Upon leaving the house, I immediately realize how the entire city has changed overnight. There's a massive traffic jams on the roads and the drivers are yelling at each other. On the sidewalks, thousands of people are moving like ants in a colony. And the noise!
"Sher, can you mute all the notifications?" I say weakly. "I'm gonna puke."
Hearing my request, the ads disappear. Jimmy looks at me in concern. Of course he doesn't show emotions but his words does give it away.
"Would you like me to eliminate all of these people, father?" he says.
"No!" I reply in alarm. "Only eliminate people who threaten us ok Jimmy?"
"Understood."
Now that a mass genocide is averted, we make our way to [The Market]. There's still some time before I meet Eleanor so I decide to go to the shops I visited earlier. As I approach the Japanese themed shop, I hear muffled voiced beyond the paper sliding doors.
"...to do?"
"Aaargh.... don't know"
I gingerly open the door and lightly rasp on the wooden frame.
"Uhhh... hello?" I announce myself. "There's no 'closed' sign at the front so I'm assuming you're open?"
Sitting at the front desk are the stocky female blacksmith and the buff male potion maker. Their faces are clearly stressed and they look at my direction in surprise.
"You forgot to put the 'closed' sign out?" the blacksmith exclaims.
"I thought you'd do it," the potion maker replies.
"Is this a bad time?" I nervously chime in.
The blacksmith looks at my direction again and her eyes trail down to Jimmy.
"Oh! You managed to fix it so quickly?" she jumps and hurries towards our direction.
"Before you fawn over it, let the boy in first," he suggests. "Take a seat. I'll give you something to drink." He then makes his way to the back and I could hear the clinking of glass.
The blacksmith inspects Jimmy closely as I take the nearest stool.
"How did you get it done so fast?" she asks.
"I got lucky," I reply. "I went in a dungeon with a robotics theme and I got my hands on a good skill."
"Wow, that IS lucky," she says and takes her place again behind the desk.
Before long, the potion maker comes back with what I assume to be cola and serves it to me. I take a sip and the notification activates.
+
[Drank "Refreshing Cola"]
[Kaleidoscope Integrity Recovers]
+
It still amazes me how a simple drink can affect the game.
"So what brings you here," he says as he takes his place beside her.
"Well, I was gonna visit you two separately," I reply. "But seeing you here saves me some time."
I pull out an empty vial with a small amount of yellow liquid in it.
"I got this from a friend of mine when we went to the robot dungeon. It's a concentration potion that increased my sense stat by 15."
The potion maker takes a closer look and pours the single drop of liquid on his tongue. He smacks his lips for a bit and declares, "Oh that's the good stuff."
"Really? I thought it would," I beam. "It increased all of my senses so much so I was wondering if there's a potion that could increase it permanently."
He thinks for a bit. "There were ... experiments. But they all failed," he replies then turns to his wife. "This is why we need to go to the tower, honey. There's more opportunities and discoveries there."
Her expression turns sour. "But we have to activate our pain receptors right? Also, travelling the Outside isn't a cakewalk, honey. Or what? Do you think someone from there's gonna guide us like some countryside tourist guide? Didn't we decide to just make money off of this game and never put ourselves in danger?"
His face becomes downcast. I guess this is the result of Monica's proposition last night. There are those who want to take the risk and seize the opportunity and there are those who want to play it safe in the city. Normally, I would just fade away when a conversation like this pops up but my next words surprise even myself.
"Why don't we travel together?" I blurt out.
The two goes silent and just looks at me with confusion.
"Uh... you see, I like the potions and the weapons you gave me and uhh... I want to see what the tower can give you and uh... I'm from the Outside so I could guide you and uhh..." my face is flushed and I am rambling. Why did I even say that? Then, the two of them bursts out in laughter.
"That would solve all of our problems wouldn't it?" she says while doing her best to calm down.
"I didn't know this scrawny kid's from the Outside but if he is, then we would get the best guide," he adds.
I sheepishly sit on the stool and attempt to shrink my body in to a ball. These two have such boisterous personalities that I could feel my own being swallowed up.
"Here's the deal, kid," she says as she walks up to me. "One month. We're gonna make our preparations and if you show us after this month that you're strong enough to protect us, we'll gladly come with you."
"Hell, we'll even sponsor you," he chuckles.
"He's right. We won't even hesitate to give you free stuff since the tower's bound to be damn profitable," she says and pats me on the shoulder. "So, do we have a deal?"
I nod energetically and she replies with a smile.
"Let's get packin' then!" she announces.
"Wait, you said you wanted to see the TWO of us for something?" the potion maker reminds me. "What'd you want to see her for?"
"Oh! Right, I was gonna ask for a weapon for Jimmy here and if you know anyone who might be good at painting dolls," I reply.
The blacksmith examines Jimmy once more and smirks.
"I got something perfect!" she announces. "Be right back." She then exits the door and soon enough, she returns with a stout shield and a single-handed war-hammer. She fastens the shield onto Jimmy and hands it the hammer.
Jimmy eyes its two new tools and says, "Father, is this alright?"
"Of course," I reply. "Say thank you to her."
It bows down. "Thank you kind stranger."
+
[Perfect Stout Shield Equipped on Excellent Victorian Puppet Doll]
[Perfect War-Hammer Equipped on Excellent Victorian Puppet Doll]
[Achievement Unlocked: First Gifts]
[Favorability: 7/100]
[Unlocked: Familiar Status Window]
+
Oh? A status window for Jimmy? I should really study this game more. I click on the notification and it presents me with a curious spread of information.
+
Name: Jimmy
Make: Excellent Victorian Puppet Doll
Favorability: 7/100
Favorability Stat Bonus: X1
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 10
Sense: 10
Defense: 10 (+2)
Magic: 10
Skills: Shield Proficiency Lv. 1, War-hammer Proficiency Lv. 1
Equipped: Shield (Def, +2), War-hammer (Atk. 20+Str.)
+
Just from a quick glance, its stats matches mine and simply equipping items grant it proficiency. I still don't get this [Favorability] feature but I'll figure out out.
"Thanks Ma'am. So, how much are they?" I ask.
"Pshh just take it as your first sponsorship," she replies. "Don't let us down."
"As for someone who can paint it, you best go to the toymakers' district South-East of here," the potion maker chimes in. He then hands me a case of yellow potions. "Here's my contribution."
I bow to them slightly. "Thanks! I won't let you down."
"See you in a month kid," she finishes and ushers us out of the door.
Well, that was certainly unexpected! But I'm glad I got potential allies right off the bat. I look at the clock and I'm cutting it close.
"Let's go Jimmy!" I say as I hail a taxi.
Eventually, I arrive at the marked location on the map. Coincidentally, this is the same place the potion maker pointed out earlier: the [Toymakers' District]. Everywhere I look, there are colorful factories that belch out black smoke. Quite the contrast in aesthetics if I say so myself. The pin on my map specifically points out a factory that's unlike the rest. It is the largest, and the most well-decorated out of all of them to the point that even I get intimidated when I see the moving toys at the front. Eventually, I steel myself and enter through the sticker-filled automatic doors.
"Took you long enough," Eleanor exclaims as she meets with me. She looks hurried and anxious. "My master has been waiting."
Master? Eleanor would be the last person to call anyone that. Even her boss at her trucking job gets the "hey you" treatment she always gives. She leads me through the factory and it is a sight to behold. Multiple machines work together in harmony to create different kinds of toys: fluffy, plastic, robots, dolls, cars, and even puzzles. We eventually reach the third floor where an out-of-place oak door stands proudly among the glitter and stickers of the walls. She knocks gingerly.
"Who the fuck's disturbing my work?!" a gravely high pitched voice pierces through the door.
"Master, I'm here with Devon," she replies with a hint of meekness.
"Oh for fuck's sake! Just come in then."
Eleanor sighs and slowly opens the door. As the oak creaks open, it reveals a hunched old man who's meticulously soldering on a messy work bench filled with parts, wires, and plastic.
"Devon, this is Horatio, the [Master Toymaker]," she presents with a formality that I'm really not used to seeing.
Horatio looks up from his work and eyes me curiously.
"What the fuck you doing here, Sinter's boy?" he curses.