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HC: Pacifist | Ch. 297 - Reassurances
🕑 Added 2024-06-26 17:50:06 +0000 UTCThere was a blur, and the HP bars of all three love-stricken girls came within one thin line of turning completely black.
NYAH!
Mind Your Own Business Slash!
-614
‘Get a Life’ Feline Admonishment!
-929
‘Who Are You Calling Kitty, Kitty?’ Strike
-871
They shrieked and ran away. Lin stood with his fur erect and his claws drawn. Another cat enthusiast, considering approaching Lin and petting him, halted in his steps, turned around, and ran away. Roth was left shaking his head at his violent pet.
“Lin, that was unnecessary.”
“Don’t even, human! I obeyed our code and didn’t kill them. How dare they approach me without being invited first?!”
“But still. They didn’t mean you harm. Did you have to scare them like that?”
Lin looked away and meowed in an untranslatable display of sadness. “You don’t know what it’s like, human. To be this cute. To be this adorable. To be seen as a ball of fur. A stuffed toy! Something to cuddle and squeeze! Am I not much more than that?” he asked, with big eyes and a sad face. “Am I not a gallant warrior? A talented thief?”
Darn it. Even though it’s all talk, I still can’t resist his cute face. “I-I suppose.”
“They deserved it. Cats must be respected! Cats must be revered. These humans will learn to appreciate the dignity and majesty of my race. Muahaha.”
Even though Lin was trying to sound annoyed and sad, he couldn’t hide the hint of pleasure in his voice or the evil laughter at the end. He enjoyed attacking people who tried to pet him! Where did he learn this? It wasn’t from Roth, that’s for sure. I guess that’s what they call nature versus nurture, Roth mused, momentarily distracted from his wait for Mel. Is this all due to Oli’s influence? Or is it just imbued in his genes?
“Hey!”
Hearing the familiar voice, Roth’s lips broke into a smile. He had expected Mel to arrive flying on her gigantified hawk; however, she surprised him by walking into the square with Goldie perched on her shoulder. It was the first time Roth saw her with her hair caught in a ponytail. It highlighted the elegant lines on her face and made her eyes look bluer. The blue summer dress flowing as she walked highlighted her eyes even more.
Some other players passing by couldn’t help but throw Mel a look, entranced by her beauty. However, Roth couldn’t see them anymore. Suddenly, the crowd of players walking around the central square of Hilsford all disappeared, and all that Roth could see was his girlfriend. Roth’s nervousness melted away, and he smiled brilliantly. “Mel!” Roth closed the gap between the two and hugged her.
A few playful passersby cheered and clapped, causing Mel to laugh nervously. She tucked her hair over her ear and looked down, waiting for people around them to stop embarrassing them. Once things calmed down, she looked up. “You’ve made it!” she said happily.
Roth nodded. “Yeah. It was crazy in the Dark Abyss, but it went well.”
“I want to hear all about it. ColdHand has been in an epic arm wrestle with BlueFire. BlueFire wants some information we have and is using the teleportation gate as a bargaining chip.”
Roth smirked. “It doesn’t surprise me. I'm happy as long as he deals with all the boring bureaucracies and I get my gold. But, Mel. It’s your guild. Why don’t I give the Krakens a free pass at the gate? If you want, I…”
She pressed her finger against his lip. “No, no. Roth. This is our thing. Let’s not get our guilds involved. OK?”
“Well, at least you can use it for free. OK?”
“Thanks! So? What do you have planned for our date?” she asked, suddenly going from sounding like a professional businesswoman to sounding like a giddy girl.
Roth wiped the sweat off his forehead. He hoped she would like what he had lined up for today. “I hope you like it. This way, my lady.” He offered his arm, and Mel accepted it, giggling. They walked for a moment, and Roth felt like there was a spectacle of fireworks happening inside his body. Every inch of his skin tingled and crackled.
“Why are you so quiet?” Mel asked.
“Sorry. It’s just… I can’t help but think that even though I'm much taller than you when you’re near me, I feel… safe.”
“Are you calling me short?!” she punched him playfully on the shoulder.
“That’s not what I meant!”
Mel laughed and frowned, looking over at their pets. Goldie had flown to the ground and walked side by side with Lin. The cat stared him down. The usually glorious and otherworldly hawk was looking everywhere but at Lin. He seemed eager to take flight and get away from the cat but too afraid to dare it.
“What’s up with those two?” Mel asked.
It seems like Lin’s collecting his debt. “Who knows? Let the kids play, come. We have a date to get to.” Roth and Mel carried on, walking over to the commercial district as Roth recounted the events of the Dark Abyss. Mel drank in every word, asking the occasional question. She was particularly fascinated by the Crow Emperor.
“I wonder if there’s a similar NPC for the golden hawks.”
“Probably,” Roth commented while he discreetly messaged Drake, letting him know that they were on their way. Almost immediately, a quick reply came, telling him everything was ready.
Mel seemed satisfied by Roth’s account of the Dark Abyss and changed topics. “So, I couldn’t help but notice that you’re catching up to me. You’ve reached 34 in the rankings. Was it the earrings?” she asked knowingly.
“That’s right. Are you mad that I’m catching up?” Roth asked.
“Are you kidding me? I want you to reach the top 10 and leave this death trap already. I don’t even leave the game to sleep anymore. Every time I close my eyes… I… The thought of you…” Her eyes reddened, and she looked away.
Roth took a deep breath. Mel obviously cared about him, and that meant a lot. But why didn’t that feel enough to him? All the questions gnawing away at his sanity bubbled up within him, and he couldn’t help but ask the questions he was afraid to hear answered.
*
Meanwhile, at the bottom floor of the Core Tower, the Ogres fought valiantly against the final boss.
“Hold the line!” Cyclops screamed to the fighters of the guild. Small droids tried to break through the ranks to get to their boss, a 10-meter-tall golden robot: the protokeeper.
Infernal Blast!
A ball of fire clashed against the giant boss. Ogre took a moment to admire how the pyrokinetic could consistently aim his skills at the same spot in the robot. Its thick, incandescent armor partially melted through on the robot’s right side. Ogre sidestepped a canon blast from the robot.
Bear Jacket!
The sun bear, Taran, ran toward Ogre and jumped to his back, hugging his owner like a living backpack.
Your pet’s stats have been added to yours.
Ogre closed the gap between him and the boss, activated every buff in his arsenal, and unleashed his most powerful skill.
39 Hit Slash!
Ogre's blade sliced through the air, clashing against the thick armor of the robot guarding the 100th floor of the Core Tower. The Protokeeper had finally succumbed under the blade of the Ogres.
Congratulations on completing all 100 floors of the Core Tower.
You’ve unlocked a new title: [Core Tower Climber]
Core Tower Climber (Epic)
Description: You’ve overcome many challenges and defeated all the guardians guarding the entrance to the Core.
Effects:
+10% damage;
+100 hp;
+100 ep.
Conditions to unlock [Core Tower Climber].
Defeat the 100 bosses of the Core Tower. {Complete}
Breathing heavily, Ogre looked back and found his team in tears, celebrating. They had finally made it to the famed Core. They could join the Dragons, the Phoenixes, and the Griffins by posting their success on the guild’s page.
“Well done, sir,” Cyclops commended.
Ogre didn’t mind the compliment. Even though he was the guild leader in name, she was the general who managed the battlefield. He only did his thing and trusted his back to the capable general. “Thanks, Cyclops. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
BlueFire approached the two.
"Thank you for coming, BlueFire. I know you are at a critical point in that Antioch quest."
"No worries, boss. This is just as important. How does it feel to reach the Core in 4th place?” he asked with a proud smile.
“If this were the Olympics, we would have been just short of winning a medal,” Cyclops joked.
Ogre didn’t find it funny here. Coming here had been a costly endeavor. "Hopefully, it will be worth it, BlueFire. The weeks we spent cooped up in this tower set us back.”
“There has to be a reason why the Dragons, the Phoenixes, and the Griffins are so happy to have made it down here. We just have to figure out why. Just this title was worth it, too.” BlueFire noted.
“I guess you’re right. Should we post on the guild page that we’ve made it down here?” Ogre asked BlueFire.
“Of course. It’s good for our guild rep. It will make a few heads spin.”
“Good! I can’t wait to rub this in Kraken’s and Cerberus’ faces.” Ogre sneered. Of course, he would make sure he left out some details, namely the specifics of the consumables from Antioch
Elderberry Honeydew (Consumable)
Description: A sweet liquid fermented in the stomach of the honeypot ants. Having been fed many elderberries today, the honeydew takes some of its characteristics.
Item effects:
+10 energy regen per 5 seconds for one hour.
Pinecone Honeydew (Consumable)
Description: A sweet liquid fermented in the stomach of the honeypot ants. Having been fed many pinecones today, the honeydew takes some of its characteristics.
Item effects:
+200hp for one hour.
Royal Poop Honeydew (Consumable)
Description: A sweet liquid fermented in the stomach of the honeypot ants. Having been fed much of Prince Piglet’s poop today, the honeydew takes some of its characteristics.
Item effects:
+20 strength for one hour.
Having the whole hunting party hooked up on these consumables enabled them to steamroll through the bosses. Ogre’s pride was left untouched, though. Access to Antioch was part of the guild’s strength, after all!
The gate ominously opened, and Ogre took a step forward. It was only proper for him to be the first player of the guild to see this promised land. It was time to see what all the fuss was about and why the Dragons spent their days here, ignoring everything above the surface.
Shiny crystals from the tall ceiling of this hollowed underground space illuminated the Core in a perpetual twilight. He spotted trees, weird mineralized trees with iridescent trunks, guarding the entrance to the core like a sea of rubies.
Their trunks gleamed with iridescent colors. Towering crystal trees formed a sprawling forest that shimmered like a sea of rubies. The ground beneath his feet was a mosaic of luminescent stones. He stomped his feet a few times. Although he could almost see the fingerprints of the designers who created this map, they had done an excellent job making the Core look like a natural cavern.
Looking left and right, there was utter silence. The absence of competitors or monsters was a welcome relief after enduring the grueling 100 floors.
“Pretty,” exclaimed Cyclops.
BlueFire studied the landscape and gestured to the players behind them. “Rogues. Scout the premises. Be on guard against other guilds waiting in ambush.”
“Do you think the Dragons, the Phoenixes, and the Griffins would pull such an underhanded move? If it were the Basilisks or Pegasus, I’d be worried.”
“Only those three guilds have publicized their arrival at the Core. That doesn’t mean they’re the only ones here,” countered BlueFire.
“I guess you’re right.”
Not even a minute had passed when they received a message from one of the scouts.
“Urgent! Check 15914, -129314.”
BlueFire, Cyclops, and Ogre exchanged glances and dashed to the coordinates. The scout signaled to them from a small hill rising above the canopy of the crystal trees.
“It can't be,” Cyclops gasped.
“But it is…” BlueFire said, squatting at the foot of the hill. Rocks with encrusted bits of dull, orange ore littered the area. BlueFire ran his fingers through it, caressing the treasure. “Undestroium.”
Ogre laughed out loud. “No wonder everyone is in a rush to get here. To get one or two pieces of undestroium, you must fight through the toughest boss in the Fire Pits. This hill is filled with it as if it were trash.”
“No wonder more of these have appeared in the market recently,” BlueFire concluded.
“Scouts have discovered a small Cretaceous Cypress forest to the east and a pond filled with Starlight Trout to the north,” Ogre read aloud.
“Unguarded?” BlueFire asked.
“Yes.”
“It means the guilds who got here first don't care about these. They must be widespread in the Core.”
“Makes you wonder what is further in,” Ogre said with a wolfish grin.
“Time to find out.”
Comments
Cássio Ferreira
I'm so glad you're enjoying seeing Roth's and Mel's relationship blossom. Thank you for dropping a line, Ender.
Cássio Ferreira
Haha. The fastest way to the heart is the stomach!
Ender419
I just became a sucker for this romantic encounter in this great story especially with added stat bonuses & unlocking new affinities. I have a feeling by the end of this fine dining Roth & Mel will be wed with either the Sarge or Drake as officiants.
Coleman
Roth called in a military grade solid. The infantry called in the big guns. If my date took me out to be a celebrity judge for the equivalent of Michelin star chefs that would close the deal on the spot.
Daniel
Ah, romance. Ain't nothing more romantic than taking advantage of amazing chefs that crave a VIP spot to get you and your loved one a feast of a lifetime.
