HC:Pacifist | Ch. 275 - Signing (Patreon)

Author's note:

Hidden Class: Handyman came out today on RR! All followers and ratings on RR are a huge help to me. I appreciate your support. 

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The Ratan King halted as he approached Roth. The mouseketeers also became restless and fidgety, sniffing the air. 

“Why is it that I smell cat on you?” King Rattatoille asked. 

Roth wiped his brow and tried to maintain a confident smile. It was a good thing that he had left Lin at Oli's before coming here. Even though Oli was probably filling his kitten’s head with nonsense, it was still better than seeing King Rattatoille fight his beloved pet. “I came here after seeing Oli. I had business with him.”

“Business? With a cat?! What kind of business can someone have with such foul creatures? They aren’t trustworthy, martyr! Don't cut any sort of deal with them. You'll only regret it.”

“I'll take your advice to heart, my king. Anyway, these two are my brothers. They have just joined the broker profession, and I’m showing them my trade route. From now on, they might come here instead of Bucky to deliver the cargo.”

“As you wish, martyr. If you trust them, then they must be trustworthy merchants.”

It looked like his plans to keep the business in the family would go without a hitch. “By the way, I've been meaning to ask you. I've become a pacifist, and I would like to invite you to join a peace treaty.”

Roth had already included the ratans of the sewers in the peace treaty. But every time he tried to come here, he was always on the clock and on the run. It was about time he sat down with the king and included him in the peace treaty. 

“A treaty?”

Roth handed over the parchment, and the king read through it. “Lizards?” he asked, frowning.  “They are known to hunt mice on occasion. And snakes? This is not a decision that I can make on my own.”

“No?” Was there someone above the king that he didn’t know about?

“Mouseketeers, sound the trumpets!”

Before Roth could figure out what was happening, the four mouseketeers were holding silver trumpets. With masterful synchronicity, the musketeers blew into them in unison. The trumpets' call had a piercing, sweet tone. 

“What’s going on, your majesty?” Roth asked. It was the first time the king issued a call of the trumpets.

“I summoned a meeting.”

“What kind of meeting?”

You’ve started a regional event!

+1 charisma.

The Court Gathering has begun in the Green Woods.

“Roth, what's going on? Did you start this?” Andrew asked, alarmed.

“I-I don’t know what’s going on. This is the first time I see this happening.”

King Rattatoille sat on the throne while the mouseketeers took their positions beside it. They ran two golden bars through the structure and lifted it above their shoulders, marching toward the tunnel and ringing the trumpets again.

“I guess we must follow them,” Roth told his brothers. “Let’s go. Come.”

At the exit of the tunnel, the Mouse King and several other ratans awaited their monarch, bowing down deeply. After the mouseketeers and the king passed, they joined the procession through the Rat Caves. At each intersection, more and more rats joined the parade until they finally reached a dead-end.

“Who has the remote?” the King asked the mouseketeers.

D’artagnan put the trumpet away and grabbed what looked like a garage remote. He clicked it a few times.

“What’s taking so long, D'Artagnan?” the King demanded impatiently.

“Needs new batteries, your majesty.”

“Bah. Martyr, bring us some new batteries next time you come here.”

New item added to the procurement list.

Roth and his brothers chuckled as D'Artagnan kept pushing the button until, finally, a mechanical sound rang through the dungeon, and the ceiling opened up, revealing a ramp. It was a secret exit out of the dungeon!

“And march!” Athos called. The king and the mouseketeers emerged from the ground. Roth followed and found a massive gathering of dumbfounded noobs and bowing rats. They had convened here from all over the woods and surrounding plains. There were tens of thousands of rodents.

Roth caught sight of a few players pointing at his and his brothers’ miniaturized form, but he wasn’t scared. He’d love to see anyone daring to attack him now. King Rattatoille and the mouseketeers would shred them into minced meat.

The procession marched toward what Roth guessed was the Palatial Clearing. Leaves above them rustled as crows flew around. Roth spotted a few black-and-white forms joining the parade from the east. A palanquin covered by silk curtains and carried by several foxes joined from the north. All the animals of the greenwoods were coming together for one massive assembly. 

“What have I done this time?” Roth complained. He hadn’t been expecting this kind of publicity! It was bad enough that the guilds knew Antioch was here, but this gathering of all animal factions and their monarchs was too revealing. When they heard of this, the top guilds would quickly connect the dots and figure out how important these factions really were.

By the time Roth arrived at the Palatial Clearing, he had turned off his miniaturized debuff to better see the incredible scene around him. There was a sea of heads, fur, and feathers. Roth glanced downward, taking a moment to appreciate that this was the first time he had seen King Rattatoille without having to look up. 

Inside the dome of the Palatial Clearing, Roth scanned all the NPCs gathered here. Prince Piglet exuded a fierce aura. After being given so much medicine, he showed good signs of recovery and seemed stronger than ever.

The Fox Baroness gently waved a fan, drawing attention to her perfectly made-up face. Roth wondered just what the baroness’ bride’s dress would look like. He couldn’t imagine any clothes being more over-the-top than what she wore, a pink dress with elaborate embroidery. Her sleeves were so long that they almost reached the ground. She had a silver diadem on her head. 

The flashiest one in the clearing was Count Crow. Not even the gold of Rattatoille's throne or the golden thread in the dress of the Fox Baroness could rival Count Crow’s shiny suit. It had so much glitter and diamonds encrusted that Roth had trouble looking at him for more than a few seconds at a time. It felt as if he was looking at the Sun. 

Even though King Rattatoille was the smallest of the race representatives, he was by far the most impressive. All other monarchs sat down to be as close to eye level in his presence. The four mouseketeers stood at attention as stoic as when they were in the throne room. The only difference was that they all wore sunglasses, probably to avoid the glare of Count Crow’s outfit.

Oscar had come, too. Just how he had mustered the strength to get here this quickly was an enigma. He napped under the shade of the tree while a few badgers discussed in hush tones off to the side. The sheep were also here, politely ignored by all other racial representatives. Roth bit his lip. He had to find a place for them, too. Oh well, he still had roughly a month.

Last but not least, all around the clearing, a spiraling column of leaves reminded everyone under whose roof they were meeting. The presence of the Lord of the Woods filled the clearing. 

These were the rulers of the Green Woods. Many of these NPCs had been hidden from the player base—until today. At the edge of the clearing, Roth spotted many players, with widened eyes, and pointing fingers. Just how many were broadcasting this event live was beyond him. 

“Lord,” he messaged mentally, “are the shields of the clearing up? Can others see inside?”

“Shields are up,” came the immediate answer. Roth sighed in relief. 

After a few moments of waiting, the King waved his paw and had the mouseketeers blow their trumpets again. The clearing became eerily quiet.

“Woodlanders! Dear friends and rulers of these woods,” King Rattatoille started in his regal tone. “Lord, our protector,” he said deferentially, turning toward the tree. “I've called you all here because our friend, the martyr, has asked the ratans to enter an alliance with him.”

“Our kin living in Hilsford had already told me that they had celebrated such an arrangement with the martyr, but this is different. This is all the Ratans in the world we're talking about. Previous agreements with this court mandate that I bring this to the attention of your excellencies.”

So that’s what was going on. King Rattatoille couldn’t sign the peace treaty right away because he had to confer with his other allies first.

“What treaty have you invited the Ratans to join?” 

Hearing the baroness’s jealousy, Roth tried to placate it immediately. “Please rest assured, Fox Baroness, that I meant to invite you all into it. I just happened to talk to King Rattatoille first.” He made sure that his gesture included all the other rulers here.

“Go on,” Prince Piglet encouraged.

“As you know, everyone here is already bound by a commercial treaty.” Roth’s voice echoed clearly in the clearing. Maybe it was because of his charisma or the [Blessing of the Lion King] skill. Whatever the case, his voice didn’t lose to King Rattatoille’s. “However, I am a pacifist, trying to unite this world's different races and factions. Since I'm friends with all of you, and you all seem to be friends with each other, I simply want to make it official. Signing a peace treaty is a sign of goodwill. It will cement the relationships in the woodland and usher in peace and prosperity.”

King Rattatoille interjected. “Bear in mind that this peace treaty would include not only us but also the snakes of Hilsford and all lizards.”

Count Crow cawed, annoyed, but King Rattoile kept going. “If this court agrees, the Ratans will join such a treaty. We've been honored to be friends with the foxes, crows, badgers, and boars. Cementing our relationship is the right thing to do. Prince Piglet?” King Rattatoille invited the second-highest member of royalty to express himself. 

“The boars agree.”

Roth rubbed his hands contentedly, hearing how two entire races were about to enter the treaty. Things couldn’t be going better.

“Count?” prompted King Rattatoille.

“The crows have been at odds with lizards and snakes for a long time. However, there are no crows in Hilsford or lizards in the Green Woods. The corvids of these nests agree. However, I have no royal blood. I’m only nobility. Only the great emperor can decide for all corvids. I can only speak for my fiefdom. ”

“So do the foxes living here,” the baroness added. “As for all others, that would have to be brought up to the historians in the Mother Cave.”

Roth sighed, disappointed. He hadn’t expected that only King Rattatoille and Prince Piglet held enough influence to decide for their entire race. However, it was already good enough that Count Crow and the Fox Baroness were willing to accept. He was planning to meet the Crow Emperor soon anyway. As for what the Fox Baroness had said, Roth had just gained an important clue. The Mother Cave of the stories in the Fox Tomes was real! He just had to find it and talk to the historians, whoever they were.

“Oscar?”

“The dogs are at peace with everyone. Yawn. Everyone but cats. We agree.”

“Badgers?” King Rattatoille asked last.

The badgers kept discussing in hushed tones, ignoring the king. “Badgers?” the king repeated without showing any impatience. Roth chuckled as he saw Athos doing his little tic, where he pulled his rapier from the scabbard with his thumb and pulled it back in. The mouseketeer had no patience for the poets.

Finally, the badgers responded:

“In the heart of the woodland, where silence finds its sway,

A pacifist trod softly through the light of the day.

With whispers of unity, he wandered through the glade,

Seeking to heal what discord had frayed.

First, the foxes with their tales spun bright,

Agreed to unite under the moon's soft light.

Their stories wove a tapestry of shared lore,

A bond of friendship, forevermore.

Next, the ratans, with jokes and jests,

Joined hands with the pacifist, in peaceful quests.

Their laughter echoed louder than a waterfall,

As they embraced unity, standing proud and tall.

Then came the boars, their strength renowned,

Their agreement resonating with a thunderous sound.

In the pacifist's presence, they found a gentle grace,

And pledged allegiance, in the woodland's embrace.

But it was the badgers, wise and old,

Who held the key to unity, as stories unfold.

Painted as the glue, binding all together,

Their agreement sealed the woodland's tether.

For in their verses, the pacifist saw,

The wisdom to mend what was once a flaw.

With their blessing, the woodland found its peace,

A harmony is woven, never to cease.”

Roth slapped his forehead. Was this why they were off to the side? They had been trying to think of a way to share their poetry with such a wide audience! Athos was fuming while the Fox Baroness just giggled.

“Lord, do we have your blessing?”

A gentle breeze expressed the acceptance of the treeants. Licking his lip, Roth grabbed the parchment where he kept the peace treaty, and each race representative signed one by one. The moment that King Rattatoille signed, Roth received a notification.

Ch. 274 - Pardon

INDEX

Ch. 276 - Patch