The square is bustling with adventurers and characters, all around us, dressed in a variety of clothing and equipment. There are males, females, and animals, some in starting equipment and some decked out with custom-made gear.
The noise is pretty loud. The square is open and paved with dry, textured cobblestones in a mixed series of tan, brown, and gray. The fountain behind us is splashing, and the square is surrounded by buildings on three sides. The fourth side is a massive open park-like area, which reminds me of the big grassy field in front of the White House.
However, the building opposite the park is not a White House.
It's... um...
If you took the ice palace from Frozen, added in the Disney castle, and combined them with an Italian cathedral, you could get close.
Well, not really. The center castle would be close.
To put it lightly, the architecture is impossible. There are floating islands and towers, tethered only by chains to the ground. A waterfall pours from one into a massive garden. I am definitely in a fantasy world.
Someone important must live there.
I turn around and see my little brother with a pained expression on his face. I notice that some members of the crowd are staring at me.
I look down at myself.
Oh.
I'm still naked.
I'm pretty sure I just found my second programming glitch. Somehow, joining a party with my brother before choosing a weapon gave me access to the tutorial. While the first portal likely would have taken me back to the weapon dimension, the final portal teleported me to the starting location, here in Fountain Square, completely naked (well, wearing underwear), with no equipment or inventory.
A typical VRMMO player would just go and choose a weapon. But I'm not your typical player. If I don't have to carry a weapon with me, I'd rather not. And I have no idea what would happen to my stats in that case either. I'd probably end up glitching.
Besides, I'm a pacifist. Most games have almost nothing that's designed for pacifists. At least I was able to get here!
I respond to the gawking crowd by looking at my body, clothed only in boxer shorts, with what I hope is a shocked, funny face, then smile and wave.
My brother is covering his face and staying out of arm's reach. Good idea, little bro. You don't really want to be associated with the streaker.
That doesn't fix my issue, though. I have nothing to call my own, and it's not like people have extra equipment they're gonna just give me. I feel like Link at the beginning of Breath of the Wild, except that Link had two treasure chests with clothes right outside his spa of resurrection. Not that I can complain. If I played the game the way it was designed to be played, I'd have no problem at all.
First things first: I've gotta find some clothes.
As much as I wish this were some cute anime where clothing would magically appear from the sky, or from a noble who has taken pity on some beautiful protagonist, I'm pretty sure I'm on my own here. The longer I stay outside in public, the more people are gonna stare.
I mean, I'm okay with people staring. Well, not really, but my avatar looks pretty good. I'm cool with being known for being attractive. I'd just rather not be known for going around naked in a game where I'm planning to live part of my life. Wow. Now I'm so stressed I'm even rambling in my head.
After what feels like far too many minutes, I walk into a tailor, or maybe a clothing shop. The sign above the door has a needle and thread, and the clothing in the window isn't entirely feminine, so at least it's not a dress shop. A bell rings as I enter, and I breathe a quiet sigh of relief that I'm mostly out of sight.
A clerk is adjusting clothing on a rack and looks up at me. Her face turns immediately red, and it's pretty obvious she doesn't know what to say.
"Um... is there a chance I can work here in exchange for some clothing? I'm new here, and I don't have any money or anything to wear."
Her eyes soften slightly, but the rest of her face looks somewhat guarded.
"I've never heard of that before. Everyone I've ever met who's been new has had the same style of clothes... are you sure you didn't lose them somehow?"
She looks at me in disbelief, her face still red.
Wait.
She thinks I took my clothes off on purpose?!?
I decide to come clean and tell the full truth. I mean, what harm could come from it?
"I didn't choose a starting weapon and somehow was still able to arrive at Fountain City. I think that starting equipment is tied to the weapon you choose when you start the game, and since I didn't choose one, I have no starting equipment at all."
She looks at me, perplexed.
Oh yeah. I have no idea if she's an NPC or another player. Has she been through the same thing I have... or does she think I'm literally crazy for breaking the fourth wall here?
"I feel like at least you're not dangerous. The master is out for now, but I think we should be able to work something out. For now, let me check in the back and see if we have another uniform."
"Thank you."
I realize as she turns that I don't even know her name, and that I didn't introduce myself either. I glance at her back and take stock of what she's wearing - skirt, jacket, and a light-colored shirt.
[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1092483314847330346/1101373152963076207/konacj_high_end_tailor_shop_located_in_the_middle_of_a_busy_fan_19ad1b26-df16-431d-9075-f72c50f19afc.png]
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Also, I don't know how this is even going to work. Time is accelerated in the game, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be able to be a full-time employee. My little brother is outside in the plaza, probably wondering where I am, and I have no skills to speak of. Other than tending a shop, I have no idea what I could do that would be worthwhile.
I guess I was hoping that someone would pity me and that, here, at a clothing shop, that pity would turn into a temporary offer of clothing.
The clerk comes back with a neatly folded set of clothing, which seems to match her own.
"I found another uniform."
She stands there with the clothes in her hands, thinking.
"There might be another option. Maybe..."
Her voice trails off.
"Yeah? At this point, almost anything is better than nothing. I may not have any money, but I promise to repay anything you can lend me."
"Well, there are some badly ripped shirts and pants in the back - clothing that people brought in to be repaired, but that was damaged too badly to be worth the cost. We sometimes use it for scrap material when we're doing low-cost repairs. It won't provide much protection, but it's better than being naked... No, just take these clothes and I'll figure it out."
I thank her for her offer but decline.
"Thank you so much. For now, ripped clothes sound perfect. I'll work hard and pay you guys back when I can make some money. And then, when I can afford it, I'll come here to get some real clothes. That way, you won't have to ask your boss to give a stranger a job."
She looks torn. I'm guessing a clothing shop clerk might have second thoughts about letting someone walk out poorly dressed.
"I won't tell anyone. And if you have a back door, I can go out that way so no one sees me. Ripped clothes will be plenty for me, and I'm not planning to go into battle anytime soon."
"Alright. Wait here."
As she walks away, a message appears from my little brother.
"Where did you go?! Did you go back to choose a weapon and get clothes?"
"I'm getting clothes right now. I'll meet you at the fountain when I'm done."
She returns with a box overflowing with torn clothes, hands it to me, and motions me into a curtained dressing room.
"Hopefully there's something in there that fits."
"I'm sure there will be."
I look through the shirts, robes, and pants. Some are burned along the edges. Some have large sections cut out. I find a shirt that is missing a sleeve and has gashes throughout the fabric. Every single pair of pants is frayed and split, with holes in the knees and along most seams. So, I choose the one that seems to have the most potential for a closed backside. There's also a pair of shoes with quarter-sized holes in the soles. I can deal with that. I put on the shirt and a pair of tattered shorts, then walk outside the curtained area holding the pants in one hand.
"Do you have a pair of scissors, needle, and thread?"
I'm not sure if she looks aghast or amused, but she pulls a needle and thread out of a sewing kit and hands me a pair of scissors from a pocket.
I use the scissors to messily cut off the remaining sleeve from the shirt I'm wearing, leaving enough to be a very short sleeve instead of a tank top. I cut a piece of fabric off the cuff and use it to line the inseam of the pants, trying to sew the pieces together along the frayed edges.
You have stabbed yourself due to low DEX. HP -1
This is way harder than in real life for some reason. I stab myself with the needle over and over, and it hurts! Man, it hurts! I'm shocked to see that I lose HP each time. I give up when my HP drops to 1. I'd rather not die here.
After a moment, I glance up and see the clerk looking at me with amazement.
"You can actually sew!"
I laugh.
"Well, I can at least do this."
I finish the rough patchwork of the pants and hold them up. They look awful. The only redeeming factor is that all the starting equipment looks like it has approximately the same color scheme. I walk back into the dressing room, switch into pants, tie on the shoes, look in the mirror, and breathe a sigh of relief.
Who would have thought that getting dressed would feel so good?
"By the way, my name is Gabe. I didn't catch your name."
"It's Miyoko."
Oh yeah. This game has an international design team, which means that the characters will probably have names that come from all over the world. There are also players from all over the world. Wait. Is she a character? Or a player? Either way, I'm hearing her in English.
"Thanks for your help, Miyoko. I promise that I'll repay you when I have the chance."
"You're welcome. I'll have you go out the back way because the Master would have a fit if someone saw you go out the front door looking like that... Also, for my sake, please don't tell anyone that you got your clothing here."
She flashes a pained smile, and I thank her again before walking out the back door that faces an alley behind the buildings. It's only been a few minutes, and I walk out to the street and jog back to the fountain where my little brother is waiting.
"Did you find those in the trash somewhere?"
"Hahaha. Someone was nice enough to lend me these. I'll pay them back when I'm able to make some money, but for now, at least I have some clothes."
His face still registers mild disbelief. He looks at me closely.
"You didn't choose a weapon, did you."
"Nope. I figure that if it doesn't force me to, I'm not going to do it."
"Dude. Are you going to do that here too? Really?"
"Yeah. You know me. And what better place to try it?"
"Gabe. You are crazy. Literally insane."
"I know. And you still love me because I'm the best older brother ever. What did you do while you waited for me?"
"There was this lady selling plants. I was going to take you, but oh my gosh, I have a meeting I have to get to in real life!!!!! I bought a Haruka plant. She said they're pretty rare, and it was only a couple of coppers."
"I'll have to check out the stand. But wait... how did you get money?"
"It was in my money pouch. Hahahahah. I'm guessing you're broke."
"Yeah.
"I gotta head out, bro. Love you! I'm glad we connected here and got to start together. I'll see you later?"
"For sure! I gotta make some money!"
I give him a hug, tell him I love him, and he logs out in a cloud of gold dust.
----------------------------------------
The flower/plant stand is less than a block from the center of Fountain Square. A little old woman runs the stand, her wispy white hair pulled back into a bun behind her head. She smiles at me as I approach, one of the few people coming that way from the crowd.
"My brother said something about a Haruka plant he got somewhere. Was it here?"
"Ohhh yes. The handsome boy from earlier. He was a kind one. So you too are interested in the Haruka?"
"Yeah. Can you tell me about it?"
"The Haruka is a mountain plant that only blooms once every few years. It is very difficult to grow from seed but very hardy. It is one of my favorite plants. Its name means fresh air flower, and it can produce a small amount of very clean mountain air."
"That sounds pretty cool! Are you selling Haruka plants today?"
"Yes. Every time the Haruka flower blooms, I take the seeds and plant them, then sell them here in Fountain Square. It reminds me of my only grandchild, who loves the Haruka flower but chose a life as an adventurer many years ago. Anytime I smell it, it takes me back to the mountains. It has been ten years since I had news... so perhaps I am hoping for something that will never be... but I will share the love of the Haruka flower and fill the city for a beautiful reunion someday."
Her cart was covered in small pots filled with dark green plants, each about 3 or 4 inches tall. As I leaned down and breathed in the air close to the soil, it really did feel like I was on a mountaintop. This stuff was amazing.
[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1092483314847330346/1101376609430274129/konacj_large_wooden_cart_covered_in_identical_small_pots_filled_5a278a2a-f7a7-4b36-9307-889aaa5aa4b1.png]
"That's incredible, Grandmother. Your story inspires me," I said.
"Would you like to buy a Haruka plant, young man?" she asked.
"I don't have any money... but maybe when I earn some?"
"Well, in that case, take a Haruka seed. I always carry one in my pocket for good luck. They can ward off danger and bring good health... and if you are extremely lucky or extremely skilled, you could grow a Haruka plant of your own!" she replied, holding out both hands and extending a small, round seed to me. The seed was hard, with a soft, fuzzy coat that made me think of fabric.
"Thank you, Grandmother. You are doing a great service for this city. I hope to hear of an adventurer reunion soon," I said as I walked away and waved back at her.
She returned to her quiet flower stall, and I headed toward the South Gate, making my way across Fountain Square.
Now it was time to make some money.