HC:Pacifist | Ch. 41 - Back Scratching

Roth smiled as he triumphantly arrived at the familiar landscape of the Green Woods. His nervous system had been put through the wringer over the last eight hours of running here, but he had made it to the woods on his first try. There was a lot more traffic on the roads leading to Greensburg, which made it easier for him to travel safely. Whenever a scary mob was ahead, Roth followed after higher-level players who cleared it as an afterthought on their way to the city. It would take a few hours for the auction to play out and for him to determine if his plan had worked. He sure hoped it did. After all, the completion rate of these quests depended on it.

As he ran across the prairies and toward the familiarity of the woods, a swooshing noise drew his attention. It was as if a tornado was destroying the trees in the woods. Leaving a trail of destroyed branches and falling leaves, a beautiful golden hawk, as big as a horse, broke the tree canopy and flew north, up the way he'd come from. Was this a ride? It was glorious. The way the feathers glittered and reflected the sunlight was exquisite. Why would such a high-level player be here? Could it be that...? Roth's face twitched into a crafty smirk. It seemed that his plans were bearing fruit. All he had to do now was wait.

With nothing better to do, Roth decided it was time to tackle the [Cat Burglar] quest. He had pondered for a long time about the meaning of the answers to the riddles that Count Crow had given him. He had GrandpaBill110 to thank for that. Since the riddles spoke of dogs and mice, it was time to visit the only dog he knew. After all, what is the best way to get a cat? Could it just be that simple?

He checked the coordinates of Oscar's house and ran toward it. Not long after, Roth arrived, crouched, and entered. Oscar was still sleeping, as if it hadn't moved since the last time Roth'd been here.

"Pssst. Oscar?" whispered Roth. The dog's ears perked but remained immobile. In a less-than-subtle hint to Roth, it started snoring. It was not going to be that easy, uh? He needed the old bulldog's help. After all, the best way to find a cat was to ask for a dog's assistance. He remembered that the first time he was here, Brownie had told him that mice liked dogs because they kept cats away. Perhaps that had been a hint?

He sat by the fire next to Oscar and started thinking—how could he gain favor with Oscar? What did dogs like? Bones? He didn't have any. Food? He didn't have any. Play catch? This poor old dog? No. He might even lose reputation if he tried it. There was only one thing that Roth could think of. It was a long shot, but he had no choice.

Roth scooched over toward Oscar and stretched a trembling hand toward its ears. Just before the hand touched Oscar's perked ears, it stopped in the air for a second and finally made contact. Oscar's fur stood up, and his ears perked up higher. The muscles in Oscar's legs tensed, and his tail wagged briskly. Roth tried scratching Oscar behind the ears, and the dog took a deep breath and relaxed its muscles. The dog liked it. Roth patted and scratched the old dog, sighing.

There was something soothing about petting a dog. It was something so simple, but Roth felt that by scratching Oscar, he was somehow comforting his own soul at the same time. Oscar finally spoke up.

"Go back to where you were, pup. A little bit lower."

For too long, Oscar has had an itch he cannot scratch. By assisting him, you gain his gratitude.

+6 reputation with all dogs.

Roth smiled. Sometimes the game was exceedingly complex, and sometimes it was straightforward. Who would have considered petting or scratching an anthropomorphized dog behind its ears? The thought had only come to Roth after seeing Oscar lying down like a plain old elderly dog. He sat by the fire, massaging the old dog, and waited.

Even though Roth didn't need to sleep while playing the game, he closed his eyes. It felt good to stop for a moment and enjoy the crackling of the fire, smell the burned perfume of the ashen wood, and comfort someone else who was aching. Roth lost track of time and ignored the gains in reputation signaled by the occasional notification rings.

His zen moment was broken when he got several notifications all at once. What had just happened?

2x [Power Truffles] have been sold in Greensburg Auction House for 35.000 gold. The money has been directly transferred to your inventory.

You have unlocked a new title, [Person of Means].

[Person of Means] has upgraded to [Deep Pockets].

[Deep Pockets] has upgraded to [Richling].

Your talent for business impresses old Oscar and his fellow brokers.

+34 reputation with all dogs.

"35k gold?" exclaimed Roth with widened eyes. He stood up so violently that he hit his head on the roof. Oscar, for the first time, opened one of his eyes and, giving Roth an annoyed look, closed it again. Roth had expected the truffles to sell well but never expected to make this much money. The most amount of money that Roth had owned was four silvers. He opened his inventory and couldn't keep his eyes off the five-digit figure that now graced his window.

He went to look at what his new tile did.

Richling (Uncommon)

Title description: You have proven to be a thrifty individual who makes sound investments. The scent of gold lingers in you, making people respect you more.

Title effects:

- Grants +3 Charisma;

- You pay 0,3% less taxes over any real estate or shop.

Conditions to unlock [Richling]:

Complete a transaction valued at 10.000 gold {complete}

The memory of the recent blow to the head cooled Roth's excitement. He sat back down, and this time he didn't take his eyes off the notifications. It was time to let the show begin. A few minutes later, the [Miniaturizing Potions] started being sold off. "Thank you, Hawk Lady" whispered Roth contentedly. Then, a few of the raven's bijou started being sold, as well as the [Badger's Great Claws] and the [Fox Ginsengs]. Roth knew these other items were fairly common, but he had hoped that with the commotion he would cause, players who couldn't participate in the auction would vent their frustration by making minor purchases. He had listed them at a slightly over-the-market price, and even so, they were selling.

Roth sighed and started dreaming of all the rewards he could gain from completing his quest. As for becoming friends with the dogs, he gained some reputation when a purchase was particularly lucrative. Roth wondered what would have merited more rewards regarding Oscar's reputation. Was it to sell it all at once? Or to sell it in parcels like he did? Anyway, it wasn't long before he got the notification he was waiting for.

Oscar is impressed by your business sense. +8 reputation with all dogs.

You are now friendly with all dogs.

Roth waited a bit longer. He didn't get any titles or prompts about learning the language of dogs. He didn't get any titles, either. He frowned while drumming his fingers. His scratching became harder as he got lost in his thoughts, but Oscar grunted contentedly. He thought he gained a title every time he befriended a race. It seems this wasn't the case. He would have to do further experiments down the road, but if he had to become esteemed, for example, to gain a title and make it easier to learn a language, he was in for a world of hard work.

"Oscar?"

"Hmmm..." Finally, he acknowledged Roth's existence. "Have you heard of Oli, the cat burglar?" Oscar's eyes immediately opened, and he snarled, showing his teeth. "What has that troublemaker done this time?"

"So you know him?"

"Of course I do." Mentioning a cat had resurrected Oscar's vigor, and he seemed ten years younger. He passionately stood up as if ready to get into a fight and then, feeling the acute pain in his hips, laid back down.

"Cats are always taking advantage of the hard work of others. Always looking so pompous, elegant, and fashionable. Humph. They have never done one day of work in their lives. All they do is steal," he continued as if an old dog instructing a puppy.

"As a broker, you have to protect your investments. No one wants to do business with someone who can't keep watch over the goods. That's why we dogs are the finest brokers there are. No one can steal from us on our watch." Roth hadn't expected such a passionate reaction from Oscar. He decided to fan the flames a bit.

"You see, Oscar, unfortunately, when I visited the different races in the woods and tried to start doing business with them..." Roth trailed off as if afraid of saying what he was about to do next.

"Yes, go on."

"Well, they all said that they had been stolen."

"Human! How could you? I have been cultivating these contracts with these customers for years. And as soon as I give you some of the business, they just get robbed? What will they think of me? What will they think of all dogs?"

Oscar is dissatisfied with your neglect of your duties as a merchant.

-50 reputation with all dogs.

You are now neutral toward all dogs.

"You see, sir... The robberies happened a while ago... before I became a broker." The dog froze. The implications sank in. The robberies had happened under his watch, under his nose. "But sir, these robberies haven't been to any of the goods you have traded with them; you couldn't have known..."

Oscar accepts he was wrong.

+50 reputation with all dogs.

You are now friendly with all dogs.

"No, no! An unsafe environment is not good for business." The dog buried his wrinkled face inside its folds and started whimpering. "Even if it was a crime of goods unrelated to me, this is my turf. I should have at least known about it. This only confirms what I had feared. The rulers think that I am what I have indeed become. I am just an old, useless dog." Roth regretted messing around with old Oscar. He never expected that he would hurt the old dog's feelings. He went about scratching its ears again.

"There, there. It's fine, sir. You couldn't have known. We can still make this right. I know the cat is somewhere in the southeast corner of the woods. We can confront it and retrieve the items. That way, your reputation will be restored. What do you say?" Oscar lifted his head and shook it, scattering snot and drool everywhere. The fire flashed as the wet shower hit it.

"OK, pup. Let's do it. I'll tell you what I know about cats. It'll also be good for you as a broker in the future. No respectable broker goes around without knowing how to catch a cat."

"So, how do you go about catching a cat?"

"Cats are creatures of habit. You have to exploit their routine. Here. Have this."

Oscar has traded you [Weaponized Catnip].

You can lure it out with this and set up a trap for it.

You pulled old Oscar out of his misery. +1 charisma

[Cat Burglar] updated.

Quest description: After collecting different hints from all the races in the woods, you finally finish gathering up the clues for retrieving the goods Oli stole. Use the item Oscar gave you and set up a trap to catch Oli.

Quest objectives: Find Oli and return what he stole to its proper owners.

Quest rewards: Unknown.

"Thank you, Oscar. I won't fail you."

"I know, pup. I now need to rest. Godspeed."

INDEX

Ch. 42 - Dashing New Look