HC:Pacifist | Ch. 52 - The Tomes

As Roth entered the familiar tunnels, he headed straight toward the baroness' secret chamber. He bumped into a small pack of red foxes on his way there. One of the foxes in the group took the initiative to approach Roth.

"Human, I was digging around earlier, and I found this. I thought you might want to keep it. You told such a great story some time ago, and I never got to thank you."

"Thank you, that's very kind of you."

You have been traded 1x [Fox Ginseng].

Roth that forgotten that now that all woodland races revered him, he had unlocked the spontaneous gift feature for them. This was not the official name, but since this was new ground for Roth, he had to think of a name. Even though he was itching to go running around to look for other gift-givers, he was just too excited about testing his idea.

After arriving at the entrance to the chamber, Roth barked a greeting, and the hidden door opened, letting out some of the perfume of the baroness' chamber. As he entered, she was at her usual post, busily reading or scribbling away at her desk.

"That's unusual of you, human friend? Two visits in a single day?" The baroness sniffed the air a few times. "Oh my, what's a fantastic cologne. It suits you, friend. Now, how can I help you today?"

It was time to try out his new racial skill. Here goes nothing!

Fox form!

Ross's nose extended until it became a snout. Reddish hair grew on his face and arms, and his ears grew and became pointier. Roth also felt a tail springing up from his back and whiskers protruding from his snout.

System Notification: Your Charisma is over 50. You have unlocked the bonus [Well-spoken].

Passive Skill: Well-spoken (Common)

It’s slightly easier to gain reputation.

System Notification: Your Charisma is over 100. You have unlocked the bonus [Charm]

Passive Skill: Charm (Uncommon)

Slightly increases favor with NPCs

System Notification: Your Charisma is over 150. You have unlocked the bonus [Eloquent].

Passive Skill: Eloquent (Common)

It’s easier to gain reputation.

[Horse Gallop] has been downgraded to [Cat's Sprint]

[Stone Skin] has been downgraded to [Bark Skin]

By sacrificing half of his other stats in one go, he had been able to break through to 170 charisma! The bonuses were very meaningful!

"Martyr, I am so glad to see you embrace your friendship with our people. I thought you would make a good fox. You look so charming."

Your charismatic presence floods the room. You've impressed the Baroness.

+34 Reputation with all foxes.

Did he get 34 reputation just by showing up? Having such high charisma was a massive boon to his character!

"Thank you for trusting me enough with the honor of taking a fox form, baroness. Since I am now technically half-fox, would it be possible for me to take a look at the tomes?" The baroness regarded him thoughtfully. Roth crossed his fingers. The fox tomes didn't seem like simple items at all. Although he could have piqued into the books when he retrieved them, he had dared not do so for risk of ruining his relationship with the foxes.

"I suppose that, since you are half-fox, I can grant you half-privileges. You can study volumes one through five. More than that, I would have to consult with my queen." Roth's ears perked up at the mention of a fox queen. He had already heard of the Crow Emperor. His hunch was correct. There were higher-end NPCs of these races located somewhere else in AstroTerra.

"I thank you for your trust." The baroness went back to work. Having gained permission, Roth moved toward the shelf at her back, careful to see if it caused any adverse reaction from the fox noblewoman. Seeing that she politely ignored him, he grabbed the first tome and took it to read it in one of the baroness's fluffy cushions.

Fox Tome #1(Special)

Item description: A collection of foxian tales highlighting the foxes' shrewdness and wits. Many are the legends and tales inside. The craftsmanship of the book and the handwriting are exquisite.

Item effects: Unknown

Roth opened it and started reading it.

"Fox Tome, the 1st.

The Foxes and the Wolves

Introduction by Baroness Wittypur,

For the longest time, wolves and foxes have been at odds. Logic would dictate that would not be so. After all, we're all canines and have much in common. We live for the pack. We live in tightly-knit societies. Unlike our domestic cousins, we have long refused to submit ourselves to human rulership. We are similarly intelligent. This collection of tomes shows how a weaker fox can outsmart a stronger opponent. Pay attention to how straightforward intelligence often loses to a more moldable and flexible intellect.

Chapter 1 - The Woodland War

It was a year of drought and famine. Scarcity often divides, but a valiant wolf, Pawlus McFang, rose and gathered all the scattered wolf clans, riling them up against a common enemy, the foxes. Seduced by the promises of spoil, plunder, and full stomachs, the wolf warlords summoned their troops and set out to invade the Fox Mother Cave. The timber, mountain, and forest wolves became one army and set out to rob the foxes of all their supplies.

The Mother Cave was helpless. True, they did have supplies, but hardly enough to last them through the winter. There was no reasoning with the wolves, though. Things had moved past diplomacy. Severely outnumbered and facing inevitable defeat, the wise Fox Queen devised a plan. She grabbed some of the few supplies left and decisively sent the Royal Guard to carry them to Pawlus McFang's tent. The guard was careful to be quiet enough to make it close to the center of the camp but loud enough to get caught. When the wolves found them out, they grew suspicious. After all, they were no unified nation but an alliance of different clans. Pressing the foxes, after much pain, the foxes let out that it was a payment from the queen to Pawlus for having brought here the wolf armies.

The warlords smelled a conspiracy. Could the McFang clan have ambushed the wolves? After all, wolf meat is hard and tasteless but is better than starving. The army was split into two. Those who trusted Pawlus and those who believed he had betrayed them. Soon, conflict arose and even battle. The wolf army was thrown into confusion, and they decimated each other. So with a pawful of soldiers and a few crates of food, the Fox Queen saved the Mother Cave and the Foxian people."

Chapter 2 - The Wolfstone

Wolves had been in civil war for years. Turfs were highly disputed, and dens were bloody battlegrounds. Packs slaughtered pups of rival clans, and the number of wolves greatly dwindled. When only three packs remained in the world, the fox queen sent her counselor to advise the three alfas on how to avert extinction. It summoned the three rulers and had them meet in one tall mountain. The fox asked:

- Alfa of the River Clan, why do you fight the Prarie Clan and the Forest Clan?

- They won't share their elk and bison with us.

- What have you to say, Alfa of the Prarie Clan?

- The River Clan refuses to give us their fish and the Forest Clan keeps their elk to themselves.

- What about you, Alfa of the Forest Clan?

- They keep their treasures all to themselves. We won't stop until it is ours.

The fox pondered for a moment and said:

- On this mountain, a rock will be erected. It shall be carved by the wolves and signed by the alfas. This shall be a wolf sanctuary. The alfas will meet every year, and a vote will be taken. Whatever dispute is made will be settled on the rock.

- What if we don't?

- Then the otters will come and steal all your fish. The bears will come and steal all your bison. The mountain lions will come and steal all your elk. The foxes will make it so.

So it was that the great Wolf Rock was built, and the great wolf war was ended."

After reading fox stories for 15 minutes, Roth got a notification that he had hoped for.

Reading expands your intellect. +1 intelligence.

The great tales of the Foxian historians teach you more about being witty. +1 wisdom.

Bingo! Roth had hoped that, like the Ratan tapestries, he would unlock stats by reading the tomes. It turns out the benefits were even more remarkable than what he expected. He not only increased his intelligence from reading but because the stories focused on the foxes, he also was awarded charisma! There was more than that, though. He was gaining insight into the history of the foxes and wolves. He had seen the wolves were the most common mob near the cities. Knowing that they were split into clans might be helpful when interacting with them in the future. He also learned that the foxes' headquarters was the Mother Cave and that the ruler was always a queen.

This story about the Wolf Rock also sounded very interesting. He wondered if it was a real place. Roth heard a thumping sound behind him and, turning back, realized that his tail was contentedly wagging of its own volition. He chuckled. It was his first time having a tail. He went back to reading the tomes.

*

"How can I help you today, sir?" Gary didn't dare to look disrespectful toward Xerxes. After all, he was the cream of the crop, one of the top 10 players in the Pegasus guilds, and one of the top 100 in AstroTerra. He also happened to be his supervisor's supervisor.

"Loki has decided he wants to have a comprehensive understanding of how much the top 10 guilds are investing in the [Miniaturizing Potions] farming operation. He wants you to go do it." Gary hated to be bossed around by this guy, but he dared not show it in his face.

"Sir, I thought OldSmelly was the most familiar with..."

"We need a fresh pair of eyes. Get down to it." He turned off the call. Gary clicked his tongue. He was sick and tired of being bossed around. If he had access to all the resources funneled into players like Xerxes, he was sure he would do better than they did.

"What's going on?" asked Wilson, who kept hunting beavers a few meters away.

"Got an order from the top brass. Have to run an errand. I have to go check things out in the Green Woods." At the mention of the location where they had tortured Roth, both their expressions soured. The Slayer was a pebble in their shoes that they couldn't get rid of, no matter how hard they tried.

"Very well. I will call Xana. We will hunt together here. Since you're going to go around, see if there are any signs of the Slayer anywhere."

"There's no point in looking in the Green Woods anymore. With a month of gameplay, someone like him... should be what? Level 16? Level 17? We're much more likely to find him in the cities. I will keep staking out the garrisons whenever I visit a new city. Chances are that he would go for the warrior class. I will watch for anyone matching his looks and temper." It was a needle in the haystack, and they knew it. There were over 4 billion players in AstroTerra. How in the world would they find him? At least the worst hadn't happened. If he had changed to a new avatar, they were doomed. But if he had started a new character, then it fits nicely into their story, and Loki would buy it, and they would be in the clear.

Ch. 51 - First of a Kind

INDEX

Ch. 53 - The Basement