HC: Pacifist | Ch. 257 - Scolding Time (Patreon)

It all happened too fast. Lin drew out his sharp claws, and his hair stood up, making his body seem to double in size. While the players laughed and pointed at Roth, the cat’s figure appeared before their faces.

“Nyah!” Lin yelled while scratching the ridiculers.

-410

-528

-818!

Several bodies turned into motes of light, leaving only a piece of equipment.

Lin has killed HulkingHurbert!

+1 subterfuge;

+1 darkness alignment.

Lin has killed InvincibleNaja!

+1 subterfuge;

+1 darkness alignment.

Lin has killed RupertRoo!

+1 subterfuge;

+1 darkness alignment.

Witnessing the sudden bloodbath, unease went through the crowd. “What in the world?”

“Lin! Stop! Get back here,” Roth protested. He chased after the kitten, but he was already somewhere else, killing a few more players.

“How can such a cute little kitten dish out so much damage?” a girl asked horrified

“Did you see that? The kitten one-shot that tank!” a skyling exclaimed.

Roth needed a little more speed to catch up to his cat. 

Human Form!

Just as Lin was about to jump over to attack another player, Roth flashed past them, grabbed Lin by the scruff of his neck, and kept running. His kitten was fast and slippery, but thanks to his [Speed of Light] bonus and the added dexterity from reverting to [Human Form], he could scoop him up before he killed anyone else.

Some people were unhappy with Roth’s escape. “Wait! What’s wrong with you?!”

“Come back here. You just killed my friend! We demand compensation!”

“Sorry,” Roth managed. He blurred past the many players around the dungeon, and before anyone could stop and question him, he activated the stone tablet embedded in the mountain.

Are you sure you want to enter the Cloud Lizard Lair? [Y/N]

“Yes.”

Roth’s figure disappeared, leaving behind a murmuring crowd.

“Did you see how fast that player could run?”

“Wow! That’s the fastest I’ve ever seen. And did you see his pet? It was a kitten. Have you ever seen a cat in the game?”

*

The layout of Cloud Lizard Lair was familiar. Two twin cliffs faced each other, most submerged in shadow, with only sunny top walls and crests. The developers had been a little lazy here.

Here, the rock of the cliffs was whiter, and the lizards bathing in the sun had flatter, longer heads. Their skin had different patterns of grayish-blues and blacks, camouflage that helped them blend better into this environment. It was a copy of Rock Lizard Cliff with a coat of paint over it. 

Despite the new scene around him, Roth only had eyes for the little pest dangling from his hand. “What was that all about, Lin?” Roth called out loud, his voice bouncing back and forth between the cliffs. The kitten was surprised and taken aback by the severity of Roth’s tone. 

“You meow, meow my pet, meow, only I can make fun of you, meow meow,” Lin pleaded his case, mumbling an excuse.

“And is that a good enough reason to go on the rampage and kill innocent people? Come on, Lin, that's not how we do things! I do appreciate you standing up for me, but those people were just laughing. They weren’t hurting me. Now, because of what you did, everyone will find out I've been here. Even when I asked you to turn on camouflage, you didn't. You just kept rolling around laughing. Why, Lin? Why?!”

Lin's eyes widened, and his ears drooped. His previously erect fur had eased down, and instead of looking large and fearsome, he looked tiny and sad, not daring to make another sound. Even though Lin pretentiously claimed to be Roth’s owner, his eyes revealed he knew who owned who, at least for the moment. 

Roth had no recent memory of him being this mad. After venting his frustration and finishing the scolding, regret bubbled up within him. He replayed the sermon he had just preached and tried to pinpoint where he'd heard a similar tone before. 

“My father,” he whispered. That's how his father had scolded him back in his youthful years. Whenever his father came back from a long trip, and his mother told him all the shenanigans Roth had been up to, he reprimanded him in this very same tone. Even the way he asked, ‘Why?’ at the end was just like what his father would have done.

The whole sudden situation culminated in a mix of anger, embarrassment, and longing for his late father. Maybe he had gone overboard. How many times had he done worse? Sighing, he put the kitten down.

Lin walked over to Roth and rubbed his head and tail on his leg, trying to look cute. “Meow?” Roth stared the kitten down, not falling for the cheap move. The kitten whirled and played with a little pebble, trying to look as adorable as possible. Roth kept staring him down. Finally, from seemingly nowhere, Lin grabbed a sphere and left it at Roth’s feet. It then rolled over, showing his belly as a sign of submission. “Sorry,” he finally said.

Seeing how the cat had finally admitted his wrongs, Roth nodded. “Very well, Lin. Let this be the last time you go on a killing spree like that.”

You teach the way of right and wrong to a child.

+10 righteousness.

Even though your discipline is tough, it strengthens your bond with your pet.

+10 affection.

Roth bent over and picked up the red and soft sphere Lin had dropped. It had a fragrant smell that made his mouth water. As he inspected it, he almost fell over.

Hellberry (Consumable)

Description: The rare fruit of the hellbush that only bears fruit once every ten years. It's packed with vitamins and minerals.

Consumable:

+15 dexterity;

+5 wisdom;

Can only be consumed once.

Roth stared at this heavenly item and turned toward his little cat burglar.

“W-where d-did you get this?” Roth stuttered.

“Meow, monster’s metal box. Nyah. I don’t like veggies, meow, meow, for you.”

“For me? As an apology gift?” Roth stammered. The rascal! He had kept some of Loki’s precious stat boosters for moments such as these! What would Loki do if he found out that his kitten kept these heavenly resources as bail to escape being grounded?

Roth petted him. “I accept your apology, but just so that we’re clear, I accepted it because you repented, not because you bought it with this. Do we understand each other?”

Lin nodded vigorously and retreated into Roth’s clothes to test whether he still had access to his comfy nook. Roth let him come aboard and sighed. 

Now that his kitten had called so much attention, well-connected guilds would piece things together and find out he was here. He didn't know how fast the news would spread, but it wasn't all lost. He did want to muddy the waters, and if there were sightings of him everywhere, that should help him confuse the guilds. 

Now that Lin couldn’t see how happy he was with this apology gift, Roth put the berry in his mouth. He didn’t think twice and gulped it down. If he didn’t, he risked the local lizards finding out he had this and asking for it. They were crazy about statboosters.

The berry burst in his mouth in an explosion of flavor. Roth was hit with a refreshing, mild flavor, similar to watermelon juice, and as he gulped, he felt a savory nuttiness. This was the best thing he had eaten in the game so far.

The nutrients of the rare [Hellberry] flow into your organs.

+15 dexterity;

+5 wisdom;

+20 nature affinity.

This item was twice as potent as [Power Truffle]. Just where had Loki gotten this?

Roth finally allowed himself to start exploring his surroundings. His plan was simple. He would travel between cities using the money from flipping items to afford the ticket to the next town over. Thanks to the discounted prices he got from his [Thousand] title and the incredible weight-carry capacity of [Ant Form], he could afford a whirlwind trip that would be far too expensive for any other player.

At each stop, he would befriend one or two factions, thus spreading breadcrumbs to confuse his pursuers. The world of AstroTerra was just too big for guilds to have agents looking for him all over. Since he had also recently received the quest to unify the lizards, he might make the most of the trip and, in that way, kill two birds with one stone. 

Roth still had seven hours before he could use his racial skills again. Were it not for his nature affinity, he would have needed to wait twice as long. 

By the time he was done here, he could hopefully transform. Without [Ant Form], he couldn’t carry enough items between stops to make a profit. Even though it would have been much better if he could change into [Fox Form] too, he would just have to make do with changing between [Ant Form] and [Human Form].

[Human Form] allowed him to have his base charisma at 200. Whenever the [Discoverer of Species] bonus from meeting a new faction activated, it would synergize with the bonus of [Stat Prodigy] and bring his charisma up to 350.  It paled compared to the 1300 charisma he got from [Fox Form], but it was better than nothing. 

Roth approached the cliff where females lived, located a lower-level lizard hanging on to the vertical cliff wall, and addressed her. 

“Hello,” Roth hissed in lizardspeak.

This is your first time meeting the cloud lizard race. Charisma bonus activated. 

“What an honor for you to visit us, martyr.” The lizard tasted the air with her tongue, and her nostrils flared. “Why do I smell the stench of rock lizards on you?”

Roth paled. He had forgotten about his new flag. He discreetly grabbed it from behind his back and stuffed it into his inventory. There was no need to flaunt his friendship with the rock lizards and create animosity here. Lizards, while speaking the same language and being members of the same race, were at odds with each other and competed for statboosters.

After Roth put the flag away, the lizard seemed to relax. “Maybe it’s just your impression. I brought a gift to all of you. Can you take me to your leader?”

The lizard swiftly climbed the cliff. The cliff shook as the large cloud lizard leader stomped her way down. He was being treated coldly compared to the spectacle he'd seen from having four times as much charisma as he had now, with the stampeding lizards all rushing down to meet him. The messianic treatment he had received had been due to his overwhelming charisma at the time.

Roth inspected the giant cloud lizard. Her stats were incredibly similar to Lizzie’s.

Chloe, the Cloud Lizard (Boss)

Description: The leader of the cloud lizards inhabiting the cliffs of Cloud Lizard Lair.

Lvl. 23

Hp: 24,000

Ep: 1,500

Skills: [Sunfeeding], [Sun Beam], [Cloud Step], [Tail Whip], [Berserker Rampage], [Reptilian Recovery], and [Limb Regeneration].

“It's my honor to meet you and your incredible race,” Roth said, bowing.

Your diplomacy and fluent lizardspeak impress the cloud lizards.

+63 reputation with the cloud lizards.

Your strong presence and commanding voice inspire awe in the cloud lizards.

+51 reputation with the cloud lizards.

You’re now friends with the cloud lizards.

Roth grinned. Yes. It was that easy. 

“Martyr, you honor us with your presence. How can we assist you?” 

“I couldn't help but notice that only a little of the cliff is under the sun.”

Your presence becomes all the more impressive, the longer you speak.

+41 reputation with the cloud lizards.

Chloe nodded sadly. “Yes, even though the crag is large, many species fight for territory here. Those dreadful, hateful birds have taken some of the best spots. This was the best we could claim for ourselves. But we take turns under the sun, which has served our people well,” the lizard leader explained, defending their lair's dignity. 

“Please gather around your people. I have a gift for all of you.”

Solar Warmth!

Roth’s skin brightened, and the lair lit up. Since the rock was white, it reflected light even better. Additionally, because he was in human form, his intelligence and wisdom were twice as high as the last time he used it, thus making [Solar Warmth] more impressive.

The lizards appreciate the sunbath. So warm. So nice.

+41 reputation with the cloud lizards.

Seeing the abundant, warm sunlight, the lizard leader made a series of vocalizations and slammed her tail against the cliff, getting all the other bluish-white reptiles marching down the cliff and drawing closer to Roth. As more of them gathered around, the reputation gains skyrocketed. 

The lizards appreciate the sunbath. So warm. So nice.

+121 reputation with the cloud lizards.

The lizards appreciate the sunbath. So warm. So nice.

+286 reputation with the cloud lizards.

You’re now respected by cloud lizards.

Even Lin came out from Roth’s robes. He looked up uncertainly at Roth, trying to determine whether he was still mad at him. Roth smiled approvingly, and Lin, relieved, lay down with his belly up, basking in the warm light.

Ch. 256 - Elections?

INDEX

Ch. 258 - Cloud Candy