HC:Pacifist | Ch. 8 - Loki

Loki looked down from his window. He had one of the finest views of the city. It was only appropriate that he could look down on everyone from here; after all, he was of a superior breed and intellect. Across his massive desk and on the other side of the shimmering force field he always kept turned on stood his five pawns. They patiently waited for him to start looking at the footage they had brought him, but Loki was enjoying making them wait. They seemed scared of him. They tried their best to look unafraid and relaxed, but Loki didn’t miss the occasional trembling knee or drop of sweat.

This was the only reason he left his capsule's safety these days. He enjoyed these occasional meetings in the real world. In the game, if one died, they lost a level, stats, and an item. But here, it was different. Here, there was no coming back. That only made his pawns more terrified and him happier.

“I can’t tell you the pleasure it gives me to see that bastard suffer like this," the man said. His voice was cold and without emotion. He wasn't talking to the group. He didn't care about them.

“We’re glad you like it, sir,” said Gary. Loki smirked, seeing that the five members of the IronIre Gaming Group kept their heads down, showing their subservience.

“Were you able to get him into the capsule I gave you?"

“Yes, sir."

“Wonderful. Wonderful. That means that he can feel every single scratch. But he is a tough bastard, isn’t he?” Loki fast-forwarded the footage across several hours and paused in some moments. “He doesn’t even flinch, does he?”

“Perhaps,” tried Shirley, “his dexterity ran so low that there was a lag between his pain and his facial expressions.”

It was a stupid observation, but Loki found it humorous. “Ahahaha. I almost forgot that his dexterity is probably in the negative hundreds now! It's almost the same as burying him alive, right?”

Everyone joined in the laughter.

“He could also have activated the ‘disable facial pain expression’ option. Yes, that’s probably it. I’m surprised that the brute could think of it.” Loki spared them a look. Although none of them had said anything, he could tell from their ignorant, blank looks that they didn't know the option. Worthless imbeciles. Every single one of them. The first thing a professional gamer should do when starting a game is to check and know by heart every single option in the menu. He didn’t dislike their stupidity, though. There was always use for imbeciles.

“So, he doesn’t have access to the log-out function; he can’t call game support or contact any GMs. His pain settings are also locked. He is stuck.” Loki was pleased. How long had it been since he felt this much joy?

"Sir, what if he calls the police or the prison?" Loki regarded the girl who had dared to question him. Shirley gulped as soon as his eyes landed on her. He wouldn't have tolerated it if she asked this before going through with the plan. But since she had already gone through with it, and because he was in a good mood today, he decided to let this slide.

“I will transfer you the money, as promised.” After a pause, he continued. “I will transfer 200.000 more credits if you return in a few days and do this to him again. His dexterity is so low that he won't be ten steps away from where you left him. This time only kill him 100 times. I want him on edge, always guessing how long he'll suffer. He has to pay for what he's done to me.” His hand gripped his legs with all his strength as he said it. Despite the grip drawing blood, he couldn't feel anything. That violent beast had given him such a beating that he would never be able to walk again. He wanted to see him suffer as he had. Despite all his wealth, there was no way to undo what Roth had done. His nervous system had been so damaged that he could not do many things inside the game, even with reconstructive surgery.

“Of course, sir. We're happy to do so."

“That will be all,” he said, returning to the screen. He wanted to see every second of the footage again. He would keep paying these idiots for hurting their former friend. He didn’t care about the money. He would have to burn warehouses of cash before it made a dent in his finances. He was Loki, the owner of Pegasus Inc., one of the biggest gaming companies in the world.

Right before they left, he called out.

“Remember, you didn't get the pod from me. If you as much as whisper this to anyone… I. will. burn. you.” Everyone gulped and rushed out of the room.

A figure stepped out of the shadows as soon as the group left.

“What do you think, Zin? What do you think of my revenge?"

“It's brutal, sir. I've never seen anything like it.” For a man who had seen as much as Zin to say these words put Loki in an even better mood. It was no easy feat to hack into the safest game ever designed. But he had found a way. It had been a significant investment of money and resources to get his hands on the production of the gaming pods. But building the Slayer's iron maiden was worth every cent. Besides, it had given him a stepping stone to overtake Nexus one day. Of course, not even Loki’s fortune could save him from the consequences if they were found out. That’s why he had already taken precautions if things went wrong. One of them was to get those fools to do his dirty work for him.

“Tell me, Zin, why did we go through the trouble of creating this hack if the bastards have a way to hide their pain?”

“Well, sir. It’s very delicate work. Any option you tamper with adds to the risk of being found out. We went as far as we dared. That option wasn’t considered crucial.”

Loki clicked his tongue. Barry, or as everyone knew him, Loki, had climbed up the gaming industry by ruthlessly manipulating, strategizing, and betraying whoever stood in his way. Roth and his guild had been just one more stepping stone in his path. Loki made Pegasus Inc. among the top 10 in the gaming world thanks to his guile and intelligence. But his ambitions didn’t end there. He wouldn’t stop until he managed to secure the number one spot. AstroTerra was his opportunity to do so. Still, powerful as he was, he could not overpower other older gaming guilds or the Nexus Co. itself. Not yet.

“Are you level 50 yet?”

“Almost, sir.”

“What about the others?”

“Xerxes is also 49. Yillian is 48.”

“Very good. I'm sure the developers have hidden some nasty hurdles in the second job advancement. We need to be ready.”

“Yes, sir.”

“What about the acquisition of real estate? Still nothing?”

“Anak has reached a revered status in the capital city of the Thunder Mountains, and still, she hasn’t been given the right to buy anything. Just renting.”

“Could it be that we’re looking at this the wrong way? For us to be almost level 50 and for there not to be any clue about how to buy properties?”

Zin remained silent.

“Real estate is of paramount importance. It will impact our success in the game. Still, the key to dominating this game is elsewhere. It can’t be a coincidence that they mention affinities in the opening cinematic, and that is featured among the first things in your character’s sheet. Affinities are the key. I think darkness and light will be especially important. Keep me posted on any developments. As soon as anyone inside the game unlocks an affinity, I want to be the first one to know about it." Zin nodded.

"Did our team of archeologists find any other clues about the Dark Abyss’ quest?”

“They are working on it.” Loki was not happy with the slowness with which that quest was progressing. If his hunch was correct, this was a valuable trump card to get ahead of all the other guilds in AstroTerra.

“Enough. Go back to the game. Let me know as soon as you reach 50.”

Loki didn’t look back, but he knew Zin had already disappeared. He, too, decided to enter the game. He also had access to the footage of Roth’s torture inside the game. He would watch it there.

*

Gary and the others left Loki’s office and took the elevator down to the 34th floor, where their gaming group had been given an office. Loki had bought them off years ago, and now they were just another subsidiary in the giant money-making machine Pegasus Inc. Bad as it was to be stuck here, at least they weren't permafrosted on the lower floors. As the elevator descended, Gary looked unpleasantly at Shirley.

“Shirley, that was dangerous. You know it’s best not to joke with the boss.” He didn’t hide his displeasure. That didn’t scare Shirley, though.

“I don’t know what your problem is, Gary. It worked. Besides, you guys don't realize the most important thing.”

“Which is?” prompted Gary.

“He didn’t even bat an eye at the mention of paying us hundreds of thousands of dollars for just making fun of the Slayer. You know what a cheapskate that guy is. We haven’t had a raise in years. He's emotionally involved in this one, so this is a cow we can keep milking for a long time.”

“Shirley, don’t you think he’s suffered enough?” protested Xana.

“Shut up, Xana! We spent years in debt, slaving away for this monster, all because of the Slayer! He hasn’t even come near earning our forgiveness.” It was tough talk from Shirley. Gary agreed with Xana. He knew how much pain they inflicted on Roth, but some part of his darkened heart held on to Shirley's words. He had to find a way to live with what he had done. Besides, she was right. They had already killed him a thousand times. What was wrong with doing it a few more times?

“Let’s go back to Greenfield Village and make that idiot squirm!” encouraged Shirley. The group hesitatingly agreed. The allure of so much money was too much to resist.

They headed toward their assigned area as soon as they reached the floor. The bold red letters on the glass doors read ‘IronIre.’ They had been whittled down from a guild of thousands until there were just the five of them. All the other thousands in their ranks had been absorbed into the Pegasus corporation. It had been a long time since that change had occurred. Loki had made the group pay him repairs for Roth’s inconsequential actions through hard work inside the game. They completed quests, spied on guilds, and hunted players at Loki’s beck and call. They were good at it.

They reached the gaming room, where five sleek, cutting-edge gaming pods were open and ready to receive them. They entered their pods, activated them, and accessed the game. They appeared in the same place where they had logged out. Little motes of light gathered until the five figures of the squad materialized in Greenfield Village.

Their appearance instantly caused a commotion among the new players walking around the village.

“Look! Such cool gear!”

“I recognize that armor from a guy I watch on streams. That’s the Black Tiger set. It’s one of the best warrior armors for level 40 players.”

“Wow! When will I get my hands on some of that sweet gear? That’s awesome!”

The squad ignored the noobs making comments around them. They started to search around the square and then realized that there was something strange.

“What in the world?” asked Wilson. “Can anyone see the Slayer?” With his dexterity so low after they killed him a thousand times, it was impossible for him not to be here.

“I am trying to send him an instant message. He’s not online,” said Xana in a panic.

“Where is he?!” screamed Gary.

Ch. 7 - Errand Cloak

INDEX

Ch. 9 - Forum