Koji (the day before):

After the rainbow slime event I walk back down the mountain to Fountain Square. The adventures I've had with my brother here in Dungeon Quest have been... abnormal. First he shows up without any clothing at the spawn point. Next, we go to the carnival and he has the bad luck to win a cursed item from a lesser daemon. And then today he dies from a combination rockslide / earthquake and being attacked by greedy adventurers.

I want to get him something. Both to say I'm sorry for getting him killed, and to celebrate his getting his first adaptive stat.

I can't afford an item bag, which is something I know he really wants. I did some research on the wiki and learned that those stupid little bags that everyone spawns with cost millions of dollars. They're powered by a crazy complicated enchantment that uses insanely powerful magic. And even if I wanted to give him my bag, they can't be transferred from one person to another.

Let's see... if I can't get him an item bag...

...maybe a backpack?

That could work!

I jog toward the open-air market area of the city. I've still got time before it gets dark, so there should be plenty of people selling stuff.

---

Koji:

I walk the stalls of the open-air market in Fountain City. The market is located in the south section of the city just outside the outer ring road - so in the outer city. Here, behind the shops that sit beside the outer ring road, there is a large open space of cobblestone. Anyone can approach the commerce guild, and set up a shop in one of the marked spots. The land is leased to the guild for free each year by the city, and the guild moderates the market to boost commerce. To cover their costs, the guild charges a percentage fee on any transactions over $50. Anything else is free rein. That way, n00b (n00b is a term for "newbie" - sometimes derogatory, sometimes descriptive - or a person who is brand new to something and doesn't know how things work) adventurers and craftsmen who are here selling cheap stuff have nothing to lose. And if they're selling something valuable, there's someone here with oversight to make sure no one gets hurt.

It also has suppressed most of the "gray market" that would otherwise exist in a city this size. Since there's a place to sell stuff, and tons of customers, you don't see many random peddlers on the street in front of stores... which means the stores don't have to complain about competitors stealing their business. As I understand it, half of the fee paid to the commerce guild goes to the city as taxes; the other half supports the administration of the market.

I've been here to the market a couple times before. The first time was to sell the weird fruits I got from my hunt quest. I could have sold them to the item drop guy, but he gives awful rates, and I was pretty sure they would be valuable.

They were. Not "worth their weight in gold" valuable, but still more expensive than I expected fruit to go for. Added to the money I got from killing the Kokoko's, that was one of the best paid quests I've had so far.

I walk through the market. Anyone can set up a booth anywhere, as the spots are first come, first served, but the market has naturally separated itself into different sections. Gathered materials and monster drops, food, crafted stuff, clothing, and weapons and armor each have their own sections with regular booths that are set up there.

Today I'm headed for crafting.

The crafting area of the market sits right between weapons and armor on the one side, and clothing on the other. The reason, someone told me, was that since both groups sell similar products, customers sometimes can't tell the difference. He said that most seamstresses don't want a warrior princess to buy their clothing expecting it to protect her in battle... and most armorers don't want to be bothered by a customer who wants their armor dyed to match or something absurd.

In reality there are probably plenty of seamstresses who would be happy to make an armored dress. Just like there are plenty of armorers who are happy to make custom stuff - some even specialize in it.

Either way, while here in the market selling stuff, I made some friends. First stop is a girl who told me she could make "anything" if I told her what I wanted.

---

Jade is a medium height elf. She wears long, flowy clothing with draped sleeves and scarves in muted forest-like tones. She makes me think of a hippy yoga instructor from a visual perspective. The kind of stuff you'd expect would interfere with intricate work and isn't allowed anywhere near automated machinery.

Personality-wise, she's nothing like that though. She's fierce, feisty, and never sits down to take a break. Her sleeves are almost always in the air since she is always moving.

I get to her stall and she is yelling at a customer. Apparently he wasn't happy with something about his order.

Jade: "What do you *mean* it's the wrong color?!? You picked out the color yourself!"

The customer is a huge, muscular guy wearing full body armor. Her head is craned up to him but it's obvious that he's cowering as he holds his helmet in his hands.

Customer: "Yes, Miss Jade... and I'm sorry... it looks like I chose the wrong color. Is it possible to dye it or color it somehow? My girlfriend told me she wanted something different."

Jade: "Oh."

Her demeanor completely switches, and she takes on a comforting older sister attitude.

Jade: "In that case let's see what we can do. It doesn't make sense to remake it since the materials were so hard to get, but it might be possible to add some accent colors with dye. Would that be enough?"

Customer: "I-I think so. I brought a piece of clothing that I'd like it to match."

The adventurer moves his helmet to one hand, and pulls a piece of cloth out of his item bag. He silently hands it to Jade.

Jade takes the clothing and rubs it between her fingers.

Jade: "Oooooooohhhh this is nice! I like this! Is this made from insect cocoon, or from tree fiber? And how was it woven? The fabric is so light... yet sturdy... I would love a scarf made from a material like this... Oh yeah! Color!"

She takes the customer order in front of her and compares the fabric in her hand.

Jade: "Oh yeah. I see the issue. This fabric is a similar color, but just different enough that it clashes, see? So she could never wear these together. And if she has other stuff in the same color, goes with that too. That means she must really care, you know? Most girls would just say thanks and then never wear it."

She turns back to her stall and grabs a device. The end of the device changes color in her hands, until it matches the fabric. She takes a tiny bowl and pours colorless liquid inside, then dips the device into the bowl. The liquid shimmers, and then it's suddenly the same color as the end of the device. Jade takes a brush, a straight edge, and a dabbing cloth, and lays out the customer order.

Jade: "What we need is to add *two* colors - one to contrast the difference between the two colors, and one to perfectly match the other piece of fabric. The contrasting color acts as a border between the colors and distracts your eyes from the difference, and the perfect match makes you feel like they belong together."

Jade: "If you have a minute now, I can fix it for you."

She uses incredible skill to add splashes of color to the fabric. She uses the device to set another complimentary color between the two, and makes another small dish of dye, adding ribbons of color between the two to match.

It only takes a few minutes.

She holds up the piece for inspection.

What was once a solid-color pink scarf now has swirls and patches of another pink, and a deeper orange. Against the blouse, it adds a splash of color and energy, instead of simply not matching as it did before.

Customer: "Thank you Jade. How much is the rework?"

Jade takes a tiny metal trinket and fixes it to the corner of the scarf. "Tell her that it's a custom piece by Jade and make sure this charm is visible when she wears it. And find out what this (indicating the blouse) is made of, and bring me 10 of whatever thing it's from. Unless it's really big... like a dragon or something. Then just bring me a bunch of the stuff."

The customer takes his merchandise and continues to thank her while she turns to me.

Jade: "Hey! Fruit boy! I knew you'd need something sooner or later. What can I make you? A fruit salad? Some juice? Or I know! Maybe a mask to make your face look better?"

Yeah, she's a charmer. Lol.

Koji: "Jade! I need you to make a backpack."

Jade: "Ooooooohhh... what's it for? What's it gonna carry? Is this a padded pack for keeping fruit inside? I could make little separate compartments to keep them from getting squished together, and maybe even get a catalyst that would use your magic to keep them cool..."

Koji: "It's not for me, and it's not for fruit. Well... probably not."

Jade: "Huh? Ooooooh do you have a girlfriend? Is it for her? Oh I wanna meet her! I gotta meet her before I can make something for her so I can make sure it matches her style..."

Koji: "It's for my big brother. I messed up today and I want to apologize to him. He wants an item bag, but they're too expensive. I just want a light backpack that he can use to hold his stuff when he's out gathering and adventuring - to keep it safe."

Jade's face falls slightly: "Oh. Ok. Then one backpack it is. Anything specific about your brother I should know?"

Koji: "He's about the same height as I am. Shoulders a little wider. And he's super unlucky... so if you could make it out of something easy to wash and that won't rip that would be perfect."

Jade: "Ok. It's been a while since I made a bag... but I already have a couple ideas for fabric types. Leather or hide of some sort is probably the best material all around - you can find stuff that's light, waterproof, and slash-resistant. How big a backpack are we talking?"

Koji: "Actually... leather might not be the best option. My brother doesn't like killing animals so I don't think he'd like a backpack made of animals."

Jade: "Seriously? Is your brother one of those? We talking tree-hugger crazy? I've heard about them but never met one. But really, leather isn't an option? How about silk? Wool? Where does he draw the line? Now I really gotta meet him..."

Koji: "Actually I have no idea where he draws the line. But I'm pretty sure that, if there's an option, he'd want a backpack made from something else instead of leather."

Jade (yelling): "Challenge accepted!"

The booths next to us look in our direction. Some of the merchants laugh. Others point in my direction and talk to their customers.

Jade: "Let's see... we've got tree fiber and cotton and flax and so many other options... I can talk to one of my armorer friends tomorrow before the market opens to see which types of fabric hold up best in battle..."

She looks at Koji's face for a moment, then glances back at her stall.

Jade: "Actually, are you free right now? I just have a couple orders that are waiting for customer pickup, and other than my personal projects I don't have any other orders. It's been really slow. If you want to help me, we can get this made today."