HC:Pacifist | Ch. 98 - Bat Cave (Patreon)

Roth situated himself in the commercial district. He knew the sewers below this area well but hadn't spent much time exploring the commercial district yet. There was a constant hustle and bustle in this part of town. Players wearing aprons and dragging giant hammers on the pavement told him he was on Blacksmith Street. He looked at a tablet, and finding what he was looking for, he turned right onto Tanner's Street.

After being disappointed with the lack of options available in the auction house, Roth came up with an idea. Why didn't he make his own flags? After all, if swords, spears, and other weapons could all be crafted, why wouldn't he be able to do the same?

A flag was a cloth with a symbol or colors painted on it that was then connected to a stick. How hard could it be to make one? It was probably wishful thinking on his part. After all, if flags were considered a valued commodity, thousands of players had probably gone searching for a way to create these items to make a quick buck.

The very least he could do was try. After all, no one else was a pacifist like him. There couldn't be many other players with classes that allowed them to equip flags, right? From what Roth had researched, there were zero mentions of it anywhere. All he could was try. After all, he had already told his team that he would become a tailor and try to create a tailor union. He might as well go and check it out.

Finally, Roth found the location he was looking for: Tailor Street. Roth could safely say this was the most colorful street he had seen in the city. Everywhere there were vibrant colors and fabric flapping in the wind. His eyes landed on a middle-aged woman covered in luxurious garments, showcasing a beautiful saffron-colored fabric that reflected the light in a mesmerizing show that entranced passing customers.

He walked down the road, happy to finally have the anonymity to explore the beautiful sights in peace and security. He stopped and looked curiously at an old man who kept pulling out pieces of fluffy material that looked like lint and patiently wetting it, twisting and pulling it, spinning it into yarn. Next to him, a younger man operated a loom with seeming ease, sending many threads organized vertically over and under other threads stretched horizontally, methodically transforming yarn into cloth.

At every step, he was constantly surprised by all the different items made there. He saw craftsmen working on bags, carpets, tapestries, capes, shoes, jackets, curtains, upholsteries, towels, toys, and many other items. He looked with curiosity at several craftsmen working together to assemble the frame of a massive tent. He had always assumed that tailors sat calmly on a chair. What he saw here was quite different.

A team of tailors all worked around a massive piece of cloth. They threaded a rope through various holes in the fabric, which remained tear-free due to the metal rings maintaining the openings' strength and integrity. Strong, muscled-muscled men pulled a rope in unison, hoisting the massive fabric while others busily hammered thick wooden stakes on the ground. They were making a tent that Roth had never seen before. It was so massive and majestic that it almost looked like a castle made of cloth. Roth gulped. He had never imagined that tailors were capable of producing such massive constructs.

Roth was excited at the prospect of becoming one of these skilled craftsmen. He hadn't expected there to be such variety in the tailoring profession. Unfortunately, even after walking the street up and down several times, he saw no one making flags or selling them.

He pulled out the rescue library. H had already marked the different sections he'd been through on the guide, but he hadn't touched this section yet. As Roth opened it, he saw a list of professions. Some were focused on gathering resources, and others on crafting. He looked for the guide for tailors and opened it.

Tailoring Guide

Warning: This information is privileged to the Pegasus Guild. Any inappropriate use of this information and unauthorized sharing...

Roth ignored the rest of the warning message and skipped to the beginning of the guide.

"Tailors are among the game's top 10 most common crafting professions. It is one of the most challenging yet, more profitable occupations. It is a long, cramped, winding road that will take you places.

As a tailor in the Pegasus guild, you'll receive a salary of 2000 credits per month as a rookie, 10,000 credits per month as a novice, 50,000 credits per month as an experienced tailor, and 500,000 credits for a month if you become a seasoned tailor. These numbers will be reassessed as the game progresses and new tiers in professions are unlocked."

Roth let out an appreciative whistle. The conditions were very generous, especially for seasoned tailors. A 500,000 credit salary was more than enough to have a comfortable, carefree life.

Roth had never crafted anything in any game he played so far. It had all been fighting, pillaging, and more fighting. To come across a new path like this was causing a tingling sensation in his stomach.

"Advantages:

It's relatively easy to climb from rookie to novice;

If you're willing to spend time working the fibers and spinning them into yarn, you can save a lot of money;

There is an abundant supply of raw materials since tanners, herbalists, and farmers all sell materials you use.

It's very interesting and allows you to specialize in many different things: tailors produce clothes, bags, cloth armor, leather armor, whips, sails, tents, decoration, etc.

You can carry more weight.

Disadvantages:

It requires a lot of grinding to level up. It's considered to be one of the most challenging professions to climb to [Experienced] level;

Little assistance is given by the system resulting in a high failure rate, especially at the beginning;

Recipes are scarce and always in high demand, making them very expensive."

Roth was quite excited about all the different perks of becoming a tailor. Especially the last part about being able to carry more weight. He wasn't sure how that worked, but he was looking forward to finding it out, as it would help his broker profession too.

Roth hadn't imagined being a tailor would be considered this difficult. The guide explained different quests on how to become a tailor, recommended amounts of money and materials and recipes to climb from rookie to novice, and some further comments and experiences written by veteran tailors of the guild designed to help those getting started with the profession.

The guide wasn't very thorough or complete. Roth went to the forums to compare the information available for free with what he had in the guide. Even though the Pegasus guide was more complete and included some extra hints and tips, the extra information they made available was probably worth no more than a few gold.

Sighing, Roth shook his head. Guilds kept information under lock and key. They worked on a need-to-know basis. Players were probably given this simple guide at the beginning. Once they reached a higher tier, they would unlock more and they could request additional information on progressing in the profession. Since Brian didn't care much about crafting, he hadn't bothered collecting much information available on the subject.

Roth sent a note to H with his findings. The man was sifting through the whole thing, so every little bit of help counted. Almost immediately, he got a thumbs-up from H in response. H was proving to be a very valuable asset to their team. He was hard-working but discreet. Whenever Roth texted him, he was swift to respond too. He looked forward to hearing more about everything he had accomplished over the past few days.

*

"These skills are awesome!"

"I told you that Pegasus' flags were no joke. Especially since they secured the fortress, you get access to [Afraid of the Dark] skill too."

"Have you decided what we'll do next?"

"I want to do the Bat Cave quest."

"Awesome, send me the link to the post." Dan had to admit that he'd been reluctant to follow Ben into Pegasus. He'd always played solo in other games. But as soon as he'd joined, not only had he been given many bonus stats, but he'd also been given a set of awesome new skills.

Pitch Black (Guild Skill)

Skill description: Within the blackness of darkness, your thoughts gain unparalleled clarity, and you tap into your inner potential.

Skill effects:

Passive. +10% damage when away from sunlight;

-10% damage when under the sunlight.

Dark Fog (Guild Skill)

Skill description: Even if there isn't darkness, you can create your own temporarily.

Skill Effects:

Active. Create darkness around you for 10 minutes.

Cooldown: 1 hour.

Oppressive Thoughts (Guild Skill)

Skill description: Within the negative, oppressive emotions triggered by a troubled conscience you find a strong drive to pursue greater darker things.

Skill effects:

Passive. The more negative alignment you have, the more powerful you become

+1% to all stats for each tier in the evil alignment.

Shadowy Brotherhood (Guild Skill)

Skill description: Even when there is no light, you find warmth in the comradery of your companions.

Skill effects:

Active. You gain +1 to all stats for each nearby guild member for one minute.

After the minute, lose stats to the corresponding amount for five minutes.

Cooldown: 10 hours.

They all focused on boosting darkness-related skills, and, as a shadow esper, that worked perfectly for him. Within the Bat Cave, they would be underground and gain a bonus to their stats throughout the whole questline, letting them finish it much more easily.

"This quest library that Pegasus makes available to their members is cool. We've already gotten our hands on so much stuff."

"True, and the best part is that almost no one knows about these quests."

They made it through the prairie surrounding the city of Hilsford, and instead of getting on the road that would take them back to the beginner area, they went into the tree line. These trees were teeming with fruit bats but were mostly inactive during the day. They all spawned in a cave deep within the region, the Bat Cave dungeon.

The Pegasus guild gave their members information on a secret NPC that lived secluded on this map. He had a little hut atop a tree, which players had to climb to get to. If one went to see him before running the dungeon, they could activate a special quest.

Bat Teeth Powder (Uncommon)

Old Maxim has been running experiments by using different botanical and animal materials to develop new medicine. He asks for your assistance.

Quest objectives: Collect 50 [Bat Teeth] from the Bat Cave.

According to the guild's guide, this special quest item only dropped if one activated this quest first. The rewards included a generous amount of experience and, if they went the extra mile, brought 100 [Bat Teeth], a part of the Sonar Set, which was great for espers. Doing this quest before going in essentially allowed them to gain double the rewards from running the dungeon. He only gave this quest 100 times a day, though. Since they got a bonus to damage and stats whenever it was night, or when they were in the dark, the Bat Cave quest would be perfect for them

They heard a commotion as they made their way to the secret tree. As they broke through the shrubbery, they found a battle royale taking place with different players pushing each other and trying to fight for the chance to climb the tree. From the name tags on the players, only a small minority belonged to their guild.

"Uuuh... Brian?"

"What?"

"Is this normal? Shouldn't this be a special secret quest?"

Ben gulped while Dan shook his head. What was the point in joining a guild and for them to provide information that every player in town knew? Maybe joining the Pegasus guild wasn't the best idea after all.

Ch. 97 - Sun and Moon of the Mountain

INDEX

Ch. 99 - A Matter of Principle