mel’s mind raced. Loki was an infamous character. He was known as a ruthless guild leader and someone who couldn’t be messed with in real life. One of her colleagues who had taken a lead in a skirmish against Loki had one day almost been hit by a car. Were it not for the bodyguards hired by the guild, he would have had to spend time in the hospital or worse.

“Listen, Roth. This story you are telling is a bit hard to believe. It’s true that we have safety measures against foul play, but we’re just a gaming company. It’s not like we run our own little private army.”

“Oh, spare me. Online gaming makes more money than all other sports on Earth combined. I’m sure you have your ways.”

Now, it was making more sense to her how comfortable this man was in talking to high-ranking guild members. He had run his own merc guild and a good one at that. They were organizations used to negotiating and haggling with the highest-level players in the game. She hadn’t been in the Krakens when they played New Earth, but she could see in the report that they had hired IronIre a couple of times.

“Even if that’s so, you’re asking for protection for many people from Loki. The world region you’ve discovered might not even be anything special. Why would we go out of our way to take you and your family in? Besides, if you had wronged him in-game, that would be one thing, but evidently, he has a death wish on you. The kind of resources that would have to be moved for that is no joke.”

The man on the other side of the line shrugged. “You of the top 10 are all so similar. You only think about money.” Mel felt her face redden. “This was just my first pitch. I hadn’t expected to stumble upon this opportunity and get your attention today. I’ll go explore this place and come out of it with legendary benefits. Maybe when the profit is tangible, you’ll reconsider. Now, excuse me. Jaw-Long is waiting for me.”

Mel gulped. The guild leader of the Dragons was calling him. Roth hung up the phone on her. She leaned against the chair. What an interesting man. She called Kraken, DavyJones, and ColdHand and invited them to a conference call. They would want to hear about this.

Ch. 136 - The Dark Prince

INDEX

Ch. 138 - "You Have Guts!"