HC:Pacifist | Ch. 31 - That's It? (Patreon)

In Roth's opinion, the main reason for AVR to be so successful and popular was not the fantastic graphics, the fictional worlds, or the many adventures it offered. The crucial ingredient behind the industry's success was that it was possible to play a game while sleeping. That had been the most remarkable breakthrough in the industry.

Before, players would have to log out to get some rest. One had to choose between attending school and working or getting sufficient time in the game to make significant progress. After the breakthrough in AVR technology that allowed players to rest well inside the pod, a new world had been opened to mankind. Suddenly, the time one had to enjoy was expanded by 30%.

People started using the added hours to get more work done, better prepare for an exam, or catch up with friends while their children were asleep. Many who had no interest in gaming ran to buy their AVR interfaces once they realized the benefits. It caused no discomfort or side effects. One was as fresh and alert as if they had had a good night's sleep.

The council of badgers kept going until the break of dawn. Roth didn't feel it was odd to spend the night listening to poetry. He had never read much of it, but he had to admit that there was something special about making words rhyme. It was as if, by trying to make the words rhyme, poets could make the thoughts and emotions within reverberate more strongly.

In the middle of a charming poem about a river that dried up, he got a notification that he hadn't heard since Aramis, the Mouseketeer, gave him the full tour of the Throne Room.

Your appreciation for poetry expands your intellect. +1 to intelligence.

Your appreciation for poetry expands your intellect. +1 to intelligence.

He got two extra intelligence points from coming here to listen to the badgers! He was so happy! Poetry was a form of art, so listening to it had benefits. He would try to visit the Council of Badgers as much as possible while in the woods. Perhaps he could gain some extra stats or even find a hidden achievement by doing so.

Happily leaving the badger fields, Roth hastened toward the tree where the tablet for entering the Raven's Nest dungeon was located. Ignoring the many players preparing to go on a dungeon run, he entered and was teleported to the tree canopy again.

He was on the verge of taking the next step in his relationship with the ravens. If everything went well today, he could get another trade agreement. He was starting to itch toward completing these trade quests and getting that XP and rewards rolling. He wasn't sure of the rewards, but they had to be good. He tried to keep his thirst for character progression in check. So far, being patient had paid off, so he would continue to do that.

Once again, Roth ran throughout the dungeon, inviting all the crows to come and listen to another tricky riddle. This time, it was a much more straightforward endeavor since he was friends with them now.

Taunting shout!

"Croak, croak, difficult riddle, squawk, squawk."

A wave of excitement and buzz ran through the nests, and more and more ravens came flying. By pairing what he knew of the Corvish language with the [Taunting Shout], his Corvid friends readily heeded his summons. The fact that ravens could fly up and listen perched on the many branches of the canopy allowed all of them to have a good view of Roth as he prepared one more difficult riddle. Had they built a theater, they wouldn't have had a better view.

Finally, the Great Raven arrived to listen to what the human had to say today. Roth looked at the comments from the forums. He had used all of his repertoire of riddles the day before, but fortunately, his friends in the forums hadn't failed him. This GrandpaBill110 guy was on fire! He kept posting riddle after riddle. Didn't he have anything better to do?

Roth started with the riddle, which hopefully would help him unlock a new relationship status with the ravens while allowing him to progress in the language.

"A father told his three sons he would die soon, and he needed to decide which one of them to give his property to. He said, 'Go to the market and buy something large enough to fill my bedroom but small enough to fit in your pocket. From this, I will decide which of you is the wisest and worthy enough to inherit my land.' They all went to the market, and each returned with a different item.

The father told his sons to come into his bedroom one at a time and try to fill it up with their items. The first son came in and put some pieces of cloth he bought across the room, but it barely covered the floor.

The second son came in and laid some hay on the floor, but there was only enough to cover half the floor.

The third son came in and showed his father what he bought. He wound up getting the property. What did the third son show his father?"

When Roth read this one, he had no idea of the answer. The best riddles were the ones that seemed impossibly tricky yet were ridiculously simple once you knew the solution.

The ravens started discussing possible solutions to the riddle.

"Could it be a croak, croak?"

"No! It has to be a caw, croak."

"What about squawk, caw, croak?"

As they all kept talking and discussing at length, the progression bar of the language kept rapidly increasing.

Progress in learning Corvish: 89%... 91%... 94%... 99%...

After a few minutes of hearing the ravens discuss the riddle, Roth got the hoped-for message.

Congratulations!  You are now fluent in Corvish.

+100 reputation with all Corvids

You are now esteemed by all Corvids.

"We give up, human. What did the third son show?"

"A box of matches. Whenever he lit a match, it filled the room with light."

+85 reputation with all Corvids

You can easily entertain a crowd. +1 charisma

There was no better feeling than getting a string of cascading notifications like this. In one go, he unlocked several rewards. The Great Raven interrupted Roth's happiness with some good news.

"Human, you have to meet the count. He will surely appreciate your riddles."

You've been offered a new quest, [Audience with the Crow Count].

New Quest: Audience with the Crow Count (Rare)

Somewhere within these nests is the office where the Crow Count stays most of the time. He would be glad to receive your visit and discuss a business proposition that might interest you.

Mission Objective: Meet the Crow Count

Rewards: Unknown

Would you like to accept? [Y/N]

"It would be my honor to accept it. Where can I find him?"

The crows all exchanged wicked looks. Roth didn't like where this was going.

"Answer these riddles, human, and you will find our count, said the Great Raven:

After a devastating fire, which trees remain in the forest more than any other type?

What tree may be made of stone?

I’m the part of a tree not in the sky or under the ground. I can move throughout the day and change shape. What am I?"

What time of day is the same forward, backward, and upside down?"

The ravens had decided it was time to give the human a taste of his own medicine. He was the one having to answer to them now.

The ravens all started laughing. Roth guessed that these wouldn't be easy riddles to solve. He decided to take the easy way out of this trap. He went to the forums, found his post where he asked for riddles, and posted all four. He was sure someone out there would know the answers to these.

*

Since Gary had thrown Shirley and Brian under the bus, he had entered the game and hadn't left. Maybe it was because here he felt that he was a different person than the one who had betrayed his friends. Here, his friends weren't dead. They had just logged out.

Wilson and Xana had been keeping away too. They knew that it could have just as easily been them who were betrayed. This episode had broken whatever bonds had survived the many hardships they had weathered.

Still, the three agreed on one thing. The one thing they couldn't risk was Pax's old avatar resurfacing. They would be dead if Loki learned they had lied to him. The only thing that could prove them liars would be for Roth to stroll in with the Pax avatar.

They had convinced Loki that that avatar had been used only by an actor in an attempt to fool them. If that came apart, the whole story came apart. Gary was camped in one middle-grade town, in the middle of the main square, trying to see if he could find Roth anywhere.

While he waited, he found four more exciting riddles. Hmmm. Interesting, but not that hard, he thought. He posted the answers.

*

In the meantime, since he had this audience gathered, Roth decided to try his luck and see if the crows knew anything about the burglar who had stolen from the mice and foxes.

"I have one last riddle for you all:

Its stride is gentle, feline, and light.

It sees well in daylight but even better at night.

It runs and walks without making a sound.

And if it wants to hide, it can't be found.

Many are the spoils within its wealthy cove.

It could rival even a dragon's treasure trove.

It steals for fun, not out of malice or greed.

It knows no failure because it will always succeed.

Is it real? Is it a myth? Is it true? Or is it just a fable?

Find the burglar; find the thief. Find him if you are able.

Who is it?"

The ravens looked at each other and then at Roth. "That's it?"

Roth looked confused. "Yes."

"That sounds like it's describing Oli, the cat."

"Oli?"

"Oh yes. It is an old cat that lives somewhere in the woods. It's tough to spot him. Ravens sometimes see him because we have an aerial view of the woods."

[Tapestry Heist] changed to [Cat Burglar].

It turns out that the burglar is a cat named Oli who lives in these woods. You feel stupid and useless. How did you not see it was a cat burglar all along? It was so obvious. Burglar... cat burglar... duh? (Ouch, thought Roth. It was the first time the game was so blatantly offensive to him.) Although you already know the burglar's identity, you still have no clues about its location. You only know that Oli likes to hide somewhere in the woods.

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

Quest rewards: Unknown

"How do you know him so well?"

"We share a love for pretty things. He has stolen some from under our beaks, but we have also stolen some back from him. Since it stole one treasure that our count particularly loved, it's been hiding somewhere we can't find."

"Oh..." sighed Roth in disappointment. He had hoped he could gain some clues as to Oli's hideout. It seems that it wasn't that simple.

Roth checked the forums and happily saw that GrandpaBill110 had answered his riddle.

Ch. 30 - It Can Hear?

INDEX

Ch. 32 - Count Crow