HC:Pacifist | Ch. 94 - Maximus Secundus (Patreon)

"Sorry if I startled you. I can see you have another race." Gary was clad in the same gear as the first time they met inside the game. Roth didn't recognize the daggers, though. They seemed less shiny and ornamented than the ones he'd used many times to stab him when they tortured him. This was too much for Roth's heart to take. He was going through an emotional rollercoaster today.

First, he was chased by the Gazpachos. Then he bumped into Wilson. He got a class and now was bumping into Gary. Why couldn't he just have a normal life? Why didn't people leave him alone? All these thoughts rushed into Roth's mind leaving him speechless and stuttering. He was caught completely off guard.

“H-How…” Roth realized that Gary had not recognized him. Gary knew Roth well. Forced to think on his feet, he decided to imitate one of his old cellmates. "How come you checking me out, man?"

Gary gestured toward Roth's face. "Come on. It's obvious. What are you? Some kind of fox man?"

"What you want?"

"Our guild is always looking for information on races and classes. If you want to make some money, we can make a generous offer for information on how you got this race."

"Is tha' so? I will give it a think."

"Honestly, my boss has been giving me a hard time lately. If you would be willing to share what you know, it would go a long way to get me in his good graces again."

"Right. I'll get back to you."

"Thank you." Gary's eyes glowed red for a few seconds. Oh no! Oh no! He's using an observation skill on me. I'm doomed. I'm doomed. "See you later, GoldenSnail."

Roth turned around and kept walking. His whole back was swamped with sweat, and little jolts of electricity ran through his body. Roth forced himself to keep walking calmly. As he spoke to Gary, it had been an inhumane effort to keep his cool despite the fear he felt. But the mask had worked, and Gary had not seen through his disguise.

*

Gary followed GoldenSnail with his gaze. When he used his ‘X-Ray Eyes’ skill, he could see that the player had a race he'd never seen before. He was a zoomorph.

On the one hand, he wouldn’t have liked anything better than to beat the secret out of this noob, but guild rules were strict. He should never mistreat someone with a hidden class or race. Experience had shown that players with this kind of secret responded better to the carrot than the stick. If he could get this player to voluntarily give information on their race, it might be a good bargaining chip to escape Loki’s rage.

Gary summoned his mount, a dark horse, and went for a ride in the area around the auction house. He had left Wilson in the fortress, and Xana was patrolling, with her drones, the entrance to the peacekeepers. Gary couldn't sit still any longer. Too many times the Slayer had slipped through his fingers. He still wasn't sure what Loki knew or didn't know, but he couldn't let any of his guildmates find the Slayer before IronIre did.

*

The walk from the square to the auction house was one of Roth's most difficult journeys in the game. On the one hand, it took every fiber of his being to resist looking back and checking if Gary was still looking at him. It also took incredible restraint to stop himself from rushing at full speed toward the nearest drain to the sewers.

After climbing the never-ending steps that led up to the auction house, Roth entered and finally allowed himself to look back. He waited a few moments and finally collapsed on the ground, panting and sweating. Gary hadn't followed him. Roth just stood there on the auction house floor for a few long moments. This encounter had squeezed out every drop of his energy.

His instincts screamed at him to run, to leave it all behind, but he held it in. His disguise had worked. He was safe, at least for now. What he had to do now was to finish what he had come for. He had a lot of things to do in the auction house and had been postponing this errand for too long.

He first went to a secluded area, and once he was sure no one saw him, he canceled his fox transformation. The last thing he needed was for other people to ask him questions because of his race.

Human Form!

Congratulations! Your strength has reached 50.

You gained [Healthy Bones].

Congratulations! Your dexterity has reached 50.

You gained [Fast Hands].

Congratulations! Your intelligence has reached 50.

You gained [Inner Calm].

Inner Calm (Stat Bonus)

Bonus description: Panic is your enemy. You can tap into more of your strength by seeking and maintaining inner calm.

Bonus effects: +100 energy.

Restrictions: 50+ intelligence.

Congratulations. Your wisdom has reached 50.

You gained [Agile Mind].

Agile Mind (Stat Bonus)

Bonus description: You think quickly, and are capable of making split-second decisions.

Bonus effects: It is slightly quicker to channel skills and items.

Restrictions: 50+ wisdom.

Congratulations! Your endurance has reached 200.

[Cat's Sprint] has been upgraded to [Horse's Gallop].

[Bark Skin] has been upgraded to [Stone Skin].

Your charisma is under 100.

[NPC Appeal] has been downgraded to [Well-Spoken].

Some part of his mind registered that his wisdom and intelligence were now over 50, thanks to his class bonuses. He'd check the effects later. He dragged himself out of the dark corner where he'd transformed and moved toward the center of the action house.

He went out into the shopping area. Today was a lively day in the central gardened square of the auction house. Many people were chatting by the fountains, exchanging gossip and tales of their adventures. Many gestured their hands like maestros dictating invisible symphonies as they browsed the many windows and menus that could be accessed here.

Roth found a place in the corner, close to an olive tree, and sat down with his back against the wall. He was still vigilant and felt like a taut string stretched to the breaking point. From here, he could keep an eye on the nearest entrances and exits and spot Gary. It was unlikely that he'd try any funny business inside the auction house. Roth could see at least seven different soldiers patrolling.

Roth tried to relax after waiting a few seconds and seeing no one come his way. He stretched his muscles and forced a yawn, hoping it helped him calm down. Then, he cracked his neck and knuckles and took a few deep breaths.

His mother always told him to never go shopping when angry or tired. Roth felt both right now and didn't want to waste his hard-earned gold. He looked at his inventory. He had a little over 120 gold to spend. It could be considered a small fortune for a player at his level, but Roth knew it could all quickly go down the drain.

Before doing anything else, Roth had to first understand more about his class. He also had several profession slots to fill. One would undoubtedly go to the tailor profession, but the others had to be meticulously planned.

Roth opened up the book the magistrate had given him. He felt some apprehension at having to figure everything out on his own without the guidance of a teacher. On the other hand, he was quite happy with how things worked out. He liked the way the [Broker's Ledger] worked. The thought of traveling back and forth to learn new skills from a trainer was exhausting. There were definitely some upsides to having his class work the same way his broker profession did. He was happy he could carry his class's manual around.

The book started with a small introduction. In many games, Roth set to default any options that allowed him to skip over cinematics and the story. But there might be some important clues to understand his class here, and he couldn't leave any stone unturned.

"The Way of Peace by Maximus Secundus,

What is peace? Is it the absence of war? Is it the lack of violence? Or is it the feeling of contentment that lets a man sleep soundly at night?

I was born a poor peasant, and my first memory is of my parents being slaughtered in front of me by an invading army. After hiding in the rubble for two days, I was rescued by the king's soldiers.

From then, I devoted every waking hour to bringing peace to my kingdom. I became a mighty general who fought against my people's enemies and evil. I've shed more blood than I care to write down, but there was peace when I was done. No more villages were sacked, and no more war orphans had to suffer my tragic losses.

I've done and seen unspeakable things to bring peace to my land. Since my retirement, I've devoted my sunset years to the pursuit of answers to these questions: Could there have been another way? Or was war the only way to peace?"

Roth turned the page and found it empty. He wasn't expecting to be so touched by this fake biography. What were the man's findings? Had it been worth it? In the old general's words, Roth could see his own moral dilemma. He turned more and more pages. Maybe, as he progressed in this class, he would learn more about this general's life.

He finally found written pages again. There was the description that he had gotten about his class when he'd unlocked it. Nothing new there. He kept leafing through the pages and finally found what he was looking for: Skills.

There was a series of branches with different skills drawn in them. It was a skill tree. Roth had seen many of these back in his gaming days. He looked at the upper left corner signaling that he had 12 skill points or SPs to spend. He had received one for each level he had unlocked since he had reached level 10. Roth sighed in relief. He had read that unlocking a class later than level 10 had no downsides, but he couldn't have been sure how it worked for hidden classes.

Looking back at the skill tree, Roth saw that there were three skills he could learn right now. Each cost one SP. From each of them sprouted different skill branches.

Peace Declaration (Rare)

Skill description: By imbuing your voice with persuasion and conviction, you reach the hearts of those around you and stop them from fighting.

Skill effect:

Active. All those affected by [Peace Declaration] cannot deal damage for two minutes;

Skill effectiveness and radius are affected by wisdom, intelligence, and charisma.

Restrictions: Pacifist, lvl. 15.

Peace Treaty (Epic)

Skill Description: You are known to cherish the common good and can mediate deals between factions.

Skill Effects:

Active. You can sign treaties between two different parties;

Whoever breaks the treaty has to pay you compensation;

For each day a treaty remains active, you receive experience;

You can sign treaties between 1 + (1 party per 50 levels of wisdom);

Compensation if the treaty is broken: Affected by wisdom, intelligence, and strength - Current value: 4,56 gold;

Experience if the treaty isn't broken: Affected by wisdom, intelligence, and charisma - Current value: 6140 XP per day;

Restrictions: Pacifist, Lvl. 20.

Flag Bearer (Rare)

Skill description: Your banner represents something greater than yourself. It has become a symbol of prosperity and peace.

Skill Effects:

Passive. Allows you to unlock a flag's hidden properties.

The deeper the relationship with the factions represented by the flag, the stronger the effects.

Restrictions: Pacifist, lvl. 10.

Roth went through each of the skills in turn. The more he reread them, the wider the smile on his lips. He even stopped thinking about his encounters with Gary and Wilson briefly.

[Peace Declaration] was an enhanced version of [Shepherd's Shout]. Since it was a skill that utilized voice, he was pretty sure that its effects would be enhanced by his [Polyglot] title. Being able to stop all damage for two minutes was a fantastic skill.

For other players, it would be horrible. For example, this skill could do a lot if someone else used it when hunting a boss. After all, it negated damage on both sides. In two minutes, a boss' hp could recover greatly.

[Peace Treaty] seemed a very complex skill because it involved mediating between two parties. What Roth liked about it was that whatever happened, it was a win-win situation. He either got money from the broken treaties or gained XP.

The [Flag Bearer] skill was an eye-opener. He had already known that his hand equipment would be flags. From the description he'd seen in the forums of the flags, he hadn't understood what he would get from wielding equipment tailored to guilds, but if there were hidden features in the equipment, that was another story entirely.

All he had to do right now was to get a flag and experiment with it. He looked at the stats that would suit him the best. It seemed wisdom was the stat in which he would have to invest more points. This was getting tougher. His broker profession required him to have a lot of strength and dexterity. His class required wisdom. It was proving difficult to decide what stats to invest in.

Roth's finger hovered over the different skills in the [Way of Peace] book. Which should he learn first?

Ch. 93 - Flags

INDEX

Ch. 95 - Skills