HC:Pacifist | Ch. 178 - Calling Grandma (Patreon)

Roth didn’t have to wait this time around. As soon as the bidding started, BlueFire raised his hand. Roth fought a tear that threatened to form in the corner of his eye. He had just been given a new breath of fresh air. If at least one of them was willing to shield him and his family for a month, he would be OK. This was no time to break down crying, though.

“Do I hear 35?” Roth forced himself to shout.

The representative from the Phoenixes raised their hand.

“40,” screamed Manny.

“45,” Mel spoke up.

It was an otherworldly auction where people purchased days of human life instead of money. Roth’s joy at being saved quickly dissolved into disgust. How sad that he had to buy his life like this.

The bids kept going up by a factor of five. Once the bidding got to 80 days, things slowed down. Only the Ogres and the Phoenixes were still fighting for the prize.

“85,” said BlueFire, without batting an eye.

Jaila countered, “90”.

“95.”

“100,” said Jaila hesitantly.

Sensing hesitation in the only bidder left standing, BlueFire spoke up confidently. “120!”

No one else raised their hand.

“Going once, going twice, sold. Thank you, Ogres. Thank you for saving me and my family.” Roth put the hammer down, thus concluding the auction.

As soon as the auction ended, Roth ran to BlueFire and Cyclops. He didn’t want to get caught exchanging pleasantries with the other guilds. All he cared about now was his safety. “Thank you, BlueFire.”

“It's OK. We’re not doing this for free, either.”

“Ouch! How can someone with ‘fire’ in their tag be so cold?” Cyclops berated him playfully. She then turned to Roth and asked, “How do you want to do this?”

“Provide me with the names of the craftsmen you want me to give free stats to. Before doing so, ensure they agree to submit themselves to the rules in the contract we drafted. I’ll give them the free stats first. As soon as I know me and my family are safe, I’ll give you the guide to enter Antioch and will open the portal for you,” fired Roth as fast as he could.

“Uuh? Another cold, calculating brute? You still don’t trust us!”

“Of course not,” admitted Roth.

“Fine. Send Blue your address and the addresses of your brothers and mother. We'll send our people to get you.”

“Regarding the Union Collective’s VIP list, please add Galatheel for now. He’s already joined the Union Collective but he’s been pestering our boss nonstop about getting those free stats ever since you created the union. We’ll give you the rest of the names later,” said BlueFire.

Who was this Galatheel? He had to have such power in the Ogre guild.

“Very well.” He adjusted the controls and added Galatheel’s name to the Union’s VIPs. He then sent the message he had previously prepared with his and his brothers’ addresses. “Done!”

“Will you want to become a member of the guild? To get our bonuses?” offered Cyclops.

Roth thought for a moment and shook his head. “No, thank you. As a member of the Union Collective, I think it will be bad rep if one of the senior members joins one of the top 10.”

“I see,” said Cyclops, disappointed.

“I think we’re all done here. We’ll be back for our prize. See you around,” said BlueFire.

Roth watched helplessly as BlueFire and Cyclops left him alone to mingle with the other guild reps. Shortly after joining the others, they were joking and laughing aloud. It looked as if they were all at a social gathering! How could they be so chilled about this? Didn't they know what was at stake? It was his life! HIS LIFE.

Sickened by the whole thing, Roth left the room. He didn’t want to stay here with these cruel, calculating people.

“Roth, wait!”

Turning around, he found Mel with her hawk on her shoulder.

“What?” he asked sourly.

“Were you going to leave without saying goodbye? That’s kind of rude.”

Rude? Was she calling him rude? No. He was not a rude man. Rude were these greedy know-it-alls who had the means to help but hadn’t thought of extending a helping hand until Roth and his friends had forced them to pay attention.

He didn’t know why he was so angry. He should have felt happy about being saved, right? Why was he so mad about these guild reps? “What do you want?”

“I just wanted to congratulate you! With this, you and your family are safe. Right? I’m truly happy for you.”

Mel’s radiant smile disarmed him, and he felt some of his annoyance melt.

“Thanks. Sorry. It’s been a long day.”

“No worries. I understand. You poor thing, you must be under so much stress.”

Hearing someone finally express some sympathy, Roth’s eyes teared up, and he felt a catch on his throat. “Thanks for saying that.”

“Anyway, I was wondering… didn’t you have a pet already? How did you get the kitten? What happened to your other one?”

Roth raised an eyebrow and didn’t respond.

“Silly me, asking you about personal stuff. Sorry about that. By the way, if you need anything, feel free to come to the Krakens. We’re here to help with whatever we can,” she winked.

Seeing where this was going, Roth’s face hardened, and he locked his jaw.

“Please put in a good word with the Ogres! We would love to help hunt the Hive King, and if you…”

“Get lost,” said Roth quietly. He turned around and walked away.

“Wait, Roth. I didn’t mean to sound like that. Come on. We’re just talking shop.”

Roth took a few deep breaths and whirled back to face her. Dr. Hilstone had taught him that when angry, instead of lashing out, one should just calmly express why they were feeling this way. He now spoke to the girl as if they were both in one of the rageaholic meetings.

“I’ve been tortured, and my family is in danger. I’ve asked for help from many people, including you,” he said, pointing at her. Mel was frozen like a deer caught in the headlights. Now that he had started venting, he couldn’t stop. The words just came out unimpeded. “Did you help me? Or did you just care about money?”

“I…” she started but stopped.

Seeing that she had nothing to say, Roth pressed. “I had to move mountains to get your guild’s attention, drag you here, and make you give me and my family sanctuary. This,” he said, gesturing with his big hands to the world around him, “might just be a game to you, but to me, it’s much more than that. It’s my life. Get lost, little girl. You big guilds sicken me.”

Roth stomped away. As soon as he spoke, he regretted unloading his frustration on the girl. After all, this really was a game to her. But he was so mad at the whole thing that he had to speak his mind to someone, and she had been the last straw.

He walked to the shopping area and sat next to a fountain, trying to focus on the gurgling sound of water and nothing else. This was it. It was out of his hands. It had been twelve hours since that mysterious man had appeared to announce his execution. Fortunately, their plan had worked. He just hoped that the Ogres didn’t go back on their word.

The walk here had woken little Lin up. He felt like this little kitten. Completely helpless and at the mercy of others. Roth tried to rock the baby to sleep, wishing someone could do the same for him.

Roth slapped himself on the cheek a few times and summoned his inner strength to turn his downcast face into a happy smile. He petted Lin gently, “Hey, my cute baby. Let’s call your grandma.”

Lin loves to hear your soothing voice.

+1 affection.

Now, with a smile on his face, Roth called his mother.

“Hey, Mom!”

Just looking at his mother made him feel a little better. She was smiling and brimming with vitality. She looked like a woman on a mission. Drake had done well bringing her to AstroTerra.

“Baby! How are you?”

“Good, mom. You?”

“I’m good!”

“Listen, can you send a message to Drake, telling him I’ve done what he asked?”

“OK!” she clumsily waved her hands around. “How do I send a message to the real world again?”

“Click the little envelope icon. It should be on the upper right corner of your vision.”

“I don’t see an envelope.”

“It’s a little rectangle with a triangle.”

“Oh, I think I got it.”

Roth waited patiently for his mom to finish putting the message together.

“It’s done!”

“Thanks. So? How is your day going?”

“This union thing has picked up, uh? I feel like I’m running a company! The phone calls just keep coming in. We already have fifteen hundred people in the union! Isn’t that great?”

“That’s great, mom!”

As soon as he said it, Roth paused. That had been a bit too forced.

His mother instantly reacted like a shark drawn to blood on the water. Furrowing her brows, she leaned into the frame, studying Roth. “What’s wrong?”

Shoot. She knew something was wrong. He shouldn’t have called. “Uh? What do you mean?”

“You know very well what I mean, Roth James Taylor.”

“Nothing’s going on, Mom. I…”

“Spit it out. Don’t make me pull it out of you!”

Roth clicked his tongue. Mothers and their uncanny superpowers to see through their sons’ pretenses. What should he say? He didn’t want to worry her. He gave her a half-truth, hoping it would be enough to make her stop prying. “Nothing much. It’s just that I’ve been talking to some of the guilds, and it’s gotten me frustrated.”

“How come?”

“These games should be a place where people can come and relax and get a break from their problems. But it’s just the same thing all over again. I just wish there were more nice people here.”

“But haven’t you met Sergeant Jazzinald and the other veterans here?”

“I have.”

“Then? Why are you focusing on those greedy people when you have such nice friends?”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Besides, weren’t you just like them a few years ago?”

The remark cut him like a knife, even though he knew it wasn’t meant to hurt him. “Yes…”

“Then, maybe all they need is for you to show them how they can improve, baby. Don’t let what others do get you down like that.”

Roth took a deep breath. Even though he had just spoken about the guilds to deflect his mother’s query, she was right. He had to be the better man and count his blessings. Roth changed subjects. “How is Nathan doing?”

“Oh! Let me show you the cutest video I made of your niece.”

Roth smiled sadly and just focused on his mom’s voice. On the off-chance that things did go wrong, there was nowhere else he would rather be. Dying while chatting with his mom wasn’t a bad way to go.

*

“Sarg! There’s movement at four o’clock!”

The sergeant jumped to H’s side. The camera feed on the screen revealed a group of muscled men arriving in a nondescript van. The cameras they installed in front of Mrs. Bessie’s home and Roth’s brothers’ apartments showed similar teams.

“Finally!” exclaimed Pete from across the room.

The sergeant nodded approvingly at their neat gear and how efficiently they moved. The feed went dark.

“What do you think, H?”

“It took them less than 10 seconds to find my bugs. They’re good.”

Maggie spoke up, “The captain just texted. They’re taking them out of Mrs. Bessie’s. They stunned the two men Loki had posted there. Everything went without a hitch.”

Sergeant Jazzinald now looked out through the window as troopers entered the building. A few yellowish flashes told him that they were using flash grenades and stun guns on the guards posted near Roth’s location.

Now that the walls hid them, and with the bugs they had installed disabled, all that Sarg had to guide him was time. They had estimated that this search and rescue op would take two minutes to make it in and out. Looking at his wristwatch, they should be coming out anytime soon. Two minutes. Nothing. The sergeant felt his heart racing. Three minutes. Nothing.

“What’s going on? Why aren’t they coming out?” asked Charlie, leaning into the window. “Were they ambushed?”

The sergeant felt a knot in his stomach. The guild should have sent more troopers. “Everyone! Get ready to storm the building on my command. Emily, equipment check!”

Just as the squad was about to follow through on the sergeant’s command, Charlie called out again, “Wait, Sarg! Look!” he said, pointing out the window.

The troopers who had stormed the building were coming out. Instead of seeing Roth walking among them, the sergeant only saw them carrying something. For a moment of panic, he thought it was a body bag, but upon closer inspection using the binoculars, he saw they were carrying a gaming capsule instead.

“Why didn’t they let Roth out of the capsule?” asked Charlie.

“I don’t know,” answered the sergeant. He had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling.

Ch. 177 - Hurrying Things Along

INDEX

Ch. 179 - Lights Out