HC:Pacifist | Ch. 20 - Plan B (Patreon)

Loki had once again summoned the IronIre squad. Every time he had to meet this monster, Gary couldn't stop his knee from trembling or his teeth from clattering. He kept a bottle of powerful anxiety medication hidden in their gaming room so that he could go through these encounters. This time it was worse. He wanted to go to the bathroom and vomit. Gary tried his best not to show how scared he was, though. His life depended on him keeping his cool. The squad had spent the last few days searching high and low for the Slayer but found no signs of him. One time, one of them found a post in the forums talking about a crazy guy who attacked anyone he saw as if he were a rabid dog. That matched the Slayer's description. When they tracked the said player down and saw his avatar, they immediately discarded him. The avatar was too different from Roth's actual appearance.

After all, in AstroTerra, players' avatars could only be, at most, 10% or less different from someone's real-life appearance. This reduced the risk of players being catfished or scammed. Cybercrime had become so widespread over the years that, according to statistics, 90% of crimes were committed online. Beatcops were a dying breed. Most police officers spent their days patrolling games in front of a screen or inside a pod, hunting for cybercriminals.

Keeping avatars' appearances similar to the real person's was one of the safety measures that ensured that you could always identify someone's approximate age, size, build, and gender. That went a long way toward helping authorities track down offenders. When Gary saw the reputed rabid berserker, ´he immediately realized it couldn't be the Slayer. The man was way too small and thin. There had been other false leads, but in the end, the bottom line was that Roth's tracks had gone cold.

Gary organized his colleagues into two groups. He sent the boys on patrol inside the beginner area. They were to scan the area with their observation skills. Observation skills augmented one's senses and allowed one to gain more information on monsters and players. Gary and Brian, for example, both had the [Lock On] skill. Wilson had the [Sixth Sense] skill. None of the skills were particularly rare, but they were still extremely useful. Even if Roth was hiding in the middle of a crowd, if he had chosen not to make his name public, or if he was fully clad in new gear that covered his features, they could find him with the help of these skills. Observation and counter-observation skills and items were a must from level 30 onward.

The girls also had observation skills, but Gary thought it would be better to try a two-pronged approach to finding the Slayer. While the three guys were scouring the map, Shirley and Xana tried the forums or asking players. The girls had searched every village in Green Country and asked other players about someone matching the Slayer's description with no success. Gary had thought that sending the two girls to talk to players would elicit the most results. Even so, no one remembered hunting with a player matching Roth's description or an avatar called Pax.

In AstroTerra, the only way to learn someone's name was for the player to tell you, for you to trade with them, to play in the same party as them, or if they attacked you. Another option was if a player wanted his avatar's name publicly displayed. Most people didn't, though. Many scammers and catfishers played a variant of a con in which they sent a private message to someone as if they knew them. Malicious players also kept an eye out for players who seemed to pick up valuable loot in hopes of hunting them later and hopefully getting the precious drop. Knowing an avatar's name could significantly affect the outcome of some situations in the game. Therefore, a game of cat and mouse became increasingly complex as more advanced players unlocked observation skills to access other players' information. In contrast, other players had counter-espionage skills to prevent observation skills from working.

Knowing this and presuming that the Slayer still had the same avatar, Gary had hoped that the Slayer would have joined some other parties of beginners and left a trail for them to follow. Hunting in a group was the fastest way to get to level 10. Sadly, no one had any information to share with him. Roth had vanished into thin air. Gary couldn't wrap his head around how the Slayer had disappeared into thin air. He was one of the loudest and most troublesome bastards he knew. Wherever he went, there was a huge ruckus and people fighting. Was he getting help from someone?

After several days, they received a message from Loki inquiring about the footage he had requested. Getting such a message from Loki was the equivalent of having a gun pointed at their heads. This left Gary in quite a predicament. It was time to give up on finding Roth and go with plan B. There was also a plan C, but only he, Xana, and Wilson knew it. For it to work, things had to be kept like this until Gary showed his hand. He would use it if things went south in this meeting today. But to be sure, he had already made arrangements to activate it if things came down to it. One of the preparations was the choice of their representative for this meeting. Taking the lead in talking to Loki today was not Gary, but Shirley.

Shirley had been the most adamant complainer and critic of Gary's leadership. She fought him over each minor decision and kept pushing his buttons. She was thrilled when Gary suggested that Shirley take the lead in the conversation with Loki today. She had seen an opportunity to prove herself before their employer. Her happiness showed through, and the power shift suggested by it didn't go unnoticed by Loki's insightful, insidious eyes that studied the group and the footage they had brought him. Gary, sweating profusely, was grateful that he had thought of letting Shirley do the talking today. He was too nervous about the outcome of the little show they had put together for Loki.

"Ah, that's what I am talking about," said Loki, pleased. "Look at his hateful eyes, filled with pain and regret. How did you convince him to turn on the pained facial expression again?"

Shirley was more than happy to respond. "I told him I wouldn't stop hurting him until he did." As an afterthought, she added, "I might have suggested that his mother would break a few bones if he didn't," she said.

"Brilliant, brilliant." Loki again spared a look at Gary, who was standing passively to the side. He knew something was going on.

"Very well! How many times did he die this time?"

"100 times, sir," declared Shirley proudly.

"I will have the money transferred to you." Good, sighed Gary. He wouldn't have to resort to Plan C. Things had gone well, and Loki seemed appeased after seeing the actor that they had hired to play Roth play his part. It hadn't been easy to find someone with such a massive build and similar-looking features and carefully readjust the avatar's features so that Loki's inspection could be fooled. The biggest challenge had been finding someone who didn't play the game. After all, most people did. Brian ended up finding a guy who was willing to reset his AstroTerra account for 500 grand.

"Sir, if you're ever in the mood for more footage of that vermin, we're glad to assist." No! Screamed Gary in his mind. Why? We're treading on very thin ice here. Why did this dumb girl have to be so greedy? He told her repeatedly not to do this. Couldn't she see what would happen if Loki gave this a closer look? Gary cursed and screamed in his mind at Shirley's incompetence.

"Hmmm. I'm in the mood for something different now that you mention it. I thought of letting him stew for a month, but I'm having too much fun." Shirley smiled dreamily, thinking about the extra money entering her account.

"This time, I want you to make him beg on his knees for forgiveness. I want you to record that proud bastard saying everything he's done to me. Then I want him to think of at least a hundred creative compliments. Tell him he will be hunted a thousand more times if I'm not happy with one of them."

"Excellent, sir. Consider it done. We will get right onto it." The fool, thought Gary. Doesn't she realize the danger she has put herself in? It was already a lot of effort to make that guy resemble Roth's avatar. But all he had to do was squirm and pretend to be in pain. It was easy to fake it. No one has ever seen the Slayer do that. But to make him speak and talk as much as Loki wants him to is too much to fake. He will know something is wrong. Gary spared a look at Shirley and at Brian. He hated what he was about to do, especially to Brian, but he had to make a choice. Shirley had forced his hand. It was the two of them or the five of them. He had no choice but to go with plan C.

"Sir," interrupted Gary. "I would like to have a word with you in private." The crew looked at Gary, surprised. Xana and Wilson exchanged looks, knowing where this was going. Xana fought the urge to tear up. Wilson, the one with the best poker face in the group, managed to keep it together. Shirley and Brian were the only ones completely thrown off by Gary's words. Shirley's eyes became suspicious. She didn't like that Gary wanted to talk to the boss alone after she had just displayed such authority over the group. This undermined her. What did Gary wish to say to him anyway?

"Anything wrong, Gary?" confronted Shirley.

"No, of course not. I've just been thinking that you have been doing such a better job than me, so I wanted to make things official with Loki. From now on, you will be the captain of IronIre. Some paperwork needs to be discussed and signed. That's all."

Feeling her ego stroked, Shirley's face softened. "Ok, then." Brian stared hard at Gary from the side. He was the quietest of the group, but he wasn't stupid. As Brian's eyes and Gary's met, Brian saw the guilt in his captain's eyes. Brian's shoulders slumped, realizing what Gary was about to do. His blood froze, and his face went pale. He began walking closer toward the door. Gary realized he would make a run for it. The least he could do was try to buy him some time. Let Loki figure out where the breadcrumbs Gary had scattered lead.

"Very well," said Loki. "You lot can go."

"Shirley, wait by the door. In case we need you to sign some paperwork," said Gary without looking back. The crew left. Brian did so more swiftly than all others.

"Very well, Gary, what do you want to talk to me about?" asked Loki sarcastically. "We both know that I couldn't care less about the little squabbles inside your team. What do you want to tell me without the others hearing?"

"Sir, I think that Shirley has betrayed us."

Ch. 19 - The Full Tour

INDEX

Ch. 21 - Under the Bus