HC:Pacifist | Ch. 117 - Zion (Patreon)

"What's going on, count?" The count ran toward the drawers filled with enigma diamonds and pulled one of them out. He then brushed one of the diamonds against Roth's skin, and he and the diamond started glowing.

"Yes, there's no mistake. This reaction can't be faked. You are indeed a Lightbringer."

Count Crow can see your light.

+200 reputation with the corvids.

"Oh, what a momentous day!"

"I don't understand what's going on?"

"Don't you see? You shine. You're filled with light. We, corvids, have been waiting for a long time for someone like you. The emperor must meet you! You’re the shiny one!"

Audience with the Emperor (Epic)

The crow emperor rules over all corvids on the planet and treasures shiny things such as yourself.

Quest objectives: Meet the emperor. He has a request for you.

Would you like to accept? [Y/N]

"The emperor?" It sounded like it was someone very important.

"Yes! He'll be so pleased."

"Where can I meet him?"

As Roth said this, the count ran toward the drawers of enigma diamonds and pulled out a little box. He opened it, revealing five diamonds inside. They were all the size of beans and were beautifully worked. They captured the abundance of light in the room and twinkled like little stars.

"Here. Follow the riddles, and you’ll find the emperor. Return them when you’re done."

You've received a quest item: [The Emperor Enigma Diamonds].

"Alright. Rest assured that I'll go see the emperor."

The crow let out a loud laughter. "That's fantastic! Marvelous! Splendid!" Then, from a state of vibrant delight, he suddenly became calm, turned his back on Roth, and went to the desk, completely ignoring him.

"Count?"

"Yes? How can I help you today?" Roth's shoulder slumped. He just couldn't get in sync with this NPC. He had such strange quirks. He reminded him of the sheep he'd escorted earlier. Speaking of which, they had similar communication styles. Perhaps the count would be able to tell him more about the Flock.

"Count, I recently came across members of the Flock."

"Yes?"

"They were quite... enigmatic," tried Roth.

"OK."

"As I spoke to them, they told me about a song, and it's all very confusing. Do you know anything about them?"

"Lightbringer, tell me, what makes a riddle good?"

"I don't know. What is it?"

- 10 reputation by asking a stupid question to a crow.

Roth clicked his tongue.

The count explained, "I would never rob you of the joy of finding the answer to the question."

Roth sighed. Not this again. "Anyway, I just wanted to hear what you knew about them. Are they riddlers too? When I speak to them, they remind me of you."

"They aren't good riddlers as much as they are a good riddle." The crow let out effusive, exaggerated laughter, suddenly stopped laughing, and returned to the papers on his desk. What was up with these nobles who seemed always so full of paperwork? Roth wanted to pick up the disco ball and throw it out the window.

Roth tried to channel all the nervous energy into his clenched fists. "About your shinies, your honor..."

"Oh, of course."

40.34 gold has been removed from your inventory.

Congratulations on fulfilling a trade route between [Count Crow] and [Golden Mountain Inc].

1500 broker XP; 1% of the profit (10 silver, 43 coppers); +49 reputation with corvids.

[Broker Profession Level Up!]

Finally! It had taken ages to get his broker profession from level 10 to level 11. Roth checked his XP bar. It was becoming harder to level up as a broker. He needed to expand his trade routes soon to gain experience more quickly. After all, this would also help him level up his character.

Roth dumped all the shiny goods he'd brought from the city.

1000x[Old Party Glitter] has been removed from your inventory.

Count Crow has paid you 300 gold.

[Old Party Glitter] was a useless item he bought for coppers and sold for silver here. It was currently the most profitable item he traded. Roth also collected from the Count all of the feathers and bijou accumulating during the week. He’d bring them back to the city later.

"I'm going now."

"Thank you, shiny one."

*

Roth stood in front of the tree where Oli's hideout was located. The quest had directed him to arrive at midnight the last time he'd been here, but this time, he would try talking to Oli earlier. Roth didn't want to miss the council of badgers. He had goods to trade with them, and this time he didn’t have a scapegoat or better said, a scaperat to get him out of spending the night listening to poetry.

"Hello? Is there anybody there?" The last time he had been here, he’d needed to use a trap and catnip to lure Oli out. This time, he tried just talking to him. After all, stealing from a thief should be different from talking to him when he was issued a quest for it. Roth ran circles around the tree and tried knocking on it in several places, but the door that he'd used the first time had disappeared, and there was no sign of life inside.

"Well, well, well..." Roth's eyes were drawn up, and he saw a gray cat sitting on the tree branches. The tip of his tail wavered slowly, and his dilated pupils zoomed in on him. "If it isn't my own garbage man. Did you come back to take some more of my trash away?"

Oli gave him a feline smile, and seeing his white teeth, Roth felt sweat run down his back. He couldn’t move. He was frozen still. Without a doubt, this was the most powerful NPC Roth had seen in the game. Not even when he met the magister who'd given him his class had he felt such apprehension and terror. Roth shuddered as Oli started showing its teeth, but after a few seconds, his jaw flexed, and he realized the cat was yawning.

"Hello, Oli. It's nice to meet you." Oli's tail wavered more briskly before returning to its rhythmic tapping.

"What can I do for a fellow thief?" Roth gulped. He kept talking about when Roth had sneaked into his hideout. He knew it was him.

"Sorry about that. But, I could argue that stealing from a thief isn't stealing."

"Depends on what you do with the items," giggled Oli. "Now, what brings you here, human?"

"King Ratatouille sent me."

Oli burst out laughing. "King? He told you he's a king?"

"Isn't he?"

"To a ratan, he might look like one. But to a cat, he is just a snack."

"Hey! He's my friend."

"Uuuh... It's not good for a thief to react to provocations."

Roth blinked his eyes, and Oli wasn't there anymore. He had come down and was now standing right in front of Roth, staring him down. Even though he was much shorter than him, Roth felt like he was speaking to a giant. No wonder Prince Piglet seemed so scared of Oli.

"What does little Tooie want?"

Addressing King Ratatouille as just Tooie seemed awfully disrespectful, but Roth reined it in. "He asked me to show you this." Oli followed Roth's hands curiously as he slowly pulled out the black sphere from his inventory. Oli froze. His tail stopped moving, and the hairs in it became erect. He also noticed how the cat’s claws had been automatically drawn. His demeanor was no longer playful. He was taking this seriously. Unlike the king, however, he didn't hiss nor show any aggressiveness.

"King Ratatouille did well to send you to me. Come inside."

Surprised at the big change in how Oli was addressing the king, Roth followed after Oli. As the cat touched the tree's bark, it opened, revealing its hollow trunk. Unlike Roth's first visit, there was light inside. Roth managed to get a good look at Oli's collections. There were weapons, tomes, paintings, sculptures, and many other impressive-looking items neatly organized in glass cases or lined up in racks. They glittered in the light, dazing Roth for a moment. He felt like he’d just entered the world’s prettiest museum. All the artifacts shined beautifully in the light.

Roth only took in the collection briefly because his eyes were drawn toward the collection's centerpiece. It was the source of the light illuminating the room, making Roth feel like a moth drawn to a flame. It was the portrait of Bergelmir holding Oli. This was the second time Roth saw it, but something about it was different today. Last time, there hadn’t been so much light coming out of it. As his eyes focused on the painting, Roth gulped.

"H-How... how is this possible?"

"It's an impressive collection, isn't it."

"How is the portrait moving?"

The painting suddenly became more akin to a television showing a movie. The man lovingly petted the cat in his lap and gently put it on the ground. Roth could see now that the man was in some sort of workshop. There were tapestries on the walls, gemstones in small boxes atop a worktable, and a stone tablet.

"What do you see? How can you see the portrait moving?"

Roth only heard Oli calling him as a distant, muffled sound. It almost felt like Oli was trying to call out to him from a different room. As for Roth, he was utterly entranced by every move the old man made. He reached for a tool bag and retrieved a little metal cylinder. He flipped a switch, and a bright light blinded Roth.

He collapsed on the ground, sightless for a few moments.

You behold the work of the late artisan Bergelmir.

+5 light affinity.

How had he gained affinity from just looking at a painting? The voice of the cat became increasingly louder.

"Human? Human? What did you see?"

Roth sat up and looked confused at the cat and then at the painting. The portrait was back to the still image of the man holding Oli in a craftsman's apron. The cat looked at him with his ears drawn back, and his tail moved erratically.

"I saw you. A craftsman. He had a worktable and tools, and then there was a light, and it was all over."

"You've seen master's light." The cat looked longingly at the painting and walked toward it, rubbing his head against it.

"Was that your owner?"

"Owner? Cats have no owners. Dogs have owners. Cats have partnerships. He was my roommate. Long ago."

“Then why do you call him master?”

“He was a master craftsman. It’s only appropriate to address him as such.

"How is it that the painting moved?"

"Because it reflects light."

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I. That's what's been explained to me by a friend."

"Oli, you can’t see it move?"

"I cannot,” the cat said sadly.

"Why not?"

The cat sighed with his ears drooped. "I'm the cat burglar, a thief. I walk in darkness, so I can't see master’s light. No matter how much I try, all I see is a blur."

The cat seemed so sad that Roth decided to come near and pet it. Roth hadn't even lifted his foot to approach Oli when the cat suddenly turned away from the painting and gave him a warning stare. Roth tried to relax the muscles and stopped himself. It seemed they weren't that friendly yet.

Anyway, this master craftsman seemed somehow related to the light affinity. What had he been doing to that stone? What tool was that? And why couldn't Oli see it move like he did? There was a hidden questline here somewhere, but Roth didn't seem to fulfill the requirements to activate it yet. Since he'd last been here, the most significant thing that had changed was his affinity and class. Perhaps he had to progress his character further before discovering more about this mysterious craftsman.

"Anyway, where do you want me to put the black ball?"

“Keep it with you.”

“I thought you wanted to add it to your collection or something.”

"I know not what this ball’s fate should be. This is too much for me to decide alone, human. I need to take it up to the table."

"The table?"

"Yes. The king's table. Today is a new moon. You'll go to the table the day after the full moon, at noon, and bring this sphere. A decision will be made then. If the eggs of these creatures have this much vitality, there's no telling how strong the adults are. We've worked out a fine balance and won't have others overthrow what is rightfully ours."

"I don't understand."

"Here. Take this with you."

You've been traded a [Regal Compass].

"This will point you toward the table." Roth was utterly lost as to what was happening. Was there a king of cats? King Ratatouille had once told him that he'd reached some agreement with the cats so there would be peace between them and Oli and that Oli was a cat noble. Could the king’s table be similar to the council of badgers but for cats?

[Vanquish the Darkness] has been updated.

Vanquish the Darkness (Epic)

After eradicating the threat under the sewers, you find evidence that the creatures you faced are just the prelude to a much bigger threat. King Ratatouille worries about how this will affect his people, and Oli shows great concern after examining this strange life form.

Quest objectives: Be at the King's Table after the next full moon at noon and bring the egg.

Roth drummed his fingers on his cheek. This was the first epic quest he had received. Initially, It seemed very simple, but there must be a catch here. After all, to complete the [Green Pastures] quest, he had to use every tool in his arsenal, and that had been only a rare quest. The next full moon would be in two weeks. He had until then to become stronger.

"Now, go. I've already changed my schedule significantly because of your annoying presence." Oli seemed annoyed at Roth. Was he jealous that he could see Bergelmir, but he couldn't?

"I'm sorry about your master."

Oli appreciates your sympathy.

+1 reputation with Oli, the Cat Burglar.

“Thanks.”

Only 1 reputation? That was the first time Roth was seeing this. How hard was it to befriend this NPC? The cat ignored him, stretched his paws and legs, and curled up into a little ball, showing that he was about to nap. Roth took the hint and left the hideout, leaving Oli behind.

As the human left, Oli thought fondly of his late master. Then, his thoughts turned to the egg. There was a new contender for the spot of apex predator, and the table would not allow this.

"Zion, someone seeks to usurp us," Oli whispered. Oli then focused and let the sounds around him enter his consciousness as he sorted through the many voices and conversations in the thousands of kilometers around him.

"Let them come," Oli heard. He let his thoughts drift to the happy memories of the past and fell asleep.

Ch. 116 - Vanquish the Darkness

INDEX

Ch. 118 - The Kind Porter