HIDDEN CLASS: PACIFIST

VOL. 1 – THE GREEN WOODS

Cássio Ferreira

Copyright © Cássio Ferreira, 2023

Cássio Ferreira has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

This novel is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

First self-published by Cássio Ferreira in 2023

To my dear Ariana

Contents

HIDDEN CLASS: PACIFIST

AKNOWLEDGMENTS

PROLOGUE

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

PROLOGUE

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

AKNOWLEDGMENTS

Writing Hidden Class: Pacifist has been quite the journey and I wouldn’t have gotten this far were it not for the support and help of many.

First of all, I want to thank my beautiful wife, Ariana, for her patience and support. Writing is a time-consuming endeavor but thank you, Ariana, for not making it a lonely one.

I also want to thank my parents, brothers and in laws for helping me be a happy person who has enough joy left to make a book like this.

I also want to thank all my generous patrons. Were it nor for them, I would never have been able to produce work of the quality that you will find. It’s thanks to their generous donations that I’m able to make a living off of writing.

A special word of thanks to all those who are my Blue Kings in Patreon, namely: Alexikon, Ali, Daniel, Ender, Gaëtan, Holo, Infin, Jazzinald, Jeremy, Josh, Kain, Lemon, Matthew, Moritz, Klondike, Solo, and the Lost Pages.

Also a word of thanks to my beta readers: Maudib, Destiny and Shadow User.

I also have made use of two poems that weren’t written by me and that I would like to acknowledge in this page: ‘Badger’ by John Clare, ‘The Mushroom is the Elf of Plants’ by Emily Dickinson.

PROLOGUE

“I declare open this session of the rageaholics.” Doctor Hilstone was the shortest person in the room. He wore a white shirt unbuttoned at the top, a simple black tie in a loose knot, and a pair of comfortable sneakers. Regardless of the day of the week, it always looked like it had been two days since he had last shaven. Roth liked that Doctor Hilstone had always seemed more bothered about not being allowed to wear more comfortable clothes than about being surrounded by convicted criminals much taller than him.

The doctor stood at the center of the ring of chairs. Amid the prisoners’ oranges and the wardens’ blacks, the doctor was the only one in the room wearing white. But colors didn’t matter here. In the ring, there were neither jailers nor jailed, just men. Everything else was left out of the circle. Of course, two wardens watched the session from near the door while holding their stun guns. However, their posture was easy, and they were visibly relaxed. In all the years the program had been running, there had never been any incidents during one of the sessions.

“Who’d like to go first?” asked the doctor with an easy smile and a friendly voice. Something about the doctor sometimes made Roth forget that he, too, was a prisoner. Earlier in the day, when Roth had looked into the mirror, he saw someone young but tired. Prison and guilt had aged him. He had the same wrinkle on his forehead that his father had developed much later in life, and the bags under his eyes had become a permanent facial feature.

Roth raised his hand.

“Please, Roth,” prompted the doctor. He cleared his throat and addressed his fellow rageaholics.

“Hello, everyone; I’m Roth.”

“Hello, Roth!” everyone chanted in unison.

“I have an announcement to make. This is going to be my last session with you guys.” A buzz of excitement ran through the group. Everyone seemed pleased with the good news, especially Drake. He gave Roth a proud smile.

“You gettin’ out, Roth?” one of the other inmates asked.

“I’ve done my time,” he answered radiantly.

“We’re very happy for you, Roth,” added the counselor.

“Anyway, you all have made a big difference in my life. I’m sad to leave you. Before I go, I want to share my journey to conquer my temper. I haven’t always been the most outspoken in our group. You only know bits and pieces of my story. Today was my last chance, and I should be brave enough to share my experiences. Hopefully, you can learn from my mistakes and see that you, too, can deal with a short fuse.”

Roth appreciated the inviting silence of the group. This was a safe space. A sacred space. It was so because no one dared to break its sanctity.

“Go ahead, Roth. Please tell us about your journey.”

“I’ve always had a short temper. I don’t know why. As a kid, I always threw tantrums. I lashed out at everyone. I bit and scratched my brothers. I was quite a handful. As I grew, it got worse. I started getting into fights a lot. At first, it was just goofing around, you know? But the fighting became tougher. In my free time, I would…” Roth felt a catch in his throat and fought not to lose his composure. Everyone respectfully waited. He tried again. “I used to love hurting animals too. The sight of their pain used to excite me,” he said, disgusted and embarrassed.

“It’s OK, Roth. Many of us here can relate. That is all in the past, though. You were just a misguided child. You’re a different man now. It’s OK. Please continue.” Emboldened by the doctor’s encouragement, Roth regained his composure and tried to continue.

“So, I got into trouble a lot. My dad was always working, trying to provide for us. He traveled constantly. He had a second job on weekends. We hardly ever saw him. I would wander around the neighborhood and cause trouble. In my teenage years, my poor mama often picked me up from the police station. She knew all the policemen in town, and they all knew me. They told her that I was headed for disaster. She tried to help me in whatever way she could. But I was just too proud and angry. Then, one day, I found an escape. I thought it was a cure: AVR.”

The release of cheaper, easily accessible augmented virtual reality technology changed the planet overnight. In the blink of an eye, humanity was shown a new world. The gaming industry, especially, had been revolutionized. Players didn’t just play by looking at a screen and moving a joystick anymore. They fully immersed themselves. All senses were engaged. The technology allowed one to see, hear, smell, taste, and feel the virtual world, making it almost impossible to tell the difference between the game and reality. The gap only became smaller as technology developed.

“The games were so realistic. Inside these new games, killing an animal or beating someone up felt the same as doing it in the real world. And as I wasn’t caught by the police or seen by my mom….”

Roth saw some of the others at the meeting nodding sadly. He had heard many say similar things inside this ring. Augmented virtual reality was a trigger for many of them here. It was easier to reveal the darkest parts of one’s personality when there was full anonymity and zero accountability. From there, things often escalated. It’s easier to commit a crime in real life if someone has done it many times in virtual reality. After all, everything becomes easier with practice.

“I completely dove into the world of gaming. At first, I stayed out of trouble in reality, and my mom was happy for me. I spent all my days venting my anger inside the game, which seemed to calm me down. The Slayer, they called me.”

“Wait? Are you talking about New Earth? You were the Slayer? From the Helmling battle?” Roth nodded embarrassedly.

“Committing violence inside the game was a legal way to let out my anger. For some time, things started to go well for me. I was good at fighting, and that was a marketable skill inside the game. My viciousness and anger were noticed. I was hired, and my fury was put to use by a wealthy guild. I signed a contract with a big gaming company and lived comfortably. Things went on like that for a while.” He paused.

“Then, what happened?” asked another inmate. Roth remembered this was his second meeting. He had never heard Roth’s story.

“Well, I thought keeping my outbursts in-game was good for me, you know? Finally, there was a way to get off on violence without hurting anyone. But you start going down a dark path. You start doing things that you would never do in the real world. Vandalism. Looting. Thievery. Aggravated assault. Murder. And so on. Before I knew it, my mind had been conditioned to act on my impulses.

Eventually, someone used my rage against me. It’s not difficult to make someone violent do what you want. You shake him up and put a target in front of him.” It became hard to speak again. “I hurt my friends and cost my guild a truckload of money. I was sued, fired, and forced to pay repairs to my company. I lost everything. Then, I went after the person who had provoked me. I beat him up in the real world. Hard. It was a miracle I didn’t kill him.

Nonetheless, because of this, I was sentenced to jail and have been here for four years. During the first few months, I stuck to my stubborn ways. I was angrier than I had ever been. I got into fights with other prisoners often.” Some of the prisoners chuckled. Roth saw that the ones laughing were ones he had gotten into fights with when he first arrived.

“One day, everything changed. I received a letter from my mama. It said… I had missed my pa’s funeral.” Roth could no longer hold back the tears. “Ma says that his heart couldn’t handle the grief of his boy being locked up. That’s when I knew I needed help.” Other inmates started tearing up.

“Recognizing the problem is the first step toward the solution,” said the doctor encouragingly. “To look at yourself and to see the abyss within requires courage. What you did was very brave.”

“I lost my friends, job, freedom, and dad all because of rage. This program saved me.”

“Could you please share with us what steps of the program were especially helpful to you?”

“I have to say that what helped most was when I was assigned to care for a little chick. There is something special about caring for something and seeing it grow. It awakens something in you. Taking care of that little friend softened me up. It affected me so much that I can’t bear the sight of meat to this day. Just the thought of an animal being hurt tears me apart, you know?”

“What else, Roth?” asked the doctor.

“Sponsoring. Helping someone else goes a long way toward mastering your weaknesses. I was blessed to have three great guys I sponsored who have become my lifelong friends.”

“Right on!” shouted one bald man with tattoos covering his whole body. He had been the second rageaholic that Roth had sponsored. Roth gave him a quick thumbs-up.

“I’m now a better man. It was a long road, and I’ve had a few relapses. But I can say with all my heart that where there was only anger, there’s now deep shame, and where there was only violence, there’s guilt. I’m Roth, and I’m a rageholic. Thank you for helping me come this far.”

Everyone clapped.

“Well done, Roth. You’ve made great progress and are such an encouragement to everyone here. Keep going! This is one more step on your journey. We hope that things go well for you out there.”

“Thank you.”

Roth wondered if things really would go well for him. Even when a man changes, he cannot change his past. His was a nasty one. He had left many people hurt in his wake, and he wondered how they would react to his early release.

Chapter 1

Roth squinted as he came out through the prison door. His eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the bright daylight.

“Hurry up, you dumb fatso!” screamed one of the guards that was behind him. He was half as tall as Roth but did not seem afraid of him.

“I’m sorry,” replied Roth as he got moving again.

“Whatever. Just hurry up. The faster you leave this joint, the faster you will be someone else’s problem.”

Roth had been given the clothes he had on when he was thrown in here. Simple jeans, and a white T-shirt. They were good quality but nothing fancy. An Autumn breeze was blowing, and he felt the hairs in his arms stand up and shivers down his back. The guards herded him out of prison. Turning, he said goodbye to them.

“Thank you for bringing me out here, wardens.”

“Tsk. Whatever, man. Just stay out of trouble, you hear me?”

“Yes, sir,” said Roth. He felt like singing at the prospect of being outside for the first time, but the guard stared at him awkwardly. Roth wondered if he was waiting for him to respond to his provocation or if there was some sort of protocol that was still left to go through. After a few more disconcerting silent moments, the older warden sighed and walked away, followed by his younger colleague.

Roth left his eyes lingering on the jail where he had lived for the last four years. It was a stark fortress with barbed wire around the whole perimeter. Strange. The sky out here was the same as the one he saw through the bars of the window in his cell or the one he could see when they had some time out in the playground. But it felt wider and bluer here. It was a trick played by his mind. How could the same sky have different colors or sizes depending on what side of a wall you were on?

Done with nostalgia, Roth started to look around, trying to find whoever was coming to pick him up. He had sent a letter to his mother, and she said she would make arrangements for him. Poor mom. She didn’t drive. Maybe she had called for a cab, or one of his brothers had taken a day off work to pick him up.

“Slayer! I’ll be darned. It’s been too long!” Roth looked around and found the person calling him out from a distance. He was dressed casually, with a blue blazer over a green T-shirt. The man was lean but looked older than Roth remembered. He used to have long hair but now had a longer forehead and a neatly trimmed haircut. This was his old squad’s lieutenant, Wilson. Before Roth was sent to jail, they had played New Earth together. Now that he thought about it, he had no idea if that was still the most played MMORPG or if it was as popular as it used to be. Wilson had been his buddy in school, and they had joined the game together when it first came out back in the day. They had fought many battles shoulder to shoulder and had been good friends. Had been. Not anymore.

“Wilson? It’s you.” Roth was shocked. He’d never thought that Wilson would have wanted to see him again after what he had done. They hadn’t parted ways on good terms years ago.

“Ahaha. Captain! Look at you! Still big and scary as always.”

“Wilson…” Roth took an agile step forward and hugged Wilson. “I’m sorry, Wilson. I’m sorry.”

“Slayer, what in the world, man? You…”

“I’m sorry, Wilson. Because of me, I threw away all that you and the guys built. I lost my temper. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Let go of me, Slayer. Let go of me.” Roth backed off, straightening his clothes up and clearing his throat. “Slayer, what happened to you, man? Since when do you cry or apologize?”

“Please, don’t call me that. Just call me Roth. I don’t want to be called the Slayer anymore.”

Wilson’s eyes widened. Roth could see he was having a hard time putting the words together. “You realize that you once broke my nose for not calling you Slayer. Can you promise me you won’t do that today?” Roth nodded.

“Yeah… I remember that. That was uncalled for. Sorry, Wilson.”

“Captain, you seem… different.”

“I know. I know. Thank you for picking me up, Wilson.” Wilson turned abruptly when he heard him say thank you. For him to react so strongly to these little things just went on to show how much of a jerk he was. Roth tried to move the conversation along. “Did ma ask you to come?”

“Uhh… Come on. I’ll explain it to you inside the car.”

“OK, Wilson. You lead the way.”

As the car took off, Roth noticed that Wilson avoided making eye contact. Was it because he had embarrassed him? Now that he thought about it, embracing him in tears might have been too much too soon. He sighed. The joy of leaving prison was fading too fast.

“Roth, your mother called and asked me to pick you up. She did that because she wanted me to tell you she doesn’t want to see you anymore.”

“What?” asked Roth with a sick feeling in his stomach. “What? Why? In her letters… in her letters, she said… she said it’d be OK if I moved in with her.” Roth felt dizzy and an unpleasant tingling in his skin.

“Well, what can I say, Roth? She’s changed her mind. What you’ve done to your father is something that she thought she could get over, but she can’t. She can’t forgive you. You know how upset he was when you were arrested.” Roth felt his world crumbling underneath him. He had thought that he had come to terms with his father’s passing and that he had made peace with his mom, even if only by letter. Even his brothers seemed to have forgiven him. Why would they build his hopes up only to destroy him like this? He started to sob.

“Hey. Hey. Don’t get angry. Calm down. Calm down. Don’t worry, Roth. You’ll be taken care of. I got you covered. I did quite alright for myself, you see. I have rented a room for you and even bought a top-tier capsule for a new game that came out a couple of years ago. It’s kind of like New Earth but a bit more complex. Everyone’s playing it now. You can make a living in gaming just as you used to. Your life will return to what it was before you know it. Just don’t freak out. Remember that I’m driving.”

Roth was too broken to explain to Wilson that he wasn’t angry. These were tears of sadness, not of anger. What he said about his mother and father had hit him hard. He felt like a glass jar carefully pieced together after being broken, only to fall to the floor again and shatter into even smaller pieces.

“Hey, Slay… I mean, Roth. Don’t worry. Your mother probably needs some time. I’ll get you all set up, and you’ll see that everything will return to how it used to be.”

“I can’t accept your money, Wilson. I ruined the guild. What I did cost you millions of credits. I can’t in good conscience ask for anything else from you. Besides, I don’t think I have it in me to return to doing what I used to. It’s not good for my mental health.”

“What in the world are you talking about? What is this mental health nonsense?”

Roth didn’t reply, letting out a few more tears.

“Come on, Roth. It’s like riding a bike. Your gaming instincts are top-notch. You’ll get back into it before you know it. You can make a decent living in the game.” Roth felt that what Wilson was saying was all being spoken underwater. He heard the words but couldn’t get their meaning.

“Listen, man, it’s fine. As I told you, I’m not having any money problems.” In the back of his mind, Roth found it strange that Wilson was saying this while still driving his crappy old car. It was all too much. Seeing Wilson, and being told about his mother, had opened up old wounds.

After ten minutes of driving, they made it to an apartment building. It was a cookie-cutter housing project that one could find in many of the poorer neighborhoods in town.

“I know it’s not much, but it’ll do until you get back on your feet.”

Roth sheepishly followed Wilson as he took him into the apartment. It was dingy and moist, and it only had one bedroom. When Roth put his duffel bag on the bed, it squeaked loudly. Roth’s quarters in prison were nicer than this.

“Let me show you to the gaming pod!” said Wilson excitedly.

“Wilson, I’m not sure I even want to return to gaming, man. It did me no good to spend all those hours inside a VR environment.”

“Come on, Roth, you know how expensive this thing was. I went to great lengths to ensure you have what you need to get back on your feet. The very least you can do for me is to give it a go.”

“I don’t know, Wilson. I’m a different person now. I don’t want to play those violent games anymore.”

“What in the world has happened to you? Have you become a monk or something? You’re the Slayer! The bloodthirsty berserker!”

“I don’t want to, Wilson.”

“Come on, Roth. You owe me.” At the mention of owing, Roth looked up at Wilson and found him staring at him angrily. Roth gulped. He only knew how much debt he had left to his former squad. He could only imagine the hardships they had gone through because of him. He let out a deep sigh.

“Of course, Wilson. It’s the least I can do. I’ll try the gaming pod.”

Wilson returned to his cheerful self. “Wonderful! Wait until you see these graphics, man. They are insane. The game that is all the rage right now is AstroTerra. It’s an MMORPG not too different from New Earth, but it has a cool new concept with alignments. You are going to love it, I promise you.

The gaming pods are also excellent. You can smell what’s around you and feel pain, just like in the real world. You can’t tell the difference between inside the game and outside. The cool thing is that you can sleep inside these new pods. You can sleep twenty-four hours a day with no problem!”

Roth didn’t feel like playing games now. Games had ruined his life and were a trigger for him. He just wanted to live peacefully and do some good in his life. But he had done unspeakable things to Wilson; the least he could do was humor him for a while. He had found him an apartment and everything.

“Step in, Roth!” Roth moved into the pod. The inside of the sleek metal pod was made of soft gel. Roth felt like he was hanging in the air. “You gotta admit. Cool, uh?”

“Yeah.”

“Create a quick character just to try things out. I’ve got a VR helmet in the car. I’ll go get it quick and join you.” Roth remembered that VR helmets were portable devices that allowed one to play the game, albeit without the realism that a pod provided.

“Sure,” sighed Roth.

“Quick. What name will you give your character?”

“Just Roth.”

“OK. Choose Greenfield Village as a starting point. I’ll come and show you the ropes.”

“Fine.”

“I’ll see you soon, Roth.”

Wilson closed the lid of the pod and waited for all the lights to turn on. The pod was activated, and his sight went dark.

Wilson sighed in relief. He had been terrified for every second of the trip. He thought Roth would go on a rampage when he mentioned that his mom didn’t want to see him. The Roth he used to know would beat him into a pulp in the blink of an eye. But from now on, he was safe. Roth’s nervous system had been linked to the capsule, and he could only move inside the game. He was locked out of reality and at their mercy. It was time for some payback.

Wilson picked up the phone.

“Gary, it’s done. I got him into the tampered capsule. He is all ours.”

Chapter 2

Roth opened his eyes. He was hovering in a dark space. He looked at his hands and tried to move them. Amazing. Other than the ridiculous setting of floating in outer space, he couldn’t tell he wasn’t in the real world. This was an unprecedented level of realism. It was a pleasant feeling, as much as Roth didn’t want to admit it. What boy doesn’t dream of becoming an explorer, an astronaut, or seeing another world? Humanity achieved this through augmented virtual reality.

System Calibrating 15%, 28%…

From what he could tell, the technology of the gaming pods hadn’t changed much since the last time he’d used them. Every time a player entered a new gaming pod, it took time for the system to measure all the biometrics and calibrate. This ensured the best possible gaming experience. Roth tried to imagine the capsule gel slowly adjusting to his body and an IV being painlessly inserted in his arm so that nutrients would go in and his blood could also be cleaned. Of course, that was all he could do: imagine it. When one was in the gaming pod, it connected directly to the human nervous system. All motor commands were blocked. If one sent the mental command for the arm to move, the gaming pod intercepted it and sent it into the simulated avatar rather than the actual body. Conversely, as the IV pierced his skin, the system intercepted the feeling of pain, and the brain didn’t register it.

Calibration was an important step, especially for hardcore gamers. Games that relied heavily on motor skills were widely popular. The slightest discrepancy could result in a sword being swung too short or a step too long. That was all it took to lose a fight in competitive gaming. Roth remembered with some frustration that this had been one of the few things he hadn’t liked about New Earth. The system often deviated, and he had to fine-tune it every time he PvP’d. It was a pain in the neck. He hoped that they had fixed it in this game. Well, not that he was thinking of doing any PvPing.

Calibration complete.

The stark black became slightly illuminated by increasingly brighter points of light. Stars, he realized. Nothing happened for a while. Roth tried to look up and down to get a 360-degree view. Finally, below him, he spotted a beautiful blue and green gem amid the dark space: Earth. A loud, thundering voice spoke up as soon as he saw his home planet.

“Welcome… to AstroTerra.”

Roth took a moment to think that, since this was outer space, it made no sense that he could hear a voice. It was not logical that he could be floating in outer space without a mask or space suit, though. Oh well. It’s just a game, he thought.

A meteor swooshed over his head. It was ugly, alien, and massive. It menacingly accelerated toward the planet. As planetary defenses were engaged, blasts of energy targeted it. The explosions he saw as the barrage made contact with the meteor shook him. What firepower.

So this means, thought Roth, that the game is in some futuristic setting. I have been in prison for four years, but I am pretty sure we don’t have a planetary defense system.

The powerful energy beams and cannon shots didn’t slow the meteor down. The shooting intensified. Rounds upon rounds of shattering shots were fired until the meteor finally gave, cracked, and broke into many smaller pieces. Although much of the meteor was no longer on a collision course with Earth, the smaller meteorites started entering the planet’s atmosphere. They became little streaks of fire showering the planet.

“This was the day that fire rained down from heaven.” Without realizing it, a woman had come to his side and admired the destructive scene alongside him. She was a blonde woman, shorter than he was. She looked ahead and beyond as if she could see everything happening on Earth as if it were right in front of her. Roth realized it had been four years since he had seen a woman.

“The fire rain changed everything. First, we discovered that none of our technology worked as well as it used to. Our cities’ defense shields, jets, tanks, computers, satellites, and submarines… all became obsolete and worthless. Our robots, who served us, became crazy and turned on us. Then, sightings of alien monsters and strange creatures began. Reports of war and burning cities followed. The animals started speaking and developing mutations. We thought that animals would help us defend our planet, but we had mistreated our fellow earthly creatures for too long. They refused to assist us. Finally, in our direst straits, our potential awoke.”

Roth felt vertigo in his stomach as he fell at an incredible, impossible speed toward the planet’s surface. He couldn’t stop marveling at the realism of this virtual reality. It was incredible.

“Our children started to show incredible abilities. Super-human strength. Incredible speed. Telekinesis. Energy blasts.” The cinematic went about showing humans performing different feats. Roth understood from his previous gaming experience that this was an introduction to the different classes available to be played in the game. He first saw a big, burly man wearing a metal shield and a hammer. He hit a robot’s arm and broke it into bits. He guessed this was the warrior class. Then he saw someone appear and disappear as if teleporting, then slice another of the robot’s arms in half. He guessed that this was some rogue or thief class. A scene followed where a woman made rocks on the ground levitate and projected them against the machine, causing holes in its fuselage. Maybe some esper class? The video showed someone helping others recover from injuries and forming energy shields around them to protect them. This would be the healer class.

“The rock that fell from space… We now call it Astro. It changed us. It changed everything. We later found out that the rock was made of congealed reality. The elements of creation fractured when the impact occurred, and now the world is divided. Maybe one day we will again unite reality and bring peace to the planet.”

Cool storyline, thought Roth. It was a bit different from the usual fantasy setting. It was a mix of sci-fi and fantasy. The storyline involved mutated animals, aliens, and superpowers. It differed slightly from the MMORPG he had played before going to jail. New Earth was in a medieval fantasy setting. His interest peaked, but soon he forced his excitement to cool.

His aggressiveness had been greatly fueled and sharpened in the previous game he played. He had dulled that blade and buried that part of him. After all his effort, he didn’t want to bring his dark side back or make the same mistakes again. The words Wilson spoke to him in the car echoed in his mind. His mother didn’t want to see him. He felt moisture on his face. Touching it, he found out there were tears. Even in this moment of sadness, he was once again astounded by the quality of this game. Four years ago, you couldn’t cry inside a game. The science involved was too complicated. They had worked that out!

“Welcome to AstroTerra. In this time when we’re so alone, we thank you for being willing to fight evil and make humanity prosper again.”

The blonde woman stared blankly at him. He stared back. She felt like a real person. For a moment, Roth wondered if it was a human actress that they had hired to welcome all the players. But that was nonsense.

“Please ask any questions you may have. I will do my best to respond to them,” she prompted after a few more moments of awkward silence.

“Oh, hi. My name is Roth. What’s yours?”

“My name is Prima. I am responsible for guiding new players. Nice to meet you.”

Wow. After all, it was an NPC, but this didn’t feel like it was scripted. It was so advanced that it was responding to him.

“Let’s see. My first question is: is this a violent game? I don’t like violence,” he said, hesitating, “not anymore.”

“Hmmm. This game is a bit like real life. It is as violent as you want it to be. You can very well spend all your playing hours on the battlefield. On the other hand, some players prefer to be peaceful craftsmen who contribute to the world’s economy and avoid battles. In theory, you could play the game and never once hurt another living soul.”

Roth was interested. He didn’t have a job yet. He was given some pocket money after he left jail to get by for a few days, but it was a meager amount. If he didn’t find work soon, he would starve. Wilson had already paid for the pod. Nowadays, the economy was inseparable from the gaming industry. He might make a decent living by crafting inside the game. Since he was here, it didn’t hurt to check it out.

“Oh, OK. What kind of crafting skills are there? Are there any classes specific to crafting?”

“In AstroTerra, your character’s class differs from your crafting profession. None of the basic starting classes provide any special bonuses for crafting. As for crafting, there are many professions inside the game. You have carpenters, blacksmiths, jewelers, tinkerers, technomancers, cooks, and chemists. These are the most common ones. But there are other super rare ones. It will be up to you to find them out.”

So none of the starting classes provided bonuses to craftsmen. Did that mean that other classes did?

“OK. How many classes are there?”

“There are four basic ones. Warrior, rogue, esper, and support. Each of them can branch out into different ones. Legend says there might be some hidden or unique classes if you search hard enough.”

“How many crafting professions can I have?”

“You can have two crafting professions at a time. No more than that.”

Interesting. Growing up, Roth did a lot of the work around the house. In prison, they also had some trade classes that kept them busy. Some of the things they made in the prison’s workshops were sold, and the profits were given to charity. He had found unexpected joy in working with his hands. Perhaps there might be a path for him in this virtual world. If things worked out, he would have to thank Wilson.

“Do I have to choose my class now?”

“No. You can only choose a class at level 10. In theory, you can go the whole game without a class, too, if that’s what you want.”

“OK! Thank you, Prima.”

“Will that be all? Any further questions?”

After some thought, Roth shook his head, signaling he didn’t have any more questions he wanted to ask.

“I will send you on your way now. Enjoy AstroTerra.”

Roth was transported again to the dark space among the stars. He could see planet Earth from afar again. A series of windows appeared in front of him.

“Please select your character’s name.”

“Roth.” After some thought, he changed his mind. “I mean, let’s do Pax.” If he did make a living as a craftsman inside the game, it would be better not to give his real name. He would tell Wilson later.

“Please choose your physical features.”

Roth just selected random and was shown an appearance not too different from his real one. He still looked well-built, but his nose looked smaller, and his eyes were blue instead of brown. He didn’t mind it. A character window appeared next to his avatar.

CHARACTER INFORMATION

Name: Pax

Race: Human

Level: 0 (0/100)

Affinity: [Empty]

Alignment: Neutral

Relationships: [Empty]

Titles: [Empty]

STATS

Hp:105

Energy:105

Weight: [Light] - (2/30Kg)

Running Speed: 100%

Strength: 5

Dexterity: 5

Intelligence: 5

Wisdom: 5

EQUIPMENT

Head: [Beginner’s Hat]

Top: [Beginner’s Jacket]

Right Hand:[Empty]

Left hand: [Empty]

Gloves: [Empty]

Bottom: [Beginner’s Trousers]

Shoes: [Beginner’s Shoes]

Cape: [Empty]

Accessories: [Empty]

SKILLS:

Stat Bonuses: [Empty]

Passive: [Empty]

Active: [Empty]

He was such a noob. It was sad to look at.

“Would you like to start your journey at a random starting point?”

“No, I would like to start in Greenfield Village.”

The darkness erupted into pure light. Roth remembered how earlier he had felt similar when he had left the darkness of prison and made it out into the bright sunlight. As his eyes adjusted, he looked around. He was in a beautiful village. The sky was blue, and the air felt warm and comfortable. But he wasn’t alone.

Chapter 3

“Mr. Chairman! I’m glad to have caught you between meetings.” The owner of Nexus Co. made no effort to disguise his disgust at having to talk to Loki again.

“Anything for one of our cherished stockholders.”

“I was wondering if you had time to review my proposition, Mr. Chairman.”

“Yes, I have.”

“And…”

“I’m afraid we must refuse, Mr. Loki.”

“I don’t see why? Wouldn’t it be in everyone’s best interest if you accepted?”

“Listen carefully. I find it highly unethical that you are a shareholder of a gaming company when you are a guild owner; I…”

“Calm down, Mr. Chairman. You make it sound like I became a shareholder on purpose! I inherited these shares when a dear friend of mine passed. To my dismay and complete surprise, he left me all his shares in your company in his will. I find it highly unfair that you accuse me of unethical behavior!”

“Don’t think you fool me.” The man kept his cool, despite Loki’s provocation. “I know what goes on in your building and your debt-collecting operation. You might have found a way to entrap people in my game to pay debts to you. You might have gotten through to my hardware division, and yes, I also know about your little spies inside the company.” Loki smirked. He didn’t bother hiding it. There was nothing the chairman could do about it now. He’d been meticulous in doing everything legally. At least, that’s how it looked on paper. Anything under the table had been done by discardable pawns that were either dead or permafrosted. He’d also gone to great lengths to ensure that Nexus would go down with him if he went down.

“I won’t have you getting one single paw inside of AstroTerra. What credibility would the game have if you could access inside information? You can use your dirty little lawyers and agents as much as you like. You can even call the senators that are in your pocket. I don’t care. I have ensured that it is impossible for you or any other gaming guild to be involved in the game’s inner workings.”

Before he could say anything else to the chairman, he hung up on Loki. Only a few people left on the planet dared to do that to him. People make mistakes when angry, but it was challenging to rile this man up. The secret was to provoke an adversary enough, but not so much that he snapped. Looking at his paralyzed legs, he allowed himself a smile. Yes. Today was the day he finally got his revenge. It hadn’t been easy to be so extraordinarily patient. How often had he considered having that brute’s life terminated in prison? Or to send him a picture of his dead relatives? He had waited all this time to inflict him with the most pain possible.

He wondered how the lot of disposable pawns he’d nurtured over the years were doing. He couldn’t wait to see the footage they were preparing for him.

*

“What if the Slayer doesn’t get into the pod?” asked the girl in blue robes. Both girls had been the hardest ones to convince to get on board. After all, this was a one-way trip.

“He will. We’ve been through this millions of times, Shirley. The Slayer is a gaming freak. Do you think he will resist trying out the pod or reliving his glory days? Besides, that’s why we sent Wilson. He has a silver tongue when he wants to.”

“But what if he doesn’t?”

“He will,” assured Gary. Brian sat under the tree, silent as ever. He had been closest to Roth but, surprisingly, had been the first to accept Loki’s deal. Gary wondered if it was because the closest you are to someone, the harder their betrayal hits you. Most likely, it was because he was the only one here with kids.

“What if his mom comes looking for him?” insisted Shirley. Gary grimaced. They had all known Mrs. Bessie growing up. She had been a force to be reckoned with in their neighborhood. Growing up, he learned fear of the Slayer and respect for Mrs. Bessie. But the dread he had of Loki was far more significant. He owned them. There was no saying no to that psycho.

“She won’t. Loki got that letter made for her. You all know how good his forgers are. Even the hologram stamp on the right upper corner is indistinguishable from the real thing.”

“What else would you expect from that weasel… Makes you wonder how much of his empire is built on forgeries,” contributed Xana. She was the kindest of all of six, well, five. Roth was no longer one of them. How low they all had fallen for her once pure soul to have become dark enough to agree with what they were about to do.

“What if she tries calling the prison to learn more about what happened?”

“You know as well as I do how powerful Loki is. I can’t believe he hasn’t covered that.”

“What if he asks for help from other players? Or asks them to call game support for him?” Gary begged for Xana’s help with his eyes.

“Shirley, we’ve been through this already,” said Xana soothingly. “Calm down. He can talk to players, but if they ask game support to help him, they will be blocked by Loki’s people. Anyone looking up his information will only see the case file he forged.”

“What if someone calls the police? You know? He makes friends with someone, makes them feel sorry for them, and has them call the police to help him?”

“Shirley, how would Loki be able to keep whole floors full of capsules with permafrosted slaves if he didn’t have a way to get away with it?” Gary bit his lip at the thought of his family becoming one of the people locked away in Loki’s basement. Since he became indebted to Loki, he had wondered why he wasn’t sent down to join a farming team. Why hadn’t Loki permafrosted him too? For some time, he told himself that it was because of how talented he and the gang were. They weren’t as skillful as Roth, but they were pretty good. He told himself that Loki had recognized their talent and valued them for it. A few weeks back, when they had been made this offer, he finally understood Loki’s patience.

“We have no choice but to trust Loki. He said that he’d take care of that if it came to it. Let’s trust he will.” Gary tried his best not to let his voice tremble or for Shirley to see how hard he was closing his fist. On the one hand, he didn’t want to put his freedom and life in the hands of that snake. On the other, what choice did they have? This was their only chance to escape the mud pit and ensure the debt wasn’t passed on to their families.

Another player materialized inside the village. His gloomy expression heavily contrasted with the beautiful spring day in Green Country.

“It’s done,” he announced.

“He got in?” asked Shirley urgently.

“Yes. He’s in. There’s no coming out now, no turning back.”

“You used the ‘mom’ card?”

“Yes. He was completely out of it. He… no. Never mind.”

“What?” asked Shirley. “He what?”

“He held on to me, crying and apologizing for what he had done.” Gary was stunned hearing this. That was entirely out of character for the Slayer he knew. “He seems different.”

“Wilson,” Gary said the word through clenched teeth, “what are you saying?”

“He’s throwing the question out there. The question that all of us are thinking and none are talking about.” Brian had remained under the shadow of a nearby tree and was so silent and still that Shirley even jumped in fright when he entered the conversation. He had a way of blending in and remaining quiet until he was sure no one else would say what he wanted to.

“What question?” asked Shirley.

“Are we actually going to do this?” completed Xana. The group was silent for a few moments.

“We’ve been over this many times. If we don’t do this, our debt won’t disappear, and Loki will go after our families. We have worked for him for years, and our debt has only grown. Besides, the Slayer isn’t innocent in all of this. We trusted him when we went into that loan. We trusted him when we all signed that cursed contract with Loki. What did he do for us in return?” Gary left the question hanging in the air. He searched for hesitation in the eyes of the squad but only found the renewed determination he was fueling. “He sold us to that devil. Even if we wanted to, we’re so caught up in his evil web that we can’t turn back. It’s us and our families or him now.” Gary sighed in relief, seeing everyone exchanging looks and silently nodding.

“Remember. We are all just going to scare him. This is just a game, right?” Everyone avoided eye contact with Gary. It was a flimsy excuse, and they all knew it. “All that he’s going to feel is in his imagination. His body will be comfortably inside the pod.”

“I don’t understand why he’s not here to do this himself. Why not send Zin? Or Xerxes? Or someone else? Why does he have to get us involved? And why not just permafrost him like the others?” asked Wilson. Gary bit his lip. He had suspicions but preferred not to share them with the group. It would only hurt morale. There had to be a reason why Loki kept them around for this long and why he was making sure Roth was being permafrosted outside his facilities. What he wanted to do this time was different. It was worse. It was so cruel that even he, powerful as he was, feared it being traced back to him.

When the police came looking for suspects, it would be easy to blame it on someone related to the victim and with a motive. Cursed be that wretched monster. We’re only scapegoats to him. Before he could dodge the issue, Brian spoke his theory.

“It’s because he knows it will hurt the Slayer the most if the ones hitting him are us, his former friends.” Gary hadn’t considered that side of things. “As for him not being here himself, perhaps it’s because he wants the Slayer to know that he is a nobody. He wants to make the Slayer feel he is unimportant. Someone who doesn’t even merit his presence to torture him.” Or because he doesn’t want to be implicated in this. Or even, because he takes pleasure in manipulating others into doing horrible things thought Gary.

“I think he’s just terrified of Roth. You all saw what he did to him. Remember? 22 broken bones? He looked like a half-dead mummy after Roth beat him to a pulp. His pasty figure can’t even leave his force shield’s safety, much less his tower.” Gary couldn’t help looking over his shoulder to ensure that none of Loki’s spies were listening. If they brought word of Shirley’s sass, they would all be in a world of trouble.

“Shut up, Shirley. What if someone hears you!” warned Xana.

A new player materialized inside the square. It was a girl. They ignored her. Gary mentally reviewed the script Loki had given them. He also checked he had the item needed for this operation. To waste an epic-grade consumable for something like this just went to show how much Loki hated the Slayer. He had planned things out to the smallest detail. What kind of sick mind plans so thoroughly for someone else’s pain? He had even given them lines that they had to read to Roth. What kind of desperate soul chooses to help that sick mind fulfill its fantasies? Our kind, he realized as he looked at the eyes of his mates. They all hated the Slayer for what he had put them through. They all wanted payback. But this was too much.

A few seconds later, a new player materialized. He had a large build and broad shoulders. His jaw was squared. Although the face differed from what Gary remembered, he could see the resemblance to the Slayer. Gary turned on his observation skill to read the name of the avatar. Pax. It wasn’t Roth. Gary gestured to Wilson toward the newcomer. Wilson went on to confirm the identity of the new arrival.

“Roth…?”

“Wilson…?”

Their target had arrived.

Chapter 4

“Roth?” someone asked tentatively.

“Wilson?” responded Roth. Like Roth, Wilson had chosen an appearance that wasn’t too different from his real one. His build was slightly similar, but he was taller and more muscled. He was covered in dark purple armor that had tigers painted on it. He held a halberd. Roth guessed he was a warrior.

“Do you recognize me, Slayer?” another voice asked appreciatively. Roth looked around. He noticed that different players surrounded him. None of them looked friendly. Out in the distance, he saw a few others who were visibly beginners, such as himself. They looked curiously from far away at the high-level players surrounding him.

“I… don’t think so.”

Before Roth could take a good look at him, the man took a globe from his inventory and threw it into the ground. A barrier sprung from the globe and enveloped Roth and those around him.

You have entered GraveDigger’s SpatialGlobe.

“Now, we can have some privacy.” The player stepped forward and slapped him. Roth felt piercing pain as the hand connected to his face. It felt like a dentist had decided to drill his teeth without giving him any anesthesia. His mind went blank, and a message appeared in front of him.

GraveDigger has attacked you.

-3674

You have died.

When you die, you lose a level, and one of your stats will drop. As this is your first death, no penalty will be applied. You will be brought back to your last saving point.

Roth’s avatar again materialized in the village. All the players encircling him were still there, waiting. Roth’s fighting instincts tried to surface in his mind, but he forced them down. Nevertheless, he could tell that he was in trouble. Feeling this amount of pain inside the game shouldn’t be natural.

“That hurt, didn’t it?” asked the man who had slapped him.

Roth regarded him seriously. He tried to show no emotion. When you’re bullied, the worst thing you can do is show fear. He knew. He’d bullied many in the past, and whenever someone looked scared, it only made him angrier and meaner.

“Who are you?” he asked the man who had slapped him. He wore army green leather armor made of patched pieces of tough leather that harmoniously formed a fabulous garment. He had one golden earring in one of his ears and a predatory look in his eyes.

“I am Gary, one of your old mates, Slayer.”

“Gary…” It made sense. Gary had always enjoyed playing with Rogue classes. He could now see the resemblance to his former classmate and guild member.

For a moment, Roth stood in a daze. They had been friends for many years. The emotional shock hit him harder than the earlier hand slap that had killed his avatar. “Gary, first of all, I want to tell you how sorry…”

Another slap, another burst of pain.

GraveDigger has attacked you.

-3842

You have died.

You are Level 0.

You lost 1 strength.

You will be brought back to your last saving point.

Roth came back again. Heavy breaths. He now knew what was going on. He had seen it happen many times in prison. He was being ganged up on.

“I see. So, I guess that makes you Shirley,” he said, looking at a girl in bluish robes to his right. She was utterly different from his memory, but she had always liked playing caster classes, and her equipment suggested that this was the case. “And you would be Brian,” he said to a man who wore a black bandana and a turtleneck that covered his mouth. Only his eyes were visible. Another sort of rogue class. “And that makes you Xana,” he said, looking at a girl wearing some sort of robotic armor. She was the one who spoke next.

“How long has it been since you went to prison, Slayer? Four years? Since then, there’s been this new thing called Permafrosting. Have you heard of it?” Roth thought it was better not to respond.

She rushed to him and punched him in the belly. He felt the air leave his lungs, and once again, he died.

You have been attacked by ScrappyMecha.

-2564

You have died.

You are Level 0.

You lost 2 dexterity.

You will be brought back to your last saving point.

Roth came back. He was in excruciating pain but tried his best not to show it.

“Basically, it’s a new way to collect debt. You’re put to work inside the game until your debts are paid.” Roth gulped. “This is a bit similar. But this capsule was specially built to make you suffer until you pay for your sins. Not only did Loki remove the log-out, but your pain settings are locked at maximum.”

At the mention of Loki’s name, Roth closed his fists and sighed. This man was a painful thorn in his side. Not only had he gone out of his way to bring out the worst in Roth, but his face haunted him every night in his nightmares as he relived the day he almost beat him to death. He chose to stand tall and hide his fear. For the first time, he also fully understood that all the realism he had admired a few minutes earlier would make his life miserable in the following hours.

Brian dashed forward and dove a dagger into his chest, making him disappear and respawn a few meters away. After stabilizing his breathing and ensuring his voice wouldn’t come out cracked and pained, he spoke again.

“So, this is payback for what happened?”

“You idiot! Do you have any idea of what you did? You cost us everything! After you were sent to prison, who do you think had to pay all the repairs to Pegasus? We all had to mortgage our houses and got into massive debt. We’ve been working ourselves to death while you comfortably rested in prison. But no more!” shouted Brian.

“We have no choice, Roth. Loki made us an offer we couldn’t deny,” added Xana.

“What did Loki offer you?”

“He’ll cancel all our debt,” answered Gary. “Our families will finally be off the hook too.”

“Plus a million for each of us, provided we kill you a thousand times and make you feel every single one of them,” added Shirley. Her hand gained a bluish-white glow, and icicles flew toward Roth. He was turned into an ice cube. Roth had never felt so cold. He felt as if he had been thrown into an ice box.

Arctica has attacked you.

-5553

You have died.

You are Level 0.

You lost 1 intelligence.

You will be brought back to your last saving point.

Roth didn’t know what hurt more, if it was the blows themselves or that those dealing him pain used to be his friends. Did they hate him this much?

“I see. Before you continue, may I say something?”

Everyone paused. Roth’s gaze searched the facial expressions of his friends. He could see hatred in all of them. He sighed.

“I deserve it, guys. I’m sorry for what you have gone through. I’m sorry.” Saying this, he bowed. After a few seconds, he felt a jolt of pain in his leg.

BlackHalberd has attacked you.

-3453

You have died.

You are Level 0.

You lost 2 dexterity.

You will be brought back to your last saving point.

“Sorry, Slayer. We can’t pull our punches. If we do, Loki told us he won’t pay us,” said Xana.

The gang kept attacking Roth for hours. He tried many times to look for a log-out button but couldn’t find it anywhere. He tried to contact game support, but that was blocked too. They had cut his way out. There was nothing left for him to do but suffer. He tried not to flinch. He tried not to protest. He tried not to complain. Around his twentieth death, Roth felt he couldn’t take it anymore without crying or screaming.

Between deaths, the group would wait a random amount of time. Sometimes it was two seconds. Sometimes it was a full minute. Roth knew they were messing with him. They were stretching his pain. The uncertainty of not knowing if the strike was coming in a second or a minute hurt almost as much as the strike itself. He knew. After all, he had done that to others many times before.

In one of the moments they gave him a longer breather, he desperately searched the game’s menu options. Perhaps there was something similar to an obscure option in New Earth. Most people didn’t even know it existed because it was primarily used in PvP tournaments. He could only hope they had overlooked it or hadn’t been able to disable it either. There.

Would you like to disable pained facial expression?

[Y/N]

Professional gamers never fully turned off the pain settings in the game, which enabled them to feel the blows they were dealt. This helped to train reflexes and keep the senses sharper. On the other hand, even if you dialed it down to the usual 10%, it still hurt significantly. It was unsightly to be in a championship and let out little squeals of pain or fight between snots of hurt. The developers added this option to the game to make the championships look cooler and save macho players some face. Thank goodness they had done that in AstroTerra as well.

Roth selected yes, and finally let go. He started to scream in his mind and cry like a baby. Being able to endure this much pain without flinching had taken everything he had. He couldn’t hold it anymore, but he didn’t want to let the group see him like this. That would only send them into a frenzy and make it worse for him. Although Roth was screaming and crying in his mind, all that the others saw was a stoic, expressionless Roth.

Despite Roth’s lack of reaction, he wasn’t having it easy. He’d been slapped, kicked, punched, electrocuted, burned, frozen, skewered, and bludgeoned. But he took it all for eighteen hours. Finally, the thousandth death came to be. Roth stood tall, waiting.

“You deserved this, Slayer!” screamed Wilson. Roth noticed that Xana had tears on her face. Brian looked disgusted. Gary was the only one with no expression.

“It’s OK, Wilson. I forgive you,” Roth forced himself to say.

“Shut up! How can you forgive me? We are the ones who can talk about forgiveness. And we will never forgive you. Understand?”

“Slayer, your log-out button is disabled, but don’t worry about your real body. The pod you’re in will keep you alive. We have secured enough nutrient solution to keep you healthy for years,” said Xana. She sounded almost concerned.

“Loki has asked us to tell you that this is just a sample of what your life will be like. But he asked us to tell you that he’s not heartless. He said he’d let you go if you can reach the top 10 of the game.”

“That should be a little bit difficult, though. You must be the player with the worst stats in the game after a thousand deaths. Other players also have a two-year headstart over you,” said Wilson.

“You better hurry, Slayer. Something might happen to your family if you don’t.”

“Have fun living in the gutter, as we did over these years, you beast,” screamed Shirley.

The squad logged out.

Chapter 5

As soon as they were gone, Roth finally turned off the option of not showing pain and curled up into a ball on the floor, sobbing like a baby. He had been screaming and crying in his mind for hours, but now he could finally break down. He screamed as loud as he could and thrashed on the floor. He needed to let some of the painful memories out. He had wanted to die many times over the last few hours. The pain had been too acute, too real. Worse than that, though, was that the people who had done this to him used to be his friends. These were people who he’d gone to school with. All of them knew his parents and his brothers. How could they?

But that wasn’t the only reason why he cried. He cried because he once again realized how much hurt he had caused during his life. The way they had beaten him up, the things they had said, the little random intervals to leave him wondering when the next hit was coming, and not leaving him entirely without hope were all vicious moves he had used on others many times. How many people had he mistreated before? How many had felt like he did now?

His tears also came from still having the desire to fight back. His old self wouldn’t have taken this beating so elegantly. He would have cursed and squirmed every second of the encounter. Even though he had changed, his old ugly self was still there somewhere, urging him to get back at them. So he cried.

Lastly, he cried for one last reason. At least, this was a positive one. Now he was sure that he truly had become someone else. He had been able to control his emotions, and despite all that had happened, as he searched his heart, he found no rage toward his assailants. He had meant what he said. He believed he deserved each of those blows. In a way, he was almost relieved. After four years of prison and being hurt like this, no one could say he hadn’t paid his penance. He had suffered more than enough for his sins. All debts with his former squad had been settled.

Although he still felt disoriented from the trauma he’d experienced, Roth tried to regain his bearings. He noticed that several other beginners were looking at him. After his former squad logged out, Gary’s item’s effect was dispelled, and he became visible to all other players. They had witnessed his outburst.

One of them approached Roth. He wore the same gear as Roth when he entered the game. Now, Roth was only wearing shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt.

“Hey, man. Are you OK?” There was genuine concern in his voice. Roth must have put on quite a show.

“Not really. There’s a problem with my pain settings in the game. I need help.”

“Why don’t you call a game manager? I’m sure the GM can get it fixed for you.” Roth tried to look for the option. It was still blocked.

“I can’t. My game support button is disabled.”

“Then log out and call them in the real world.” Roth tried again to look for the relevant option.

“That’s disabled too.”

“Wha… Dude. Do you think I can’t tell a scammer when I see one? Get lost, man!”

The man walked away. He rejoined his friend. Roth could hear him talking in the distance.

“Forget it, man. It’s just a scammer trying to get my bank information or something.”

Despite feeling groggy and confused, Roth tried to move. Loki had threatened his mother and his brothers. He had to get out of here. Roth tried to see if there was anyone else here. He saw a female player a few steps away and tried to talk to her.

“Excuse me, miss, do you think you can…”

“Hmph. Do you think men inside the game have never approached me? Get away from me, you pervert! Coming to a girl like that in your underwear. You should be ashamed of yourself!”

“But I…” the girl had already left.

Starting to despair, Roth tried a group of players a few meters to the side. These were more empathetic and heard him out.

“What? That’s a severe bug.”

“Do you think you could call a GM for me?”

After hesitating momentarily and realizing that a scammer wouldn’t ask a potential target to call a game manager, they agreed. “Sure. Give me a second.”

“Hey, can I get someone to help this player out? His game is seriously bugged.” Roth sat down, still recovering from the shock he’d been through.

After a few minutes, a figure clad in golden armor and a giant spear materialized in the middle of the group.

“I am Steve, the GM.” A cheesy celebratory animation erupted, with fireworks and rockets, heavily contrasting Steve’s lack of enthusiasm. “What can I do for you today?” Even though the man was clad in top-tier gear, way out of reach for players at the current level of the game, he did not seem excited with having to rescue a group of noobs again. Roth noted that, compared to this guy’s equipment, his former squad also looked like a bunch of noobs.

“Yo, Steve. This guy says something is wrong with his pain settings and log-out button. He said that he couldn’t contact GMs either. That’s why I called you. Can you check him out and see if everything’s OK?”

Steve’s eyes focused. He assumed a more pleasant facial expression and attempted to bring out the best possible customer service.

“Can you tell me the email associated with your account, sir?” he asked diplomatically.

“Uuhh. No?”

“No? You don’t know your e-mail?”

“No. I just entered the pod and created my character. No one asked me for my email.”

“Didn’t you give an email when you bought the pod? Or when you bought the game? That email address.” What kind of player didn’t know his email?

“It wasn’t me who bought it. It was…” Roth hesitated. “It was a friend.” He had to make a great effort to spill out that last word. Steve regarded him suspiciously.

“Please, hold on for a moment,” said Steve in a dry tone. His eyes became utterly white.

*

Steve’s avatar materialized in the office building of Nexus Co. This wasn’t the real thing, of course. This was only a 3D virtual model of the company’s office building. Customer care service agents and game managers could come here anytime to file reports, talk to their supervisors, or look up extra information on players’ accounts. It had been a cheap way of letting all employees telecommute while promoting a connection to the corporate environment of Nexus. Steve’s avatar, still fully clad in his golden armor, sat before a computer. He investigated the Account ID he had looked up using his GM-privileged access and started reading the player’s information.

Avatar: Pax #10921370

Monthly Fee: Paid until 25 October 2085

“Has he died a thousand times in the game already? What is going on in…” Steve paused when he saw a supervisor making a video call. His name was Marius. It was his first time talking to this supervisor. There were just too many of them. It wasn’t easy to cater to a clientele that numbered billions.

“Hi Steve, how are you doing?” The man had curly red hair and blue eyes. He seemed to be in his fifties.

“Hello. How can I help you?” After a few moments of hesitation, he added, “Am I in trouble?” He was met with easygoing laughter on the other side.

“No, not at all. Listen, I received a notification that you accessed account number #10921370. It’s a very troublesome situation, so I set up an alarm in case anyone checked this case file so that I could explain it and avoid any trouble with the account holders.” That was highly unusual, thought Steve. It must be a special case.

“Go on.”

“This account belongs to a young man who has some mental issues. His guardians let him play the game but keep his account under several restrictions. He keeps contacting GMs with ridiculous stories of kidnapping and his account having severe issues. He has a very fruitful imagination because of his… condition. Poor soul. Just ignore him.”

“Oh wow. Poor guy. Now it makes some sense. I will gently tell him off and wrap up this call, then. Thank you for letting me know!”

“You’re welcome. Keep up the good work, Steve!” Marius hung up.

In all his time as a customer care agent for AVR gaming companies, this was the first time Steve was seeing something like this. Nexus was something else. That supervisor had been so quick to call. How thoughtful of him!

*

After Steve stood still for a few minutes, his eyes refocused.

Turning to the player that had called him, he explained the situation loud enough so that Roth could hear it: “This young man has a mental illness. His parental control settings are all fully turned on. He often asks players to do things like this for him to try to remove the restrictions on his account. I checked it all out with a supervisor.”

“No, I’m not crazy. I’m…”

“Sure. It’s OK, man. Just go out there and have fun playing. Sorry to bother you with this, Steve.”

“It’s OK. And you, young sir, try not to bother other players. Just go have some fun on your own, OK?”

“I’m not crazy! I’ve been kidnapped. Please help…”

The GM disappeared. The group he’d approached earlier also left. What was happening? He needed to try again. He saw one more player on the other side of the village’s square and headed toward her. Before he talked, though, he stopped himself. He realized that he was calling too much attention to himself. His instinct told him to find somewhere safe before his former squad returned. He picked himself up and left the square. He went into the first alley he could find. In the shadow of some crates, he hid and cried.

After many minutes, he got a hold of himself again. His situation was dire, but maybe not hopeless. He had to make sense of his circumstances. There had to be a way out of here. But if Loki was involved…

For now, he would see what his character’s status was. During the beating, he had received so many notifications saying that his stats had dropped that he was even scared to look at his character’s page. His stats were most likely crippled beyond all hope. He had been killed too many times. He was sure anyone else would have deleted this character and started a new account.

“Check stats.”

STATS

Hp:100

Energy:100

Damage Reduction: 31.3%

Running Speed: 110%

Weight: [Light] - (0/36lb)

Strength: 5 (-343)

Dexterity: 5 (-412)

Intelligence: 5 (-342)

Wisdom: 5 (-367)

Endurance: 213 (-218)

That wasn’t what Roth was expecting. Why had all the debuffs from his death been canceled? He didn’t remember seeing the Endurance stat before, either. How had he unlocked it?

He opened the system log and looked back through his character’s history. Mostly were messages saying that he had died, dropped a piece of equipment, or lost stats, but finally, he found something different.

Pain has tried, but it cannot stop you.

You have unlocked a new stat [Endurance].

Reduces damage received (+0.1 Damage Reduction per +1 endurance);

You can run longer without tiring.

Getting beaten up so much had given him this new stat. It made sense that it had gone up. He was hit time after time by players leveled much higher than he was. Additionally, with his pain setting turned on so high, it must have made this stat spike.

That still didn’t explain everything, though. He kept scrolling down the notifications to see if anything else had happened, which could explain why his stat debuffs had been canceled. He came across other interesting messages.

Congratulations, your endurance has reached 50. You have unlocked [Bark Skin].

Congratulations, your [Endurance] has reached 100. You have unlocked [Cat’s Sprint].

Congratulations, your [Endurance] has reached 150. You have unlocked [Stone Skin].

Congratulations, your [Endurance] has reached 200. You have unlocked [Horse’s Gallop].

[Bark Skin] (Passive)

Reduce damage received by 5%.

Stat Bonus - [Stone Skin] (Passive)

Reduce damage received by 10%.

Stat Bonus - [Cat’s Sprint] (Passive)

Increases running speed by 5%. Increases carry capacity by 5 Kg.

Stat Bonus - [Horse’s Gallop] (Passive)

Increases running speed by 10%. Increased carry capacity by 10 Kg.

He had played some games when he was younger in which gaining stats over a certain threshold unlocked some special bonuses. In New Earth this hadn’t existed. He liked that they had added this to this game. He also went back to his stats and checked they weren’t cumulative. Once he had unlocked [Stone Skin], he lost the bonus of its weaker version, [Bark Skin]. Still, none of this accounted for the debuff caused by all his deaths to have disappeared. He kept looking and scrolling until, at the very end of the history of his character, he saw something interesting. He opened the notification.

You have gained a new title [Martyr].

Chapter 6

The game Roth used to play also had a title system. Some titles were awarded by completing quests, others by doing something unique inside the game, or by completing hidden challenges or achievements. Back then, some titles were regarded as powerful as epic or legendary items! He hurried to check out the description of this one. This had to be the explanation for his death penalties being canceled.

Title: Martyr (Unique)

Title description: You have died a thousand deaths without retaliating. Your righteousness and endurance are rewarded.

Title effects:

All negative stats from dying are negated;

Increased friendliness with righteous NPCs;

You can feel closer to the light.

Conditions to unlock [Martyr]:

Dying 1000 deaths without retaliating {complete};

Having the pain settings turned on {complete}.

“What in the world?” The conditions to gain the stat were messed up. But developers could never have imagined someone enduring so much pain with locked pain settings. Putting that aside, this title looked incredible. Negating all stat losses was terrific. It was a unique title, too. Did this mean he was the only one in the game who had it? It made sense that it was rare; otherwise, his teammates would have known about it. Had they known about this title, they would never have left him like this, with something to cling to.

But how could this be? He doubted this was the first time someone had been killed inside the game a thousand times. He knew that, in the gaming industry, there were very vengeful individuals. He remembered how once, one guy had sold him an item that turned out to be overpriced. When he found out he’d been wronged, he relentlessly chased the player and killed him to level 0. Whenever he saw the player logging on, he would go out of his way to hunt him again. He hadn’t stopped doing this until the swindler had quit playing.

Thinking about it, he realized he probably was the first player to have died so many times without retaliating or logging out. The gang had forced him to keep his pain settings on and had locked him into the game. No sane human would go through such torture willingly. Unknowingly, his former friends had helped Roth unlock what seemed to be a very powerful title. Roth was thankful for the windfall. The [Martyr] title was his saving grace. Without it, he would have been stuck in this beginner village for years before he could undo the damage his former guildmates had done. Playing with the debuffs of negative status would have been horrible. The situation was still very dire, but at least now, there was some light at the end of the tunnel.

Now that the mystery was solved and he understood why his character wasn’t hopelessly wrecked, he could give a second appreciative look to the endurance stat he had gained. He guessed that having a 200 stat at level 0 must be uncommon. He still didn’t know how useful this would be. The stat bonuses he had unlocked from having such high endurance looked cool too. He wasn’t planning to get involved in any fighting, but the extra speed and carrying ability granted by [Horse’s Gallop] would save him some time when carrying items around. From previous experience, he knew that in any game with a weight carry limit, managing inventory could quickly become its own nightmare.

Now that he knew where he stood regarding his stats, he had to establish priorities. First priority: get out of here as quickly as possible. He had just gone through hell. He wanted to get far away from here. He didn’t know if the gang would return, but it was better to be safe than sorry. With newfound purpose, Roth dragged himself out of where he was. He needed to recon and figure out where he was and where he could go. He cautiously left the alley. He peered around the corner to see if any of his assailants had returned, but no one was there. He forced himself to step out of the shadows. Seeing that nothing terrible had happened, he sighed in relief and, for the first time, took a good look at where he was.

He was standing in the middle of a very simple village. The settlement had no more than thirty houses. The main street was just a dusty road with shops on each side. The architecture reminded him of an old French or Italian village. Moss dotted the stones of the walls with green. Grape vines climbed and coated whatever wall, pole, or lamp post they could find, giving the village a natural and somewhat wild look.

Roth saw that even though this was roughly the center of the village, and there were a few similarly dressed novices to himself walking around, there weren’t many. This told him that despite the game being two years old, it still had a healthy influx of new players. This was a good sign for the developers. Any game that could make it to two years old and still have many players joining was on its way to lasting success. On the other hand, the village wasn’t full or crowded by any means. This told him that, although the game was still receiving new players, most had already passed the beginner stage and were higher-leveled.

He needed to find a map to figure out where to go. He first considered asking one of the players walking around, but hurt by the previous player’s reaction to his earlier cry for help, he decided to try an NPC (non-player character) instead. He approached the first one he saw. It was a man dressed in peasant clothes, carrying a stack of hay on his shoulders.

“Excuse me, sir. Do you know where I can find a map?” Roth didn’t know how important it was to be polite to NPCs in this game, but it was good practice for a gamer always to treat every NPC respectfully. Anyway, gone were the days in which Roth thought he had the birthright to be rude.

“Oooh, a martyr? What a righteous man you must be! Why don’t you try the shopkeeper over there?” he said, pointing to one house at the end of the stretch.

“I thank you, sir.”

Roth walked down the dusty path until he made it to the shopkeeper. As he walked in, a bell rang, signaling to the clerk that a customer had arrived. The shop was a simple stone house with wares lining the walls. There were some rusty tools and gadgets, food, and drinks. The shopkeeper seemed to be doing alright for himself. He wore garments made of fine linen. They weren’t ostentatious, but they gave the merchant a wealthy look. He also had a little pin with a leaf on his garment. Roth checked him out.

‘Bartholomew, the Merchant.’ His name was written in green.

“Oh? A Martyr? What a privilege to have you in my humble establishment! How can I assist you?” The merchant’s voice was pleasant and welcoming. He reminded him of Doctor Hilstone, his counselor in the Rageaholics.

“Excuse me. Do you have any maps for beginners?”

“Hmmm… of course, of course.”

A window appeared floating in front of Roth. The interface was very user-friendly, and after a quick look, he got the gist of how it worked. It listed all the items that were for sale in this shop. Bartholomew had helpfully highlighted the one Roth had asked about.

Old Map of Greenfield Village (Common)

Item description: An old map drawn on some animal skin. The markings are unclear, but it’s still possible to read them.

Item effect: Updates your world map with information about Greenfield Village and the surrounding area.

Price: 5 coppers

“It’s only 5 coppers.”

Roth checked his inventory. Every item he had received as a beginner had dropped when he had been mercilessly slaughtered. He couldn’t even remember if he was given any money at the start of the game. He did not have one measly copper.

“I’m sorry, good merchant. I have wasted your time. I now realize I don’t have even that much.”

“Not even 5 coppers?” The merchant looked befuddled. “But that’s nothing at all. All you have to do is hunt some rats or mice on the outskirts of town. You’ll have five coppers on you before you know it. They are fragile things. You can get the weaker ones with your bare hands if you don’t have any weapons.” At the mention of hunting and hurting mice, Roth shuddered. His thoughts returned to the torture he had suffered for hours. He forced himself to keep his mind on this conversation, though.

“I’m sorry, good merchant. I’m a friend of peace and animals. I don’t have the stomach to attack another soul.”

The merchant looked shocked and intrigued.

Bartholomew is impressed by your demeanor and refusal to hurt even the most fragile of souls.

+10 righteousness

+10 reputation with all ratans

“I tell you what… You seem to be a righteous man. I’ll offer you a deal. I have a package that I need to have delivered to my niece. She runs the shop two villages over. If you do this for me, I’ll give you a map in return. Deal?”

“Deal. Thank you, sir.”

You have received the quest [Package run].

Package run (common)

Quest description: Bartholomew has a time-sensitive delivery that he needs to get to his niece, who lives in Mapleleaf Village. He asks for your assistance.

Objectives:

Take the package given to you by Bartholomew to his niece in Mapleleaf Village.

“I will let you have the map to find my niece more quickly, but the rest of the rewards are only available after the job. Safe travels.”

You have received [Old Map of Greenfield Village].

You have received [Bartholomew’s Package].

Your world map has been updated.

Roth looked at the map. He could see that to the east, there was a forest or some woods marked in green. That wasn’t where he wanted to go. There was a road that connected Greenfield to Mapleleaf. He just had to go north and follow the path.

Leaving the shop and thinking back to the encounter with Bartholomew, Roth once again marveled at the programming of the NPCs in this game. Even a seemingly insignificant NPC, like the clerk of a shop in a novice village, seemed so real and had such a defined personality. He also pondered over the notifications about gaining righteous alignment or favor with the mice. He didn’t know if that was good or challenging to gain.

He started running toward Mapleleaf Village.

A player in beginner robes crossed paths with Roth as he returned to the village after his first hunt. He had collected a lot of mouse pelts and suspected he could get some coppers for them. The player saw a villager walking down the path, carrying a bundle of straw on his shoulders.

‘Pete, the farmer.’ His name was written in gray letters. He would try to ask him.

“Excuse me, sir. Do you happen to know where I can sell mouse pelts?”

The man kept walking, completely ignoring the player.

“Oh, man. That’s rude.” He tried to approach another NPC who was watering plants. “Excuse me, mam, where can I sell these?” The NPC just threw the watering can at the player. “Cursed be these tourists. Can’t you see I’m having my zen moment watering these plants?” The player ran away, frustrated.

“Man, the NPCs in this game are so unhelpful.”

Chapter 7

Roth ran on the cobblestone road. The package he was carrying was quite heavy.

Bartholomew’s Package (quest item)

Item description: a package that is quite heavy, considering its size. It seems valuable.

Weight: 35kg

Fortunately, since he had no items to his name, and thanks to the [Horse’s Gallop] bonus, the weight did not hinder his traveling speed. Had it been over his weight-carrying limit, he guessed that he would have gained something like a [Heavy] or [Slow] debuff, significantly reducing his speed. At least, that’s what it was like in the games Roth had played before.

Now that the fear of running into his former guildmates was eased by leaving Greenfield Village, Roth felt his mind regain clarity. As he ran, he considered his situation. In one sense, he had left one prison to end up in another. As far as prisons went, however, this one wasn’t half bad. He looked at the beautiful day of sun and the clear blue skies. Around the road were verdant prairies with red poppies and white dandelions. In the distance, to the east, he could see trees forming the outer boundary of the woods marked on his map. As he breathed in, the breeze brought in the scent of pine. Yes, this prison wasn’t half-bad.

After running for ten minutes, he noticed something. His energy bar was decreasing. Was it because he was running? He stopped for a moment. The energy bar slowly filled again. He took off. After roughly one minute, he noticed that his energy had decreased by one point. So, just the act of running in the game consumed energy? That didn’t seem very pleasant. Roth clicked his tongue. He would have to make resting stops along the way.

*

Roth checked his map. He had left Greenfield Village roughly five hours ago and was making good time. He should be almost in Mapleleaf Village. Throughout his jog, he realized there was an added benefit to doing this quest.

You ran for 15 minutes straight! By exercising your muscles, you become stronger. +1 strength.

You ran for 30 minutes straight! By practicing running, you become faster. +1 dexterity.

You ran for 45 minutes straight! By practicing running, you become more resistant. +1 endurance.

He was awarded some stats for running for a few hours while carrying so much weight. In New Earth, the only way players had been able to gain stats was by leveling up or completing quests. In AstroTerra, it seemed that some hidden achievements granted players extra stats. Every time these notifications popped up, he felt refreshed and renewed. Running had also helped Roth to slightly shake off the shock of what he had been through. He tried not to think about the beating he had received and only focused on the nature around him as he kept a steady jog.

In the distance, he saw smoke coming from the chimneys of the settlement he was heading to. Finally, he had made it. This village was similar to the one he’d left hours earlier. Like in Greenfield Village, there were other players here and there. Some had set up shop in the main stretch of the village and were trying to sell their goods.

“Selling [Mice’s Teeth]. 1 for 3 copper!”

“Selling super rare [Worthless Dagger] for 30,000 gold!”

Roth chuckled at the last one. He wondered if a good-humored pro would ever buy it for that much. Some beginners had already changed from their starting equipment. Instead of the garments given to beginners, some had now ragged tunics. Others wore dented rusty plate armor. Still, others had spent torn leather equipment. Regardless of how poor they looked, Roth was sure they all looked more presentable than him, who had run all the way here in his underwear. Seeing him, some players pointed at him, laughing at his poverty. Once upon a time, Roth would have lashed out at anyone who looked at him funny, but now, he did not mind it. He just laughed with them. He had to agree that he did look ridiculous.

He checked how many stats he had gained in his jog here. +3 strength, +5 dexterity, +2 endurance. Not bad. His dexterity had doubled! As he looked at the time log, he noticed a pattern. He had gained most of the stats after half an hour of running. After two hours passed, he got fewer and fewer notifications. He first had to put in considerable effort before the system rewarded him. After getting stats for a while, his progress plateaued, and from then on, he gained fewer stats. The more he did an activity, the less effective it became to earn rewards. Interesting. He waved his head. He wasn’t worried about gaining stats. Stats were vital for players who wanted to increase their fighting prowess. He did not want to go into battle in this game.

The first thing he did after he arrived in the village was to go turn in his quest. Perhaps the promised 10 coppers he would gain as a reward would help him buy some cheap equipment. He didn’t care if it was good; he looked forward to putting some clothes on.

The location of Bartholomew’s niece’s shop was marked on the map he’d been given. The shop was on the main street of the small village, similar to where Bartholomew’s shop had been. Finding it, he went in.

A young woman with brown curly hair and green eyes stood behind the counter. She wore a similar attire to her uncle and the same leaf-shaped pin on her garment. He could even see some physical resemblances to Bartholomew. They had the same round face and pointy nose. The game developers had gone to great lengths to make the game so elegant, even in these small details.

“Hi there! I am Pax. Bartholomew told me to bring this to you.”

“Oh. Hello, traveler. Thank you! I was waiting for that. I was beginning to worry it wouldn’t arrive today.”

[Package run] completed

Completion rate: S+

Rewards: 10 coppers, 50Xp

Bonus rewards: 10 coppers, +50Xp, [Crappy Shoes], +10 Reputation with Greenleaf Inc.

[Level up!]

Completion rate? What was this? S+ sounded very good. He consulted his log and saw that the rewards he had received were way better than what Bartholomew had promised him. He had received twice as much money and experience as initially offered. He was even given an item! It wasn’t great, but it seemed better than nothing.

Crappy Shoes (Common)

Item description: The shoes are falling apart and stink, but they seem better than walking barefoot.

Item effects:

+1 Dexterity

2% running speed when outside of combat.

Why had he unlocked extra rewards? Maybe it was because he came here straight away. Bartholomew did mention that it was a time-sensitive package. Or was it because an average level 0 player would typically not be able to run here with such a heavy package so quickly? After all, he could only do it because he had the [Horse’s Gallop] stat bonus, which was exceptional for any beginner. Whatever the case, the game rewarded him because he did the quest faster than the average player. He wasn’t complaining. He would take everything he could get.

“You’re someone competent. My uncle trusts you. On top of that, I can see you’re a Martyr. You’ve gone through many hardships but kept your head up. Here. I have a time-sensitive package I need to have delivered to my brother in Traverse Village. Would you be available to help me out with this?”

Chain quest activated: [Package Run II]

Quest objectives: Get the package to Traverse Village as quickly as possible.

Rewards: 20 coppers, 100Xp

Do you wish to accept? [Y/N]

“I’d be happy to.”

You have received [Margaret’s Package]

Margaret has updated your map.

“As long as I don’t harm others, I am more than willing to assist you with any tasks you might have.” Thinking for a few seconds, he added. “Do you sell any clothes, by any chance?”

“I didn’t mention it out of politeness, but running around on one’s underwear isn’t appropriate, good sir.”

Blushing, Roth nodded.

“Try the shop across the street. They sell garments, armor, and weapons over there.”

“Thank you.”

Roth crossed the street and saw another stone house, much like the one he had left. A tablet was hanging from the top saying ‘equipment and weapons.’ He shivered at the mention of the word ‘weapon’ but went in.

There were two other players inside checking weapon racks. The person selling the equipment was an old dwarf.

“Good morning, sir.”

“Aye,” he said.

“Can I check what you have for sale?”

“Aye.” He again said. Not exactly friendly with the customers, thought Roth.

A window appeared in front of him. Most of what was sold here was made of tin. It was absolute garbage. This was only natural, though. After all, everyone here was low-leveled. Roth skipped all the weapons, armor, or anything used in battle.

“Are there any items you have that grant traveling speed?” he asked the dwarf.

“Aye,” the dwarf answered.

In the window, many shoes were shown. He already had the shoes he had been given earlier in the quest. Although there were better options here, he felt it was better first to check if there were other items for slots that were empty. Scrolling down to the very bottom, he found something interesting.

Errand Cloak (Common)

Item description: The aerodynamic characteristics of the old fabric grant you some extra speed. It won’t last long in battle, though.

Item effects:

Grants +10% running speed. Bonus only activated if you haven’t been in combat for two hours

This is awesome, thought Roth. It cost 20 coppers, precisely what he had earned in the last quest. He bought it and equipped it right away. He also put on the shoes he had gained from the [Package Run] quest. Overall, his running speed had increased by 12% with the help of these two items. It didn’t sound like a lot, but in real life, one had to train for months or years to achieve such a result. It was the good thing about games—instant gratification.

It was time to go. He triumphantly stomped toward the door. Leaving the door, the two players inside the shop burst out laughing.

“Dude, did you see that noob who just left?”

“Man, he looked so full of it. He walked around in his underwear with only a pair of shoes and a cloak. It looks like he bought the cloak here, though. I thought you could only buy cloaks from level 10 onward.”

“You can buy the [Errand Cloak], but no one buys it. It’s the worst item in the game. You must be out of combat for two hours before getting its special effect. It doesn’t even have any stats. It looks cool, but don’t waste your precious coppers on one.”

“Two hours cooldown? That’s horrible!”

“Come on; I chose the axe I’m buying. Let’s go back to the Fox Tunnels. I want to hit level 5 before I log out.”

“Man, it’s going to take us forever to get there. We have to stop every five minutes of running to recover energy. I hate it.”

“Don’t worry; my cousin told me that after level 10, you have plenty of skills and items to help you run longer. We’ll walk there and hunt some mice on our way there. OK?”

“It’s still going to take us over twenty minutes.”

“Come on, man! I want to try my brand new axe!”

Chapter 8

Loki looked down from his window. He had one of the finest views of the city. It was only appropriate that he could look down on everyone from here; after all, he was of a superior breed and intellect. Across his massive desk and on the other side of the shimmering force field he always kept turned on stood his five pawns. They patiently waited for him to start looking at the footage they had brought him, but Loki was enjoying making them wait. They seemed scared of him. They tried their best to look unafraid and relaxed, but Loki didn’t miss the occasional trembling knee or drop of sweat.

This was the only reason he left his capsule’s safety these days. He enjoyed these occasional meetings in the real world. In the game, if one died, they lost a level, stats, and an item. But here, it was different. Here, there was no coming back. That only made his pawns more terrified and him happier.

“I can’t tell you the pleasure it gives me to see that bastard suffer like this,” the man said. His voice was cold and without emotion. He wasn’t talking to the group. He didn’t care about them.

“We’re glad you like it, sir,” said Gary. Loki smirked, seeing that the five members of the IronIre Gaming Group kept their heads down, showing their subservience.

“Were you able to get him into the capsule I gave you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Wonderful. Wonderful. That means that he can feel every single scratch. But he is a tough bastard, isn’t he?” Loki fast-forwarded the footage across several hours and paused in some moments. “He doesn’t even flinch, does he?”

“Perhaps,” tried Shirley, “his dexterity ran so low that there was a lag between his pain and his facial expressions.”

It was a stupid observation, but Loki found it humorous. “Ahahaha. I almost forgot that his dexterity is probably in the negative hundreds now! It’s almost the same as burying him alive, right?”

Everyone joined in the laughter.

“He could also have activated the ‘disable facial pain expression’ option. Yes, that’s probably it. I’m surprised that the brute could think of it.” Loki spared them a look. Although none of them had said anything, he could tell from their ignorant, blank looks that they didn’t know the option. Worthless imbeciles. Every single one of them. The first thing a professional gamer should do when starting a game is to check and know by heart every single option in the menu. He didn’t dislike their stupidity, though. There was always use for imbeciles.

“So, he doesn’t have access to the log-out function; he can’t call game support or contact any GMs. His pain settings are also locked. He is stuck.” Loki was pleased. How long had it been since he felt this much joy?

“Sir, what if he calls the police or the prison?” Loki regarded the girl who had dared to question him. Shirley gulped as soon as his eyes landed on her. He wouldn’t have tolerated it if she asked this before going through with the plan. But since she had already gone through with it, and because he was in a good mood today, he decided to let this slide.

“I will transfer you the money, as promised.” After a pause, he continued. “I will transfer 200,000 more credits if you return in a few days and do this to him again. His dexterity is so low that he won’t be ten steps away from where you left him. This time only kill him 100 times. I want him on edge, always guessing how long he’ll suffer. He has to pay for what he’s done to me.” His hand gripped his legs with all his strength as he said it. Despite the grip drawing blood, he couldn’t feel anything. That violent beast had given him such a beating that he would never be able to walk again. He wanted to see him suffer as he had. Despite all his wealth, there was no way to undo what Roth had done. His nervous system had been so damaged that he could not do many things inside the game, even with reconstructive surgery.

“Of course, sir. We’re happy to do so.”

“That will be all,” he said, returning to the screen. He wanted to see every second of the footage again. He would keep paying these idiots for hurting their former friend. He didn’t care about the money. He would have to burn warehouses of cash before it made a dent in his finances. He was Loki, the owner of Pegasus Inc., one of the biggest gaming companies in the world.

Right before they left, he called out.

“Remember, you didn’t get the pod from me. If you as much as whisper this to anyone… I. will. burn. you.” Everyone gulped and rushed out of the room.

A figure stepped out of the shadows as soon as the group left.

“What do you think, Zin? What do you think of my revenge?”

“It’s brutal, sir. I’ve never seen anything like it.” For a man who had seen as much as Zin to say these words put Loki in an even better mood. It was no easy feat to hack into the safest game ever designed. But he had found a way. It had been a significant investment of money and resources to get his hands on the production of the gaming pods. But building the Slayer’s iron maiden was worth every cent. Besides, it had given him a stepping stone to overtake Nexus one day. Of course, not even Loki’s fortune could save him from the consequences if they were found out. That’s why he had already taken precautions if things went wrong. One of them was to get those fools to do his dirty work for him.

“Tell me, Zin, why did we go through the trouble of creating this hack if the bastards have a way to hide their pain?”

“Well, sir. It’s very delicate work. Any option you tamper with adds to the risk of being found out. We went as far as we dared. That option wasn’t considered crucial.”

Loki clicked his tongue. Barry, or as everyone knew him, Loki, had climbed up the gaming industry by ruthlessly manipulating, strategizing, and betraying whoever stood in his way. Roth and his guild had been just one more stepping stone in his path. Loki made Pegasus Inc. among the top 10 in the gaming world thanks to his guile and intelligence. But his ambitions didn’t end there. He wouldn’t stop until he managed to secure the number one spot. AstroTerra was his opportunity to do so. Still, powerful as he was, he could not overpower other older gaming guilds or the Nexus Co. itself. Not yet.

“Are you level 50 yet?”

“Almost, sir.”

“What about the others?”

“Xerxes is also 49. Yillian is 48.”

“Very good. I’m sure the developers have hidden some nasty hurdles in the second job advancement. We need to be ready.”

“Yes, sir.”

“What about the acquisition of real estate? Still nothing?”

“Anak has reached a revered status in the capital city of the Thunder Mountains, and still, she hasn’t been given the right to buy anything. Just renting.”

“Could it be that we’re looking at this the wrong way? For us to be almost level 50 and for there not to be any clue about how to buy properties?”

Zin remained silent.

“Real estate is of paramount importance. It will impact our success in the game. Still, the key to dominating this game is elsewhere. It can’t be a coincidence that they mention affinities in the opening cinematic, and that is featured among the first things in your character’s sheet. Affinities are the key. I think darkness and light will be especially important. Keep me posted on any developments. As soon as anyone inside the game unlocks an affinity, I want to be the first one to know about it.” Zin nodded.

“Did our team of archeologists find any other clues about the Dark Abyss’ quest?”

“They are working on it.” Loki was not happy with the slowness with which that quest was progressing. If his hunch was correct, this was a valuable trump card to get ahead of all the other guilds in AstroTerra.

“Enough. Go back to the game. Let me know as soon as you reach 50.”

Loki didn’t look back, but he knew Zin had already disappeared. He, too, decided to enter the game. He also had access to the footage of Roth’s torture inside the game. He would watch it there.

*

Gary and the others left Loki’s office and took the elevator down to the 34th floor, where their gaming group had been given an office. Loki had bought them off years ago, and now they were just another subsidiary in the giant money-making machine Pegasus Inc. Bad as it was to be stuck here, at least they weren’t permafrosted on the lower floors. As the elevator descended, Gary looked unpleasantly at Shirley.

“Shirley, that was dangerous. You know it’s best not to joke with the boss.” He didn’t hide his displeasure. That didn’t scare Shirley, though.

“I don’t know what your problem is, Gary. It worked. Besides, you guys don’t realize the most important thing.”

“Which is?” prompted Gary.

“He didn’t even bat an eye at the mention of paying us hundreds of thousands of dollars for just making fun of the Slayer. You know what a cheapskate that guy is. We haven’t had a raise in years. He’s emotionally involved in this one, so this is a cow we can keep milking for a long time.”

“Shirley, don’t you think he’s suffered enough?” protested Xana.

“Shut up, Xana! We spent years in debt, slaving away for this monster, all because of the Slayer! He hasn’t even come near earning our forgiveness.” It was tough talk from Shirley. Gary agreed with Xana. He knew how much pain they inflicted on Roth, but some part of his darkened heart held on to Shirley’s words. He had to find a way to live with what he had done. Besides, she was right. They had already killed him a thousand times. What was wrong with doing it a few more times?

“Let’s go back to Greenfield Village and make that idiot squirm!” encouraged Shirley. The group hesitatingly agreed. The allure of so much money was too much to resist.

They headed toward their assigned area as soon as they reached the floor. The bold red letters on the glass doors read ‘IronIre.’ They had been whittled down from a guild of thousands until there were just the five of them. All the other thousands in their ranks had been absorbed into the Pegasus corporation. It had been a long time since that change had occurred. Loki had made the group pay him repairs for Roth’s inconsequential actions through hard work inside the game. They completed quests, spied on guilds, and hunted players at Loki’s beck and call. They were good at it.

They reached the gaming room, where five sleek, cutting-edge gaming pods were open and ready to receive them. They entered their pods, activated them, and accessed the game. They appeared in the same place where they had logged out. Little motes of light gathered until the five figures of the squad materialized in Greenfield Village.

Their appearance instantly caused a commotion among the new players walking around the village.

“Look! Such cool gear!”

“I recognize that armor from a guy I watch on streams. That’s the Black Tiger set. It’s one of the best warrior armors for level 40 players.”

“Wow! When will I get my hands on some of that sweet gear? That’s awesome!”

The squad ignored the noobs making comments around them. They started to search around the square and then realized that there was something strange.

“What in the world?” asked Wilson. “Can anyone see the Slayer?” With his dexterity so low after they killed him a thousand times, it was impossible for him not to be here.

“I am trying to send him an instant message. He’s not online,” said Xana in a panic.

“Where is he?!” screamed Gary.

Chapter 9

Roth kept running toward Traverse Village. The trip had been significantly faster with the added buffs of the [Errand Cloak] and [Crappy Shoes]. After running for two hours, he received two more notifications that were music to his ears.

You have run 10 kilometers in under an hour! By exercising your muscles, you become stronger. +1 strength.

You have run 20 kilometers in under two hours! By practicing running, you become faster. +1 dexterity.

This time he realized that when he had gained one more point of dexterity, he sped up slightly. It seemed that this stat increased your agility. He also checked his weight capacity. Strength increased it. A gain of +1 dexterity increased his running speed by 0.2%, and a growth of +1 strength allowed him to carry 0.5 kg more. Initially, he thought he wouldn’t need stats for anything inside the game because he wanted to make a living as a peaceful craftsman. But he stood corrected. Now he saw that he had been naive. Stats seemed important, even if you didn’t engage in combat. He used his free time to see how his character progressed.

CHARACTER INFORMATION

Name: Pax

Race: Human

Level: 1 (100/200)

Affinity: [Empty]

Alignment: Neutral (10/100)

Relationships: Mice (10/100); Greenleaf Inc. (20/100)

Titles: [Martyr]

STATS

Hp:109

Energy:105

Damage Reduction: 31.5%

Running Speed: 133.4%

Weight: [Light] - (36/38kg)

Strength: 9

Dexterity: 12

Intelligence: 5

Wisdom: 5

Endurance: 215

EQUIPMENT

Right Hand:[Empty]

Left hand: [Empty]

Shoes: [Crappy Shoes]

Bottom: [Empty]

Top: [Empty]

Gloves: [Empty]

Head: [Empty]

Cape: [Errand Cloak]

Accessories: [Empty]

SKILLS:

Stat Bonuses: [Stone Skin]; [Horse’s Gallop]

Passive: [Empty]

Active: [Empty]

While running, Roth explored all the windows and options in the game. Like it or not, he was stuck inside AstroTerra. He had to know as much as he could about his new world if he wanted to get out eventually. In the real world, he could be harmed, or worse, someone could hurt his mother. He needed to come up with a plan to leave. But first, he had to discover how much Loki had messed with his pod.

He first went to settings to see what had been locked. He tried to disable the pain settings. He was locked out. He then tried calling game support. That was closed as well. He tried the phone system or the email system. Back in his gaming days, pods granted access to real-life communications. That saved players the trouble of having to log out to check if someone had tried to get in contact with them. Nothing. They had locked him out of that too. He had no way of contacting people in the real world. At least they hadn’t stopped him from being able to talk with other players in the game. He guessed that doing that would have been fiddling with the game too much and would draw the attention of the developers. Then, to Roth’s surprise, he found that he hadn’t been locked out of the forums!

The forums had a wealth of information that would prove useful to him and help him discover more about AstroTerra. For example, he found that the developers had an entire section devoted to hardware in the forums. All different kinds of VR interfaces compatible with AstroTerra were clearly shown. He went through all the various systems in the catalog until he found the pod Wilson had gotten for him. This was an older model. It was an excellent model, however. It offered anti-atrophy technology. His muscles were electrically stimulated while he played. He wouldn’t lose any muscle while he was here. It also came with an advanced nutrition system. He would be fed and his waste removed via IV. He wouldn’t starve, either.

Looking further, he saw that all systems came with a safety precaution. If someone didn’t eat for more than 24 hours or if someone’s vitals stopped, the pod would automatically shut down, and emergency services would be contacted. This was to prevent any episodes in which someone is happily playing inside the game and then, all of a sudden, their brain shuts down because their emaciated body has starved to death back in reality or because they had a stroke. This system was hardwired into the capsule. Roth guessed that if this system was activated, it would most certainly overrule their hack. That meant that his former guildmates would try to keep him well-fed in real life so that the police wouldn’t come knocking at their doorstep. He sighed in relief. Xana had spoken the truth. He wasn’t at any risk of starvation.

He looked up the forums and found that hacking attempts were punished with account deletion, a permanent ban from the game, and even prison time. Trapping him must have been extremely difficult. The AVR pods were advertised as being unhackable. How in the world had Loki pulled it off? Regardless, the fact that he still had access to some options told him they were only willing to tamper with as few things as possible to avoid being found out by a GM’s scrutiny or drawing the developers’ attention. Messing with some options and locking him inside the game had been as far as they had been willing to meddle. They hadn’t dared to delete the whole options menu or prevent him from accessing the forums or talking to other players, for example.

Roth considered his situation. On the one hand, his real body wasn’t at risk of undergoing starvation. On the other, a lot of planning had been put into this. The kind of resources required to hack this pod and lock him in like this was unimaginable. It wasn’t going to be easy to leave this place. But he had to hurry. His mother was in danger, and his brothers were too. He would try to keep escaping the pod. There was no way that Loki owned the whole company that made this game. At the same time, he would keep developing his character as much as possible just in case it was the only way to leave the game. He knew Loki had only left him with a way out to mess with him. But, where there was a will was a way, and he would find it!

He wanted to understand his character’s situation better. It was of paramount importance to know how much power his former teammates held over him. Were they able to keep track of his whereabouts in the game? The last thing he needed was for them to keep showing up and torturing him repeatedly. He had experienced enough of it for many lifetimes. He did some research but found no answer. Terrifying as it was, he had to wait. If they showed up again that would mean that Loki had the power to detect players’ locations. If he did, he already owned the whole game, and his competition was utterly powerless. This was the worst-case scenario, but it seemed highly unlikely. There were some powerful gaming companies that even Loki would have trouble corrupting or overpowering.

He looked up the privacy options. He found that he could block players. He went back into his log to get the names of his old classmates. He blocked them all. After some thought, he ticked an option that blocked everyone he wasn’t friends with. Otherwise, they could always ask another player he didn’t know to contact him. He didn’t want that. There. It was done. If a stranger tried to send him a private message, his name would show up to them as being offline.

Since he had no idea if his former teammates could find him, he had to focus on what he could do. His thoughts turned to his next moves. He had to get out of that pod. For that, he needed to make friends inside the game—people who would believe his story and help him in the real world. At the same time, impossible as it sounded, he would try to reach the top 10 leaderboard. It was time to study. The first thing he would do was to find out as much information on AstroTerra as possible. Then, he could start making plans for his future.

Roth started going through every bit of information available in the forums. It seemed that the world was divided into seven separate regions. He was in Green Country. There were also Water Caves, Rock Canyon, Sky Island, Sun Desert, Dark Abyss, Fire Pit, and Thunder Mountain. The average level of the top players was in the high forties. The one ranked highest in the leaderboard at the moment was level 49, someone called Zin. The game was released two years and three months ago. For the highest player in the game to only be level 49 after two years, that wasn’t much progress. Climbing up the levels seemed extremely difficult.

He went on to check classes. Players could choose a class at level 10. Then, they had their first class advancement at level 30 and, apparently, a second one at level 50, where most players were trying to get to. No one knew anything beyond that. Gaining a class was not an easy endeavor. It required tests and quests that got people stuck for some time. The primary classes were the most common, but there were some reports of people finding hidden or unique classes. The rumor was that eight of the top 10 leaderboard players didn’t have mainstream classes.

He read a post from an individual with the username UncleScrew23 who had unlocked a hidden class, a magnetician. It was a hidden class similar to espers that allowed one to use electromagnetic fields. Long story short, he complained that even though he had gone to great lengths to gain this hidden class, he had found it impossible to progress with. After much struggle, he reset his account and started fresh with a mainstream class. He ended his post by saying he would sell the information on unlocking this hidden class for real-world money. OK. So hidden classes were potentially awesome, but only for people who knew what they were doing.

Roth confirmed that stats were vital outside of battle. He looked in the forums for posts that spoke of stats and professions. His hunch was correct. Stats had a bearing on how successful one was at their profession. Blacksmiths needed strength to wield their hammers and command their forges. Dexterity impacted the stats of the equipment tailors produced or the flavor of the food cooked by the chefs. Intelligence affected the crafting success rate for technomancers and tinkerers. Wisdom could make jewelers more successful or give additional effects to chemicals concocted by chemists. That meant he couldn’t discard the importance of stats just because he didn’t want to battle in the game.

He also looked up the stat he had unlocked earlier in the game, endurance. Posts became much fewer. Any references to endurance didn’t give any straight information about it. He found a few hits for the keyword in posts where warrior classes bragged about their stats and took a screenshot of their character sheet. When others asked them how they had unlocked the endurance stat, those players never gave a straight answer. When he saw a screenshot of a warrior player who had made his first advancement as a tank, a class specialized in defense, Roth was surprised. He bragged about his impressive stats, and Roth saw that his endurance stat was only 48. That meant that he had, at level 1, four times as much endurance as a level 30 warrior! It seemed that this stat was a more significant thing than he had assumed.

Roth kept reading up on everything he could in the forum. A plan started to form in his mind. He would make it to the leaderboard and do so on his terms.

Chapter 10

A dark green blur crossed the mouse fields surrounding Greenfield Village. It was so quick that beginners hunting the little rodents didn’t notice it. Only the ones with more acute gaming senses felt a breeze. Gary used all the speed bonuses he could muster to cover as much ground as possible. His class granted him bonuses to his running speed, and many of his active skills were dashes that allowed him to close in or create a gap between himself and his opponent. He had already been through the village twice and had decided to scout all the hunting maps around it, trying to see if he could find Roth. His phone started ringing. He stopped. His blurred sprinting figure suddenly materialized in the view of the beginners hunting nearby.

“Dude? How long has that guy been there?”

“Did he teleport or something?”

“He looks like a veteran player. Look at that awesome gear!”

“Do you think he already has a girlfriend?” a hopeful female player asked.

Gary ignored all of them. He was the cream of the crop in the game. These beginners were all ants to him—ants he could squash with his boot. The caller trying to contact him was in the real world. It was Wilson. He picked up the call. Wilson appeared with a dingy, moldy wall in the background.

“Gary, I just….”

“Hold on, Wilson. Let me get everyone on this call,” interrupted Gary. It was better for everyone to be briefed on the situation. Things weren’t looking good for them.

“OK,” Wilson said, sweating. He had run as fast as he could to get there and was still huffing and puffing.

One after the other, the other members of the IronIre squad started appearing on screens. In some of them, their avatars appeared. Xana and Wilson were the only ones taking the call in the real world.

“Go ahead, Wilson,” said Gary.

“I just arrived at the apartment we rented. I just checked the Slayer’s pod. He’s in there. He’s still inside the game.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. If Roth had managed to leave the pod and run straight to the police, they would have been done for. They could still play many cards if he was still stuck inside the game.

“OK. So I’ll go first. I searched the village from top to bottom. I also went around the mouse fields around the village and didn’t find him. Brian?”

“I asked around all the players I could find here in Greenfield Village, offering silver in exchange for any information on him. I only found a female player who said a pervert matching his description tried to approach her in his underwear. There’s no way we can tell whether it was him or not. Doesn’t sound like the Slayer, though.”

That had been a long shot. Two years into the game, most beginners quickly leveled to 10 and rushed to the nearest city to start their class quests. Many guides were posted online on how to reach level 10 in three days or less. Many players made a living by finding the shortest route to level up and selling it to others. As members of the Pegasus group, the IronIre squad knew there was a way to get from level 0 to level 10 in less than two days. After level 10, there were fewer and fewer shortcuts. From level 20, all one could do was grind.

Most likely, all the players that had been around that day had already moved on to another village or had even moved to a middle-grade town. Finding someone here who had met Roth was unlikely.

“Then, where in the world is he? Xana? Did you manage to find anything?”

“I’m sorry, guys. The program is designed to block pain settings, hide the log-out button, and prevent players from resetting their accounts. Much more than that, and the game’s security protocols would automatically flag it. There’s no way to track him inside the game.”

“We killed him over a thousand times! There is no way he could have gone too far. Not with such low dexterity,” protested Brian.

“And are you sure that he couldn’t reset his account? Create a new character?” insisted Gary.

“There’s no way. That option was locked,” responded Xana.

“What if…?” Wilson stopped himself.

“What, Wilson?”

“I don’t know. Maybe what we did was unprecedented in the game’s history. No sane soul would stay around after being slaughtered a hundred times. Much less for a thousand deaths! Anyone else who was ambushed like that would have logged out after a couple of hits.”

Gary didn’t like where this was going. “Go on.”

“What if once you die a certain number of times at level 0, the game offers you the choice of starting over?”

Everyone froze. It wasn’t impossible. What other explanation was there for the Slayer not being here?

“I have tried to contact the Pax character, and it appears offline. I already asked a friend to do the same in case he blocked us, but she also got the same notification. There’s no way to tell if he started a different character or just blocked us.”

“What do we do, Gary?” asked Wilson. “If Loki finds out that we lost track of the Slayer inside the game, he won’t have it.” Once upon a time, Roth had been the leader of this crew. After their fallout, that burden fell on Gary’s shoulders. He had to make a decision.

“Guys, we just need to disappear,” said Shirley.

“What do you mean?” asked Xana. Gary stared angrily at Shirley. He knew that she would be the first one to freak out. It was ironic that someone with such a fascination with ice-related skills, even one called Artica, had so much trouble keeping her cool.

“Guys, you know what happened to the Slayer after he attacked Loki. His life was destroyed. Think about it. Loki is even using his former friends to hunt him relentlessly. Four years ago, Loki was a nobody and was already capable of doing so much. Imagine what he could do to us now that he is one of the richest people in the world. You all heard the rumors about little Timmy.”

Gary felt a shiver down his spine at the mention of Timothy Evans. He’d been a talented player who had integrated the Pegasus Guild and was even granted a position as a guild elder when he was recruited. He was a talented telekinetic who had drawn the attention of the scouts of the guild. After being in the guild for a few months, he was approached by one of the competition’s guilds with a generous offer in exchange for some privileged information on the operations of the Pegasus guild.

Once it was discovered that there was a mole inside the guild, Loki moved his squad of assassins inside the game to look for the leak, and sure enough, they found its source. A kill-on-sight order was sent out. If anyone saw Timothy inside the game, they would kill him immediately. No one saw Timothy for a while. Everyone thought he had just restarted the game with a new character to avoid being hunted by the Pegasus guild.

Until one day, someone recognized him on the news. They shared it with their friends, who, in turn, shared it with other friends inside the Pegasus group. The article spread like wildfire. The headline read: “Brutal murder downtown.” It said that a young man had been found dead in his apartment and that the crime scene hadn’t been pretty. The police didn’t have a clue as to the reason for this heinous act of violence. The theory was that it had been the work of some gang. Everyone in Pegasus knew better, though.

Some had thought of calling to the attention of the police that Loki might have something to do with it, but every time anyone even came close to considering it, a new article was leaked into the grapevine of the guild. “Mother of a murdered young man goes crazy and is sent to a hospice,” “Family house of a murdered young man set ablaze downtown,” and “Siblings of a murdered young man hunted by gangs.” Headlines such as these stroke fear in the hearts of the employees working under Loki.

“Don’t be stupid, Shirley. Where would you go?”

“I don’t know, Gary! We’ve just been paid a million dollars. We could try to run for it and find some forsaken country where Loki’s goons won’t find us.” Gary saw in Wilson’s eyes that he agreed with the suggestion. He needed to bring his squad back to Earth.

“Guys, don’t lose your cool. We know that the Slayer is inside the game. That gives us time to work things out. Let’s not jump the gun. We all know a million credits are nowhere near enough to evade Loki’s hounds. We need to give it our best shot at fixing this.” Gary had said this as relaxed as he could, trying to transmit calm to his friends. To his buttons, what Gary was thinking was quite different, though. If Loki finds out about this, we’re dead, he thought to himself.

“One of two things has happened. Either he found a way to reset his character, or his first avatar found a way to move despite all those negative stats. If he has reset his character, he will make a scene. Keep your eyes out for any posts on the forums about a player wreaking havoc or going on a rampage. Pay special attention to any warrior classes or berserkers. We have played with the Slayer for many years. We know how he hunts and his signature. He’ll cause ripples eventually. Roth has never been the type of guy who could do things quietly.”

Everyone nodded.

“We must find him if he is still playing with his Pax avatar. Shirley, Xana. Search around here. Focus on the villages. Try any observation or tracking skills you have to find him. Split up. You cover more ground that way. Maybe he didn’t create a new account and just moved somewhere.”

“Are you serious, Gary? That doesn’t even make any sense. How would he have traveled to other villages nearby?”

“I don’t know. But we have to assume that something happened that allowed him to move around. I will search every village in this beginner zone if I have to.”

“Do you know how many villages there are in the beginner zone? There are thousands of square kilometers of ground to cover. It will take us weeks to check all the villages out.”

“Do it!” he roared. They finally agreed.

“As for you, Wilson,” he continued, “from now on, I don’t want you to leave the pod’s side. You hear me?”

Wilson nodded. “How do I play from here?”

“You just got your hands on a million dollars, man. I am sure you will think of something.”

“What about you? What are you going to do?” protested Wilson.

“Let me worry about that. One more thing. No one stops leveling. Take turns searching for the Slayer. We don’t want Loki to get wind of things going wrong.” Wilson got off the call. Gary clicked his tongue. How could something like this happen? They should have been more careful with the Slayer. He had more lives than the luckiest of cats. They could always come clean and tell Loki what happened, but he wasn’t sure if that would go well. People had been permafrosted for less. Even if they turned off the pod and told the Slayer at gunpoint to reset his character and start in another village of their choosing, what prevented him from choosing the easy way out? It could go very wrong very quickly.

“Brian, do you have any friends who are roughly Roth’s size and don’t have an AstroTerra account?”

“Hmm… Maybe. Why do you ask?”

“I’m going to try to find a way to keep Loki off our backs. I want a plan B in case we don’t find Roth.”

He also already had a plan C. But he couldn’t tell Brian about that one. Not yet.

Chapter 11

It had been days of non-stop running and reading for Roth. He was sure that if reading the forum counted, he would have unlocked some title like “running reader” or “I can read and run without falling on my face.” Alas, he hadn’t. Nevertheless, reading the forums allowed him to gain a good overview of the game’s inner workings. The knowledge that at the start of AstroTerra came at a premium cost was now considered common, and he could access much of it in the forums for free.

As for the [Package Run] quests, he had already met Bartholomew’s niece, brother, nephew, son, daughter, father, mother, and cousin, and now he was on his way to Creekhill Village to meet Bartholomew’s wife. Why was this whole family living apart from each other anyway? He jokingly wondered if this family of merchants organized reunions when no one was looking.

Although these quests were vastly similar and, for the most part, uneventful, he had received a few nice surprises along the way. One of them was after three days of almost non-stop jogging. He had unlocked his second title.

Title: Marathonist (common)

Title description: After running great distances, your training has made you more robust and durable.

Title effects:

You can run longer without getting tired.

Conditions to unlock [Marathonist]:

Run 500 km in under three days {complete};

or run 1,000,000 km.

The benefit of the title wasn’t quantifiable, but the results were there for him to see. Before, he could run for ninety minutes straight without resting. Now, he could go on for two hours without taking a break. He was happy with the added boost, saving him much time.

From what he could tell from the forums, titles were a much bigger deal than he had assumed. Every title was highly coveted and sought-after in the game. He found one post that suggested this.

“Yo! Ya, noobs! Just to letcha all know, I got my first title today at level 12! Take that, all you fools who said that you can only get a title after level 20!”

If getting a title was this hard, he guessed he was doing exceptionally well after unlocking two as early as level 4! Some titles would be much rarer and more valuable than others. For example, from what he saw here, [Marathonist] was a more common one that eventually all players got. However, it would take much longer for those who unlocked it by running a million kilometers inside the game. He could benefit from getting it early. It would save him some time. Any advantage he gained mattered. If he were to get out, he would have to catch up to many players who were much more advanced than he was.

As usual, Roth went into the local shop and delivered the parcel.

[Package Run IX] completed

Quest completion rate: S

Rewards: 50 coppers, 500 XP

Bonus rewards: 50 coppers, 500 XP, [Horrible Vest], +10 reputation with Greenleaf Inc.

[Level up!]

You’ve achieved 100 reputation with Greenleaf, Inc. You are now friends with Greenleaf, Inc.

This had been the ninth of the [Package Run] quests. Every time he completed a quest, he was given some reputation with the merchant association that ran all these shops. He had finally unlocked the first level of closeness with them! He did not know what kind of difference that would make, but he was sure to find out sooner or later.

Roth also took a moment to examine the item he had just received.

Item: Horrible Vest

Item’s description: What was once a jacket is now so full of holes and tears that it can be more appropriately called a vest.

Grade: Common

+1 Intelligence

+1 Wisdom

Roth equipped it and checked his stats:

CHARACTER INFORMATION

Name: Pax

Race: Human

Level: 4 (300/3000)

Affinity: [Empty]

Alignment: Neutral (20/100)

Relationships: Mice (10/100); Greenleaf Inc. (100/300)

Titles: [Martyr]; [Marathonist]

STATS (Free Stat Points: 20)

Hp:109

Energy:102

Damage Reduction: 31.6%

Running Speed: 134.2%

Weight: [Light] - (4/44,4kg)

Strength: 14

Dexterity: 16

Intelligence: 7

Wisdom: 7

Endurance: 216

EQUIPMENT

Right Hand:[Empty]

Left hand: [Tin Ring]

Shoes: [Crappy Shoes]

Bottom: [Moldy Trousers]

Top: [Horrible Vest]

Gloves: [Empty]

Head: [Ghastly Headband]

Cape: [Errand Cloak]

Accessories: [Empty]

SKILLS:

Stat Bonuses: [Stone Skin]; [Horse’s Gallop]

Passive: [Empty]

Active: [Empty]

Not too bad after spending a few days just running around. The experience he gained from completing the quests allowed him to reach level four. He hadn’t gotten anything below an S in the quest achievement, earning him a significant boost in XP. He noticed that every time he leveled up, he gained free stats. He could allocate those to whatever he liked. Typically, warrior classes allocated all of their stats to strength, for instance. Rogues would boost their dexterity, and medics and espers would focus on intelligence or wisdom. He still didn’t know which stats would benefit his profession or class more, so he held them in reserve. Nevertheless, he had twenty free stats to spend at the moment.

With his new items, he looked a bit more respectable now. One could argue that his clothes were so full of holes and ragged that he was almost as naked in them as he had been without them, but Roth preferred to look on the bright side of life. He knew there were items that looked more respectable for sale in the villages, but nothing gave him more running speed, so he chose not to waste his hard-earned money. He just kept completing quests and equipping the items he was given.

Tin ring (common)

Item description: A piece of trash that happens to fit into your finger

Item effects: +1 intelligence

Moldy pants (common)

Item description: The trousers are so foul and have been kept in a humid place for so long that they have become covered in fungus and moss.

Item effects: +1 wisdom

Ghastly headband (common)

Item description: A headband that someone dug out of a pile of trash. It is unsightly and disgusting.

Item effects: +1 wisdom, +1 intelligence

He had also received a sword as a reward for one of the delivery quests, but he returned it because he did not want to wield any weapons. When he did so, he got another message similar to the one he received when talking to Bartholomew.

Barach, the merchant, is impressed with your refusal to take up arms.

+10 righteousness

Apparently, it was much harder to gain alignment than it was to gain reputation. He had to perform actions that the game considered extraordinary before he was given the righteousness points.

If things went as they had so far, Bartholomew’s wife, Bertha, would soon give him a follow-up quest. He waited to see if Bartholomew’s wife had anything to say. She did.

“Oh, you truly have been a good friend to our family, traveler. You have traveled far and wide to help us deliver these goods. Would you be willing to help us one last time?”

Quest: One Last Errand (rare)

Quest objectives: Go and deliver this package to Bartholomew’s dog, who lives in the woods.

Roth was excited. This was the first rare quest he would complete. He had noticed how the rewards kept snowballing in this chain quest. The farther he went in the series of missions, the more bountiful the prize. He couldn’t wait to see what the final reward would be! “Certainly, ma’am. I will be on my way.”

“Be careful, traveler. Many are those who get lost or are attacked in those woods.”

“Don’t worry, ma’am, I’ll be alright.”

“Godspeed, traveler.”

Roth left the store and checked the local map. This had been one of the rewards of the last quest he’d completed: [Package Run VIII]. As he completed almost a full circle in the beginner area, running from village to village, he was awarded a map of the whole region.

He now had a more accurate idea of where he was in the beginner zone. This would prove helpful since players usually stayed here until level 10. The beginner zone consisted of a ring of villages and prairies surrounding the woods. He hadn’t even come near the woods until now, nor had he come near one of the hunting grounds; he had only stuck to the roads. At least here, in the beginner zone, there were no mobs near the roads, and traveling was completely safe.

It would be his first time going into the woods. He was looking forward to it. These days, all the woods and forests left out in the real world were considered national parks, and humans weren’t allowed anywhere near them. The only way most people saw wild animals or were in touch with nature was, ironically, by playing this kind of augmented virtual reality. Looking at the map, he saw how different mutated animals populated the woods. There were rats, foxes, ravens, badgers, and at the very center of the woods, the strongest mobs in the beginner zone, boars. The map was so detailed that it displayed where he could find each type of animal and the locations of all the dungeons within the woods. Roth noticed that, despite the relatively detailed map, it lacked the information he needed most. He didn’t know where Bartholomew’s dog was. This was the first time he wasn’t given the coordinates for his destination. Maybe it was a result of the quest being of a higher grade. He would have to work harder for it.

As Roth followed his map, he left the village through the south gate, and for the first time in the game, he took a cross-country route while heading toward the woods. Separating the villages from the treeline that showed the beginning of the woods was a series of grass prairies. Different mice inhabited them. He walked for a couple of minutes and then heard a commotion ahead. Curious, he tried to come closer. Finally, he saw the reason for the fuss. Three players were hunting a mouse.

As Roth drew near, he heard the pained squeaks of the mouse as it was attacked on all sides.

“Attack him from behind!”

“Hit its head! Hit its head!”

“Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!”

Hearing the pain of the animal, Roth froze. Different memories flashed in his mind. First, he was transported back to his time in prison. He could hear the counselor talking to him sometime around his third rageaholic meeting.

“Roth here is an egg. I want you to take care of it.”

“What? What do you mean? Take care of it?”

“Be careful. There is a chick about to hatch. Keep it warm and safe; otherwise, the chick will die.”

Roth remembered accepting the tiny little ball in his massive, clumsy hand. Even though he was such a big man, for the first time in his life, he felt that his strength was useless for this task. For this, he would have to be gentle. He remembered taking care of it, day in and day out. He had seen it hatch and remembered the day the little chick came out. He remembered how it had followed him happily around. He recalled that from that day onward, he had become a vegetarian and could not bear to see the sight of an animal being hurt.

Then his mind was transported to the eighteen hours of uninterrupted torture he had experienced a few days ago. He had never felt so much pain for so long. He had shrugged it off, but he hadn’t come out of that inhumane treatment unscathed. His eyes focused back on the mouse. Wasn’t what this little mouse was going through the same thing that they had done to him?

“Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!”

“Quick! Keep hitting it!”

Before he realized what he was doing, Roth was running toward the mouse.

Chapter 12

Walter, Will, and Wesley worked together for an insurance company. Their supervisor had been trying to convince them to try AstroTerra out and had even offered them a day off if they were willing to give it a go. At first, the three friends were hesitant. In the MMORPG they had been playing for years, they were all top-leveled, and it was hard to let go of all those hours of progress. But after getting a taste of AstroTerra, they were hooked. They sold all their stuff in the other game for real money and, since then, had been spending their sleeping hours happily hunting away in the mouse fields.

They were all level 3 and had moved up from hunting black mice to hunting brown mice. These were tougher mobs, but the experience and drops were much better. It did require them to hunt with more coordination, though. Seasoned players as they were, this was a piece of cake for them. Walter had always enjoyed playing warriors. Will always played as a healer or buffer character. Wesley always played as an archer but, so far, hadn’t found anything in the game with bows and arrows, so he had just learned the [Throw Rocks] beginner skill.

Throw Rocks (Common)

Skill description: Your mind’s potential is slowly awakening, and you can move some small objects with it.

Skill effects: Active skill. Channel for 2 seconds and then throw 1-3 rocks toward a target as far as 5 meters away. Each rock deals 5+(Wis+Int) damage.

Class Restrictions: Can be learned by all classes.

Wesley concentrated and started to channel his skills. He felt the pebbles on the ground being picked up by his mind. They had been attacking this brown mouse for two minutes, and his hit points bar was already on the red. A few more attacks and it would be done. Just before he commanded the rocks to fly toward the brown mouse, he felt a giant shadow approaching him from behind.

“What on Earth…?”

“Stop it!” roared the giant. “Stop hurting that little mouse.” He held onto Wesley from behind. He hadn’t attacked him or tried to deal him any damage. Wesley hadn’t received any system notification saying that a player was attacking him. The giant man was just trying to keep him still and stop him from hurting the animal.

“Dude, are you insane? What are you doing?” he tried to protest.

“Animals have rights too, you monsters! He is just a defenseless little mouse!”

“What on Earth are you talking about, man? This is just a game. We’re just hunting in peace; leave us alone.”

“Squeak?” Even the mouse was surprised, looking at his giant savior.

“Stop! Stop hurting that cute mouse.”

“This dude is crazy. How is this disgusting mouse cute?”

“Let go of me! Let go of me!” screamed Wesley.

The new arrival held on furiously to Wesley. “Never! Go away. Just leave these poor animals alone. They are defenseless. They have feelings, just like you and I.”

For a moment, everyone was unsure of what to do. Not even the mouse was sure of what was going on. None of them had ever seen anything like this. A giant man crying out for animal rights inside a game that was all about hunting monsters.

“Whatever, let’s just get rid of him,” called Walter.

Wesley sent the mental command for the pebbles to fly toward Roth. The others turned on him, slashing him with a sword and hitting him with a mace.

-13

-12

-14

-4

-6

“What in the world? Why are my attacks dealing so little damage? This guy is not even wearing any plate armor! How is he so tough?”

“Aaaaargh! Ouch!” screamed the man, as if he were feeling the pain of these attacks. That only made him hang on more furiously to Wesley. “So this is what you were feeling, wasn’t it, little mouse? You poor soul. Maybe they’d understand if they could feel the pain just like you and me. Run away! Run for your life! I will hold them!”

“Dude, what’s wrong with you? What did we ever do to you?”

“Get him off me! Get him off me!

After a few more hits, the crazy man’s HP flatlined.

“What was wrong with that guy? He acted as if he were feeling the pain.”

“I know. Shoot. We lost the aggro of the mouse, and it has already recovered that much health. Quick. Attack it again before it fully heals!”

*

Roth’s figure materialized in the central square of Creekhill Village.

You have died.

You lost a level. Penalty canceled because of your title [Martyr];

You lose three dexterity. Penalty canceled because of your title [Martyr];

You saved a brown mouse. He is grateful and tells his companions about your rescue. +14 Reputation with ratans.

He didn’t even register the notifications. As soon as Roth respawned, he was already running back to where he’d been killed. The same players were targeting a brown mouse again.

*

“That guy was crazy. Does anyone know why he didn’t leave any drops behind?” asked Walter while attacking another brown mouse.

“You wanted any of that horrible-looking gear?” countered Wesley.

“Guys, I just noticed that I got a weird notification after killing him. I have gained a title. [Martyr’s Killer]. Did anyone get that?”

“I wasn’t paying attention to my notifications; wait a minute.”

You have received a new title, [Martyr’s Killer].

“What does this do?”

“Stoooooop!” The distant scream stopped everyone in their tracks. The brown mouse also was drawn by the voice. Everyone turned toward the figure running toward them.

“Darn! It’s that crazy guy again. Don’t tell me he’s going to do that again?”

“Stop killing that mouse!” kept screaming Roth.

“Shoot him down!”

“Man. We’re gonna get a penalty for killing a player.”

“Forget about it. We have to show him we’re serious.”

Before Roth had reached them, Wesley had already hit him with a few pebbles.

-11

-12

-10

“I don’t get it! I get over 20 damage for each pebble I throw at a mouse. Why is he so tough?”

As soon as Roth was within arm’s reach, he latched on to Walter this time, not letting go. “Stop hurting this adorable little mouse! You foul beasts.”

“This dude is crazy!”

“Quick! Wesley. Shoot him down!” I will keep attacking the brown mouse, so we don’t lose its aggro. I can hold it off for a while on my own.”

*

Wesley kept shooting pebbles at Roth while he tried to hinder Walter’s movements. Just before Roth died, he saw Will finish off the brown mouse in front of him.

“Noooooo!”

You have died.

You lost a level. Penalty canceled because of your title [Martyr];

You lose two strength. Penalty canceled because of your title [Martyr];

You tried to save a brown mouse and even died with him. His companions saw it and spread the news of your heroic feat. +8 Reputation with ratans.

You will be returned to the nearest saving point.

This time, as soon as Roth woke up, he went first to the different houses inside the village. He had read in the forum that he could learn some basic skills from a trainer here. He ran toward the city center, where a few people surrounded a valiant-looking man in armor who held a spear in his right hand and a shield in his left hand.

“Oh? A Martyr? What an honorable man! How can I help?”

“I want to learn a skill.”

“By all means. Take your pick.”

Roth started to scroll through the skills. [Shield Bash]. No. [Backstab]. No. [Wildcat Stance]. No. He went over all the different skills that newbies could learn. He could learn as many as he wanted, but they cost money. Finally, he chose two skills.

Healing Ray (Common)

Skill description: You feel others’ pain and thanks to the power of your mutation, you can slightly alleviate it.

Skill effects: Active skill. Heal your target by 5+(Wis+Int)

Class Restrictions: Can be learned by all classes

Shepherd’s Shout (Common)

Skill description: Your vocal cords have grown resilient and robust. All can hear you better, and your voice can herd weaker creatures.

Skill effects: Active. Scares away monsters. The skill’s effectiveness increases when a monster is low-leveled or has low health.

Each of them cost one silver. He spent at once almost all of the hard-earned money he had acquired after two days of questing. He immediately ran toward the place where he had met the group.

*

“Man, I have never seen anything like that crazy man.”

“Forget it. This time it seems like he’s not coming back.”

“Do you think he was just fooling around with us?”

“Probably it’s one of those guys that makes funny videos and then posts them online.”

“Look! An elite!”

Not far from where they were, an elite rat spawned. Unlike the others in the vicinity who walked on all fours, this one walked on two legs, like a human. The rat also had a small helmet and a stick.

Guerilla Rat (Elite)

Lvl. 3

400 hp

“Lucky! Quick! Let’s get him before anyone else gets to hear about it.”

Elite monsters were rare in AstroTerra. They spawned in random places every other hour. Their drops were better than the regular monsters, and the experience they granted was very generous. Many quests required one to hunt these elites too. As a result, whenever one appeared anywhere in the game, everyone converged toward it and fought over the kill.

The group rushed toward the elite and started attacking it. With the added rewards came the added risks. Elites were much stronger than regular monsters. Patiently, they started to surround it and attack it methodically. As its HP bar hit the red, they heard the familiar voice.

“Stoooop.”

“No! You’ve gotta be kidding.”

“Stooooooooooooop!”

“I hate this guy.”

“Quickly finish the rat up.” Just as one of them was about to deal the finishing blow, a ray of light fell on the rat, and the health bar of the elite rat recovered.

Healing Ray!

“Squeal?” The rat looked strangely at the source of the healing ray.

“Dude! You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

Shepherd’s Shout!

“Run away, little rat! Run away!”

This skill was used when one didn’t want to get involved in fighting. It was supposed to drive away monsters and mobs. The less health they had, the more effective the skill was. No one wanted a almost-dead mob to run away, though!

The rat turned tail and ran toward the woods.

“You idiot!”

“It took us 15 minutes to get that mob so low! It was an elite on top of that.”

A healing ray fell on one of the players.

Healing Ray!

“What? Why in the world are you healing me?”

“Because I don’t want anyone to get hurt. Here goes another heal,” said Roth.

Healing Ray!

“Aaaargh. I hate you!”

You have died.

You lost a level. Penalty canceled because of your title [Martyr].

You lose two strength. Penalty canceled because of your title [Martyr].

You helped and saved an Elite Rat. He spreads the news of your heroic feat. +33 Reputation with ratans.

You were willing to help even those who were harming you. +10 Righteousness.

You will be returned to the nearest saving point.

After respawning, Roth materialized in a village again. He didn’t know what had gotten into him. As soon as he saw the animals being hurt, he just snapped. Thoughts of the little chick he had raised and the days of excruciating torture just overtook him, and after that, it was as if he saw himself through someone else’s eyes. He couldn’t help but jump into the fray.

It seemed that what he’d been through a few days ago had scarred him more deeply than he wanted to admit. He remembered that when he struggled more with rage, his vision went red, his mind was blank, and he went on a rampage. Now, it seemed like he was facing a similar phenomenon, which made him do the opposite of what he used to do. Those guys must have thought him crazy.

He decided to go apologize to them. As soon as he spotted them, he waved and ran toward them. They all saw him and ran in the opposite direction. He chased after them for a while. Since he had many speed bonuses, he quickly gained ground. Before he could speak to them, though, they all logged out. Strange. What was so scary about him? He had been careful not to hurt them.

He shook his head and decided to go back to his quest. He had to find Bartholomew’s dog in the woods. Not even one minute after walking through the hunting fields toward the woods, he heard another commotion ahead. A squeal of pain. His eyes went red, and his mind went blank.

“Stoooop! Don’t hurt it!”

He started running toward another group that was hunting mice.

Chapter 13

It had been three days, and no one in the squad had found clues about Roth. Gary kept his eyes on the forums for signs of anyone violent or crazy going on rampages in the Green Country area. He couldn’t find anything. No news. He then saw a post that he found slightly amusing.

*

Crazy Activist in the Green Country Beginner Zone

#news #alert #greencountry #beginnerzone

Poster: WeAreWes12

Post: Be careful, everyone. There’s been a crazy guy running around the vicinity of the woods in the beginner zone in the Green Country region. Run on sight! He will make your hunts miserable. He is an animal rights activist who will try to stop you from hunting mobs. He is extremely annoying. He dresses up like a hobo and runs fast.

*

Gary chuckled. Although this guy sounds like a piece of work, there was no way that he could be the Slayer. Back in the day, he had seen Roth do things to animals that still made him feel like hurling. He had no time to waste on random posts like this. He resisted the urge to waste time reading up on the comments and kept searching the forums for any suspicious rumors. He had to hurry and find the Slayer.

*

Crazy Activist in the Green Country Beginner Zone

#news #alert #greencountry #beginnerzone

Poster: WeAreWes12

Post: Be careful, everyone. There’s been a crazy guy running around the vicinity of the woods in the beginner zone in the Green Country region. Run on sight! He will make your hunts miserable. He is an animal rights activist who will try to stop you from hunting mobs. He is extremely annoying. He dresses up like a hobo and runs fast.

Comments

BunnyNutty51: He also interrupted our hunt! Right in the middle of an elite too. What an annoying, crazy bastard!

GreenFelp19: How come that idiot doesn’t drop any items or equipment? We killed him five or six times, and not even a measly copper dropped.

AppleADay994: Could it be some sort of NPC?

BunnyNutty51: Highly unlikely.

WeAreWes: Thank you for all your comments and likes, people. One more thing, if you kill him, you gain a new title. It’s called [Martyr Killer]. My buddies and I have no clue what it does. The description is just like this.

[Martyr Killer] (Curse)

Title description: You’ve killed a martyr.

AppleADay994: I just saw that I have that thing too! What the heck?

GreenFelp19: Same. Any clue as to its effect? Why does it say curse?

BunnyNutty51: Probably nothing.

*

Roth finally came to his senses. He tried to understand where he was, but everything was a blur. He remembered snippets of memories and the pain of being attacked by other players, but it was all fuzzy. He had a massive headache. He sat down to recover and went back through the log to make sense of what had happened to him over the past few days. He found many notifications of deaths:

You have died.

You lost a level. Penalty canceled because of your title [Martyr];

You lose one endurance. Penalty canceled because of your title [Martyr];

You saved a white mouse. He spreads the news of your triumphant rescue. +10 Reputation with ratans.

You will be returned to the nearest saving point.

Things went on and on like this. Sometimes he gained a +3 reputation with ratans. Sometimes, he gained +5, and other times as high as +10. After his 14th or 15th rescue of a mouse, he received an exciting system notification.

You have achieved 100 reputation with ratans.

You are now friends with all ratans

New title unlocked, [Friend of the Ratans].

His third title. He had hit the jackpot! After [Martyr] and [Marathonist], he now had [Friend of the Ratans]. He hurried to check what the title did.

Title: Friend of the Ratans (Uncommon)

Title description: Mice and rats have come to know you and feel comfortable around you. They see you as their friend.

Title effects:

+2 Dexterity;

It’s easier to learn Ratan.

Conditions to unlock [Friend of the Ratans]:

Achieve 100 reputation with ratans without ever hurting them {complete};

Or achieve 1000 reputation with ratans.

Interesting. It is easier to learn Ratan? Is that the language that mice and rats speak? But how much easier, exactly? He noticed that rewards from skills or titles often weren’t clear in this game. For instance, his [Marathonist] title said he could run longer without tiring, never specifying how long precisely. His [Martyr] title said that it was easier to strike a relationship with righteous NPCs, but it didn’t say by how much. Roth wouldn’t even know that the title had already helped him were it not for the posts he had read in the forums. After reading through many complaints about how unhelpful NPCs were in this game, he now knew that the reason why he had been so well treated by Bartholomew and his family was probably due to this title effect. His [Martyr] title also said he would feel closer to the light. He had no idea what that meant. Intrigued by another ambiguous statement in his new title, he checked the forums to see if anyone else had noticed this about the game.

He did a quick search on titles. He found an interesting post by a guy called Weasel34. It seemed this guy had posted several articles on the importance of titles. He clicked on one of the posts with the most views. The headline read: “Which is more important? Titles? Or Equipment?” It went on to say that there was no doubt whatsoever that titles were much more valuable in the game. There was a limit to the equipment you could wear but no limitation on the number of titles you could have. He gave an example of how a level 30 warrior player that focused on earning titles had steamrolled over a level 45 player fully clad in epic gear.

The article mentioned some of the most common titles in the game. Many had to do with dungeon runs, killing mobs, or bosses. There were a few examples, such as the [Monster Hunter] and [Boss Hunter] titles:

Title: Monster Hunter (Common)

Title description: Your blade has become accustomed to the taste of battle. Monsters dread your presence.

Title effects:

Deal +1% damage to all monsters;

Conditions to unlock [Monster Hunter]:

Hunt 1000 monsters.

Title: Boss Hunter (Common)

Title description: Difficult battles have honed your skills. When facing a powerful monster, your instincts become more reliable.

Title effects:

Receive -1% damage from all monsters;

Conditions to unlock [Boss Hunter]:

Hunt 100 boss or elite monsters.

None of these interested Roth. However, he could see how these were among the easiest titles to gain in the game. Eventually, everyone would unlock these after playing the game and leveling normally. Conversely, you weren’t getting ahead of the pack if everyone had the same bonus. He wasn’t planning ever to reach these achievements, however. A few others that Weasel34 mentioned only by name picked up Roth’s interest, for example, the [Alpinist]. Just from the title’s name, Roth guessed it was achieved through climbing. That made sense. If he had acquired a title from running, other physical activities would likely be rewarded too. He kept digging around the posts of this Weasal34 guy and found another informative post. It was titled: “What titles are more precious?”

“Listen up, fellow gamers,” the posting read. ”As you know, titles are like items. You have common, uncommon, and rare. There will be epic, legendary, and maybe even unique titles. But this is not what I mean when I ask which ones are most valuable. A common title can be better than a rare one. Here are some indications of whether a title is worth investing time in. If it gives you more than just one effect, it’s a very good sign. Anything that gives you stats is OK. Any titles that give you more reputation or benefits with a particular faction are fantastic. Anything that allows you to gain a skill or a skill-level effect is broken. Here are a few examples of each:

Let’s call the first tier the “bronze tier.”

Lord of Flames (rare): +10% to all fire skills

Let’s call the second tier the “silver tier.”

Fire Fiend (uncommon): +5% to all fire skills; added friendliness with NPCs in the Fire Academy.

Let’s call the third tier the “gold tier.”

Fired up (uncommon): +3% to all fire skills; added friendliness to all NPCs in the Fire Pits region; you can hear fire.

I have made these up just for the sake of making my point. Notice how the first one seems to be better in these three examples, but it only has one effect that can be easily replaced with equipment or a passive skill. The [Fire Fiend] title gives you added friendliness with an organization in the game. This opens up many quest lines that will, in turn, give you unique skills or even better titles. [Fired up], despite being uncommon, is a god-like title. Everything in the whole region becomes easier. And if you have an ethereal, strange phrase like ‘you can feel this’ or ‘you can see that,’ it is an excellent sign in AstroTerra.”

Roth gulped. This meant that [Martyr] was overpowered. He had already known that the title was excellent. First, it had a unique grade. It was the only thing with Unique on it that Roth had seen so far. Secondly, it had a bunch of effects. According to what this guy was saying, the fact that he could more easily gain reputation with all righteous NPCs made it completely broken. The righteous faction included most of the NPCs on the continent. And it even had an ethereal, vague sentence: ‘You can feel closer to the light.’ Awesome.

If this guy knew what he was talking about, all his titles weren’t bad. The stats weren’t so impressive, but their effects were useful. The fact that [Friend of the Ratans] allowed one to learn a language more easily was quite interesting. He had never been good at learning languages, but he supposed it would be easier to do so inside the game.

It was time to try something out. He stood up from where he was sitting and started looking around for mice. He found one after a few seconds.

White Mouse (friendly)

100HP

Lvl. 1

He decided to approach it. The mob’s name was highlighted in green, and the word (friendly) appeared next to it.

“Hello there!”

“Squeak?”

“My name is Roth. What is yours?”

“Squeal. Squeak. Squeak.”

The sounds you hear sound alien, but you start making sense of them. Knowledge of Ratan: 1%

Roth became very excited. He started to go around, saying hello to every mouse in the field.

*

A group that had been hunting ravens deeper into the woods came back to empty their inventories, sell their spoils, and replenish their supplies. They were all level 6 and above.

“That was a good move you pulled out there, little sis.”

“You weren’t so bad, either, handsome.”

“Do you think we’re ready to take the Boar King?”

“According to the guide I read online, there should be at least six of us, and all of us should be level 8 or above. Someone has to have the [Stun Beam] skill as well.” Hunting the biggest bad boy in the woods wasn’t exactly easy.

“It shouldn’t be long until then…” One of the members of the group stopped. He pointed to a man crouching in the grass in the distance. “What is that guy doing?”

The rest of the group stopped and saw Roth lying in the grass in the distance, talking to the mice there. They approached out of curiosity. They started to understand what the man was saying as they drew near.

“Really? Squeak Squeak? I have two brothers. My mother always squeak squeak a daughter, though. Now that I think about it, squeak squeak to have a sister, squeak.”

“Squeak. Squeak. Squeak. Squeal. Squeak. Squeak.”

“Really? Ahahahaha. Squeak squeak? No, he didn’t!”

The group stood incredulously, watching the giant figure chatting with the mice.

“Why aren’t the mice attacking him? He’s in their aggro zone.”

“Hmm. Perhaps he has bought a [Soothing Scroll]. It makes animals not want to attack players for 30 minutes.”

“Is he doing a quest?”

“Nah. What quest could he be doing?”

“No one can talk to mobs, man. What is he trying to do?”

“Could he have a hidden class, like a tamer or something?”

“Can I help you, gentlemen?” interrupted Roth.

“Oh, no. We were just curious about what you were doing.”

“I’m just playing with my little friends,” the big man innocently replied.

“Do you have a tamer class?”

“A what? No. Nothing of the sort. I have no class. I am not level 10 yet. Don’t you have to be level 10 to have a class?”

Good point, thought the group questioning him. A few moments of awkward silence followed.

“Well… have a good day, sir,” said one of the group members, trying to end the weird encounter.

“You too, guys. Have fun!”

After a few steps, as soon as they were sure that the crazy guy was outside earshot, they all laughed.

“Oh, man. What in the world?”

“When you think you have seen everything…” After a few steps, one of them decided to change the subject.

“Hey guys, have you heard about the activist running around this part of the map?”

“Tell me about it.”

The group laughed as they resumed their march to the city.

Chapter 14

As the afternoon went on, Roth became progressively fluent in Ratan. At first, he could only make out some loose words, but he then started to figure out whole simple sentences and began being able to say some simple things. Of course, he wasn’t actually learning how to speak to animals. This was just a game. The developers must have mimicked and transferred the language-learning process into the game. Roth found out that mice were humble, simple creatures. They were adventurous and often had funny tales or jokes to share. Additionally, every single mob in the game had a name and a distinct personality. The amount of computing power and programming involved in such a feat completely blew Roth’s mind. How had they pulled off such complexity? As Roth approached each mob, he wondered whether their personalities and backstories were made up on the spot or if they were already programmed beforehand. Whatever the case may be, it was awe-inspiring.

After one afternoon of interacting with mice and trying to converse with them, Roth finally received the notification he had been waiting for.

You are now fluent in Ratan. You can freely talk to and understand mice and rats.

+100 reputation with the ratans.

You have gained a new title, [Bilingual].

Title: Bilingual (Common)

Title description: You’ve put in the effort and now speak a second language. Many doors are open to you, and your mind is expanded.

Title effects:

Grants +1 wisdom;

Grants +1 intelligence;

It’s slightly easier to learn new languages.

Conditions to unlock [Bilingual]:

Learn a language inside the game {complete};

Great! The afternoon had paid off. He’d gained a new title! He was on a roll. He also finished learning his first AstroTerran language. Now that he had unlocked a hundred percent of the Ratan language, he attempted to chat with one random mouse to see if there was any difference in how they reacted to him. He chose a brown mouse, similar to the first one he had managed to save. He was busily munching on the stalk of a blade of grass.

“Hello, little mouse,” greeted Roth in the friendliest Ratan he could muster.

“Oh. Hello, human! You speak our language so perfectly! Perfect accent.”

“Oh, thank you!”

“That’s amazing. It is my first time seeing a human who can understand and speak to us. There is someone I know who would love to meet you.”

“Really? Who’s that?”

“His name is Rattatoile. He is our ruler. Would you like to come to see him?”

You’ve been offered a new quest, [Audience with the Rat King].

Quest: Audience with the Rat King (Rare)

It’s been many moons since a human could communicate with ratans. The Rat King has tried to defend its people for a long time but with limited success. Perhaps you can bridge the gap between ratans and humans.

Mission objective: Meet the Rat King.

Rewards: Unknown

Would you like to accept? [Y/N]

“I would love to meet him. Could you take me there?”

“Sure, human. I can do that for a friend of ours. And a martyr, no less. You must have been through much in life.”

“Thank you, little one. Oh, by the way. I am looking for Bartholomew’s dog in the forest. Do you know where it is?”

“There is only one dog in the forest. Its name is Oscar. Everyone knows him. He is really old.”

“Do mice get along with dogs?” asked Roth.

“We like dogs. They keep cats away. I can take you there, too. It is on the way to the King.” What a friendly little guy, thought Roth. It seemed that having good relationships inside the game went a long way.

“My name is Roth. What’s your name?”

“My name is Brownie.”

System Notification:

Your friendliness and good nature have caused the ratans to like you more.

+5 reputation with all ratans

“Lead the way, Brownie.”

Roth followed after Brownie as it broke the treeline and entered the woods. The canopy of the tall pine trees comfortably filtered the light. This part of the woods was mostly made of pine trees, which gave off a pleasant, soothing smell. Brownie didn’t use any of the paths used by humans. It preferred to travel through the woodland floor through rat-infested areas. Since Roth had a good relationship with all ratans, none of them attacked him. On the contrary, he was very well received by them. Roth kept greeting everyone he met as he crossed the woods.

“Hi there! Sorry to barge in! I’m Roth. Nice to meet you!”

Your friendliness and good nature have made a good impression on the Brown Rats.

+5 reputation with ratans

“We’re sorry to intrude. We’re just on our way to visit Bartholomew’s dog.”

Your fluency in Ratan has made quite an impression on the Tree Rats.

+5 reputation with ratans

Roth met all sorts of ratans. Black, red, blue, brown, and white. Some lived in the trees, others on the forest floor. Some walked on fours, and others on two legs. They all regarded him curiously as he passed. He hatefully realized that this game was so realistic that his cheeks started hurting from smiling too much. The pain settings were turned to full blast to worsen it. He had to pause momentarily to massage his face before moving on. Not that the massage would help. He hoped the psychosomatic effect of making his mind think he was rubbing his cheeks would provide some relief. It didn’t. Just in case, he used a Healing Ray on himself. No. That didn’t work, either. After about an hour of walking, they reached a clearing in the woods.

“It’s here. Follow me.”

Brownie disappeared into a hole in the ground. It wasn’t particularly wide, but Roth decided to follow it. As he crawled through a tunnel, it eventually widened into a space not much smaller than a regular house. Inside the underground area, a fireplace crackled away, giving the room a soft, warm glow. Roth wondered where the smoke was going since he hadn’t seen any signs of a fire on his way here. For a moment, he fantasized about a hollow tree that was a chimney in disguise, exhausting the smoke beyond the canopy and away from prying eyes. Refocusing on the room, he noticed a dog sleeping in front of the fireplace. After a moment, its ears perked up, and then he lifted its head.

The dog had small drooped ears and white and brown fur. It had so many wrinkles and folds in the skin that Roth couldn’t, for the life of him, figure out where the dog’s eyes were. It looked like an English Bulldog. He could see that the dog was old. But after a moment, Roth wondered if he and Brownie were being misled by all the folds and wrinkles in the animal’s skin.

“Oh? Visitors? How unusual?” Hearing the bulldog’s voice, Roth could listen to the weight of many years. It was indeed an elderly bulldog.

“Hello! My name is Roth.”

“A Martyr! A friend of my merchant association and a friend of ratans too. I see. Is that why you have one of them guiding you in the woods? Interesting. Interesting. My name is Oscar.”

“How can I speak to you without learning your language?” asked Roth incredulously.

The dog looked at him, confused. “Because I am talking in yours, good sir.”

Brownie, next to him, let out some squeaks that Roth, now fluent in Ratan, could tell were laughter.

“I have brought a package from some friends of yours.”

He pulled the package from his inventory and handed it to Oscar.

“Oh, thank you! I was waiting for this.”

[One Last Errand] completed

Quest completion rate: S-

Rewards: 1 silver, 1500 XP

Bonus rewards: 1 silver, 1250 XP, and +10 reputation with Greenleaf Inc.

[Level up!]

You’ve unlocked a new title: [Overachiever].

Roth paused for a moment. Another title? This wasn’t normal, from what he had read in the forums. This was his fifth! He hastily went to check what the title properties were.

Title: Overachiever (uncommon)

Title description: When given tasks, you worked at them diligently. Your efforts have earned you a reputation for being a hardworking man.

Title effects:

+10% to all quest XP rewards;

Increased tolerance for quests with a deadline.

Conditions to unlock [Overachiever]:

Complete ten or more quests with an S or S- completion rate {complete};

or complete five or more quests with an S+ completion rate;

or complete one quest with an S++ completion rate.

So that’s why he unlocked this title. He had thought that getting an S in the completion rate of a quest wasn’t difficult, especially as a beginner. But apparently, it wasn’t so simple. He peeked in the forums and confirmed his suspicions.

Bask in my glory.

#achievements #iamthebest #inyourface #glorious

Poster: BaliliBalala

Post: Yo, guys! I just wanted to share that, after much effort, I have finally gotten an A rating in a quest. I have always gotten C after C, so I’m not gonna lie: This feels pretty good. The rewards for the quest are much better than if you get just a C or a B.

Comments

SwordMaestro: Congrats. I’ve been trying, but it’s not easy. I’m stumped at B.

StrongForce441: Those developers are so cruel. They keep hanging the carrot right before our noses but out of our reach. It’s much better to farm XP in mobs.

GamerFamer999: I read somewhere that you must do quests beyond your level to get an S. If you just do quests normally, you will never get an S.

StrongForce441: Quests are hard as it is, man. Just go hunt mobs.

Getting an S rating was something rare then. Thinking about the reason for his success, perhaps it had to do with him starting this series of quests at level 0. Or maybe it was due to his endurance stat being in the 200s. Most players would take much longer to run as many kilometers as he did in a short time. Anyway, he had been rewarded for his diligence. He thought he would get a bad grade on this last one. He had spent two days blacked out. It turned out that Bartholomew’s house was not easy to find. He would have never thought of starting the quest by looking inside the holes and dens of the woods. Even if he had begun looking for Oscar as soon as he had gotten the quest, without Brownie’s assistance, it would have taken him days before he could find it. His mouse friend had saved him a lot of time and had allowed him to complete this quest with fashionable timing.

The new title seemed to be very useful. Since Roth wasn’t planning on hunting or running dungeons in this game, quests seemed to be the only path to gain XP and level up his character. These titles’ effects would prove very useful in the long run since he would earn twice the rewards with half the effort.

“You have done a good service to our merchant association. You seem to be honest and true to your word. You also seem to be industrious in the tasks you take on. I thought I’d recommend you to Bartholomew as a potential merchant’s apprentice.” Oscar paused, thinking to himself. “However,” he said, gesturing toward Brownie, “you seem to be someone who can get along with other races. That’s a surprise. Tell me, have you ever thought about being a broker?”

You have been offered the broker’s profession.

Would you like to accept? [Y/N]

Chapter 15

Become a broker? Roth stopped. He wasn’t expecting to be offered a profession out of the blue. Oscar regarded him patiently.

“Can you give me a few moments to decide?” he tried.

“Of course! Deciding to become a broker is no small matter. I will let you gather your thoughts.”

While the offer to become a broker hung in front of him, he decided to quickly search about professions on the forums.

He first searched for ‘broker’ and got no hits. He then looked for ‘Oscar’ and found nothing either. That meant that few people knew of this NPC’s existence. It also meant that the broker profession was not a common one. Those who had information about it preferred to keep it to themselves. Roth knew that as the game progressed, he would have less useful information in the forums for free. He would have to go through this the hard way. He had to use his brain. He thought back to what Oscar had said. He’d been led here by working with several merchants, delivering goods from one to the next. Had he not been on good terms with ratans, the typical outcome of the quest would have been to gain the merchant profession. Perhaps merchants and brokers were similar professions, then. He recalled that Prima had mentioned that merchants were one of the most common trades in AstroTerra. Hoping for the best, he searched the forums for ‘merchant.’ This time, he got several hits.

As the name implied, merchants made a living off buying and selling. Although each city had its auction house, the system did not connect them. That meant there might be an excess of supply in a town and a shortage in the next. The law of supply and demand greatly affected the price. Merchants tried to explore this difference. They turned a profit by buying cheap and selling at a higher cost. The profession involved a lot of haggling and bargaining but also transportation. The quicker you could travel and the more you could carry, the better. Speed significantly impacted profit. He checked out two posts describing the profession’s joys and frustrations.

One of the posts was from a guy who had tried to make a living out of the merchant profession and regretted his choice:

“So, I am about to delete my merchant profession. I want to thank the community for all the hints and suggestions, but this isn’t for me. I bought as many cedar logs as possible from Lumberville because they were being sold at twice the price in the next town over. I rushed there as fast as possible, only to find that other merchants had beaten me to the punch. My merchandise was now all being sold for less than the price at which I bought it. This has happened to me too many times before. I give up. Good luck to all those out there who choose this difficult path.”

Although the post was dramatic and gloomy, Roth got something valuable. It was possible to delete a profession. Whatever choice he’d make here didn’t mean it was irreversible. He could always delete the profession and get a new one. He looked for ‘delete profession’ and found many posts explaining how it was done. Essentially, if you were offered a profession and were out of slots, the system allowed you to delete one of the professions you had. The downside was that once someone gave up on a profession, they would lose all the progress they had made in it. If they were to regret their choice and try to get into the profession again, they would have to start from scratch. He returned to the posts about merchants and found a few that sounded more positive.

“I can’t recommend the merchant profession enough. Listen, guys, I am not good with business or anything, but if you like questing and adventuring and want to make a quick buck on the side, go for this profession. Number one, you get buffs that help you travel faster and carry more weight. I don’t need to tell you what a nightmare it is to always be on top of how much you have in your inventory. Secondly, you’re going to travel anyway. Might as well go packed with goods. You have to use your heads, people! If you’re in a town close to mines, and going to one where there aren’t any mines, buy the ore, and it will sell for more where you’re going. I recommend this profession to anyone who’s not into crafting and likes to travel around the game often.”

This sounded like something that Roth wouldn’t mind doing. He didn’t have a lousy time delivering goods from one place to another when doing the quests that had led him here. He also liked the idea of being able to travel faster. If it didn’t work out, he had nothing to lose. Above all, it seemed to be a peaceful profession.

It was such a widespread profession, so how someone could unlock it wasn’t a big secret. All it took was to see a merchant association in any of the towns, buy a membership card, and do a few simple quests. The profession granted players buffs and skills related to the trade. The first one seemed a passive skill that made it worth having this profession even if you never leveled it up.

Discount (Common)

Skill description: Your business sense and bargaining skills allow you to get better deals.

Skill effects: Passive skill. You can buy items from NPCs at a discount of 1%. Affected by wisdom, intelligence, ??? and reputation.

Just for this skill, it was worth it. In this game, every copper counted, and getting things at a discount was extremely attractive. Moreover, the discount increased as stats improved. This was for the merchant profession, however. He wondered if the broker’s profession had something even remotely similar. There was only one way to find out.

“I want to take you up on your offer, Oscar.”

“Good. Good. I think you will do alright with this job. It’s one that I have enjoyed doing for many years.”

Congratulations: You are now a broker.

+5 Intelligence

+5 Wisdom

You have received [Broker Ledger]

“Is it OK if I ask you a few questions?”

“I’m getting a bit tired.” The dog yawned. “I will answer you if they aren’t too troublesome.” Roth guessed that he was only being allowed to clear some fundamental doubts because of his friendly relationship with Greenleaf Inc.

“What’s the difference between a merchant and a broker?”

“Yawn. Oh oh. Good question. A merchant trades things between cities or parts ruled by the same faction. Brokers specialize in establishing trade between different races or factions. For example, I assist Greenleaf Inc. in trading with other factions in the woods.”

“Really? I thought you were a part of Greenleaf, Inc.”

“In a way, I am. I liaise between them and these woods. A word of advice: don’t tell too many people where your merchandise comes from. Most wouldn’t take well to seeing humans getting along with beasts, you see.” The word beast had been said with some distaste. There seemed to be a lot of bad blood between animals and humans. “Since the fire rain, things haven’t been good between humans and animals. When animals mutated and gained more intelligence, they began actively avoiding humans.”

“What about dogs?”

“We’ve always been good friends with humans. We’re also good… yawn… friends with other animals. That’s why most brokers are dogs. We mediate.”

“Thank you, Oscar. We’ll be on our way,” interjected Brownie. Roth took that as a sign that his time had expired. Anyway, he knew what he wanted to know. A broker was a specialized bracket within the merchant profession. He would check the ledger he’d received. There might be some more information in there.

“Bye-bye, little mouse.” Roth noticed how Oscar had addressed Brownie in flawless Ratan. It seemed that speaking languages was a good skill for a broker. He took note of that.

“Bye, Oscar.” Before Roth left, he saw Oscar’s wrinkled face dig itself into a cushion, facing the warmth of the fire.

As Roth made it outside of Oscar’s house, he asked Brownie to wait for just a few seconds while he examined the ledger he’d received. It wasn’t what he was expecting. It seemed to be much more important than he imagined.

Pax’s Broker Ledger (Unique)

Item description: It is made of fine, thick leather, and the pages seem very resistant. It possesses knowledge and insights into the art of being a broker.

Item effects:

Can not be dropped or sold;

Has knowledge about skills. As your proficiency increases, you will be able to understand how to use them;

Records and logs your trades and sales.

Roth took it out of his inventory and opened the book to see if it could be read. It could. It started with a small presentation of the profession and how to progress in it.

“Commerce is like the blood that brings nutrients and oxygen to the body. Without commerce, society would collapse. It is like the stitches that hold a garment together. Every sale or purchase can make the fabric of this world stronger. It’s up to you to strengthen this fabric.

As a broker, you only advance your profession by mediating trades between different factions. This means that being a broker is more demanding than being a merchant. Merchants don’t have to start new trade routes or mediate between cultures. On the other hand, what is garbage to one race, can be gold to another; therefore, there is profit to be found if one is willing to risk it.

We write you this manual in the hopes that you will achieve success in this noble trade.

Sincerely,”

And then it was signed with a paw mark. Roth realized that a dog had written this. He wondered if it had been Oscar. For moments, Roth worried if this profession was a dead end. He remembered all the posts he had found about players giving up on hidden classes or even regular professions because they were too hard. What about this one? No. He couldn’t think like that. He had to push through and persevere. That was the only way that he’d be able to reach the top. He had to take his chances. Even though Roth wasn’t entirely sure which path would lead him to success, the broker’s path seemed helpful in amassing wealth. He would need a lot of gold if he were ever to reach the top 10. For a few moments, Roth thought of his mother and his situation as a prisoner. How was she doing? Did she even know he was here? He tried to shake it off and went back to the book. He saw what skills he could learn at level 0. It was [Discount], after all.

Discount (Common)

Skill description: Your business sense and bargaining skills allow you to get better deals.

Skill effects: Passive skill. You can buy items from NPCs at a discount of 1% (WIS.INT.???.???.Reputation.)

Restrictions: Merchant Level 0

The fact that the text was the same as what he’d seen in the forums meant that, in principle, if any items would give a bonus to the merchant profession, he would also benefit from them. He tried to see if the next skill he’d unlocked was available for him to see. He flipped the pages, but they all appeared as if they were blurred. He just had to keep leveling up in the profession and wait to see what was in it. Who knew? Perhaps the ratan faction could become his first customer. Time would tell, however. It was time to see the Rat King.

“Brownie, let’s go. I’m ready.”

The human and mouse marched on toward the Rat Cave.

Chapter 16

Brownie kept towing Roth along as they crossed many different ratan turfs. Roth got tired of just waving and greeting mice and decided to freshen things up a bit, trying to find new ways of increasing his reputation with his tiny friends. He had noticed that Brownie had been smart enough to laugh at him when he met Oscar. It was incredible that such a low-level mob had been smart enough to laugh at him because he thought he’d magically learned Oscar’s language. As Roth’s thoughts went back to that moment, he stopped. Brownlie looked back, leaning his head to the side. He asked Brownie in human language. “Brownie, can you understand me?”

“Squeak, squeak. Yes,” it answered in Ratan. Bingo. So they understand humans, but humans don’t understand them! When he had talked to Oscar, he had done so in human speech, and Brownie had still laughed at his joke. It spoke human. He was sure that there was some tremendous philosophical implication here. What was it like to live in a world where you understand others, but they don’t understand you? Going back through the sequence of events, Brownie had let out little squeals of laughter then. That meant that it had a sense of humor. It was time to try something. Coming into a field run by gray tree mice, Roth randomly addressed one of them.

“Hey! What is the gray and hairy thing growing on the face of a mouse?”

“Squeak? I don’t know.”

“A mouse-tache.”

The mice around Roth burst out laughing.

The group of red mice finds your company delightful.

+10 reputation with all ratans

Roth had never been much of a jokester, but there was this guy in jail who liked cheesy jokes like these and told them all day long to whoever gave him a listening ear. Roth still remembered some of them. He tried again.

“What will happen if you can make mice dance to your tunes?”

“What?”

“What?”

“You will have a mice-tro.” Another round of happy squeaks.

The red mice find you funny.

+8 reputation with all ratans.

The jokes were a big success. It turned out that mice loved laughing and having fun. Surprisingly, they began to tell him some jokes of their own. He started increasing his store of cheesy jokes. He would often retell them at the next turf with resounding success. When Roth was almost at the Rat Cave, he achieved the objective that he was going for.

“Which mouse was a Roman leader and emperor? Julius Cheeser!” The white rats around him loved the joke and started letting out squeaks of laughter.

The white rats find your company delightful.

+10 reputation with all ratans

Congratulations! You are now esteemed by all ratans!

You have gained a new title: [Esteemed].

Roth hopped excitedly while looking at the notifications. He had tried as hard as he could to unlock a better relationship with the mice, hoping that he would do better in his audience with the Rat King. After all, learning Ratan had earned him a generous amount of reputation. It wasn’t hard to get the rest of the points. What he was surprised by was that he received yet another title! Roth looked up the effects of [Estemeed].

Title: Esteemed (Uncommon)

Title description: Relationships are important to you. You have made lasting friendships, and others see your demeanor as worth respecting.

Title effects:

Unlocks [Charisma]

Conditions to unlock [Estemeed]:

Achieve esteemed relationship status with any faction inside the game. {complete}

He went to the forums to check if the title was mentioned anywhere and found that it was. It was gained automatically when one gained enough reputation with any faction in the game. Chances were that sooner or later, everyone would reach such a relationship with at least one faction or NPC in AstroTerra. Charisma was a reasonably common stat, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t highly valued. It allowed one to gain better quests or more generous rewards from said quests. It also gave a bonus on the number of reputation points one acquired as they interacted with NPCs! It was an important stat for those with commerce-related professions because charisma went a long way when haggling with NPCs. As he searched the forum, he found that most players could only unlock charisma when they were level 30. Everyone said that the sooner charisma was unlocked, the better. He looked forward to seeing what kind of doors this stat would open for him.

Roth checked his stats.

CHARACTER INFORMATION

Name: Pax

Race: Human

Profession(s): [Broker]

Level: 5 (50/5000)

Affinity: [Empty]

Alignment: Neutral (30/100)

Relationships: Ratans (305/1000); Greenleaf Inc. (100/300)

Titles: [Martyr]; [Marathonist]; [Friend of the Ratans]; [Bilingual]; [Overachiever]; [Esteemed]

STATS (25 free stat points)

Hp:109

Energy:108

Damage reduction: 31.6%

Running speed: 134.2%

Weight: [Light] (2/44,4kg)

Strength: 14

Dexterity: 18

Intelligence: 13

Wisdom: 13

Endurance: 216

Charisma: 0

EQUIPMENT

Right Hand:[Empty]

Left hand: [Tin Ring]

Shoes: [Crappy Shoes]

Bottom: [Moldy Trousers]

Top: [Horrible Vest]

Gloves: [Empty]

Head: [Ghastly Headband]

Cape: [Errand Cloak]

Accessories: [Empty]

SKILLS:

Stat Bonuses: [Stone Skin]; [Horse’s Gallop]

Profession-Related: [Discount]

Passive: [Empty]

Active: [Healing Ray]; [Shepherd’s Shout]

After a long walk through rat-ridden woodland, they finally made it to the lair of the Rat King. From behind the bushes, Roth could see the entrance to the first dungeon run in Green Country: the Rat King’s Cave. It was a cave inhabited by hundreds upon hundreds of scary rats. This was one of the most popular hunting spots for players up to level 5 in this region, and the crowds gathered around the entrance attested to this.

Seeing all the humans circling the cave, Brownie took a few hesitant steps back, afraid. Roth took the hint.

“It’s alright, Brownie. I’ll go in and talk to your king. You don’t have to come with me.”

“I see. Thank you for all the jokes. When I return to my field, I have many things to tell my friends.”

“Sure. I’ll visit as soon as I have some new ones to share. Bye-bye!”

“Bye!” Roth followed the little figure with his eyes as it nimbly disappeared under some nearby bushes. Now, having to mingle with his own kind, Roth broke off the shrubbery and joined the crowd of players. There wasn’t a waiting line or anything. When someone wanted to go on a dungeon run, all they had to do was go to the tablet at the cave entrance and sign up. Many people waited here because they were looking for party members so that they could raid the dungeon.

“Looking for someone level 4 or above with 10+ intelligence and the Healing Ray skill.”

“Miniature potion grind. Need one esper. PM, please.”

“I am level 1, but I will pay you 20 credits if you take me on a dungeon run.”

“Looking for a miniature potion grinding party. I’m a level 3 warrior.”

“Warrior with 15 strength is ready to join a party.”

“Looking for someone with high DPS for miniature potion grind!”

The Green Country beginner zone was built so that players started in satellite villages surrounding these woods, and after gaining a few levels, they would all meet in the center and run dungeons together. Therefore, this was Roth’s first time seeing so many players in one place. It was mind-boggling that after two years of the game had already elapsed, there were still so many beginners in front of a low-level dungeon. He noticed that even though none of these players was level 10 or had a class, they already identified themselves as warriors, espers, or whatever. It must be nice to have an idea of where your character is going, thought Roth as he sighed. He still had no clue about what class would suit him or what the best profession for him would be. Unlike other players, he couldn’t afford to make one wrong decision about his class. After all, if he regretted it, he couldn’t reset his character.

He also found many people talking about miniature potions. He had no idea what it was, but for everyone to talk about it, it seemed like it was a highly sought-out item. He kept passing group after group of players until he found the tablet at the cave entrance. The system to run dungeons back in New Earth was quite similar. He tried to touch it and got a notification.

Welcome to the cave of the Rat King. Many rewards and treasures await you inside. Would you like to go in?

[Y/N]

Roth entered.

He was teleported underground. There were many dark tunnels around him. Everything was silent and eerie, and the cave smelled moldy and moist. Like the apartment where my real body is, thought Roth. He was the only player in the dungeon. Other players would be running the same dungeon but as if they were in an alternative dimension. He chose one of the tunnels at random and started walking. The ghostly light inside the cave came from glowing mushrooms that grew on the cave’s walls. Roth wondered if that was something he could pick up. He went to the forums and found that he needed the herbalist’s profession to do that. Shame. He kept walking until he saw a group of rats ahead. He called up to them in ratan.

“Hello, friends!”

“Squeak? So you are the human who has learned ratan. Word in the woods is that you’re quick with a joke.”

“I guess.” Had no one else learned ratan? They were making such a huge fuss over his language skills.

“Quick. Do one!”

“What did the mouse and his wife do after they fought over who would eat a snack?”

“Squeak? What?”

“They compro-miced and had half of it each.” The group burst out laughing. “The king will love meeting this funny human.”

The rats in the cave love your sense of humor. +10 reputation with all ratans.

“Can you take me to him?”

“Sure. Follow me.”

The rat went ahead and guided Roth through a maze of tunnels. Players typically needed three hours to run this dungeon, but Roth had crossed it in less than ten minutes. They finally made it to the final boss of the dungeon. Roth examined it.

Mouse King (Boss)

Lvl. 5

3000/3000

It was a giant mouse as big as a bear, with dark fur and a small crown.

“Hello, oh King,” said Roth while bowing respectfully. He heard his guide laughing.

“You humans are so funny. That isn’t the king,” he explained.

“It isn’t?” Roth looked on the forums for information on the dungeon and saw screenshots of the boss. Everyone was under the impression that it was.

“No. Our king is ahead. But to get to him, you are too big. Here. Have one of these.”

Miniaturizing Potion (Consumable)

Item description: The color and consistency seem to throw you off, but it seems OK to drink after smelling it.

Item effect: It shrinks you to one-tenth of your usual size. Useful to enter small places. The effect expires after 30 minutes.

Wow. What an interesting item! So this is what everyone outside was looking for, although they referred to it as ‘miniature potions.’ Probably an effort to save some syllables. Roth looked for a description in the forums to ensure they were the same item and confirmed it was. He also found out that it was the rarest drop in this dungeon. There was one chance in a hundred of getting it from the boss. It only dropped if everyone in the party was below level 5. This was also the only place in the game where players could get it. Roth’s eyes widened when he found out that it cost 100 gold. This item was so valuable that guilds had farming teams that kept resetting their characters to farm this dungeon to provide the guild’s coffers with this useful item.

Roth regarded the fortune in his hand, but after a few moments, he shrugged and gulped down the potion. He began shrinking until he could look at the rat that had brought him here at eye level.

“That’s better. Follow me,” said the rat, not surprised by the transformation. It disappeared into a hole hidden behind the stone throne where the mouse king sat. Roth followed.

Chapter 17

Working the dough, Mrs. Bessie rechecked the clock. She had to hurry if she wanted to finish dinner in time. Her old hands kneaded and folded the dough. She was making bread for the week. Some of it they would eat fresh in the next couple of days, and the rest would go into the freezer. Every penny counted. It was slightly cheaper to bake bread than get it at the supermarket, with inflation being as high as it was these days. Her arthritis screamed protests at her abuse of the old knuckles and elbows, but she soldiered on. What alternative did she have but to do so?

Roth had such strong hands. If he had been around, she would have asked her son to do this for her. Looking at the house, she saw different things that she would have asked Roth to help her with. The faucet was leaking, the doors were creaking, and some power sockets sparked dangerously whenever she plugged something in them. Her husband, Mark, had always worked two jobs to provide for them. Roth had been the one who did all the work around the house. Since he was little, he kept breaking things; therefore, Mrs. Bessie always made him fix what he broke. Even though he complained every second of it, he had become a pretty skilled handyman. She had hoped that would knock some sense into his thick skull. It hadn’t made much difference. She heard the tears fall before she even realized she had shed them. “Oh, Roth… I thought you had changed”, she whispered.

She channeled the frustration and sorrow of her heart into the tips of her fingers as she kneaded the dough again and again. Flour and water. That was all she had after paying the bills. Her other sons occasionally came to try to help her however they could, but they weren’t having it easy either. When Roth did alright in that cursed game, he had helped a lot, but that was history now. All that was left was debt, debt, and more debt. Since Roth went to jail, things started going poorly for the whole family. It was as if a dark presence loomed over their lives, raising obstacles at every turn. No bank in town would lend them money. No realtor got them reasonable offers for the family house. Their sons couldn’t keep a steady job. It was as if there was a curse on the family.

Even though the situation had been precarious for the last few years, something had given the family an inkling of hope.

After being satisfied with how the dough was, she put it in the oven and programmed it. Since this had been a good month, she had some butter and jelly to spread on the bread. After having dry bread and plain water for months, this was a delicacy. Mrs. Bessie sat in her armchair while the oven and the leaven worked their miracle on the dough. The armchair was one of the only pieces of furniture left. After selling all the domestic robots, furniture was the next thing to go. She would rather starve than lose this chair, though. It had been a gift from her husband, Mark. She reached for a box next to the armchair and picked up the letters her son had sent her. Here was evidence of another miracle.

After her husband passed, she began receiving letters from Roth. She refused to open them for some time, but she couldn’t bear to throw them away either. They were all just locked away in a drawer and left unopened. She was too mad at her son for ruining his life. She was also grieving and hurt by seeing how much his thoughtless actions had affected her dear late husband. After some months, however, her heart began to soften after she had grieved. A mother always forgives. She gave in and opened the first of the letters.

Dear Mom,

Mamma, today I heard about what happened to Dad. I’m so stupid. I’m so mad at myself. It’s my fault. I broke his heart. I broke your heart. I’m really sorry. Sorry.

Roth

It hadn’t been so much the words that had touched her, but the marks on the paper caused by dried tears. Her son had been crying when he wrote this. She hadn’t seen her son cry in years. Not even when he was sentenced to jail did he shed one single tear. The only expression he had shown then was a stern, furious scowl. She moved on to the second letter. It was dated precisely a week after the first. That was how much correspondence he was allowed to send.

Dear Mom,

The jail has given me a lot of time to think about things. You always told me that my temper would bring pain not only to those I hurt but also to those I loved. I can see now how right you were.

There’s this prison program designed to help violent people become more peaceful. I asked them for help. I have already sent a letter to the prison director, who says I can attend. I hope it’ll help me. I’m sorry, Mom. I’m sorry about Dad. It was my fault. Sorry.

Roth

When she read this, her tears fell on the marks left by the dried tears her son had left on the paper. Could her son have changed? It wasn’t like Roth to speak like this. When was the last time that he admitted that he was wrong or bothered to apologize? Mrs. Bessie had then read the letters she had been ignoring for months.

Dear Mom,

How are you doing these days? I have realized that one of the reasons for my anger is that I’m very self-centered. It’s always me, me, me. I realized that I didn’t even ask you how you were doing or feeling when I wrote you. We haven’t even discussed how my actions have affected you, Tom, and Danny. I know you’ve tried to explain your feelings to me, but I wasn’t ready to listen. Now I am. Please, Mamma, tell me how you’re feeling and what’s happening with you. Dr. Hilstone says that if I try to understand better what others feel, it’ll help me. With understanding comes peace, he always says.

I know I have apologized many times before in my letters, but I want to do so again. I’m sorry, Mamma.

With love,

Roth

Dear Mom,

Hi Mamma. Thank you so much for sending me a reply. I can imagine it wasn’t easy for you, and I know the harm I caused over many years can’t be washed away in only a few weeks or months. Thank you for giving me a chance and being willing to open up about how everything that has happened has affected you.

I love you,

Roth

Dear Mom,

Last week, Dr. Hilston told us about the strong connection between anger and pride. When we feel we are better than others, we feel entitled to treat them like crap. So, as an exercise, I’m supposed to make lists. For each person I know, I’m supposed to list five things they do better than me. I thought I could share with you the one I made about you.

Mom

1. She’s better with people than me;

2. She always knows what to say;

3. More than number two, she knows when she doesn’t need to say anything. It gives weight to her words. When she speaks, we know that what she’s about to say is important.

4. She’s a better cook than I;

5. She sings better than me.

This had been the first letter that pulled out a peal of laughter from Mrs. Bessie’s wounded heart. The silly things he had considered adding to the list made her chuckle. This letter had been the one that finally prompted her to call her other sons and tell them to read the letters. She was met with some resistance at first, but the boys listened. Long conversations happened over many weeks about whether Roth was trying to fool them or had changed. A furious exchange of letters started between the boys, and after a few months, they were finally convinced that their little brother had changed.

She looked at the two last letters in the box. One had brought her to heaven; the other had plunged her into hell.

Good news, Mom,

I’m almost done. I only have one more month to go before I’ve done my time and paid for my sins.

I”ve been given a letter telling me I’ll be released sometime in the morning on the 4th. Could you ask Danny to come pick me up? Although you guys don’t say anything, I can imagine your life has been very hard, and I don’t want to impose. If you can just let me crash for a few days on your couch, I promise I’ll let you guys alone after I find a job and a place to stay.

At least I’ll finally be able to apologize in person for what I did to you guys.

Love,

Roth

It had been years since she last held her son in her arms. At least Roth’s prison still allowed for correspondence. But then, the other letter arrived and broke her heart all over again.

Dear Mrs. Bessie Tailor,

We regret to inform you that, in a fit of anger, Roth James Taylor has murdered two of the wardens and sent one of his fellow inmates to the hospital.

Due to his violent nature and the danger he poses to others, under the Overcrowding Act 4 art. 4/491.34, we are sending him to a black site prison off the coast. There, he will serve a life sentence. We regret to inform you that you won’t be able to contact the prisoner from now on.

Sincerely,

Justiceer James Jones

This was the last drop. The straw that broke the camel’s back. The last nail in Roth’s coffin. The overcrowding act was heartless. It had to be. The time that one in every eighty humans was incarcerated almost destroyed the world. Prisons were given the power to transfer prisoners to black-site prisons without holding trials. Roth was as good as dead after she received this letter. There were whispers of how the off-coast maximum-security prisons were just a front to fool the public. That’s why people referred to these prisons as slaughterhouses. No one knew if they were or not. But it made no difference. Her son was dead. She broke into tears one more time. She wanted to scream and fight.

She was losing her youngest son all over again. This time, it was for good. Her baby had seemed so different—a changed man. No. She wouldn’t go down without a fight. She had to try again. She dialed the number she knew by heart by now and called Roth’s prison again.

Chapter 18

A shrunk Roth followed his guide into the inconspicuous, hidden entrance behind the stone throne of the boss’s room. The protrusions in the rock and the shadows hid it well. It led into a tunnel carved into the rock.

After walking for roughly one minute, the pathway opened into a glorious golden room. Thousands of glow mushrooms illuminated the giant space from a beautiful crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Luxurious scarlet tapestries with woven golden thread covered the walls and warmed the room.

You are the first to discover the True Throne Room. +5000 XP, +300 reputation with all ratans

[Level up!]

The first? Did that mean that no other player had ever been here? The rewards were generous enough to help him gain a level. Someone with a neutral relationship with the ratans would gain respected status with them in one go if they found the room. Of course, for that, they would have to figure out that this place existed in the first place. The way the chandelier made the ghostly light of the mushrooms feel sunny, and the way the light reflected off the golden thread in the tapestry fascinated Roth. After all those years in prison and the past few weeks walking impoverished villages of naked stone and dusty roads, Roth was frozen still, and his heart raced as he took it all in.

“That’s as far as I will go. The king will see you now.”

Roth awoke from his daze and nodded. He was speechless right now, but the rat seemed happy to see a human so impressed with a view of their king’s glory.

Roth slowly walked the red carpet that led to the true rat king. He looked more closely at the tapestries lining up on the wall. They seemed to be historical depictions of important moments in the history of the mice’s race. The first tapestry to his right showed different mice dying of intoxication after eating rat poison, being caught in a mouse trap, or being hunted by domestic cats. A human with an abnormally big grin was portrayed in the background, making Roth feel that the artist pinned the deaths on his race.

The first tapestry to the left showed comets falling from the sky and hitting cities. It showed rats and mice being elevated and becoming more intelligent. Afterward, they were shown leaving human towns and moving into the woods with other animals. Other tapestries showed a war between mice and rats, the signing of a peace treaty and the start of the Ratan Dynasty, the crowning of monarchs, the construction of this place, and other meaningful historical events. Roth would take time to study them in more detail later, but it seemed impolite to leave the king waiting while he examined the artwork.

Closer to the throne, on the sides of the red carpet, were four mice, two on each side, standing on two legs and wearing feathered hats and sapphire blue uniforms. As he tried to examine them, he couldn’t see their level.

Athos, the Mouseketeer

????

????

That meant that their level was very high. They remained silent and stoically still, like statues.

Roth kneeled and respectfully greeted the ratan monarch sitting on the throne. Its eyes were yellow, and its fur was grayish blue. Its gaze revealed intelligence, the respect of its guard and subjects revealed authority, and its cape and crown revealed majesty. If a low-level mob was as intelligent as he had seen, he could not fathom how much depth these high-end NPCs had.

“Greetings, oh King,” said Roth in impeccable Ratan. He kept his head low, waiting for the king to acknowledge his presence.

“Greetings, human. Congratulations on being the first human to make it here.” Roth noted how the king had addressed him in human language. The courtesy implied polite respect. Everyone assumed that this dungeon ended with the giant mouse boss. Boy, they were wrong. The King of Rats wasn’t the brutish bear-like rat on the other side of the tunnel, but this refined monarch facing him.

“Thank you, oh King.”

“The reason I called you here, human, is because I am in a predicament,” the king said, sighing.

“How so, your majesty?” Roth tried to sound as polite as possible as if he were talking to an actual government official. His politeness paid off.

The Rat King is pleased with your respectful manners and your use of honorifics.

+1 charisma

He had gotten his first point on charisma! It hadn’t been too difficult. Could it be that the lower a stat was, the easier it was to level it up? Roth would test this out later. If this were the case, that, coupled with his excellent relationship with all ratans, seemed to have caused the spontaneous increase in the stat. He hoped that it would keep increasing throughout the conversation. His attention returned to the king’s speech.

“For too long, our kind has been oppressed by you, humans. You come into our woods, burrows, and lairs and butcher us.” The king spared a glance at the first tapestry Roth had observed when entering. “Well. It’s true that we butcher many of you in return…” The rat king trailed off as if lost in his thoughts. Roth wondered what the ratio of ratan to human killings was. He imagined that throughout the game’s first two years, many had already perished battling the ratans.

“You, on the other hand, refuse to harm us. Many of my subjects told me you saved them from your own kin!”

Roth waited for the king to get to his point.

“When I originally called you, I had something in mind for you…” The king paused. Roth’s mind went to the tapestry, and for a moment, he feared that the king was thinking about whether to attack him. “But you are now a broker. Hmmm. That changes things. I have another use for you. Here…” A window appeared in front of Roth.

The quest [Audience with the Rat King] has changed to [Ratan Trade].

Ratan Trade (Unique)

The Rat King has been locked in by the many humans hunting his kind. He seeks to establish a trade route with them, hoping that commerce opens the way to peace.

Quest objective: Take some of the ratans’ specialty products to a human town and sell them for the highest price possible.

Quest rewards: It depends on how much profit you generate.

The Rat King wants to trade you 20x [Miniaturizing Potions]. Do you accept?

[Y/N]

20 potions? Roth gulped. If one [Miniaturizing Potion] cost 100 gold a piece, then he was looking at an incredible haul. If he sold all of these and kept the money to himself, he would make 2k gold. That was no small amount, even for high-rankers. This was quite a windfall. Or was it? Roth thought for a moment.

“I am sorry, your majesty, I can not accept your kind offer.”

Rattatoile’s smile darkened into a snarl. His eyes narrowed, and his fur stood up. The temperature in the room became colder, and the air became thick and hard to breathe.

-500 reputation with the ratans

You are no longer esteemed by ratans.

“What is the meaning of this?! I thought you were our friend! Don’t you appreciate the great honor that we are bestowing on you? Explain yourself!” shouted the king. Roth noted how the four guards standing close to the throne had moved one of their feet forward and put a paw to their scabbards. They were ready to dash and attack him if the king gave the order. It seemed that he was in quite a pickle. Roth sighed and decided just to speak his mind and hope for the best.

“Your majesty, if I show up at the local market selling [Miniaturize Potions] like this, everyone will wonder where I got them. I don’t know where this quest leads, but I fear that your majesty will lose the little peace you have left by opening a trade route. I have met your subjects, and they all love you. What kind of friend to your race would I be if I led bloodthirsty humans right to your doorstep?”

The king answered in a soft tone. “I see.”

“Besides, Oscar has been your broker for many years. He was the one who taught me about the broker’s profession. I can’t accept your offer in good conscience without speaking to him first. I don’t want to steal any business from him. After all, he’s been the broker between the woods and the humans for too long. I need to ask him if he doesn’t mind first. Your majesty, if I might be so bold as to suggest this, why don’t you ask Oscar? He’s much more experienced than I as a broker and will probably get you a better deal.”

A moment of silence followed Roth’s defense. The rat king smiled radiantly, and his laughter echoed across the massive room. His guards joined the monarch.

“You truly are something, human. Such a righteous man. You care not about profit if it brings harm to others. Oscar was right! You are indeed worthy of representing us.”

+20 righteousness

+1000 reputation with the ratan faction

You’re now revered by all ratans.

Your title [Esteemed] has been upgraded to [Revered].

Title: Revered (Rare)

Title description: It is difficult to become friends or earn their respect. But you have proven yourself to be someone with great character worthy of others’ reverence.

Title effect:

Grants +5 charisma;

Conditions to unlock [Revered]

Achieve revered relationship status with any faction inside the game {complete}

“But your majesty. I don’t want to cause any trouble…” The Rat King raised his hand, gesturing for Roth to stop speaking. There was something about it that made Roth stop speaking immediately. He didn’t know if it was a skill or just an effect of the king’s high charisma.

“Fear not, friend. As strong as the other humans may be, they still have a long way to go before they can harm us. See for yourself.”

Now that he had broken to the next level in his relationship with the mice faction looking up, the king withdrew the fog covering his stats and those of his guards. Roth was astounded.

Rattatoile, King of Ratans

1000,000,000/1000,000,000

Lvl. 99

Looking around, he saw the guards. Aramis level 80, Porthos level. 80, Athos level. 80, and D’Artagnan level 80. In a moment of clarity, Roth chuckled. The four ‘mouseketeers’. Good one.

Roth wasn’t worried about their safety anymore. With the average level of players being in the high forties, these NPCs could snuff them out like candles.

“And are you sure that Oscar is OK with this?”

“Oscar has served us well for many years, but he’s getting well advanced in years. He wants to start passing on some of his work to younger brokers. He was the one who sent word that you might be able to represent us.”

“And isn’t this too valuable cargo to try me out? 20x [Miniaturize Potions] is no small matter, majesty.”

“I will let you in on a little secret we only share with our close friends. The ingredients needed to make these are dirt cheap. It’s just a combination of some mushrooms we find in the woods. Each bottle costs less than 10 coppers to make.” He winked and added, “Go ahead, human. We’re not worried.”

“In that case, I accept.”

Rattatoile has transferred 20x [Miniaturizing Potions] into your inventory.

You have accepted the quest: [Ratan Trade].

“I will do my best.” Roth bowed. The king performed a curt bow.

Roth checked the timer on the effect of the [Miniaturizing Potion]. He still had 20 minutes to go. There were ten tapestries in the throne room in total. Roth decided to make the most of his time here and spent a few minutes appreciating each of them. It had been a long time since he had seen anything artistic. There had been some graffiti in prison, but that hardly compared to the craftsmanship he could see in these works of art. He stood before them one at a time, appreciating their beauty.

Roth decided that his favorite tapestry was the last one. It was the one closest to the throne, on the left. It took him a few moments to understand its meaning. It was not a historical event but a hopeful portrayal of a peaceful future. In it, ratans, humans, cats, and other animals were all shown having a meal in peace. Roth spent the most time admiring this tapestry. He got an unexpected notification after a few minutes of looking at it.

Your appreciation for art expands your intellect. +1 to intelligence.

Chapter 19

What? Had he gained a stat just from appreciating art? This was awesome! Roth rubbed his hands in anticipation. What a windfall. He had learned two new ways of gaining free stats. The first one was by giving intelligent and polite answers to NPCs. That could potentially unlock charisma. The other one was by appreciating art. That could earn him extra intelligence.

He looked at the timer. He only had five minutes left on the clock before the potion effect expired. He didn’t want to discover what would happen if the timer expired and he was still in the throne room. It was big enough to accommodate its normal human size, but he worried he would have to spend one of the potions the king had given him to stay here. He tried to ask one of the guards.

“Excuse me; I am still not done appreciating the beautiful tapestries here. Could I get one more [Miniaturizing Potion] so I can stay here longer and enjoy them more?”

The mouseketeer looked at the king. It nodded, consenting to the request.

“Here.”

Athos, the Mouseketeer has renewed the timer on your miniaturized buff.

Sweet! This way, he could stay here longer. He decided to return to the tapestries and spend longer looking at them. He looked at the first one that showed rats being killed and hunted by humans before the Rain of Fire and tried to spend as much time as he could looking at it. 5 minutes. 10 minutes. 15 minutes. 20 minutes. After 25 minutes, he finally got the notification he was hoping for.

Your appreciation for art expands your intellect. +1 to intelligence.

Sweet. A bonus of +2 intelligence after just appreciating some fine art. On a dopamine rush of gaining some free stats, Roth began to brainstorm ways to spend more time and unlock other stats and even a secret title. He approached the throne again. The king didn’t seem upset at his prolonged stay.

“Excuse me, oh Majesty, but could any of your subjects tell me more about the glorious tapestries lining the wall? I want to gain more insights into these works of art.”

“Oh? An art lover? And someone with such fine taste? Others often despise the art of rodent tapestry. For someone from another race to want to know about it gives us great happiness. I would be pleased to arrange for a tour.” Looking at one of his guards, he barked an order. “Aramis, you’re the art expert. Please, show our friend the story of the tapestries. Give him the full tour!”

At the mention of a full tour, the Roth saw the other guards grimace. Porthos tried to intervene.

“Certainly, your majesty, a full tour will be too much to our human friend to…”

“Of course, my king,” said Aramis, the Mouseketeer, while bowing. The fire in his eyes showed his great happiness at letting loose his passion for the art of his people. Roth had never read the book The Three Musketeers, but he had watched a movie based on it. He remembered that Aramis had been the more cultured and intellectual of the Musketeers. If the developers, or the AI, wanted to stick to the book’s lore, it made sense that it would be him to give him the tour.

“Please follow me, good sir.” Roth looked confused at the pitiful look the other mouseketeers were throwing at him.

Special Quest Unlocked [Tapestry Tour]

Title: Tapestry Tour (Rare)

Aramis is a connoisseur of the dying art of rodent tapestries. He has longed for a listening ear for many years. He’ll tell you everything you need to know.

Quest objectives:

Try to find out as much as you can about the tapestries of the Throne Room;

Listen to Aramis’ ramblings;

Your ‘miniaturize’ buff is renewed automatically for the duration of the tour;

You can’t interrupt the tour once you start it.

Rewards: Depends on how much attention and patience you give Aramis.

Would you like to start the tour now? [Y/N]

Roth happily clicked yes. If this worked the same way running did, he might be able to even unlock special titles if he went seriously about this. Anyway, where else could he go? He was stuck inside the game without being able to log out. Inside the capsule, he didn’t need to sleep. On top of that, after so many years of prison time and the recent weeks of just running alone from one village to the other, Roth didn’t mind the company. He happily followed Aramis as he headed toward the first tapestry.

“This is the squeal, squeak, squeal tapestry. Which in human language roughly translates as the Dark Age of Death. Its maker was a mouse who, before mutating, had lived in the house of a famous artisan in the city. It had been one of the good humans, that one. He would leave crumbs and little snacks for the great artist. Anyway, after the mutation, he began making sense of the work he had often seen the craftsman do and improving on it…”

One hour later…

“And that is why the motif of the player only hints at the influence of the humans in what happened. You see, the artist had some good residual memories of the human race and wanted to let the onlooker know that humans had caused the situation while saying that not all humans had done so. Any questions?”

“Yes, you mentioned what made this master apart from others was his technique to weave the thread?”

Aramis is pleased with your attention and insight. +10 reputation with all ratans.

Your appreciation for art expands your intellect. +1 to intelligence.

Two hours later…

“This tapestry has a funny story behind it. A cat once stole it. You know cats, those awful creatures with no care for the concept of personal property or regard for abiding by the law. Our leader at the time had to gather up a battalion of mice to rescue it from its filthy paws. Looking closely, you can still see where the cat bit into the tapestry, leaving it slightly damaged…

Four hours later…

“Cough, cough. I apologize; I must be pushing my voice too far. As I said, the fourth tapestry on the right was placed here for a good reason. It has to do with the fabric used as a field for the tapestry. Remember, the field is just as important as the thread woven into drawings and patterns…

Eight hours later…

“Any… cough… questions, human? Yes? More questions?! Oh wow! You are quite an enthusiast for art, aren’t you? Cough. Please follow along as we proceed with the tour…

Sixteen hours later…

“I’m sorry human… cough, cough. I need to pause for just a moment. Athos, can you give me some water? It’s been a while since I talked like this. Alright. Where was I? Oh yes, you asked me whether there are more tapestries other than these ten. And what were the criteria to select these ten out of all others, if there are any? In truth, there are many others, but only tapestries of a certain quality were done here. Let me tell you about the Heist incident when some disappeared…”

After twenty hours of talking about tapestries, Aramis was utterly spent. His voice was hoarse, and he looked exhausted. Roth, on the other hand, was ecstatic. After so many years of staring at blank walls in jail, he felt like a child again, going on a field trip. To be able to learn something new and interesting such as this, even if inside the game, was very exciting to him.

“That… cough, cough… brings… me… to the end… cough, cough… of the… tour.”

[Tapestry Tour] complete

Completion rate: S+

Quest rewards:

2000(+200)Xp; +50 reputation with all ratans

Bonus rewards:

2000(+200Xp); +50 reputation with all ratans; +5 endurance;

You have unlocked a new title [Art Enthusiast];

[Tapestry Tour] has been changed to [Tapestry Heist].

Oh? A chain quest? And a new title too? Awesome. He went to check both. He had to say he was more excited about the quest than the title, but the fact was that he was getting so many titles that he was starting to feel somewhat picky with them.

Title: Art Enthusiast (Common)

Title description: You have spent many hours appreciating the fine taste and fitness of the talented craftsmen of this world. You leave the experience as a more knowledgeable man.

Title effects:

+ 1% intelligence

Conditions to unlock [Art Enthusiast]:

Complete relevant quest {complete};

Spend 100 hours appreciating art;

Complete 10 or more works of art.

It didn’t look like great. Mainly because right now, he had under 100 intelligence; it didn’t even grant him one measly intelligence point. Perhaps the title upgraded if he did more of it or the more he advanced his character, the better the title would become. He was a bit disappointed, to say the truth. The quest seemed to be the most exciting reward of spending a full day here.

Tapestry Heist (Rare)

During your tour of the Throne Room, you heard Aramis mentioning that once there had been a heist where two of the great works of Rodent art were stolen. Due to your close relationship with mice and your appreciation of art, you investigate the matter and return the stolen tapestries to their rightful place.

Quest objectives: Find out the location of the stolen tapestries. Aramis thinks that it’s hidden somewhere in these woods.

Interesting! He would try to find it out. Who knew what kind of rewards he could gain from doing this quest? In the meantime, he looked back at all the notifications he had received and gathered the gains from listening attentively to Aramis’ tour of the throne room. He had gained +5 intelligence, +2 charisma, and, as a quest reward, +5 endurance. He noticed that since he didn’t even have 100 intelligence, his [Art Enthusiast] title gave him no bonus whatsoever. What a letdown.

It was time to leave. As Roth looked for Aramis to thank him for the tour.

“Excuse me, Athos. Where is Aramis?

“You tired him out! Our king permitted him to take the rest of the day off.” He said in a loud excited voice.

“In the name of us three,” spoke D’Artagnan, “I want to thank you for what you did.”

“What did I do?”

“Aramis is the most hardcore tapestry enthusiast in the woods. He can ramble on for days on end about the tapestries. He also weaves tapestries in his free time. He just won’t shut up about it. It’s tapestries, tapestries, tapestries for him.”

“Who would have thought someone could break the stubborn tapestry freak like this?”

“You’re welcome, I guess,” said Roth awkwardly.

Roth finished saying goodbye and exited the dungeon. Roth left the rat’s cave, pondering his next steps. He wasn’t in any rush to sell the items the Rat King had given him. The King had assured him that the profits would measure his results and not by the speed at which he concluded the task.

It was fascinating that this chamber had been here, and no one had found out. People were so used to killing and looting that they overlooked some opportunities to befriend the mobs. There were so many achievements to be explored by just befriending these races instead of hunting them. Maybe it was because these were the weakest mobs in the game. Perhaps it was because they didn’t think it was worth the investment. Old Roth, too, would have rushed through this map as quickly as possible in search of bigger prey to kill. But the current him was granted some exciting opportunities by not running through this map and lingering here.

He started wondering… What else had the other players missed? He opened the forums and started making a list of the different dungeons in the novice map. There was a lot of work to do.

Chapter 20

Loki had once again summoned the IronIre squad. Every time he had to meet this monster, Gary couldn’t stop his knee from trembling or his teeth from clattering. He kept a bottle of powerful anxiety medication hidden in their gaming room so that he could go through these encounters. This time it was worse. He wanted to go to the bathroom and vomit. Gary tried his best not to show how scared he was, though. His life depended on him keeping his cool. The squad had spent the last few days searching high and low for the Slayer but found no signs of him. One time, one of them found a post in the forums talking about a crazy guy who attacked anyone he saw as if he were a rabid dog. That matched the Slayer’s description. When they tracked the said player down and saw his avatar, they immediately discarded him. The avatar was too different from Roth’s actual appearance.

After all, in AstroTerra, players’ avatars could only be, at most, 10% or less different from someone’s real-life appearance. This reduced the risk of players being catfished or scammed. Cybercrime had become so widespread over the years that, according to statistics, 90% of crimes were committed online. Beatcops were a dying breed. Most police officers spent their days patrolling games in front of a screen or inside a pod, hunting for cybercriminals.

Keeping avatars’ appearances similar to the real person’s was one of the safety measures that ensured that you could always identify someone’s approximate age, size, build, and gender. That went a long way toward helping authorities track down offenders. When Gary saw the reputed rabid berserker, ´he immediately realized it couldn’t be the Slayer. The man was way too small and thin. There had been other false leads, but in the end, the bottom line was that Roth’s tracks had gone cold.

Gary organized his colleagues into two groups. He sent the boys on patrol inside the beginner area. They were to scan the area with their observation skills. Observation skills augmented one’s senses and allowed one to gain more information on monsters and players. Gary and Brian, for example, both had the [Lock On] skill. Wilson had the [Sixth Sense] skill. None of the skills were particularly rare, but they were still extremely useful. Even if Roth was hiding in the middle of a crowd, if he had chosen not to make his name public, or if he was fully clad in new gear that covered his features, they could find him with the help of these skills. Observation and counter-observation skills and items were a must from level 30 onward.

The girls also had observation skills, but Gary thought it would be better to try a two-pronged approach to finding the Slayer. While the three guys were scouring the map, Shirley and Xana tried the forums or asking players. The girls had searched every village in Green Country and asked other players about someone matching the Slayer’s description with no success. Gary had thought that sending the two girls to talk to players would elicit the most results. Even so, no one remembered hunting with a player matching Roth’s description or an avatar called Pax.

In AstroTerra, the only way to learn someone’s name was for the player to tell you, for you to trade with them, to play in the same party as them, or if they attacked you. Another option was if a player wanted his avatar’s name publicly displayed. Most people didn’t, though. Many scammers and catfishers played a variant of a con in which they sent a private message to someone as if they knew them. Malicious players also kept an eye out for players who seemed to pick up valuable loot in hopes of hunting them later and hopefully getting the precious drop. Knowing an avatar’s name could significantly affect the outcome of some situations in the game. Therefore, a game of cat and mouse became increasingly complex as more advanced players unlocked observation skills to access other players’ information. In contrast, other players had counter-espionage skills to prevent observation skills from working.

Knowing this and presuming that the Slayer still had the same avatar, Gary had hoped that the Slayer would have joined some other parties of beginners and left a trail for them to follow. Hunting in a group was the fastest way to get to level 10. Sadly, no one had any information to share with him. Gary couldn’t wrap his head around how the Slayer had disappeared into thin air. He was one of the loudest and most troublesome bastards he knew. Wherever he went, there was a huge ruckus and people fighting. Was he getting help from someone?

After several days, they received a message from Loki inquiring about the footage he had requested. Getting such a message from Loki was the equivalent of having a gun pointed at their heads. This left Gary in quite a predicament. It was time to give up on finding Roth and go with plan B. There was also a plan C, but only he, Xana, and Wilson knew it. For it to work, things had to be kept like this until Gary showed his hand. He would use it if things went south in this meeting today. But to be sure, he had already made arrangements to activate it if things came down to it. One of the preparations was the choice of their representative for this meeting. Taking the lead in talking to Loki today was not Gary, but Shirley.

Shirley had been the most adamant complainer and critic of Gary’s leadership. She fought him over each minor decision and kept pushing his buttons. She was thrilled when Gary suggested that Shirley take the lead in the conversation with Loki today. She had seen an opportunity to prove herself before their employer. Her happiness showed through, and the power shift suggested by it didn’t go unnoticed by Loki’s insightful, insidious eyes that studied the group and the footage they had brought him. Gary, sweating profusely, was grateful that he had thought of letting Shirley do the talking today. He was too nervous about the outcome of the little show they had put together for Loki.

“Ah, that’s what I am talking about,” said Loki, pleased. “Look at his hateful eyes, filled with pain and regret. How did you convince him to turn on the pained facial expression again?”

Shirley was more than happy to respond. “I told him I wouldn’t stop hurting him until he did.” As an afterthought, she added, “I might have suggested that his mother would break a few bones if he didn’t,” she said.

“Brilliant, brilliant.” Loki again spared a look at Gary, who was standing passively to the side. He knew something was going on.

“Very well! How many times did he die this time?”

“100 times, sir,” declared Shirley proudly.

“I will have the money transferred to you.” Good, sighed Gary. He wouldn’t have to resort to Plan C. Things had gone well, and Loki seemed appeased after seeing the actor that they had hired to play Roth play his part. It hadn’t been easy to find someone with such a massive build and similar-looking features and carefully readjust the avatar’s features so that Loki’s inspection could be fooled. The biggest challenge had been finding someone who didn’t play the game. After all, most people did. Brian ended up finding a guy who was willing to reset his AstroTerra account for 500 grand.

“Sir, if you’re ever in the mood for more footage of that vermin, we’re glad to assist.” No! Screamed Gary in his mind. Why? We’re treading on very thin ice here. Why did this dumb girl have to be so greedy? He told her repeatedly not to do this. Couldn’t she see what would happen if Loki gave this a closer look? Gary cursed and screamed in his mind at Shirley’s incompetence.

“Hmmm. I’m in the mood for something different now that you mention it. I thought of letting him stew for a month, but I’m having too much fun.” Shirley smiled dreamily, thinking about the extra money entering her account.

“This time, I want you to make him beg on his knees for forgiveness. I want you to record that proud bastard saying everything he’s done to me. Then I want him to think of at least a hundred creative compliments. Tell him he will be hunted a thousand more times if I’m not happy with one of them.”

“Excellent, sir. Consider it done. We will get right onto it.” The fool, thought Gary. Doesn’t she realize the danger she has put herself in? It was already a lot of effort to make that guy resemble Roth’s avatar. But all he had to do was squirm and pretend to be in pain. It was easy to fake it. No one has ever seen the Slayer do that. But to make him speak and talk as much as Loki wants him to is too much to fake. He will know something is wrong. Gary spared a look at Shirley and at Brian. He hated what he was about to do, especially to Brian, but he had to make a choice. Shirley had forced his hand. It was the two of them or the five of them. He had no choice but to go with plan C.

“Sir,” interrupted Gary. “I would like to have a word with you in private.” The crew looked at Gary, surprised. Xana and Wilson exchanged looks, knowing where this was going. Xana fought the urge to tear up. Wilson, the one with the best poker face in the group, managed to keep it together. Shirley and Brian were the only ones completely thrown off by Gary’s words. Shirley’s eyes became suspicious. She didn’t like that Gary wanted to talk to the boss alone after she had just displayed such authority over the group. This undermined her. What did Gary wish to say to him anyway?

“Anything wrong, Gary?” confronted Shirley.

“No, of course not. I’ve just been thinking that you have been doing such a better job than me, so I wanted to make things official with Loki. From now on, you will be the captain of IronIre. Some paperwork needs to be discussed and signed. That’s all.”

Feeling her ego stroked, Shirley’s face softened. “Ok, then.” Brian stared hard at Gary from the side. He was the quietest of the group, but he wasn’t stupid. As Brian’s eyes and Gary’s met, Brian saw the guilt in his captain’s eyes. Brian’s shoulders slumped, realizing what Gary was about to do. His blood froze, and his face went pale. He began walking closer toward the door. Gary realized he would make a run for it. The least he could do was try to buy him some time. Let Loki figure out where the breadcrumbs Gary had scattered lead.

“Very well,” said Loki. “You lot can go.”

“Shirley, wait by the door. In case we need you to sign some paperwork,” said Gary without looking back. The crew left. Brian did so more swiftly than all others.

“Very well, Gary, what do you want to talk to me about?” asked Loki sarcastically. “We both know that I couldn’t care less about the little squabbles inside your team. What do you want to tell me without the others hearing?”

“Sir, I think that Shirley has betrayed us.”

Chapter 21

At the mention of the word ‘betrayal,’ Loki’s eyes hardened. There was nothing that Loki hated more than others doing to him what he was so good at doing to others. He tolerated no rivalry. He had no mercy for backstabbers.

“What do you mean?” asked Loki through clenched teeth.

“Sir, this whole thing with the Slayer has raised suspicions with me.”

“Go on,” said Loki while quickly drumming his fingers on the desk. The echoes of the drumming resounded in the gigantic space.

“Well… I found it very suspicious that Roth could take all that beating and not show it on his face. I also looked up what you mentioned about disabling the pained facial expression in the settings. This option is so obscure that it is only known to the top players who do PvP in tournaments. To my knowledge, I don’t remember Roth ever attending a championship or tournament. I don’t see how he would know about this. Especially in the middle of so much pain, after years away from an AVR game, how could anyone have the presence of mind to think of selecting that option?”

Loki’s face darkened. Gary continued with the speech he had rehearsed many times. The secret to a good lie was to mix it with the truth. He had to make the facts fit his narrative.

“Even if he did select that option, he couldn’t have done so the first couple of times we hit him. Only someone with an extraordinary will could keep his composure like that. We both know that the Slayer is nothing but a coward, sir. All it would take was a paper cut to make him squirm like vermin.” Gary paused, expectantly trying to assess whether Loki was buying his lie or not. His next question showed that he did.

“So… Shirley?” The name was said with such hatred that Gary wondered if Shirley had felt a shiver down her spine across the door that separated them.

“Yes, sir. I think she and Roth are lovers. They must have kept in touch throughout all these years, and she must have told him about our plan. She found a way to get someone else, a lookalike, to enter the game simultaneously, as Roth started the game elsewhere.”

“Lovers, you say?”

“Yes, sir. She has always had a soft spot for Roth. You can ask the others on the team.” They would corroborate. He had spun the lie with the help of Wilson and Xana.

“Why did Roth even enter the capsule, then?” Gary knew that Loki would dissect these events, and if he weren’t careful, it wouldn’t just be Shirley who would end up burned.

“We thought the best way to get Roth into the pod without raising his suspicions was to send only one of us. Xana and I thought that Wilson was the better choice. But Shirley kept insisting that she’d do it. I didn’t think much of it then, but looking back, that was somewhat suspicious.” Gary allowed the implications to sink in. He hadn’t mentioned Brian’s name on purpose. He knew that didn’t go unnoticed by Loki.

“So you think that she just accepted that she wouldn’t be able to avoid the scrutiny of the rest of the group? That there was no choice but to go with part of the plan?”

“Yes. They must have known they couldn’t avoid you for long, even if they ran for it.”

Gary noticed how Loki allowed himself the smallest of grins. He basked in the fear of others and drew pleasure from knowing that others were this afraid of him and his goons.

“So, you think she hired a lookalike, a phony, an impostor to fool the rest of us?”

“That’s my theory, sir.”

“Ahaha. I have to give it to the girl. It’s brilliant. By trapping him inside the game, she kept him away from me. Had he gone anywhere else, I would have already ended his life. What I don’t get is, why didn’t they call the authorities?”

“I think it’s because even if they did, the only ones implicated in the matter would be the rest of the squad, sir. You would still go after them,” suggested Gary. “Besides, how would she get the money you promised if she called the police? But that’s just my theory, sir. I am not sure.”

“Hmmm… I will look into Shirley’s financials.” Gary knew that he would do it for the whole squad. That is why Gary insisted that Brian be the one finding a lookalike and that the money used to pay the actor came out of Brian’s account. Thinking of Brian, he gulped. They had been friends for years. He had just picked two of his closest friends and thrown them under the evil bus called Loki. Gary felt little in his heart. Perhaps it was because of the medication.

“Does that mean, Captain Gary, that the Slayer is out there safe and sound? Happily playing video games?” The word captain had been said sarcastically. Loki partially blamed Gary for letting this happen under his nose.

“Yes, sir.”

“You fool! You are an idiot! Don’t you know what that brute did to me? I can’t walk because of him. He almost beat me to death, and you just let him out of prison and are letting him have fun?” Gary dropped to his knees. He knew he wasn’t dead already because he had pointed out a traitor to Loki. Just as Loki despised traitors, he equally valued loyalty.

“I am willing to do anything you ask of me, sir. Please. Let my squad do right by you. Tell us what to do. Should we go take the Slayer off the pod?”

“Wait… it can’t be…” Loki opened the computer before him and started to type away as he furiously looked up the relevant information. “The new patch has come out. Nooooooo!” roared Loki.

“I’m sorry, sir. I don’t follow.”

“You imbecile. We can’t take Roth off the pod anymore. Do you think that hacking a pod from the Nexus Company was easy? It would be easier to hack into a missile silo. We can’t keep using the same hack repeatedly without them realizing it. Each program is custom-made and tailored. The more you use a hack, the more ripples it creates. This hack was specifically designed for the previous patch, not the current one.”

“What does that mean, sir?”

“If we touch that pod too much, we risk being found. If that happens, I can’t kill the Slayer as many times as I have dreamed.” Gary gulped. He was screwed, then. “If we turn it off and on again, the pod will update, and we risk being found. He also now knows what’s coming to him. We can not force him to create a new account or to start where we tell him to. He’ll probably try to run for it, and I’ll be forced to kill him too quickly. No. I’ve waited long for this revenge and have gone to great lengths to ensure he suffers as long as possible. In the game, I can hurt him as much as I want.”

“So, what should we do, sir?”

Loki waited for a moment. He seemed to relax.

“Despite everything, he is still trapped in a game where every little hit causes pain. I think I can live with that for now. He has always been the kind of player who wreaks havoc wherever he goes. I’m sure we will get wind of him eventually. You all have known him all your lives. Keep looking for him. He’ll show up. I’m willing to wait.” As an afterthought, Loki added, “For now, at least.”

“Go. Wait outside the door. In case your squad has left, get them back here. No one leaves this floor until I’ve given them permission to.”

Gary cursed. He wasn’t sure if his heart could take the wait. If Loki found one hole in his story, all of them were done for. Gary tried his best to remain calm. If it were not for all the medicine he had taken before coming here, he would have passed out already.

“Of course, sir.” Gary left and closed the door behind him.

“Zin?” Loki never left the pod unless Zin was also coming out. After what had happened with Roth, Loki had become especially mindful of his safety. His gaming pod had been custom-made and was one of the safest places to be in the world. They could bombard the skyscraper with nukes, which wouldn’t dent his bunker-like pod. Still, more than the assurance of metal or his force field, Loki was relaxed because of this man, Zin. What Loki paid this man to ensure his safety was enough to buy a building like this every month. But Zin was worth the money. He was one of the most dangerous and talented men in the world. Whenever Loki wanted to come to the real world, he PMed Zin inside the game, and he came running to be here to watch over his master. As soon as he was summoned, he stepped out of the shadows.

“Look into this,” said Loki. That was all he needed to ensure that traitors would never see the light of day again.

“I already have.”

“And?”

“The boy, Brian, has made a transfer amounting to half a million to an amateur actor whose build resembles the Slayer. He was seen exiting the building a few moments ago.”

“And the girl?”

“We found that a few days ago, she researched plane tickets and ways to get out of the country. She has also tried to get a hold of a fake passport.”

“Hardly the behavior of innocents. Get rid of both.” Loki paused. Should he get rid of everyone, just in case? After all, they used to be friends with the Slayer. What guarantee did Loki have that they would not turn on him too? No. It was more advantageous to keep at least some of them for now. They were the only ones kidnapping Roth and sticking him in that pod. They were valuable disposable scapegoats that he did well to keep.

“I’ll meet you inside the game.” Zin disappeared.

Loki clicked a button, and his wheelchair descended into a vaulted, titanium-reinforced room where his gaming pod was. There was no need to see what happened next. Zin would take care of it. As his body was brought into the pod, Loki felt the comfort of the state-of-the-art interface. This is where he ran his true empire. The immensity of it wasn’t just the companies, buildings, and estates he owned in the real world. That was just the tip of the iceberg. His true empire was in the world of AstroTerra.

As he connected to the game, his avatar materialized where he had been when he logged out. It was an abandoned observatory. It was built before the Rain of Fire. Now it was all covered in mold and blackish goo. This observatory was deep into the [Dark Abyss] territory. He’d been exploring this area for several days. Around him, many players who belonged to the Pegasus guild were digging, searching, and reading. Whatever books or logs were found, they were immediately brought to Loki. Since he had logged out, several new items had been brought here for him to examine. He picked one of them and started to appraise it. One player rushed in and called out for him.

“Sir!”

“What is it? Did you find it?”

“Yes! It’s deep underground. We found a secret chamber.”

Finally, thought Loki. Finally, he could begin taking over the world.

“Show it to me.”

Chapter 22

Roth drew out the objectives for the following days of gaming. He had two quests to complete. There was the [Ratan Trade] quest, which required him to travel to a human city. He doubted he could get the items’ worth from selling them in a beginner village. He had to make his way to an auction house. Those only existed outside of the beginner area. Auction houses were where the real money was.

What got Roth thinking was that since this specific quest made him the broker for the ratan faction, could there be other trade routes to open in these woods? Perhaps they were also up for grabs. If he could get overlapping quests, he could complete different objectives and gain extra experience and rewards. It was worth looking into.

He also had to find and recover the two missing rodent tapestries to complete the [Tapestry Heist] quest. For both quests, currying favor with other races living in the woods seemed to be the right thing to do.

From what he’d seen, players had overlooked many details and missed out on hidden quests in this area. Players were so rushed to unlock their classes and move past the beginner zone that they completed the quests here as quickly as possible. Many considered that the game only began once they left the beginner zone. Roth, however, knew that he was playing the long game. He had all the time in the world. Where else could he go, anyway? For a moment, Roth thought about whether he would have had time to play the game so much had he been the one to purchase it. Back in his day, virtual reality helmets were already expensive. Despite being considered the worst type of interface for augmented virtual reality immersion, this is. His squad had bought him a pod. It was an old one, but it was still a pod. That couldn’t have been cheap. Roth would never have been able to afford it, being fresh out of prison and broke.

On top of that, the game itself couldn’t be cheap. Many of these games involved subscription fees. Very rarely were they one-time purchases. Then there was the whole life support system, the nutrition fluids, the electricity, the internet, the rent, etc. Loki had given him expensive lemons, and he had to make lemonade out of it.

Roth wanted to explore this region fully. He didn’t want to leave any stone unturned. There was no way to skip a good foundation; he had already received good quests here. He would make the most of this map. If most players were elsewhere, there was less competition and more chances for him to explore. So far, things had gone well for him. He would try to repeat the formula that had granted him success with the rats and mice. First, he would grind for reputation with the next group of mobs: foxes.

After hunting mice, beginners moved on to hunting foxes. Although many mice and rats were in the woods, players preferred hunting them closer to the villages. Players leveled reasonably quickly in the first few levels, and it was worth staying close to the village’s shop or the trainer who taught skills. That way, they could save plenty of time traveling. Once they reached level three, many went straight to Rat’s Cave, where they could get better drops and start to work toward unlocking the [Boss Hunter] title. This was why Roth hadn’t bumped into any players hunting in the mouse fields that took him to the Rat Cave. Thank goodness for that. If Roth had seen any of them hunting, he couldn’t tell if he would black out again and go on an animal-saving spree.

When players came to the woods, it meant that they were ready to target foxes. Compared to mice, foxes were more formidable foes. They had wider aggro zones, and it was easy to become surrounded and overwhelmed. One had to be much more mindful of their surroundings. Foxes were also more intelligent than mice. They dodged much more than ratans. On the other hand, their experience and drops were better than ratans, so players from level four to six would often seek fox dens out to clear them.

Roth consulted his complete and thorough map, courtesy of the [Package Run] quests, and saw that he wasn’t far from a field with foxes. He started heading there. As he arrived, he noticed something that he had never seen before. He saw a player running and a horde of foxes chasing him. Twenty or thirty foxes were barking and running. Occasionally, the player used a skill similar to the one Roth had bought. It had the opposite effect, though. It was meant to draw mobs instead of scattering them.

Taunting Shout (Common)

Skill description: The surrounding creatures react to your threatening grunts and sounds and feel enraged. They will chase after you.

Skill effect: Active. Draw all mobs in a 2(+INT+DEX) radius. The more health a mob has, the more effective this skill is.

Roth curiously followed the player with his gaze and saw that he was hunting with a party. It was a group of over ten players. They were herding the foxes into big groups and slowly whittling down their health with area-of-effect attacks. AoE skills had a wide range and dealt much less damage than single-target skills. However, if one targeted enough mobs inside the AoE skill, the total damage was greater, and the hunt became much more efficient.

Many of the members of the group seemed to be espers. They weren’t really espers because they weren’t level 10 yet, but one could tell that that was what they were going for. There were also a couple of players clad in armor and one player with tunics that stood to the side, using [Healing Rays] on the other players. The one chased by foxes was a rogue, using his faster running speed to outrun the pack of foxes he was aggravating. He started to run toward his fellow players.

“I’m running out of stamina! I gathered as much as I could! Are you ready?”

“Bring them over,” signaled one of the espers.

The player brought his train of foxes along, and the espers started channeling their AoE skills. From what Roth had read, only one AOE skill could be learned before level 10. The skill card dropped from the Rat Cave dungeon.

Rat Poison (Common)

Skill description: For ages, humans poisoned the mice. In doing so, mice became experts in the art of poisoning.

Skill effect: Active. Release a cloud of poison in 3x3 meters, poisoning everyone in it. It can stack up to six times.

Class Restrictions: Can be learned by all classes

As the train of foxes entered the green, sickly fog, they gained the poison debuff, and their hit points began ticking away. Some of them started coughing and wheezing.

“Another pass and they will be done for. Keep running! It’s time to make our XP bars soar!”

Taunting Shout!

Roth was already in the middle of the scene.

Shepherd’s Shout!

Healing Ray!

Roth’s face was that of a wild beast as he went on a saving rampage.

“Little foxes! Run away. They will get you. You poor things. How could they poison you?

You monsters! You should be ashamed of yourselves!”

“…?” All players were speechless hearing Roth. Because he used the [Shepherd’s Shout], the aggro of the group of poisoned foxes was dispersed. The lower HP of the group of foxes had greatly enhanced the skill. Now that their focus was no longer on the rogue runner, they were immediately drawn toward the espers. As for the rogue, he kept running, but Roth caught up to him in no time.

“Dude! Are you on steroids? How do you run so fast?”

“Why are you going around herding these poor creatures as if you were running a fox trafficking network? Have you no shame?”

“What are you talking about, man? I’m just… ugh!” Roth had caught up and latched on to him.

“Stop running! Talk to the foxes. Look at them. You will see they are beautiful creatures with feelings like yours!”

“Dude, let go of me. The foxes are going to get me; I’m…” Three of the foxes had caught up and started attacking the rogue. Roth soon reversed roles. He dropped the player and tried to hold on to one of the foxes. “No, foxie! He’s not going to hurt you anymore.”

Healing Ray!

“That will help you, sir. Ouch! That hurts! Stop biting, little foxie!”

The hunt fell into chaos. With foxes running wild and attacking players in all directions, soon one of the espers fell, then the other, and then another. After a couple of minutes, everyone but Roth was dead. Of the thirty foxes, only five had died. The other twenty-five were swiftly recovering. They all stared at him dumbly, except for two foxes biting Roth. He held on to an orb that one of the espers had dropped on the ground. He was crying and screaming.

“What did you do, little foxies? You hurt those humans. No… no… Noooooo!”

“Woof? Woof?” they said one to the other.

“They also attacked you first, didn’t they? You poor creatures.”

Healing Ray! Healing Ray! Healing Ray!

After a few seconds, Roth got a few notifications.

You have rescued a great group of foxes. They regret losing some of their companions but are grateful for your assistance.

+34 reputation with all foxes

Foxes noticed how you tried to help everyone and stop the conflict. Although they are still mad at humans, they admire your effort to pursue peace.

+10 righteousness

+7 reputation with all foxes

Roth immediately snapped out of his trance since no other players were around this time. Looking at the loot on the ground and the foxes looking at him curiously, he realized what had happened. He had again gone on a spree. He hadn’t meant to hurt any of the players. After scratching his head in confusion and picking himself up, he clenched his fists and set his jaw. He would try to do things a bit differently next time.

Anyway, that had been an impressive boost to his reputation. Was it because he had saved many foxes in one single bout?

Roth moved on to the next hunting field. He was too embarrassed to face the players he had just wronged. Before long, he heard another cry. His senses became alert, and he started walking toward the noise. There was another group with a similar configuration, clearing foxes. This seemed a trendy way of leveling up from level 4 to 6 or 7. Roth saw another pack of foxes being attacked and felt his muscles tense. He couldn’t help himself. He was already running toward the hunting party. He tried to hold on to his slipping thoughts. This time, he managed to warn the players of what he was about to do.

“Everyone run from me. I’m crazy! I’m damaged! Players, please leave. I can’t help myself! Run away. Run awaaaay!”

The group of players spared a glance at Roth. “What are you doing? Do you expect us to leave now that we are about to finish off this group of foxes?”

Shepherd’s Shout!

“Run, foxes! Run, humans! Please, run!

“What’s wrong with you, dude? Why did you use [Shepherd’s Shout]? You idiot!”

“Sergeant, I lost control of the pack.”

“Shoot! The warriors form a line and try to hold them off. We’ll try to finish them off one by one.”

This team seemed to be more experienced and didn’t panic. They managed to get the situation under control, and because this group of foxes wasn’t so low on HP, the rogue could regain some of their aggro and take them away from the rest of his hunting party. Roth wasn’t going to give up, though.

“Stooooop!” He was holding onto one of the players in the back.

“Just get lost, dude.”

[Throw Rocks]

-7

-5

-3

“Is this guy clad in rare gear or something? So little damage.”

Shepherd’s shout!

“You idiot! That skill only works on mobs! Not humans!”

Healing Ray! Shepherd’s shout!

“Someone just finish this dude off!”

This time, Roth was killed before he could save the foxes.

You have died.

You lost a level. Penalty canceled by [Martyr].

You lost 1 strength. Penalty canceled by [Martyr].

You will be brought back to your last saving point.

He awoke in Creekhill Village.

Foxes thank you for your effort and sing praises of your heroic death to their companions. +23 reputation with all foxes.

Chapter 23

After two more rescues, in which Roth earned the gratitude of dozens of foxes and the hatred of dozens of players, he got the notification he had hoped for.

You are now friends with all foxes.

You have gained a new title: [Friend of Foxes].

Title: Friend of Foxes (common)

Title description: Your strong personality and shrewdness have earned the respect of the foxes.

Title effects:

Grants +2 charisma;

It’s easier to learn Foxian.

Conditions to unlock [Friend of Foxes]

Achieve 100 reputation with foxes without ever hurting a fox {complete}.

Or achieve 1000 reputation with foxes.

Another two charisma? Roth was thrilled! With the bonuses of [Friend of Foxes] and [Revered] alone, he had an extra 7 charisma points. He still hadn’t felt the benefits of having the stats, but he guessed that they would show in the long run. Now that he thought about it, could he have unlocked some extra reputation points when he rescued foxes because of his charisma? Or was it because he had saved so many of them at once? There was no way of knowing. Unfortunately, the information that the game gave wasn’t always straightforward. Much of it had to be pieced together by experiencing different things in the game.

Now that he had the system’s blessing to learn Foxian, he approached one of the foxes. He saw that the fox’s name was in green, signaling their friendly relationship.

Common Fox (Friendly)

300/300

Lvl. 4

Entering its aggro zone, Roth sighed in relief at not being attacked. Every wound and attack in this game was extremely painful to him. He avoided the tiniest scratch if he could. The fox regarded him curiously. He tried to speak to it.

“Hello, I am Roth. What’s your name?”

“Woof woof,” responded the fox.

The barks and snarls of the fox start making some sense to you.

Progress in learning Foxian: 1%

For the next few hours, Ross attempted to communicate with the foxes. Like in reality, foxes in the game were very social animals who gathered in packs. Roth sat in the middle of the crowd, listening to them barking and howling at each other. As he tried to understand them, he sometimes unlocked an extra percentage point of Foxian.

The howls and shrieks of the pack of foxes make more sense to you now.

Progress in learning Foxian: 14%

According to how things were progressing, Roth estimated that he would need a full day before speaking Foxian. But a few hours in, he could already make sense of some of the things they were saying.

“And, woof woof, the fox snarl, shriek, bark fooled the wolf,” said an older fox to a group of younglings.

It was interesting how foxes had such different personalities from mice. Mice were squeaking, laughing little creatures that easily munched on the grass while telling jokes and sharing witty comments. Foxes were different. They had a more defined routine. They had a time to cuddle with each other, a time to bask in the sunlight, and a time to nap. Roth discovered that these creatures enjoyed good stories as he understood their speech. In these, foxes were always portrayed as the hero, the character who managed to trick everyone else or come to an unexpected solution to a puzzling problem.

After a full day of sitting around amid a pack of foxes, he finally got the notification he hoped for.

Congratulations. You now speak Foxian.

+100 reputation with all foxes.

Roth waited for a title but got none. That would have been the cherry on top of the cake, but he knew he couldn’t unlock a new title at every single turn of the game. Having opened the full potential of the language, he addressed the fox closest to him.

“Well, hello! How are you doing today?” The fox looked up at him.

“You can speak so well in our language, human. We thought that you only knew a few loose words.”

“Yes, after spending the day hearing the pack talk, it seems I’ve been able to learn the language.”

“Good for you.” Roth waited. Nothing happened. Strange, he thought. When he learned Ratan, he was immediately invited to an audience with the King. Did this mean he didn’t have enough reputation with the foxes to get the same VIP treatment yet? If so, he would have to keep grinding for reputation. He decided to walk around for a bit and found no players hunting nearby. Roth checked the forums and confirmed that word had gone out in the forums again, saying that the crazy activist was tormenting hunting parties in the woods. All players had scattered and declared the fox fields where Roth was as dangerous as a radioactive zone. That meant that Roth couldn’t farm experience by rescuing foxes from players.

If he remembered correctly, what had worked for him when he reached this stage of the relationship with the mice? Wasn’t it telling jokes? Did he know any fox jokes? He tried one.

“Hey, why was the artist taking a long time drawing a fox? Because he paid too much attention to de-tail.”

The fox facing Roth stared at him blankly.

“I don’t get it.” It finally said. Uuf. Tough crowd. He thought that foxes would appreciate a good joke since they were so clever. He decided to try again.

“What do you do if you find an injured fox? Give it furs-taid. Ahaha! Get it?”

The fox leaned her neck to the side. “That’s just wrong.”

Your horrible puns are hurtful to the ears of the foxes. Tell your jokes elsewhere.

-3 reputation with all foxes

What? This was the first time he got negative reputation points with a faction. No. That wasn’t true; he had received those -500 reputation with the ratans. But that had been reversed in the end. He didn’t get why the fox didn’t like his puns! These jokes would have been an enormous success with the mice.

“Do foxes not like jokes?”

“No. That is a mouse thing.” So straightforward, thought Roth. What else could he do to entertain or build a relationship with foxes?

“Do you like poetry?”

“That’s a badger thing.”

-4 reputation with all foxes

“Mimicry?”

“Nope.”

-5 reputation with all foxes

“Riddles?”

“That’s a raven thing.”

-6 reputation with all foxes

Oh, man. Roth was losing some precious reputation points instead of gaining them. At least he had already learned something that other races liked. He thought for a bit more.

“Magic tricks?”

“No!”

Your pestering is annoying the fox. You’re making a bad impression.

-10 reputation with all foxes

He thought about what he had seen from the foxes while learning their language. Any player who saw a pack of foxes from afar would think they were barking at each other. But once you learned their language, there was much more to it. They were storytellers who loved recounting tales where the hero was a fox. They cherished fables that highlighted a fox’s wit and smarts. He decided to risk it.

“What about stories? I have a wonderful story about a fox. A brilliant fox.”

“Go on,” the fox said, its interest piqued.

Bingo. This was the way to go. But what story could Roth tell? He had never enjoyed reading, and he wasn’t very creative. The only stories he had to tell were of his time in prison. He supposed that if he changed the characters in the stories he had heard in prison to animals and embellished them a bit…

“Ok. So, there was once a fox and a wolf. The wolf was bigger and stronger than the fox. The wolf stole the fox’s food, appropriated its den, and threatened the fox, saying:

“If you don’t bring me more food, you will become my next meal.”

The inspiration for this story was something that happened to a guy he met in the Rageaholics, Jamie. When an enforcer from a local gang became his cellmate, his life was miserable. The guy stole his food and gave him beatings when he was bored.

Overhearing the story, two more foxes joined and sat listening, wagging their tails contentedly. Roth continued with a more numerous audience: “So the fox thought to itself, ‘How can I get rid of this bad wolf?’ It had an idea. The fox told the wolf:

- Wolf, tonight I am bringing you delicious chicken for dinner.

- But where will you find the chicken in these woods? Asked the wolf.

- This den is just a small shelter. I dug it out for a rainy day. My house is further into the woods. There’s much more space there, and there’s a pantry full of delicious food.

Hearing this, the wolf, dissatisfied with the cramped space of the fox’s den, decided to sneakily follow after it so that it could see this much bigger house it talked about. They arrived at a big cave. The fox went in, and the wolf followed. He would also take over this den and gorge himself on the food the fox had prepared. Upon entering the cave, a mountain lion pounced on the wolf. Confused, the wolf screamed out to the fox for help:

- Little fox! Little fox! Please help me. A lion is attacking me.

The fox appeared, and the lion said to it:

- Little fox, as promised, since you have brought me a bigger meal, you are free to go.

The fox had used the appetite and greed of others to regain its humble den.”

“We had never heard that one before. It is not in the Fox Canon.”

The foxes listening to your tale of wit and guile of a fellow fox are entertained by the story.

+3 reputation with all foxes

Roth simplified the events of the story he had heard in prison and changed the characters into animals so the foxes could relate. It worked. When his friend Jamie had enough of his cellmate bossing him around, he made him believe he had a phone stashed away in a secret hideout in prison. Phones were forbidden and highly coveted. Anyone who could smuggle one owned a treasure. Jamie had gone to a place and used the phone, careful to let his tormenter follow him. The enforcer did not know that the phone did not belong to Jamie, but to a gang leader no one had dared offend in prison. When Jamie stashed away the phone where he had found it, the enforcer went to get it for himself. Just as he picked up the phone, the gang leader appeared and caught him red-handed. The enforcer got so many broken bones out of this that he never messed with Jamie again.

He was glad that telling the story had worked but was disappointed at how much reputation he had gained. Only three? That was too little. It would take him ages to recover the reputation he had lost when trying to figure out what foxes liked and disliked. In the meantime, the foxes’ excited buzz attracted four more foxes. Their companions shared the gist of the story Roth had told. Roth cursed. That was plagiarism! Now he could not get a reputation from repeating the story to these four newcomers. The seven foxes sat, waiting for him to continue,

“Uh? Do you want to hear another one?”

“If you will honor us with one more, yes. We do.”

Hmmm… what story could he tell? He remembered that one of his old cellmates had shared a story about how his grandfather had become wealthy. That was the thing about prison. There was so little to do that, even if you were shy or reserved, you eventually told your life story out of boredom. It might make a good fox story if he adapted it and changed things around a little bit.

“There was once a beautiful forest. Although there was little rain, the river that ran through it kept all the trees green and all the animals satisfied. But there was so little rain in one arid year that the river became a thin stream. It was hardly enough to quench the thirst of all the forest inhabitants. Trees began to dry and no longer gave fruit. If things kept going like this, the animals would starve. The animals retreated to their burrows, dens, and caves. They would hibernate to save energy and try to wait out the drought. There was only one animal that decided not to go to sleep. A beautiful, smart fox.” As the story continued, Roth noticed that more and more foxes continued to join the group.

“Where all other animals saw disaster, this fox saw an opportunity. What sort of treasures had been hiding under the riverbed? The fox decided to dig in the now-dry river. There, the fox found gold. It found so much of it that when the drought was finished, and the animals awoke, the fox had become the wealthiest in the forest. Where animals saw disgrace, the fox saw an opportunity.”

The foxes listening to your tale are fascinated by the story of a witty fox.

+18 reputation with all foxes

Wow. That had been a remarkable difference from three to eighteen. Why? The stories were basically of the same garbage quality. Roth thought for a while, and after seeing a few more foxes arrive, he realized. He did a head count. That’s what was going on. He gained one reputation for each fox in the audience. Then he had to gather as many as possible.

“Gather around everyone! I have the most amazing fox story you have heard in your life. Call your friends. Tell them to come.” More and more foxes, drawn to a human speaking Foxian, came to join them. He began again.

Chapter 24

This time, Roth decided to tell the story of a mobster he had known back in jail. He had been one of the rulers of the biggest mafia family in Europe. He had three children. One had a knack for business, the other was a talented fighter, and the last had street smarts. The don hadn’t known who to leave in charge of the family and had done a test with surprising results. While working together in the workshop, he once shared the story with Roth, and he figured it would make a good fox story.

“Once upon a time, a rich old badger, realizing he would soon pass away, decided to call upon all the animals in the woodland. Whoever impressed him most would receive all that he owned. The raven said:

- Look at my beautiful collection of shiny things! There are beads of glass, pieces of metal, and even a precious stone or two!

The badger was impressed. Then came the boar. It said;

- Look at my mighty tusks and my strong muscles. See all the gashes and marks I have left in the tree and how deep they are. I have done all of them.

The badger also commended the boar. Finally, the fox came along.

- See, oh badger. I have neither strength like the boar nor possessions like the raven. I am just a poor fox. Please give your inheritance to one of the other two. They deserve it more than I do. I will be by their side to help them manage it wisely.

The badger was most impressed with the fox’s humility and selflessness. It gave to the fox all that he had.”

Roth excitedly saw that this time there had been over forty foxes listening to him.

The foxes listening to your tale are fascinated by the story of a witty fox.

+42 reputation with all foxes. You have achieved esteemed status with all foxes.

Your storytelling skills and captivating words capture the attention of many.

+1 charisma

“Human, you know so many stories we haven’t heard before. None of them are in the canon.”

“What is the canon?” A little buzz of laughter spread throughout the group.

“You humans are so silly. It’s our collection of stories! Our baroness keeps it.”

“Your baroness? I didn’t know you had one.”

“She likes to spend her days reading the tomes of the canon. I’m sure she would like to hear your stories. Perhaps some of them will be worth recording in the canon!”

New Quest: Audience with the Fox Baroness (rare)

Your reputation with the foxes has caused quite a commotion in the community. The baroness hears of your fame and might have some work for you.

Mission objective: Meet the Fox Baroness.

Rewards: Unknown

Would you like to accept? [Y/N]

“Could you take me to her?”

“Hmmm. That wouldn’t be very foxy, would it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Foxes are smart. We don’t need anyone to show us where things are. We figure it out!”

Blasted foxes. Roth felt a little spark of rage trying to flare, but he immediately smothered it. Recovering his calm, he realized that he couldn’t be as naive as to think that everything would go off without a hitch as it had with the mice. It was all uphill from here. He had to figure out where the Fox Baroness was.

“Ok! I will be on my way, then. Goodbye, everyone!” The foxes split into groups as other storytellers started spinning their tales.

Roth would check out the fox dungeon first. If the Rat King had been hidden in the Rat Cave, odds were that the baroness would also be hiding in the dungeon for foxes. Since it was no big secret, Roth checked the coordinates in the forum and headed toward the Fox Tunnels. This was a labyrinthine underground grid of tunnels.

The final boss of the cave was the Wandering Fox, who roamed the tunnels. One could run into it as soon as they appeared in the dungeon or while fighting with a pack of common foxes. Therefore, it was a dungeon where players used the [Shepherd’s Shout] skill that Roth would spam when rescuing animals. That way, they could scatter the weaker mobs and finish the boss more safely.

Arriving at the entrance of this dungeon, Roth saw several players. Interestingly, there were more players at the Rat Cave than here. Roth came to two conjectures for this. One was that the [Miniaturizing Potion] was a valuable item that even higher-leveled players treasured. Everyone flocked to the Rat cave in hopes of getting one.

The other was that, although up to level 4, the only option for where to hunt was mice, from level 4, one could choose to continue killing ratans for one more level or move on to hunting foxes or badgers. Players fortunate enough to gain the [Rat Poison] skill usually preferred to hunt foxes. Crowding them up and finishing them off with AOE skills was easier. Other players who liked to hunt in smaller parties would go for the badgers. These had more health but gave more XP and could be hunted by solo players.

As Roth made his way to the Fox Tunnels, he was intercepted by someone who recognized him.

“Hey, you’re that crazy guy.” The accuser sounded more surprised than upset.

“Oh, hi. What’s up?” He recognized the man as the party leader who had been hunting foxes and kept his cool despite Roth’s meddling.

“What’s your deal, son?” By the person’s avatar and the way he talked, it sounded like an older man. Roth was not sure what to say. It sounded crazy to open up with a stranger, and his former squad was probably still looking for him. But it had been many days since he last spoke to another human. The NPCs were incredibly complex inside this game, but there was something intangible that made a human human. Before Roth could think about it, he was already opening his heart.

“I don’t know. Some things make me snap. It’s as if I was transported outside my head, and I’m no longer myself. I go on a crazy fit, and I can’t tolerate seeing anyone around me getting hurt. I just blacked out. I must look crazy to you, uh?” Roth surprised himself with how quickly he had spilled the beans.

To Roth’s relief, instead of laughing at him, the man’s expression became empathetic.

“Army?”

“No. You?” The man nodded. By the man’s age, Roth guessed he was a WWIII veteran. “Why do you ask?”

“It sounds like what you have is PTSD.”

“What’s that?”

“Post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s what happens when you go through more than your mind can cope.”

“I see.” He heard Dr. Hilstone mention it in passing a couple of times. “How do you deal with it?”

The man shrugged. “Sometimes all you need is time. For others, there is no choice but to do therapy.” Roth believed in therapy. The Rageaholic program, for example, had changed his life.

“I knew something was up with you, and you weren’t right in the head.”

“Sorry, sir. I did not mean to cause you trouble.” After a pause, he added, “Good job not losing control of the situation.”

The man chuckled. “What’s your tag?” Roth hesitated. “Trust issues? That won’t help with PTSD.”

“I’m sorry. Some bad people are out to get me. I can’t be too careful.”

The man thought for a moment. “SergeantSarg.”

“Excuse me?”

“SergeantSarg. My tag. If you ever need to talk.” After thinking for a moment, Roth decided to risk it.

“Pax.”

“By the way. We all got cursed after killing you. [Martyr’s Curse].” Roth had read about it in the forums. It was undoubtedly related to his title. “What does it do?”

“To be honest, I have no idea, sir. If I figure it out, I will send you a message.”

“Alright. I’d appreciate that. Stay safe, son. Don’t worry. We were made to heal.”

The man nodded his farewell and left. Something about the Sergeant had made Roth feel comfortable enough to share his troubles and even his game tag.

Could this be someone willing to contact his mom or the police for him? Roth had not stopped planning his escape. This was the first time he felt inclined to trust someone enough to try it again. He’d have to think about how to enlist the veteran’s help.

Roth moved past the crowd waiting for partners to run the Fox Tunnels.

“Looking for a party. I’ve got [Rat Poison] and [Shepherd’s Shout].”

“Looking for a player with [Rat Poison] and 30 Wisdom. PM if you want to join our party.”

This time, Roth found that there wasn’t any advertisement about players wanting to grind the dungeon to get a specific item. He went to look on the forums for a list of drops and saw that although the dungeon did have some equipment and skills that were better than what you could get in a village, the most valuable item was the [Fox Ginseng]. It was an item that craftsmen used in various recipes and that could only be found in dungeons with fox mobs under level 10. This wasn’t the only dungeon where one could get it. The prices fluctuated, but according to the forums, one could sell [Fox Ginseng] for 50 silver a piece on a good day.

Roth found it interesting that the developers had found a way to involve even beginners in the game’s economy. More advanced players were forced to negotiate and send some money down the pyramid to get items they needed to craft more advanced recipes or complete bigger quests.

Roth looked for the entrance to the dungeon and touched the archaic tablet.

Welcome to the Fox Tunnels. Beware of the powerful wanderers who roam it. Many rewards and treasures await you inside. Would you like to go in? [Y/N]

Selecting yes, Roth was teleported into the cave. Roth found that the tunnels around him were dark. They were much darker than the Rat Cave. Unlike the game’s first dungeon, no [Glowshrooms] grew off the walls and ceilings, making it gloomier. This added to the difficulty of the dungeon. It was harder to find your way and easier to be surprised by the Wandering Fox.

Roth appeared in the middle of a pack of foxes. They were stronger than the ones outside.

Crimson Fox (Friendly)

450/450

Lvl. 5

Their information was in green, signaling that Roth was safe. He barked a greeting to the group and howled a salute to the rest of the foxes roaming the tunnels. He was greeted with a chorus of howls in response. Now that introductions had been made, it was time to search through every nook and cranny of the dungeon.

Although players were always teleported to a random place inside the maze of tunnels, the map’s configuration didn’t change. Roth found a helpful guide online that contained a map of the dungeon, the biggest concentration of foxes, and the best places to box in the boss and finish him.

Roth studied the information. The throne room inside the Rat Cave had been hidden in the room where the dungeon’s final boss was. Were he a humorous AI or a nasty developer, where would he hide the baroness’ chambers? He first walked the entire length of the tunnels, looking for something unusual. To his disappointment, he saw nothing. What was he expecting? There must have been millions of players here already. If there were a hidden place inside the dungeon, one would have expected that they would have leaked it or found it already.

Roth thought for a moment. He would assume that, following the logic of the Rat Cave, the entrance to the secret chamber, if there were any, would be on the place where one hunted the boss. He studied the map and found three dead ends in the tunnels indicated by the dungeon completion guides as the best place to trap the Wandering Fox. He went to the first one. He found nothing after two hours of looking at every nook and cranny. He went to the other two dead ends and also found nothing. He had already spent an entire day here and still had nothing to show for it.

Roth tried to go about this another way. To unlock this quest, what were the requirements? To accrue enough reputation and also to… Of course! That was worth a shot. Roth ran to the first dead end, the one that was the most central and tried something different. Arriving at the chamber, he barked in Foxian.

“Woof. Woof. Snarl. Woof?” which translated means, “Could you open the door, please?”. A hidden door in the wall of the chamber was revealed, and he received the notification he was hoping for.

You are the first to discover the Chambers of the Fox Baroness. +10,000 XP, +300 reputation with all foxes.

[Level up!]

Chapter 25

Whereas the throne room of the Rat Cave screamed glory and majesty, the chambers he was entering spoke a very different story of femininity and comfort. There were cushions and draperies in shades of pink, purple, and violet. Unlike the dark chambers outside, torches on the wall allowed one to experience respite from the moist darkness. A beautiful fox in a dress was sitting on a desk close to a shelf filled with books. Seeing her, he understood why the adjective ‘foxy’ was synonymous with ‘beautiful.’ She was indeed the most beautiful fox he had seen. Her fur was shiny and glossy, and she was even wearing makeup. Unlike many common foxes who walked on all fours, she walked on twos and wore clothes like a human.

“Greetings, storyteller.”

Roth bowed, not knowing what the right protocol was.

“Greetings, baroness. I am Pax. It is an honor to meet you.”

The baroness giggled at the visage of a human speaking such good Foxian. She seemed impressed.

“So, the word in the tunnels and dens is that you have many interesting stories to tell.”

“I can’t take credit for them, baroness. I heard them or saw them happening and simply recounted them.”

“That’s the secret to a good story, isn’t it? For it to be seen and heard before told?”

Roth remained silent. He took a moment to examine the shelf in the room. He couldn’t help it. The tomes on the shelf had such beauty that his eyes were drawn to them. The engravings in them were just too beautiful. The collection of dark-leathered tomes covered with shiny, delicate gold leaf letters was mesmerizing. All the volumes had identically decorated covers and were all numbered. After appreciating the beauty of the book covers, he noticed that two numbers were missing. Strange.

“Oh? I see this is the first time you’ve seen the Fox Canon?”

“Yes, Baroness. I have heard of it from the foxes. The tomes are beautiful.”

“They are. A great master engraver worked on those. They are even more beautiful inside. I’m sorry; I’m afraid I can’t let you look into them. Only foxes can.” Roth felt a twinge of regret. If there had been benefits to looking at the tapestries in the throne room, he imagined there would likely be benefits to looking at these tomes. But it seemed that even though he had reached esteemed status with foxes, he still wouldn’t be allowed to look into them. He would probably need to gain an even closer relationship with them in order to do so.

The baroness continued, “I call you here because I have something to ask of you. But it is a nice surprise to see you are a broker. Old Oscar has done us good over the years, but he won’t be around for long, and he only gets us in contact with the local human villages. Seeing a broker like yourself, perhaps you could assist us with our imports and exports?”

The quest [Audience with the Fox Baroness] has changed to [Fox Trade].

Fox Trade (rare)

The Fox Baroness has been running low on funds to buy her perfumes, make-up, and cushions of choice. She hopes that with your assistance, she’ll have some pocket money to indulge in her expensive shopping habits.

Quest objective: Take some of the foxes’ specialty products to a human town and sell them for the highest price possible.

Quest rewards: It depends on how much profit you generate.

The Fox Baroness wants to trade you 100x [Fox Ginseng]. Do you accept?

[Y/N]

“It would be my privilege to try to assist you with us, baroness.”

The baroness has traded you 100x [Fox Ginseng].

“Very good. I thank you. I will be awaiting your good news,” she said diplomatically with a pleasant, professional smile.

“Baroness, do you mind if I ask you one question before I leave?” Her blank look let him know that he could

“I’m curious. All tomes are numbered on the shelf, but two numbers seem to be missing. Is there any reason for this?”

“You’re observant, human. Worthy of a fox!”

Your observation and insight impress the foxes.

+1 charisma

+10 reputation with all foxes

“Well, yes. Two of the tomes are missing. Someone stole them,” she sighed embarrassedly. “You have to understand that our stories are our most valuable possession for us foxes. For me to have lost track of two tomes is my greatest shame.”

“What happened? Any clues?”

“Well, one morning, when I woke up, I realized the tomes had been stolen. I turned the tunnels upside down, looking for any signs of them. All that I found was this.” She pulled out a glass bottle with a single hair in it. It was gray.

“Are there any gray foxes in these woods?”

“Not this shade of gray. And it doesn’t smell like a fox, either. No. This was something else.”

[Tapestry Heist] updated.

During your visit to the baroness, you discovered that the theft of the tapestries was no isolated incident. It seems there have been a series of heists against the rulers of the woods. The only clue you have uncovered is that the burglar has gray fur.

Quest objectives: Find out the location of the stolen tapestries and tomes.

“Ma’am, I am helping the rats investigate a similar heist to their throne room. I think these thefts may be connected. Would you mind if I took the evidence you found and assisted you in finding the thief?”

The Fox Baroness has traded you [Mysterious Fur].

As Roth left the chambers of the baroness, he wanted to dance with happiness. In fact, he did so. He busted out some dance moves to celebrate his success.

Foxes see you dancing and feel embarrassed.

-6 reputation with all foxes

Uuuh. Awkward, realized Roth. Some foxes had caught his celebration. He regained his composure and tried to keep the celebratory dance for a later time. His hunch had been correct. Staying behind in these woods and building up a relationship with all the factions here would allow him to complete a few overlapping quests. When he finished these quests, he would receive an outpouring of rewards. After several years of setbacks in real life and a few in the game, it felt good to know he had made a good decision.

From what he gathered in the forums, the three factions that were left were the badgers, the ravens, and finally, the boars. From what he’d experienced dealing with the foxes, the stronger a race, the more difficult it was to build a relationship with them. With the foxes, he had to invest much more time and effort in getting to an esteemed status with them. Just to find the Fox Baroness NPC, Roth had to waste a whole day. Fortunately, he knew from foxes that badgers liked poetry and ravens liked riddles. He was terrible at both. It was time to get busy. He decided that instead of being in the middle of this chaos of players wanting to run dungeons, he would return to the most comfortable place he knew to enact his next plan.

He went back to the chambers and sat down on one of the cushions in the Fox Baroness’ chambers. At first, she threw him a few sidelong glances, but since he kept quiet, she didn’t seem bothered. She just kept writing away in the official-looking documents she kept studying and signing. At least here, he could gain some privacy and evade any pursuers looking for him outside. He was the only one who knew this place existed, anyway.

*

A few moments after Roth had entered the Fox Tunnels, a green blur dashed through the woodland and arrived at the entrance of the dungeon. Judging the best observation spot, Gary decided to climb a tree to get an aerial view of the crowd of beginners below. There, perched on a branch, he activated his observation skill, and his eyes began glowing red. As he looked at the players below, he could see their name IDs and some basic information on their characters. He couldn’t find Roth. Gary ran some numbers in his head. The average clear time for this dungeon was two hours. If Roth was inside the dungeon, by any chance, and still had the ‘Pax’ ID, he would come out eventually. Just to be safe, he decided to wait for three hours and see if he was there.

After a few minutes of feeling bored, he decided to browse through the forums. Gary’s ID in the forums was ‘GrandpaBill110’. Like most players, he had just selected randomize when it was time to choose his nickname in the forums. After going through a few posts, he found a new post by a so-called Sphinx314. He was inviting players to share riddles they knew. How amusing. Gary loved a good riddle. He went ahead and started posting.

*

While Roth sat on one of the baroness’ comfortable cushions, he decided to create a username. He clicked on randomize, and was assigned the username “Sphinx314”. That was as good as any. He went to a section in the forums for players to exchange quips, jokes, and humorous remarks and opened two new posts. The first post was like this:

A hopeless romantic needs help.

#love #proposal #wedding #poetry #poet

Poster: Sphinx314

Post: Hello everyone. I am in love with this girl and want to ask her out. She has a thing for badgers, and she loves poetry. I am trying to come up with poems that speak of badgers to impress her. Please, help us be happy. If you could give me any ideas for poems, I would be eternally grateful.

The second one was this:

Riddle me this.

#riddles #cringe #funny #iambored

Poster: Sphinx314

Post: Fellow players, I am creating this post so that we can share some riddles with each other. Sometimes I find myself running between towns with nothing interesting to do. Hopefully, this will help us all have a good time together. Leave your riddle below in the comments!

The game had billions of players. He was sure that someone somewhere would stumble upon these posts and give him the ammo he needed to curry favor with the badgers and ravens of the woods. Not five minutes had elapsed, and comments started to trickle in.

A hopeless romantic needs help.

#love #proposal #wedding #poetry #poet

Poster: Sphinx314

Post: Hello everyone. I am in love with this girl and want to ask her out. She has a thing for badgers, and she loves poetry. I am trying to come up with poems that speak of badgers to impress her. Please, help us be happy. If you could give me any ideas for poems, I would be eternally grateful.

Comments

DollyDoll: Aaaw… That’s so sweet. She’s a lucky girl. It’s kind of weird that she’s into badgers so much, but oh well. To each their own. I dabble in poetry. Here are a few lines I wrote for your girl!

like the berries and fragrances of the woodland

Your smile is sweet, and your eyes are savory.

Your hand is soft as a badger’s fur.

So I want to ask for it. Will you marry me?

HopelessTitanicFan: Oh wow! That’s so romantic. I have a thing for badgers too. They are the cutest! Here is one of my favorite poems. It was written by John Clare. You can get some ideas from it.

The Badger

The badger grunting on his woodland track
With shaggy hide and sharp…

Riddle me this.

#riddles #cringe #funny #iambored

Poster: Sphinx314

Post: Fellow players, I am creating this post so that we can share some riddles with each other. Sometimes I find myself running between towns with nothing interesting to do. Hopefully, this will help us all have a good time together. Leave your riddle below in the comments!

SearingSeer441: What is easy to lift but hard to throw?

A feather

BoredJokster190: What runs but can’t walk?

A river

GrandpaBill110: What flies without wings?

Time

Roth was thrilled with the response of the community. With this, he would be able to move on to the next part of his plan.

Chapter 26

Roth paced as he waited for his guest to arrive. He had seemed like a trustworthy man, but Roth couldn’t be sure. Asking for his help was risky, but doing nothing was even more so. He had to try leaving the game again. In a gesture of good faith, he had decided to gift his guest from the get-go with the location of Oscar’s home. The forums did not mention this NPC, and knowledge was valuable in AstroTerra. He hoped the olive branch would make his guest feel he meant business and was sincere.

After a few more never-ending minutes of wait, a man appeared in the distance. He wore leather armor and a quarterstaff. His jaw was square, and he had blue eyes. His beard and grays showed he was well into his fifties but still lively. The orderly manner in which the man seemed to march rather than walk was characteristic of a military man. Roth suspected he had received enhancement surgery offered to military personnel. It was the most logical explanation for someone his age to show such vitality.

“Thank you for seeing me here, SergeantSarg.”

“No problem, Pax. I have to say I wasn’t expecting you to contact me so soon. Why meet out here?”

“Please, call me Roth. It’s my real name. Here. If you crouch under here, you will find a hidden NPC. It’s a dog named Oscar. Not many people know this. Consider it a token of my sincerity.”

“I thought giving one’s real name online was bad policy. At least, if things haven’t changed much since my glory days.”

“You’re right. But this is an extraordinary situation, and you’ll think me crazy when I finish talking. I might as well be as sincere and truthful as I can. I don’t know about you, Sergeant, but I find it easier to trust a man whose name I know.” Roth took the man’s silence as agreement. He noticed he hadn’t given him his name in return nor thanked him for showing him the NPC. He would have to trust before he could be trusted.

“So… why is it that you called me here, son? Is it because of your episodes?”

“Yes, and no, sir.” Roth had thought long and hard about how he would say this. He had concluded that the best thing he could do was to lay all his cards on the table.

“Sir, I’m being held captive. I’ve been put in this game against my will.” The man frowned, and his face hardened. “I made some poor decisions years ago, which caused some people a lot of hurt. I also almost beat a powerful man to death. They have found a way to hold me here. I can’t log out, and I can’t call GMs. When I do, they just say my file says I am mentally ill. But I’m not crazy, sir.”

As soon as he said that, he realized that the sergeant’s first impression of him would be the opposite of what he was saying. After all, the first time this man had seen him was when Roth had come running, flailing his arms and shouting to everyone who would hear that he was crazy and a damaged human being.

“Except for your episodes, of course,” chuckled the Sergeant.

“Except for my episodes,” agreed Roth, seriously. Roth felt the Sergeant’s eyes studying him.

“Were you in jail?”

“Yes, sir. How did you know?”

“The way you respond to authority. It’s something I have seen in prisoners. Plus, you just admitted to aggravated assault.” The man sighed. “You do realize that, in principle, AVR pods can’t be hacked. You also realize that game files can’t be easily fabricated. You realize that 99% of people who hear your story will run away afraid that you’re a scammer.”

“Sir, have you heard of Pegasus, Inc.?”

“Who hasn’t?”

“The man I almost killed… it’s their CEO.”

“Oh boy… if what you’re saying is true, you have barked at a dangerous tree. Ahahaha.” The man scratched his beard for a few seconds and, made his decision. “GM! I have a young man here who says that his account has been hacked. Please come and assist.” Roth hadn’t expected that he would call a GM so soon. He still had things he wanted to say. He had to hurry before someone came in, accusing him of being mental.

“I don’t think that’s going to work, sir.” He gulped.

“We’ll see.”

It was all or nothing now. He had to try. “I’m from sector 14, sir. Do you live close by?”

“No. I don’t.”

“Sir, please. You have to listen to me. Regardless of what the GMs say, please send a letter to my mom. Tell her I have left prison and will come home as soon as possible. That’s all I ask. Her address is Elm Street 73, Sector 5, District 4. Elm Street 73, Sector 5, District 4.”

“OK…?”

“And if you want to do that for me, please call cyber police. Tell them that Roth Tailor was kidnapped after leaving prison.” Hopefully, the police receiving the tip wouldn’t be on Loki’s pay grade.

“I will see what I can do.” Roth was disappointed. It wasn’t a promise but better than refusing his request outright.

A cheesy celebratory sound of a GM’s arrival interrupted the conversation and broke the peace of the secluded place where Roth and the Sergeant met. “Hello, I am Lilly. How can I help you today, gentlemen?” Before Roth could say anything, the Sergeant took the initiative.

“This young man has been hacked. Someone is holding him inside the pod against his will. He can’t log out. Where is he being held? Can you force him to log out?”

“Sir, with all due respect, the AVR pods we use are the safest devices on the planet. It’s impossible to hack them.” Roth noticed that the Sergeant commanded so much respect that Lilly instinctively felt obligated to talk to him as if it were a supervisor.

“Please check his account, and tell me what you find.”

Her eyes became blank as she went to check the player’s files. Roth tapped his foot, waiting for the girl to return and hopefully corroborate his story. “Please, sir, at least a letter to my mom. Elm Street 73, Sector 5, District 4. She must be worried sick about me. Please. Just a letter. That’s all I ask.” The girl’s eyes refocused.

“I’m sorry, sir. This young man is a player who has suffered severe mental trauma and developed a delicate condition. His guardians have placed his account under severe restrictions. I have already cleared this up with my supervisor.”

“Get your supervisor here, Lilly.”

“I’m sorry, sir, I don’t have the authority.”

“Get your supervisor here, Lilly. Is this a way to treat a war veteran? Why is it, you think, that you get to enjoy a peaceful existence without having to kill someone for a glass of water.” She gulped. “Get. your. supervisor. now.”

“I… I will see what I can do.” Her eyes became blank again. After a few moments, another figure materialized.

“Hello sir, hello young man; I am Marius, a supervisor. How can I help you today?”

“Hello, Mr. Marius. My friend here has been a victim of kidnapping and claims that his pod has been hacked. Do you mind helping him to force his log out?”

“Sir, according to his account records, he has logged out several times during the last few days. There doesn’t seem to be any issues with his pod.”

“Prove it. Force his log-out.”

“Very well.”

The GM’s hand started glowing, and Roth’s figure disappeared before he could say anything.

“Will that be all, sir?”

The Sergeant regarded the man long and hard. “That will be all. I guess I was wrong. I’m sorry about that.”

“No worries, sir. Lilly, please fill up your report and tag this account. We can’t keep having GMs being bothered by this young man. For all the sympathy we might feel for his condition, we all have much work to do. Have a good day, sir.”

Both figures disappeared. The Sergeant stared motionless for a moment. Logically, everything pointed toward the young man lying. But there was this sincerity about him. The Sergeant also got a gut feeling that there was something strange about this supervisor. He checked his friends list and saw that Pax was offline. He had logged out. He stretched his hand toward the unfriend button but then stopped himself. Maybe it was a cry for help. He couldn’t in old conscience leave things like this.

Elm Street 73, uh? Sighing, he turned and went to meet his crew. They had a Brawny Badger to hunt, and he had a letter to write before joining them.

*

Roth woke up in a dark space. What was going on? It felt like he had been thrown into the tutorial again. What was happening? He read a notification that explained it.

GM Marius’ Curse has afflicted you.

Your avatar will remain in this space for 8 hours before you can return to your gaming experience.

Roth let out all the anger in his heart for the first time in a very long time. He wailed in despair, shouting and clawing away at the air around him with all his strength. The frustration and injustice were just too much. He was sure of it now. Loki had agents inside Nexus.

After several minutes of screaming angrily, he managed to calm down. He had to think. There was nothing else he could do anyway. A supervisor had been paid to make him look mentally ill. Even after he had reached out to someone who seemed trustworthy, the web they had spun was too strong.

They had seriously undermined the Sergeant’s trust in him. He had to try to become even closer friends with someone within the game before he could try again. Only by establishing a solid relationship with them first would they be willing to stick their necks out for Roth.

He went back to reviewing his plan for progressing his avatar. He would continue to develop inside the game for now. With time, he would try to run for it again.

*

It was 6 am. The mail bot left the station and went on its route. Even though emails were the norm, there was still use for paperback correspondence. The divorce from paper would still take a few decades before it came to be, especially now that it didn’t require trees to produce it.

The mail bot hovered and silently flew around the neighborhood until it reached Elm Street. It had three letters to deliver out here. It went to number 16. Then number 53. Finally, number 73. The letter was inserted through the door, and the mail bot disappeared.

A man silently walked off the basement as the letter entered the house. Careful not to be seen through the windows, he checked the correspondence. He pulled a monocle, a device a friend of his from the army had gotten him, and he saw through the envelope. It was from a Sergeant Hollingsworth. Seeing an official-sounding name, its heartbeat raced, and he read its contents.

Dear Mrs. Tailor,

My name is Jazzinald Von Hollingsworth. I have recently met a unique young man calling himself Roth Tailor. Our paths crossed in an augmented virtual reality game called AstroTerra.

He made me promise that I would at least send you this letter to let you know he had left prison and that he was coming home as soon as possible. He also seems to be under the delusion that his past has caught up with him and that a group of unsavory individuals is holding him hostage inside this game.

Although good sense judgment dictates that I ignore this young man, he has such sincerity about him that I couldn’t in good conscience face him without at least abiding by such a harmless request as this of sending you this letter.

Please let me know if your son has some mental illness or a history of post-traumatic stress disorder so that I can understand his peculiar character. It would help satisfy an old man’s curiosity.

Best regards,

Srgt. Jazzinald Von Hollingsworth

It was as he feared. Despite all their contingencies, they were coming for them sooner or later. Loki hadn’t even bothered stopping this. He wanted Roth’s mom to become desperate and for the police to come looking for him and the squad.

He didn’t owe anything to the others in the squad, but if word of the Slayer getting out got to Mrs. Bessie… the heat on him would only rise. He grabbed the letter and took it with him back to the basement. He couldn’t let Mrs. Bessie read this.

Chapter 27

Badgers in AstroTerra were as giant as bears. After the Rain of Fire, they mutated and developed telekinetic abilities. Compared to foxes and mice, who only used physical attacks such as biting and scratching, they also used abilities. When attacked, badgers sent psionic blasts that pushed players away and interrupted them if they were channeling a skill.

The upside was that badgers didn’t deal much damage with these special attacks. Furthermore, getting them alone or in pairs was easier since badgers weren’t as social as foxes in the game. Because of this, players who enjoyed hunting alone instead of in a party preferred hunting badgers from level 4 to level 6.

Roth arrived at a field teeming with badgers. He had tried to find an area devoid of players since he didn’t want to ruin anyone’s hunt. Luckily for the badger hunters out there, Roth found such a place. This time, Roth would try something different. He would try to skip the first step, in which he went running around like crazy, saving mobs from being hunted, and would try to go straight into step two. He had secured one skill and consumable item to prepare for this attempt.

Taunting Shout (Common)

Skill description: The surrounding creatures react to your threatening grunts and sounds and feel enraged. They will chase after you.

Skill effect: Active. Draw all mobs in a 2(+INT+DEX) radius. The more health a mob has, the more effective this skill is.

Soothing Scroll (Consumable)

Item description: This scroll has a very particular scent. When you open it, the scent dispels any aggressiveness toward you and might help you escape a sticky situation.

Item effect: Active. Dispells aggro. Duration: 30 minutes. The higher the level of a mob, the less effective it is. Doesn’t work with elites or bosses.

He had spent all his money, but it would be worth it if things went according to plan. When planning this, Roth remembered that the Rat King and even Brownie knew how to speak the human tongue. He had to learn their language if he wanted to understand an animal. But they seemed to be able to understand him already. He would determine if he could use that to his advantage in a moment. He found a badger and used his new skill.

Taunting Shout!

The badger started snarling menacingly and marched furiously toward Roth. Roth took off running. Fortunately, [Taunting Shout] didn’t deal damage, so it didn’t count as entering battle. Roth didn’t lose the speed bonus from his [Errand Cloak].

Taunting Shout!

With three badgers in tow, Roth went to look for the next one. After ten minutes, he had over thirty badgers chasing after him. As soon as Roth determined that there weren’t any others in this field, he unrolled the [Soothing Scroll] out of his inventory.

The [Soothing Scroll], entering contact with the oxygen in the air, started crumpling, and its ashes were scattered in the breeze. The angry badgers chasing after Roth suddenly gained a more relaxed look and stopped chasing after him. Before they started to roam away, Roth hurriedly opened up one of the windows in the forums and began to recite one of the many poems he had prepared. He hoped it would work.

“The badger grunting on his woodland track
With shaggy hide and sharp nose scrowed with black
Roots in the bushes and the woods, and makes
A great high burrow in the ferns and brakes.
With nose on ground he runs an awkward pace,
And anything will beat him in the race.
The shepherd’s dog will run him to his den
Followed and hooted by the dogs and men.
The woodman when the hunting comes about
Goes round at night to stop the foxes out
And hurrying through the bushes to the chin
Breaks the old holes, and tumbles headlong in.
When midnight comes a host of dogs and men
Go out and track the badger to his den,
And put a sack within the hole, and lie
Till the old grunting badger passes bye.
He comes and hears—they let the strongest loose.
The old fox hears the noise and drops the goose.
The poacher shoots and hurries from the cry,
And the old hare half wounded buzzes bye.
They get a forked stick to bear him down
And clap the dogs and take him to the town,
And bait him all the day with many dogs,
And laugh and shout and fright the scampering hogs…”

The powerful poetry evocative of the badgers’ tragic past resounds with your audience.

+1 charisma

+33 reputation with all badgers

Roth felt vindicated! His hunch was correct. He continued reciting the many lines of poems he had prepared.

“…He runs along and bites at all he meets:
They shout and hollo down the noisy streets.
He turns about to face the loud uproar
And drives the rebels to their very door.
The frequent stone is hurled where e’er they go;
When badgers fight, then every one’s a foe.
The dogs are clapt and urged to join the fray;
The badger turns and drives them all away.
Though scarcely half as big, demure and small,
He fights with dogs for bones and beats them all.
The heavy mastiff, savage in the fray,
Lies down and licks his feet and turns away.
The bulldog knows his match and waxes cold,
The badger grins and never leaves his hold.
He drives the crowd and follows at their heels
And bites them through—the drunkard swears and reels.
The frighted women take the boys away,
The blackguard laughs and hurries on the fray.
He tries to reach the woods, an awkward race,
But sticks and cudgels quickly stop the chase.
He turns again and drives the noisy crowd
And beats the many dogs in noises loud.
He drives away and beats them every one,
And then they loose them all and set them on.
He falls as dead and kicked by boys and men,
Then starts and grins and drives the crowd again;
Till kicked and torn and beaten out he lies
And leaves his hold and cackles, groans, and dies.
Some keep a baited badger tame as hog
And tame him till he follows like the dog.
They urge him on like dogs and show fair play.
He beats and scarcely wounded goes away.
Lapt up as if asleep, he scorns to fly
And seizes any dog that ventures nigh.
Clapt like a dog, he never bites the men
But worries dogs and hurries to his den.
They let him out and turn a harrow down
And there he fights the host of all the town.
He licks the patting hand, and tries to play
And never tries to bite or run away,
And runs away from the noise in hollow trees
Burnt by the boys to get a swarm of bees.”

The badgers feel emotional after hearing your beautiful rhymes.

+35 reputation with all badgers

Roth went along to the next one.

“They shut the road through the woods
Seventy years ago.
Weather and rain have undone it again,
And now you would never know
There was once a road through the woods
Before they planted the trees.
It is underneath the coppice and heath,
And the thin anemones.
Only the keeper sees
That, where the ring-dove broods,
And the badgers roll at ease,
There was once a road through the woods…”

The poetic description of their home touches the badgers’ hearts.

+18 reputation with all badgers

“…Yet, if you enter the woods
Of a summer evening late,
When the night-air cools on the trout-ringed pools
Where the otter whistles his mate,
(They fear not men in the woods,
Because they see so few.)
You will hear the beat of a horse’s feet,
And the swish of a skirt in the dew,
Steadily cantering through
The misty solitudes,
As though they perfectly knew
The old lost road through the woods.
But there is no road through the woods.

The badgers are impressed by your poem.

+14 reputation with all badgers.

You’re now friends with all badgers.

You’ve gained a new title: [Badger’s Friend].

Title: Badger’s Friend (common)

Title description: Your intellect and sensitivity toward the arts have earned the friendship and love of the badgers.

Title effects:

Grants +2 intelligence;

It’s easier to learn Badgerian.

Conditions to unlock [Badger’s Friend]:

Achieve 100 reputation with badgers without ever having hurt a badger {complete}.

Or achieve 1000 reputation with badgers.

Amazing! He had broken through the first step of his relationship with the badgers in minutes. He must have beaten a world record of some kind! If word got out, the whole game would go into an uproar. After getting the string of notifications, Roth noticed how all the badgers’ tags turned green, signaling that he was now friends with the animals.

Like in the case of the foxes, he wasn’t given any quests to meet the representatives of the badgers. Fortunately, he still had a language to learn and many poems to go through.

*

Julio enjoyed hunting alone and was going back to the village to sell all his spoils. He had spent his day hunting badgers and had his inventory filled. He had to get rid of some of this loot before continuing to play.

He had already reached level 6 and wondered whether he should continue hunting badgers or move on to bigger prey. He heard someone speaking loudly as he trod the path in the woods. It sounded almost like a Slavic language. He then realized that did not make any sense. The game automatically translated all human languages. That meant that, since he was a native Spanish speaker, whenever anyone talked to him, regardless of the language they spoke, he only heard Spanish.

He decided to investigate. After walking toward the noise, he saw a man screaming disturbing sounds to a crowd of badgers sitting down and listening. Some were even munching on some roots and berries as if eating popcorn at the movie theater. What is this?

“Kekkering, growl, bark, growl

Whicker, chirp, chirp, cloo,

Squeal, wail, kekkering, growl

Kekkering, scream, whicker, cloo.”

A chorus of squeals and barks responded to the man as if a crowd of faithful were saying amen to the preacher.

Drawn by the unlikely spectacle, Julio walked closer to the group without the man realizing it. When Julio entered the aggro zone of a nearby badger, he snarled at him.

The player’s eyes followed the badger’s angry display and landed on Julio. As soon as their eyes met, the strange player tried to signal him with expansive gestures for him to stay away. But it was too late. Julio only saw the crowd of badgers all angrily standing up and sending fifty psionic blasts his way.

You have died.

When Julio respawned, he hurriedly went to the forums and asked around.

Badger summoning skill

#badger #summon #skill #hidden #secret

Poster: ImJulio9566

Post: I have just been hit by a pack of angry badgers. Are there any skills that summon badgers?

Comments

Vetasinveteran109: Hmmm… Summoning skills are super rare. More likely to be some mind control skill.

BlueNile1923: Are you sure it wasn’t just a [Shepherd’s Shout] that sent the badgers your way?

lkasdm1123: Sure! There is! I will sell the secret skill [Badger Stampede] for 6,000 gold. PM me.

Damn it, thought Julio. What in the world was that? He hadn’t received any notification that a player had attacked him. That was an unavoidable rule of AstroTerra. If you damaged someone, their names were on your notification log.

Oh well. Fortunately, this was his first death in the game. He hadn’t lost a level. He was sure of one thing; he wasn’t returning to the badgers. He was going to hunt ravens next. A guy who could summon a horde of badgers was just too scary.

Chapter 28

Badgers had no dungeons to speak of. What they did have was a field boss. Field bosses roamed hunting fields, unlike their dungeon counterparts, making their exact location a constant unknown. They were highly coveted for their rare drops and equipment, mainly by guilds.

The developers had gone out of their way to make every field boss in a game juicy targets to be fought for. When one ran a dungeon, they were out of sight of competitors, but field bosses were different.

Two or three guilds would often get wind of a field boss’ location and dispute it. This provoked complex Mexican stand-offs followed by betrayals, backstabbing, and outright shouting contests between the most prominent organizations in the game to see who could get the last hit on the boss and obtain its spoils.

The first field boss of the game was the Brawny Badger. It was slightly larger than the more common badgers that roamed the fields. Other than its size, what made it stand out were its colors. Whereas normal badgers were beige and dark grey, the Brawny Badger had stark black and white fur. The white was so bright and clean that it almost hurt one’s eyes to look at it. On top of that, the Brawny Badger had several skills that came along with being a big bad boss.

Its most potent skill was the [Psionic Push]. It was an AoE skill that wreaked havoc when surrounded by players. The developers had put this boss here to let the players understand what a field boss was and how problematic it could be to hunt one. As for its drops, the most coveted one was an item that could grant a bonus to the whole guild as long as it was placed in its headquarters.

Badger’s Great Claw (Guild)

Item description: This is one of the claws of the great Brawny Badger. By putting it on display, a guild can gain prestige and grant benefits to its members.

Item effects: +1% damage to all psionic skills of all guild players.

This was one of the most common guild items. A guild could unlock a museum inside its headquarters as it gained levels. By putting these items on display there, all its members gained benefits.

This was the number-one reason why players flocked to guilds. Had it only been sticks and no carrots, hardly anyone would want to subject themselves to a hierarchy. But these benefits added up, and a player who belonged to a guild would outperform those who didn’t. There were very few players who chose to go solo in the game.

The museum feature of a guild’s headquarters was unlocked right from when a guild was level 1, but it had a limit of only three items for display. As a guild gained levels, it would increase the number of available slots in its museum. Therefore, a starting guild would only grant three buffs at most. The biggest guild in the game was known to give more than twenty buffs if one joined it.

There were many videos online of players who displayed the before and after effects of joining a guild. Some of them gained an increase of up to 10% in stats!

Roth had wondered what quest he would receive if he gained enough familiarity with the badgers. Since this was the first time a race’s boss was not in the dungeon, he had wondered whether he would meet with the Brawny Badger or if there was another hidden NPC out there for him to find. He was surprised by the notification he got:

You’ve been offered a new quest, [Council of Badgers]

Council of Badgers (rare)

Badgers meet every night at midnight in a secret place in the woods. They discuss poetry and have collective discussions about badger matters.

Mission objective: Join the next Council of Badgers.

Rewards: Unknown

Would you like to accept? [Y/N]

Roth had found the quest surprising. It turned out that monarchy wasn’t the only form of government among the races of the Woods. The badgers did not seem to have a king or ruler. Perhaps it was a democracy? Whatever the case, when Roth got this notification, he asked the badgers for any clues as to the location.

“Excuse me, furry one,” this was a respectable honorific in the language of badgers, “where is the council going to be tonight?”

The badger broke into poetry:

“Where the oak is old

And the flowers don’t bloom.

Where the night isn’t cold

And where there is no moon.”

Roth stared at the badger blankly. Shoot. That was the thing about badgers. They didn’t know how to give a straight answer. They had to break into rhyme for everything. No wonder the game had been so generous in letting him know that badgers loved poetry. It took a moron to hear these poetry freaks talk without realizing that everything they said rhymed.

Roth thanked the badger and started to decipher the poem. Where was there no moon? Where was the night not cold? Where did flowers not bloom? It sounded as if it was somewhere indoors. It made sense. Otherwise, one night, players would have bumped into a group of badgers gathered around reciting Shakespeare. That would have raised some suspicions and might even have merited a post on the forums.

The poem also spoke of an old oak. Roth had already spent a few days in these woods and knew that different hunting fields had predominant species of trees. There tended to be more pine trees on the outskirts of the woods. Oaks used to be more concentrated toward the center.

Roth looked up the map and tried to find where the badger’s turf intersected with an area rich in oaks. Looking at the time, it was noon inside the game. That meant there was still time to locate the Badger Council’s meeting place.

He headed toward the oak he had signaled on the map. While he ran toward it, Roth decided to check his character sheet. It had been a while since the last time he had looked at how his character was developing.

Name: Pax

Race: Human

Profession(s): [Broker] CHARACTER INFORMATION

Level: 7 (4450/20,000)

Affinity: [Empty]

Alignment: Neutral (60/100)

Relationships: Badgers (313/1000); Foxes (614/1000); Mice (1125/3000); Greenleaf Inc. (100/300)

Titles: [Martyr]; [Marathonist]; [Friend of the Ratans]; [Bilingual]; [Overachiever]; [Revered]; [Art Enthusiast]; [Friend of Foxes]; [Friend of Badgers]

STATS (35 Free Stat Points)

Hp:114

Energy:118

Damage Reduction: 31.6%

Running Speed: 134.2%

Weight: [Light] - (2/44,4kg)

Strength: 14

Dexterity: 18

Intelligence: 18 (+1%)

Wisdom: 13

Endurance: 221

Charisma: 12

EQUIPMENT

Right Hand:[Empty]

Left hand: [Tin Ring]

Shoes: [Crappy Shoes]

Bottom: Moldy Trousers

Top: [Horrible Vest]

Gloves: [Empty]

Head: [Ghastly Headband]

Cape: [Errand Cloak]

Accessories: [Empty]

SKILLS:

Stat Bonuses: [Stone Skin]; [Horse’s Gallop]

Profession Related: [Discount]

Passive: [Empty]

Active: [Healing Ray]; [Shepherd’s Shout]; [Taunting Shout]

It seemed that his charisma was the stat that was gaining more traction. No wonder, since he spent his day currying favor with NPCs. He still had 35 stat points to spend, but he wasn’t sure if he should invest them in charisma or something else.

Roth had been happy to find in the forums that he could add the free stat points to the four basic stats and others he unlocked along the way. He would keep them in reserve in case he needed them down the road.

*

After looking at every oak tree he could find in the badger fields, he found one that seemed particularly big and old. It was so large that it would take twenty men to hug its whole circumference. He wasn’t sure if there was a hidden passage here, but after wasting an hour looking for one, he decided to give up.

Maybe it would only reveal itself at night. Checking the clock, he saw that it was 3 p.m. He still had nine hours to kill before he would have to come back here. Looking at the map, he saw that he wasn’t far from the Raven’s Nest dungeon. He still had a couple of [Soothing Scrolls] in his inventory. He might as well start working on the next faction.

The ravens brought together, in a way, the two most challenging things about foxes and badgers. On the one hand, they tended to crowd and had extensive aggro zones, which could escalate a hunt quickly. It was frequent for a flock of ravens to overwhelm a hunting party and wipe them out.

On the other hand, they also had an annoying skill: [Wing Gust]. It not only had a slight pushback effect, but it also packed a punch. Death was expected if one wasn’t careful and was hit by three or four [Wing Gusts] in a row.

They also had their weaknesses. Ravens were glass cannons. They were highly squishy. Hunting ravens was a great way to level up if one played their cards right. To add to the allure of hunting them, ravens dropped accessories like rings and necklaces. Even though these were some of the worst accessories in the game, they still gave some stats, and players ran at the opportunity to get their hands on some.

Accessories tended to be the most expensive equipment in the game, not because of the stats they offered but because of their rarity. It wasn’t an uncommon sight for level 20 players to still be wearing the outdated accessories they had gained from hunting ravens in the beginner area.

Roth had read that gathering a group of ravens inside the dungeon was much easier than outside. If ravens were similar to foxes, the more he could interact with them simultaneously, the better it would be for him.

Players crowded before the dungeon, hawking their wares, volunteering their services, or finding the missing member they needed for their party.

“Buying [Raven’s Feather Earring]! Anyone?”

“Buying [Shiny Glass Ring]. Please PM me, and we can negotiate!”

Roth noticed that most shouts were for players interested in buying accessories. He even spotted one or two players who were evidently over level 10 and had traveled out here after they realized how valuable these beginner accessories were. Perhaps, they hoped to fetch a better price from unsuspecting beginners.

Roth made it through the crowd until he could reach the dungeon’s tablet and investigate it.

Welcome to the Raven’s Nest. If you don’t take care, you will quickly be overwhelmed. Many rewards and treasures await you inside.

Would you like to go in? [Y/N]

Roth accepted and was transported to the dungeon. Roth was surprised to see that this dungeon wasn’t underground. He assumed it would be since the Rat’s Cave and the Fox Tunnels were.

He’d been transported to the canopy of the woods. An intricate pathway of interwoven branches made for quite the sight. Looking up, Roth saw the scant few leaves that separated him from the blue sky, and looking down, he saw the woodland floor through the gaps in the branches.

This dungeon introduced environmental hazards. If one wasn’t careful, they could lose their balance during a fight and fall to their deaths below. Since Roth was an experienced AVR gamer, he wasn’t scared of this. He had been through much worse as a prodigious player on New Earth.

Not far from where he was, Roth saw a few nests with ravens on them. They were quite large, providing a platform for players to stand on and fight better against the dark birds. The ravens seemed enlarged versions of the animals Roth had sometimes seen on TV. It was time to gather an audience.

Roth started running through the canopy, jumping agilely from branch to branch while spamming his newest skill.

Taunting Shout!

Chapter 29

Roth jumped from branch to branch, feeling blades of accelerated air graze his skin. Looking back, he saw thirty ravens furiously chasing after him. Seeing that the ones in the back were starting to veer off, Roth again drew their aggro.

Taunting Shout!

Roth managed to secure the aggro of the ravens at the back and even managed to get the attention of a couple more. Had it not been for the boosts that he had when out of combat and for the fact that skills that dealt no damage didn’t count as entering battle, he would have been overtaken by the flock of birds long ago.

He tried to draw them to a place where the branches were thick and from where they wouldn’t easily leave, even if he cut the aggro he had. He pulled out a [Soothing Scroll] and used it. The fragrance of the scroll calmed down most of the crows, but a few of them kept going toward Roth.

What? That was the first time this had happened. With the badgers, the item worked like a charm. Ravens were higher-leveled, though. Perhaps they had some added resistance to this sort of item. He felt a beak hit his face. It hurt too much. It was as if someone were sliding a knife in his face.

He panicked and used the only other resource he had to dispel aggro.

Shepherd’s Shout!

The three ravens finally calmed down and left him alone. Before the birds started to disperse, Roth cracked open his repertoire of riddles and shouted them out as loud as he could!

“What has to be broken before you can use it?” He paused for dramatic effect. “Eggs.”

At the mention of breaking eggs, corvids feel outraged.

-30 reputation with the corvids.

Damn it, thought Roth. How could he have been so stupid? Way to go! Tell the birds jokes about breaking their eggs! He hurriedly moved on to the next one.

“I’m tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I? A candle!” Roth waited for a few seconds, hoping that this time he would gain some favor with the birds. “What question can you never answer yes to? … Are you asleep yet?”

Your crowd of listeners feels pleased with the intelligent riddle.

+10 reputation with all corvids.

Uuf. Roth kept going.

“What month of the year has 28 days? All of them”

Your crowd of listeners feels amused by the trap within the riddle.

+14 reputation with all corvids.

“The more of this there is, the less you see. What is it? Darkness!”

The ravens find this riddle funny.

+13 reputation with all corvids.

You can entertain many people of different races at once.

+1 charisma

Roth kept pouring his whole storage of riddles on them. The most significant contributor had been a so-called GrandpaBill110. Roth kept going. After several more riddles, he got the notification he was waiting for.

“There’s a one-story house in which everything is yellow. Yellow walls, yellow doors, yellow furniture. What color are the stairs? There aren’t any—it’s a one-story house.”

Ravens and crows love the quips and riddles you have gifted them with.

You have unlocked a new title, [Friend of Corvids]

+4 reputation with all ravens and crows

You are now friends with all ravens and crows.

Title: Friend of Corvids (Common)

Title description: You have come to know and be known by the wise birds who collect glittering things. They see you as a friend and impart some of their wisdom to you.

Title effects:

Grants +2 Wisdom

It’s easier to learn Corvish.

Conditions to unlock [Friend of Corvids]:

To gain 100 reputation with crows and ravens without ever having hurt one; {complete};

Or to gain 1000 reputation with crows and ravens.

Roth was ecstatic. Here was another title. It seemed that each of these titles increased one of the main stats. The most valuable one so far seemed to be the one given by befriending foxes.

Having a stat such as charisma unlocked early in the game could make one’s journey much smoother. Charisma influenced the impression NPCs had of you, how fast they were willing to ask you for help, and even the rewards one could gain from turning in a quest!

If this information became public everyone would go around trying their best to please the nearest fox population. For Roth, it hadn’t made much of a difference because he had already unlocked the stat as soon as he had earned the [Esteemed] title. Anyway, the +2 bonus to charisma was nothing to be scoffed at.

If things kept progressing according to logic, the title he would gain from befriending boars would grant him +2 strength. Altogether, he would gain ten stats from all his hard work. It was the same as having two extra levels! It might not seem like much at the moment, but all these differences could add up and snowball into significant advantages in the future.

He saw that now that he was friends with all the crows and ravens, the mobs in the dungeon, all appeared friendly. The first step had been completed. Now he could relax and not worry about being hunted. It hadn’t been easy to gather so many ravens here while avoiding the Great Raven, the boss of this dungeon, but now it didn’t matter. He gave it a second so he could hear the crows’ squawk.

The squawks and croaks of the ravens start making sense to you.

Progress in learning Corvish: 1%

Roth looked at the clock. It was now 5 p.m. He still had roughly six hours to kill before the council. He would try to make the best of them and stay here, trying to learn the language. But before Roth started trying to make sense of the cacophony of sounds made by the flock of ravens around him, he sat down to gather his thoughts.

When he had gained reputation with mice, it had been relatively easy. It was only necessary to exchange a few jokes and pleasantries and say hello to every mouse or rat he met. He had learned Ratan in only one afternoon! As things progressed and races became more complex, things seemed to get slower and trickier. Had he gone about befriending every race as he had done with mice, he guessed he would still be working on the foxes. If things kept getting more complex, he couldn’t stick to just one approach.

From befriending foxes, he learned that it was more efficient to gather a group of mobs before he tried to charm them. From the badgers, he had learned that it was possible to gain reputation with a race while skipping the step of saving them from human hunters. All that was needed was to find out beforehand what the race liked.

Now, with ravens, he wanted to try something new. The title mentioned that it was easier to learn Corvish if he was friends with crows and ravens. Was the game hinting at a relationship between how close one was to a race and how quickly one learned a language? If so, would he learn the language of the ravens quicker if he became esteemed by them first? Which was quicker? To first reach esteemed status and then learn their language, or the other way around?

He would try to find out the answer to the question by experimenting with the ravens. First, he finished throwing all those smaller, simpler riddles, one after the other. He still had many to read through.

“You see a boat filled with people, yet there isn’t a single person on board. How is that possible?”

“Squawk, croak, caw.”

“Caw, squawk, croak?”

“All the people on the boat are married.”

“Squawk.”

Now that he had achieved a friendly status with the ravens, they started to try to guess the answer. He wasn’t sure if they were getting it, but by hearing their answers, Roth was already climbing on his progress in the language.

Progress in learning Corvish: 2%

“I have branches, but no fruit, trunk, or leaves. What am I?”

“Croak, croak?”

“A bank!”

The ravens didn’t know this riddle. They are amused by it.

+3 reputation with all corvids.

He was getting fewer reputation points from telling these short riddles. The upside was that he was gaining a reputation and learning the language simultaneously. After seeing that he was not getting any more points, he tried to step up his game. Fortunately, he had left the best for last.

“OK. This is a tough one. A farmer went to a market and bought a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage. On his way home, the farmer came to the river bank and rented a boat. But crossing the river by boat, the farmer could carry only himself and a single one of his purchases: the wolf, the goat, or the cabbage. If left unattended together, the wolf would eat the goat, and the goat would eat the cabbage. The farmer’s challenge was carrying himself and his purchases to the river’s far bank, leaving each purchase intact. How did he do it?”

The crows quietly squawked between themselves. Slowly, things escalated, and whispers grew into screams. All of a sudden, there was chaos in the nests. They split into focus groups and started theorizing the possible steps required to make the crossing.

After a few minutes of frustrating failed attempts, a few ravens even flew away to consult with friends elsewhere in the dungeon. More and more ravens started to come and join the fray of guesswork.

“Croak, croak, caw, caw, croak caw?”

“Caw, squawk, squawk, caw, croak.”

In all the commotion, Roth rubbed his hands as he saw the progress bar climbing.

Progress in learning Corvish: 5%… 8%… 10%… 16%… 23%…

Things kept getting livelier and livelier as the ravens tried to come up with an answer to the riddle. When Roth thought that things couldn’t get more interesting, a deafening sound of flapping wings drowned out the squawk of the over sixty birds that were trying to come to an answer; it was the boss of the dungeon, the Great Raven.

Great Raven (Elite)

Hp: 2000/2000

Lvl. 8

After he landed on the platform of intertwined branches and nests, Roth could swear that the trees had bent over because of the added weight of the elite. The raven was massive, with golden streaks in its plumage, giving it a slight yellow glow.

As it arrived, all the other ravens seemed eager to hear the opinion. Roth could tell that they wanted him to repeat the riddle. With the increased language progression, Roth could say some of it in Corvish.

“A caw went to a market croak croak, and a cabbage. On his way home, squawk squawk croak a boat. But croak croak only himself and a squawk, the goat, or the cabbage. If croak, croak, squawk, or the goat would eat croak. The farmer’s challenge squawk, squawk purchases to the river’s far bank, leaving each purchase intact. How did he do it?”

The Great Raven pondered, and grabbing a stick, he started drawing on the floor under the watchful eyes of the ordinary ravens. Finally, they made a proposition. Roth listened and realized it was wrong.

“I am sorry. That answer is not correct. Here is how he does it: The farmer takes seven trips:

1) he takes the goat over;

2) he comes back empty-handed;

3) he takes the wolf over;

4) he comes back with the goat;

5) he takes the cabbage over;

6) he returns with nothing and finally takes the goat over.”

A round of protests followed.

“Squawk, croak, croak, croak, squawk, croak, caw.”

“I’m sorry, I never said that the farmer always has to bring something along on the crossing.”

The Great Raven intervened.

“Croak croak caw. Caw caw croak.”

Progress in learning Corvish: 36%

You have gained 147 reputation with all corvids.

Eureka! Roth was on the right track. He still had a few of these to use. Thank you, GrandpaBill110, prayed Roth in his heart.

Chapter 30

Charlie had been a field medic in the army. He served under Sargent Jazzinald and even saved his life several times. He had hesitated to join his old army mates in AstroTerra, but he had to admit he was having fun.

Unlike the other veterans, Charlie had no family. While others frequently logged out to meet for coffee with their children or to babysit their grandkids, Charlie would stay in AstroTerra playing alone.

He had decided to use his downtime to do a quest he’d read about in the forums. He had joined a paid post created by a high-level medic. He gave helpful hints and shared all his quests and skills for a monthly subscription. Charlie easily afforded the subscription, courtesy of his veteran pension and his retirement as a surgeon.

DrMedic, the host of this paid post, repeatedly said it was never too soon to start gaining alignment. The sooner one could get to righteous, the better. It was an essential stat for medics. The more righteous a medic was, the more powerful their heals. DrMedic had multiple posts explaining that it was tough to level alignment, and he recommended starting early with it.

Carefully following the steps in the guide, he went back to see the trainer in town after hunting enough ravens. Like every village trainer, he wore respectable armor and looked strong and brave.

“Mister, I have finished gathering the feathers of those thieves that stole your helmet. Here you go.”

The trainer wasn’t smiling and had a stern look on his face. Had he done something wrong? He had followed the guide to the letter.

“Get your rewards and get out of here.”

Righteous Revenge (common)

Quest description: The trainer had a prized shiny helmet awarded to him for his bravery in the battle of Almidor. A greedy raven took it. He seeks your assistance in getting revenge.

Completion rate: B

Quest rewards: 2.000 XP; 1 silver

“But… why didn’t I get any righteousness points?” The guide he had read had explicitly mentioned that ten righteousness was part of the rewards. He had gotten nothing!

“Do you think I would vouch for a Martyr Killer? Get lost.”

“But, I…”

10 righteousness bonus canceled. One stack of the curse [Martyr Killer] has been lifted.

*

To Roth’s regret, he had to leave the Raven’s Nests before reaching an esteemed reputation with them. These longer, more difficult riddles seemed to be working wonders. He had steadily progressed in the language as well. His theory was that the system might award him for dictating the topic all ravens were discussing, thus speeding his vocabulary absorption.

He was only 100 reputation short of becoming esteemed by the ravens and was at 86% of learning Corvish. The experiment was a success! Although the language and reputation progressed slowly when he factored in the total amount of time he would have to spend to do both, it was worth trying to level both up simultaneously. It was kind of like an AoE skill. It dealt less damage individually, but because it was targeting more than one mob at the same time, the total output of damage made it worth it.

Despite the excitement running through Roth’s veins, he had an appointment to keep. He had already spent half a day inside the Raven’s Nest dungeon, and the time for the Council of Badgers was almost upon him. In AstroTerra, there was a cycle of day and night, even seasons and different weather conditions, just like in the real world.

From what Roth had read on the forums, as beginners left the starting zone, they would notice that in higher-level maps, this brought along a series of buffs and debuffs, as well as several nuances that could severely impact the effectiveness of a skill.

For instance, fire-based skills dealt more damage during the day, and ice-based skills dealt more damage during the night. Fire skills dealt less damage if it was raining, while ice ones got a damage bonus. It was all incredibly complex, but Roth didn’t have to worry about this now since those buffs and debuffs didn’t start until someone left the starting zone.

The developers had tried not to overwhelm new players with too many things at once. The beginner zone was an area where players could learn about wild bosses, dungeons, and questing. After leaving, they would be introduced to more complex concepts and advanced game mechanics.

Even though it was night in the woods, the occasional glowshrooms that grew over the forest floor or off tree trunks aided the moon and stars in dispelling the darkness and make the path bright and travelers unafraid. After a few days in the game, Roth felt as comfortable during the daytime as he did at night. It didn’t impact his gaming very much.

After several minutes of running, he finally reached the droning oak tree he had signaled as standing out the most. He spared a look at the system clock. He still had 10 minutes until midnight. Roth ran in circles around the tree, trying to find hidden clues. At one point, he even got on his knees and started digging.

Five minutes to midnight. Nothing. Could this be the wrong place? Roth searched the shadows within his field of vision, looking for anything that would move. One minute to midnight. Still nothing. Could he have gotten the wrong oak tree? This was by far the oldest one in badger territory. He returned to his notes and tried to read the poem he had received one more time to ensure he hadn’t missed any clues.

“Where the oak is old

And the flowers don’t bloom.

Where the night isn’t cold

And where there is no moon.”

Was he missing something? It was almost midnight. He could return the following day, but waiting another twenty-four hours to learn more about the badgers was frustrating. He tried to reread the poem, this time in a loud voice, hoping it would give him a new perspective. As soon as he finished reading it, he got a notification.

The oak tree hears the password and dispels the illusion.

You are the first to discover the Council Tree: +17.500 XP, +300 reputation with all badgers.

[Level up!]

Roth’s eyes refocused, and he saw that the oak tree was hollow. Inside, sitting in a circle, were different badgers. One was so big that only half of it fit inside the tree. His gigantic butt was out in the cold.

The badgers were chatting excitedly to each other, counting the minutes until their council began. As he prepared to take a step toward them, Roth’s foot was left hanging in midair.

“Wait a minute… wait a minute.” Roth hurriedly read the notification he had received again. The oak tree hears? He brought both hands to his head. Could this mean the animals weren’t the only ones suffering a mutation inside the game? Trees too? If a tree can hear you and even provoke illusions and dispel them, that shows a degree of intelligence. If mice were weaving tapestries, crows were telling riddles, and foxes were writing stories, what could prevent the developers from making trees NPCs as well?

Roth’s mind was blown away. He had just uncovered another layer of complexity in the game. Thank goodness he hadn’t been offered the lumberjack profession or he might have been in trouble. He would have to think about this in depth later. After all, his hosts were waiting for him.

The badgers all stared at Roth, waiting for him to join the circle. He apologized and took his seat. One of the badgers began the meeting.

“I declare this council meeting open.” Saying this, the badger pulled some papers out of nowhere and started, “Let’s start with unfinished business from yesterday’s gathering. Have we arrived at a consensus about which sounds better? Is it the ‘Fair pale glitter of the moon’s embrace’ or ‘The pale fair glitter of the embrace of the moon?’ We all had a full day to think. All in favor of the first verse?” Some of the badgers raised their paws. “All in favor of the second verse?” A greater number raised their paw. “That settles it. From now on, the official verse shall be the second.”

What in the world was this? thought Roth. Is this what ‘badger matters’ involve? It felt like he was in a poetry club meeting or back in his English classes. Is this why he spent a full morning looking at every oak tree in these woods? He chuckled.

Roth smiled at the warm environment and the peaceful feeling it evoked. Who does this anymore? Who meets to discuss poetry at midnight?

“The second point for today’s meeting is that we have a new friend. He has shown us he has a poetic soul and has become our friend. Please, everyone, welcome Pax.”

A round of applause was heard. For a moment, Roth’s thoughts went to the rageaholic meetings, and his heart found a spark of joy in the comfort of the memory.

“Thank you, everyone,” he said in Badgerian.

“As you might have noticed, our friend is a broker. We have been running low on supplies, and old Oscar isn’t getting any younger. I propose allowing Roth to show if he can represent us and help us open a trade route to the human cities. We all know that art thrives in the mingling of cultures and experiences. I think this will make our poetry more rich. All in favor?”

All the badgers raised their paws. Roth felt touched. These were such refined animals. Was this what humans used to do before? Gather in rooms, discuss literature, and consider how beautiful things were. These animals were so refined and polished. He felt like a savage without manners, by comparison, an unlettered barbarian.

“Bring the nail clipper!” He snapped out of his thoughts. Bring the what? questioned Roth. One of the badgers pulled out a giant nail clipper from under the bench, and two of them brought it closer to the Brawny Badger. The field boss drew his claws out meekly and let the badgers cut them.

Roth was shocked. How did this poetry parlor become a beauty parlor all of a sudden? What were they doing? They cut all of the Brawny Badger’s claws and put them into a box. 20 in total. The badger taking the lead in the council, got the box and handed it to Roth.

“Here. There are twenty [Badger’s Great Claws] here. You, humans, seem to like them for whatever reason.”

The quest [Council of Badgers] has changed to [Badger Trade].

Badger Trade (unique)

The badgers are poets who refuse to step so low as to occupy their artistic and poetic minds with mundane affairs. They prefer to entrust commerce and trade to a broker who will do the heavy lifting for them.

Quest objective: Take some of the badgers’ specialty products to a human town and sell them for the highest price possible.

Quest rewards: It depends on how much profit you generate.

The Old Badger wants to trade you 20x [Badger’s Great Claws]. Do you accept?

[Y/N]

Roth accepted. What a treasure! Any guild would jump at the opportunity to have one of these items in their galleries. He was sure that he could get at least 1 gold for each of them.

“Thank you for trusting me,” said Roth.

“You are welcome.”

Since there was a moment of silence and all eyes were on him, Roth decided to try his luck and see if he could gain any more hints on his [Tapestry Heist] quest.

“Esteemed council, the mice and foxes have been victims of theft. Two valuable rodent tapestries and two fox tomes were taken. Have you, by any chance, been victims of similar crimes?”

The badgers exchanged looks.

“No, friend. We haven’t.”

“Do you know anything about the thief? About who it might be?”

“I don’t know anything about it.” Turning to his colleagues, he asked, “Anyone? Yes. Brawny.”

“We do know that beautiful poem about the burglar.” All badgers were thrilled at the suggestion of bringing back the discussion to poetry. Roth’s shoulders slumped. These badgers could think of nothing but their cursed verses.

“Why don’t you recite it for us, Brawny? You do it so well,” one of the badgers suggested.

The Brawny Badger, with its deeper voice, cleared its throat and began:

“Its stride is gentle, feline, and light

It sees well in daylight, but even better at night.

It runs and walks without making a sound.

And if it wants to hide, it can’t be found.

Many are the spoils within its wealthy cove.

It could rival even a dragon’s treasure trove.

It steals for fun, not out of malice or greed.

It knows no failure because it will always succeed.

Is it real? Is it a myth? Is it true? Or is it just a fable?

Find the burglar; find the thief. Find him if you’re able.”

The badgers broke into applause. Roth was surprised to see such a giant, and clumsy badger recite poetry with passion and finesse. Thinking about himself, he chuckled. How looks deceived. He, too, was a big, clumsy man, and here he was, playing detective in a poetry club meeting.

After hearing the poem, he got a notification signaling that the quest had progressed.

[Tapestry Heist] updated.

During your visit to the Council of Badgers, you discovered that the thief is known as ‘the burglar.’ The burglar has been around long enough to earn a poem from the badgers. There seem to be some hidden clues in the poem. Perhaps you can unravel this mystery.

Quest objectives: Find out the location of the stolen tapestries and tomes.

Quest rewards: Unknown

Now that Roth had been able to get the quest and his Tapestry Heist quest had progressed, he guessed that it wouldn’t hurt to stick around and listen to some badger poetry.

Chapter 31

In Roth’s opinion, the main reason for AVR to be so successful and popular was not the fantastic graphics, the fictional worlds, or the many adventures it offered. The crucial ingredient behind the industry’s success was that it was possible to play a game while sleeping. That had been the most remarkable breakthrough in the industry.

Before, players would have to log out to get some rest. One had to choose between attending school and working or getting sufficient time in the game to make significant progress. After the breakthrough in AVR technology that allowed players to rest well inside the pod, a new world had been opened to mankind. Suddenly, the time one had to enjoy was expanded by 50%.

People started using the added hours to get more work done, better prepare for an exam, or catch up with friends while their children were asleep. Many who had no interest in gaming ran to buy their AVR interfaces once they realized the benefits. It caused no discomfort or side effects. One was as fresh and alert as if they had had a good night’s sleep.

The council of badgers kept going until the break of dawn. Roth didn’t feel it was odd to spend the night listening to poetry. He had never read much of it, but he had to admit that there was something special about making words rhyme. It was as if, by trying to make the words rhyme, poets could make the thoughts and emotions within reverberate more strongly.

In the middle of a charming poem about a river that dried up, he got a notification that he hadn’t heard since Aramis, the Mouseketeer, gave him the full tour of the Throne Room.

Your appreciation for poetry expands your intellect. +1 to intelligence.

Your appreciation for poetry expands your intellect. +1 to intelligence.

He got two extra intelligence points from coming here to listen to the badgers! He was so happy! Poetry was a form of art, so listening to it had benefits. He would try to visit the Council of Badgers as much as possible while in the woods. Perhaps he could gain some extra stats or even find a hidden achievement by doing so.

Happily leaving the badger fields, Roth hastened toward the tree where the tablet for entering the Raven’s Nest dungeon was located. Ignoring the many players preparing to go on a dungeon run, he entered and was teleported to the tree canopy again.

He was on the verge of taking the next step in his relationship with the ravens. If everything went well today, he could get another trade agreement. He was starting to itch toward completing these trade quests and getting that XP and rewards rolling. He wasn’t sure of the rewards, but they had to be good. He tried to keep his thirst for character progression in check. So far, being patient had paid off, so he would continue to do that.

Once again, Roth ran throughout the dungeon, inviting all the crows to come and listen to another tricky riddle. This time, it was a much more straightforward endeavor since he was friends with them now.

Taunting shout!

“Croak, croak, difficult riddle, squawk, squawk.”

A wave of excitement and buzz ran through the nests, and more and more ravens came flying. By pairing what he knew of the Corvish language with the [Taunting Shout], his corvid friends readily heeded his summons. The fact that ravens could fly up and listen perched on the many branches of the canopy allowed all of them to have a good view of Roth as he prepared one more difficult riddle. Had they built a theater, they wouldn’t have had a better view.

Finally, the Great Raven arrived to listen to what the human had to say today. Roth looked at the comments from the forums. He had used all of his repertoire of riddles the day before, but fortunately, his friends in the forums hadn’t failed him. This GrandpaBill110 guy was on fire! He kept posting riddle after riddle. Didn’t he have anything better to do?

Roth started with the riddle, which hopefully would help him unlock a new relationship status with the ravens while allowing him to progress in the language.

“A father told his three sons he would die soon, and he needed to decide which one of them to give his property to. He said, ‘Go to the market and buy something large enough to fill my bedroom but small enough to fit in your pocket. From this, I will decide which of you is the wisest and worthy enough to inherit my land.’ They all went to the market, and each returned with a different item.

The father told his sons to come into his bedroom one at a time and try to fill it up with their items. The first son came in and put some pieces of cloth he bought across the room, but it barely covered the floor.

The second son came in and laid some hay on the floor, but there was only enough to cover half the floor.

The third son came in and showed his father what he bought. He wound up getting the property. What did the third son show his father?”

When Roth read this one, he had no idea of the answer. The best riddles were the ones that seemed impossibly tricky yet were ridiculously simple once you knew the solution.

The ravens started discussing possible solutions to the riddle.

“Could it be a croak, croak?”

“No! It has to be a caw, croak.”

“What about squawk, caw, croak?”

As they all kept talking and discussing at length, the progression bar of the language kept rapidly increasing.

Progress in learning Corvish: 89%… 91%… 94%… 99%…

After a few minutes of hearing the ravens discuss the riddle, Roth got the hoped-for message.

Congratulations! You are now fluent in Corvish.

+100 reputation with all corvids

You are now esteemed by all corvids.

“We give up, human. What did the third son show?”

“A box of matches. Whenever he lit a match, it filled the room with light.”

+85 reputation with all corvids

You can easily entertain a crowd. +1 charisma

There was no better feeling than getting a string of cascading notifications like this. In one go, he unlocked several rewards. The Great Raven interrupted Roth’s happiness with some good news.

“Human, you have to meet the count. He will surely appreciate your riddles.”

You’ve been offered a new quest, [Audience with the Crow Count].

New Quest: Audience with the Crow Count (Rare)

Somewhere within these nests is the office where the Crow Count stays most of the time. He would be glad to receive your visit and discuss a business proposition that might interest you.

Mission Objective: Meet the Crow Count

Rewards: Unknown

Would you like to accept? [Y/N]

“It would be my honor to accept it. Where can I find him?”

The crows all exchanged wicked looks. Roth didn’t like where this was going.

“Answer these riddles, human, and you will find our count”, said the Great Raven:

“After a devastating fire, which trees remain in the forest more than any other type?

What tree may be made of stone?

I’m the part of a tree not in the sky or under the ground. I can move throughout the day and change shape. What am I?”

What time of day is the same forward, backward, and upside down?”

The ravens had decided it was time to give the human a taste of his own medicine. He was the one having to answer to them now.

The ravens all started laughing. Roth guessed that these wouldn’t be easy riddles to solve. He decided to take the easy way out of this trap. He went to the forums, found his post where he asked for riddles, and posted all four. He was sure someone out there would know the answers to these.

*

Since Gary had thrown Shirley and Brian under the bus, he had entered the game and hadn’t left. Maybe it was because here he felt that he was a different person than the one who had betrayed his friends. Here, his friends weren’t dead. They had just logged out.

Wilson and Xana had been keeping away too. They knew that it could have just as easily been them who were betrayed. This episode had broken whatever bonds had survived the many hardships they had weathered.

Still, the three agreed on one thing. The one thing they couldn’t risk was Pax’s old avatar resurfacing. They would be dead if Loki learned they had lied to him. The only thing that could prove them liars would be for Roth to stroll in with the Pax avatar.

They had convinced Loki that that avatar had been used only by an actor in an attempt to fool them. If that came apart, the whole story came apart. Gary was camped in one middle-grade town, in the middle of the main square, trying to see if he could find Roth anywhere.

While he waited, he found four more exciting riddles. Hmmm. Interesting, but not that hard, he thought. He posted the answers.

*

In the meantime, since he had this audience gathered, Roth decided to try his luck and see if the crows knew anything about the burglar who had stolen from the mice and foxes.

“I have one last riddle for you all:

Its stride is gentle, feline, and light.

It sees well in daylight but even better at night.

It runs and walks without making a sound.

And if it wants to hide, it can’t be found.

Many are the spoils within its wealthy cove.

It could rival even a dragon’s treasure trove.

It steals for fun, not out of malice or greed.

It knows no failure because it will always succeed.

Is it real? Is it a myth? Is it true? Or is it just a fable?

Find the burglar; find the thief. Find him if you are able.

Who is it?”

The ravens looked at each other and then at Roth. “That’s it?”

Roth looked confused. “Yes.”

“That sounds like it’s describing Oli, the cat.”

“Oli?”

“Oh yes. It is an old cat that lives somewhere in the woods. It’s tough to spot him. Ravens sometimes see him because we have an aerial view of the woods.”

[Tapestry Heist] changed to [Cat Burglar].

It turns out that the burglar is a cat named Oli who lives in these woods. You feel stupid and useless. How did you not see it was a cat burglar all along? It was so obvious. Burglar… cat burglar… duh? (Ouch, thought Roth. It was the first time the game was so blatantly offensive to him.) Although you already know the burglar’s identity, you still have no clues about its location. You only know that Oli likes to hide somewhere in the woods.

Quest objectives: Find Oli and return what he stole to its proper owners.

“How do you know him so well?”

“We share a love for pretty things. He has stolen some from under our beaks, but we have also stolen some back from him. Since it stole one treasure that our count particularly loved, it’s been hiding somewhere we can’t find.”

“Oh…” sighed Roth in disappointment. He had hoped he could gain some clues as to Oli’s hideout. It seems that it wasn’t that simple.

Roth checked the forums and happily saw that GrandpaBill110 had answered his riddle.

Chapter 32

Roth had already traveled the entire length of the Raven’s Nest several times. After careful analysis, he found the only location that matched the answers to the riddles. He was so glad that GrandpaBill110 was so good at riddles and an active member of the forums. He had replied to the riddles almost instantly.

“After a devastating fire, which trees remain in the forest more than any other type?

Ash tree

What tree may be made of stone?

Lime tree

I’m the part of a tree, not in the sky or under the ground. I can move throughout the day and change shape. What am I?

Shadow

What time of day is the same forward, backward, and upside down?

Noon.”

After getting all the clues together, Roth concluded that the entrance to the hidden chamber in this dungeon was in a place with an ash tree and a lime tree. Wherever their shadows crossed at noon, that’s where the secret room would be. Although there were several such trees throughout the dungeon, Roth’s current location was the only one where one could find both trees together.

It was three p.m. Roth looked up at the sky and tried to see where the sun was. He then estimated where the shadows of both trees would cross at noon. After walking back and forth while looking at the sun and the shadows the tree left, he approached an unassuming branch of a third tree. He went to it and held it. He pushed and pulled, and nothing happened. He tried to twist the branch. It gave, and a secret door opened in the tree trunk.

Congratulations! You’re the first one to discover the office of Count Crow.

+20,000 XP, +300 reputation with all corvids

Yes, exclaimed Roth in his heart! One more secret he had uncovered in these woods! He was on a roll. He went in. As he entered, he squinted, his pace slowed, and he started looking up, down, and all around. He had been expecting some sort of medieval setting with naked floors and bare walls. That wasn’t what he found.

This room was lavishly decorated. Different glittering objects caused the room to sparkle with blinding light. It took a few moments for Roth’s eyes to adjust. The room was deceptively big, given that it was inside a tree. Roth wondered if there was any spatial distortion going on or if it was just another illusion like the one the mutated oak tree had caused to hide the Council of Badgers.

As his eyes readjusted, he finally spotted a raven. Better said; it was a crow. They were very similar but still different animals. It was the beak that gave them away. The crow was difficult to find because he wore a sparkling jacket that helped him blend in with the rest of the room. The count looked distinguished and used a monocle. It stood up to greet him.

“Greetings, Martyr. Please have a seat.”

The jacket was the shiniest thing in the room. It was something that a very tacky dancer would wear, but the count made it somehow look respectable. Maybe it was a side effect of a high charisma stat? Roth hurried to greet the count.

“Greetings, Mr. Count Crow. It is an honor to meet you.”

“Please, please, just call me Count Crow. We are all friends here.” Was that the name of the crow? Or was it just a title? And if they were friends, shouldn’t he ask him to call him Crow instead? “You have become quite the celebrity in our neck of the woods, young man. The baroness and I had tea the other day, and she went on and on about you.”

“Oh? I didn’t realize you were friends.”

“We try to be neighborly.” Roth waited to see if the crow was getting anywhere. Roth decided to probe the count because it wasn’t taking the initiative.

“Is there anything I can do for you or your race?”

“Hmmm…” The crow started pacing.

“We corvids like shiny things. We treasure wealth. We need shinier things. You seem to be someone who can open new trade channels that will get us said shiny things.”

Special Quest offered: [Corvid Trade]

Corvid Trade (rare)

The corvids have been having trouble finding shiny things in these woods. They hope you can assist them in securing funds to buy shinier things.

Quest objectives: Trade some specialty items of the corvids’ race in a human town.

Quest rewards: It depends on how much profit you make.

Do you accept? [Y/N]

“It will be my pleasure, sir. We can never have enough shiny things. What are your specialty items, sir?”

He wasn’t sure why the count wasn’t giving him anything he wasn’t asking for. Was it just the raven’s communication style? Or was he waiting for Roth to make a riddle out of the requests he had to make of him? Whatever it was, it was starting to annoy Roth. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

“Some of us ravens like to make bijou.”

“Bijou? What? What’s that?”

“Here. See for yourself.”

Crow Count has traded you 20x [Crow Feather Tiara], 20x [Crow Feather Earring], and 20x [Crow Feather Necklace].

So that was what it meant when it said bijou. It was a fancy word for cheap trinkets. Roth could learn something from the count. Just by using a fancier word, it already made the items sound more valuable than they were. Perhaps it was a helpful trick to use as a broker.

He examined the trinkets and understood that bijou might really be the proper term. The items weren’t bad at all. This was amazing! Such a bounty! thought Roth. Many people would use these valuable accessories well into their level twenties. Even Roth drooled over them, but he wasn’t sure if it was OK to wear one of them.

Not knowing if this would negatively impact his quest, he decided not to do so. He found it hard to resist, though. It was much better than any equipment he owned.

Crow Feather Tiara (common)

Item description: Someone has carefully put some crow feathers beautifully together and tied them with some string. If you want, you can put them on your head.

Item effects: +4 wisdom

Crow Feather Earring (common)

Item description: Someone has joined the crow feather to a tin earring. It looks pretty.

Item effects: +1 intelligence, +1 energy regeneration

20x [Crow Feather Necklace] (uncommon)

Item description: Someone has carefully put some crow feathers beautifully together and tied them with some string. If you want, you can put them on your neck.

Item effects: +1 wisdom, +2 intelligence, +5 energy

These would sell like hotcakes. After grinding them for a day or two, many players quit hunting ravens. By then, it was time to move on to higher-leveled mobs, and few chose to stay behind to grind for the equipment. He was sure it wouldn’t be difficult to sell these.

“I will get the best price possible.”

“I’m sure you will.” Again, silence. Roth started to feel annoyed again. Such an awkward NPC thought Roth. They weren’t hitting it off. It had been so easy with mice. It seemed that the more powerful a race was, the more quirks they had. The foxes were much drier and more straightforward; badgers badgered him with poetry until he bled from his ears, and ravens disliked a traditional, direct conversation. They only talked if they were talked to. Roth tried to make an effort to keep the conversation going.

“Uuuh, so… some of the others at the woods have complained of theft and robbery.”

“We have stolen nothing, human!”

“I’m not saying that you did; I just wanted to ask you if you have been a victim of any crime lately.” Hearing this, the count seemed to relax. Why did it think that Roth would accuse him?

“Oh, human. You don’t know the grief that talking about this causes me.” The count stood up and walked toward the window, staring emptily into the distance. “The greatest treasure the ravens owned in these woods has gone missing. It was a gift sent by the emperor himself when we opened this branch.” Roth froze. The emperor? What did he mean? Wasn’t this the king of the ravens?

“Excuse me, count; I thought you were the king of the corvids.” The count looked at him and burst out laughing. “Me? A mere count? Oh, young human, you’re just a frog staring up at a well, aren’t you? The majesty of the Great Corvid Emperor is such that I can’t even comprehend, much less explain. I’m just an ambassador sent here to safeguard the interests of this flock. My emperor lives somewhere far, far away.”

The gears in Roth’s mind started turning furiously. He hadn’t thought much of the mice having a king, the foxes having a baroness, and the ravens having a count. But it seems like this was a significant difference! Whereas the mice’s headquarters and most powerful NPCs were here, the foxes only had a baroness, and the ravens only had a count.

That meant there were other dungeons with even more powerful representatives of their races. This opened the door to many questions and possible developments in the future. The reputation he was gaining here could go a long way. He wondered if anyone else knew about this yet. He would have to look it up in the forums later.

“Anyway, the Emperor graced this humble branch with an old-world treasure. Something so shiny, beautiful, and glorious that the likes of which can not even be sung or riddled about.”

“Was it a diamond? A ruby? A sapphire? Was it a precious stone?” asked Roth.

“No. Better. A disco ball!”

“A what?”

“A disco ball. You know? You hang them from the ceiling, and they trap and reflect light. They are the shiniest thing you will ever see.” Roth stood dazed for a moment. He wasn’t expecting a disco ball to be the treasure of the crows in these woods. “Oh yes, there are a few enigma diamonds, as well. Those are precious too.”

“What is an enigma diamond?”

“Oh. Let me show you. The count opened a drawer and picked out one tiny diamond. The crow inserted it in one small contraption and lit a wick in the machine. The light was filtered through the diamond, and burning letters lit the wall. The light hitting the diamond was also refracted in beautiful patterns.

The letters read: “What isn’t, which was? What was and what won’t be?” Good grief. What in the world was this?

“Is it a riddle?”

“Oh yes. When ravens find riddles particularly enigmatic and elegant, we have them engraved in diamonds like this.”

“In real diamonds?”

Yes.

Roth wanted to scream. One could buy a container full of disco balls for the price of one diamond. And this count only mentioned the gemstones as an afterthought?

“Can I see the others?” The count eyed him suspiciously. “Perhaps another time.” Like with the foxes, Roth still had to grind for more reputation before they would let him take a look at these.

“Anyway, how many are missing?”

“Four.”

“Why had they only taken four? They could have just as easily taken more. Was there anything special or particular about these?”

“Hmmm… they were a set.”

“OK… and do you know who took them?”

“I’m sorry, human. As you can imagine, our love for glitter has caused us plenty of problems in the past. It is not unheard of for ravens to take something shiny without permission. As you must understand, we extend to others the courtesy they extend to us when they engage in similar… dubious activities.”

Honor among thieves, realized Roth. He avoided saying it out loud. He didn’t want to lose his reputation with the Count. He already knew that the thief was Oli, the cat burglar. All he needed was a way to find him.

“Could you, without saying too much, point me in the right direction? After all, even though there is an agreement between you and the other party, they have taken your shiny things without permission.” After some thought, the Crow Count came to a decision.

“I suppose I can tell you a few unrelated riddles to keep you busy while you look for the said criminal, provided that you bring our disco ball back to us.”

Chapter 33

Gary rechecked the forums. It was a compulsion, an addiction. He spent much of the day here. There was no news of any berserker players causing ripples. There were some new riddles, but he wasn’t in the mood for them. After such a long time without adequately taking care of his character, he couldn’t afford to slack off in his leveling anymore. There were goals and quotas; if he failed those, Loki would notice and figure out something was wrong.

It was the last thing he felt like doing right now, but he was hunting gorillas. They were very agile mobs, but as a Lightning Rogue, he had agility in spades. Whereas Brian had gone for the Chaos Rogue advancement, which focused on heavy bursts of damage, Gary had always preferred speed and agility. There was no point in throwing a big punch if it never landed. He enjoyed seeing the string of small numbers erupting from the gorillas as he kept flashing behind them to cause extra damage.

Thinking of Brian, Gary furiously slashed the gorilla again. Brian reminded him of Shirley too. Once he had thrown them under the bus, Gary had been burning up inside. He was glad that the game made sleeping unnecessary; otherwise, he knew he would be dealing with the worst insomnia ever. Even as he finished hunting this mob and was awarded XP and even a skill card from it, all he could feel was rage. Blinding, violent rage. It was better than feeling guilty. That cursed Slayer. It was all his fault. He was the one who started it all.

He couldn’t wait to finish getting his 20% XP goal for the day and to go on patrol, looking for that bastard. As Gary sought his next victim, he saw a lonesome warrior fighting against one gorilla. From his movements, Gary could tell that he was a good player. He dodged and hit, wasting no momentum. It reminded him of the Slayer.

Gary licked his lips and rushed toward him. He needed a way to exhaust his anger. He had just found his prey. As the player whittled down the gorilla’s HP, Gary went to get two more gorillas and attacked them to draw their aggro. He then rushed toward the warrior player, careful to do so from his blind spot. When the warrior realized what was happening, Gary was already on him, using three skills in succession.

Lightning Step!

Numbing Thunderblade!

Aggro Transfer!

Gary used one of his bread-and-butter griefing combos. The first skill allowed him to close the gap with his enemy, while the second stunned them for one full second, regardless of resistance. The last was the most disgusting skill he had and transferred any aggro he had accumulated toward another player.

“What’s wrong with you? Why are you attacking me?”

“Shut up and dance for me!”

The warrior was still able to stand his ground. He backed against a wall and started to, between dodges and sidesteps, continue to try to finish the gorilla that was almost done. Gary had to give it to him. He grabbed a dart and, at a crucial moment, threw it at the player.

Paralyzing Dart!

It dealt almost no damage but gave a mini-stun of 0.1 seconds. It was enough to disturb the player’s rhythm and for one of the gorillas to land a hit. Gary laughed contentedly as he heard the warrior cursing him and fighting furiously for his life. How good it was to see others suffer as much as he did. He would soon find the Slayer and make him pay for what he had done to Shirley and Brian.

*

Roth was teleported down after spending a long time in the canopy of the woods. Although his body was back on the shaded woodland floor, his mind still lingered on the riddles that Count Crow had given him:

“Jason is lying dead. He has an iron bar across his back and some food lying in front of him. How did Jason meet his tragic end?

Always in you, sometimes on you; if I surround you, I can kill you. What am I?

Why is green grass like a mouse?

Where once there were many, now there are none. Time has stopped ticking; the hours are done. For no is an end but a beginning; for the darkest is now, but soon shall be thinning. What is it?

Forward I am an animal, but backward I am one no man can ever see. What am I?”

He was starting to get the feeling that he wasn’t getting straight answers from NPCs in this game ever again. After getting the riddles, his quest window was updated too:

[Cat Burglar] was updated.

Quest description: Oli, the cat burglar, has stolen tapestries, tomes, and diamonds from other races in the woods. You are still looking for a way to find him.

Quest objectives: Find Oli and return what he stole to its proper owners.

He posted these riddles on the chat, hoping someone would answer them. He waited for a few minutes and only got one answer. It hadn’t been GrandpaBill. Oh well, he must be busy, concluded Roth. It’s time to move on to the last race in the woods. Roth started traveling toward the heart of this woodland. That’s where he would find the boars.

Hunting boars required players to combine all they had learned by hunting the previous mobs in the beginner zone. Players learned some essential coordination from hunting mice. By hunting foxes, players learned the importance of minding the aggro zone of mobs to avoid becoming overwhelmed. Badgers helped players grasp how a mob could disrupt skills and how to time them more appropriately. As for the ravens, they helped players mind their footing.

For boar hunting, all those lessons came together. Boars were mobs with high health and at least two skills. One was a dash. If players weren’t careful, the boar could quickly get into range of other boars by using it. If hit by the dash, they were sent flying. They could also be thrown toward the boar’s companions and end up surrounded. Worse, they could end up in a mud pit. Boars dug up the soil; some places became so muddy that they would give players a slow debuff.

Boars also introduced the concept of berserk skills. When a boar’s HP dropped below 10%, it went berserk. They became slightly faster and stronger, keeping players on their toes. For all the added trouble, enticing equipment, skills, and experience were rewarded to boar hunters.

The biggest challenge of hunting boars was their boss, the Boar King. This was a wild boss that roamed the boar fields. It had a wide aggro zone; if it saw an ordinary boar being attacked, it rushed to their aid.

Additionally, this boss dropped two items that made players crazy over them. Whenever a Boar King appeared, there was an unending fight between players until a victor emerged. The items were extremely valuable.

Boar’s Great Tusk (Guild)

Item description: The boar who had this tusk was exceptionally strong, and just by looking at it, one feels filled with vitality and strength. By putting it on display, a guild can gain prestige and grant benefits to its members.

Item effects: +2 Strength, +5HP to all guild players

Power Truffle (consumable)

Item description: A rare delicacy prized by all boars. It is extremely rare. As you smell it, your pores open, and your muscles strengthen.

Item effects: Grants +10 permanent strength. It can only be consumed once.

Guilds went crazy over the tusks, but what made players drool over this boss was the [Power Truffle]. To permanently add +10 strength by eating a consumable was no small matter. That was the equivalent of two levels’ worth of stats!

These items only dropped if the boar was hunted by players level 10 and below. They would sell for an insane amount at auction houses if they were ever put on sale. But who was stupid enough to sell one of these items when it could increase one’s strength?

Regardless, hunting boars was a tricky business. One had to remember the mud pits, common boars, the Boar King itself, and, worst of all, the other players hunting for the Boar King. To make it worse, the boars were at the heart of the woods meant there was less space, and players saw a lot more of each other, adding to the complexity of hunting here.

Before coming here, Roth had inquired of foxes, ravens, and badgers about boars’ likes and dislikes. They all agreed with the answer. Boars valued strength. They cared not about talking, riddles, or poetry. All they enjoyed doing was fighting. They also enjoyed rolling around in the mud, but Roth didn’t see how that helped him. Unless he decided to open a spa for boars in the woods, he doubted that would ever work.

Roth had to play this by ear with no tricks up his sleeve. He would first check out the area and figure things out from there. Roth wasn’t expecting the spectacle that greeted him when he arrived. Explosions, poison, fire, axes, swords, boars running, and players sent flying. It was a true warzone. Roth froze. He tried to keep it together, but this trigger was too strong! If seeing one mouse get hurt already sent him into a psychotic break, how was he supposed to handle this happening around him?

“Stoooooooop!” he screamed while running toward the nearest group hunting boars. Unlike when players stopped to give Roth some attention, they couldn’t care less about his arrival this time. Before Roth even came near them, a stray boar dashing away from another hunting party bumped into him, sending him flying. Unfortunately for Roth, he was sent flying even deeper into boar territory and the middle of several hunting parties.

“Go for the boar’s legs. Interrupt its dash!”

“It’s going berserk. Finish them quickly!”

“Grunt, squeal, grunt, roar!” screeched one of the boars menacingly.

Roth’s vision went blank, and he snapped. He lost control, and his body went on autopilot. Roth kept throwing himself into the fray, dying, and returning to the boar hunting fields for three days.

On the first day, Roth was barely conscious of what was happening. It was all just a hazy blur.

After the second day, he was more aware of his surroundings. He could remember the players’ faces and register the strikes and painful hits he was inflicted with.

By the third day, he felt that, although he couldn’t stop himself, he could be surrounded by the chaos of battle and not blackout. He could see and hear things. He could even speak and think. What he could not do was tell his body not to jump into the middle of others’ battles.

By constantly being exposed to the pain and battle around him, Roth was getting acclimated. As soon as Roth had regained enough clarity to regain control of his mind, on one of the runs from the village’s respawn space to the boar’s hunting ground, Roth checked the notifications he had received over the last couple of days.

The boars witness your valiant effort. Too bad you didn’t put up a fight. Still, they are impressed with your efforts to help them.

+2 reputation with all boars.

The Boar King feels you are healing him and appreciates your help. It speaks of your valiant efforts for the other boars.

+3 reputation with all boars.

There were fewer of these than he would have liked, and even after three days of this, he still hadn’t broken through 50 reputation. Was there anything he could do to speed things up? He wasn’t having a good time at this. He kept being hurt time after time, and the pain was horrible. He had had enough pain when his squad tortured him, but now his body kept throwing him into this perilous situation. What was wrong with him?

There was one additional notification that was positive enough to merit a small smile from Roth:

You have learned a new skill: [Grapple].

Grapple (common)

Skill description: The skillful way you grab people allows you to keep them immobilized for a short moment.

Skill effects: Active. Immobilize your target for two seconds (this varies according to the difference in strength). Deals no damage. You are vulnerable during this time. Interrupts channels.

In AstroTerra, if someone performed skillful movements repeatedly, there was a slight chance of unlocking skills. According to the rumors in the forums, some high-ranking players trained in martial arts in real life and tried later to convert their skills to AstroTerra. Roth had always been skilled at fighting and had learned to immobilize someone without hurting them. The game had picked up on his skill, and he was happy with the reward.

Now that he had noticed he had learned this skill, he could use [Grapple] coupled with his annoying combo of [Healing Ray] and [Shepherd’s Shout] to make his rescues more effective. The big issue now was how he could speed up how quickly he became friends with the boars.

If he could at least become friends with them, he could stop half the battlefield from hitting him. That would make it much less painful to gain reputation. With only co-pilot authority over his disobedient psyche, he decided to try something out.

He wasn’t much of an actor but would do his best. He arrived at the boar hunting field and located two groups of players who seemed to be fighting over a boar elite.

*

“Come on, SmellySock! You know that we got here first! Get out of here, and leave this elite to us.”

“Why should I, DirtyShirt? Go away. Don’t think that we won’t fight you to death. We need these drops to have a chance at hunting the boar king.”

Tension was palpable in the air between the two party leaders. Their companions kept cautiously hitting the boar while watching what the other players were doing. In AstroTerra, whoever scored the last hit got the full XP of the kill. As for the drops, it was first come, first served.

As the elite’s HP bar entered the yellow and the parties stood off against each other, the scariest sound that could be heard in the novice area of the Green Woods spread in the area.

“Stoooop! Stoooooop!”

“Oink?”

“What?”

“What?”

Chapter 34

Roth’s shouting became louder and louder as he drew closer. “Stoooop! Stoooooop!”

“Oh no! It’s the crazy guy everyone keeps talking about in the forums!”

“It’s just one guy. What can he do?”

Healing Ray!

A [Healing Ray] bathed the elite in light, and a sliver of his hp recovered. Seeing that he was being helped, the elite faced its savior. Then the most unexpected thing happened.

“Brother! Oh, brother! Look at what these vicious beasts have done to one as handsome as you. I can’t stand still and do nothing while they skin you alive and cut you into bacon.” Roth’s outcry had been said with such sincerity that players momentarily stopped to look at him.

What in the world was he doing? Was he serious? His sad tears seemed to indicate so. Everyone stopped fighting as they glared stupidly at Roth.

Within a moment, and thanks to its running speed, Roth came close enough to try his new skill.

Grapple!

Roth latched on the now immobilized SmellySock, interrupting the skill he was channeling. Roth followed with a [Shepherd Shout] to disperse the aggro.

Shepherd Shout!

“Let me die in your stead, brother. Run away! Run away to your little piglets. I will take your place. Please. Don’t feel sorry for me. It is an honor to die for such a handsome boar as yourself.”

Roth kept screaming and crying desperately, to the dismay of the players. He also kept throwing himself at both parties to block the attacks they were throwing at the boar with his body. Any other player would have already died by now. It was only thanks to Roth’s high endurance that he had lasted this long. With each attack, Roth screamed and squealed in pain. He didn’t have to fake that. He was feeling each blow.

The elite boar walked away, then came back, pacing back and forth. It roared. “Grunt! Grunt! Grunt!” Guessing at what the boar was trying to say, Roth answered between shots and skills being thrown at him.

“No, brother boar. It is too late for me. Go back home, and live your life happily, for all my piglets are dead, and my companions have been hunted. You still have something to live for. Begone, brother. Begone.”

Prompted by the insistent [Shepherd’s Shout] and Roth’s performance, the boar turned tail and ran away. Everyone was furious at the frustrating intervention of this crazy player. Didn’t he care about losing levels? Why did he insist on this Shakespearian nonsense? One of the players, who had a relative who suffered from a disability, turned to the others and said sorrowfully.

“Guys, I think this dude has a mental problem. My cousin is special too, you know. He spent one year convinced that he was a chair. I can’t be mad at this guy. He must think he is a boar. That’s why he kept calling it brother.”

“You can’t be mad at him?” protested SmellySock. “He just scared the elite boar! Kill him! Kill him! No mercy.” A few more attacks landed on Roth, and he disappeared.

You have died.

You lost a level. Penalty canceled because of your title [Martyr];

You lose 3 charisma. The penalty was canceled because of your title [Martyr];

You saved an elite gray boar. Your heroic rescue profoundly moves him. He cries out in the woods sharing the heroic tale of your valiant rescue. +24 Reputation with all boars.

You will be returned to the nearest saving point

Your valiant rescue was so heroic! +1 charisma.

“Jackpot!” Screamed Roth in the respawn point. The happiness was such that he almost forgot the pain he had just been through. It seemed that by adding a bit of theatrics to his rescues, he could gain more reputation each time he saved a mob.

The comradery had so profoundly touched the elite boar that his reputation with the boars had skyrocketed in a single leap. He went to look for another group of players hunting boars.

*

After a few more rescues, Roth finally heard the sound he sought.

+16 reputation with all boars.

You have achieved 100 reputation with boars.

You are now friends with boars.

New title unlocked [Friend of Boars]

Title: Friend of Swine (Uncommon)

Title description: Boars have seen evidence of your physical prowess and the strength of your character. They see you as their friend.

Title effects:

+2 strength;

It’s easier to learn Boarish.

Conditions to unlock [Friend of Boars]:

Achieve 100 reputation with boars without ever hurting one {complete};

Achieve 1000 reputation with boars.

With this, Roth had unlocked his fifth [Friend of …..] title. Just from the bonuses he got for these titles, he had +10 stats. This was the equivalent of gaining two levels’ worth of stats! It wasn’t much different from eating the prized [Power Truffle]!

With half of the battlefield withheld from attacking him, Roth knew that things would go more smoothly from now on. He had already used up his last [Soothing Scrolls], but the item’s limitations were becoming increasingly noticeable.

Boars were stronger mobs, after all. The title and improved relationship with boars was the missing ingredient he needed to increase his survivability. He happily moved toward the boar fields again. It was time to save some more boars.

*

Crazy Activist in Boar Zone

#news #alert #greencountry #beginnerzone #boars #crazyhobo

Poster: SmellySock

Post: I have decided to take a few days off this game because I am too frustrated. The animal rights guy is now camping in the boar zone, making my life horrible. It’s difficult to keep it together amid all the boars and players, but that guy goes out of his way to antagonize us. He keeps talking to the hogs as if he is reciting Hamlet and as if they were his children. The worst thing is that he must be some rich guy with an infinite supply of soothing scrolls. He spams them and keeps holding off the players while the boars sit around and do nothing. On top of that, I have gained a curse from killing the guy. I will log off and wait for him to move to another map. That guy is crazy.

Comments

BunnyNutty51: I have bumped into him. Just stay away. He will move on eventually.

GreenFelp19: Has anyone figured out what the curse does yet?

SmellySock: Not so far.

BunnyNutty51: Uh, uh.

WeAreWes12: I have had it for a week, and it still hasn’t worn off. I wonder if we have to do something to make it go away. Does anyone have the crazy guy’s tag? I would like to PM and ask him what his deal is. Perhaps he needs a psychiatrist or something. I will offer him the first consultation if he tells me what this curse does.

AppleADay994: Seconded.

GreenFelp19: Same.

BunnyNutty51: I was going to move from the Raven’s Nest to the boar fields, but I’m just going to stay here and grind for accessories. Seems better than going there and wasting my time.

*

While several players had given up on hunting in the boar fields, the allure of the Boar King was just too great, and many players still poured into the muddy hunting grounds jumping at the chance to hunt it. It spawned only a limited amount of times a day, and the chances of getting a [Power Truffle] were one in a hundred kills.

It was considered exceedingly lucky if it dropped three times in a week. This was not the only map where this item could be farmed. The final wild boss of the Thunder Mountains and the Fire Pit beginner regions also dropped it.

Several guilds had teams farming these non-stop. The price of maintaining such teams paid off compared to the amount of gold they would have to spend if they bought it from other players.

It had been almost ninety minutes since the boar king had last been hunted. It was almost time for it to respawn. SmellyShirt was a lieutenant for the Pegasus guild. His responsibilities involved grinding at only two locations, the Rat Caves and the Boar fields.

He and his team had been doing it for over a year. It wasn’t such a difficult job once they got used to it and figured out the most optimal party configuration. They had become so good at it that they would run straight into the Rat Caves at level 0 and hunt until they were level 5.

After they were no longer eligible to gain the [Miniaturizing Potion], they would come to this map and stay here until level 10 to try their luck at getting a [Power Truffle]. They had quotas to meet, or their time off the capsules was greatly reduced. 5x[Miniaturizing Potions] and 1x[Power Truffle]. Any more than that, and they received a performance bonus, especially for any extra [Power Truffles].

Even though the game had been going on for two years, the number of players who had consumed the item inside the Pegasus guild was no more than 15. It was already an imposing number. No matter how many times SmellyShirt filled his quota, there was never enough. So they stayed in this grinding hell, trying to pay off their debts to Loki.

“OK, listen up, crew,” screamed SmellyShirt on the squad’s channel, “This is it. The key is to get to the boar king first. Assume your stations. Let us know when you see it. Let’s try a Hail Mary. DisgustingHamper, I want you to run decoy this time. We haven’t done it in a while. Hopefully, you can take some of the leeches away.”

“Yes, lieutenant.” They still hadn’t gotten a [Power Truffle] this month. If they did not meet their quota, they were in trouble.

As the countdown clock hit zero, everyone in the party started to run through the fields, careful not to draw any aggro from the normal boar mobs. Their competitors were here gunning for the boar king too. He had already seen the Cerberus and the Krakens, not to mention minor guilds who could not be underestimated.

To add to their troubles, they had to make do with only players and skills below level 10. Nothing would drop from the boar if there was even one player level 11 or above in the vicinity. The system enforced this measure to ensure big guilds couldn’t hog all the rewards. It would be distasteful to noobs to find a party of level 40 players camping a level 10 boss.

The lack of classes and skills to handle the hunt added more complexity. When there was so little you could throw at a boss to ensure one got the last hit, the chances increased that someone stole the kill. All it took was a random shot from a single player or the meddling of a minor guild to score the last hit and ruin things for them. Desperate, the Pegasus’ squad would try a Hail Mary.

“Lieutenant, I see it. It’s on-site A3.” They had gridded the boar map and knew it by heart. SmellyShirt instantly knew where this was. He tried to remember where he had seen the Cerberus and the Krakens and gave off the order.

“DisgustingHamper rush in the opposite direction. Go to D8. Try to draw them out. Everyone else, hold it for a few seconds and only head toward A3 when DisgustingHamper says so.”

They waited and, after twenty seconds, got the OK from their mate. He would try to fool the other major guilds by pretending to have found the boss far away. That should give them enough time to finish the boss.

Chapter 35

After the many painful rescues of his swine friends, Roth had reached a point where, although he couldn’t help himself from trying to stop any battle he saw, he could often make a clean break after interrupting one. Not being attacked on all sides helped, and the truth was that Roth had excellent gaming instincts. Now that he was more in command of his faculties, he would sometimes sidestep or dodge some of the damage sent his way to avoid feeling the pain and damage to his avatar. Rescues were becoming a bit easier on his soul and body.

Conversely, Boarish was proving to be the most difficult language to learn so far. Battles were everywhere, and figuring out a language during a rescue mission wasn’t easy. Roth had tried to look for a place where boars weren’t being hunted and where there was enough peace for him to do his thing, but he hadn’t found one yet. Even places with no players hunting the boars were within sight of battles, always sending Roth flailing his arms desperately from one battle to the next.

That’s when Roth had an idea: boars loved mud, so they dug up the soil to make it loose and boggy. Players, on the other hand, avoided any mud wallows like the plague. Getting hit with a speed debuff when hunting boars was pure suicide. But just because the other players avoided the mud wallows, that didn’t mean that Roth had to. So, throwing all sense of decency aside, Roth had gone to the muddiest place in the hunting fields. As soon as he entered one of the mud wallows, he got a notification that spelled death for any boar hunter.

Your feet are stuck in the mud. You’ve been hit by a slow debuff. Speed reduced by 25%

Roth went in deeper.

You’re knee-deep in the mud. You’ve been hit by a slow debuff. Speed reduced by 50%

The boars in the distance didn’t seem to mind his presence or even acknowledge it. Roth had wondered if wallowing in the mud would earn him some extra reputation with the boars, but that didn’t seem so. Roth slowly made his way to a group of boars taking a mud bath. As it got closer, he saw that they were chatting between them. He just stood there, listening.

You start making sense of the sounds around you. Progress in learning Boarish 13%… 15%… 18%…

Roth let his subconscious and the system do the heavy lifting, and he started to think about how his character was progressing. It had been more than three weeks now in this beginner zone. Many players only stayed for three days, and they then left for a higher-level map. Could he be wrong to go about the game this way? He wasn’t even level 8 yet!

Sometimes, in the middle of a language-learning commiseration session deep in the mud, Roth would hear the sounds of battle and be drawn toward them. His muscles would start moving without his mind telling them to, and he would begin moving toward the confrontation. However, because of the speed debuff, he would still be inside the mud wallow by the time battles finished. He would snap out of his daze and return deep into the mud.

The only frustrating thing was having to go back to the boars through the mud. It took forever. If only he could make himself even slower… Roth tried something; instead of standing, he sat in the mud.

You’re neck-deep in the mud. You’ve been hit by a slow debuff. Speed reduced by 75%

That was much better. As Roth paid attention to the conversations between boars wallowing in the mud close to him, his progress bar in Boarish kept progressing. After a few dull, boring minutes, Roth checked his posts in the forums. Had anyone cracked the riddles that Count Crow had given him? As he opened the post, he thanked GrandpaBill110 from the bottom of his heart. He had done it again.

“Jason is lying dead. He has an iron bar across his back and some food lying in front of him. How did Jason meet his sad end?

Jason was a mouse.

Always in you, sometimes on you; if I surround you, I can kill you. What am I?

Water

Why is green grass like a mouse?

Because the cattle/cat’ll eat it.

Where once there were many, now there are none. Time has stopped ticking; the hours are done. For there is no end but also a beginning; for the darkest is now, but soon shall be thinning. What is it?

Midnight

Forward, I am an animal, but backward, I am one whom no man can ever see. What am I?”

I am a dog.”

Mice. Dog. Water. The cat will eat it. Midnight. What a huge mess! It was as if the answers to the riddles made up a riddle of their own. But he couldn’t ask GrandpaBill to help him with this one. He had to figure it out himself. He went back to commiseration. He was in the mud, after all.

Those players were all gaining levels and stats. And here he was, trying to learn the language of boars while trying to decode the riddle of a crow. He wasn’t even getting any XP or stat points from it. It had been an hour in the mud, and he was only at 26%. At this pace, it would take hours. A notification rang, stopping Roth’s thoughts in their tracks.

This mineral-rich and cool mud works wonders on your skin. Your health and vitality improve. +1 strength.

What? Was he gaining stats from sitting around doing nothing in the mud? Why weren’t all those players down here with him, then? The only explanation Roth could think of was that they didn’t know. After all, who would have stayed for a whole hour neck-deep in the mud? Even if they wanted, the boars, who had no speed debuff when inside the wallows, would trample them to death.

This helped him feel a bit more at ease. He would stay true to his course. He had already put a lot of effort into these quests. He would trust that it would be worth it when the time for rewards came.

After several more hours deep in the mud, Roth saw that the boar king had spawned just on the edge of his field of vision. He couldn’t care less about him right now. He needed to suck all those nutrients into his skin and increase his strength. He already had gained 3 strength just from sitting around in the mud. But the boar king wasn’t a regular mob. A battle against it would last much longer.

A party of nine players soon arrived and started to attack it. Roth found himself standing up and walking toward them at a snail’s pace. Any other mob would have been long gone, but this was a boss. It had more health and took longer to kill.

After several minutes of seeing the hunt go on right before his eyes, Roth felt like a volcano that wanted to erupt and burn everything around him. It was so frustrating to want to get to the Boar King but not be able to. Finally, he escaped the wallows and ran toward the hunting party.

*

The ruse had worked. The Cerberus and Kraken squads had chased after DisgustingHamper and had been drawn away long enough for the team to whittle down the boss’s health. This would be a clean kill. It was an exceedingly rare event for one to hunt the boar king without competition, but things had been a bit quieter than usual around the boar hunting fields. Something about a crazy man going around and making everyone’s hunts miserable.

50%… 34%… 14%

The party kept systematically targeting the Boar King with optimal DPS to finish it off as quickly as possible. The configuration they found worked best for farming bosses with noob characters was at least six wisdom-based espers who focused only on damage and two full-strength warrior players to hold down the boar and stabilize aggro.

The espers kept cycling through the [Rat Poison] skill. It was an AoE skill, but since it had poison damage and stacked, it was a very efficient way of targeting high-health mobs. They also used the [Throw Rocks] skill whenever it came off cooldown.

As for the party’s warrior, he kept spamming [Taunting Shout]. Whenever the boss started to give its tell that it was about to dash toward them, he would use [Shield Bash] to draw additional aggro and interrupt the skill.

Like this, they had already brought the boss relatively low after only a few minutes. It was tougher when they were beginning their farming cycle, but they were all level 9 now, which gave them good damage to hunt the Boar King efficiently.

“Careful, it’s about to go berserk,” reminded SmellyShirt.

13%…11%…9%

The Boar King started huffing and puffing, and its muscles bulged. Its eyes became red with anger. He had received a buff of 10% speed and 10% damage. This was the most critical time of the hunt. Not only did the boss become the most powerful at this point, but any interference could cost them a precious drop.

Seasoned as they were, they kept methodically chipping away at the Boar King’s health. Everything had gone too well. The group hoped to get a [Power Truffle] from this kill. Just as the boss was about to die, a terrifying sound flooded the battlefield.

“Squeeeeeeeal!”

“Uh? What is this?” everyone questioned in the party chat. “Look. At 8 o’clock.”

A monster was headed their way. It looked like a mix of the swamp thing and the boogie man. It was all covered in mud. As it ran, pieces fell off, leaving a mud trail leading to them. They finally realized it wasn’t a monster. It was a player!

“Snore, squeal, you monsters. Growl, my friend!”

“Snore. Oink!” answered the boar loudly. The commotion and the unbelievable appearance of the player drew some looks toward the party. They didn’t have much time.

“Don’t worry about him! Just focus on the boss. GrossScarf hold him off if he meddles with us.”

The espers kept bombarding the boar while being careful not to flock together. This way, even if one of them died without the assistance of their warrior to hold down the boss, they could still keep dishing out damage.

“Squeal, handsome boar; oink, growl, my dearest friend!”

What was wrong with this guy? thought the Pegasus Warrior. As he approached, Roth turned to the boar king, and a flash of light bathed the boss.

Healing Ray!

“Damn it! Stop him,” said SmellyShirt urgently.

Healing Ray!

“Stop healing the boss!”

Shield Bash!

The warrior took two agile steps forward, hitting the intruder with the shield.

-4

“Hmmm? What is this? I only dealt four damage to this guy. How is it possible? He doesn’t have any good gear on him.”

“Just get him off of us.”

The meddler was stunned for half a second and soon resumed healing the boss after the skill came off cooldown.

Healing Ray!

“Oink! Oink! Squeal. Growl! I won’t leave you!”

2%… 1%…

With its dying breath, the Boar King looked toward his helper and teared up. Emotionally it bade farewell:

“Oink. Oink. Sad oink.”

“I will tell her. Oink. Growl.”

They finally finished the boss, and a pile of drops appeared. SmellyShirt rushed toward the pile and looked anxiously at the list. They had done it. Thank goodness they managed it. The Krakens and the Cerberus were almost here, but they were too late. Their ruse had worked. As for this moron, he had nearly ruined everything.

“What’s wrong with you? What’s your character’s name? Tell me!” Commanded SmellyShirt. He wanted to get this guy’s avatar information to put it on the guild’s hit list. But he had been cautious not to cause any damage to anyone during this encounter.

The intruder looked at him for a moment and, turning tail, fled. SmellyShirt tried to run after him, but before long, Roth was already well beyond his view. How was he so fast?

*

After Roth had lost his pursuers, he went back to the mud. He looked up at one more notification signaling the Boar King’s gratitude and his rescue attempt.

The Boar King is touched by your heroic assistance and effort to rescue him. He spreads the tale of your strength and heroism.

+12 reputation with all boars

Roth went back into the mud until he found a spot where he could sit down and be neck-deep in it. He began to listen to the conversations around him again.

Progress in learning Boarish: 54%… 62%… 65%…

This mineral-rich and cool mud works wonders on your skin. Your health and vitality improve. +1 strength.

Progress in learning Boarish: 72%… 81%… 86%…

This mineral-rich and cool mud works wonders on your skin. Your health and vitality improve. +1 strength.

Progress in learning Boarish: 98%… 99%…

Congratulations. You now speak Boarish.

+100 reputation with all boars.

You are now esteemed by all boars.

You unlocked a new title: [Polyglot].

Chapter 36

Roth was ecstatic. One more title! The upgraded version of bilingual.

Title: Polyglot (uncommon)

Title description: You have worked hard and are now fluent in six languages. You have become a bridge between peoples. Your intellect expands by learning different ways to express yourself.

Title effects:

Grants +2 wisdom;

Grants +2 intelligence;

It’s easier to learn new languages;

Voice-related skills are more effective.

Conditions to unlock [Polyglot]:

Learn five languages inside the game {complete}.

It was a significant improvement over the [Bilingual] title. He gained one more of each stat compared to before, and it even added a new effect: Voice-related skills are more effective. Two of his skills involved using his voice. Could it be that this title would make those skills better? If so, that would be helpful.

With boars, he had already started to notice that [Shepherd’s Shout] didn’t work as effectively as it used to. This title effect could go a long way toward making his [Taunting Shout] and [Shepherd’s Shout] skills more consistent.

He finally crossed the threshold to the next reputation level with his mud-loving friends. All boars now esteemed him. This had been by far the longest grind he had to make to unlock a reputation status. He hoped the rewards would be proportional to the effort he’d put in. Roth felt reinvigorated.

Now that he was fluent in Boarish, Roth tried to talk to a mob to see if anything special happened.

“Hello! The mud is quite pleasant today, isn’t it?”

“Human! You speak our language. I thought you had just come here for a skin treatment. Are you the hero whose feats are being sung about in the woods?” Sung about? Are there singers in the woods? What race likes to sing? Roth hadn’t heard any song so far.

“No. Not at all. I’m nothing special.”

“Someone as humble as yourself… our prince must meet you.” Prince? Not king? That meant that the wild boss wasn’t the ruler of the boars in these woods. Roth stayed in character.

“I don’t deserve it.”

“But you do. Our prince needs to see you! He appreciates humble, heroic folk like yourself.”

“Can you lead me there?”

“I will give you the coordinates of his location.”

Quest: Meet the Piglet Prince (rare)

Quest description: The strongest, wisest boar in these woods has heard of your reputation and wishes to meet you.

Mission objectives:

Meet the prince at the following coordinates: -12821308, 09821387.

Rewards: Unknown

Happy to finally have unlocked the meeting with the ruler of the boars, Roth left the mud and headed toward the location. He couldn’t wait to finally travel toward the city and get the juicy rewards of all his pending quests. The time had come to reap the fruit of his labors.

As he was now officially esteemed by every faction in the woods, he didn’t bother traveling the paths; he just crossed the bush straight toward his destination. Whereas the mobs would hinder other players along the way, Roth could save much time traveling from one location to another.

He bumped into a familiar group of people at the boundary between the boar and badger fields. The old sergeant and his crew of veterans were finishing a day of hunting in the woods. They all had changed gears since the last time he’d met them outside the Fox Tunnels, but it was hard to miss a group of old-timers such as this.

“Hello there.”

“Sergeant! Great to see you.” Roth had worried that the sergeant would ignore him. he was elated that he was being so friendly to him.

“How have you been lately, son? You seemed out of it a couple of days ago. We had to throw you toward a pack of boars several times.” Roth looked down, not knowing what to say, as he heard the older man and his squad laugh heartedly. To top it off, he was covered in mud. They must think he was crazy.

“Oh, man. I made a video of you running around. I will make sure to send it to you.” Charlie nudged the sergeant. Reminded by his friend, he continued. “Has anyone told you what that [Martyr’s Killer] curse does?”

“Uuuh. No.” Roth had forgotten about that.

“One of my squad members turned in a quest… I don’t know why he bothered doing one here.”

“It was supposed to give me righteousness, Sarg!” Protested Charlie.

“Well, it didn’t. All guides say that quests are only worth it after level 10. I told you this before! He went through all the trouble of completing it to gain positive alignment. It’s good for medics.

When he went to receive his reward, the NPC gave him XP and money but no righteousness. When he asked the NPC why, he said that he couldn’t in good conscience speak well of someone who’d killed a martyr.

Oh, man. Our Charlie was pretty furious.” Roth felt a sick feeling in his stomach as the burning gaze of the medic landed on him.

“And after that, did the curse disappear?” The sergeant nodded. “Yes, it did. Hey, Charlie, knock that frown off your face. You know how PTSD is. The guy can’t help himself more than you can stop yourself from speaking nonsense.” The whole squad let out a chorus of laughter. “Anyway. I thought you should know.”

“Thanks. And sorry about all the trouble I have caused you and your friends.” Roth reached out his hand to the sergeant. The old man, smiling, did the same.

Would you like to forgive SergeantSarg for killing you? [Y/N]

“Oh? What’s wrong?” asked the sarg.

Roth accepted, and the sergeant widened his eyes in surprise. Wow! The curse was lifted.

“Charlie, get here! Try shaking hands with him.” The short man walked toward Roth. “ The same notification appeared for Roth, and Charlie let out a squeal of surprise and happiness! “Yes! I’ve got +10 righteousness! Yes! Yes! Thanks, young man!”

You are merciful and ready to forgive others who’ve wronged you. +1 righteousness.

“So that’s how it works. Everyone! Line up. I want all of you to shake hands with my friend here!”

Roth shook hands with all of them. He only got a bonus of righteousness from forgiving Charlie.

After that, he hung out with the old-timers. He learned they were a group of veterans who had decided to try this MMORPG. They were trying to get to level 10 to get to the city. They had only stayed here so long to wait for a friend who had arrived later to reach level ten so they could all teleport to the city together.

“Well, I’ve got to go. Goodbye, everyone. Goodbye, sarg.”

“Goodbye, son. By the way…”

“Yes?”

“I still haven’t heard from your mother. But I sent the letter. OK?” Roth teared up at the mention of his mom. “Thank you, sir.”

“Stay in touch, young man!”

*

As Roth ran away, he felt mental relief after talking with other people, specially Sarg. They were all nice people.

The implications of knowing what the curse did and how to lift it were fascinating. He also had to decide whether to send a message in the forums to lift the curse. The only obstacle to doing that was that he would call too much attention to himself. Additionally, most players who had been cursed were long gone to play in the cities! There was nothing he could do about it now.

With his mind back on the quest, Roth studied his destination. The location signaled in his map was a clearing slightly off the center of the map. Curious. The clearing bordered fields of all races in the woods. The boars to the west, the badgers to the east, the ravens to the northeast, the foxes to the northwest, and the mice to the south. Strange. He didn’t remember seeing any other location on the map where this was the case.

After a 20-minute jog, Roth arrived. It was empty. There was no mob in sight. There was complete silence. In the woods, there was always sound. The rustling of the leaves, the crackling of the branches dancing in the wind, or the noises of the many mobs roaming. In this clearing, there were no sounds but the ones he made.

Roth felt his breathing grow louder. As his heartbeat drummed in his ears, he walked toward the center of the clearing, waiting to see if anything had happened.

“Hello? I have been summoned here to meet the prince. Is anyone there?”

You have been hit with [Curse of the Hogs].

All titles have been disabled.

All skills have been locked.

From one moment to the next, Roth was paralyzed. Now that his [Martyr] title had been stripped away, his negative stats came back, making him go into the negative hundreds. He was hit with more debuffs than he cared to name and became paralyzed. What a scary curse. To silence all titles and skills was way too overpowered.

Two yellow eyes became visible in the shrubbery’s shadows along the clearing’s border. A man-sized figure stood up and walked toward Roth. Even though they were the same size, the creature approaching was much heavier, which was felt more than heard in its purposeful stomps on the ground. As the name implied, this was a prince. Roth didn’t know how he knew it, but it was a young boar. Maybe it was because its damaged tusk wasn’t as large as others he’d seen. It was the first of its kind that Roth saw walking on two legs.

Its only tusk was broken but had metal rings holding it in place. The boar dragged an axe through the ground toward Roth. He lifted his axe and prepared to cleave him in two.

“Human! You have some nerve in trying to befriend our kin. Do you know how many boars have been hunted by your kind? You wear our pelts like coats, feast on our meat, and steal our calves. Give me one good reason not to kill you where you stand.”

It took some time for Roth to put the words together. What could he answer? His mind returned to all the hurt he had caused others throughout his life. What good reason did he have to receive special treatment or to claim to be different from other violent people he knew? He couldn’t think of anything.

“I can only think of reasons to be killed, not spared.” The prince stood impassive.

“So you see it too. Confess your sins to me, you putrid human.”

“I used to be no different from others. I deserve to die. Kill me.”

The Piglet Prince stared Roth down. He then let the axe drop to the ground. The axe was so heavy that the ground quaked, and leaves fell in the whole vicinity of the woods.

Prince Piglet likes your courage and humility.

+100 reputation with the boars

+10 righteousness

“Ahaha. So the stories are true! My fellow monarchs told me about you. I had to see for myself if they were overestimating you. I can see they weren’t.”

“I don’t know what they’ve told you, oh prince. All I know is that I mean neither you nor them any harm.”

“You are something. Here. Forgive me for my little test earlier; I just wanted to see what you were made of.”

The Curse of the Hogs has been lifted.

Special Quest Unlocked: Boar Trade (Unique)

The Piglet Prince is a champion of his kind. He has been greatly injured in a battle and sent here to recover. Although he wishes to help his kin prosper, he lacks the strength to do so. He seeks your help establishing a trade route with humans, hoping his kind will have a better life.

Quest objective: Take some of the boars’ specialty products to a human town and sell them for the highest price possible.

Quest rewards: It depends on how much profit you generate.

The Piglet Prince wants to trade you 5x [Power Truffles]

This seemingly worthless fungus was one of the most sought-after items in the game! Roth couldn’t believe he had just been given five in one sitting.

“Do well, broker, and perhaps we can do business again.”

“I thank you, oh Prince. By the way, Prince, I’d also like to ask if you have been a victim of any robberies lately.” The prince’s eyes went wide, and the temperature of the clearing seemed to climb. He had been robbed and didn’t seem happy about it.

“My left tusk. It was broken in a battle, and my father gave me some bands to hold them in place. One day, when I woke up, it was missing.”

“Sir, I know who did it.”

“Who?” roared the prince. His majesty and dignity had been offended. It was ready to pick up its axe and settle the score with whoever had done him wrong.

“It was Oli, the cat burglar.”

The Piglet Prince stopped for a moment and slumped. “Oh no, I dare not mess with him.”

“Your Highness, but isn’t he just a cat?”

“Just a… You have no idea what you’re talking about. Oli is far stronger than any of the rulers in these woods. Not even King Rattatoile can fight him without the help of the Mouseketeers. And they could only do so to a stalemate.”

“I see…” If this NPC was so strong, there was very little Roth could do. “Could you at least tell me where to find him?”

“I have only seen him once. It was in the southeast corner of the woods. I think he lives around there somewhere.”

[Cat Burglar] updated

Oli, the cat burglar, has stolen from everyone in the woods. The piglet prince tells you that he is not someone who can be messed with. He hopes you find a way to trick the thief and return his precious tusk. He lives somewhere in the southeast part of the woods.

Quest objectives: Find Oli and return what he stole to its proper owners.

Quest rewards: Unknown

Roth had been right to invest time in connecting with the different rulers of the woods. He wouldn’t have gotten so many clues if he hadn’t done it. He still had to figure out the meaning of Count Crow’s riddles and then tackle how he would retrieve something from such a powerful NPC. Would he have to negotiate with it somehow?

“Prince Piglet, thank you for your audience and trust in me. I’ll do my best to assist you with your requests.”

“Thank you, human,” answered the prince. Right before Roth’s eyes, the figure faded until the prince disappeared. What had just happened? Were Roth’s eyes playing tricks on him? How had the prince disappeared? Could it be some cloaking skill?

After looking around for a few minutes, Roth decided it was time to leave. He would go to the city and try to complete all his trade quests. As Roth turned to walk away, he received a mysterious notification.

The Lord of the Woods has noticed you.

The Lord of the Woods? Was that the Piglet Prince? No. It couldn’t be. The prince had hinted that the strongest ruler in the forest wasn’t himself but Rattatoile. That made sense since he was the highest in the hierarchy. He had met a king, a prince, a baroness, a count, and a council of poets. None of these seemed to be the Lord of the Woods. Who was it, then? And was it a good thing that he had been noticed? He just hoped the ruler wasn’t Oli; otherwise, he was in trouble. Roth chuckled. What a fun game. It was time to turn in some quests.

*

From inside the illusion in the clearing, the Piglet Prince saw Roth leaving. It was leaning against a massive tree that stretched toward the heavens.

Chapter 37

The trip from the beginner zone to a city was not easy. Instead of going on foot, beginners preferred to wait until they reached level 10 when they were offered a free teleport to a city of their choosing. This was a one-time offer. After that, players had to pay their weight in gold to teleport. Only the wealthiest players in the game even dared to do so, though. Had teleporting not been so expensive, merchant professions would have abused it and blinked from place to place while raking in profits.

Roth was not level 10 yet. Unlike other players who could resort to hunting and dungeoning to level, Roth took a different route that relied on completing quests. Although the [Cat Burglar] quest could be achieved without him leaving the woods to complete all five trade quests he was offered, he had no choice but to travel to a human city the hard way. Thankfully, none of the items he was given to trade weighed much. Otherwise, it would have taken him forever to complete this trip.

Roth followed the roads that led out of the Green Woods region, and after arriving at the edge of the beginner zone, he received a warning.

You have left the Green Woods. You’ve entered Verdant Forest.

Roth ran north toward Greensburg, complaining about not getting a title for entering Verdant Forest or any bonuses. Although the maps available on the forum were not complete by any means, since the locations of cities were not a secret, they were generous enough for him to figure out the city closest to him. He would go to Greensburg.

As the regions changed, the cobblestone road transitioned to a brick one.

The well-built road makes it easier to travel on it. You have gained a [Swift] buff of +10% running speed.

Roth welcomed the unexpected boost. With this, he would reach 140% running speed! Feeling the acceleration, Roth thought he would get to the city quickly. Boy, was he wrong. After he ran for two hours and compared his map to the one he had seen in the forums, he surmised he wasn’t even a third of the way there. It would take him another 7 to 8 hours to reach the city. That, if he made it in one piece.

Unlike the beginner area, mobs in the Verdant Forest weren’t respectful enough to respect the road. Sometimes, Roth would see a scary mob far ahead that would undoubtedly kill him with one hit. He would sit tight and wait for it to roam away from the road, or, if there were no mobs around, he would take the long way around it. These unplanned stories added considerable time and danger to the trip. But Roth was patient. The longer he traveled, the more progress he would lose if he died.

As he ran, he also noticed that, although all around him, the map was filled with forests, the terrain changed somewhat. On one occasion, he saw what seemed to be a rainforest to the east. Inside it, it was pouring rain, but on the road Roth traveled, it wasn’t raining. At another time, he saw a forest burning unendingly. It all seemed strange to him but very captivating at the same time.

After four hours, he finally ran out of luck. He reached a point on the road where, up ahead, there was a giant silverback. He tried to stay away from it, but when he turned back, he saw that another mob had crept up behind him. It was a golden rhinoceros. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

As both monsters kept roaming, to Roth’s dismay, they kept moving toward him. Roth tried to keep as much distance as possible from both, but with nowhere to run, he entered one of the mob’s aggro zones. He found out what being trampled by a rhino felt like. It wasn’t pretty.

As Roth woke up back in the town he had left, he felt all the pent-up rage he had been damming up in his heart come back. He flailed his arms and let out a scream of frustration, scaring all beginners around him.

He had to take a few deep breaths before he got over it, and he managed to send all the blood rushing to his head back down. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. After the outburst, Roth felt deep shame. He had almost lost it. Drake would have been disappointed if he’d seen this. But, goodness, that had been frustrating. Four hours of his time for naught. The worst part was that it could happen again!

Roth went back on the road and tried again. This time, he died one hour into the trip. He wanted to cry. He tried it again, and everything went well until he was six hours into the trip. A group of baboons were blocking the road ahead. After waiting for one hour, Roth was about to give up when, fortunately for him, a player traveling in the same direction passed and, in one glorious blaze of esper-fueled fire, wiped them all out and opened a path.

Roth just followed after him for as long as he could. Since the esper was much higher-leveled than he was, soon enough, he was well out of Roth’s reach.

On his fourth try, after 13 painstaking nerve-wracking hours, Roth finally got to see Greensburg. It was a walled city surrounded by a river in the middle of a grassy prairie. In the distance, there were trees and trees and more trees.

Little dots entered the city through its many lowered gates. The city was at an intersection of six roads that led to different places, adding to the traffic he could see from far away.

When Roth first got a view of the city, he thought he was only ten minutes away, but the city was much bigger than he thought. It took him thirty more minutes to make it into the city. As he drew closer, he saw more and more players.

Wealthy merchant players drove carriages moved by oxen or a caravan of camels. Players in shiny armor or fancy robes talked and reminisced about the highlights of their latest exploits. The gates to the city buzzed with life and exciting sights.

Nearer to the city, a distance from the gates, some in their early teen levels could be seen hunting wolves. Their flashy skills and cool equipment signaled them as players who had unlocked their classes. Roth looked at the distant battle and felt the urge to give it a closer look. He heard the distant whimpering of one of the dying wolves and tensed. He forced himself to look back to the road he’d come from and remember how much trouble it’d been to come all this way. Taking deep breaths, he forced himself to look ahead, like the nearby horses with eye blinkers blocking their peripheral vision.

Entering the city was free. The guards at the gate were there for security purposes only and not to charge admission. Roth joined the crowd entering the city, trying to take his mind off the sounds of battle in the distance, and made it through the gate.

From the prison to the apartment and then on to the game, Roth had not seen a city in many years. This was the first time in a long time that he had seen so many people together. Roth’s eyes feasted on the view of one of the city’s main streets. Upward, further into the city, the garrison stood tall, watching over the prairies and city below. Players hawked their wares or campaigned for their guilds all over the place in a chaotic shouting contest that overwhelmed Roth.

Even though there were so many people, the city didn’t feel cramped. The streets were vast, making the city feel expansive and open. The vines climbing the walls, the flowers at every window, and the many gardens and trees dotting the city in green reminded Roth that this was Green Country. He wondered what the architecture of cities in other regions was like.

Roth’s gaze was drawn toward one of the players walking to his left. Its scales glittered in the sun, and its golden reptile eyes fascinated him. The tail it dragged on the ground seemed heavy and muscled. It was some sort of hybrid lizard creature. The exciting part was that it was a player! He had to look later into how to become one of those!

When Roth read that auction houses were not centralized, he worried that selling his merchandise at a high price would be hard. But now that he could see the crowds roaming the city and its massive size, he could rest assured. Millions of players made their base here. There were many potential buyers. After Roth was done admiring the magnitude of the vision before him, he shook it off and began exploring the city.

Near the entrance of the city gates was a map that gave an overview of the city. The most important public buildings were all listed, as were the game’s shops.

In a city such as this, Roth imagined that there were secret shops, hidden places, and mysterious NPCs. There was so much to see and do. No wonder players spent so much time in these cities. Only from level 40 onward did players begin moving toward the capital of each region, but that was a long way off.

Roth located on the map the auction house and noticed how his world map was updated with this run-of-the-mill information. He tagged the auction house and started to find his way there. He first stuck to the main road but then saw what seemed to be a shortcut. It was a dark alley. Roth went into it to make it to the auction house as soon as possible. He’d heard many things about it and was excited to check it out.

A hoarse voice called out to him as he was about to leave the alley.

“Please, help. Help a starving man with your valuable coppers.”

The man calling out to him was elderly and emaciated. He had a white beard and only had a pair of ragged trousers. Flies flew around the man as if drawn to his impending death. The man seemed so accustomed to them that he didn’t swat them away. Roth was petrified. My goodness, what a wretched creature!

“What has happened to you, sir? How did you fall into such dire straights?”

The man stared at Roth, then looked down. “I have made some bad decisions along the way, son.” Roth thought about his own life and the mistakes he made. He knew this beggar was just an NPC, but he couldn’t leave him without doing anything. He looked at his inventory. He only had roughly 1 silver—not even that.

Clenching his teeth, he took the 94 coppers in his inventory and put them in the man’s hands.

“I’m sorry, sir. This is all I have. I wish there were more I could do for you.”

“Thank you, son. It will help. It will help.” The man stood up and disappeared into the dark alley. Roth got a notification he wasn’t expecting.

You have given everything you had to help a stranger.

+20 righteousness

Oh wow! That had been a considerable boost to his alignment. He was only 10 short of unlocking Righteous. But Roth hadn’t helped because he wanted to get something out of the man. He did it because that could be him down the road, and he couldn’t bear not extending a helping hand. Sighing and now penniless, Roth made his way toward the auction house.

The auction house was at the crossroads where different streets from the commercial district met. Its architecture reminded him of an old Greek temple, with all the decorated columns adding to the grandeur of the establishment. The marble of the columns was lined with vines that climbed them like veins and then blossomed into beautiful pink flowers. Roth had seen many amazing landscapes in his games, but this game outdid itself. More impressive than the architecture, though, was the flow of people entering and leaving the building. It felt like a train station during rush hour.

He went into the auction house. There was a deposit area where players could open an account and deposit goods. There was also an auction room where players or guilds could organize closed auctions for specific buyers. Finally, there was the open market.

It was a massive open area with seating around all and fancy fountains in the middle. Players were gathered in groups, discussing prices or bragging about a good deal they had made. Many others kept to themselves and sat in the corner of the room, exploring the system windows that only they could see.

Roth decided he wanted to be on the low end, so he went to join them. He picked a place with few players around and sat down. For sure, this would be an excellent place to enact his plan.

Chapter 38

The first step in Roth’s plan was to study market prices. He opened up an app that allowed him to take notes. He had already made a list of everything he had to sell this time around:

20x [Miniaturize Potion]

100x [Fox Ginseng]

20x [Badger Great Claw]

20x [Crow Feather Tiara]

20x [Crow Feather Earring]

20x [Crow Feather Necklace]

5x [Power Truffle]

Now he had to find out how the auction house worked. He opened up a window that showed him billions of items for sale. He blinked, looking at the astronomical number at the bottom right of the window. That was a fantastic pool of items to choose from! He then looked up the search options. There was a section to buy and sell. He selected Buy.

In Buy, there were timed auctions and instant purchases. Players could put an item up for sale and give it a starting price and minimum bid increase. They could also make the deadline last one week, one day, or only five minutes. It was up to the seller.

Before coming here, Roth had read many theories in the forums about which form of sales was the most profitable. Roth would decide what would fit each item.

He could also buy things at a fixed price. If the buyer agreed with the price, they could buy it and get it immediately. This was the preferred option for less valuable items and lazier players.

One could sort all sales by type, rarity, quantity, price, class, profession, stat bonuses, item effects, and many other options. Roth looked up each of the items he had for sale. He noted how many were sold per day on average, their record sale price, and how many were in stock at this auction house.

20x [Miniaturize Potion]: 0.6 sold per day; record price: 134 gold; for sale: 3

100x [Fox Ginseng]: 34 sold per day; record price: 86 silver; for sale: 442

20x [Badger Great Claw]: 4 sold per day; record price: 2 gold, 89 silver; for sale: 8

20x [Crow Feather Tiara]: 9 sold per day; record price: 46 silver; for sale: 5

20x [Crow Feather Earring]: 13 sold per day; record price: 36 silver; for sale: 9

20x [Crow Feather Necklace]: 4 sold per day; record price: 84 silver; for sale: 2

5x [Power Truffle]: No information on record

As he thought, the [Power Truffle] was too valuable. No one had ever sold it here. It was priceless. There was no telling what effect selling five of them would have here. His greatest trumps were the [Power Truffle] and the [Miniaturize Potion]. The secret to gaining a good result in this quest was to try to sell the other less rare items off the craze of his trump cards.

Roth began scheduling auctions, listing his products neatly, and organizing things in a way that would exponentiate his gains. Once satisfied, he went to the forums and made a couple of posts. He went to the auction house NPC to confirm something before he submitted the draft he had for the auction. The auction house had an army of merchant-looking NPCs who were always available to help players with questions or issues. Roth approached the closest one and greeted him.

“Good afternoon, sir.”

“Hello, Martyr. How can I help you?”

“Do I need to reveal my identity when selling an item?”

“Not at all, sir. You can select the anonymity option in the sales window.” Roth’s window opened with the relevant information highlighted. He ticked it.

“OK, and do I need to be here to get the money off my sale?”

“Although you must go to auction houses to retrieve or deposit items in person, money is directly transferred to your inventory.” Roth sighed in relief. That meant that he could leave things here and start heading back home. He paused. It was strange to think of those beginner woods as home. He was practically living there, though. He supposed that it wasn’t a terrible description of it.

“Will that be all, sir?”

“Oh yes. Thank you.” Roth took a few steps away from the NPC. He went to check all the drafts for his posts and his auctions. When he was sure everything was OK, he submitted them and, hoping for the best, left. He still had a long way to go before he was back in the woods, where he could get the reward for his trade quests.

*

Sideswipe was a level 23 esper. He had just finished a quest and was over the moon. He went to check his stats for the 1000th time in the day.

CHARACTER INFORMATION

Name: Sideswipe

Race: Human

Profession(s): [Merchant]; [Scholar]

Class: [Esper]

Level: 23 (430000/500000)

Affinity: [Empty]

Alignment: Bad (-60/-100)

Relationships: Esper Academy (40/100); (Merchant Guild 60/100)

Titles: [Well-read]; [Weight-lifter]; [Mindful]; [Intellectual]; [Monster Hunter III]; [Boss Hunter II]; [Assassin]; [Brainiac]

STATS

Hp:118

Energy:175

Damage Reduction: 5.7%

Running Speed: 120.8%

Weight: [Light] (2/38,4kg)

Strength: 13

Dexterity: 15

Intelligence: 65

Wisdom: 68

Calm: 14

EQUIPMENT

Right Hand: [Copper Ring]

Left hand: [Copper Ring]

Shoes: [Esperimental Shoes]

Bottom: [Silken Trousers]

Top: [Scale Jacket]

Gloves: [Snake Skin Gloves]

Head: [Cobra Cap]

Cape: [Silken Cloak]

Accessories: [Crow Feather Necklace]; [Crow Feather Earring]; [Tin Earring]

SKILLS:

Stat Bonuses: [Insight]; [Inner Calm]

Profession Related: [Discount]; [Summon Mule]; [Haggle]; [Contract]; [Copyist’s Eye]; [Speed-Reading]

Passive: [Eye of the Raven]; [Badger’s Heart]; [Brainstorm]; [Strong Mentality];

Active: [Shepherd’s Shout]; [Throw Rocks]; [Psychic Throw]; [Psyonic Push]; [Psychic Barrier]; [Crow’s Flight]; [Badger Blast]

The average player at his level had five titles. Sideswipe was a prodigy: he had eight of them! He was particularly proud of the title he had just won in his last quest. It had given him a considerable power boost.

Brainiac (Uncommon)

Title description: The mutation in your brain awakens, and you find within your mind its hidden potential.

Title effect:

Grants +5% damage to all telekinetic skills;

Increases energy recovery rate by 5%.

Conditions to unlock [Brainiac]

Complete a relevant quest {complete}.

To hunt 10,000 mobs who possess telekinetic skills.

The Titans Guild, a 3rd-tier guild with a strong presence in this city, had head-hunted him. This was no small matter. It had been the first step toward his becoming a professional player. He had signed a contract and was now even being paid a salary. If he did well, there was excellent growth potential.

Now that he was on the guild’s payroll and had some extra pocket money, Sideswipe decided to revisit the auction house. Perhaps today, he could find a good-priced skill card for his class. He was trying to focus on telekinetic skills, but the cards were rare and highly sought-after. That cursed mini-game that so many were addicted to just jacked up the prices of skills even higher!

He headed toward the auction house and crossed paths with a beginner in hobo clothes who was leaving. It was unusual to see someone so poorly dressed. And the man was tall! He must be pretty scary in real-life, thought SideSwipe. He entered the patio, greeted a few acquaintances, and sat down so he could window shop.

He opened the auction house’s trade window and filtered results by recent listings. He froze. What? [Power Truffle]? Two?? He stammered. What idiot was selling this? Even an esper like himself, who didn’t need strength, would never have sold this item and used it on himself. Unless… could some idiot have found more than one? If one could get a hold of two, why wouldn’t they have discovered three? Had someone found an alternate method to get this item?

He looked at how much the product was selling for. Even if he had to spend all his money, he would not hesitate to get these two items—an open auction. Shoot. There would be fierce competition over this. There was no way he would be able to buy it. He thought for a few seconds. Since he would never be able to fight over this, he immediately sent a message to his guild leader.

*

A meeting between the high-ups of the Titans was underway somewhere else in the city. It happened in a luxurious command tent set up on a lot of land that guilds could rent from the city hall.

At the moment, no guild or player had gained enough reputation with the cities to buy land and had to settle for raising these campaign tents as headquarters.

BlueTitan, the commander of the Titans, heard the other senior members discussing around the table the earlier developments in the game and the plans for the future.

“Where do we stand in gaining reputation with the city? Is there anyone ahead of us?”

“We’re not far from getting one of the inner members of the guild to get friendly status with the city. Our spy in the Spider Guild knows they have already amassed that much reputation but still can’t buy land from the city hall.”

BlueTitan clicked his tongue. He pondered whether their strategy was right, but it was too late to go back now. They sacrificed development in the capital to establish a solid foundation in this city. They knew they were no match for more prominent guilds. However, if they could purchase some land in this city, they could wait for the land to increase and then throw sales pitches to the bigger guilds. The money they could gain from that would allow all of them to retire in peace. But soon after they started, they realized that the Spider Guild was already ahead of them.

They were funneling all their resources into helping one of the inner members of the guild gain enough reputation to buy land, but there was still a long way to go. BlueTitan decided to interrupt the meeting.

“The only way we can get ahead of the Spider Guild is at the city tournament. The champion gets a huge boost in reputation. We have to get our best player in there and have a face-down with the Spider Guild.”

The senior members were concerned. The best player in the Titan guild was BlueTitan’s little brother, TitanFist. He was a very talented player in one v. one. But there was an equally talented player on the side of the Spider Guild, the Guild Leader, SpiderHands. They were so equally matched that a fight was a coin flip. They couldn’t bet their futures on a coin flip.

“It’s the only way.”

“But there’s only a fifty-fifty chance he will win. We need to find a way to get him ahead.”

“What can we do to increase TitanFists’ strength quickly?”

BlueTitan got a notification for a private message. It was from one of their newly recruited players, Sideswipe. Curious, he opened it and urgently stood up after reading the messages.

“I think the solution has just fallen into our laps, gentlemen. Someone is selling [Power Truffles] in the auction house.” Ten strength didn’t sound like much, but having an advantage in stats between two equally-matched players was significant. Perhaps this is what they needed.

*

Somewhere else in the city, a blacksmith hammered away at an incandescent lump of metal. He tried to shape it with difficulty. Even after he had heated the chunk of metal so hot, the strength required to do the task was brutal. He needed to improve his stats if he wanted to break through. Another player came running in.

“OreMaster, someone is selling [Power Truffles] in the auction house.”

“[Power Truffles]? Let’s go check it out!”

Scenes like this started happening all over, and guilds sent representatives toward the Greensburg auction house.

*

“This is crazy!” commented BlueTitan. Sideswipe had notified him of the [Power Truffle] being listed not even thirty seconds after it was placed in the auction house. “How come there are so many people gathered here already?”

“Look at who it is!” Recognizing the shrill, sarcastic voice, BlueTitan turned. SpiderHands and two of his goons faced him. “Don’t tell me you are after the [Power Truffles], BlueTitan.”

“What if I am?” he challenged.

“Then you should be ready to pawn every item in your bank because I don’t think you have enough money to keep me away from it.”

“We shall see about that.” BlueTitan knew perfectly well as a guild leader that SpiderHands probably had spies in his guild, just as he had in his. He probably had a rough idea of the finances of the guild.

SpiderHands didn’t know that he and the inner members of the guild had hidden away part of the guild’s wealth. They kept three gold farming teams under wraps. Their revenue was set aside for an emergency like this. He had prepared 20,000 extra gold coins for this auction.

Chapter 39

Distortion Field!

Around Wilson, a translucent screen of energy formed, slowing the spear that was coming for him enough so that he could dodge it.

“Nice one, Xana,” shouted Wilson between strikes. They were deep into beaver territory and having trouble holding off all the mobs surrounding them. Good thing that Xana was watching his back. He could do much damage as a halberdier but was slower than other warriors. Without Xana, this many mobs would have been too much for him to handle. Now that they were close to him, it was time to let out his bread-and-butter AoE skill.

Halberd Whirlwind!

Blades of wind spread around Wilson, and a series of beavers screeched, transforming into motes of light. Now that he was free, he ran toward Xana to assist her. She was barely able to keep them at bay. Although they had come close a few times, her drones kept sending sound waves that pushed them away from her and bought enough time for Wilson to arrive. Although the drones needed to recharge, they had done their job well. Wilson had arrived and, together with Xana, made quick work of the remaining mobs.

As their XP points climbed and Xana’s drones picked up the loot for them, Xana approached the subject Wilson had been avoiding.

“Do you think that Shirley…?”

“Yes,” he answered drily.

“What about Brian?” Hearing the names of his squad members hurt.

“They’re gone, Xana. Loki would never let a traitor go unpunished.”

“I’m so angry at Gary! He…”

“Shut up, Xana. It’s not Gary who’s at fault here. It’s the Slayer! He’s the one who started all of this.”

“I’m angry at Gary,” said Xana in a hoarse voice, “because that could have easily been us. Have you thought about it, Wilson? It could have easily been Shirley and Brian hunting these beavers today and talking about you and me being gone!”

“Do you think I don’t know that, you idiot?” he whispered, pained.

“You know that if something like this happens again, Gary won’t hesitate to get rid of us next, don’t you?”

“Unless…” He let the words hang in the air.

“Unless we get rid of him first.”

*

Crowds kept flowing into Greensburg. The first batch of players had arrived by horse, returning from hunts in the nearby fields. As the day went by and the time of the auction drew near fancier rides, more powerful players appeared. Sometime in the afternoon, someone came riding a bionic black panther. Then another stormed in, riding a hovercycle. It felt like a group of celebrities appearing on the red carpet. That caused noobies and other lower-level players to gather and heatedly discuss which of the rides they would have when their time to shine came.

As the time for the auction drew near, the biggest player yet came from the sky, flying on a golden hawk.

“Oh my goodness! She’s flying!”

“That’s the first time I see a flying ride.

“It’s her!”

“It’s Mel, the Hawk Knight! Mel! Can I be your friend?”

Jumping off her golden hawk, with glistening silver armor cladding her body the crowd went silent for a second before resuming the buzz of discussion. Her helmet’s guard was shaped like a beak, making her look like the hawk that transported her. The hawk shrank to a much smaller size after landing and flew to the knight’s shoulder. This was the player nº32 in the rankings: Mel, the Hawk Knight.

Guild leaders and other casual players who followed her videos respectfully greeted her as she passed. She casually smiled dismissively and hurried toward the auction house to check if the rumors were true.

Mel, short for Melanie, had started the game as a casual gamer. She had a few lucky encounters along the way and unlocked the hidden class that, according to her knowledge, only she possessed. She had made a contract with a mutated, highly intelligent golden hawk. Her attacks and skills revolved around coordinating with Goldie, and buffing it or being buffed by it. It was a very complex class that Mel had learned to master fairly well.

With time, as she got better and better at the game, her video blog gained momentum and a legion of followers. Because of her unexpected success, she was able to quit her job and was now a full-time gamer. She liked her job, but she loved gaming more. Unlike her previous occupation, however, there was a ridiculous amount of competition here. There was always pressure to put out more novel, ground-breaking content. She was trapped in an eternal race, trying to catch up to the next player in the ranks or trying to widen the distance from her pursuer. She would lose a lot of momentum if she dropped off the top 50, and she was fighting furiously to stay in it.

When she heard that someone was selling two [Power Truffles], she flew here immediately. Unlike other players who only worried about gearing up their avatars, she had a partner to worry about. The stronger Goldie became, the more powerful she was. Mel had discovered that her hawk friend could eat consumables that permanently increased stats. These were exceedingly rare, but she had managed to get a hold of some and saw Goldie gain a significant power spike from eating them.

When the Krakens had invited her to join, she mainly had agreed to get access to more first-grade consumables for herself and Goldie. Of course, there were other benefits. Their pay was good. Their buffs also made a big difference in her stats. Their first-tier museum had an impressive collection, and the flags they hoisted were enticing.

Thanks to the Krakens, she expanded her information network significantly. A big guild always had channels that allowed them to get their hands on items, skills, and equipment that single players could only dream of. Since the guild didn’t have this item in stock when she joined, they promised they would immediately PM her if they heard of a way to get it.

They’d let her leave her name on an item’s wish list. The [Power Truffle] was one of the items she craved the most. If she could get a hold of two, she could instantly gain four levels’ worth of stats, 10 strength for her and 10 for Goldie.

She had prepared all her spare gold for the auction and just in case, she had sent a message to the guild leader asking for some extra funds. He obliged and asked her to pay special attention to any clues as to how two truffles could appear simultaneously.

When she entered the auction house, she opened the interface and filtered out everything but consumables. She then looked for [Power Truffles]. Sure enough, they were here. It had been posted at 12:32:54 today, and the seller had set the auction to start at midnight. She clicked her tongue. This guy was brilliant. It was a deadline short enough to make everyone feel the pressure of the limited time availability but long enough to give the wealthier players enough time to get here and fight each other for it. She suspected that the seller had also purposely put two [Power Truffles] on sale. It was as if he was saying that he could get his hands on more at any time. Since the rumors were indeed true, it was time to look for clues.

First, she sent a message to her friends and followers, asking if anyone knew about the seller’s identity or how to get extra [Power Truffles]. She knew it was a long shot. It would probably lead nowhere. She went to the forums and selected ‘power truffle’ on the search engine. Posts advertising the rare opportunity of acquiring [Power Truffles] in Greensburg’s auction house were plentiful. It had become public knowledge. She sorted the results by all occurrences, starting from 1 minute before the listing had been done in the auction house. Right at the top was a suspicious post.

Two Power Truffles Are Going on Sale in Greensburg.

#news #powertruffles #consumables #rareitems

Poster: Sphinx314

Post: I heard a rich dude brag about how he would sell two [Power Truffles] in Greensburg. He also said he had found a hidden room inside the Rat’s Cave in the Green Woods. He used a [Miniaturizing Potion] inside the dungeon and found a secret chamber. Could it be true?

Comments

Krakaboom124: Two? That sounds impossible. No one sells those. Only big guilds can get them.

HairyHarry994: A secret chamber? Doesn’t sound right. Oh well, there’s no way I can get my hands on a [Miniaturizing Potion] anyway.

The post had been done one minute before the listing in the auction house. This Sphinx 314 character was probably the salesman. She tried sending him a message in the post asking if she could get more information. That would also probably lead nowhere. She sighed.

The [Miniaturizing Potion] could be gained in the same region as the [Power Truffle]. Could there really be a secret chamber inside the Rat Cave? It could just be a lie. She checked the clock. She still had several hours to go before it was time for the auction. Opening her map, she estimated that if she hurried, she could find out if this was true.

Gigantify!

From its regular size, the hawk quickly grew until it was as big as a horse. She jumped on top of it and flew south. It would be a quick trip. In this part of the world, there were no airborne monsters to slow her down. In higher-level maps, it was a different story. But just the fact that one didn’t have to follow the curves and detours of the road and could travel in a straight line meant that they could save a lot of time.

After just one hour, Mel arrived in the beginning area. If she was received with awe at Greensburg, to the beginners here, she was a goddess. When the hawk landed, everyone made room for it and began asking for autographs or asking if she wouldn’t throw them just one silver or two. She ignored them all and entered the dungeon.

She always carried a [Miniaturizing Potion] on her, and she knew that other good players in the top 50 did the same. It was exceedingly helpful in escaping tricky situations and entering hidden treasure rooms. This one time, killer drones in Thunder Mountain were chasing her; she used the potion and hid in a crevice to escape the mobs’ sensors. Had it not been for that, she would have lost a level and valuable equipment. Although [Miniaturizing Potions] were expensive, losing a whole level and stats was much more expensive.

The only other time she had used the [Miniaturizing Potion] was when she found a suspicious hole on a map she was exploring. After using the potion, she went through it and found a rare set of earrings that she still wore.

She breezed through the dungeon unimpeded. Since she was so high-leveled, the cave appeared empty to her. There were only mushrooms and stone. Finding nothing different from what she remembered, she decided it was worth taking a chance here. She got out the only [Miniaturizing Potion] in her inventory, drank it for the third time in two years, and began exploring the dungeon. The first trip around the map turned up nothing. She decided to try it again aboard Goldie. This time she found something behind the throne room that she’d never seen before.

It was a tunnel leading into a glorious room of yellow and gold with five mice. One wore a crown, and the other four were in uniform. She’d never heard of these NPCs before. When she entered this secret chamber, she got neither experience nor notifications. Someone had been here already! She checked her guild’s library. There was no mention of this place in it, either.

She tried to approach the NPCs. As she drew closer, one of the mice put its paws on the scabbard of its sword and took one step forward. Mel interpreted that as a warning that she’d be dead if she took one more step. As she examined the mob, she saw only question marks. Probably they would kill her in one hit. She stopped, not daring to go any further. According to her contract, she was obligated to inform the guild of any discoveries she might make.

Maybe someone had unlocked some hidden quest and acquired [Power Truffles] from these NPCs. She didn’t know.

“Boss?”

“What’s up, Mel? How goes the auction?”

“We need to talk. The [Miniaturizing Potion] might have become a priceless treasure.”

*

Zin entered the hidden basement of the observatory. It was dark here, but his high perception allowed him to see as brightly as in daylight. Zin had seen much in his life. He’d been deployed more times than he cared to name. He had seen every sort of injury, death, and unspeakable violence happen before his eyes, sometimes by the work of his hand. But he still felt sick as he beheld the inhuman spectacle his employer was making here.

The egg at the center of the basement sent out roots that pulsed as if they were veins. Sometimes, the egg itself pulsed as if it were a beating heart. There was a foul scent in the air and a dead silence. He didn’t have the stomach to see the alien hideousness of the race his master had unlocked.

“Zin…” spoke Loki from within the egg.

“How goes the transformation, sir?”

“It will still take a long time before I finish pupating. But one is never bored when inside here. It’s a whole management game of its own.”

“Good, good.” Zin cursed at how insidious Loki was. The monster knew he had the upper hand meeting him here rather than in real life. Every encounter between them was meticulously planned to keep him in check.

“Have you found the traitor?”

“No, sir. He’s smarter than we thought. He must be lying low somewhere. We’ll find him, though.”

“I know you will.” His employer was enjoying himself inside that blasted disgusting thing. He hadn’t expected to be let off the hook so easily. He seemed only to remember the brat who put him in the wheelchair when he was bored or frustrated. He was the only thing that made Loki behave erratically. He was pulled back from his silent meditation. “Your class advancement?”

“It’s complete. I’m level 51 too.”

“Good. Share the info you’ve gained from your class advancement quest with the rest of the core members. Your experience and insight are priceless.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now, come closer. I want to try out my new racial skill.” Zin gulped as he stepped toward the egg.

Chapter 40

As soon as Mel exited the cave, her eyes widened. How were so many people here already? The arrival of high-level players around her was causing a commotion among all the beginners. They were all entranced by the shiny effects of their high-end equipment.

She could see ColdHand from the Hydra guild and BlueFire from the Ogre guild. The cat was out of the bag. She knew that rushing in here like this would draw some attention from beginners, but she forgot to consider the guild parties that farmed this dungeon for [Miniaturizing Potions]. She suspected they were responsible for so many high leveled players being here. They must have contacted the higher-ups in their guilds, informing them of her presence here. Mel clicked her tongue. How could she have been so careless? It wouldn’t take long for them to connect the dots if they hadn’t already.

She saw BlueFire coming her way to try to pry information from her. She was terrified of him. This dangerous man could learn almost as much from someone’s silence as from their words. She hurriedly activated the skill that made Goldie grow bigger, and jumping on it, she flew away toward Greensburg before BlueFire could even say hello.

When she had called her guild leader, she had told him that the implications of her discovery. Although it couldn’t yet be confirmed if there was any connection between the hidden room in the Rat’s Cave and the appearance of [Power Truffles], it was too much of a coincidence.

If they could secure a steady supply of [Power Truffles] and give one each to their core team, the strength of the Krakens would skyrocket. The leader of the Krakens had already given the order to buy out all [Miniaturizing Potions] on sale.

*

“BlueFire, any news?”

“You were right to send me here. There was a hidden room inside the Rat’s Cave. It requires drinking [Miniaturizing Potions] to get in. I had to use the only one I had.”

“What’s inside?” There was a slight tremble in Ogre’s voice.

“A very high-end NPC. Question marks are the only thing I get when I use my observation skills. There are four guards around it. They signal they will attack if I come closer to their aggro zone. I didn’t approach.”

“What do you make of this, BlueFire? What should we do?”

“My suggestion is to up the farming operation here. Double it, at the very least. Triple it if you can. We must come here a lot to get some reputation with these NPCs. Perhaps we have to be friendly with them before we can interact. Or maybe there’s a quest line we didn’t know about.”

“Why not just buy out the stock?” Even as Ogre suggested, he had already sent an order to all his staff to contact their merchants, who stood on guard in the auction houses for such eventualities.

“You can try, but I think we’re too late.”

The frown on Ogre’s forehead and the deep sigh confirmed BlueFire’s prophecy. Before this incident, [Miniaturizing Potions] for sale in auction houses were already as rare as unicorns. Any potions for sale were sold for no less than ninety gold. Ninety gold for a consumable that only lasted thirty minutes was highly overpriced. Ogre had just gotten word that all over the world of AstroTerra, representatives of the Krakens had stormed the auction houses and bought out any [Miniaturizing Potions]. When their spy in the Kraken guild noticed it, it was too late.

“Do you think there’s a quest with this NPC that awards [Power Truffles]? Or is there a secret shop that those NPCs run?”

“If there is such a quest, and the seller got a completion rate of S or above in it…” silence hung in the air as the gears turned in BlueFire’s head, “It isn’t too farfetched that he was awarded two of the prized consumables.” Ogre took a few moments to ponder their next move.

“Those developers… They keep leaving us treasures in areas we have already left behind. I’ll talk to HR and have them start hiring more members. We are stretched too thin. We can’t afford to have a presence across all game levels as we stand right now.

BlueFire, talk to our hunting party there and tell them to be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. They know this map better than any of us. Tell them to think of any quests we might have missed. Then, please go to Greensburg. Stick around until the auction ends. Try to see if anything interesting happens. I will send one of our couriers to give you some extra gold, just in case.”

“Sure thing, boss.” Ogre clicked the red button that ended the call.

Throughout the great guilds of AstroTerra, similar conversations took place, and the influx of players herding toward Greensburg increased. Many guilds were already dreaming of starting a [Power Truffle] production line.

*

As Mel’s golden hawk landed on the central square she had left a few hours earlier, she noticed that it was harder to find a space near the Auction House to land on. She eventually did so and took a moment to study her surroundings. A few faces were familiar, from fights between guilds or disputes over wild bosses.

However, most players crowding around the auction house were solo or regular players who dreamed of getting a [Power Truffle] to bolster their stats. They must have known that it was nigh impossible for them to get it, but there was a buzz of excitement in the air. Probably many had gathered around to watch the show.

Mel looked at the system clock. She had made it with fifteen minutes to spare. She went to take her place inside the auction house and, out of curiosity, checked the auction house for [Miniaturizing Potions]. They were sold out. The record for the highest purchase price of the item had been beaten too. One of the potions had been sold for 135 gold. Kraken had done an excellent job.

As the hours kept ticking, the time for the auction drew closer. Mel mentally reviewed how she would go about bidding. The rules for this auction were: a minimum bid increase of 100 gold, and the item would be sold if there were no new bids for fifteen seconds. It would be a bloodbath.

She checked how much gold she had. The guild had given her 100,000 gold. Good grief. Money was never enough in this game. Even an item one could gain from a level 10 boss could go as high as several thousand gold. She was sure she wouldn’t have to spend all this gold on the [Power Truffles]. It was only worth buying up to a specific price. After that, it was better to invest one’s resources in getting a better skill or a piece of armor that granted equivalent effects.

As the seconds ticked away, the bids began. In seconds, the price for the two truffles immediately skyrocketed to 10,000 gold. The players with more impressive wallets wanted to immediately remove small fish from the equation. All around her, frustrated voices were complaining about capitalism and a guild-ridden game.

After five minutes, the price had reached 18k gold. She bid 19k gold. Someone else countered with 21k gold. They were trying to show her they meant business. By then, only a few players were still participating in the auction. Others were waiting to see what the selling price of the [Power Truffle] would be. After all, it was the first time this item had ever been sold at an auction house.

By looking at the record price, everyone could tell how much it would be sold for. 25k gold, 26k gold, 27.5k gold, 28.3k gold; the bidding slowed down. The increments were being done in the hundreds and not in the thousands. It was time for her to try out her strategy. 35k gold! The bidding stopped. She kept her fingers crossed. She wasn’t willing to spend more than this on this item.

Congratulations! You’ve won the auction. 2x [Power Truffles] were transferred to your inventory!

She tried not to break into the song and made sure she joined the choir around her of exasperated sounds and frustration. She didn’t want anyone to think the Krakens had won this transaction. There were always those who tried to discern the winner from their facial expressions.

She checked the items out and, without hesitation, used one [Power Truffle] on herself and the other on Goldie. Their stats instantly skyrocketed. They now had 20 more strength. More importantly, she unlocked one more stat bonus, strengthening her significantly.

She didn’t leave the auction house, though. She went to the market window and saw what she feared. Another [Power Truffle] was going to be sold in one hour. The seller had made it so that this auction would only start after the previous one had ended.

Many happy grunts were heard around her. Players could still have a chance of gaining the items. Other, more level-headed players had their brows creased, Mel included. It was as she feared. A player has found a way to get their hands on [Power Truffles]. She bit her lips.

How wonderful it would be if she monopolized such a prized item! Someone out there had their life on the fast track to success. With nothing left to do, she started window shopping. As she looked at other items that had just been put on sale, her jaw dropped.

“Kraken!”

“Mel, what’s up? Did you get the truffles?”

“Yes, but that’s not what I’m calling you about. Someone is selling a batch of five [Miniaturizing Potions] in Greensburg?!”

“What? Five?” Mel saw her guild leader bite his fingernails, as he usually did when he was nervous. “What’s the listing price?”

“Open bid. The auction starts in ten minutes. The minimum amount is…” her shoulders sank, “1k gold.”

“Darn it. Someone is out to milk us dry. We have no choice. Go in. Up to 2k gold is fine.”

“OK, boss.”

2k was nowhere near the selling price. Someone ended up buying the item for 3k gold. As soon as the batch had been sold, another batch showed up for sale. This time it was a batch of four [Miniaturizing Potions]. The most frustrating thing was that it, too, had been set for a minimum selling price of 1k gold. This time it was sold for 2.8k gold. Yet another batch. This time, it was a batch of six. Then one of two, and finally, three more potions being sold individually. Then it stopped.

Someone had just sold twenty [Miniaturizing Potions]. This couldn’t be a coincidence. Could this be a stunt being played by one of the guilds? It wasn’t impossible.

One of the guilds finds the secret room. Then, they gather as many [Power Truffles] and [Miniaturizing Potions] as possible. They spread out a rumor and jack up the price. What guild was in dire need of cash? She emailed her suspicions to her guild leader. She then focused. It was time to try to win the other [Power Truffles] for the guild.

*

Among the crowd of players at the auction house were the three friends Walter, Will, and Wesley. (Chapter 11). After they cleared the beginner area, they settled in Greensburg. They had spent the day hunting wolves and had come to check out what the big fuss was about.

“Walter, check out the spear that dude has equipped. You have to get one like that!”

“Guys, if all three of us mortgaged our house, sold our kidneys, traded real money for in-game gold, and offered the spear to Walter, he would still have to play a few decades before he had the stats to equip it,” teased Wesley. Walter’s eyes were unfocused. He must have been in the forums, thought Wesley.

“Will, Wes, I was just checking the forums. One Power Truffle has just been sold for 21k gold.”

“Uuf! That’s a lot of dough.”

“There’s one more for sale. It’s the fifth in a row. Everyone’s going crazy about this. Someone has just become rich overnight.”

“Let’s check it out. We must also put these wolf pelts and wolf meat up for sale.”

They saw some high-end players participating in a shouting contest as they entered the auction house. Ignoring them, they went to the side and sat. All of them opened their trade windows.

“Oh, man. Look at it. It’s a great item. The auction is going to start in twenty minutes. Shall we stick around and see what happens?” Tried Wilson. Wes ignored him.

“I have already put our loot up for sale.” As Wes was good with accounting and had a good head for money, he was in charge of the financials of their characters. They just left it all to him.

“Oh wow! Our drops have already been sold,” announced Wes, happily. “With all these people window shopping, the market is hot today.”

“Sweet!” chimed in Will.

“Good job, Wes!”

“There’s also a bunch of interesting items up for sale.” Wes scrolled down the window and found something that made him give an appreciative whistle. “Guys, do you already have any accessories?”

“I have a tin earring,” said Will.

“I don’t have anything yet,” Walter said.

“There’s someone here selling accessories from the Raven’s Nest dungeon. They are better than nothing and much cheaper than the next best thing. What do you say we buy them to complete our slots?”

“We trust you, Wes. Just go for it.”

Wes selected [Crow Feather Necklaces] and [Crow Feather Earrings] for the group.

Chapter 41

Roth smiled as he triumphantly arrived at the familiar landscape of the Green Woods. His nervous system had been put through the wringer over the last eight hours of running here, but he had made it to the woods on his first try. There was a lot more traffic on the roads leading to Greensburg, which made it easier for him to travel safely. Whenever a scary mob was ahead, Roth followed after higher-level players who cleared it as an afterthought on their way to the city. It would take a few hours for the auction to play out and for him to determine if his plan had worked. He sure hoped it did. After all, the completion rate of these quests depended on it.

As he ran across the prairies and toward the familiarity of the woods, a swooshing noise drew his attention. It was as if a tornado was destroying the trees in the woods. Leaving a trail of destroyed branches and falling leaves, a beautiful golden hawk, as big as a horse, broke the tree canopy and flew north, up the way he’d come from. Was this a ride? It was glorious. The way the feathers glittered and reflected the sunlight was exquisite. Why would such a high-level player be here? Could it be that…? Roth’s face twitched into a crafty smirk. It seemed that his plans were bearing fruit. All he had to do now was wait.

With nothing better to do, Roth decided it was time to tackle the [Cat Burglar] quest. He had pondered for a long time about the meaning of the answers to the riddles that Count Crow had given him. He had GrandpaBill110 to thank for that. Since the riddles spoke of dogs and mice, it was time to visit the only dog he knew. After all, what is the best way to get a cat? Could it just be that simple?

He checked the coordinates of Oscar’s house and ran toward it. Not long after, Roth arrived, crouched, and entered. Oscar was still sleeping, as if it hadn’t moved since the last time Roth’d been here.

“Pssst. Oscar?” whispered Roth. The dog’s ears perked but remained immobile. In a less-than-subtle hint to Roth, it started snoring. It was not going to be that easy, uh? He needed the old bulldog’s help. After all, the best way to find a cat was to ask for a dog’s assistance. He remembered that the first time he was here, Brownie had told him that mice liked dogs because they kept cats away. Perhaps that had been a hint?

He sat by the fire next to Oscar and started thinking—how could he gain favor with Oscar? What did dogs like? Bones? He didn’t have any. Food? He didn’t have any. Play catch? This poor old dog? No. He might even lose reputation if he tried it. There was only one thing that Roth could think of. It was a long shot, but he had no choice.

Roth scooched over toward Oscar and stretched a trembling hand toward its ears. Just before the hand touched Oscar’s perked ears, it stopped in the air for a second and finally made contact. Oscar’s fur stood up, and his ears perked up higher. The muscles in Oscar’s legs tensed, and his tail wagged briskly. Roth tried scratching Oscar behind the ears, and the dog took a deep breath and relaxed its muscles. The dog liked it. Roth patted and scratched the old dog, sighing.

There was something soothing about petting a dog. It was something so simple, but Roth felt that by scratching Oscar, he was somehow comforting his own soul at the same time. Oscar finally spoke up.

“Go back to where you were, pup. A little bit lower.”

For too long, Oscar has had an itch he cannot scratch. By assisting him, you gain his gratitude.

+6 reputation with all dogs.

Roth smiled. Sometimes the game was exceedingly complex, and sometimes it was straightforward. Who would have considered petting or scratching an anthropomorphized dog behind its ears? The thought had only come to Roth after seeing Oscar lying down like a plain old elderly dog. He sat by the fire, massaging the old dog, and waited.

Even though Roth didn’t need to sleep while playing the game, he closed his eyes. It felt good to stop for a moment and enjoy the crackling of the fire, smell the burned perfume of the ashen wood, and comfort someone else who was aching. Roth lost track of time and ignored the gains in reputation signaled by the occasional notification rings.

His zen moment was broken when he got several notifications all at once. What had just happened?

2x [Power Truffles] have been sold in Greensburg Auction House for 35.000 gold. The money has been directly transferred to your inventory.

You have unlocked a new title, [Person of Means].

[Person of Means] has upgraded to [Deep Pockets].

[Deep Pockets] has upgraded to [Richling].

Your talent for business impresses old Oscar and his fellow brokers.

+34 reputation with all dogs.

“35k gold?” exclaimed Roth with widened eyes. He stood up so violently that he hit his head on the roof. Oscar, for the first time, opened one of his eyes and, giving Roth an annoyed look, closed it again. Roth had expected the truffles to sell well but never expected to make this much money. The most amount of money that Roth had owned was four silvers. He opened his inventory and couldn’t keep his eyes off the five-digit figure that now graced his window.

He went to look at what his new tile did.

Richling (Uncommon)

Title description: You have proven to be a thrifty individual who makes sound investments. The scent of gold lingers in you, making people respect you more.

Title effects:

Grants +3 charisma;

You pay 0.3% less taxes over any real estate or shop.

Conditions to unlock [Richling]:

Complete a transaction valued at 10,000 gold {complete}

The memory of the recent blow to the head cooled Roth’s excitement. He sat back down, and this time he didn’t take his eyes off the notifications. It was time to let the show begin. A few minutes later, the [Miniaturizing Potions] started being sold off. “Thank you, Hawk Lady” whispered Roth contentedly. Then, a few of the raven’s bijou started being sold, as well as the [Badger’s Great Claws] and the [Fox Ginsengs]. Roth knew these other items were fairly common, but he had hoped that with the commotion he would cause, players who couldn’t participate in the auction would vent their frustration by making minor purchases. He had listed them at a slightly over-the-market price, and even so, they were selling.

Roth sighed and started dreaming of all the rewards he could gain from completing his quest. As for becoming friends with the dogs, he gained some reputation when a purchase was particularly lucrative. Roth wondered what would have merited more rewards regarding Oscar’s reputation. Was it to sell it all at once? Or to sell it in parcels like he did? Anyway, it wasn’t long before he got the notification he was waiting for.

Oscar is impressed by your business sense. +8 reputation with all dogs.

You are now friendly with all dogs.

Roth waited a bit longer. He didn’t get any titles or prompts about learning the language of dogs. He frowned while drumming his fingers. His scratching became harder as he got lost in his thoughts, but Oscar grunted contentedly. He thought he gained a title every time he befriended a race. It seems this wasn’t the case. He would have to do further experiments down the road, but if he had to become esteemed, for example, to gain a title and make it easier to learn a language, he was in for a world of hard work.

“Oscar?”

“Hmmm…” Finally, he acknowledged Roth’s existence. “Have you heard of Oli, the cat burglar?” Oscar’s eyes immediately opened, and he snarled, showing his teeth. “What has that troublemaker done this time?”

“So you know him?”

“Of course I do.” Mentioning a cat had resurrected Oscar’s vigor, and he seemed ten years younger. He passionately stood up as if ready to get into a fight and then, feeling the acute pain in his hips, laid back down.

“Cats are always taking advantage of the hard work of others. Always looking so pompous, elegant, and fashionable. Humph. They have never done one day of work in their lives. All they do is steal,” he continued as if an old dog instructing a puppy.

“As a broker, you have to protect your investments. No one wants to do business with someone who can’t keep watch over the goods. That’s why we dogs are the finest brokers there are. No one can steal from us on our watch.” Roth hadn’t expected such a passionate reaction from Oscar. He decided to fan the flames a bit.

“You see, Oscar, unfortunately, when I visited the different races in the woods and tried to start doing business with them…” Roth trailed off as if afraid of saying what he was about to do next.

“Yes, go on.”

“Well, they all said that they had been robbed.”

“Human! How could you? I have been cultivating these contracts with these customers for years. And as soon as I give you some of the business, they just get robbed? What will they think of me? What will they think of all dogs?”

Oscar is dissatisfied with your neglect of your duties as a merchant.

-50 reputation with all dogs.

You are now neutral toward all dogs.

“You see, sir… The robberies happened a while ago… before I became a broker.” The dog froze. The implications sank in. The robberies had happened under his watch, under his nose. “But sir, these robberies haven’t been to any of the goods you have traded with them; you couldn’t have known…”

Oscar accepts he was wrong.

+50 reputation with all dogs.

You are now friendly with all dogs.

“No, no! An unsafe environment is not good for business.” The dog buried his wrinkled face inside its folds and started whimpering. “Even if it was a crime of goods unrelated to me, this is my turf. I should have at least known about it. This only confirms what I had feared. The rulers think that I am what I have indeed become. I am just an old, useless dog.” Roth regretted messing around with old Oscar. He never expected that he would hurt the old dog’s feelings. He went about scratching its ears again.

“There, there. It’s fine, sir. You couldn’t have known. We can still make this right. I know the cat is somewhere in the southeast corner of the woods. We can confront it and retrieve the items. That way, your reputation will be restored. What do you say?” Oscar lifted his head and shook it, scattering snot and drool everywhere. The fire flashed as the wet shower hit it.

“OK, pup. Let’s do it. I’ll tell you what I know about cats. It’ll also be good for you as a broker in the future. No respectable broker goes around without knowing how to catch a cat.”

“So, how do you go about catching a cat?”

“Cats are creatures of habit. You have to exploit their routine. Here. Have this.”

Oscar has traded you [Weaponized Catnip].

“You can lure it out with this and set up a trap.”

You pulled old Oscar out of his misery. +1 charisma

[Cat Burglar] updated.

Quest description: After collecting different hints from all the races in the woods, you finally finish gathering up the clues for retrieving the goods Oli stole. Use the item Oscar gave you and set up a trap to catch Oli.

Quest objectives: Find Oli and return what he stole to its proper owners.

Quest rewards: Unknown.

“Thank you, Oscar. I won’t fail you.”

“I know, pup. I now need to rest. Godspeed.”

Chapter 42

Roth left Oscar’s house near midnight. Capturing Oli would take planning and patience. The latter was something he had very little of right now. Not until he got the rewards for his hard labor. It was time to turn in all his quests and see what rewards he would receive.

First, he ran toward the old oak tree in badger territory. He had made a mental note to come back here and try to gain more intelligence from hearing the badgers recite poetry, but he had been so caught up in boar territory that he’d never come back.

Zigzagging around trees, over roots, and under branches, he made it to the oak tree. This time, it wasn’t necessary to give the password; he could already see that the tree was hollow and several badgers were in attendance.

Roth entered the tree and greeted all the badgers. “Bark, purr.” They answered similarly. Roth sat, anxiously moving around in his seat, like a small child waiting for a promised wrapped gift. He couldn’t wait to see what the rewards were.

As other badgers arrived, the clock struck midnight, and the council began again.

“I declare this council meeting open.” Tonight the one hosting the meeting was Brawny, the field boss. It seemed as if they took turns every day. Was it weird that badgers seemed to be organized like a condominium meeting?

“First order of business,” Roth started to get up with a smile from ear to ear. This was his moment of glory, “We had quite a huge discussion about that verse last night, didn’t we?” Roth sank back down. He’d forgotten about how obsessed these guys were with poetry.

“Let’s take a vote about how the verse should be, from now on, ‘Smelly human whose feet stink’ or ‘stinky feet of the smelly human?’ raise your paws if you’re in favor of the first one. Badgrette, please take a headcount. OK! From now on, the verse will be ‘Smelly human whose feet stink.’ Thank you all.”

Roth moved uncomfortably in his seat, resisting the urge to see if his feet were smelling. They couldn’t have written a derogatory poem about him, could they?

“Tonight, we are graced with the presence of our dear friend, Pax. How did your trip to the city go, friend?”

“It was a huge success. The claws all sold out very quickly.”

24.56 gold has been removed from your inventory.

Had he just been pickpocketed?

Quest Completed

Completion Rate: A

Rewards: 10,000(+1000)XP; 10,000(+1000) Broker XP; [Badger Trade Agreement]

Bonus Rewards: 8.000(+800)XP; 8.000(+800) XP Profession XP; 1x[Badger Great Claw]; +50 reputation with all badgers

[Broker Ledger] updated.

[Broker Profession Level up!]

[Broker Profession Level up!]

[Broker Profession Level up!]

[Broker Profession Level up!]

[Broker Profession Level up!]

[Broker Profession Level up!]

You unlocked a new profession-related skill [Porter]

[Broker Ledger] updated.

Congratulations on completing a trade between [Council of Badgers] and [Greensburg]

+Broker 1300XP; 1% of the profit. (4 silver, 56 copper), +34 reputation with all badgers.

“Well done, Martyr! This is good profit. We trust that you will keep representing us well. Now, today we have an interesting challenge. We can only recite poems that speak of mushrooms. Who would like to start? Badgerette? Please, go for it.”

As Badgerette recited a surprisingly beautiful poem about mushrooms, Roth searched the notifications again. The experience was great. He hadn’t leveled up in ages. The [Overachiever] title and the 10% increase in the rewards he gained were proving its worth! It all added up. He wasn’t sure if he should be happy or mad about the rest of the rewards.

As a broker, his cut seemed to be 1% of the profit, not the gross sale. This made a massive difference in how much he made with each transaction. Since the system had estimated the market price of the claws to be one gold, and he had sold each for a few silver more, he got 1% of the 4.56 gold profit he generated. That was 4 silver and 56 copper.

Although this was no small sum for a beginner, Roth was slightly disappointed. They had just taken 24 gold out of his inventory and given him only silver in return. Oh well… perhaps, as his profession leveled up, he would gain a more significant cut of each transaction.

He looked in his inventory for the Badger Trade Agreement and found nothing. Where was it? Was it not an item? After rereading the notifications, he checked his [Broker Ledger]. Sure enough, the trade agreement was there. As he opened the book, he saw that the ‘transactions’ section now recorded his first completed trade run for the badgers.

20x[Badger Great Claw] for 24.56 gold.

Profit Generated: 4.56 gold

Commission: 1%. 4.56 silver

The skills section was also updated:

Porter [Common]

Skill description: After completing long travels, you have discovered running techniques that allow you to carry more weight and run faster.

Skill effects: Passive; +10 Kg carrying capacity; +10% traveling speed when outside combat for over one hour.

With the extra 10% running speed, Roth now had the same running speed as when traveling on the road to Greensburg. Nothing was worse than feeling that you were running at a snail’s pace after gaining a taste for faster traveling. With the 10 Kg carrying bonus added to the [Gallop] bonus, he could now carry 30% more weight. That, coupled with his strength, now allowed him to carry over 60 kg.

What Roth wanted to know, though, was what this trade agreement meant. He continued reviewing the book and found a new section entitled ‘Trade Agreements.’

Badger Trade Agreement {Exclusive}

You have earned the right to represent the Council of Badgers as their broker.

Specialty products:

[Acorn] - 10 per day

[Elder Berries] - 10 per day

[Badger Claw] - 2 per day

[Badger Great Claw] - 1 per day

Procured goods:

[Empty]

Rate:

You keep 1% of all profits generated

You need to perform one sale every week, or you will lose broking exclusivity

Finally, Roth had a good grasp of how the broker profession worked. He had to befriend races and find out what products they had for sale and what they needed. Then, one had to have a trade route that had to be completed within a specific deadline; otherwise, the trade route could then be disputed by someone else, reducing his profits. At the same time, if one had an optimal route, this was a fantastic way of gaining a steady source of income.

They also gave him a [Great Badger Claw] as a reward. He wondered if his charisma stat or his [Overachiever] title had anything to do with him getting the item. This claw was worth one gold. That was no small amount. He smiled. The quest had been worth it. This would be better used as a guild item, but Roth had no plan to start a guild now. Just thinking about it gave him butterflies in his stomach. Memories of what happened with IronIre were just too painful. He didn’t want to set himself up to fail anyone again.

He would hold on to it for now unless he desperately needed cash. He still had more quests to turn in, which should fatten his wallet.

Roth stood up to leave, warranting a collective glare of all badgers. Brawny seemed slightly annoyed as he asked Roth, “Martyr, you’re not going to leave a Council in the middle of it, will you?”

Roth froze in his tracks… It seemed that leaving a council mid-session would greatly offend the badgers. On the one hand, he wanted to claim his other rewards, but on the other, he didn’t want to lose any of his hard-earned reputation points.

“Of course not. I was going to move seats and go even closer to the center to appreciate the poetry even more.”

The badgers relaxed, and one even patted him on his back. Roth resignedly marched toward the front row and tried not to get annoyed. He would try to make the best of it. Their poetry was beautiful, after all. He brought the attention back to the poem that Badgerette was reciting.

… Mushroom is the Elf of Plants -

At Evening, it is not

At Morning, in a Truffled Hut

It stop opon a Spot

As if it tarried always

And yet it’s whole Career

Is shorter than a Snake’s Delay -

And fleeter than a Tare -

‘Tis Vegetation’s Juggler -

The Germ of Alibi -

Doth like a Bubble antedate

And like a Bubble, hie -

I feel as if the Grass was pleased

To have it intermit -

This surreptitious Scion

Of Summer’s circumspect.

Had Nature any supple Face

Or could she one contemn -

Had Nature an Apostate -

That Mushroom - it is Him!”

Roth clapped. That was a beautiful one. Roth didn’t take long to get into the mood and sit back and enjoy himself. As the evening went on, Roth was happy to gain one intelligence off appreciating the badger’s poetry. He should come here regularly to try to keep gaining more stats. It was also strangely relaxing.

As the dawn broke, all badgers started leaving the tree’s hollow. Roth pulled up his map to check distances and decide his next stop. He zoomed in on his area and noticed something unusual. It showed where he could harvest mushrooms. They were all clearly marked on the map! But how? He didn’t have the herbalist profession and had never harvested mushrooms.

Could it be because of the Council of Badgers? How could he have been so stupid? It wasn’t an accessible location to find. It was feasible that the benefits included more than simply gaining a few stats. Within the poetry, there was valuable information. Hadn’t it been here where he had heard ‘The Burglar’ poem from Brawny? What else could one learn here? Roth set an alarm daily at 10 pm to remind him to come to the [Council of Badgers] every night. Who knew? There might be some clues here to other hidden quests.

With his faith in his excellent luck renewed, Roth lollygagged toward the next nearest faction ruler, Count Crow. He entered the dungeon, quickly found the hidden office, and this time took care to let his eyes get used to the ridiculous brightness of the space before he went in. Like usual, the Count stood still, waiting for Roth to be the first one to speak.

“Greetings, count. I bring you good news. The trade was successful, and your bijou was a major hit in the city.”

“That’s good news, Martyr. Uuuh. Look at all this shiny gold! We did well to procure your assistance. Thank you.”

30.34 gold has been removed from your inventory.

He was starting to hate this part…

Quest Completed

Completion Rate: A-

Rewards: 15,000(+1500)XP; 15,000(+1500) Broker XP; [Corvid Trade Agreement]

Bonus Rewards: 9000(+900)XP; 9000(+900) Broker XP; 1x[Crow Feather Tiara]; 2x[Crow Feather Earring]; 1x[Crow Feather Necklace]; +50 reputation with all ravens.

[Broker Ledger] updated.

[Broker Profession Level up!]

[Level up!]

Congratulations on completing a trade between [Count Crow] and [Greensburg]

Broker 1500XP; 1% of the profit. (2 silver, 84 copper), +29 reputation with all corvids.

This time, the results were more disappointing. After all, even though he had created a buzz around the auction house in Greensburg, thus increasing sales and purchases for the day, it had only slightly inflated the prices of the raven bijou. It wasn’t a problem, though. He still closed the deal and had turned a profit, albeit a smaller one.

What had Roth the most excited was all the sweet gear he had just been given. It had been killing him to have so many accessories in his inventory and be unable to put them on. He equipped it all at once. He felt dashing and heroic. He resembled a mix of a Mayan priest conducting a funeral and a hobo child playing superhero. He giddily inspected his stats.

Chapter 43

CHARACTER INFORMATION

Name: Pax

Race: Human

Profession(s): [Broker]

Level: 9 (9.250/100,000)

Affinity: [Empty]

Alignment: Neutral (90/100)

Relationships: Dogs (102/300); Boars (405/1000); Corvids (656/1000); Badgers (643/1000); Foxes (614/1000); Ratans (1125/3000); Greenleaf Inc. (100/300)

Titles: [Martyr]; [Marathonist]; [Friend of Ratans]; [Overachiever]; [Revered]; [Art Enthusiast]; [Friend of Foxes]; [Friend of Badgers]; [Friend of Corvids]; [Friend of Boars]; [Polyglot]; [Richling]

STATS (45 Free Stat Points)

Hp:121

Energy:128

Damage Reduction: 31.6%

Running Speed: 144.2%

Weight: [Light] - (0/52,65)

Strength: 21

Dexterity: 18

Intelligence: 23 (+1%)

Wisdom: 20

Endurance: 223

Charisma: 21

EQUIPMENT

Right Hand:[Empty]

Left hand: [Tin Ring]

Shoes: [Crappy Shoes]

Bottom: [Moldy Trousers]

Top: [Horrible Vest]

Gloves: [Empty]

Head: [Crow Feather Tiara]

Cape: [Errand Cloak]

Accessories: [Crow Feather Earring]; [Crow Feather Earring]; [Crow Feather Necklace]

SKILLS:

Stat Bonuses: [Stone Skin]; [Horse’s Gallop]

Profession Related: [Discount]; [Porter]

Passive: [Empty]

Active: [Healing Ray]; [Shepherd’s Shout]; [Taunting Shout]; [Grapple]

Roth felt his heart racing and his breaths flooded oxygen into his lungs. It felt great to see one’s avatar making some progress. Now that he was on a dopamine high, he didn’t want to stop. It was time to go turn in the other quests. He left the two best for last to end things on a high.

The one he had done the worst with had been the fox trade agreement. The fox ginseng wasn’t an altogether uncommon item, and he hadn’t been able to turn in a lot of profit. He hoped it would be enough to secure the deal.

As he made it through the usual crowd of noobs, Roth slowed his pace, puffed up his chest, put on a smug face, and slowly walked toward the tablet. Others were pointing fingers at him and whispering to each other. Roth rejoiced at the feeling of being appreciated. He knew it was something shallow, but he had put on some new gear, after all. There was nothing wrong in showing it off just a little. Look at that. Even those girls couldn’t stop throwing looks at him. He waved at them and saw them blush. It was a good feeling, thought Roth as he entered the dungeon.

*

“What’s wrong with him?” A girl in beginner clothes with a mace in her hands said, pointing at Roth.

“What a terrible sense of fashion. Aren’t those accessories you can get in Raven’s Nests?”

“What a lucky guy. He got the whole set?”

“Do you think he got that gear from hunting?” chastised the tallest of the three. “He is probably rich and has purchased it with real-life money.”

“What I don’t get is why would someone with money have the best accessories you can get below level 15 and still have the rest of the gear look so crappy. He must be a five-year-old.”

“How can he be a five-year-old, you stupid? Don’t you see his size? You can’t fake your size too much in the game.” Seeing that the girls were looking at him, the player in ragged clothes, cape, and feathery outfit, waved at them smiling. The girls all felt blood rush to their heads and their cheeks burning. As Roth disappeared, they gathered and discussed in hushed angry tones. “What do we do?”

“Goodness. What an embarrassment. Other people will think we’re friends with that idiot!”

*

Now inside the cave, Roth howled a greeting to everyone. He got a choir of howls in return. Today everything was turning up Roth. He went to the chamber that led to the baroness and asked for permission to enter. As he waltzed in, he saw the baroness still busily scribbling away at documents and papers. He wondered if she kept working when he wasn’t looking. Did her work accomplish something for the foxes? How did she send letters? Roth was pulled out of his thoughts by another robbery.

The Baroness has reclaimed 5 gold and 5 silver from your inventory

Quest Completed

Completion Rate: B+

Rewards: 12,500(+1250)XP; 12.500(+1250) Broker XP; [Fox Trade Agreement]

Bonus Rewards: 5000(+500)XP; 5000(+500)XP; 3x[Fox Ginseng]

[Broker Ledger] updated.

Congratulations on completing a trade between [Fox Baroness] and [Greensburg]

Broker 1250XP; 1% of the profit (1 silver), +20 reputation with all foxes.

Roth sighed in relief. He had known that it was unlikely that he would get even an A for this quest. It was the first time he was getting anything below A. Although he hadn’t obtained a better profit margin, he still had secured some profit and had been judged capable of representing the foxes in commerce. That was all he needed to know. He checked the trade agreements he had just secured in his ledger.

Fox Trade Agreement {Exclusive}

You have earned the right to represent the Fox Baroness as her broker.

Specialty products:

[Fox Ginseng] - 3 per day

[Wild Garlic] - 10 per day

[Wild Onion] - 15 per day

Procured goods:

[Empty]

Rate:

You keep 1% of all profits generated

You need to perform one sale every week, or you will lose broker exclusivity

Something told Roth that all the boosts he had to carry extra weight would be useful soon. There was going to be a lot to transport back and forth.

“Thank you very much, Baroness.”

“You’re welcome, human. I look forward to your next visit.” As she performed a very subtle bow, her mind returned to what she was writing. She dipped a feather in an ink pot and, content with how its edge was wet enough, went back to writing. As Roth looked at the feather and the pile of documents, his eyes widened; he paused for a few seconds and then probed the baroness.

“Excuse me, Baroness, do you use many of those?” he gestured toward the pen.

“Oh yes. I go through them quite quickly.”

“I ask because I have been in touch with the ravens. I know you are friends with Count Crow. Have you considered trading some of your goods for the raven’s feathers?”

“Hmmm… Count Crow gives me a few of his when I ask, but I know some foxes within these dens would appreciate them. If not to write, perhaps to stuff pillows.”

“Would you… like me to help you get more raven feathers?”

“That would be alright. Yes. I like the idea. Let me know the details once you’ve ironed them out for us, OK?”

An item has been added to the Fox Trade Agreement procured items list.

Roth was careful this time not to break into dance until after he had left the cave. The last time he did so, it cost him some reputation points with the foxes. He used some of his legendary dance steps as soon as he came into the light of day. I must look so cool doing this, he thought. Especially now that I have these cool new accessories. Hearing a sharp shrilling scream behind him, he was startled and frightened. Three girls right behind him were running off in a panic. What was wrong with those three?

*

“What an idiot!”

“Yeah. Did you see how ridiculous he looked while dancing like that?”

“Uuuh. I think he got the impression we like him or something.”

“Whatever, let’s go to the Rat Cave instead. We aren’t level 6 yet, so we can still get some drops from the mobs there. We’ll go back to the Fox Tunnels later.”

*

Roth’s mind went back to the feature he had just discovered. He could offer products to factions! If he could sell items they produced, why couldn’t he sell them items other factions produced too? This opened a whole new world of possibilities.

Maybe he didn’t even have to leave these woods to get some experience as a broker. After all, hadn’t old Oscar been able to do business while not leaving? Roth hesitated. Perhaps, before he did this, he would just run it by Oscar first. He didn’t want to encroach on his turf. He’d been so defensive of it when he had mentioned the presence of Oli, the cat burglar. After putting his thoughts in order and assessing his gains, Roth sprinted toward the Rat Cave. He had left the two most valuable quests for last. He couldn’t wait to see what rewards he would get from these two.

Roth felt a tingling sensation in his chest and a relaxation on his neck, as if he was coming home after a long day at work. For some reason, he felt a special attachment to the little creatures found amongst the list of weakest mobs in the game. They were unpretentious, humble, and good-natured. He found himself chuckling and smiling every time he was with them. They were also the faction that first showed him how to develop his character.

He once again gloriously marched in front of the rat cave. He was caught by surprise seeing the three girls he had seen earlier at the Fox Tunnels run away again. Were they chasing after him or something? They must have been so dazzled by his cool accessories that they came to take a closer look, but when they got within talking distance, they must have gotten cold feet and ran away. What a fun group they were.

Roth ignored the many dismissive looks around him and entered the dungeon. He was home. He strolled through the tunnel, carefully sharing a quip or joke with any group of mice he bumped into.

“What do you call a ratan shroud in an enigma?”

“I don’t know! What do you call ‘em?”

“Anonymouse.” The mice began laughing.

“Human, we have one for you. What do you call the leader of the mice army? A great st-rat-agist.” Roth chuckled.

Farther into the tunnels, one ratan took the initiative to approach him. “Martyr, it’s been long since we last saw you. My little pup picked this up for you. Please have it.”

You have been given 1x[Glowshroom].

Roth stared incredulously at the offer. A tear rolled down his cheek. Receiving a spontaneous gift was different from being given a reward after you had worked for someone. When was the last time someone had given him anything, not because they feared him, but because they liked him?

The more he thought about it, the more it touched his heart. He broke down crying. He knew this was a computer game. It wasn’t real, but it sure felt like it was. The rat in front of him leaned his head to a side and then to the other, and then, surprisingly, came and patted Roth’s foot as if it was comforting a child. Roth just kept crying.

He missed his mom. It had been one month, but even with these rewards, he wasn’t anywhere near the top 10. He wondered if he was ever coming out. Some part of Roth’s mind asked him why he was crying at the happiest of times when he was about to collect rewards from a quest. The other part of him that was crying screamed in frustration that it did not want any more ones and zeros. It just wanted to be out.

Another two or three rats came nearer and patted him on his back until Roth had calmed down. He wiped the tears off his face. What had gotten into him? He took a few deep breaths and tried to relax. This tiny mushroom had opened up the dams of his heart, and all his emotions came pouring out of him.

Trying to dispel the gloomy cloud that had abated over him, Roth checked his stats and confirmed that ratans were the only faction with which he had the revered status. Being gifted small items such as this must have been a part of the perks granted to anyone unlocking this relationship status with someone. He held the mushroom close to his chest and, turning to the rat, said in a broken voice.

“Thank you, my friend. Please thank your little pup for me, too, OK?”

Roth picked himself back up. He couldn’t let the sadness get the better of him. His path was dark, but not without a light at the end of the tunnel. He had work to do. He had to get out of there and get his life back.

Chapter 44

As Roth arrived at the chamber that led into the throneroom, he asked one of the nearby ratans for help to get tinier so he could go through. One of them took a potion from its pockets and threw it to Roth as if it were a piece of trash. Roth wondered if sometime in the future, instead of being given [Glowshrooms], he would be given [Miniaturizing Potions] by random rats when he came around for a visit.

*

“Your majesty, it is good to see you.”

“Martyr, it is you. Having you help us with trade seems to have been a good decision. After all, we’ve been getting many human visitors to the throne room. The boys over there are in a competition to see who can look the scariest to the newcomers. Athos is currently winning.”

Roth waved a greeting at Athos, who blinked an eye at him. The other mouseketeers pretended they couldn’t hear their king. All mouseketeers had warmed up to Roth, especially since he had squeezed all the overflowing enthusiasm for rodent tapestries out of Aramis.

The king continued, “And look at that; you did quite well with the trade. I wasn’t expecting our potions to sell for such a high price in the city!”

4553 gold has been removed from your inventory.

[Rodent Trade] quest completed

Completion Rate: S++

Rewards: 10,000(+1000)XP; 10,000(+1000) Broker XP; [Ratan Trade Agreement]

Bonus Rewards: 20,000(+2000)XP; 20,000(+2000) Broker XP; [Miniaturize] Skill Card; +200 reputation with all ratans

[Broker Ledger] updated.

[Broker Profession Level up!]

[Level Up!]

Congratulations on completing a trade between [Rat King] and [Greensburg]

+Broker 2000XP; 2% of the profit. (51 gold, 6 silver), +123 reputation with all ratans.

Roth gasped at the outpour of notifications. Then, a shaky smile widened as he looked at each of them in detail. What a fantastic bounty. The Rat King smirked at the befuddlement on Roth’s face.

“Your majesty, I think you might have made a mistake. It says you’re giving me 2% of the profit. Shouldn’t it be 1%?”

“Word of advice, furless friend, as a broker, take what you can get. You should try to convince your customers to give you a bigger cut, not to take it out of you. It’s only natural that we give you 2%. After all, you and us go a long way back. My subjects would come all here and shout in protest if they knew I had mistreated you.”

Roth’s eyes watered at the display of generosity. He was rich! He was freaking rich! He went on to examine each of the rewards more carefully.

Ratan Trade Agreement {Exclusive}

You have earned the right to represent the Rat King as his broker.

Specialty products:

[Miniaturizing Potion] - 2 per day

[Glowshrooms] - 10 per day

[Morelshroom] - 5 per day

[Pine cones] - 30 per day

Procured goods:

[Empty]

Rate:

You keep 2% of all profits generated

You need to perform one sale every week, or you will lose broking exclusivity

Just like the king had said, it seemed that other than progressing in his profession as a broker, a different way of increasing his cut was by deepening his relationship with his customers. That went in line with how salesmanship worked.

The most valuable reward, however, seemed to be the skill card the king gave him.

Miniaturize (Epic)

Skill Description: Your mutated cells have learned how to squeeze and help you to become smaller for short periods.

Skill Effects: It shrinks you to one-tenth of your usual size. Useful to enter small places. The effect expires after 30 minutes.

This was his first time seeing a skill card. All skills he had learned had been from a trainer or from performing the same task repeatedly. Other games kept skills in books, but in AstroTerra, they made it into skill cards. Some players even collected these for fun.

There was a mini-game that could be played in a particular building inside cities where these cards could be used. Roth would like to try it sometime. He had enjoyed playing card games as a kid. He felt a flush creeping across his cheeks at the memory of him beating a neighbor kid because he had a card he wanted.

Roth took the card from his inventory.

Would you like to learn [Miniaturize]? You can’t undo your actions once you proceed. [Y/N]

The card turned to ashes as a flash of purple light shone over Roth. What a treasure! Whereas others would have to drink a 100 gold consumable, he could just activate this skill at will. After some thought, he realized that this skill was kind of useless to him. Couldn’t he just come here and get a sip of [Miniaturizing Potion] whenever he wanted? Oh well. The game rated it an epic skill, so it had to be worth something.

“Thank you for such generous rewards, your majesty.” The king waved him off. With the trade quest out of the way, Roth’s thoughts turned toward Oli. One of the riddles of Count Crow had hinted at talking to the ratans. Roth decided to try his luck.

“Your majesty, I uncovered some clues as to the identity of the thief who took your tapestries.” The temperature dropped in the room, and silence became oppressive. It felt like the room’s emptiness had gained a life of its own, and Ratattoile’s gaze hardened.

“Who?” The words echoed in the chamber, and Roth could swear that the question had caused the whole cave to tremor.

“Oli, the cat burglar.” It became hard to breathe. Roth had thought of procuring Oscar’s help, but he hadn’t remembered that ratans and cats must have had bad blood between them.

“So it was that old nasty hairball vomiter. I knew it. I knew it!”

“Your majesty, I know your people have a long history with cats. It seems to be a formidable foe. Oscar has given me this [Concentrated Catnip] solution, but I haven’t yet thought of a way of trapping the cat so that I can retrieve your goods. Can you help me?”

“As you can imagine, my people have waged many battles against the cats, resulting in many casualties. I have made an agreement with them which has warranted us peace for a long time. I’m afraid I can’t intervene directly in your mission. It could have great repercussions. After all, Oli is a member of the cat nobility. That being said… I suppose it wouldn’t hurt for me to point you in the right direction.”

The Rat King wants to trade you [Mouse Trap].

Roth checked the item.

Mouse Trap (Quest Item)

Item description: A trap that ratan engineers built. It’s been designed to catch cats. The metal bars and sturdy wood make it a fear-inspiring contraption.

Item effects: Can trap cats for a short while. Item effectiveness depends on the cat’s level.

Roth’s eyes sparkled as he read through the item’s description. Now, he could finally go and try to catch Oli.

“Your majesty, this is precisely what I need to keep Oli occupied while I retrieve everything he stole.”

“Of course, martyr. We’re just glad that we can help. Fortunately, you just had a good business trip; otherwise, you couldn’t afford this.”

“You say what? I thought that…”

“We usually sell these traps for 60 gold, but for a friend of the rats such as yourself, I think I can do it for 50.” The king regarded him curiously.Roth took a deep breath and put his game face on.

“Your majesty, your engineers are indeed skillful, and the trap is exquisite but 50 gold… That might be a bit too much. What do you say we leave it at 40 gold?

“My furless friend, the items required to fabricate a trap capable of holding cats are no small matter. I would gladly give it to you for free, but how can I explain it to my engineers? The best I can do for you is 49 golden and 50 silver.” Seeing that he had brought the price down, Roth’s brows perked up, and he pressed on, reinvigorated by the prospect of saving some gold coins.

“Your majesty, you are brilliant, intelligent, and charming, not to speak of your beautiful whiskers. The engineers would be glad even if they took a loss doing this service to your majesty. Not to mention that we will be dealing a severe blow to the cats that stole your tapestries; what do you say we do 42 gold?”

“I’m afraid that’s impossible, my friend, let’s say 48.

“43.”

“47?”

“44.”

“46? I can’t go lower than that.

“At least 45, your majesty.”

“That’s too low.”

“Someone with your capability surely can do it, your majesty.”

“All right, let’s do 45.”

You’ve successfully haggled a price with a monarch and prevailed. +1 charisma.

“Majesty, I will come back soon to you. I have a few more errands to run, but I look forward to seeing you all again.”

“Don’t mention it, Martyr.”

With a lightness on his step and a smug face, Roth left the throne room feeling like a true businessman. In his culture, haggling wasn’t a thing, but it was an important skill for a gamer. Successfully negotiating the price was exhilarating. Now that he had all four trade agreements in his ledger, there was only one place left for Roth to go.

He had pinned the coordinates in the map and headed toward the clearing where he had first met Prince Piglet. He saw a battle ahead as he took a path through badger territory. A group of players was surrounding a Brawny Badger wild boss. They had just started fighting it. Although Brawny Badgers were not as nearly disputed as Boar Kings, they were still a prized target that dropped enticing equipment and even a skill or two.

The familiar figure he had heard reciting poetry in his bass voice was unrecognizable. Its teeth were pulled back into a gnarl, its whole fur standing up and its claws drawn out. Its kekkering and gnarls shook the forest, making leaves rain from the trees up above. A group of ten players surrounded it and attacked it from all sides.

Roth felt his heart race and his palms sweat. His muscles tensed up. But, for the first time since he entered the game, Roth didn’t jump into the fray. He just stood there, frozen and unable to move. Maybe it was because of having been through this so many times. Maybe it was because of how aggressive and different Brawny looked from his usual peaceful self. He couldn’t put a finger on it. He couldn’t move. Then, his foot took one step forward and then another step, and he was running. The sounds of battle became fainter as he ran away.

Chapter 45

“Hello! Is there anybody there?” Roth’s call broke the peaceful rustle of leaves. “Hello?”

Roth kept walking toward the center of the deserted clearing.

“Oh, human! You’re back?” The hulking axe-carrying prince appeared as if he’d been teleported in from somewhere. Did this prince have some sort of camouflage skill?

“Hello, prince. It’s good to see you.”

“Ahaha. Likewise, likewise. Uuuuh. What do we have here?”

86,000 gold has been taken away from your inventory.

[Boar Trade] quest completed

Completion Rate: A

Rewards: 20,000(+2000)XP; 20,000(+2000) Broker XP; [Boar Trade Agreement]

Bonus Rewards: 15,000(+1500)XP; 15,000(+1500) Broker XP; [Power Truffle]; +100 reputation with all boars

[Broker Ledger] updated.

Level up!

Broker Profession Level up!

New broker skill unlocked!

Congratulations on completing a trade between [Prince Piglet] and [Greensburg]

+Broker 3000XP; 1% of the profit (90 gold), +89 reputation with all boars.

Roth took the truffle out his inventory and held it in his trembling hand. This was incredible! He owned a [Power Truffle].

On the one hand, this was a priceless item. He had sold these for more than 17k gold. If he sold one of these and kept the whole profit, he was set for the next levels in the game. He was rich.

On the other hand, if the item was this expensive, it had to be because it was highly beneficial to a character to eat it. He took a deep breath. He closed his eyes tightly and put the truffle in his mouth. As he chewed on the spongy mushroom, he felt the gamy, earthy flavors flood his mouth. He swallowed it.

The vitality of the rare truffle flows into your blood and strengthens your vessels and organs. +10 strength.

What a refreshing day. After so much time having these unfinished quests on his window, everything looked tidy and complete. First, Roth went to check his new broker skill. He had already reached level 10 as a broker, and this would be his third broker skill!

Suppliers’ Fortune (Broker)

Skill description: NPCs treasure the business relationship you have cultivated with them.

Skill effects: Passive. NPCs pay you 1% more when purchasing goods from you. Percentage affected by reputation, charisma, and wisdom.

It was a skill that increased his gains from trading with NPCs. He had made his first fortune from selling his items to players. However, it seemed that the more he cozied up to NPCs, the more profitable it would be to trade with them.

This meant that Roth would have to not only cultivate supply channels but also find customers to sell these goods to. The advantage of doing so would only grow more significant as he deepened the relationship with the factions he was trading with. He would have to find an NPC willing to buy all his merchandise at a reasonable price.

He opened his ledger to check the new trade agreement.

Boar Trade Agreement {Exclusive}

You have earned the right to represent Prince Piglet as his broker.

Specialty products:

[Power Truffle] - 0.3 per day

[Boar King’s Tusk] - 0.5 per day

[Bucket of Mud] - 5 per day

[Raspberries] - 20 per day

Procured goods:

[Empty]

Rate:

You keep 1% of all profits generated

You need to perform one sale every week, or you will lose broking exclusivity.

Now that Roth had all trade agreements lined up, he could put in motion the next step of his plan. After seeing the baroness earlier, he discovered a handy feature of the ledger. It was a new section that had been unlocked after gaining his second trade agreement. It neatly outlined all the products he had for sale.

Sales Catalog

Fruits & Vegetables

[Pine cones] - 30 per day

[Raspberries] - 20 per day

[Wild Onion] - 15 per day

[Glowshrooms] - 10 per day

[Wild Garlic] - 10 per day

[Acorn] - 10 per day

[Elder Berries] - 10 per day

[Morelshroom] - 5 per day

[Fox Ginseng] - 3 per day

[Power Truffle] - 0.3 per day

Equipment

[Crown Feather Earring] - 2 per day

[Crow Feather Tiara] - 1 per day

[Crown Feather Necklace] - 1 per day

Artifacts

[Badger Great Claw] - 1 per day

[Boar King’s Tusk] - 0.5 per day

Miscellanea

[Raven Feathers] - 20 per day

[Bucket of Mud] - 5 per day

[Badger Claw] - 2 per day

[Miniaturizing Potion] - 2 per day

He opened the ledger in the catalog section and handed it over to Prince Piglet.

“Your majesty, since we last met, I have been entrusted with representing many other races here in the woods. I was wondering if there was anything your subjects lack these days that you would like to trade with your neighbors?”

“Oh? It’s been a while since I last went shopping. Let me check. Oh. [Fox Ginseng]? This would be good for my injuries. They are powerful medicine, you know. When I was a small piglet and fell ill, my mom made medicine out of it. Oh? And you also have [Morelshrooms]? And [Wild Garlic]? We can’t get those here.”

[Fox Ginseng] was added to the boars’ procured item list.

[Wild Garlic] was added to the boars’ procured item list.

[Morelshrooms] were added to the boars’ procured item list.

“Perfect, my prince. And rest assured, this is just the first edition of my catalog. Soon, many other specialty products will be coming your way, adding to the comfort of your people.”

“That’s fantastic. Please, keep an eye out for any items with medicinal properties. If there is anything I can do to speed up my recovery, I would appreciate it.”

“I will, your majesty. I will be on my way now!”

Roth turned around and hurried away. The boar let out a happy snort. His presence faded into invisibility, and the clearing was again silent.

Roth’s nose had smelled an opportunity, and he was glad he had taken it! He didn’t have to keep coming back and forth between the city and the woods to maintain the exclusivity of the trade agreement! He could do one sales itinerary right here, inside these woods! His catalog already had many things, but there was still room for improvement. There was still one place he hadn’t gone to.

Roth went first to see Oscar. After getting his blessing for the plan’s next step, he looked up the map. Greenfield village was closest to him, but there was no way on earth he would be going back there. He opted to travel to Traverse Town instead.

Leaving the woods, it felt good to be hit with the sun’s full power and get a broader view of the world. Today was a sunny clear day, as always, inside the beginner zone. Roth had been spending so much time inside the woods that he hadn’t taken the time to go back and visit the beginner villages that had gotten him started on his path to becoming a broker. After all, he had a friendly relationship with them, which had to count for something.

As Roth entered the dusty road of the village, he slowed down to let all the newly arrived players get a good look at how cool he looked. Everyone’s jaw gaped, and they stopped to look at his accessories. It felt good to be admired by players. As he disappeared into the shop and heard the bell jingling, he heard a distant laughter somewhere but dismissed it.

“Hello, again!”

“Martyr, it’s been a long time since we last met! Oscar told us the other day that you’ve been doing well for yourself. We’re so happy to see you here!”

“What can I say? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be able to have these lucky breaks. I came here to share some of my luck with you. Where could we talk privately?” said Roth, as he saw a nearby player staring at him in shock. He didn’t want to draw too much attention.

“Please, come here behind the counter. We have a small office. Let’s talk over there.” The NPC raised a movable part of the counter, letting Roth come through. The office was small but spotless. A few ledgers stood to one side, and a heavy metal coffer stood at the corner. A simple polished mahogany table reflected some of the light coming in through the window. As Roth took his seat and looked at Margaret, he saw that she had transformed into a different person. They were no longer seller and client, but merchant and broker. Roth gulped. Margaret waited patiently for Roth to go first. He had hoped she would make his life easier, but it wouldn’t be that simple. Clearing his throat, Roth threw his pitch.

“I’ve recently signed trade agreements with some of the races in the woods. As you know, Oscar has been growing older, and he wants to pass some of his business to me. Could you share a list of items your association could sell to the races? I’ll share the catalog with them, and we can negotiate a fair fee for everyone.”

The merchant stood still, waiting for Roth to signal he was done talking. Roth was. He wouldn’t sell any of the specialty products of the woods here to a beginner zone merchant association. He could fetch a much better price if he took it to the city instead.

“Very well. Oscar already had a list of procured items by the races of the woods. We can stick with it if you like. Although, since you’re getting started and haven’t yet proven your value, it would be appropriate to lower your cut until we have established a deeper relationship.”

“Fine by me.” He only had a friendly relationship with Greenleaf Inc. He would have to deepen their bonds before he could get a better cut. “Anyway, if you wouldn’t mind, I would like to gain access to your full catalog instead of just the items that have previously been negotiated. If I come into contact with other races… I mean new customers; I will know if any other items interest them.”

Margaret smiled. “Spoken like a true merchant, kid. Well done! Here, take a look for yourself.”

[Broker’s Ledger] updated.

Greenleaf Inc. Trade Agreement (common)

Specialty products:

[Low-Quality Wheat]: 20 a day

[Stinky Cheese]: 20 a day

[Stale Bread]: 10 a day

[Berry Juice]: 10 a day

Rate:

You keep 0.5% of all profits generated

Although he could buy as much of it as his purse allowed, the amount he could buy at the resale price was limited to the numbers he had in front of him. The friendly relationship with the association only gave him 0.5% profit. It wasn’t much. It was also the first time that he got a trade agreement that was not exclusive. If anyone else came, they could empty their stocks before he got to it. He hoped that there weren’t many players actively trading here.

“Pleasure doing business with you!” said Roth.

“I look forward to your first order.”

Before leaving the office, Roth had an idea that he hadn’t considered. Wasn’t the shop across the street run by dwarves?

“Excuse me, Margaret, can you tell me the deal with the gentleman that runs the armor and equipment shop?”

“Oh? Old Red? He’s very difficult to deal with, but he’s honest and fills in a desperate need in the village. We have to give it to those dwarves. They sure know their way around metal.”

“What kind of things does he like?”

“Other than crafting? I don’t know.”

“What’s the deal with dwarves?” tried Roth. He wanted to know if, inside the game, they were considered a different race or not.

“Well, there have always been dwarves among men, but after the Rain of Fire, something in their genetics reacted differently. Whereas some humans became stronger and faster, the event somehow made dwarves better at crafting. I don’t know how it works. It’s all a big mystery to me.”

“Don’t you talk to him? He is your neighbor, after all.”

“Talking to the dwarf? Oh no,” she said, laughing and waving off the thought. Roth felt blood rushing to his head and his breathing quickening but forced himself to calm down. He had to give it to the developers. They had programmed prejudice very accurately.

“Oh well, thank you. I’ll be on my way.”

Roth went across the dusty road and entered the armor shop. An old dwarf sat behind the counter with both his eyes closed. This had been the dwarf that had sold him his [Errand Cloak]. He had only answered with ‘aye,’ ‘aye,’ and ‘aye’ back then. Two groups of players looked at the different armor and weapons lining the racks. Roth waited for them to leave. At least two of them bought equipment and equipped it on the spot. When the bell rang, and the door closed, he tried approaching the dwarf.

“Excuse me, hello. I’m Roth.”

The dwarf slightly opened one of his eyes, looked at Roth from top to bottom, sighed, and closed it again. Roth did not have any metal or anything related to blacksmithing on him. If dwarves in this game were similar in lore to those of fantasy games, they would like anything with fine craftsmanship. He didn’t have any of that on him. The fanciest item he had on him was the crow feather bijous. That had not caught the dwarf’s interest. Roth tapped his foot while frowning. It was hypocritical of the dwarf to dismiss his excellent equipment that was leagues beyond anything he sold here in this shop. Roth tried to keep calm.

“I just wanted to say hi. I was hoping we could become friends.”

The dwarf opened up his eye again. He remained silent and began rocking his chair. Roth let out a deep sigh.

“Well. Have a good day, sir. I’ll come again.”

The bell rang, and the old dwarf was left alone. Even though his eyes closed, his mouth broke into the tiniest of smiles.

Chapter 46

With an updated catalog of products to trade, Roth felt ready to conquer the world. It was time to get some orders down and complete his first trade run. Unfortunately, however, the system was not kind enough to give Roth a loaded cart once he signed the trade agreement with each race. He had to wait until the cooldown of each item’s production slowly reset, and he could fill his stocks to make a trip worthwhile.

He had a few days to kill. There was only one thing he had pending that he could do in the meantime: the cat burglar quest! Roth had given much thought to how the riddles of Count Crow fit altogether. The riddle that spoke of dogs had been a hint to visit Oscar. By following up on it, he had secured the lure for the trap: [Concentrated Catnip]. From the first riddle about Jason being a mouse, he had gotten the idea to see the ratans again. There he had gotten the trap itself. It had been an expensive trap, at 45 gold, but if it could hold Oli, a very high-level NPC, it would be worth it.

Now, he had to think about the other three riddles. It talked about water, midnight, and that cats will eat mice just as cattle eat grass. The last one was the one that confused Roth the most. He just wasn’t sure if this was another reference to the catnip grass that would be the lure to his trap or if it was something else. After all, there were no cattle in these woods.

Shrugging, Roth opened up the map and checked where there was water in the Southeast end of the Woods. There was no river or lake in these woods. At most there were scattered small ponds. There was one of them there. He still had several hours until midnight; it was time to retrieve what Oli had stolen.

*

The old cat spent most of his days sleeping. When one had nine lives and was living through their seventh, tiredness was the biggest constant in life. That and hunger. It was time to get a snack. The moon was hidden tonight, but to Oli’s feline eyes, everything around him looked as clear as daylight.

Oli stood from his comfortable fluffy cushion and stretched his legs, arms, back, and tail, yawning to relax his jaw. This was the good life. Partly, it was a good life because he was a cat. A cat’s life was good, and that was that.

It was also a good life because most of it was spent sleeping and dreaming of his next glorious heist, or beautiful balls of yarn, or of another prank he pulled on one of those foolish dogs. But the biggest reason why his life was good was because of the shiny treasures that kept him company.

Some of them he had brought here from far away. A sandworm eggshell from the scorching sands of the Sun Desert. A ruby gem taken from right under the noses of the fireflies of the Fire Pits. A trident from the crabaliers, gold feathers from Sky Island, and even gemstones from the Rock Canyons. All pretty, all his.

Long as his life was, he had to find a way to keep himself busy. He still had two hearts to go through. Cursed be that Rain of Fire. It had made him outlive his master! How many lives had it been since his purrs were genuine? Oh… if only he could have been here to see this trove of treasures. Master had always liked well-made things that could be made into beautiful things. Back then, Oli had needed no cushion; he had his master’s lap.

Oli glanced at the pile of mementos he had stolen from his neighbors. They weren’t made by master, but they definitely had been inspired by him. It was important to understand how he felt about these knock-offs. After all, that would dictate where in his collection they would go. Feeling his stomach claw at his attention, Oli postponed the difficult decision.

Leaving through the door, Oli took a deep breath to let the night enter through his nose and inform him about what was happening in his neck of the woods. He sniffed a few more times. There was something different In the air tonight. He took another deep breath. His pupils began enlarging, his muscles tensing, and his tail stood up.

Before he realized what he was doing, Oli was running toward the most delicious smell he had felt in a while. It was outside of his control. The smell was too salty and sweet, too savory and sour. It was something wonderful that he just had to rub himself into and smell and eat and lick.

He arrived at the pond where he came to drink every day. He hated drinking, but what choice did he have but to do it? The pond was dark, painted by the shadows of the trees that encroached on it, scattering some of their canopies over it. In one of the branches, Oli located the source of the wonderful smell. It was some sort of cushioned pink box wrapped in chords and fluffy things hanging from it. There were also feathers, squeaky toys, and strings. It was of fascinating design, and Oli felt the excitement in his jaw build up at the prospect of biting all those things.

For a moment, he hesitated. All the water beneath the box hanging from the tree branch scared him. But the allure was just too much. With one precise jump, he easily made the thirty-meter jump from the pond’s margin to the box’s inside.

It was all around Oli now. The whole box stank of it. An involuntary pur came over him, and he rubbed himself into this wonderful perfume while scratching and biting all the fun toys around it. He hadn’t eaten anything yet, but this smell was so delicious that he felt filled.

*

Roth finally let out the breath he’d been holding. He hoped the cat burglar’s house would be close to the water. It had been a long shot in the dark. But it had worked. For a moment, Roth stood there examining the trap the ratans had given him. He had hoped until the very last second that when the cat entered it, it would snap on him, enclosing him. It turned out it did nothing! It was just a freaking toy designed to distract a cat briefly.

Had he paid 45 gold for that? Had it not been for him having sprayed the whole bottle of concentrated catnip on the thing, he reckoned that the cat would have already left. Feeling old Roth wanting to peel off the skin of his face, he decided to walk and break away from the destructive escalating emotions. Seeing the direction that the cat had come from, Roth took off toward it.

He found a secret door that led into the hollow of a tree left carelessly wide-open. Roth crouched and entered Oli’s treasure trove. Roth couldn’t see anything in the darkness here. Roth took a [Glowshroom] out of his inventory and sighed in relief at being able now to see. The ghostly pale light bounced off the expensive-looking treasures.

Roth forced himself to break his look away from the bounty, undoubtedly there for decoration. He could not take it all, even if he wanted to, and time was of the essence. He didn’t trust that the trap if it even could be called that, would hold the cat for long. With the [Glowshroom] held as high as he could, he caught an object that reflected its light more than all others.

He dove right toward the first item he identified as being something he had to retrieve. He had finally found the disco ball. He put it in his inventory. It weighed 10 kilos! That was unexpectedly heavy. If everything he was going to retrieve was this heavy, there was no way he could take anything else. He would leave that for consideration after putting the stolen items into his bag.

He then saw the Tusk stolen from Prince Piglet sitting on a pedestal. As he held it, his eyes widened. 15 kg? How could Prince Piglet have so much weight on just these tusks? Roth gulped as he tried to imagine how high Prince Piglet’s strength was.

He kept urgently searching for the remaining items and found them all piled in the corner of the room. At first, he hadn’t recognized the ratan tapestries because they had seen so much bigger in the throne room. But he realized now that it had seemed bigger to him when he was in his shrunk version. Now that he was back in his full human size, they seemed more like cloths than tapestries. Fortunately, that made them lighter. Even so, each weighed 2 kilos! Wrapped in each of the tapestries were the remaining items: the four enigma diamonds and the two fox tomes.

Now, it was time to decide if he would take anything else. Did he dare to take any of the items on display? He saw a beautiful-looking golden fork. It seemed to be a fantastic treasure. He reached out his hand to touch it, but just before he picked it up, he drew his hand back.

What would happen when Oli discovered that he had stolen something from him? Would he chase him to the ends of the earth? After all, even Prince Piglets, with his freakish strength, was terrified of this NPC. Ratatouille, a level 99 NPC, can only fight Oli to a standstill even when assisted by the four Mouseketeers. They might be willing to put out their necks for him, but maybe they wouldn’t protect him if he took something else that the burglar treasured.

Roth once again lifted the [Glowshroom] to see if there was something he had missed. To a corner, he saw what appeared to be a pile of trash. It was a box filled with broken things that seemed to have been discarded. Oh well, thought Roth. Maybe I can sell some of it to another NPC. Roth walked toward the box, picked stuff up, and put it in his inventory randomly. He stopped once he had reached the weight cap.

He turned to leave. As he approached the door, the light revealed a portrait of an unassuming easy-looking man holding a grey cat in his arms. Roth felt drawn to the painting for some reason. He looked at the tiny cat with a red collar. It had a name tag on it, but Roth couldn’t read what it was. At the bottom of the painting, a name was signed.

Roth finally made out the name: Bergelmir. The handwriting was so simple but so appealing. How could a signature grab his attention so much? He recognized the calligraphy from somewhere but couldn’t remember exactly where. This man seemed worthy of his respect for some reason. And it was as if… as if there was light in him. Roth didn’t know why he felt this way, nor could he put a finger on why this was the right choice of words to describe it; it just was. Roth felt obligated to pay his respects and performed a bow. After he did so, he turned tail and disappeared into the night.

*

Out of the shadows stepped Oli. He had been here the whole time. He withdrew his claws inside his paws and followed the running human with his eyes. He was a cat, a curious creature. Oli had wanted to study the human before he attacked him.

Also, as a thief, he appreciated the human’s effort to prepare this heist. This catnip solution was a canine formula; the trap was of ratan making. The human also smelled of badger, fox, raven, and boar. He didn’t fear any of them, but all of them together was something Oli would rather not provoke. Not to speak of his landlord. Oli clicked his tongue. The lord also had his song around the human for some reason. He dared not mess with that old monster.

Oli, the cat burglar, stared at the painting on the wall. The human had seen his master’s light. He would let him go. The items he took weren’t made by his master but by some of his… apprentices. Oli had just taken them because they reminded him of his master’s work. He had taken the disco ball and the tusk to mess around with the count and the prince.

Furthermore, the human had even been friendly enough to take out some of his trash. Oli recorded the lingering scent in his mind. What an interesting human.

Chapter 47

With a bag full of treasures, Roth sprinted through the woods. He didn’t want to risk being caught by Oli. He was in trouble if he broke out of its trap and demanded he return the stolen items. Although, if he did, there was nothing they could do to each other. This was an NPC that was at least at level 99. That meant that if he did break out of the trap, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to catch up to Roth.

But even if he did, what would it do? Kill Roth? He would still not drop any items because of his [Martyr Title]. Roth took a deep breath and calmed down. It was out of his hand. If the cat caught up to him, he could do nothing about it.

Looking at his bag of treasures, Roth decided to take a detour before returning the items to their rightful owners. After all, what harm was there in trying to use these treasures for something other than the quest rewards?

Arriving at Traverse Town, Roth ran straight toward the weapon shop on the side of the road. It was 2 am, but, like players, NPCs didn’t sleep in the game, and he wanted to try this sooner rather than later. He entered the shop and waited for the only player inside to finish shopping before he talked to the dwarf.

“H-Hello? I’m Roth. I tried to speak to you earlier.” The dwarf kept both eyes closed and didn’t even flinch. Only the slightest movement of his beard hairs showed that the dwarf was breathing and alive. It was all or nothing now.

“I heard that dwarves appreciate fine craftsmanship. I am on my way to return some works of art to their rightful owners. Would you like to take a look?” Still nothing.

Roth glanced at what he had retrieved from Oli’s lair. He couldn’t even read the items’ names. He guessed he needed a skill or to fulfill some sort of condition before he could read the items’ descriptions. Roth pulled out one of the enigma diamonds stolen from the ravens and put it on the counter.

“This isn’t mine, but I think I can show it to you before I return it.” The dwarf sniffed the air and slowly opened one eye. As soon as his gaze landed on the diamond, his eyes widened in shock, and a look of wonder and amazement completely transformed his facial expressions.

He jumped from his stool and took out a magnifying glass with which he began carefully inspecting the precious gem. When he found the engravings in the diamond, he grabbed a nearby candle lighting the room and pulled the diamond against it. The light filtered by the diamond projected beautiful, exquisite writing on the table where the candle was set.

Enigma Diamond #143 (Quest Item)

Item description: A shiny diamond carefully inscribed with the first of four profound Riddles. The craftsmanship in lapidating the stone is only surpassed by the ability to make such a fine inscription in it.

Item effects: ?????

Roth raised an eyebrow. He was now able to see some basic information about the item. Was it because Red had taken a look at it?

“This is beautiful,” said Red in a surprisingly gentle voice. “Thank you for showing it to me. Since I left the mountains, I haven’t seen anything near this quality of craftsmanship. Thank you. Do you mind if we go to a side room so that I can appreciate the engraving more?”

Red, the Dwarf is impressed with the fine work of art that you have shown him.

+30 reputation with the dwarf exiles.

“Of course, sir.” What a change of attitude! He looked at the new faction he had unlocked on his relationship status. The dwarf exiles? Not all dwarves?

Behind the counter where Red sat when customers visited the shop, there was a furnace that was kept hot. In the corner of the workshop, there was a pile of ingots. From Roth’s previous experience in gaming, he guessed they were tin and copper.

There was also a basket full of scraps of beginners’ equipment. Roth guessed that these were items sold to him by the beginners. He then melted them down and repurposed them for other uses. Or maybe it was just decorative.

The workshop also had a desk with several cutting tools and files. A contraption supported a series of magnifying glasses. It looked like a metal tree giving off glass fruit.

Roth handed the other three diamonds to Red.

“Here. I also have these.”

“Aye. Thank you.”

Red grabbed the four diamonds and set them on the table. He put several magnifying glasses on top of each other and stood there for minutes, turning them over under the oil lamp light. Roth now understood the purpose of the contraption. The lenses could be adjusted to allow Red to perform more minute detailed work.

“What bird made these?”

“Excuse me?”

“No one with hands or paws did this. Someone did it with talons. I can tell.”

“Ravens.”

Red chuckled. “Of course. They do love their shinies. Just like us.”

“I have some more things here that you can look at if you want to. I have to take them back with me because they aren’t mine. But you’re free to look at them if it means so much to you.”

Roth pulled the ratan tapestries and the fox tomes. After some thought, he added Prince Piglet’s tusk, just in case. Red first grabbed the ratan tapestries and felt them in his fingers. He then searched the golden thread weaved into them and took a long hard look at the patterns.

Ratan Tapestry ‘A Mouse King Under the Moon’ (Quest Item)

Item Description: A tapestry made by a master that depicts the weight of the crown and the dilemmas a ruler must face.

Item effects: ????

“Ratans?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Of course. Only someone so tiny could make such minute work of this quality. Beautiful.”

Red, the Dwarf is impressed with the fine work of art that you have shown him.

+30 reputation with the dwarf exiles.

Red reached out to study the fox tomes. “Sir, please don’t look into those books. They are sacred to foxes, and they would be upset if I showed it without permission.”

Foxes value your respect for the sacredness of the tomes.

+12 reputation with all foxes.

Red searched the engravings on the tomes. He looked at them under the magnifying glasses. “Gold leaf. Fine workmanship.”

Fox Tome #03 (Quest Item)

Item Description: One of the treasured books of the foxes. It contains legends and tales of Foxian heroes.

Item effects: ????

+30 reputation with the dwarf exiles.

Finally, he looked at Prince Piglet’s tusk. “Hmmm…” Old Red scratched his beard, looking confused.

“What is it?” tried Roth.

“It’s just that the diamonds, the tomes, and the tapestries were all done by apprentices of the same master. But this,” he said while easily picking the tusk and turning it into the light, “the metal bands were done by someone completely different. Maybe even a dwarf. Not sure. I was just wondering why you would have items that obviously share a history and then a completely unrelated one here.” Roth shrugged, signaling his ignorance.

+15 reputation with the dwarf exiles.

You are now friends with the dwarf exiles of the Green Woods.

“Thank you, martyr, for letting me see beauty again. It’s been many years since I could behold such fine craftsmanship.”

“I am sorry to hear that, sir. What happened to you and the other dwarves living here?”

“Well… we were entrusted with guarding one of our mountain’s vaults. But some of its contents went missing right from underneath our noses. We were exiled for neglecting our duty.”

“I see; I’m sorry to hear that.”

New Quest [Dwarf Exiles]

Dwarf Exiles (uncommon)

Quest description: A group of dwarves has been wrongly accused of neglect. Their sadness moves you, and you decide to investigate this more closely.

Quest objectives: Exonerate the dwarf exiles.

Although he hadn’t unlocked any titles by befriending Red, he had at least unlocked an uncommon quest. Since he didn’t go on hunts, he would never pass down the opportunity of gaining some precious XP.

“I will look into it, sir. There’s something fishy about this story.”

“Thank you, martyr. I appreciate it.”

“By the way, I am working as a broker. I am trying to mediate between all the races in the woods, and I didn’t want to leave you guys out.”

“Word of advice, martyr, don’t say dwarves are from another race. We’re still humans. We’ve just been affected differently by the Rain of Fire.”

“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t know this. You’re my first dwarf friend.”

“OK. I’m afraid that my budget doesn’t allow me to buy anything from you, friend. Business is hard as it is. In these forests, metal is rare, and the materials we have to work with are terrible.”

“Well, sir, perhaps, I can help you by selling some of your work to others. I have customers that might appreciate what you have to offer.”

“Hmmm… Very well then.”

Dwarf Exile Trade Agreement

You have earned the right to represent the dwarf exiles as their broker.

Specialty products:

[Lapidated Quartz] - 5 per day

[Polished Pirite] - 5 per day

[Tin Pickaxe] - 10 per day

[Tin Shovel] - 10 per day

Procured goods:

[Empty]

Rate:

You keep 0.5% of all profits generated.

“Thank you, sir, for trusting me enough to sell your goods.”

“Aye,” answered the dwarf. Roth was delighted at the developments.

“Talking about metal…” Roth pulled out all the junk he had retrieved from Oli’s hideout. “I found this pile of stuff in the woods. I don’t know if it is of any use to you or if they can be recycled for your business. I can’t learn anything about the items when I examine them. I was going to sell them, but if there’s a use for them…”

Roth guessed that there might be a better market for this stuff out in the city. But he would be packed to the brim for his next trip there. He might as well get rid of this junk now and use it to deepen the relationship with the dwarf some more. Red sniffed the air again.

“Oh my, I can smell small vestiges of thunder-silver, neo-platinum, and plenty of black iron. There’s a use for it if you know how to extract it.” He fidgeted around with a seemingly broken box. “You might even be able to salvage some of the less damaged technology in the pile.”

The dwarf definitely knew his way around artifacts and the forge. He also seemed to have some sort of appraisal skill. All Roth got from looking at this garbage was question marks. What was there to lose here?

“Red, do you think you could take a look at these for me?”

“There’s a lot of things to go through. It’ll take a while.”

“How much for you to take a look at this?”

“Hmmm… if it is usable, I will charge you 1 silver and 20 coppers. If it isn’t, I will use it for scraps, and we can call it even.” Roth cracked his neck and braced himself for some action.

“1 silver and 20 copper? For each piece? That’s too high, old Red. Do fifty copper!”

“How dare you? Even the dwarf lords consulted me in my glory days. This is already the discount for friends and family. 1 silver and 15 coppers and not one cent less!”

“Fine. 80 copper!”

Eventually, after an hour of haggling, Roth managed to bring down the price to 1 silver.

You have managed to haggle with one of the dwarves! That’s impressive.

+2 charisma.

“I’ll let you take a look at them, then. If you can find something that still works or that I could use, you can let me know next time I come around for a trade. The rest of it can be yours. What do you say?”

“Deal.”

Roth looked up at the moon and stars above and let out a contented breath. He knew that the artifacts he recovered from Oli’s hideout would be precious. Roth was so happy that the dwarf had appreciated them enough to allow him to gain a friendly relationship with his faction. It was kind of a cheat. After all, none of the items were his. If he had to wait until he owned items of this quality, it would have taken him ages to gain enough reputation points with the dwarves. By then, it might not even be worth it to do so.

His little experiment had been successful; it was time to return the treasures to the rightful owners.

Chapter 48

Drake threw the duffel bag over his shoulder and took a deep breath. How many years had it been since he’d smelled the outside world? Drake was disappointed. The air wasn’t as fresh as he had imagined it. It seemed that humanity wasn’t doing much better with pollution than back in his day.

He crossed the street and consulted the hover bus schedule. He couldn’t help but locate his old house on the map. He was sure that his wife and kid were no longer there. Archie must be taller than him now. He suppressed the overwhelming desire to track his family’s whereabouts and see his son. It wasn’t easy to resist the urge. He could easily find them if he tried. But there was a reason they weren’t on talking terms after all, and the least he could do to apologize for his past was to leave their future free of him.

The hover bus arrived, and with the bit of pocket money that jail had given him on his release, he paid for the bus ticket. He found his seat and felt the engine’s hum come to life, lifting the metal beast off the ground.

The bus headed toward New Lisbon. It looked the same as it was twenty years ago. More than the tall buildings, a tree was the first thing that captured his attention. He felt a tear roll down his face as he saw the beautiful towering creature. The green leaves played with the lights and shadows creating a dance that he had seen millions of times before but only today he could hear—had trees always been this beautiful?

He couldn’t take his eyes off the tree as the hover bus gained distance from it, but soon enough, they came across another one, again drawing awe from Drake’s old, incarcerated spirit. More and more passengers hopped in. The prison was on the outskirts of town, so he was right now the passenger who had been aboard the longest. He had seen all of these people arrive and sit on the bus.

Even though he was mesmerized by the beautiful view seen through the windows, old habits died hard. He couldn’t help himself from counting how many people had come in or left the bus, imprinting their faces into his mind and ranking them in order of the potential danger they represented.

A mother came into the bus towing along her son. He was playing a video game on his smart holo, and Drake spared a look at the game. Even Drake, with all that he had seen in life, was amazed at what this mother was letting her child do inside the game. Were it in real life, the child could have easily been Drake’s cellmate.

Drawn by his gaze, the child looked at him for the first time. The child’s eyes followed Drake’s tattoo entwined in his arm and ending in his eye. His eyes then landed on his stump. Drake looked away.

He could see from the corner of his eye that the boy was pointing to where his arm used to be and telling about it to his mother. He was annoyed that the woman didn’t bother disciplining the boy and kept playing in her smart holo instead of reprimanding her child. Drake sighed. He thought that kids couldn’t get any worse. He had been proven wrong.

He pulled a chip off his pocket. It was his most valuable treasure, not because of what it was made of but because of what it represented. Studying its familiar features, he threw it into the air and caught it again. It dissipated the annoyance coming from the pair sitting across the aisle.

He put the chip into his pocket and pulled out another one. This one brought a warm glow to his heart, a father’s pride. He was looking forward to seeing how lil’ Roth was doing. He had sponsored many fellow rageaholics, but few had touched Drake’s life the way he had.

The changes he’d seen the boy make. He had blossomed into a fine young man under his watch. Even he was afraid of him when they first met. But lil’ Roth had become so docile and kind. He wondered if Roth had been able to secure an apartment for them both, as he had said he would. It had been very kind of him to offer to work with Drake. The boy was good with plumbing and carpentry. He was sure that he was getting by somehow.

There it was. Elm Street. He pushed the button before him, signaling the bus driver to stop and let him out. He grabbed his duffel bag, put it around his shoulder, and exited the bus.

He was delighted to see how many trees there were on this street. Elm Street, hey? Sure enough, there were plenty of elm trees. As he stepped on the leaves and felt them crackle, he looked at the numbers on either side of the road, trying to determine where number 73 would be.

This was one of those neighborhoods built in the thirties, back when everyone wanted a small garden. They were willing to live in narrow houses that didn’t provide much space in exchange for a little patch of green in front of their home.

After walking for a few minutes, he saw the number 73. It was roughly 100 meters away. Drawing a little closer, Drake’s instincts screamed alert, and he turned immediately toward the house to his right and knocked.

Even though it had been twenty years since he’d left the streets, he could recognize a surveillance vehicle when he saw one. It was parked three houses down the road from Roth’s mother’s house. If the stories Roth had told him were true, maybe the boy was in trouble. He had hoped he had started his life with no hiccups, but it seemed that had been wishful thinking.

“Hello, sir?” The woman coming to the door was frightened, seeing his big prominent dragon tattoo, but then saw the stump and lowered her guard, allowing herself a look of pity in her eyes.

“Hello, ma’am! I’m Drake, and I’m offering my services to everyone in this fine neighborhood! Do you need any help around the house or in the garden?”

The lady’s eyes again were drawn toward where his other arm should be. Drake moved the stump around so that she could take a look. He could see her blushing.

“Oh, this old stump? Chainsaw accident, ma’am. It has made me a fine gardener, with extra care for security. Why don’t you let me attend to those bushes? They could use some little trimming, wouldn’t you say?”

“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t have work for you.” She closed the door.

Drake left the house, spared a glance at the car as he turned, and went to knock at the next door.

“Hello, sir?” he greeted in a friendly manner.

“I’m sorry, who are you?”

“I’m someone willing to offer you a helping hand!” Drake said, waving with his only one. The man stared wide-eyed, not even bothering to disguise his repulse.

“Oh? This? Shark attack, sir. But you’ll be surprised with how strong and durable it’s made me. I’m the finest handyman you’ll ever see.”

“We-e-e we have robots here. We don’t require outside help.” He slammed the door on him.

*

“I don’t get why you’re always eating those damn chips when we have to surveil this house. Just the sound of you chewing them makes me sick.”

“My commander always told me that it helps with a stakeout. It’s not easy to keep yourself focused for so many hours. He always encouraged us to have snacks.”

“My commander taught me to be silent.”

“Hey. Movement at 12 o’clock.” He adjusted the bionic lens in his eye and zoomed in on the figure.

“What is it?”

“Hmmm, looks like an ex-con. He only has one arm, and he seems to be canvassing. Looking for a job, probably.”

“Tsk. This damn economy isn’t easy on anyone, hey? Poor soul. He can’t even afford a bionic arm.”

“Send a bumblebee, just in case. I want to hear what he’s saying. My hands are busy.”

“Holding a bag of chips? I swear that one of these days, I’ll tell Yillian about this nonsense you do.” He pulled a little sphere from the glove compartment, cracked open a window, and threw the sphere. Wings came out from the metal shell, and the little robot took off toward the vicinity of nr. 73 in Elm Street.

*

“It was a kitchen accident, sir. But I promise to prepare the finest sushi you’ll ever see.”

“N-no, thank you. We have a kitchen robot here.”

That was number 71; next was number 73. He heard the faint distant buzz almost outside earshot. When the breeze rustled the few remaining leaves on the trees, he couldn’t listen to it. He took one of the chips in his pocket and prepared it before knocking.

As a sliver of light came from the door, Drake flashed his hand, throwing the chip against the wall. It bounced back, hitting the nano drone behind him, hopefully sending it flying for a few meters. It wasn’t enough to decommission it, but it was good enough to buy him a few seconds.

“Hello, who is it?”

Drake allowed himself the quickest of smiles when he saw that this was the first person who saw the stump and didn’t even flinch, looking at it. One could learn much from seeing people’s reactions to his disability.

“Ma’am, we don’t have much time. My name is Drake. I was Roth’s sponsor in the Rageaholics program. There is a car three doors down that is surveilling this house. Invite me in and ask me to do some work. Your son is in danger.”

“I’m sorry… I…”

“A leaky faucet? Worry not, my dear. I can do wonderful things with this skillful hand of mine.”

After a few confused seconds, she managed to play along.

“S-s-ure. Come on in.”

As soon as they entered and the door was closed, he stepped forward and cut the lady off before she could say anything.

“Are you saying that my…”

“Yes! Your faucet! It’s an easy fix. How long has it been leaking?” Nothing under the lamp.

“I don’t…”

“Probably a while then.” Nothing in the mantle. He gestured for her to keep speaking, pointing to the faucet.

“Yes. A while now.”

“I see.” Nothing in this door… bingo!

He studied the bug implanted here. It was a model similar to what he was accustomed to. Good thing that bugs hadn’t developed much in the last decade. After studying the device for a few seconds, he found it was already disabled. There was a third player afoot.

“All clear, ma’am.”

“What is the meaning of this? Roth has been transferred to a black site prison!”

“No, he hasn’t. He was released over a month ago.”

“I’m afraid I don’t…”

“Mrs. Bessie! Is everything OK up there?” Hearing the young male voice coming from the basement, Drake had already jumped over the armchair, careful not to make any noise, and held the first thing he’d found that could be used as a weapon. It was a pen.

Drake leaned his ear against the door that led downstairs and signaled Mrs. Bessie to send him off.

“Yes, Brian! Everything is OK. Don’t worry. Just a handyman fixing the faucet.”

“OK, now.” After a few seconds of silence, Drake tried to make sense of the situation.

“Who is that?”

“One of Roth’s old classmates. He heard that I was having a hard time and asked if he could rent the basement. He pays me rent, and all I have to do is to leave food and clean clothes upstairs. He’s been very generous.

Now, tell me about my son.”

“Ma’am, you said that he was sent to a black site. Why do you think that?”

She hurriedly found the box and pulled out the letter the justiceer had sent. Drake turned it into the light. It was a masterful forgery, but it was fake. But to have the resources to produce this… his fears were proven true.

“Ma’am, I believe something terrible has happened to your son.”

Chapter 49

Roth teleported into the Rat’s Cave. He had figured that since they were the first ones to tell him about the heists, he should visit them before all others.

Since it was the middle of the night, the inside of the cave was brighter than the outside. His eyes quickly adapted to the ghostly lighting, and he took off straight toward the Throne Room. He was already so familiar with the route that he could do it with his eyes closed.

Feeling his presence, a couple of ratans took the initiative to greet him.

“Martyr. Welcome.”

“Hello, little ones. How are you?”

“Human, I’ve been saving this for you. I hope you’ll accept it.”

You’ve been traded 1x[Morel Shroom]

“Thank you. That’s very kind of you.”

There was nothing better than being given free stuff.

Roth continued walking the tunnels and was given more freebies from the rats he passed. On the way to the throne room, a few intersections contained agglomerations of ratans. Elites could be found in some of them, and Roth greeted them, just as he had done for others. The elite at this intersection was Rat Soldier who wore a dented helmet and poorly maintained armor.

Rat Soldier (Elite)

1500/1500

Lvl. 5

“Hello, friends.”

“Martyr, are you going to visit the King?” Asked the soldier. Roth chuckled when he noticed that the elite was saluting him.

“Yes! I am. I came to return the stolen ratan tapestries.”

“That’s excellent news. Aramis, especially, will be thrilled to hear it. By the way, I’ve been meaning to give you this.”

You’ve been given a 1x[Rat Poison] skill card.

Rat Poison (Common)

Skill description: For ages, humans poisoned the mice, and in doing so, mice became experts in the art of poisoning.

Skill effect: Active. Release a cloud of poison in 3x3 meters, poisoning everyone in it. It can stack up to six times.

Class restrictions: Can be learned by all classes

Roth stared wide-eyed at the skill card that the elite gave him. He was being offered a skill card for free! Skill cards farmed from elites and bosses were always in high demand and short supply. He hadn’t expected to be given one like this. If he were to sell it, he would get at least a few silver.

“Thank you for your generosity!”

“You’re welcome!”

Roth had to admit that he had worried about how he’d be able to progress his character in the game. After all, in RPGs, most players hunted mobs to gain loot, such as skills, equipment, or other drops. How would he be able to do the same if he didn’t want to hurt them?

He’d been happy to receive random loot from the ratans because of their high relationship. But he hadn’t been expecting to be given free skills. This was a great boon to his character. He tried to think of where else in this dungeon there were elites and took off toward those locations.

“Hey there! How are you guys doing today?”

“Human, you don’t usually come this way. We’ve heard much about you, but it’s our first time meeting you.” Roth gulped. He didn’t want to look like someone on the prowl for free skills.

“I was feeling bad about not spending time with everyone here, so I decided to say hello.”

Your sympathy moves the ratans in the Rat Cave

+4 Reputation with all ratans.

“Aren’t you sweet?” the elite seemed genuinely touched by the consideration Roth offered him. “You know what, I have a few of these and would like to share one with you. Please, accept it as a token of our friendship.”

You’ve been given a 1x[Ratan’s Strike] skill card.

Ratan’s Strike (Common)

Skill description: By observing ratans fighting, you understand that the key to their strength and viciousness lies in their quick strikes.

Skill effect: Active. Deal 100% damage. Refreshes auto-attacks.

Class restrictions: Can be learned by all classes

Bingo! Another skill card! He wasn’t planning to learn these two skills because they didn’t fit his playstyle, but the idea of being able to acquire skills from chatting with elites was something that he hadn’t expecting. He refreshed his memory in the forums and went to the other two locations with elites in the dungeon. This time, no one gave him anything other than a few mushrooms.

It seemed that movement speed and charisma would be crucial to his character’s development. The more ground he could cover, the more elites he could chat with. The more charisma he had, the quicker he could gain reputation and the more chances he would have of getting free stuff.

Even though Roth was out of elites to milk, he still had one boss in the dungeon. He tried to butter up the impostor that posed as the monarch of the rats, hoping for a free reward.

“Hello, Mouse King! You look mighty today.”

“Thank you, human.”

It didn’t say anything else. Perhaps to be gifted things by bosses, Roth would have to unlock the next reputation level. That just showed that he couldn’t stop investing time in his relationships with the different factions of the woods. There was still hidden potential to tap into here.

Now sure that he wouldn’t be given any more gifts from the inhabitants of the Rat Cave, it was time to try the skill that Ratattoile had gifted him. His only epic skill.

Miniaturize!

Roth’s body shrank until it was only a few centimeters tall. Roth looked at the miniaturized buff he had been given. It all felt anticlimactic to him. He had hoped at least for a different animation from when he drank a [Miniaturizing Potion], but it seemed to have the same effect. Oh well, at least that wouldn’t draw too much attention when he used it.

He squeezed into the gap behind the throne room and ran through the tunnel until he found the glorious throne room where Ratattoile sat, and the mouseketeers stood guard. Feeling smug, Roth marched triumphantly toward the king. What kind of rewards would he get for this complex quest? The number of NPCs he had to curry favor with and the great deal of investigation he was forced to pursue to complete this quest was tremendous.

Roth’s heart was racing, and he felt his mouth drool at the prospect of getting fantastic equipment or another epic skill. He looked forward to seeing Aramis’ reaction to his heroic return.

“Your majesty,” Roth said while performing a bow, “I bring great news! After much effort, I’m glad to return to you the treasures of your people. Here you have the ratan tapestries that were stolen from your people.”

“Martyr! That’s great news! Thank you for being willing to brave so much danger to protect the inheritance of my people.”

[Cat Burglar] updated

Quest description: Oli, the cat burglar, stole treasures from different races of the woods. After facing many dangers, you were able to retrieve them and can now return them to their proper owners.

Quest objectives:

Return all stolen items (25% complete)

Quest rewards: Unknown

Roth blinked his eyes a few times and reread the notification. Did this mean he would only be given the rewards after returning all the items? Roth felt like a bucket of cold water had just been dropped on his head. He was looking forward to the rewards so much.

It seemed he had to hurry and see every other race to find what he would gain from this questline.

“Since I’m here, my king, I would like to show you the updated version of my catalog. I’ve recently become trading partners with some humans living in the surrounding villages and even with one of the dwarf exiles. I was wondering if you’d like to make an order.”

“Hmmm. We can never have enough cheese. Also, these pickaxes might prove useful for some expansion work I planned to do in the caves. I will leave it up to you what kind of exchange we could make to get these items.”

Items added to ratan’s procurement list

“Leave it up to me, your majesty. I will ensure you have lots of cheese to feast on and that we get those items in exchange for some of your specialties. I must leave now. I have other visits to make and items to return. I’ll be back soon.”

“You’re always welcome here, friend.”

Roth left the dungeon and ran to the Fox Tunnels. Thank goodness that he didn’t have anything to return to the badgers. He didn’t think that his heart could take him having to wait 20 hours until midnight of the next day to complete this quest.

*

Both the baroness and the count had been happy to get back their items Oli had stolen. Count Crow couldn’t resist hanging the disco ball in his office immediately. If before Roth thought that the office looked shiny, he now felt that being in the office of Count Crow was the same as being inside a burning star. The brightness was too much.

With all other visits done, Roth only had one last item to return. The clearing was empty, as usual, and the breeze rustled the leaves, breaking the deafening silence.

“Prince Piglet. It’s me, Pax! I’ve found your tusk. And I’m here to deliver it.”

Prince Piglet materialized out of thin air before him. How did he do that? It didn’t make sense to Roth that this NPC had the gift of invisibility. He might have bought it if he had been a chameleon or another animal. But he was a boar, and a warrior on top of that, by the look of it. How was he able to make himself invisible?

“My tusk! My beautiful tusk!”

He picked it up from Roth’s hand, finally triggering the much-awaited notification.

Congratulations, [Cat Burglar] completed.

Quest Completion Rate: S

Quest Rewards: 100,000 XP (+10,000XP); +300 reputation with all factions in the woods; 2 random pieces of the [Woodland Set]

Bonus Rewards: 50,000 XP (+5,000XP); +200 reputation with all factions in the woods; 1 random piece of the [Woodland Set]

[Level up!]

You are now revered by foxes

You are now revered by badgers

You are now revered by boars

You are now revered by corvids

The string of notifications was music to Roth’s ears! The amount of reputation he’d been awarded was massive. He hadn’t expected to be given such a high grade for the quest, and perhaps it’d resulted from him not rushing to complete it.

Perhaps it was possible to finish the quest without involving so many factions. Looking back at all his steps, he could have completed the quest just by dealing with the ratans, Oscar, and the corvids. That was where he’d found all the essential information. Since he’d retrieved other stolen items, the system judged his completion rate as an S.

While Roth was reading the messages, Prince Piglet had already inserted his tusk back. Even though he was the same prince, restoring the missing tusk gave him a renewed air of dignity.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am to have both tusks. It is a great shame for a boar to be toothless like I was. Thank you, human.”

“You’re welcome.” Roth was in a rush to finish the dialogue. He wanted to investigate his new equipment. The notification he received stopped him in his tracks, though.

Special quest unlocked: [The Beast Within].

Requirements to unlock it:

Revered status with five races of the woods.

Quest description: The Lord of the Woods has been keeping his gaze on you and has come to appreciate how you’ve touched the lives of all different creatures of the woods. It wishes to meet you.

Quest objectives:

Meet the Lord of the Woods. It has a proposition for you.

Would you like to accept? [Y/N]

“Human, you’ve entwined your life with the different creatures of the woods. Our Lord wants to meet you.”

“Show me the way.”

Chapter 50

While Roth didn’t go out to meet the Lord of the Woods, he eagerly examined the gear he had received as a reward for completing the [Cat Burglar] quest.

[Woodland Hood] (Uncommon)

Item description: A hood crafted by the combined efforts of ratan weavers and corvid artisans. It’s a piece of a set.

Item effects: +10 HP; +5 strength

Set Effects:

If three pieces of the woodland set are equipped, it grants +1 to all stats.

If all five pieces of the woodland set are equipped, it grants +3 to all stats and +10% to all nature skills.

Restrictions: Lvl. 10. Can be equipped by all classes.

[Woodland Jacket] (Uncommon)

Item description: A jacket crafted by the combined efforts of ratan weavers and corvid artisans. It’s a piece of a set.

Item effects: +5% damage reduction; +3 strength; +3 dexterity

Set Effects:

If three pieces of the woodland set are equipped, it grants +1 to all stats.

If all five parts of the woodland set are equipped, it grants +3 to all stats and +10% to all nature skills.

Restrictions: Lvl. 10. Can be equipped by all classes.

[Woodland Trousers] (Uncommon)

Item description: A pair of trousers crafted by the combined efforts of ratan weavers and corvid artisans. It’s a piece of a set.

Item effects: +3% damage reduction; +5 dexterity; +10 energy

Set Effects:

If three pieces of the woodland set are equipped, it grants +1 to all stats.

If all five pieces of the woodland set are equipped, it grants +3 to all stats and +10% to all nature skills.

Restrictions: Lvl. 10. Can be equipped by all classes.

He couldn’t help but be amazed at how much better it was than his current equipment. It was like a giant leap forward, offering him many fantastic bonuses that boosted his strength, agility, health, and energy.

Although he hadn’t needed to rely much on his health points, he understood the value of having more energy. He could run longer and faster with increased energy, an essential quality for his character’s progression.

As for the bonuses to his strength, he welcomed them. With so many trade agreements, the more weight he could carry, the better it would be for him. Once he got to the city, one of his most outstanding priorities was to find a way to increase his weight capacity.

What excited him the most about this gear was that it formed a complete set. Apart from the different parts of the set matching and completing his cool ensemble, the set bonus elevated the equipment to another level. Having a bonus of +3 to all his stats could potentially give him a total of 18 stats. That was three whole levels worth of free stat points!

Sadly, he only had three pieces of the woodland set, but even with that, its bonus was incredibly useful. Having a +1 boost to all his stats was nothing short of amazing. The only slight disappointment was that he already had decent headgear. He would have preferred receiving gloves or a cape instead.

He had to try to get a hold of two more pieces of this set. If he did, the set bonus would become even better. He took a mental note to look for other pieces of the set the next time he visited the city. Who knew? It was just uncommon equipment, and there might be other ways of getting it. Perhaps someone had put it up for sale.

After he had equipped all the items, he couldn’t help but notice how much cooler he looked. He resembled a modern-day Robin Hood, with his new dark green jacket perfectly complementing the black hue of his [Raven Feather Earrings] and his dark [Errand Cloak]. Now that he finished equipping his new gear, he was ready to tackle this new quest.

“Lead the way, prince! Let’s go meet the lord.” Roth felt his voice had become valiant and heroic, but it might just be the result of being in a good mood after equipping this sweet new gear.

“We don’t need to go anywhere, human. Behold. The Lord of Woods is right here. All you need to do is open your mind to his presence.”

The air started shimmering as if it was a scorching day. The particles around Roth trembled more quickly and vigorously until a new picture formed before his eyes. It was as if a bubble had burst in his mind, and an invisible fog had been lifted.

Congratulations on being the first to discover Palatial Clearing.

200,000XP

You have unlocked a new title: [Pioneer]

Congratulations on being the first to complete 100% of the map of Green Woods

500,000XP (+250,000XP); Green Woods Blessing

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

You’ve unlocked a new title: [Explorer]

The number of notifications that Roth received left him dizzy for a moment. He opened up the titles to see what they did.

[Pioneer] (Uncommon)

Title description: After discovering new hidden rooms and maps, you have gained a taste for the joys of exploration. You set out to keep learning the hidden wonders of the world.

Title effects:

You gain +50% more experience from discovering new maps.

Conditions to unlock [Pioneer]:

Find five secret rooms {Complete}.

Not bad. It wasn’t the most helpful title since there would be few instances when he would discover new maps. After two years of the game being around, he considered himself extremely lucky to have been the first to find the hidden maps in Green Woods. He’d discovered the True Throne Room inside the Rat’s Cave; the Baroness’ Chamber in the Fox Tunnels; Count Crow’s Office; the location for the Council of Badgers; and now the Palatial Clearing.

But how could he guarantee he would keep discovering more hidden rooms in other maps? After all, it had been two years since Astro Terra had been released. There were billions of players looking for lucky breaks and fortuitous encounters everywhere.

Too bad he hadn’t unlocked this sooner. Much of the experience that had helped him reach this high level had been unlocked from quests and achievements such as these. Just now, he had gained two levels from exploration-related achievements.

He opened the [Explorer] title to see how it differed from [Pioneer].

[Explorer] (Epic)

Title description: Your relentless patience and insight have helped you to uncover many secrets and find locations that no one had dreamed existed.

Title effects: You have the [Search] skill.

Conditions to unlock [Explorer]:

Be the first to fully explore a region. (Complete)

Search (Epic)

Skill description: By focusing your senses to exhaustion, your subconscious is activated, and you can feel where a secret room is.

Skill effects: Active. Locate hidden doors or passages in a 13-meter radius. Radius scales with wisdom and ????. Cooldown: 1 hour.

What a broken title. It was his very first epic-grade title. He remembered reading that some titles awarded skills. The forums described such titles as being god-tier.

He had used his connections with factions to find secret rooms and spent much time doing so. Just finding the baroness’ chambers had taken him a whole day. Not to speak of all the other rooms that had taken him many hours to find.

This title would save him a lot of time. For example, he had been to this clearing multiple times before and knew something peculiar about it. He would have certainly used [Search] if he had it. This was, by far, a more valuable title than the previous one. Roth resisted the urge to dance.

This title synergized very powerfully with [Pioneer]. After all, with this, he had just significantly increased his chances of discovering new hidden rooms. With the combo of [Pioneer] and [Explorer], his experience would undoubtedly skyrocket.

Finally, he looked at the skill card he had received as a reward for being the first to fully explore the Green Woods region.

Green Woods Blessing (Rare)

Skill description: You know this place like the back of your hand. Your knowledge of this place’s ecology and geography gives you an edge over the competition.

Skill effects: Active. +5 to all stats. The bonus is doubled when inside the Green Woods.

Roth didn’t have any buff skills, and adding +5 to all stats was pretty valuable. Moreover, he would keep coming back to the Green Woods frequently. After all, he had many trade agreements here that he wanted to keep. On the other hand, this skill was potentially worth a lot of money. He would have to check what was better, to sell it or learn it. He saved the card in his inventory for the moment. He’d make his decision later.

As the illusion around him finished unveiling. A beautiful sight greeted Roth. It wasn’t the first time he was seeing something like this. One of the ratan tapestries in the True Throne Room portrayed this place. He had assumed that it was a scene imagined by the artist. Now he could see where the weaver had gained his inspiration.

The clearing around Roth had transformed completely. A tall tree stretched high into the skies, and its canopy covered the whole clearing. Roth tried to wrap his head around the scale of the enormity of what was in front of him, but it was more than his mind could process.

His hearing also picked up signs of life and movement around him. There were mice and rats playing catch as they darted under and through the roots stretching out from the tree. There were orange and brown foxes napping under its shade. A badger scratched his back against the hard bark of the tree. Above, he saw ravens perched on the branches engaging in friendly conversation. He was surprised to see that Count Crow was one of them. Was this where he and the baroness had tea?

The Boar prince knelt before the tree and gestured for Roth to do the same. Roth felt his mind being pricked and prodded, and suddenly, there was a connection. He started hearing a voice in his mind.

“Martyr, you are an interesting human.” The voice felt like a breeze or as if there was warm sunlight on his face. This creature was telepathic!

Congratulations on being the first to discover the treeant race.

+300 reputation with treeants

Treeants now respect you.

You’ve unlocked a new title: [Discoverer of Species]

Oh my goodness! Three titles in a minute. What was going on? He checked the new title. It was amazing!

[Discoverer of Species] (Rare)

Title description: You have become an ambassador between different species and peoples. You follow leads wherever they may take you, and you have been able to discover a previously unknown race.

Title effects:

Grants +5 wisdom;

The first time you interact with any race, you receive a 50% bonus for your charisma. It lasts an hour.;

Conditions to unlock [Discoverer of Species]:

Discover a new race. {complete}

This was, by far, his favorite title after [Martyr]. The bonus to his charisma would be priceless when he met new races. First impressions could go a long way toward unlocking quests, gaining reputation points, or asking for favors.

He felt tempted to spend all his free stat points on charisma. It would make this title’s effect even more meaningful. Roth brought his mind back to earth and tried to focus on the dialogue. This was no simple NPC, and he had to concentrate.

“Lord, I greet you.”

“You are… different from all other humans that have passed by these woods.”

“How so, my Lord?”

“Most of your race tears down trees instead of planting them. You have come to these woods, but I haven’t seen you hurt a soul. On the contrary, you seem to be on good terms with all life. That’s something rare, human.”

“I thank you, Lord.”

“I would like to propose to you an agreement. If you promise to defend the woods and forests of this world and protect them from the vile humans that hunt, eat, and kill us, we will grant you powers beyond your wildest dreams. You will have the power to uproot evil and to destroy those who harm us.”

The Boar prince bowed deeper. “This is a great honor, human.”

You’re being offered a unique class, Woodland Warrior

Do you choose to accept? [Y/N]

Chapter 51

Roth hesitated.

“Can you give me one moment to think about it?”

Roth felt a breeze caress his skin. Somehow he knew that the treeant was saying a telepathic yes.

The choice in front of Roth was a very important one. On the one hand, being offered a unique class was a golden opportunity. Very few were given such a choice. Should he accept it?

It had been over a month since he had been locked into the game. He would keep trying to get out, but nothing had come from his attempts so far. If reaching the top 10 was the only way of leaving, playing the game like everyone else would probably not cut it.

Many players as talented as him, or even more so, had big guilds behind them, nurturing and supporting them. A conventional path would not enable Roth to surpass the competition. A hidden class might be the only way to go. By now, beads of sweat were soaking his hair. Echoes of what he had read in the forums about players resetting their accounts came back to haunt him.

This wasn’t like the decision to become a broker. There was no coming back. He could delete professions he didn’t like, but that wasn’t the case with classes. Until now, he had found nothing in the forums that mentioned it was possible to delete a class. When people talked about giving up on a class, they always referred to resetting their characters and starting over with a new account. Unlike other players, he couldn’t afford the luxury of resetting his character.

Besides that, there was something fishy here. Why would the Treeant praise his peaceful playstyle only to describe what sounded like a warrior class? It made no sense. Why would it praise peace and offer him a class designed for battle? It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t the first time an NPC tested him. Roth decided to trust his gut.

“I am sorry, oh Lord. I’m on the side of all life. I can’t harm my fellow man any more than I can harm this forest’s mice, foxes, ravens, badgers, and boars.

I believe you have the right to a peaceful existence, but it is not my way to do so using the sword. I ask you to find someone else to be your guardian, for I want only to be your friend.”

All creatures in the clearing froze, staring at Roth. Prince Piglet let out a chuckle that broke the silence.

+10 Righteousness.

Congratulations, you now possess a [Good] alignment.

You have unlocked the [Kind-Hearted] alignment bonus.

“Alas, you’re even more righteous than I thought, human. I respect your decision. The way of the sword is one of strife. But there are things mightier than swords. Your path is noble, and your heart is true.

Even so, you have become friends with all life in these woods. They all have asked me to bestow a gift to you that will perpetuate our bonds. Please accept this token of our relationship.”

Secret Conditions Fulfilled:

[Friend of Ratans]

[Friend of Foxes]

[Friend of Badgers]

[Friend of Corvids]

[Friend of Boars]

Good

Would you like to trade [Friend of Ratans], [Friend of Foxes], [Friend of Badgers], [Friend of Corvids], and [Friend of Boars] for a reward from the Lord of the Forest?

Roth frowned. He had worked hard to unlock those five titles. He recalled all the adventures that he had gone through to befriend all these races. They offered him ten extra stats!

Roth sighed and accepted. He had to take a risk here. He had already made clear that he wouldn’t stand for violence. Anything he was about to be given should only be coherent with his path.

You have changed races. You are now a [Zoomorph].

Congratulations. You’re the first [Zoomorph] in the game. You’ve unlocked a new title: [First of a Kind].

Roth was stunned. He still hadn’t opened any descriptions of the rewards he’d been given, but his efforts had paid off. He had found a race!

“This way, you will always remember the bond that binds us together, human.”

“I thank you, Lord. I appreciate your trust.” Roth spoke from his heart; however, there was only so much patience a human could have. He had to hurry out of there to analyze the rewards he was given and do his victory dance.

“Goodbye, Lord. Goodbye, prince.”

Roth walked away.

“Lord, this was my first hearing of the Woodland Warrior.”

“There is no such a thing.”

“Why did you offer it to him?”

“It was a test.”

“What would have happened if he’d failed it?”

“I wouldn’t have given him such a valuable reward.”

*

Roth thirstily went through the description of his new race.

Zoomorph (Hidden Race)

Race Description: By spending much time with different mutated beasts, your cells have captured the essence of some of their strength. The Lord of the Woods has awakened your genetic potential, allowing you to exhibit some of its unique strengths.

Racial Effects:

Nature speaks to you, and you listen;

All animals like your smell.

Racial Skills:

Ratan Form: You can activate this form and convert up to half of your other stats into dexterity. Cooldown: 21h36m

Fox Form: You can activate this form and convert up to half of your other stats into charisma. Cooldown: 21h36m

Badger Form: You can activate this form and convert up to half of your other stats into intelligence. Cooldown: 21h36m

Corvid Form: You can activate this form and convert up to half of your other stats into wisdom. Cooldown: 21h36m

Boar Form: You can activate this form and convert up to half of your other stats into strength. Cooldown: 21h36m

What an incredible race! When Roth went to Greensburg, he had seen a lizardman warrior walking down the street, and he had used some of the time on his journey back to the Green Woods to study what the forum said about races.

According to the forums, lizardmen were the most common race players could change to. All it required was for one to perform a series of quests in the swamp and build up influence with the lizardmen living there. The locations of the villages and the different questlines were available for free. That meant that it was public knowledge by now.

Many warrior-like classes seemed to like this race because of the bonuses to stats it gave. It increased strength by a considerable amount while reducing intelligence. Lizardmen were also taller than humans, and in body combat, the wider reach could make a big difference in winning a fight.

However, the biggest perk of the race seemed to be the powerful tail one gained from changing into a lizardman. It unlocked some unique racial skills that opened up many possibilities in combat. Some guides were available for sale for real-life money or in-game currency, explaining how to become better at using one’s tail.

Another famous race that wasn’t kept secret was that of the oceanlings. It was a specially popular race among the players that started the game in the Water Caves.

Whenever an oceanling was inside water, they gained a bonus for their swimming speed and stats and, more importantly, allowed players to breathe underwater.

On the other hand, if one enjoyed adventuring across a wide range of maps, this race had many liabilities. Oceanlings suffered a massive debuff when they had to do a quest in the Fire Pits or the Sun Desert.

Every perk had a downside, so no race could be said to be better than the others. But depending on how your character was built, there were advantages in choosing a race.

What Roth enjoyed the most about his new race was that it kept all doors open for him, regardless of where this playstyle took him in the future. It was very versatile. For example, if he was crafting something that benefited from additional dexterity, he could activate [Ratan Form].

If he was overloaded with goods on a trip between the woods and the city, he could activate [Boar Form] and increase his weight capacity.

The greatest strength of this race was that he could reallocate unused stats as needed. Inevitably, players would gain stats that they did not necessarily use. With the [Zoomorph] race, however, that wasn’t a problem.

Like the lizardman or the oceanling race, zoomorph also had liabilities. Its greatest weakness was that no form was balanced. The other was the long cooldown. Additionally, while changing into a lizardman or an oceanling gave some stats to players, he hadn’t received any. The benefits that he gained were enigmatic, and Roth couldn’t understand what they would be used for. Nature speaks to you, and you listen? All animals like your smell? What did that even mean?

He wondered if these were the only forms he could take. After all, there were many different stats in the game. He already had five forms that allowed him to bolster five stats. Could there be additional forms that could allow him to boost other stats?

He would have to try to get to meet other races later. Perhaps there was more potential here to be unlocked. Additionally, from what he had recognized up until now, the game was so well-designed that there was a path that fit his shoes. He had to stick to his guns and keep playing the game on his terms.

There was also the new title he had received.

[First of a Kind] (Epic)

Title description: You are the first of your race in AstroTerra. You have braved new territory and have been greatly rewarded for it.

Title effects:

+10% Cooldown Reduction

+50HP

+5% charisma

Conditions to unlock [First of a Kind]:

Discover a race; {complete}

Or discover a class.

Another epic title? He had received two epic titles within the hour. That’s it. He had to do his victory dance now. He looked left and right, and after making sure no one was watching, he gave himself a beat and busted a few fancy moves.

This title was terrific! It was undoubtedly well-deserved, though. Being the first to unlock a race or a class was no easy feat and warranted a reward of this caliber. It was the first time he had gained any cooldown reduction. Since all his racial skills and his [Miniaturize] skill had long cooldowns, this was certainly a valuable stat for him to cultivate.

He went back to the description of his race. Had the title not been in effect, he would have had to wait 24 hours between each transformation. Saving two hours and twenty-four minutes was no small matter.

Finally, Roth checked what [Kind-Hearted] did.

[Kind-Hearted] (Alignment Bonus)

Description: You have been judged as a kind soul and a generous man. Your character shines through even in adversity, and people see goodness in your heart.

Bonus effects: +1 to all stats; causes a favorable impression with righteous NPCs.

Roth hadn’t known there would be a definite bonus to stats after unlocking alignment! At least it made up for some of the stats he had lost by giving away his [Friend of…] titles. It also stacked nicely with his [Martyr] title. Roth couldn’t wait to see how NPCs would react to him now.

After counting all his rewards, Roth looked at his stats window.

CHARACTER INFORMATION

Name: Pax

Race: Zoomorph

Profession(s): [Broker Lvl. 7]

Level: 13

Affinity: [Empty]

Alignment: Good (110/300)

Relationships: Badgers (1193/3000); Boars (1144/3000); Dogs (102/300); Dwarf Exiles (105/300); Foxes (1184/3000); Greenleaf Inc. (100/300); Corvids (1206/3000); Ratans (2000/3000); Treeants (400/1000)

Titles: [Art Enthusiast]; [Discoverer of Species]; [Explorer]; [First of a Kind]; [Martyr]; [Marathonist]; [Overachiever]; [Pioneer]; [Polyglot]; [Revered]; [Richling]

STATS (65 Free Stat Points)

Hp:197

Energy:146

Damage Reduction: 40.4%

Cooldown Reduction: 10%

Running Speed: 144.2%

Weight: [Light] - (0/70Kg)

Strength: 41

Dexterity: 28

Intelligence: 25 (+1%)

Wisdom: 26

Endurance: 225

Charisma: 26 (+5%)

EQUIPMENT

Right Hand:[Empty]

Left hand: [Tin Ring]

Shoes: [Crappy Shoes]

Bottom: [Woodland Trousers]

Top: [Woodland Jacket]

Gloves: [Empty]

Head: [Woodland Hood]

Cape: [Errand Cloak]

Accessories: [Crow Feather Earring]; [Crow Feather Earring]; [Crow Feather Necklace]

SKILLS:

Stat Bonuses: [Stone Skin]; [Horse’s Gallop]; [Kind-hearted]

Profession Related: [Discount]; [Porter]; [Supplier’s Fortune]

Passive: [Empty]

Active: [Grapple]; [Healing Ray]; [Search] [Shepherd’s Shout]; [Taunting Shout]

It felt good to see how far along his character had come. By far, his new race was his favorite reward. The thought of being able to transform into…

A light bulb lit in Roth’s mind. He could transform! He took off toward the Fox Tunnels. There was something he had to try!

Chapter 52

As Roth entered the familiar tunnels, he headed straight toward the baroness’ secret chamber. He bumped into a small pack of red foxes on his way there. One of the foxes in the group took the initiative to approach Roth.

“Human, I was digging around earlier, and I found this. I thought you might want to keep it. You told such a great story some time ago, and I never got to thank you.”

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you.”

You have been traded 1x [Fox Ginseng].

Roth had forgotten that now that all woodland races revered him, he had unlocked the spontaneous gift feature for them. This was not the official name, but since this was new ground for Roth, he had to think of a name. Even though he was itching to go running around to look for other gift-givers, he was just too excited about testing his idea.

After arriving at the entrance to the chamber, Roth barked a greeting, and the hidden door opened, letting out some of the perfume of the baroness’ chamber. As he entered, she was at her usual post, busily reading or scribbling away at her desk.

“That’s unusual of you, human friend? Two visits in a single day?” The baroness sniffed the air a few times. “Oh my, what a fantastic cologne. It suits you, friend. Now, how can I help you today?”

It was time to try out his new racial skill. Here goes nothing!

[Fox Form]!

Roth’s nose extended until it became a snout. Reddish hair grew on his face and arms, and his ears grew and became pointier. Roth also felt a tail springing up from his back and whiskers protruding from his snout.

System Notification: Your Charisma is over 50. You have unlocked the bonus skill: [Well-spoken].

Passive Skill: Well-spoken (Common)

It’s slightly easier to gain reputation.

System Notification: Your Charisma is over 100. You have unlocked the bonus skill:[Charm]

Passive Skill: Charm (Uncommon)

Slightly increases favor with NPCs

System Notification: Your Charisma is over 150. You have unlocked the bonus skill: [Eloquent].

Passive Skill: Eloquent (Common)

It’s easier to gain reputation.

[Horse Gallop] has been downgraded to [Cat’s Sprint]

[Stone Skin] has been downgraded to [Bark Skin]

By sacrificing half of his other stats in one go, he had been able to break through to 170 charisma! The bonuses were very meaningful!

“Martyr, I am so glad to see you embrace your friendship with our people. I thought you would make a good fox. You look so charming.”

Your charismatic presence floods the room. You’ve impressed the Baroness.

+34 Reputation with all foxes.

Did he get 34 reputation just by showing up? Having such high charisma was a massive boon to his character!

“Thank you for trusting me enough with the honor of taking a [Fox Form], baroness. Since I am now technically half-fox, would it be possible for me to take a look at the tomes?” The baroness regarded him thoughtfully. Roth crossed his fingers. The fox tomes didn’t seem like simple items at all. Although he could have peeked into the books when he retrieved them, he had dared not do so for risk of ruining his relationship with the foxes.

“I suppose that, since you are half-fox, I can grant you half-privileges. You can study volumes one through five. More than that, I would have to consult with my queen.” Roth’s ears perked up at the mention of a fox queen. He had already heard of the Crow Emperor. His hunch was correct. There were higher-end NPCs of these races located somewhere else in AstroTerra.

“I thank you for your trust.” The baroness went back to work. Having gained permission, Roth moved toward the shelf at her back, careful to see if it caused any adverse reaction from the fox noblewoman. Seeing that she politely ignored him, he grabbed the first tome and took it to read it on one of the baroness’s fluffy cushions.

Fox Tome #1(Special)

Item description: A collection of Foxian tales highlighting the foxes’ shrewdness and wits. Many are the legends and tales inside. The craftsmanship of the book and the handwriting are exquisite.

Item effects: Unknown

Roth opened it and started reading.

“Fox Tome, the 1st.

The Foxes and the Wolves

Introduction by Baroness Wittypur,

For the longest time, wolves and foxes have been at odds. Logic would dictate that would not be so. After all, we’re all canines and have much in common. We live for the pack. We live in tightly-knit societies. Unlike our domestic cousins, we have long refused to submit ourselves to human rulership. We are similarly intelligent. This collection of tomes shows how a weaker fox can outsmart a stronger opponent. Pay attention to how straightforward intelligence often loses to a more moldable and flexible intellect.

Chapter 1 - The Woodland War

It was a year of drought and famine. Scarcity often divides, but a valiant wolf, Pawlus McFang, rose and gathered all the scattered wolf clans, riling them up against a common enemy, the foxes. Seduced by the promises of spoil, plunder, and full stomachs, the wolf warlords summoned their troops and set out to invade the Fox Mother Cave. The timber, mountain, and forest wolves became one army and set out to rob the foxes of all their supplies.

The Mother Cave was helpless. True, they did have supplies, but hardly enough to last them through the winter. There was no reasoning with the wolves, though. Things had moved past diplomacy. Severely outnumbered and facing inevitable defeat, the wise Fox Queen devised a plan. She grabbed some of the few supplies left and decisively sent the Royal Guard to carry them to Pawlus McFang’s tent. The guard was careful to be quiet enough to make it close to the center of the camp but loud enough to get caught. When the wolves found them out, they grew suspicious. After all, they were no unified nation but an alliance of different clans. Pressing the foxes, after much pain, the foxes let out that it was a payment from the queen to Pawlus for having brought the wolf armies here.

The warlords smelled a conspiracy. Could the McFang clan have ambushed the wolves? After all, wolf meat is hard and tasteless but is better than starving. The army was split into two. Those who trusted Pawlus and those who believed he had betrayed them. Soon, conflict arose and even battle. The wolf army was thrown into confusion, and they decimated each other. So with a pawful of soldiers and a few crates of food, the Fox Queen saved the Mother Cave and the Foxian people.”

Chapter 2 - The Wolfstone

Wolves had been in civil war for years. Turfs were highly disputed, and dens were bloody battlegrounds. Packs slaughtered pups of rival clans, and the number of wolves greatly dwindled. When only three packs remained in the world, the fox queen sent her counselor to advise the three alphas on how to avert extinction. He summoned the three rulers and had them meet in one tall mountain. The fox asked:

- Alpha of the River Clan, why do you fight the Prairie Clan and the Forest Clan?

- They won’t share their elk and bison with us.

- What have you to say, Alpha of the Prairie Clan?

- The River Clan refuses to give us their fish, and the Forest Clan keeps their elk to themselves.

- What about you, Alpha of the Forest Clan?

- They keep their treasures all to themselves. We won’t stop until it is ours.

The fox pondered for a moment and said:

- On this mountain, a rock will be erected. It shall be carved by the wolves and signed by the alphas This shall be a wolf sanctuary. The alphas will meet every year, and a vote will be taken. Whatever dispute is made will be settled on the rock.

- What if we don’t?

- Then the otters will come and steal all your fish. The bears will come and steal all your bison. The mountain lions will come and steal all your elk. The foxes will make it so.

So it was that the great Wolf Rock was built, and the great wolf war was ended.”

After reading fox stories for 15 minutes, Roth got a notification that he had hoped for.

Reading expands your intellect. +1 intelligence.

The great tales of the Foxian historians teach you more about being witty. +1 wisdom.

By learning the tales of witty foxes, you become more charismatic. +1 charisma

Bingo! Roth had hoped that, like the Ratan tapestries, he would unlock stats by reading the tomes. It turns out the benefits were even more remarkable than what he expected. He not only increased his intelligence from reading, but because the stories focused on the foxes, he also was awarded charisma! There was more than that, though. He was gaining insight into the history of the foxes and wolves. He had seen that the wolves were the most common mob near the cities. Knowing that they were split into clans might be helpful when interacting with them in the future. He also learned that the foxes’ headquarters was the Mother Cave and that the ruler was always a queen.

This story about the Wolf Rock also sounded very interesting. He wondered if it was a real place. Roth heard a thumping sound behind him and, turning back, realized that his tail was contentedly wagging of its own volition. He chuckled. It was his first time having a tail. He went back to reading the tomes.

*

“How can I help you today, sir?” Gary didn’t dare to look disrespectful toward Xerxes. After all, he was the cream of the crop, one of the top 10 players in the Pegasus guild and one of the top 100 in AstroTerra. He also happened to be his supervisor’s supervisor.

“Loki has decided he wants to have a comprehensive understanding of how much the top 10 guilds are investing in the [Miniaturizing Potions] farming operation. He wants you to go do it.” Gary hated to be bossed around by this guy, but he dared not show it on his face.

“Sir, I thought OldSmelly was the most familiar with…”

“We need a fresh pair of eyes. Get on it.” He turned off the call. Gary clicked his tongue. He was sick and tired of being bossed around. If he had access to all the resources funneled into players like Xerxes, he was sure he would do better than they did.

“What’s going on?” asked Wilson, who kept hunting beavers a few meters away.

“Got an order from the top brass. Have to run an errand. I have to go check things out in the Green Woods.” At the mention of the location where they had tortured Roth, both their expressions soured. The Slayer was a pebble in their shoes that they couldn’t get rid of, no matter how hard they tried.

“Very well. I will call Xana. We will hunt together here. Since you’re going to go around, see if there are any signs of the Slayer anywhere.”

“There’s no point in looking in the Green Woods anymore. With a month of gameplay, someone like him… should be what? Level 16? Level 17? We’re much more likely to find him in the cities. I will keep staking out the garrisons whenever I visit a new city. Chances are that he would go for the warrior class. I will watch for anyone matching his looks and temper.” It was a needle in the haystack, and they knew it. There were over 4 billion players in AstroTerra. How in the world would they find him? At least the worst hadn’t happened. If he had changed to a new avatar, they were doomed. But if he had started a new character, then it fits nicely into their story, and Loki would buy it, and they would be in the clear.

Chapter 53

Brian left the world of AstroTerra and turned off the VR helmet. Cursed be that traitor. The basement around him was dark and dingy, reflecting the poor construction materials. Since he had moved here, he had a persistent cough that wouldn’t go away. He’d asked Mrs. Bessie to get him some over-the-counter medicine, but it couldn’t solve the humidity of his quarters.

Cursed be Gary. His memory was pulled back to when he realized what Gary would do to him and Shirley. He ran for his life as quickly as he could. Since this episode with Roth started, Brian had considered what he would do if things went sour between him and the others. Even though his actions were disgusting, at least no one would dream of looking for him here. Besides, Roth’s mother could use the rent. After what he had done to her son, at least, this way, he could do some good. He had four hundred thousand in cash with him. He had internet access and a VR helmet. All he needed was some food, clean clothes, and a bathroom.

Brian knew that Loki kept someone surveying Roth’s mom’s house. The psychopath went out of his way to destroy as much of Roth’s family as possible. He had already bought whole companies just so that he could fire Roth’s brothers. It had been tricky to get here from the Pegasus building undetected and then to sneak into the house without scaring the Slayer’s mom.

But once he said that Loki was out to get him, she had been more than happy to oblige and stash him away in the basement. Although VR helmets were incredible, he missed his comfortable capsule. Here he had to leave the game to eat and use the facilities periodically. Oh well…

On a positive note, starting fresh in AstroTerra wasn’t so bad. He had thought it would be dreadful to start over with a new character, but it turned out that he was having a lot of fun trying out a warrior class.

Besides, he could deposit all his items into a deposit box inside the game, so he started his new account with a generous amount of capital. During the two years that Brian had been a part of the Pegasus guild, he had diligently studied their library and had kept a document with everything he had deemed noteworthy.

He was able to reach level 10 and get his items from the auction house’s deposit box in under two days. He also could unlock a lesser-known sub-class within the warrior branch and was following a series of great quests that were helping him to progress this new account swiftly.

As he exited the squeaky bed and stretched his back, he heard a coin thrown into the air and grabbed again. Startled, he turned. A man sat in the shadows of the basement, repeatedly making the movement that caused the noise. Brian felt his mouth go dry, and his heart began to race. Had Loki and his goons found him?

Taking a closer look, he realized it wasn’t a coin. Maybe it was a poker chip? He couldn’t tell in the dark. Other than the repetitive motion, Brian couldn’t make out anything else. It was too dark.

“Who’s there? Who are you?” he called, trying to suppress the terror he felt.

“Where’s Roth?” The man kept throwing the chip up into the air. The voice had a rasp that caused shivers to run down Brian’s spine. Brian furiously considered the implications of this being the first question asked. Perhaps it wasn’t Loki who had sent this man. Loki knew where Roth was.

“Excuse me?”

“Where. Is. Roth?”

“Who are you, man? Does Mrs. Bessie know you’re down here?”

“Where is Roth?”

“How should I know? Isn’t he in prison?” tried Brian.

“Where. Is. Roth?” There was something about this man that Brian only had felt when he was facing Loki or Zin. He felt like a deer frozen in a headlight. Some deep-seated instinct told him he wouldn’t go far if he ran away.

“I don’t know.”

The man stood up, constantly throwing the chip and catching it again. As he stepped forward, his features became visible in the dim light. He was shorter than Brian and older too. Probably in his forties, estimated Brian.

He only had one arm, but he didn’t seem scared of Brian being able to overtake him. An intrinsic tattoo spiralled along his arm and crept up his neck.

Brian didn’t have anywhere to run away to. Zin and his goons were looking for him. If he did something to this man or caused a commotion, Mrs. Bessie would hear it, and he was doomed anyway. The only thing he could do was to talk his way out of this one.

“Who are you?”

“A man looking for Roth.”

“What do you want?”

“To find Roth.”

“Where do you know the Slayer from?”

“From looking for him.”

This was going nowhere. He waited for the man to say something. He finally stopped tossing the chip in the air and put it into his pocket while taking out a piece of paper that he unfolded so Brian could see it. It was the forgery of the Prison Association that they had sent to Mrs. Bessie.

“It’s an excellent forgery.” Brian gulped. “Here is what I know. I know that Roth had enemies. I know this house is under surveillance. I know you know the house is under surveillance. I also know you were in the military for two years, where you learned how to fool the bugs spread around the house. I know Roth left prison a month ago. I know he never made it home, and Mrs. Bessie thinks he is stashed away in a slaughterhouse. The only thing I don’t know is where Roth is.”

Brian gulped. “Are you with the police or something?”

“Oh no. If half of what Roth told me about his enemies is true, I wouldn’t be so stupid as to run to the police. Not in this town, anyway. Especially an ex-convict like myself.”

“Then what do you want, man?”

“Very simple. I want to talk.”

*

Josh once again checked his map. His employer had stressed the importance of following these instructions to the letter. If he was successful, he could finally get rid of his debt and get his life back. He turned left while in the sewers and activated his stealth skill, spotting a group of players ahead. He blended in with the surroundings and waited for the players to pass.

“Are you sure that what you read in the guide is true? Could this be a scam?”

“I’m telling you. It’s someone I know from school. Besides, I paid 10 gold for the information. He’ll have to pay me back with interest if it doesn’t check out.”

“Only six hours to go before we unlock resilience, then.”

“Are you sure this is the place with the best smell?”

“From what he told me, under the academic district, it’s where the smell is the easiest to bear.”

“Those damn developers. How did they devise the idea to make a place stink so bad? Turning off the pain settings doesn’t make it any better!”

The group disappeared into the distance, the echoes of their conversation fading under the noise of the dripping water. Josh’s figure materialized again. He was level 40; there was no way that they could have seen through his camouflage.

The Pegasus Guild’s library had a list of ways to unlock hidden stats, and coming to the sewers was one of the easiest ways to gain resilience. Running into warriors down here, near the sewers’ entrance, wasn’t uncommon.

The smell worsened as he ran deeper into the sewers, but the sparse encounters with players became even fewer. He heard a mechanical hum. A gatorbot! His stealth wouldn’t fool the machine; the only way to fool it was a consumable that he couldn’t use up here. He took off in the opposite direction until he couldn’t hear the mechanical sound.

Now in the clear, Josh followed the map until he was right in the heart of the commercial district. He found the drain and counted the steps until he finally found the location as described in the guide he’d received.

It almost felt untrue that two years building up his character was about to go to waste. But his contract bound him, and he had to obey any orders from the top brass without question.

He had arrived. It was a chamber deep within the sewers where different tunnels intersected. The ceiling was tall and cavernous.

Above him was the commercial district, with its many industries. The resulting waste was sent down the sewers as they produced their goods. This chamber, in particular, was right under Tanner Street and Chemist Street, two of the smelliest industries in the game.

The resulting smell was unbearable. Josh tried his best not to gag. According to his briefing, he wouldn’t he wouldn’t smell anything soon enough. First, he ran the perimeter and installed the scramblers according to the instructions.

He patiently waited for one of the gatorbots to run its round. As it arrived near the scrambler, the light on the device turned purple, and the lights in the drone blinked repeatedly until they shone the same color. It turned the other way, steering clear from the scrambler.

The gatorbot was a globular dark green machine that hovered a few centimeters over the ground. It had a mesh of metal that scraped against the stone floor and dredged the filth and litter in the sewage. Its long mechanical maws occasionally chewed the dredged debris and crushed it into powder, keeping the sewers unclogged.

Although many players had tried, this mob was way out of reach for any player in the game.

GatorBot

Lvl. 80

10000/10000

You weren’t supposed to fight it. You were supposed to run away when you heard the distinct scraping of the stone floor with the sporadic clank that the machines produced. He repeated the process in different locations making sure that the perimeter was secure.

He also set up the trap with two scramblers to one corner according to the guide Loki had drafted and waited patiently for a gatorbot to run its rounds as soon as it made it to the corner, he manually activated both scramblers, and the gatorbot fell motionless. He waited again for a second gatorbot to come his way and managed to trap it too. Two was the limit of what these scramblers could handle. With two less drones patrolling this region, he would have more slack to maneuver his troops. 

Assured that the only hindrance to his mission’s success had been eliminated, he headed toward the chamber, located the ratan nest that could be found here, and cleared it in a few seconds. The elite ratan here was level 15, so it was a piece of cake for Josh.

Amidst all the fighting, he was careful not to destroy the nest. Most players would start by targeting it, as it increased the spawn rate of ratans. As long as it remained intact, it would keep spawning ratans adding to the difficulty of the hunt. But even with his handicapped skill set and items, Josh’s level was so high that it made no difference.

He walked next to the mound of dry straw and garbage that bred the pests and sat beside it. A ratan appeared, and he instakilled it with his dagger. He took a sentry drone from his inventory and programmed it.

It would work for an hour and easily dispatch any other mobs that spawned while he completed his mission. The only mob that could pose any danger to it was the elite, but it would take three hours for it to respawn again, according to the guides.

After double-checking that he had followed the instructions to the letter he took a deep breath and activated the egg.

Are you sure you want to activate your parasitoid egg here?

Warning: To lay your egg, you must permanently sacrifice one of your stats. Which stat do you wish to use?

“Strength!”

Warning: From the moment you choose to lay your egg, your character will become immobile. If you die, your level will reset to 0. All Terran factions will become your sworn enemy.

[Y/N]

“I hate you, Loki. Yes.”

Your strength stat has been sacrificed for the glory of the Hive.

You have embraced the parasite within.

You have changed races. You are now a [Parasitoid].

You are now a [Parasitoid Egg]. Serve the Hive King.

His skin started cracking, letting out a viscous black ooze. As it got into contact with the air, it expanded until it became a sphere encasing both Josh and the ratan nest.

Chapter 54

The last few days had been very productive. Roth finished reading the first five tomes of the Fox Canon. The gains had been substantial. He had not only unlocked 3 intelligence, 4 wisdom, and 6 charisma, but he also unlocked a new title.

Well-read (Common)

Title description: You have taken an essential step toward becoming knowledgeable and scholarly. By reading, you have expanded your mind and heart and can better grasp the truth.

Title effects:

Grants +1 wisdom.

Grants +1 intelligence.

Conditions to unlock [Well-read]:

To have spent ten or more hours reading in-game literature.

Each of the tomes had a unique theme. The most useful to him was the first volume which contained many stories about wolves and foxes. He looked forward to using his new knowledge of the wolves. He’d seen some of them around Greensburg, and was probably one of the next races that he would have the chance to interact with.

Roth had also attended the poetry sessions in the Council of Badgers every night. His map now featured all the harvesting spots for mushrooms, herbs, ores, nuts, bark, and fruit in Green Woods. His map was so rife with information on harvesting spots that Roth was tempted to learn the herbalist or forager profession so he could harvest it all.

Roth had also gone to the Rat Cave to be given the tour of the two tapestries he’d rescued. He had not gained any stats or rewards from doing that, but he enjoyed seeing the two new art pieces beside Rattatoiles’ throne.

He tried to take a closer look at the enigma diamonds, hoping to unlock some benefit from doing so, but Count Crow hadn’t let him near the rest of the collection. He was very protective of them. Roth would probably have to unlock the next relationship status level before he could find out more about the diamonds. He couldn’t complain. He had gained plenty from completing the [Cat Burglar] quest.

He had to say that he loved his new race. He had been running around in [Fox Form]. His charisma skyrocketed in this form! Everyone was friendlier to him, and everything he did and said warranted him more reputation points. It had been instrumental when he went around to negotiate the items that each race wanted to buy from the others.

After tasting how good high charisma was, he used some of his free stats to get it up to 50. In truth, Roth felt that he should attribute all of his free stats to charisma. As a zoomorph, the more stats he had, the more powerful his transformations would be.

At the same time, even though becoming a zoomorph had given him a lot of versatility he still didn’t know what his other profession would be, nor what class he would get. What if he used his free stats in strength only to discover that he needed wisdom instead?

Roth had settled with using 20 of his free stat points in his charisma to have the [Well-Spoken] bonus always active. Doing so enabled him to unlock the next stat bonus whenever he activated [Fox Form].

System Notification: Your Charisma is over 200. You have unlocked the bonus skill: [Magnetic Personality].

Passive Skill: Magnetic Personality (Rare)

Increases favor with NPCs.

It was a boost from just slightly increasing favor with NPCs.

One of the experiments that Roth had performed to test the limits of the zoomorph race was to try to revert to his human form while he was in one of his animal forms. He had worried that he would have to wait for the full cooldown of the skill before he could cancel the transformation. He sighed in relief when he confirmed he could do that. Being able to revert to a more balanced stat sheet could make a massive difference in a sticky situation.

For example, if Roth had a full inventory and activated [Fox Form] to gain a temporary boost to his charisma, it would suck to have to wait 22 hours to revert to his human form. He would be stuck with a [Heavy] debuff until then, forcing him to walk at a snail’s pace. That was a potentially deadly situation.

Roth had also conducted some experiments with his broker profession. He found that he could reset the counter on his ledger by conducting trades within the woods. The countdown also only reset when he did a full run. That meant that every week, he would have to make the trip back here.

After much preparation, Roth was ready to explore a new region. Green Woods had become his home and had given him the tools he needed to forge his future, but he had outgrown this place. It was time to set camp in one of the cities.

According to the forums, when players reached level 10, they were offered a one-way free trip to the city. Roth had postponed using it because he wanted to fill his bag with the merchandise he had for sale before he left.

He had already planned everything neatly and had left the two stops closest to the teleporting gate in the beginner village for last. He went to visit one of the representatives of Greenleaf Inc. He refused to return to Greenfield because of the horrible torturous episode he had experienced there, but he settled with seeing Margaret, who ran the shop in Traverse Town.

His inventory was so full that any form change would get him a [Heavy] debuff. He waited for the shop to be empty of customers and changed into his [Fox Form].

Fox Form!

System Notification: Your charisma is over 150. You have unlocked the bonus [Eloquent].

System Notification: Your charisma is over 200. You have unlocked the bonus [Magnetic Personality].

You are carrying too much weight. You are [Heavy].

You move 50% slower.

“Hello, Margaret.”

The beautiful way in which you greeted Margaret deeply touches her heart.

+18 reputation with Greenleaf Inc.

Roth smirked. [Fox Form] was working its charm. It made a huge difference. Even small things became impactful and gave him reputation points.

“Oh, broker! It’s good to see you.”

“As requested, here are the badger claws and the pine cones.”

You have traded 5 badger claws and 10 pine cones.

You have been traded 10 old wheat and 15 berry juices.

The pristine condition of the goods and the charisma you exude touch Margaret’s heart.

+26 reputation with Greenleaf Inc.

You are now respected by Greenleaf Inc.

None of the races wanted to trade goods for money but were more interested in bartering. Roth explored how much each race undervalued or overestimated the goods produced by others and was able to increase the number of items he had to sell. There was a minor difference, though. The profits from the excess merchandise he was accruing would all go into his pockets—for example, one badger claw cost as much as two berry juices. Greenleaf Inc. was willing to trade three berry juices for a claw.

By exploring this price difference, he made a few silvers on the side while gaining some free XP. Three days of doing this had been enough to fill his inventory with goods, and he looked forward to selling it off in the city.

“You have been in the business for a long time, Margaret, and your family’s connections run far and wide. Can you recommend someone to me in one of the cities close by? I want to set up my business, and a few words of advice would go a long way.”

“Well, I suppose I could recommend you to my teacher. He was the one who showed me the business, you see. You are good friends with our association, and as time will teach you, young one, in this business, you can’t have enough good friends. Friends take you places. Try Hilsford up north. I will give you a letter of introduction. My teacher works with Golden Mountain Inc. and might be able to point you in the right direction.”

You have been given a [Letter of Recommendation].

Roth waited for a quest to pop, but nothing happened. Too bad. He had expected that since he had built a good relationship with the merchants out here and had the [Fox Form] activated, he would be given some extraordinary quest, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Nevertheless, it was a good starting point.

Being introduced to someone influential in the city could go a long way. He must cultivate a good relationship with one human merchant association for things to work. After all, he had unlocked [Supplier’s Fortune] and had to focus on trade between NPCs. This way, he could set up supply channels that would allow him to procure goods to sell to the animals in the woods and build sales channels to drain the products they provided him.

“I thank you, Margaret. I will tell him you are doing well for yourself.”

“Godspeed, traveler.”

Before leaving, Roth reverted to human form.

System Notification: Your charisma is under 100. [Eloquent] and [Magnetic Personality] have been downgraded to [Well-Liked].

You’re no longer [Heavy]. You can move normally.

There was only one last place to visit. Roth crossed the street and entered Red’s shop. This time, it was empty. When Red saw him, he bolted upright from his stool, excited to see him.

“I’m so glad you’re here. I can finally charge you for the appraisal fees.” Roth’s shoulders sank. It turned out Red was only happy to see his wallet.

“It will be 4 silver.” That meant he had been able to find four items that still worked. Considering that he had given him over thirty items, it wasn’t the outcome Roth wanted.

“Here are your 4 silver. Let’s see what you’ve got, Red.”

3x Hydrogen Grenade (Rare)

Item description: This state-of-the-art explosive combines nuclear and atomic fission, provoking a dreadful explosion.

Item effects: Consumable. Causes an explosion engulfing a 20-meter radius and does a fixed amount of 5000 damage, regardless of resistance.

Roth gulped, looking at the grenade. This was an OP item. He was sure a newbie like himself should never have gotten their hands on this. He could instakill even a boss with it.

???????? Machine

Item description: ????????

“What’s up with this machine? Weren’t you able to fix it?”

“I could clean it and replace some of the simpler burned components. Although I have a working knowledge of tinkering, it seems to be a software problem now. You’ll have to find someone else to finish repairing it.”

“Oh well, thank you, anyway. Maybe, someone in the city will know how to fix it. I’ll see you soon, Red.”

“Aye.”

Roth went to the center of the town, near the teleportation gate. It had been in a very similar square two towns over that he had been beaten up and tortured. It seemed an eternity ago, but it had only been five weeks.

He took a last look around before teleporting away. The feelings he had for this area were bittersweet. On the one hand, he had never suffered as much as he had here. On the other hand, he had unforgettable adventures.

As he sighed, he looked toward the end of the road and saw a man in dark green armor. Roth’s forehead became drenched with sweat, his knees started shaking, and his breathing became shallow and fast.

He turned toward the teleportation device and hurriedly selected Hilsford. The teleport started channeling. One second. Two seconds. Just as he was about to disappear, Roth’s eyes met Gary’s, who was dumbfounded at his departing figure. He turned into light and disappeared.

*

“Who does this SmellyShirt think he is? Does he think that, just because the [Miniaturizing Potion] operation has become a bigger thing, he is now some long shot or something? Why didn’t he come to meet me where I found it convenient? Cursed be that idiot.”

The feeling of returning to this beginner zone was truly dampening his mood. This is where they had lost track of the Slayer, and Gary had spent weeks dashing and darting, looking under every rock of this forsaken place for his former captain. He still didn’t know how Roth had been able to escape them at Greenfield Village.

As he walked up the road toward the square of Traverse Town, he looked for Smelly’s figure but found nothing. That bastard. He was making him wait. Gary stomped toward the square, and his eyes landed on a familiar figure. Few men were as tall and well-built as the Slayer. That noob resembled… Gary paused. Could it be? The figure turned into light and disappeared.

“Wilson, Xana!” screamed Gary as he dashed toward the teleport gate.

“What’s up, Gary?”

“I think I just saw Roth. He teleported from Green Country to one of the satellite cities. Teleport to as many as you can afford. If we’re lucky, we’ll find him.”

“Are you sure it…”

“Go! If I’m right, he is still playing with the Pax avatar. We’re screwed if it’s him! Go!” Gary was so surprised he hadn’t turned on his observation skill in time. But it couldn’t be a coincidence.

They had to find the Slayer and finish him for good.

Roth’s adventures will continue on book 2: Hilsford. Please leave a review for this book here.

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PROLOGUE

Golden yellow flames lit up the night. That had been the last yellow burst left in him. Mercury-thick sweat dripped from his forehead onto the ground. Now that he had depleted so much time, only despair fueled what would be his last stand. Sadly, time always trumps despair… and time was no longer his ally. Just despair would have to do.

Aag had lived up to the honor and responsibilities of his tribe. Not that any of his clan had been left conscious to see it. They were as good as gone now. All just colorless ash in a hearth. He was the last incandescent ember in a dying fire that sooner or later – in his case sooner rather than later – blackens and crumples into that ash. They had burned together; they would be ash together.

Now that Aag’s longevity reserves were running so low, there was only enough for three, no…, maybe four bursts. But what could crimson ones do even if golden bursts hadn’t slowed that monster? He turned, limping away from the scorched scar that he had violently painted on the ground. As he turned, he ignited his mutation sparingly. Better to burst once true than twice blindly. In seconds, hours of his life unnaturally burned in the cells of his body and were converted into light and fire.

Silence. There was nothing on the spectrum. His body glowed with a feverish faint red light casting some light on the dark tunnels he walked through—still nothing. After a few patient seconds, Aag flashed into a red ball of fire. It was so bright that, from afar, it could easily be mistaken for a dying red dwarf star. He finally found the void absorbed by the shroud of the monster. The hole in the light outlined its inhuman ghoulish form, with its long-needled spikes and predatory gait. It was closing in at 9 o’clock. Aag at once channeled his burst’s energy into his body’s muscles. They instantly bulged, and feeling the added strength in his legs, he sprinted in the opposite direction at great speed.

Time, shadow, and claws fastened their relentless siege even as he dashed inhumanely fast. Although Aag had been deprived of how long he would live, he could still decide how he would die. He would do so in a blaze. He left the tunnels of the Harrows and kept running until he reached the tribe’s Lighthouse. He opened the heavy metal doors with his huge muscles and shut them. He then engaged the magnetic locks behind him. As soon as he had sealed what would become his tomb, his muscles deflated, and he breathed heavily with tiredness. The Lighthouse shook. Successive dents deformed the gates. It would hold long enough, Aag thought. But only if he didn’t dally, he realized, as the hinges started giving with each successive blow to the door.

He ran as fast as he could to the top of the tower until he reached the Beacon. It was a transparent globe big enough to fit a man. It had two parallel bars crossing it from top to bottom. He entered it, and as he did so, a distant explosion again rattled the tower. It was coming. He grasped the bars, one in each hand, and, closing his eyes, he burst for the last time in his life.

His hands heated up and lit brightly. Then the bars. For brief moments, the top of the Lighthouse erupted into light, and in a last burning statement, Aag, the Yellow, sent his brothers and sisters his last words. The energy spreading from his arms into the bars pulsed and flickered, coding the urgent message. The Beacon reverberated and amplified the signal echoing his thoughts: “The raptor comes. Grows stronger. Anaximanders smoked. Gather…”

The Lighthouse was silent.

The Beacon shone and transmitted the signal to the orbit of Ignis. Hitting repeater after repeater, it broadcasted the promise of doom.

Chapter 1

… this is the reason why the eighth truth focuses on education. In past reigns, we were awfully close to extinction, not because we failed to invest in proper evaluation procedures but because we neglected the children’s feelings. We learned that it is essential to invest enough time in teaching them to love the tribe and to be selfless. Even when a tribesman is proficient in bursting, he is of no worth to the tribe if he is self-centered.

I defend that the language of this truth needs reviewing. Instead of its current form - ‘all flames big start small’ - I propose changing it to ‘All flames blue start red.’ This change is beneficial for two reasons: Firstly, it adds the nuance that, in the tribe, color doesn’t make you more or less valuable. More importantly, talking about the size of a flame can create the idea in the children that the bigger the flame, the better. That is rarely the case. Here are some examples…

From “A Proposal for the Review of the Nine Truths” by Trother, the Wise

Shadows danced in the heart of the Burrows. The king summoned a rekindling, and the tribe heeded the call. The rekindlers were already in their places, crowded around the Hearth, holding onto the metal halo that stemmed from it. Even though this was one of the largest chambers in the underground settlement, Trother knew that the cylindrical machine was much larger than the pillar seen here. The Hearth was so tall that it stretched onto chambers above and below. The floors and ceilings hid its massive batteries. They would be the recipient of the energy provided during the ceremony.

As Trother held the metal halo in his hands and saw his twenty-nine companions for this ceremony doing the same, he realized something: During the rekindling, in a sense, they, too, were the Hearth. They all became cogs in the machine that energized the tribe. All thirty rekindlers burst steadily together, the fire in their hands heating the bar into a vermilion blaze.

Trother caught his colors starting to slip and regained control. There was an optimal temperature for the task he was performing. Too much, and some energy would be wasted. Too little, and the batteries wouldn’t fully charge. Trother stabilized his mind and readjusted his burst back to the right temperature. The years hadn’t made Trother careless or wasteful. On the contrary, giving generously to the tribe wasn’t the same as squandering, and, by the flames, he wouldn’t waste time that could be better spent surviving and getting his job done.

The more optimally he used his mutation, the more longevity he would have. The more longevity he had, the longer he lived. Trother patiently and meticulously stretched his life as much as possible for the sake of teaching class after class, thus strengthening the tribe. The love for his people glimmered in Trother’s eyes as he fed the Hearth of the Burrows. The fire in his heart mirrored the ballet performed by the tongues of flames and sparks of light caused by the carelessness of the young group as their output kept exceeding or going below the perfect temperature.

As time slipped out of their hands and into the tribe, Trother pondered how much he stood out from all others at this rekindling. For one, he was by far the oldest. Being in one’s forties was a luxury among teenagers and children. The second thing was the two oranges standing behind him. One of them was always in a permanent slow, steady burst. How poetic, Trother thought. Even as Trother burst for the tribe at the rekindling, so did the tribe burst for him, kindling him.

The last distinctive feature that made Trother stand out was the effort he put into bursting. As all others displayed visible effort through beads of sweat, grunts of discomfort, or shrieks of pain, Trother burst casually. Had he wanted to, he could have casually struck up a conversation with a fellow rekindler or to one of his batteries without letting his fire waver. Trother dismissed the thought as soon as it formed. This was a sacred moment; by the great Hearth, he was well beyond a youthful desire to flaunt. His advanced age didn’t come from burning life away willy-nilly. Instead of wasting time showing off to others, he used it to assess his to-be students.

Unlike most ceremonies when practically every rekindler feeding the Hearth was an orange adolescent, reds occupied many spots around the Hearth today. Twelve children fresh out of the incubators surrounded Trother. They were all bursting alongside him. He had never met any of these young ones personally. That was only natural. With many hundreds in the tribe and how fleeting lives were in this forsaken world, getting to know everyone that came by was impossible. These would all be his students starting tomorrow; he was already their teacher, starting today. He knew all their names and AI reports based on their performance in the incubators, and after seeing them at this ceremony, he would also have an estimate of how efficient they were at bursting.

As the hour went on, he scanned each of his future students. His small eyes saw grandiose things. Even without using his powers, the trembling light and the temperature variations were all signs of unskillful waste and, in his trained eyes, obvious. That was his prerogative as an instructor, after all. After a few minutes of the rekindling, one of his new students caught his eye. This was because, unlike all other reds and oranges in attendance, Trother had needed a few long minutes to examine this child.

His was a steady, unshakable flame. It was easily mistaken for that of a more experienced orange. But although his fire burned steady, it did so at a slightly suboptimal temperature, giving him away as a rookie. A glimmer of interest shone on Trother’s insightful eyes. The footnote added to the boy’s report by the king came to his mind. What was it that Brodnir had said? Something like, “Eli’s flame burns brighter than hotter”? Trother grinned. This was a diamond in the rough that he would enjoy polishing.

Although Trother had already seen everything he needed, he patiently kept bursting while watching the children. Toward the end of the ceremony, they started showing signs of fatigue. This was a valuable training opportunity for them and why lits always attended the Initiation of their class of reds. To assess a child’s potential, seeing them in long bursts was crucial. As fatigue kicked in, concentration faltered, revealing weaknesses he would have to hammer out of them in the anvil of the Collegium. As it was the culture in the Burrows, wherever possible, everyone burned two ingots with one fire.

By staying until the end of the ceremony, Trother also taught a valuable lesson to the children: no personal warmth was above the greater heat. Although none of the children had spoken to him, all of them knew he would be their teacher. They had seen him from afar before the rekindling and respectfully bowed to him. It was the custom not to address an instructor except on the first day of school in the interviews. Still, they knew: Their guide was on the same level as them, bursting with them. This was their first lesson. In a tribe, regardless of your color, there were no ranks, just service. And, as it was the culture in the Burrows, everyone burned three ingots with one fire whenever possible.

The Hearth buzzed, signaling that the energy stores of the Burrows were filled, thus ending the rekindling. One year of each of the thirty lives were converted into a month for the tribe’s Hearth. One year for an hour; an hour for a month. It wasn’t kind math, but the gains outweighed the losses.

As it was custom to end the rekindling, one yellow addressed them:

“Rekindlers, we of the Fahrenheit salute you,” said the man loudly. “Yours is a flame that warms the heart and feeds the Hearth. We praise your sacrifice, altruism, and generosity. Truth!”

“A flame spread is never dead,” the group chanted in one voice.

“Also, with us today, we have the initiated. Truth!”

“All flames blue, start red!” the twelve red children responded.

“May this be your first step in a life of service. As others have been burnt and spent, may you do so for the next ones to follow. Truth!”

“I burn my warmth for the greater heat!” All the rekindlers, including Trother, said this last remark.

“Know that though you leave with shortened lives, their significance has grown larger. May your flames always burn strong.”

Maybe it was because of Trother’s advancing years, but even though he had attended many Initiations, he felt emotional at the end of each one. He proudly watched on as one after the other of his students left the rekindling. Each of them went out and about with the energy and hurry of the young. None of them forgot to look at him and bow. He glanced at the departing figure of the diamond in the rough, Eli. He was looking forward to teaching that boy.

Trother turned to leave. He caught one of his batteries lingering with her sight fixed on the Hearth. Understanding, he asked:

“How many more until termination, Sywel?”

“Depends, sir. Five if lucky. Realistically two.”

Trother silently agreed, looking at the veins of Sywel’s neck starting to turn blue. Although his garment covered it, Trother’s chest had begun to reveal similar painful symptoms. “Are you scared, dear?”

“No, sir. Just thinking about my little ones. I am going to miss their first burst.”

“I see.”

Everyone left as life-giving energy was pumped into the Burrows of Fahrenheit.

Chapter 2

…the history of our people has shaped many of the truths.

In hindsight, the third truth was the first embodied by the Ignian people. When the Phoenix crew decided to split into four different settlements, it wasn’t only to reduce the chances of Schneider detecting them. It was a matter of guaranteeing redundancy. There were more chances to survive if we weren’t all grouped. If something went wrong, and one of the Settlements was destroyed, at least the others would continue.

I propose that we change the order of the truths and make the third truth - ‘A flame spread is never dead’ - the first one. It’s only proper to do so when we consider its historical significance. Additionally…

From “A Proposal for the Review of the Nine Truths” by Trother, the Wise.

Trother looked up at the starry sky. He couldn’t remember how he got to the surface. He noticed that his hands felt different. Studying them, he found these were younger, stronger hands. He was dreaming again. Standing before him was a beautiful woman with flawless ebony skin and a lean neck. Her dark hair was braided together and tied into a ponytail. He tried to say her name, but his voice failed him. He tried to move but couldn’t. He was frozen still, only able to listen.

“My love, you know I have to do this.” Her voice was gentle and soothing.

“But I don’t want you to go,” he tried to say. No sound came out. That didn’t seem to stop her from hearing his thoughts.

“I know. I know. But they have children too. This,” she said, pointing toward the sled, “will make a difference in their lives. Besides,” she added while stroking his clean-shaven face, “we always knew that I would be the first one to go.”

“I’ll go instead,” he wanted to say. He felt tears rolling down his face.

“Take care of our baby.”

She took out her oxygen mask and gave it to Trother. She then activated her mutation, Enhancing her muscles. She grew taller and more muscular. Her waist was tied to a sled in which different metal ingots were bundled together. She took off, towing along the sled. Her figure became smaller and smaller as she disappeared in the distance.

“Naiara!” Trother screamed. Opening his eyes, Trother woke up sweating and panting. He was in his room, in the Burrows. Looking around, he found Sywel beside him, silently bursting. As Trother slowly rose from his bed, Sywel opened one eye. She greeted him with a respectful nod and went back to bursting. Out of courtesy, she didn’t comment on Trother’s recurrent nightmares. He was grateful for that.

Sywel was a 19-year-old he had seen grow, marry, and have children; the twins last year. Yet, despite her love for her children, evident by how much she talked about them at every possible chance, her hand burned determinedly. She held a device connected to Trother. One cable, as thick as a thumb, burned red as Sywel poured her life for one of the teachers of the tribe. Maybe, Trother would be able to repay her one day. Perhaps he would guide at least one of her children, provided he lived until then.

Sylar slept in the corner of the room. His tall, lumbering figure had stood watch during the first hours of the morning until Sywel had switched places with him. He seemed to be sleeping unperturbed, but Trother knew his nightmare had probably woken him up too. They were a discreet couple. He had enjoyed being with them as Glacies completed its nine-day satellite cycle around Ignis. Most likely, he would have their company for the last time.

Even though it was customary in the Burrows to sleep only the bare minimum needed to function, Trother needed eight hours of sound rest as he got older. On the other hand, batteries stuck to the usual six, or as termination drew near, four hours of sleep. In this case, the numbers fit nicely into two battery shifts between the couple.

As Trother got out of bed, Sywel stood up, and Sylar quickly followed suit. They walked to the cleansing tube at the corner of the room. Shipishly, or sheepishly, or whatever the word was, Trother went into it and closed the door. The tube glowed and reverberated as Sylar and Sywel poured orange-grade energy into it. Impurities that, unattended in Trother’s skin would smell unpleasantly, were burned away, and exhausted through the vent down to the Smiths. Impurities were just the right molecules in the wrong configuration and, small as they were, there was still use for them if adequately processed. The cleansing took just a few seconds.

After Trother finished, he left the tube, refreshed. He let Sylar and Sywel have their turns. As oranges, they would fuel their cleansing. One could argue that a bath wasn’t an essential use of longevity. Nevertheless, according to previously recorded experience, it was better to live a slightly shorter clean life than smell like porks, pigs, or whatever the word was. That’s what his lit had taught him, and that’s what he taught.

Trother left for his morning walk from his room to the Collegium. Sure, there was an optimal route from his chambers to the mess hall and the Collegium. One could also argue that taking any other way was a waste of energy. Trother, however, enjoyed choosing a slightly different path every day. It was always the same tunnel compound, but he found that by changing his route, the Burrows seemed somewhat different. Gaining new perspectives on the home of the tribe often unlocked inspiring new ideas in Trother’s mind. Therefore, the mental clarity gained from this habit made him a more productive member of the tribe, outweighing the expenditure of calories and oxygen. Sylar and Sywel, familiar with Trother’s routine, followed suit, silently walking behind him.

“Let’s start from the top today and walk toward the bottom,” proclaimed Trother to the teenage couple. Sylar seemed to twitch his mouth in disagreement. Sywel sighed.

“I know, Sylar, I know. Don’t worry. We will pass by the mess hall on the way down,” she said. “Trother, have I told you that the twins twitch their mouths just like Sylar when they’re unhappy? It’s the cutest thing,” she said giddily.

The group was already on the upper level of the Burrows, where the sleeping chambers were. They quickly reached the highest point in the underground settlement, the door to Howner Avenue. Seeing the door and what was beyond, Trother shivered. Memories of his nightmares came to him. After leaving the Burrows through this door, he had lost what was most precious to him. The group began their downward march.

As they finished walking past all the rooms, Trother wondered whether any of his students behind these doors was already up. He thought back to the time when he was a small child and how excited he had been to discover what his place in the tribe would be. He could hardly sleep the night before his evaluation.

After the sleeping quarters were the Throne Room and the Womb, he paused outside the latter. He rested his hand on the door. Until very recently, all of his students had been here. He spared a look at the adjacent chamber, the Throne Room, and smiled. He’d come around for a visit soon.

They passed the Vault of the Golden Guard, the Yellow Chemist’s Lab, and walked down to the deeper, lower levels. They ignored the empty Hearth and moved on to the Forge. The chambers where the Smiths worked were always bright and hot. Tribesmen shot flames into the furnaces while others poured the unprocessed ore harvested from the mines below into cauldrons. Others excited the ignium in their arms to wield big hammers, which they used to beat down the cooling metal. The smell of fire, sweat, and metal hung in the air. Trother waved off to workers here and there, recognizing some former students or old friends. By the looks of it, they were preparing another batch of food.

“Hi, teacher!” screamed one of his former students. He wielded an apron, and his face was dark with soot. His arms were incandescent, shooting orange flames into a cauldron nearby.

“Welion, you seem to be doing alright.” Glancing at what he was doing, he added, “No need to burn that hot for that alloy, Welion. Cool down before the Bronze Smith sees you wasting your life away and throws you into one of the cauldrons!”

“Yes, sir,” Welion said embarrassedly as he adjusted his burst and returned to work. He heard Sywel chuckle.

Next to the Forge were the mess halls. Trother could feel Sylar’s eyes looking at him so intensely that it felt like he was burning a hole in the back of his head.

“Alright, alright. Let’s go in, Sylar. No need to look at me like that. I want to eat too, you know?”

After they finished breakfast, Trother and his batteries left the mess hall and started heading toward the Collegium. It was almost time for class, and Trother made it a point always to be the first to arrive. He took punctuality seriously, just as he took every other aspect involved in teaching seriously. It was no accident or chance that he had coached five other lits, three yellows, and even the blue king himself.

Trother and his entourage arrived at the Collegium. Like most chambers in the Burrows, it was a spherical space, resulting from being dug in a termination. Benches at different heights had been built and added so that each student could have a clear line of sight of their instructor and the other way around. All seats were vacant, though. No one had arrived yet. Trother went to the adjacent room to the theater and finished the preparations for today’s class.

As soon as the nanite arrived at his office, Trother stood up. It was time. He stepped out to find a line of children standing at attention in the Collegium’s large amphitheater. This class consisted of the usual twelve students. Five boys, seven girls. Trother looked them all up and down. It was time to feed these flames.

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