Gabe
Gabe: “The blue lady what?”
Grace: “She talked about you! And Mister Crystal talked about you too.”
She laughs: “He talks a lot.”
She takes my hand.
[System Message: New Skill Added to “Peace of the Pacifist”]
Huh?
I open up my system menu and look at “Peace of the Pacifist.”
[Peace of the Pacifist (25pts/min) (Level 0): Beings and objects within the range of (touch) are blessed by Peace of the Pacifist.
Current attributes:
Glow - give off a soft glow of light
PAX Dimension - relocate to the PAX Dimension*]
I click the asterisk.
*PAX Dimension - Mirrored alternate reality. Entrance available at any location; exit must be at the same location of entrance. All items** left in or taken from the PAX Dimension will disappear upon exit. Visitors allowed when in range of a Pacifist. Transfer cost is per person, per minute. **Except seeds or plants.
Whoa!?!
What is this? This is crazy, an alternate dimension? I look to Grace with questioning eyes.
Gabe: “Do you know what the PAX Dimension is?”
Grace: “Mister Crystal said it's a safe place to play.”
Gabe: “Mister Crystal?”
Grace: “Yeah! He was nice.”
I look through the description of the PAX Dimension again. I'm guessing I can do more exploration after I drop Grace off at the orphanage.
Actually.
I'm supposed to be doing stuff *with* Grace. So I guess that means I should involve her.
But still. I'm sort of confused.
Gabe: “Did you get protect and heal skills?”
Grace: “Ummmmm, I don’t think so? Mister Crystal said I can sing, or come here to play…”
Gabe: “How many points do you have? And how much does PAX Dimension cost? And what’s the range of effect for your abilities?”
Grace: “Um…. I don't know?”
Gabe: “Well, I have some ideas. I noticed that you can bring seeds and plants into the PAX Dimension, and I want to explore a bit. Sound like a good idea?”
Grace: “Yeah!”
Gabe: “Um… do you know how to get out from here?”
Grace touches the crystal: “Mister Crystal, can you take us out please?”
A flash of golden light shines, and a status screen appears in front of me.
[Exiting PAX Dimension.
WARNING! All objects left behind will disappear!]
Grace: “Thanks Mister Crystal! See you later!”
That’s sort of weird. Was she talking to the crystal? Whatever.
Either way, I want to figure out this PAX Dimension thing.
---
We start to make our way back down the mountain. A few steps down the mountain, and I realize that I’ve left my backpack tied to a tree. I press the red gem on the extended belt, then put the pack and belt back on.
We are soaked from swimming across the pond. I feel like we’ve been soaked for a while now. At least it’s hot outside.
Gabe: “Let’s try going to the PAX Dimension? I want to see how it's different.”
Grace: “Ok.”
I hold Grace’s hand and select “Peace of the Pacifist.” A new option is available - it looks like I can toggle on or off the different parts of the skill. Before, it just made light; now, I can use the skill to transfer to the PAX Dimension. I turn off the light toggle, turn on the transfer skill, and confirm.
A golden light shines around us, and suddenly the environment changes.
We’re still on the mountain. But instead of seeing trees, grass, and the far-off visual of Fountain City with the forest behind it… there is nothing. Like, nothing at all. I turn around and, as far as the eye can see, there’s just barren rocks and soil. Nothing green. There are no clouds in the sky, no breeze, no sounds… The pond behind us is there, so there is water here in the PAX Dimension, but the massive area that holds Fountain City is just part of a huge, lifeless plot of ground.
This place seems a bit somber and depressing, actually. The silence is almost deafening, and the air feels drier than normal.
I take a few steps, and notice that there are golden footprints on the ground where we arrived. The description says that we have to leave in the same spot we came from… but is it that particular?!?
I walk for a bit and look around.
Gabe: “How about, when we get back, we try to grow a garden here in the PAX Dimension?”
Grace: “A garden? Can we grow flowers? And purple berries? Sister Maribel got us purple berries once and they were my favorite!”
Gabe: “Well, we can try… We just need to get some seeds, and choose a good place to plant it… actually… this might be more complicated than a normal garden. I don’t know if it ever rains here… so we should probably choose a spot near a source of water… but we would want it to be close to the orphanage so you could visit it without having to travel a long distance… Let’s head back for now.”
I click to transfer back to our dimension, and a screen pops up.
[Dimensional transfer initiated outside of approved zone. Confirm emergency transfer? (Cost: 100% of current Pacifist points)]
Um… that is a definite no. It is convenient that it seems possible to transfer back even when you aren't in the exact location, but spending all the points I have to transfer? Not a good deal unless somehow I didn't have any. And I don't know if it would transfer me to the new location, or simply teleport me back to the spot with the footprints.
In the meantime, it looks like we are going to return and stand nicely on the golden footprints and transfer back at exactly the same spot we came here.
Grace and I stand back on the footprints, and I confirm the transfer. This time the confirmation dialogue looks the same as it did inside the cave - just a simple warning that anything left behind will disappear - and with a flash of golden light, the world switches from gray to green.
I hadn't appreciated how green the mountainside was before.
Gabe: “Let’s head into town, find some seeds, and then plant our garden. And who knows? Maybe someday the PAX Dimension will be as green as the world is here, right?”
Grace: “Ok!”
---
Finding seeds in the market is harder than I expected. I guess I’m coming from a world where you can buy little packets of dried seeds in the supermarket year-round. Here in Fountain City, it’s early autumn, and I can’t find a single seed vendor. And there definitely aren’t any supermarkets. So I guess we’ll be buying fruits, vegetables, and/or flowers and harvesting the seeds ourselves? Either that or transplants. Or cuttings maybe. Though cuttings usually take a lot of care, and there is zero shade and zero humidity in the PAX Dimension. Those are probably out unless I can figure out a way to make a more hospitable environment.
Wait. The crafter girl has a stall here in the market, right? Her name was… Jade? Maybe I can find her and ask her if she knows where a seed stall is.
Except that I have literally no idea where her stall is. And the market is enormous.
Grace and I walk through the market, looking for seeds and for Jade’s stall. I have no idea what I’m looking for, and we have no luck finding seeds. I take note of some of the fruit and vegetable stands - we may end up having to buy fruit itself to get seeds. Though fruit usually takes years to grow, right? Flowers and vegetables might be a better choice.
It finally occurs to me that I could probably ask for directions to Jade’s stall. I approach a stall featuring clothing and talk with a plump woman who is staring at me.
Gabe: “I’m wondering if you could give me directions, Ma’am. I have a friend who has a stall here in the market. Do you know a Jade? She makes… well I actually don’t know what she makes. Maybe clothes? She’s about this tall, and wears flowy stuff… oh and I think she’s an elf.”
The woman snorts and points in a direction: “Her? Smack dab middle of the market. Can’t miss her. I’m sure you’ll hear her from a mile away. But you know she’s an amateur right? Her stuff is total crap AND she charges a fortune. I had a customer tell me she was gonna charge him over a gold just to waterproof something! For a dirt cheap enchantment! Honestly you and your daughter are better off somewhere else.”
As she speaks, I notice her looking closely at my backpack, belt, and the rest of the stuff I’m wearing. Her eyes take on a greedy glow.
Woman: “I happen to know an incredible enchanter if you want some of that equipment of yours activated…”
Gabe: “Thank you for the directions! I’ll keep your offer in mind.”
I flash her a smile. I’m not trying to offend her or make her angry, but I’m not going to let a random stranger enchant the stuff that Jade and Koji just gave me.
And I don’t really have any money to let that happen anyway.
Grace and I make our way through the market and eventually we find Jade’s stall.
Jade’s stall is a flurry of activity. Three of the children from the orphanage are drawing designs on pieces of paper. Each of their workstations has two pieces of cloth - I'm assuming that must be the cloth that they’ll use to make whatever they are making.
That said, it seems a bit scary to me.
I mean, how can you know that it's gonna work out? If it's gonna fit? What do you do if you make a mistake, or it looks bad?
On the other hand, it actually makes sense to just jump in. If they worked just as her mini apprentices, running errands and doing what she told them, maybe it would be harder to gain a proficiency.
I have no idea.
I find myself watching the kids until Jade notices us.
Jade: “Hey! What… what are *you* doing here?”
She looks at her workspace, down at her clothes for a moment, then adjusts her hair nervously and looks back at me.
Gabe: “Well… Grace and I are planning to grow a garden maybe… but we're having a hard time finding seeds. We came by to see if you know anyone in the market that sells them.”
Jade puts her hands on her hips: “Seeds? Have you asked Fruit Boy? Hahahaha!!”
She laughs like that was hilarious.
Jade wipes her eyes and continues: “Well, I don't think anyone sells seeds in the Autumn. You could buy fruit or vegetables, but that would probably cost a lot. There are sometimes people who sell seeds in the market, but it's usually in early spring.”
She thinks for a bit longer.
Jade: “Actually… there might be a place! I'm pretty sure that the family that sells seeds lives not far from me. I can give you directions to where I live, and then you can ask for… what is her name… oh yeah! Alexa! The mom’s names is Alexa!”
I smile a thin smile. Pretty sure that online commerce has ruined that name.
Jade: “If you ask around and mention that you’re trying to buy seeds, maybe someone will give you directions! I mean, it's worth a shot right?”
That honestly sounds stressful. Stressful enough that I think I would rather buy vegetables and fruit and then pull them apart for the seeds. But Grace is holding my hand. She looks up at Jade.
Grace: “We can do that!”
Jade draws a map of the city and indicates approximately where she lives. “Near the Strawberry Parlor.” What on earth is a “Strawberry Parlor?”
Grace, Lucia, and I walk back into the city. Lucia is inside the backpack to avoid attention. She seems to enjoy it. I’m not sure how, since I would feel claustrophobic if I couldn’t see. Come to think of it… how *does* Lucia see? She doesn’t have eyes. Can slimes even see at all? I’ll have to ask… no, I don’t know anyone who would have that information. Maybe a slime researcher? That might be a cool place. If it exists.
Jade doesn’t live far from the market. Her place is inside the outer ring road, so technically in the middle city, but closer to the outer edge. We find the side street off the outer ring road that she indicated, and within a few minutes of looking, find the “Strawberry Parlor.”
I am sort of intrigued, and sort of scared.
There are massive pictures of strawberries all over the outside of the building. Huge, brighter-than-life strawberries that make the rest of the street feel cold and gray. The building itself tho… feels like it would fit better on a crazy street in downtown Tokyo instead of an industrial part of a fantasy city.
Maybe… someone from Japan built it? Except I don’t think you can buy land just yet. They made it so that people couldn’t monopolize the valuable land around the city. I’m not sure how they’re going to eventually work with that since the player economy could wreck the NPC way of life. Maybe an NPC runs it?
Or.
Maybe it’s not the same kind of “Strawberry Parlor” that I remember seeing in Japan. This is a somewhat seedy, dark area. I can’t imagine being a shop that sells everything strawberry here.
Either way, it’s time to ask for directions. I look to Grace for help.
Approaching strangers freaks me out. I get nervous and stressed. I realize that no one is going to hurt me. They probably won’t get angry. They probably will just forget. But for some reason, it feels like I would rather run a thousand miles barefoot on hot coals than approach someone in the street.
I walk with Grace to the nearest person who is sweeping just outside a shop.
Grace: “Um, excuse me, do you know Alexa?”
The woman stops sweeping and looks at Grace quizzically, then looks up at me for an explanation. I guess I’m ok explaining. Hopefully.
Gabe: “We’re trying to buy seeds to plant in our garden. Our friend Jade told us that there’s a family that lives near here that might sell seeds, and the mom’s name is Alexa.”
I didn’t ask her a question because it stressed me out too much. And Grace already asked. The woman looks again at us, smiles a little, and says, “It sounds like you’re looking for the Kim Family. Lots of kids. For most of the year, they do their own things. One is an adventurer; one runs an inn; I think another one does clothes or something? But during the spring, they all work together to run a stall in the marketplace.”
She looks at me closer.
Woman: “You look weird. You’ve got a metal arm, ragged clothes, and a metal backpack. But this little girl seems to trust you… so I’ll tell you where they live. Go down this road, turn right at the Strawberry Parlor. Fourth house on the left. It has all sorts of plants in the windows so you can’t miss it.”
The woman smiles at Grace: “You and your papa have a good time gardening, ok little girl?”
I begin to correct her but give up on that. It would be awkward to explain that I’m her master and she’s my apprentice.
Gabe: “We will! Thank you so much for your help!”
We follow her directions and find a house with plants everywhere. In front, in the windows, trailing from the rooftop and hanging from the eaves. This must be the place.
I knock. It’s late afternoon, so people should be home from work by now… right? The woman said the parents and kids work all over the city, but all of them still live at home. Grace and I wait a few minutes, then hear someone call, “Coming!”
The door opens, and there, standing in the doorway with wet hair as if she just finished washing it, is Miyoko.