HC:Pacifist | Ch. 69 - Roth's Account (Patreon)

"So it all started the day I left prison. I hoped I could start fresh, as we discussed many times. The plan was to settle in with my mother for a few weeks, then find an apartment and maybe even start a business. I wanted to create a company to get you and some other guys from the Rageaholics to work with me. I thought it would be a nice way of helping everyone find their bearings once they left the joint." Drake gave him a grateful smile as if thanking him for thinking of his well-being. Roth continued.

"As soon as I left prison, I was surprised to find one of my former teammates waiting for me. His name is Wilson. We used to play together." Roth didn't bother discussing his time in New Earth or IronIre. He had already told Drake many times about his past and what led to his arrest. "When I first saw him, I was surprised. It was completely unexpected. In hindsight, I should have been more suspicious that he'd be willing to pick me up from jail after what I did to him."

"But then, he told me my mother didn't want to see me anymore. That completely demolished me. I felt like glass shattering into a million pieces. From that point on, I wasn't thinking clearly. When he brought me to an apartment in one of the old construction projects on the outskirts of town, I didn't think twice about it.

He then told me how he had set everything up so that I could get my life back on track by playing a new game that had come out. I hesitated initially to try the game or enter the gaming capsule he had prepared. Dr. Hilstone always told us to avoid any triggers that could lead to relapse. Gaming is a trigger for me. After all that happened, I didn't want to get pulled into violence anymore.

Despite my reluctance, he insisted and guilt-tripped me into entering the capsule. I wasn't thinking, so I got in. Soon as I entered the game, my former teammates surrounded me. I found my game settings were locked. I couldn't log out. Brian was there, as were Gary, Shirley, Wilson, and Zana. They tortured me, Drake." Roth felt his throat close and his voice choked.

"My friends, they tortured me." Drake had a tear in his eye as well. "They then said that Loki had put them up to this. They told me that the only way for me to get out was to get to the top 10, and if I didn't hurry, they would go after my family.

Anyway, as soon as they left me, I thought my account would be crippled..." Roth tried to recall if Drake had any experience with gaming. "Drake, do you know what happens when a character dies in this game?"

"I've got no idea, Lil' Roth," he said, shrugging.

"If you die, you lose stats. You become weaker. You have to pay a bucketload of money to get rid of this bad effect."

"I see."

"I died so many times that I thought my account was crippled. But I discovered this hidden achievement in the game. If you die a thousand times with your pain settings on without retaliating, you get this broken title that nullifies any death penalties." Roth could see that his friend didn't follow the gaming jargon. "I discovered my account wasn't crippled." Drake signaled his understanding. It was so weird to talk to someone who didn't have any gaming experience.

"I tried a couple of times to ask for a game manager's help. They are like company staff that help you when your game has problems. They locked me out of it too, but I worked my way around it by asking other players to call them for me. Whenever I try to do it, they claim that in my account, it says I have a mental disability which completely undermines me."

"And one of the people who helped you was this so-called Sgt. Jazzinald."

"Precisely."

"That explains why he asked your mother about whether you had some mental disability."

"I wasn't sure if he had sent the letter, but I'm glad he did. While I was waiting for a response to the letter, left with no choice, I've been trying to play the game and make the most of it.

For a time, I thought that I wouldn't be able to play this game. I didn't want to fight anyone. So I've just been playing it my way. I've been building relationships with different factions, and I'm now a merchant of sorts. I got to level 10 recently, and as I was about to teleport to one of the mid-grade cities, I bumped into Gary. I came here and I've been hiding in the sewers ever since."

Roth let out a sigh. Being able to talk about this felt good. He hadn't realized that the isolation was taking a toll on him. He studied Drake's facial expressions. It looked like he was trying to pair what Roth told him with what he knew. After being quiet for almost a full minute, he finally spoke again.

"Roth, you did well. You kept it together, and as your sponsor, I also want to commend you for sticking to your guns. You didn't retaliate and kept your anger in check. If you hadn't, your account would be crippled and your situation much worse. I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks, Drake." The compliment brought him a little spark of joy in his weary heart. "Now, what's the plan?"

"First, let's assess our situation. Let's start with Loki's advantages over us. He has people in the police, the prison, and the company that made this game. He also has tremendous wealth and influence. He has assassins, spies, and whatever else you can think of under his pay grade."

"He's also the owner of one of the most powerful guilds in the game," Roth added.

"How powerful?"

"He's number 10 in the rankings," Drake smiled at the mention of this. Roth didn't understand why.

"Our greatest weapons are that Loki doesn't know I'm here. He also doesn't know where you are inside the game. He doesn't know that Gary and the others have betrayed him. For some reason, he hasn't killed you or your family. That shows that he isn't thinking logically about this. You're his plaything. Something he wants to toy around with when he's bored or frustrated." Roth gulped at the cold description.

"Don't look like that, lil' Roth. That's good for us. If he were serious about getting rid of you all, you'd all be dead already. This way, we have some wiggle room. Finally, we have Brian and know where your real body is." At the mention of this, Roth perked up.

"Do you already know where I am? Then you can come to rescue me!"

"No. Not yet!"

"But..."

"Look, I know you must be scared and that you want to get out of there right away. But before we do that, we have to find somewhere safe to go, a safe haven. Here is the plan..."

*

Roth hopped back and forth inside the alligator's lab, looking at the clock again. He should be here any minute now.

"Are you a kangaroo or something?" The cyborg alligator was busily welding the shielding of one of his drones and seemed slightly annoyed by Roth's relentless jumping.

"I'm just doing exercise!"

"That's what I like about Cyborgs," said Mario, "no need to exercise. We can upgrade."

Now that Mario was up and about, Roth wished he could gain a Mario form or something. The cyborg was way too cool. The way his hard scales blended seamlessly with the silvery metal of his robotic arm was fantastic.

"Are you sure it's OK that I told my friend about your lab?"

"I don't mind it, but remember, if he attacks me, you and I are in trouble." Different drones descended from the ceiling letting little red lights know Roth how easily they could blast him into oblivion.

"Don't worry. My friend is a good person. I can guarantee you that he won't do you any harm." Roth kept jumping and hopping toward the whole conversation. He could jump longer without taking a break since he unlocked the [Triathlete] title. After a few minutes, he jumped so high that he hit his head against the ceiling, prodding a peal of laughter out of the cyborg.

With an aching head, Roth stared at the cyborg accusingly. He was working with his back toward him but had still spotted him by using one of the cameras connected to his cybernetic implants.

"I didn't know you had a sense of humor?"

"I'm only half-machine. Besides, even my drones are laughing at your silliness. Humans are so stupid..." Before Roth found a pipe or a tool he could throw at Mario; he saw the reason for the higher-than-normal jump. He finally got the notification he was hoping for.

You've unlocked a new title [Jumper]

Title description: Through unwavering dedication and rigorous training, you've succeeded on a transformative journey to conquer gravity.

Title effects: Jump 20% higher.

- Jump 1.000 times in one day {complete}

- or jump 100.000 times.

With this, Roth had unlocked his fourth sport-related title. Being able to jump 20% higher than average was nothing to scoff at. Thanks to it, he could escape dangerous situations or reach inaccessible places. The only regret Roth had was that none of these titles awarded him any stats. Still, it was already good enough that he gained an average of +5 stats with each activity.

While jumping, Roth had gained +3 dexterity, +1 strength, and +1 endurance. Because of being a Zoomorph, any stats were a priceless treasure to him that could help him achieve more important things. Besides, as a broker, he would never have enough strength to help him carry more weight.

With the added point to strength, Roth had finally unlocked the first stat bonus for strength. It wasn't particularly useful to him but was better than nothing.

Your strength has exceeded 50

You have unlocked [Healthy Bones]

Healthy Bones (Stat Bonus)

Bonus description: Your bones have become thicker and heavier by constantly doing exercise.

Bonus effects: +20Hp

Roth looked at the elevators. Still nothing. He decided to check his stats in hopes that time would pass just a little bit faster.

CHARACTER INFORMATION

Name: Pax

Race: Zoomorph

Profession(s): [Broker Lvl. 8]

Level: 14

Affinity: [Empty]

Alignment: Good (120/300)

Relationships:  Badgers (1193/3000); Boars (1144/3000); Cyborg Union (300/1000);  Dogs (102/300); Dwarf Exiles (105/300); Foxes (1184/3000); Golden Mountain Inc. (365/1000); Greenleaf Inc. (332/1000); Corvids (1206/1000); Ratans (2123/3000); Snakes (213/300) Treeants (400/1000)

Titles: [Alpinist]; [Art Enthusiast]; [Discoverer of Species]; [Explorer]; [First of the Kind]; [Jumper]; [Martyr]; [Marathonist]; [Overachiever]; [Pioneer]; [Polyglot]; [Revered]; [Richling]; [Triathlete].

STATS (45 Free Stat Points)

Hp:226

Energy:145

Damage Reduction: 40.6%

Status Resistance: 1%

Cooldown Reduction: 10%

Running Speed: 145.8%

Weight: [Light] - (14,7/74,5Kg)

Strength: 50

Dexterity: 36

Intelligence: 28 (+1%)

Wisdom: 31

Endurance: 227

Charisma: 53 (+5%)

Resilience: 5

EQUIPMENT

Right Hand:[Empty]

Left hand: [Tin Ring]

Shoes: [Crappy Shoes]

Bottom: [Woodland Trousers]

Top: [Woodland Jacket]

Gloves: [Empty]

Head: [Woodland Hood]

Cape: [Errand Cloak]

Accessories: [Crow Feather Earring]; [Cybernetic Scanner]; [Crow Feather Necklace]

SKILLS:

Stat Bonuses: [Stone Skin]; [Horse’s Gallop]; [Kind-hearted]; [Healthy Bones]

Profession Related: [Discount]; [Porter]; [Supplier's Fortune]

Passive: [Empty]

Active: [Grapple]; [Healing Ray]; [Search] [Shepherd’s Shout]; [Taunting Shout];

One of the elevators was activated, and the platform climbed to receive the person who had used the door. Finally! He was here!

Ch. 68 - Reunited

INDEX

Ch. 70 - The Baldwins