HC:Pacifist | Ch. 91 - Witness (Patreon)

"Is he inside?" asked Xana. Wilson didn't seem to be listening. He kept punching one of the many training dummies scattered outside the fortress. Players used these to try out their newly learned skills, but Wilson was using them to vent his rage. Gary didn't like seeing someone who was usually so collected losing control like this.

"Wilson! Calm down. Talk to us!" begged Gary. Wilson took a few deep breaths.

"He's inside." Gary sighed in relief. Finally, they had found the Slayer. It was a good call to leave Wilson here in the Garrison. The Slayer couldn't stay away from such a place for long. After all, he was a berserker through and through.

"Then what's gotten into you? Why are you so nervous?"

"He rattled me."

"It's OK," tried to comfort Xana. "You've been under a lot of pressure."

"You don't understand, Xana!" shouted Wilson. "He's on to us. I threatened to call Loki if he didn't leave with me, and he didn't even flinch!"

Gary gulped. How could this be? Had the beating they had given him not been enough? That crazy mindless brute. Defiant until the end.

"Calm down, Wilson. The important thing now is not to lose track of him. Get your act together, return, and pester him until he leaves the garrison. We must think of a way to convince him to reset his character. Worst case scenario, we'll think of a way to jail him in the game so he never leaves our sight again.

"Fine. I need a minute."

Gary bit his lip. He should feel some relief at finally finding the Slayer, but for him to make Wilson lose control like this unsettled him.

*

Roth was taken through the familiar route. First, he went past the dark tunnel lined with cells and prisoners. More than once, imprisoned players called Roth colorful names or just gnarled at him as if they were wild beasts. Roth imagined they felt tedious, and having a player they could insult without consequences alleviated some of their boredom.

Coming to the other side of the tunnel, he saw the familiar sleek black leather uniforms of the Peace Corps and was taken upstairs and into peacekeeper Jack's office. Everything was as he remembered. Papers were lined orderly on the desk where the black-uniformed peacekeeper sat. He still had the same dignified mustache, and seeing Roth's arrival, he dismissed the soldier that brought him.

As soon as the guard stepped out of the door, he opened the drawer and pulled out the familiar metal sphere. After he activated it, a cube of light enveloped them both.

You have entered Peacekeeper Jack's Silence Cube. No sound can come in or go out.

"Martyr, I worried that the mafia had gotten to you. It's been many days since I last heard from you." The man spoke in hushed urgent tunes, which made Roth worry that this cube didn't work properly. The peacekeeper stood up and came around the desk to shorten the distance between the two. He put a hand on Roth's shoulders and looked him in the eye.

"Are you OK?"

Even though the man's concern seemed genuine, Roth knew this was a programmed dialogue. Even so, he couldn't help but let a tear roll down his face. It wasn't being chased by the Gazpachos that bothered him, but running into Wilson. The hatred in his former friend's eyes had scared him.

"There, there. Here, have a tissue." Offered the peacekeeper.

Roth wiped away his tears. This is what he had worked for. After today, he'd enter the witness protection program and would be able to hide himself from his squad.

"Sir, I managed to infiltrate one of the Gazpachos' hideouts. I've found that they have several officials on their payroll. They are paying a man called Ethos to cover their tracks."

"Ethos? Are you sure that's the name you found?"

"Yes, sir. I broke into a safe in the underboss' office and found multiple mentions of him. Why?"

Jack was pacing back and forth.

"Ethos! That's why they're always one step ahead of the force."

"Sir, I don't follow."

"Ethos is my superior officer! The bastard! I knew it. Those cursed Gazpachos. They have put their dirty paws on the peacekeepers. No wonder their villainy has gone unpunished for so long!”

Jack went back to his desk and opened one of the drawers. He pulled out a mask. It looked like it was made of white silicone, and a chip was embedded. He went back to Roth and handed it to him.

You've completed [Revenge Served Cold].

Progression Rate: A.

You have found evidence that one of the peacekeepers has been helping the Gazpacho Family from the shadows. You have also secured the testimony of Soros, the Merchant. This is a severe blow to the family.

Quest rewards: 500,000XP(+50,000XP); 1 gold; +100 reputation with the Peace Corps; +300 reputation with Golden Mountain Inc; +20 Righteousness; -1000 reputation with the Gazpachos.

Bonus rewards: [Witness Protection Mask].

The Gazpachos hate you. Beware.

[Level up!]

You're now friends with the Peace Corps.

Another level! Roth couldn't wait to unlock his class to make these level-ups count. He had gained 20 more righteousness and unlocked the first relationship level with the peace corps. To be able to become friends with them in one single bout was fantastic. And Roth was only managing this even after completing a quest he got after using his fox form. How difficult must it be to have a deep relationship with this organization?

On the other hand, it seemed that things weren't going so well with the Gazpachos. They now hated him. He was surprised that even after reaching [Hated] status with the Gazpachos, he still hadn't unlocked any titles. Maybe the game only rewarded positive relationships with NPCs. It also seemed that life would get progressively trickier as the game progressed. By befriending one faction, he would become enemies with another. It all sounded like a massive headache, but Roth couldn't care less about the Gazpachos. After this quest, they were about to be dealt a significant blow.

Jack spun the sphere in his hand and pushed the button on it. The light cube was dispelled. "This is no longer necessary. It's time to make our move. Come with me. We need to bring this up to a magister.” Jack was a man on a mission, marching purposefully out of the door and through the bullpen.

While Roth let the quest outcome play out, he looked at the item he had worked so hard for.

Witness Protection Mask (Special)

Item description: The mask is made of a polymer that can change forms if activated with an electric current.

Item effects: 

Disguises your identity;

The more significant the difference in righteousness, the more effective your disguise.

Even though Roth was about to do something serious, he couldn't take the silly smile off his lips. What a relief to finally have this item. It was a downside that it took an accessory slot, but even so, whenever he would come to the city, he could swap accessories, and voilá! He was safe.

Roth reread the item's effect. The more significant the difference in righteousness, the more effective your disguise. If he had to guess, his former teammates were all of the evil alignment. In fact, from what he had read on the forums, most players belonged to that category. That meant that he probably had an extra layer of safety. He just hoped that the disguise would hold against the scrutiny of his former friends.

Roth followed Peacekeeper Jack as he walked down the stairs until they reached another tunnel. For a moment, Roth was confused. He was sure the tunnel leading to the garrison was the other way. After the peacekeeper standing guard by the entrance to the tunnel saluted and they entered the well-lit tunnel, Roth realized this was a different tunnel. There were no cells, and it wasn't dark and moist. Eventually, they reached the other end of the tunnel.

They were now in the basement of a building Roth had never been to. They walked upstairs, arriving in a vast hall with marble floors and ornamented stone sculptures depicting old scholars and stern-faced officials. All around him, Roth saw people walk around in long black robes and big prominent hats with a dignified and righteous look. This looked like a court!

Apart from the many clerks and black-robed officials walking to and fro, peacekeepers and soldiers could be seen everywhere. Jack cleared his throat a few meters away, looking at Roth impatiently. Roth had gotten so distracted with this new place that he'd forgotten to follow his guide.

"I'm sorry. It's my first time here."

"How do you like the justice palace? Impressive, isn't it?"

"It is. What purpose does this place have?" Jack paused momentarily, measuring how long it would take to reach their destination and comparing it with how long the explanation would take. It seemed there was still enough time.

"The peacekeepers maintain order with the inhabitants of the city. The garrison protects the city from outside threats. The palace is the glue that binds us all together. They draft the laws that rule the city. The magisters are the most powerful people in the city."

"How powerful are they?" tried Roth. These magisters seemed to be interesting people.

"Many years ago, in one of the cities of Green Country, a garrison general tried to stage a coup. He claimed that the fortress of the garrison should be made into a glorious palace to rule all in the land. Most soldiers sided with him. Three city magisters were sent to quell the rebellion."

"Did they succeed?" Facing a whole garrison of soldiers seemed inevitable death, even if these NPCs were this powerful.

"Yes. They cleaned the place up in less than a minute. The rebellious general never stood a chance." Roth gulped. How freakishly powerful were these magisters? "Even if one of the law enforcement agencies were to go corrupt beyond saving, the magisters would still be powerful enough to uproot them completely."

"What if one of the magisters goes corrupt?"

"There are always at least five of them. They keep each other in check. If push came to shove, the peace corps and the garrison would assist the righteous magisters." Roth didn't sound convinced. This sounded like the background for many quests and possible rebellions. Whatever the case, they were about to meet a mighty NPC.

*

"Nooooooooo!" screamed Gary as he kept stabbing the training dummies again and again and again. Gary didn't miss Wilson's terrified expression. He probably thought Gary was attacking the dummy while imagining he was attacking Wilson. He wasn't wrong.

"How is this possible, Wilson? How is he gone?" asked Xana from the side.

"I don't know! I've looked everywhere inside the fortress."

"The Slayer keeps slipping through our fingers."

"What if...?" Xana started.

"Yes, Xana?" asked Gary as if he was a thirsty man in the desert being offered a cool glass of water.

"What if he intentionally attacked one of the guards to be thrown into jail?" Gary stopped. That approach had 'Slayer' written all over it.

"Yes. Yes. That makes sense. He attacked a guard and was thrown into the dungeon. No wonder I couldn’t find him," said Wilson.

Gary weighed Xana's suggestion. There were many explanations for what had happened. The Slayer had a more powerful item than they anticipated, which could disguise his identity from them. That didn't seem very likely, though, especially after the precautions they had taken to increase their insight.

Another possibility was that the Slayer had found a secret entrance to the garrison.

"Wilson, are there any secret entrances to the garrison?"

"Not to my knowledge." That didn't rule it out. Finally, there was Xana's suggestion. He'd been thrown into jail. There was only one way to find out.

"Wilson, go start a fight with someone right before a guard."

"Why would I do that?" Asked Wilson, befuddled. After a few seconds, he realized what Gary was getting at. He slumped his shoulders, grabbed his halberd, and took off running toward the nearest player he could find.

"That was smart, Slayer, but you can't keep running away from us forever!"

Ch. 90 - Chased

INDEX

Ch. 92 - Ethos