HC:Pacifist | Ch. 99 - A Matter of Principle (Patreon)

It was time for Roth to start his quest to become a tailor. The guide explained that the process was fairly easy. All it took was him to canvass the street, looking for an NPC to hire him for work.

Roth started right away. He went to the nearest store. It had a tablet with 'Sewn Savvy' written in exquisite writing. He entered it and found a dark shop with neatly organized shelves filled with thread and fabric carefully organized from lighter to darker, creating a beautiful rainbow.

"Hello, sir? How can I help you?" The man that came to the counter and greeted him was dressed elegantly and was exceedingly tall. Very much so that Roth was disconcerted for a few moments since he wasn't used to having to look up when talking to someone.

"Hello there. I'm new to the city, and I'm looking for work. Could you teach me the trade?"

"Well... I suppose I do have some work I could delegate to you. But I'm afraid I can't pay you much right now."

"That's fine. I don't mind it."

"Come with me, then."

Roth went behind the counter and followed the man who had disappeared into the back of the shop.

Behind the counter, hidden by the colorful fabric lining the shelves, were more and more shelves. Some of them had thick spools of thread. Others had boxes containing needles, sewing machine components, and loom parts.

Roth kept following after the man and began feeling a musky, smoky smell. The tall man, walking hunched not to hit his head on the ceiling, lowered himself even further to make it through the heavy curtains separating the general warehouse from the space he was leading Roth to.

As Roth made it through, he was hit with a much more powerful smell and a sight that made him gag.

"Here, we have different skins we've bought from Tanner Street. I want you to separate the pile over there into different skins. Put rat skins here, badger skins, and wolf skins over there."

You've received a new quest: [Tidy Up].

Tidy Up (Common)

Life is busy inside the tailor shop, and different tasks must be performed to keep the shop well-organized.

Quest objectives: Sort the leathers by different types and report back to the shop master.

Would you like to accept? [Y/N]

Roth stared at the different skins lying on the table at the center of the space. He took a few steps and held the one on top. It was badger skin. Images flooded his mind. He was transported back to the forest and the inside of the old oak tree. He could see Brawny reciting poetry and Badgerette tearing up and hearing the beautiful verses.

His mouth twisted into a small smile as he recalled Athos having a huge argument with the Council of Badgers and how infuriating the creatures were sometimes. His imagination was running rampant, and it became a movie in his mind that he couldn't pause or skip.

He then imagined a group of players surrounding and stabbing the badgers until they slowly lost their strength and expired. Then he imagined one of the players taking out a skinner's knife and cutting the corpse to extract the leather he now held.

Roth's mouth had twisted unsightly. He dropped the leather and felt the urge to vomit. He couldn't do this. He hadn't expected that being a tailor involved working with the remains of his friends. He then looked at his clothes and searched the fabric with his hands. How many dead animals was he wearing?

"I'm sorry. I can't do this."

"Why? Didn't you understand the task? I can explain it to you again."

"No, these... These were my friends. I can't..." He took off running, leaving a shocked tall tailor behind him. Roth left the shop and found a place to sit down.

You've turned down the [Tidy Up] quest.

He put his head into his knees and waited for the ooziness to pass. He hadn't expected to have such aversion at the sight of leather. How was he supposed to be a tailor if he couldn't handle the sight of it?

He lifted his eyes and took in the sight of the street again. There were many different materials that tailors could work with. Surely there would be another quest he would feel more comfortable with. He walked down the road and entered another shop called 'Silky Smooth.'

This shop was considerably different as it sold not fabric but finished garments. There were fashionable, stylish dresses and tasteful and elegant suits hanging from hangers making Roth feel he was back in the real world, shopping in a normal store.

A short lady came around. She had pale, fair skin and tightly held her hair into a bun. Her smile was professional and courteous. "How can I help you, sir? Can I interest you in one of our suits?"

"Your store is amazing. However, today I came here to offer my services. I'm new to the city and looking for a job. Is there any work I could do in your shop?"

The lady smiled and promptly accepted the proposition. "We do! Follow me." Again, Roth was taken to the back of the shop and was met with a similar warehouse to the one in "Sewn Savvy." The lady opened a door, letting Roth into a sizable room.

Two big shelves were on each side of the room, each with different racks creating multiple floors. As Roth drew closer to them, he saw many wiggling white caterpillars munching on a bed of leaves.

"These are silkworms. This batch has shed their skin four times, and some have started making cocoons. Your job is to pick enough cocoons to fill this basket," said the lady, raising a basket that Roth could easily hold with one hand. She picked up one tiny white sphere and held it so Roth could see it closely.

"What is it doing inside the cocoon?" asked Roth, fascinated. He had never seen silkworms before.

"It's metamorphosing into a moth. Not important," she said dismissively. Roth liked this quest much more. At least this way, he would be able to go about his business without having to think of his animal friends.

"Once you've collected enough of them, you must bring them to this pot."

"Pot?"

"Yes, we keep the water boiling at all times. You get the cocoon and throw it in here." The lady mercilessly threw the cocoon with the silkworm into the pot. Roth instinctively jumped to grab it, but it was too late. He stared, horrified, as the caterpillar was boiled alive inside the shell that was supposed to protect it. Roth was speechless for a moment.

"You leave it there for 10 to 15 minutes. That's enough to kill the larvae."

You've been given a new quest: [Silk Stifling].

Silk Stifling (Common)

Lili is too busy to attend to the silkworms and has assigned you some tasks.

Quest objectives: Pick up any cocoons in the racks and throw them into the pot. Then, report to Lili.

Would you like to accept? [Y/N]

"Is the worm still alive?"

"Yes. Probably." Roth rushed forward and dove his hand into the boiling water, screaming with pain as he reached for the egg and pulled it out.

You've gained a [Burned] debuff.

Take 3 damage every second for 58s.

Roth ran the numbers quickly in his mind. He wouldn't die because of it.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy? What's wrong with you?"

"Why do you have to kill the little caterpillar?"

"If it emerges from the cocoon, it ruins the fiber, and we can not get one continuous thread! Put that egg back in there!"

"No! I won't. I'm sorry. I can not work for you." Roth took off running again, leaving another flabbergasted tailor behind him.

You've saved a silkworm from certain death.

+10 reputation with all silkworms.

You care for even the tiniest life forms.

+10 righteousness.

You draw closer to nature.

+1 affinity with nature.

Roth ran out of the store and returned to the same bench where he had recovered earlier. He read the notifications and held the little white cocoon, smiling sadly. So silkworms made up a faction? That was interesting. Even insects seemed to be important in the game. Roth had dismissed every small cricket he'd seen so far, but he should pay more attention to them from now. It was great that he had uncovered a new faction by accident. He put the little white cocoon in his pocket, where he could complete its beautiful transformation safely.

It seemed that Roth also found how to unlock affinity with nature. He had just assumed he was stuck with light now, but that wasn't the case. Interesting. He would have a huge power boost if he could gain a bonus similar to [Inner Light] but corresponding to nature.

When he had run around the Green Woods, saving animals from being hunted by players, he had unlocked reputation points with them, but never had he unlocked affinity with nature. Was this the effect of his Zoomorph race? After all, it said that he could listen to nature. Ever since he became a zoomorph, he hadn't saved any animals from being hunted by players. Now that he had this racial effect, perhaps, when he saved an animal, it allowed him to unlock this affinity. It was good to know. He would have to test his theory out later.

Roth looked at the façades of the shops he had tried becoming a tailor in. Who would have known that there was so much blood in tailoring? First, the leather skins and now boiling these tiny little animals alive. Roth sighed. Would he even manage to become a tailor at this pace? There had to be better ways of making clothes, right?

*

Roth decided to try one last time. He went to the next shop on the street. This one was called 'The Crafted Hem.' There were several looms on the wall with employees busily working at them, creating a rhythmic thumping sound as they moved the different parts back and forth.

He was met with another empathetic shop clerk. This time it was a middle-aged man who wore a green lime coat and tight-fitting trousers. He was clean-shaven and had his black hair combed neatly.

"How can I help you sir? Are you here to pick up an order?"

"Hello, sir. I'm looking for work. I'm new to town and was wondering if you have any small jobs I could do."

"Certainly, young man. I remember when I moved to the city. It's a challenging adaptation. I'm happy to throw some work your way."

"I have only one request. I can't bear the sight of an animal being hurt. I don't want to do anything that has to do with animal skins or killing silkworms." The man studied him curiously.

"Would you be comfortable with working wool?"

"Wool as in sheep's wool?" The man nodded.

"Do the sheep suffer?"

"When you have your hair cut, do you suffer?" Roth wasn't expecting the man to turn the question on its head. He looked at him, waiting for an answer. Roth realized it hadn't been rhetorical.

"Well, only if the barber doesn't know what he's doing."

"Correct. It's the same with shearing sheep. I'll level with you... some producers don't care about what their sheep feel. But I happen to care about mine." The man spoke passionately, letting Roth know he loved the animals.

"OK, then."

"Wonderful! Now, follow me." Roth liked this man. All others had been nice to him, but he was happy to finally be in a place where he could do work that didn't make him uncomfortable. He examined him.

Thadeus, the Tailor

Master Tailor

Lvl. 65.

Although his level wasn't impressive, the fact that he was a master tailor was. The man took him back into the warehouse. It was full of wool, giving it a warm and comfortable atmosphere. Skeins of yarn in vibrant reds, soothing blues, lively yellows, and every shade in between made this warehouse feel the coziest.

A box in a corner was filled with what looked like dirty garbage. It was all a tangled, unkempt mess of a brownish-gray cotton-like material dirt mixed into it. It had a powerful musky smell that uncomfortably reminded Roth of leather.

"What's that?" asked Roth.

"Raw wool, of course," answered Thadeus. "Now, what I want you to do is very simple. First, you're going to skirt this wool. I want you to pick any of the ends that seem particularly dirty, use these little scissors, or pull the bits off with your hand and throw them into the bin. Once you've done that for the whole box, come and get me in the store, and I'll assign you a new task. Is that OK with you?"

Roth looked at the box filled with the stuff. It would probably take him an hour to get through it.

You've been offered a new quest: [Skirt the Wool].

Thadeus has asked you to process some of the raw wool in his shop. He hopes that you'll learn something valuable from this.

Quest objectives: Skirt the wool in the box and report to Thadeus.

Would you like to accept? [Y/N]

Ch. 98 - Bat Cave

INDEX

Ch. 100 - The Crafted Hem