HC:Pacifist | Ch. 324 - A Dream (Patreon)

Roth stood at a crossroads. He could feel the potential of having this race under his rulership, but he had no idea about what he should do with it, especially the Molian military. Just the thought of sending the Molians to war sickened him. It went against everything he believed. On the other hand, was he going to tell them not to defend themselves if they were attacked? They weren’t that strong anyway. There were many high-leveled players who could come here and wipe them out if they so wished.

He had to find a use for this molepower while keeping them safe. What could he do? Roth paced back and forth, trying to think of the best way to handle his control over the construction and the military. Should he just have them lockdown every access down here to make sure that no other player found them? That might be the best way to protect them… But Zin and Eron already knew about them. What guarantee did he have that others didn’t? And hadn’t Roth found skills that made it easy for him to dig? What if there were other players who could dig their way down here?

As Roth thought about his steps. He suddenly halted. He just had an idea. Didn’t he know a foreman, someone with experience managing big construction projects in the game? And wasn’t he friends with a group of war veterans? Who better to guide him in this process? He opened his friends’ list and made the call.

“Hey, Drake,” Roth greeted warmly, a smile spreading across his face.

“Roth, it’s been a while. What’s going on?”

“Listen, I could use your help with something.”

Drake chuckled. “What did you get yourself into this time?”

Roth laughed along. “Why do you always assume I’m in trouble when I call? It’s not like that. Actually, I came across an opportunity I wanted to talk to you about.”

Drake raised an eyebrow. “What kind of opportunity?”

“Where are you right now?” Roth asked.

“I’m in the capital.”

“The capital? What brings you there?”

“Sarg and I are scouting locations for the Union’s new headquarters.”

“Why not stay in Hillsford?” Roth asked, surprised.

“The Union’s outgrowing the mid-tier cities, Roth. We need a bigger, more central location, and the capital makes the most sense.”

“Any luck finding a place?”

Drake sighed. “Not really. So far, all we’ve found are tiny shacks in sketchy alleys.”

Roth thought for a moment before asking, “Would you be able to come to where I am?”

“And where’s that?” Drake asked, intrigued.

“I’m at the Molympic Coliseum. It’s a secret area inhabited by moles, located under Misty Mountain, near Charlottesville—right on the border between Rock Canyon and Green Country.”

“Moles? As in the new Hall of Fame achievement?” As the gears turned in Drake’s head, his eyes widened. “Wait a minute. Are you the king of the moles?”

Roth shrugged. “Yes, kind of.”

Drake turned to someone next to him—Roth could tell from the faint voice that it was Sergeant. After they talked for a few moments, Drake turned to the camera again. “Alright, we’ll meet you there. We’re heading back to Hillsford anyway, so we can teleport to the nearest city in Green Country and then make our way over.”

“Great. Let me know when you get to Charlesville,” Roth said, feeling more confident with Drake and Sergeant on board.

Drake ended the call, and Roth considered his next move. Drake was the perfect person to help him figure out the most effective way to utilize the military and construction resources of the moles. He might even spot something in the laws that Roth had overlooked.

KrakensMel is calling you!

Roth felt his spirits lift immediately. What better way to pass the time than to shoot the breeze with his girlfriend?

Mel appeared on the other side of the screen with a brilliant smile and shiny eyes. She was breathing heavily. “Hi, Mel! You look excited. What is going on?”

“Roth, have you checked the rankings?”

“Uh? No… Not for a while, at least.”

“Go there, quick!”

Roth opened the forums and selected the link he had already saved as a favorite. As he opened it, his eyes widened. “No. It can’t be!” His name was in 17th place. 

“Aaaah! Congratulations! You’re almost there! Almost, almost there!”

“Oh, my goodness.” It can’t be. Roth’s eyes widened. Was this the result of finding this new legendary item? Or was it because he had added the moles and the trade agreement to his? That meant he only had to surpass seven more players, and then he could log out of this prison!

Mel couldn’t stop shrieking, laughing and even had a few tears. “You’re almost there! Almost, almost there! I’m going to talk to Kraken. Maybe he’ll agree to leave the list for a day. Talk to Ogre. If he does that, too, we can jump two more spots. We should reach out to everyone on the list. Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! I’m so excited!”

Roth was still stunned by this development. He had been falling through the ranks after the guilds had made it to the Core. How had he jumped so many spots all of a sudden? He opened his character sheet to understand just how much progress he’d made thanks to the Molympic Games.

CHARACTER INFORMATION

Name: Pax

Class: Pacifist

Race: Zoomorph (Human Form)

Profession(s): Broker, lvl. 33 | Ecotailor, lvl. 21 | Light Trapper, lvl. 33

Level: 54

Guild: Ogres

Guild Museum: 

[Black Bear King’s Paw] | +10 strength; +50hp

[Claw of the Fury Falcon] | +10% speed

[Astronomer’s Telescope] | +10 wisdom; +40ep

[Broken Stopwatch] | +5 intelligence; +3% cooldown reduction

[Horomani’s Hammer] | +5% crafting success rate

Guild Flags:

Flag of the Fire Spitters | [Burning Fury]

Flag of the Lava Bear’s Castle | [Magmatic Might]

Flag of the Ruby Scorpions | [Ruby Skeleton]

Pets: Leafies, Lin, Lua

Affinity: Fire (1/100); Darkness (140/100); Earth (140/300); Light (934/1000); Nature (471/1000); Water (2/100)

Alignment: Meek (574/1000)

Positive relationships:

Badgers (2512/8000); Boars (2372/8000); Corvids (3541/8000); Crocodilians (432/1000); Cyborg Union (541/1000); Dogs (572/1000); Dwarves (2201/8000); Flock (260/300); Foxes (2373/8000); Golden Mountain Inc. (1894/2000); Greenleaf Inc. (1831/2000); Hilsford Garrison Soldiers (133/300); Lizards (8000/8000); Moles (8000/8000); Moon Garrison of Sapphira (112/300); Moonlight Herd (2013/8000); Oli, the Cat Burglar (151/300); Peace Corps (143/300); Ratans (4895/8000); Silkworms (30/100); Snakes (3421/8000); The Table (63/100); Treeants (2349/8000); White Onyx Inc (612/1000)

Titles: [Alpinist];  [All-Nighter]; [Art Enthusiast]; [Beast Master]; [Creature of the Night]; [Darksbane]; [Dearly Beloved]; [Discoverer of Species]; [Energy Tycoon]; [Entitled]; [First of a Kind]; [Friend of Crocodilians]; [Friend of Dwarves]; [Friend of Soldiers]; [Friend of the Elements]; [Friend of the Herd]; [Grand Explorer]; [Imperial Gatekeeper]; [Journeyman]; [Jumper]; [Lizard Race Patron]; [Marathonist]; [Martyr]; [Mercantile Mentor]; [Microman]; [Millionaire]; [Mindfulness]; [Omniglot]; [Overachiever]; [Pioneer]; [Richling]; [Single Minded Craftsman]; [Speedster]; [Stat Prodigy]; [Sweatshop Worker]; [Swimmer]; [The Unsung Hero of Ages]; [Thousand]; [Triathlete]; [Weighs a Ton]; [Well-read]; [Wordly Drifter]

STATS (30 Free Stat Points)

Hp: 3043

Ep: 2455

Damage Reduction: 113%

Status Resistance: 41.6%

Cooldown Reduction: 64%

Running Speed: 652.8%

Weight: [Light] - (90.2/643 Kg) (+20%)

STATS

Strength: 336 (+10%)

Dexterity: 245 (+13%)

Intelligence: 301 (+22%)

Wisdom: 317 (+10%)

Endurance: 379 (+27%)

Charisma: 483 (+28%)

Resilience: 161 (+13%)

Insight: 148 (+10%)

Subterfuge: 160 (+10%)

Perception: 117 (+10%)

EQUIPMENT

Right Hand: [Flag of the Woodland] | +10% to all stats; [Blessing of the Green Country];  [Monarchic Grace]

Left Hand: [Flag of the Eight Spires] | +50 strength; +50 resilience; +50 endurance; +200hp; [Hulking Titan]; [Toxin Immunity]; [Fury of the Eight Spires]

Shoes: [Lacertian Boots] | +20% movement speed; +3% dexterity; +3% resilience; +10% damage reduction

Bottom: [Lacertian Bottom] | +10% to your highest stat; +5% to your second-highest stat; +20% damage reduction; +300 hp; [Chip Slot]; [Chip Slot]

Top: [Lacertian Chest Piece] |+5% cooldown reduction; +10 to your highest stat; +10 to your weakest stat; +10% damage reduction; +500 hp; [Chip Slot]

Gloves: [Lacertian Greaves] | +2% cooldown reduction; +10% damage; +15% crit. chance; +10% damage reduction

Head: [Lacertian Helmet] | +3% to your highest stat; +2% to your second-highest stat; +1% to your third-highest stat; +5% status resistance; +100 hp

Cape: [Forest Lambswool Cape] | +1% cooldown reduction; +10 intelligence; +5 charisma; +3% running speed

ACCESSORIES

[Crown of the Molian King] |  +20 to all stats; +100 earth affinity

[Enigma Earring] | +10 wisdom; +10 charisma; +5% cooldown reduction; +50 darkness and light affinities

[Enigma Earring] | +10 wisdom; +10 charisma; +5% cooldown reduction; +50 darkness and light affinities

[Witness Protection Mask]

[Time Berlock Necklace] | +1 to all stats; +5% cooldown reduction; +5% status resistance; +50 hp

[Iron Wood Belt] | +4 intelligence; +4 wisdom; +4% damage reduction; +2% cooldown reduction

[Blue Caterpillar Ring] | +8 subterfuge; +5 intelligence

[Iron Wood Globe Ring] | +8 intelligence; +2% cooldown reduction

SKILLS:

Stat Bonuses: [Beyond the Obvious]; [Boosted Immune System]; [Bronze Skin]; [Call of the Wild]; [Chita’s Sprint]; [Explosive Might]; [Extremely Convincing]; [Extremely Enthralling]; [Fast Hands]; [Good Character]; [Good Eye Sight]; [Good Hearing]; [Inner Light]; [Intuitive]; [Iron Bones]; [Lethal]; [Love for Life]; [Nimble Feet]; [Perfect Recall]; [Perfect Timing]; [Quick Witted]; [Slower Heart Rate]; [Solid Ground]; [Speed of Light]; [Strategic Foresight]

Profession Related: [Beaming Eyes]; [Beveling]; [Bulk Discount]; [Cart Pulling]; [Convex Alignment]; [Crossed Diagonal Square Trap]; [Energy Efficiency]; [Exasperate]; [Leeway]; [Linen’s Will]; [Novice Hiring]; [Pentagonal Trap]; [Plenty of Fiber]; [Quadrangular Trap]; [Rib Stitch]; [Saddle Stitch]; [Stockinette Stitch]; [Supplier's Loyalty]; [Tailor’s Supply Bag]; [Triangular Trap]; [Vacuuming Mastery]

Passive: [Blessing of the Green Country]; [Blessing of the Lion King]; [Cobra Slither]; [Farsight]; [Flag Bearer]; [Forest Lambswool Set II]; [Horrific Glow]; [Ratan Sprint]; [Second Wind]; [Taunting Bellow]; [Toxin Immunity]; [Unsung Lullaby]

Active: [Blink Blink]; [Elemental Awakening]; [Ethereal Camouflage]; [Fury of the Eight Spires]; [Hulking Titan]; [Inspiration]; [Miniaturize]; [Mouseketeer Dash]; [Peace Decree]; [Peace Treaty]; [Sanctuary]; [Screeching Terror]; [Search]; [Shine Through]; [Solar Warmth] 

His character sheet was a pleasure to look at. When he first began playing the game about three months prior, he was the runt of the litter. High-level players had been about to break through the level 50 threshold. Since then, Roth had caught up to them and even stood out from the player base enough to get in place 17 in the rankings.

He had ten different attributes, and thanks to all the recent buffs he’d received, none of them were below the triple digits. That meant that in stat bonuses alone, he had 20 buffs active at all times. 

He hadn’t even spent the latest points he’d received from leveling up! He quickly assigned the 30 free stat points to intelligence.

“Roth, what did you do?! You just climbed one more spot in the rankings!”

“I assigned all my free stat points. We’re almost there!” Roth shouted enthusiastically. 

“Can you do anything to become stronger in a short amount of time?”

Roth’s mind raced as he thought of all his skills and what he could do. His eyes landed on his most recent pacifist-specific skill. “Yes. There is something I can do.” He then looked at the pending quests. “I think I might just be able to.”

“OK. I’m going to go beg my guild leader to leave the ranks for just a day, and you should do the same with Ogre. That removes two spots from the equation. Then, you only have to climb four more, and you’ll be out! I’ll talk to you soon!”

Roth’s heart was pounding in his chest. Could he really be close to breaking free from his prison? He had to hurry. There was only one final stretch left. If his new skill worked, and he was able to finish the quest in Sapphira, maybe, just maybe, he would finally be able to get out.

Roth grabbed the Molian flag from his inventory. It was rare, and while being a good flag, it wasn’t nearly as good as the others he already owned. He then inspected the details of his most recent peacemonger skill.

Sanctuary (Epic)

Description: By your mere presence, all aggressiveness and violence are quenched. You can create zones where no damage can be dealt.

Effects:

Channel for 30 minutes to plant a flag;

The radius of the safe zone depends on the flag’s grade.

He was now the king of the moles. No one would challenge him if he created a sanctuary here. Roth let the [Blessing of the Lion King] help him spread his voice and charisma throughout the cave to reach all the ears of the moles. 

"Moles, diggers of the mountain. Hear me!” Roth hit the iron pole of the flag on the ground, letting it echo across the cave. “I have a dream. The world outside is wrapped in conflict and war. But I’ve seen that it doesn’t have to be this way. It is possible to live in peace. I have a dream that animals and humans can live in harmony. That’s why I want to turn the Molympic Coliseum into the first sanctuary in this war-ridden world. A place with no violence or conflict. Molians, I want to make you the hosts of the most beautiful, peaceful place on the planet.”

He hit the iron pole again on the floor. “Are you with me?”

The moles erupted into cheers! Seeing that he had the blessing of his subjects, Roth activated the skill he obtained after becoming a peacemonger.

Sanctuary!

A ripple of blue energy went through the ground, and the cave began to glow.

Time left 00:29:57

Roth found that he couldn’t move while the skill channeled. He just had to stand still and hope that Zin wasn’t lurking around. He would hate for his skill to be canceled or for him to lose this flag if the assassin got to him again.

Ch. 323 - 2nd Life

INDEX

Ch. 325 - Demise