HC: Pacifist | Ch. 214 - Targeted (Patreon)

One by one, the participants in the hunt went through the portal and returned to Green Country. In the end, only DryGrass, ColdHand, and Roth were left. Roth wasn’t sure if the cryokinetic esper had stayed behind due to courtesy as the expedition’s leader or if he was afraid that one of his teammates would have torn Roth to shreds if he left them alone.

While they waited for the ten-second interval to elapse so that the next player could teleport back, Roth decided to plead his case with ColdHand.

“I’m not in cahoots with Zin.” Roth grimaced at how childish his statement sounded.

“We know. We’ll explain it to the others later.”

“You know?” Roth had worked himself up for nothing. Did they believe his innocence? “How?”

“The Ogres have your family and your real body in their compound,” he explained. “If you and Zin were allies, he would never let that happen.”

Roth wasn’t sure if he understood. “Is that it? Just that, and you believe me?”

“There’s more,” ColdHand assured. But you don’t have to worry, Roth. You’ve done your part. It was our fault for not considering Zin would pull such a move.” ColdHand nodded toward DryGrass. "Best of luck, friend.”

The thin esper in baggy clothes entered the portal and disappeared. Only after he did did Roth realize something. He hadn’t called him Ticket Boy. This was the first time ColdHand had called him by his name. He wondered why that was.

After ColdHand left, DryGrass went to take his place near the edge of the barrier, preparing to make a run for it. The rogue from the Krakens didn’t seem confident. Loki had to have summoned all his troops and was ready to storm this place the moment the barrier came down.

He could tell that the rogue resented him for being the one staying behind. Roth stepped toward the portal, and just as he was about to enter it, he hesitated.

Should he go back or try his luck in the Dark Abyss? ColdHand seemed relaxed at the whole ordeal, but on the other hand, this hadn’t been a happy day for the guilds. Not only had they been unable to land the last hit, but Zin had successfully stolen several pieces of loot. What if there were only accusations and hardship on the other side of that portal?

As he considered his options, Roth realized he had no choice. The Ogres had his family. There was no way he could run from them. Failing to go through this portal might even be perceived as evidence of his culpability. He couldn’t have that.

He spared one last look at DryGrass. They were deep into Pegasus’ turf. If that rogue, specializing in stealth missions, didn’t feel confident in leaving this place alive, there was no way that Roth could get out of here on his own.

“Are you ready, Lin?”

The kitten didn’t respond, but his eyes were fixed on the portal. Taking a deep sigh, Roth stepped forward and returned to Green Country.

*

During the time they were away, night had fallen on Green Country. The Ogres had set a few torches at the edges of the clearing, illuminating the tired faces of all those who had taken part in the hunt. Looking around, Roth found that all players who died during the hunt had already respawned in the nearby fishing village’s graveyard and made the short trip to the command post of the Ogres.

Roth approached the circle of players gathered around ColdHand, who was managing the aftermath of the hunt. As he neared, all eyes turned toward him, and there was an eerie silence. His fears were proven true. It looked like he was going down because of Zin’s arrival at the last minute.

“You can go. You’re dismissed,” spoke Ogre.

Roth frowned. “Just like that?”

“Just like that. You’ve fulfilled your end of the deal. Goodbye.”

Ogre turned his back to Roth and rejoined the conversation with the guilds. They discussed the loot from the hive king and negotiated which guild got it. Why did he feel like he had been fired? Roth stared at the group and felt disgusted. Was that it? They had used him, so he was a piece of trash to be discarded. He expected outrage and suspicion for his betrayal but had never expected to meet this indifference.

He walked away from the group, shaken. Whenever he dealt with the top guilds, he came out of their exchange depressed. What was up with this reaction? And why did indifference feel even more bitter than accusations?

“Wait up, Roth!”

Turning around, Roth found a pretty girl with blonde hair and green eyes running to him. A hawk flew by her side. “Mel?”

“Hey, Roth! Can I walk you out?”

What was she playing at here? Since when had she become this polite? Roth remembered how heartless the girl had been at the auction and his outburst then. He also remembered all the messages in which the girl regretted how she had treated him. Truthfully, he had criticized her too strongly that day and owed her the benefit of the doubt.

“Sure.”

They walked in silence toward the clearing where he had buried the acorn. Roth dug it up and noticed Mel remained quiet. She was usually curious about everything he did, asking him questions left and right.

“You’re not going to ask me what this acorn is?” he probed.

“Nope.”

“Why?”

“I’m proving a point.”

“That point being,” prompted Roth.

“That I can be civil,” she said, winking an eye at him.

Roth laughed. It looks like Mel was trying to show she wasn’t as heartless and nosy as he believed. “Look at that. You really can.”

Turning his attention back to the Leafies, Roth excitedly skimmed through the notifications about his colony. It looked like [Forage] considerably sped up the colony's growth.

Leafie nanites find [Grass Seed].

+10 xp

The expedition to retrieve [Grass Seed] is successful.

+100 xp

Leafie nanites find a [Grass Seed].

+10 xp

The expedition to retrieve [Grass Seed] is successful.

+100 xp

[Level up!]

+3 intelligence;

+2 strength.

Opposed to just being fed, treeants seemed to grow stronger when they were given a chance to forage their surroundings and handle their own food. Better than that, it was passive growth, so Roth didn’t have to worry much about it. Now that he saw how beneficial this was, he regretted showing the acorn to Mel. Perhaps this was a good spot to plant it.

He remembered how cold the guilds were to him, and his heart hardened. He should pack his things and go. He’d find another quiet place to leave the Leafies. As he was about to pick up the acorn, he noticed the workers were on a foraging expedition.

Leafie nanites set out to retrieve a [Blue Berry].

Time until their return: 4m 31s.

He would wait until this was finished and then go on his way.

“I just need to wait for a few minutes. You can go if you want,” Roth told Mel.

“It’s OK. I’ll wait with you.”

Roth had several burning questions, and Mel seemed to be in a helpful mood. It would be foolish not to seize this opportunity to understand what had happened earlier. “Mel, why did the guilds let me go?”

“What were you expecting?”

“I don’t know. I thought they would roast me, accusing me of being friends with Zin and wasting everyone’s time and whatnot.”

“Some people believed Zin, but most didn’t. Certainly not the top brass.”

“Did you believe Zin?”

“No. I didn’t,” she said with a second’s hesitation.

“Why not?”

She looked over her shoulder and spoke in a hushed tone. “Just between us?”

Roth nodded.

“This isn’t my first interaction with Zin, you know? I’ve fought him and his troop of assassins multiple times. Not only that, but he used to sell us information about Pegasus.”

“He was your informant?!”

“Not just ours. Talking to the other guilds, we just found out that he had dealings with several of them,” she said, looking back toward the clearing.

That was in line with the little Roth knew about this Zin character. Had he been 100% loyal to Loki, he would never have warned Roth about his execution. Zin himself had admitted this to Roth when they spoke. “What kind of information?” Roth asked curiously.

“Whereabouts of wild bosses. Location of Pegasus’ squads during guild wars. That kind of thing.”

“I still don’t get how that proves me innocent.”

“It does because we know how Zin operates. Zin is a control freak, you see. He plays solo and doesn’t trust anyone. Why would he trust you? Especially when you and your whole family are with the Ogres?”

“That’s what ColdHand said.”

“And you’re kind of a nobody. How on earth could you be Zin’s boss? No offense.”

Roth was too tired to get upset at her jab. “So I’m off the hook because I’m broke?”

“Among other things, yeah. We ain’t stupid. We all saw how Loki becomes irrational where you’re concerned. You were just a tool to Zin. If he were loyal to Loki, he wouldn’t have been selling information. He has been planning this, and Loki won’t take his betrayal lying down. Zin’s move was very straightforward. He doesn’t want Loki solely focused on him, so he painted a target on your back.”

“Hooray for me!” Roth let the implications of all this information sink in. “I still don’t get one thing. If I were the guilds and had a kill stolen from under my nose, I would be looking for someone to blame. I’m having trouble seeing how you all can be so forgiving….” as soon as he said it, Roth understood. “You are also happy to have Loki chasing after me. That means he won’t have so much time to cause you trouble! Doesn’t it?!”

Mel nodded. “You’re right. For what it's worth, sorry, Roth.”

Roth’s mood soured even further. Everyone was happy with Loki going after him because the more time Loki spent on him, the less time he would have to get back at them.

Mel sat next to Roth. “The top brass isn’t as upset as you think about losing the kill. They are actually kind of happy about it. The two scariest things about Pegasus were Loki and Zin. Now that they are at each other’s throats, Pegasus will come down a notch. The only thing we didn’t want was for there to be a power shift. Before this, the guilds feared that Pegasus would break into the top 5, but after today, they might even lose their place in the top 10. We’ll see.”

So where did that leave him? Zin had thrown him under the bus, and the guilds had discarded him. If Loki had only playfully chased after Roth before, now he would hit him with everything he had.

“There’s also another reason why the guilds let you go,” Mel continued.

“Really? What is that?”

“Has the event ended yet?”

Roth’s eyes widened. “My quest.”

“That’s right. They still want you to finish the quest to end the event. They believe they can gain something from it if you do.”

“Why are you telling me all of this? Who told you to come talk to me?”

“Actually, I’m here as my own person, not as someone from the Krakens.”

“Why?”

“I like you.” The moment she said it, she flushed. “Not in a weird way. I-I just admire you; that’s a better choice of words. Despite all that has happened to you, you have been making the best of it. I truly am sorry about what the guilds have decided, but at least this way, you understand better who’s after you. I wish you the best of luck.”

Goldie, who had been perched on a branch of a nearby tree, flew down and landed on Roth’s shoulders, rubbing his head affectionately on Roth’s.

“Goldie, leave Roth alone!” Mel said, exasperated.

“Squawk, chirp, squawk. Chirp, chirp, squeak.” The hawk emitted a series of sounds and then flew over to Mel. Roth gulped as he studied the woman and the hawk seriously.

“Well, I just wanted to say goodbye. I wish you all the best, Roth,” she said with a sad smile.

A little dazed after hearing Goldie’s message, Roth picked up the acorn from the ground. “Mel, thank you.”

Her cheeks reddened, and she gave him a bright smile. “Don’t mention it!”

“Look at that. You really can be civil.”

Her smile turned into a pout. “Just get lost, you crazy man. I’ll send you a few funny videos I recorded of you crafting and Loki going ballistic.”

“I'd rather you didn’t.”

Summon!

From behind the trees, Lua appeared cantering quickly in their direction. She shone beautifully in the moonlight and was happy to see Roth. Lua let Mel pet her while neighing a greeting to Goldie. Roth hopped on her saddle and took off toward Hilsford. Mel watched Roth’s back recede into the distance.

As his figure disappeared, her eyes widened. “Wait! Doesn’t he have a cat and Antioch's other pet?! How does he have a horse, too?!” She laughed. Just how many secrets did this boy have?

*

Roth galloped toward Hilsford. Goldie’s warning resounded in his mind.

“Marrrtyrrr, Mel wanted me to tell you that the guilds have placed spies on you. You’ve shown too much in the hunt, and they arrre interested in you. Be carrreful.”

He owed Mel one for getting this message to him. He still didn’t fully understand why she had helped him. He needed to come up with a plan.

Ch. 213 - “Thanks, boss!”

INDEX

Ch. 215 - Fishbones