Project Daily Grind (Mirror World Book #1) (25 page)

That was all I’d managed to find out about the scavenger girl. The place where her tent used to stand had already been taken by a ginger-haired farmer selling agricultural tools. His neighbor, a square-shouldered Dwand, kept telling and retelling me the story of the girl “packing up her stuff and disappearing”.

He squinted knowingly. “Has she ripped you off?”

“Not really, no,” I muttered. “I can’t really tell you what it was.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Women!”

For the second time I left the market with mixed feelings. I had zero intel. Her motives were clear as mud. I had my suspicions but I tried not to even think about them. Time would tell. Basically, I had to keep my eyes peeled. Preferably grow another pair in the back of my head.

As I walked past a large shop window, I couldn’t help seeing my reflection. It made me cringe.

I opened the map. Immediately I saw something I could use.
Lyton’s Tonsorium
. I looked the word up. Apparently, it stood for a barber’s shop. Excellent. Time to sort myself out.

At first I thought that the satnav had brought me to the local branch of the Red Cross. The benches in front of it were packed with shaggy individuals. The only things missing were soup canteens in their filthy knobbly hands and streaks of gravy dripping from their thick beards.

I was about to turn round and leave when a neatly dressed dwarf appeared in the doorway, his own beard trimmed and plaited. His hair was nicely styled. Dandy being the operative word.

Immediately one of the shaggy characters ducked into the doorway past him. So that’s what it was! I seemed to have come to the right place. If this dwarf used to look as scraggly as the others did, this was the place for me.

When I took another look at them, I noticed that judging by their clothes, most of the queuing customers were Seasoned Grinders—although their professions differed, of course.

I took my place in line, perching myself on one of the benches. The virtual sun warmed my body. I threw my hands behind my head and closed my eyes. Even so I could sense several pairs of eyes staring at me. The Reflection kit was a statement in itself. My hair might be a mess—no more than theirs, actually—but at least I was dressed to the nines.

I decided to put the unexpected pause to good use. I opened the action tab and auctioned off the remaining items from my Hardy Digger kit. Reserve: fifty gold. Bid deadline: twenty-four hours. I didn’t think I’d have any problem flogging them. Every item had a malachite rune installed. Their Durability wasn’t as good as that of new ones but still quite decent. In any case, any of the runes cost fifty gold in its own right.

A hand touched my shoulder, followed by an impatient voice, “Are you getting your hair cut or what?”

“Yeah, sure,” I hurried to reply as I ducked into the shop’s doorway.

I expected to see a standard barber’s layout but this was nothing of the kind. A small room harbored a small table and two chairs: one for the owner, the other for his clients.

The barber was an Alven guy. It didn’t surprise me in the slightest. This particular race stood out from other Mirror World denizens through its finesse and style. I focused on his name tag: Lyton.

Without saying a word, he pointed to one of the chairs. His slanted green eyes stared at me, impassive. “What would you like?”

“What can you offer?” I countered his question, making myself comfortable.

“Eh?” he sounded surprised. “Won’t you ask me to “just give it a trim” or to “tidy up the sides”?

“Oh, no,” I said. “You’re the king here. It’s up to you to decide.”

His eyes lit up. The guy seemed to be fed up with mediocrity. I just hoped I wouldn’t regret my decision.

The already familiar transparent screen rose between us.

“I’d like you to remove your hat and sit up straight,” the barber said. “Please don’t move. It’s only a second. I’m taking a screenshot... that’s it! All done. You can breathe now.”

I saw myself on the screen—or rather, a picture of myself.

“The engine will now generate several images and you’ll be asked to choose one,” Lyton explained, beaming. “All I’ll have to do is process it.”

In less than a minute, I heard a soft ping. The screen filled with... er, with myself. Sort of. Lots of me, depicted in all kinds of colors and styles.

“You can browse through it now,” the barber suggested, adding a background to the images. “You have a few minutes.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled.

Firstly, I discarded everything too loud. The pink, acid green and other psychedelic versions of me went straight into the Recycle Bin. They were followed by all the hipster types, even though admittedly I liked the one with the Mohawk. He looked formidable but... I still had to go to the bank.
Delete.

I spent the next five minutes leafing through the catalogue until I realized that I needed to follow my plan and blend in with the crowd. Right. I opened the picture of an Ennan wearing classic Dwarven hair. This was what I needed.

“All done,” I said.

The barber hurried to switch off the background. The impression of insulted incomprehension froze on his face.

“So that’s what you want,” he mumbled. “Standard issue. You shouldn’t have wasted all that time.”

“You need to understand,” I began, “you might have already noticed that I belong to one of the dead races. I’m trying to avoid the limelight. How would you feel if you were walking down the street and every five minutes someone stopped you and asked you about your stats, abilities and other trivia? Every day. I can see it in your face that you know how it feels. So what would you do? Exactly. You’d go to an expert stylist.”

I know, I know. I’d turned the whole thing on its head and flattered the boy shamelessly in the process. But you wouldn’t expect me to tell him the whole truth, would you?

My arguments seemed to have worked. Once again the barber’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm as he began to fine-tune the chosen image. He spent the next five minutes perfecting the screenshot.

“D’you like it?” he finally asked.

“Excellent.”

I seriously liked what he’d done. A dwarf stared back at me from the screenshot—a dwarf with an Ennan’s eyes. I thought I even detected a hint of reproach in his stare.

Come on man, cool it
, I said to him mentally.
This is only a temporary measure. Once we did a bit more leveling, we’d be strong enough to wear what the heck we want. Traditional Mayan dress, if you want to.

My beard had been trimmed and plaited into several braids, each ending in a tiny steel cylinder covered in fine ornamental script. My hair was brushed back, some of it tied into the semblance of a ponytail.

“No one will tell you from an Experienced dwarven Digger,” the barber commented. “Are you choosing this one?”

I nodded eagerly.

“That’ll be five gold with the matrix and virtual makeover. Payment upfront,” he said.

I nodded again.

“I would ask you to sit up straight and be still,” he said.

Gently he pushed the screen in my direction. A 3-D copy of my head left the screen and floated toward me.

A message materialized,

Would you like to install a new image?

Price: five gold

Accept: Yes/No

I accepted.

Your avatar has been updated with a new image.

Effect: +5 to Trust

Duration: 7 days

“All done,” Lyton summed up, then added bitterly, “What a shame no one will see this coiffe in a mine.”

Gingerly I felt my face. “They will. I’m going to Mellenville first.”

Lyton sat up. “That changes everything! How long are you going to stay there?”

“I’ll have to live there, I’m afraid,” I said, “but I’ll be working here.”

He threw his hands up in excitement, “Aren’t you the lucky one! Would you like me to enter your matrix into our database?”

I tensed. “What for?”

“What do you mean, what for? Once your seven days have expired, you’ll have to come back to me. This way we’ll have your image already created and set up. Updating it will only take a moment.”

“Aha. I see.”

“You might want to focus on leveling up your reputation with Mellenville, am I right?”

“You are. Why?”

He smiled. “I just happen to know that certain characteristics although utterly useless for mining somehow work wonders in the capital. I mean Winsomeness, Tranquility, Endearment, Inspiration and the like.”

I rubbed my forehead. “That’s weird. The forums don’t mention anything of the kind.”

He snorted. “You bet! There’re no guidebooks on Mellenville. I’m pretty sure the developers have something to do with it. One thing I do know, though: if a characteristic exists, it means it can affect something.”

“How am I supposed to level them up, then?”

He shrugged. “Lots of ways. Jazzing up your clothes might work. Alternatively, having your hair cut like you’ve just done can do the trick too. Basically, giving your char a makeover in whichever way you can think of.”

Pensively I rose from the chair. “Thanks for the tip.”

“My pleasure. So are we saving your matrix?”

“Why not,” I replied. “It’s not gonna hurt, is it?”

He chuckled bitterly. “I don’t think so. Good luck!”

I walked out onto the street and temporarily zoned out, thinking. So that’s how it was, then? By having my hair cut, I’d accidentally found out that looks were an important detail in Mirror World. I had indeed read about all the places where they could glam you up, but I’d believed it to be a useless whim.

“Jazzing up one’s clothes,” I repeated. “How’s one supposed to do that?”

I decided against going back to the barber’s. I wasn’t going to waste my time standing in line again simply to pose one last question to the owner. I might try another way.

I opened the map and activated the search. Got it! Oh wow. So many of them!
Alice the Seamstress
,
Alanis’ Tailored Suits
,
Liseanne’s Fashion House
and so on, and so forth—at least fifteen search results. No, enough for today. I was too tired. First the market, then the shops and now fashion houses? I don’t think so!

I headed for the portal.

Chapter Twenty-Five

W
hen I could finally make out the outline of the so-called Portal Station far ahead, I thought it at first to be some sort of a local railway station. The building seemed to be fashioned out of a single chunk of white marble with a massive gate, thick walls, wide windows and a huge square tower at its center.

The waiting room met me with an impeccably polished floor and walls. Row after row of comfortable seats. Lots and lots of ticket counters—at least thirty or forty.

I happily accepted their offer to download the station’s floor plan. Freebies are always welcome. I opened it and gasped. Some station! It boasted twenty restaurants alone.

I looked around me. The place was crowded with players. Most of them Grinders, all well-dressed. Some belonged to higher paying plans. For the first time since I’d joined, I saw a level-210 wizard. Some of his stats were made public. I could understand him. He saved himself some time by making everyone kowtow to him. That’s status for you. You just couldn’t avoid these things.

I also noticed one particular herbalist, definitely the same level as myself. His stats were private but he sported some very pretty decorative inserts on both his jacket and pants. Aha. They didn’t come with the clothes, did they?

I slumped into a seat and hurried to open the auction tab. My idea was simple. According to the rules, an auctioned item’s stats had to be made public. That made it a perfect place to do some market research.

I started by setting the search filter to Experienced Herbalist. I then narrowed it further down to Outer Garments. Yes! Just as I thought it would be. Most of the jackets weren’t decorated at all. Then I finally found something similar.

Name: Funny Ribbon

Effect: +10 to Endearment

Restriction: Only Experienced Herbalist

“I see now,” I whispered.

There was one last thing left to verify. I changed the Search settings to Experienced Digger. The search immediately produced a few hundred Reflection jackets. At least thirty were decorated with fancy bits of embroidery.

I closed the auction window, leaned back comfortably in my seat and gave it some thought. It looked like I’d jumped the gun. If all these people saw fit to adorn their clothes, they must have had a good reason to do so.

I slapped my knees and rose. Better safe than sorry. Lyton was right. The game developers didn’t add new characteristics for nothing. I had to go back to town.

It didn’t take me long to find the shop of Alice the Seamstress. Why there? Firstly, because it was the closest to the station and secondly, because I had a funny feeling that she and her colleagues must have shared the same profession level, the names of their shops being the only difference between them. I just hoped I could afford it.

Alice’s establishment looked like a regular haberdashery outfit so popular with the fairer sex. Whenever I entered these kinds of places, I felt terribly out of my depth. Now too, the moment I walked in, I froze like a pillar of salt. This was assortment gone crazy.

My head turned. Trying not to look at all those spools of colorful cotton, reels of thread, scissors, needle kits, samplers and whatnot, I walked over to the counter and coughed to attract the owner’s attention. “Alice?”

The storeroom’s door swung open, letting out a slim woman in a colorful frock.

“Hi, Olgerd,” she said with a cute smile. “How can I help you today?”

I faltered. “I... you know... I need... how can I say…”

“Keep going,” she encouraged me, still smiling.

“I need something to decorate my clothes with,” I winced as I said it. It sounded as if I wanted to decorate a Christmas tree.

“What characteristics do you have in mind?” she asked, all businesslike.

Her question caught me by surprise. Either I was a total noob or this was common practice here.

“
Trust
, maybe?” I didn’t sound too sure.

No idea what all those characteristics could do. So I decided to level up the one I already had.

“How many items would you like to decorate?”

So
decorate
was the right word, then. “How about everything I have on? Can you do it?”

“Of course,” she said. “The belt and the knapsack too?”

I tried to test the waters. “Is it worth it?”

Alice shrugged. “You must be heading for the capital, otherwise you wouldn’t have needed to improve the whole kit. That’s what some people do. In my opinion, the more items you have decorated, the better. You shouldn’t think I’m only saying this to attract new custom. This is what I believe to be the answer to your question.”

I mockingly raised my hands. “I didn’t even mean to upset you. I’ve never done this before, see.”

She nodded. “I’ve never been to the capital. And I don’t think I will in the foreseeable future. My level’s not up to it. We don’t have much information at all, only whatever rumors reach us occasionally. For instance, they say that you shouldn’t expect new characteristics to work miracles.”

“How interesting,” I mumbled.

“Some people try to stuff their kit with as many various characteristics as they can. Some stick to only one as you’ve done.”

“Which characteristics can you increase?”

“The standard ones. The same as all the city’s craftsmen of my level. Trust, Courage, Beauty, Endearment, Inspiration. Speaking in terms of your profession, I craft Seasoned-level items,” she smiled again, then added, “I don’t think you’ll find a higher-level craftsman here. I’m the top.”

I chuckled. “Excellent. That means I don’t need to shop around. As for the characteristics themselves, I might have given it some consideration had I known what exactly there was to consider. It’s all too vague. I’d love to ask someone who’d already been to the city. That would have made my decision so much easier.”

“Don’t even think of doing that,” she warned me. “No one will say anything. They might even hurt you—verbally or otherwise.”

“Oh really?”

“Sure,” she nodded. “This is a taboo subject.”

“Thanks for telling me,” I said pensively. I already had a theory. Now I had to go there and see for myself. “I think I’ll stick to
Trust
. It sort of sounds more specific than the rest.”

She nodded. “All of your items?”

“Yes.”

“That’ll be nine ornamental ribbons. Have a look.”

A small ribbon appeared on the counter, covered in a simple floral pattern.

Name: Flower Band

Effect: +10 to Trust

That would be +95 in total. Another pig in a poke. Still, it was probably worth it.

“Ribbons are a bit like runes,” Alice explained. “One ribbon per item.”

I nodded. “I see. How much do I owe you?”

“Sixty gold each,” she said with a humble smile.

I burst out coughing. This way I’d be penniless by the time I got to Mellenville!

“That’s including the discount,” she drove the last nail into the coffin. “You can check it if you want. Those in the auction cost a lot more.”

I pulled myself together and forced a smile. I’d have to buy them.

My virtual wallet had grown 540 gold lighter. With Alice’s permission, I immediately installed all the ribbons onto my clothes and checked my reflection in the mirror.

There was one good thing about it. My shaggy Ennan now looked like a respectable dwarf. Hopefully, also trustworthy.

On my way back to the station, I met three dwarves. One of them was none other than Breon, the Ironbeards’ headhunter. All three nodded to me politely. Breon’s eyes betrayed nothing but respect. Which was weird. He probably hadn’t recognized me. Or had forgotten my nickname. Then again, it was perfectly understandable. Who would dream of putting a ragamuffin’s name to the face of an honorable dwarf? The former a Seasoned Digger, the latter an Experienced one, apparently on his way to the capital to do some urgent business.

This little incident had admittedly boosted my morale. I nodded back to them and continued on my way, fighting off the desire to turn around and double-check on them.

The ticket counters turned out to be terminals similar to those I’d used back at the mines. I stopped next to one of them. In the next moment, the terminal sprang to life.

Greetings, Olgerd!

This is Portal Terminal # 5778

Would you like to buy a ticket?

Sure I would.

Please choose your destination.

I scrolled through hundreds of place names for Mellenville West. According to Dmitry, this was the area with the cheapest rent.

Price: 10 gold

Warning! The effect of teleportation will cause your Energy level to drop 500 pt.

Confirm the purchase: Yes/No

Yes
, sure.

Pillage and plunder! My daily commute was going to cost me an arm and a leg plus a serious drop in Energy. According to some forum, every trip would increase my reputation with Portals. The number of reputation points depended on the distance of the trip. Once I leveled it up, I could start using the portal shop which offered quite a few interesting goodies, like discounted season tickets and special portal charms that contained enough Energy for the jump, among other useful stuff. Provided you could afford them, of course.

Thank you! Your name has been added to the Portal listings. You can teleport when ready. Have a good trip!

I sighed and headed for the portal module. Guided by the floor plan, I entered the station’s North wing. That’s where the portal itself was installed: a giant mirror, its frame of white marble bejeweled with precious stones of every size and color.

The mirror pane was divided into two sections. They must have been both entrance and exit. The portal’s smooth, dull silvery surface reflected nothing. Occasionally it rippled whenever a player crossed over. I wouldn’t have said that the place was packed with potential travelers. Then again, this was one of the backwater clusters: the outskirts of Mirror World. I may have been wrong but I hadn’t yet seen one player exiting the portal.

I could see those walking in front of me disappear inside the mirror. It didn’t feel good. I knew this was a game and all that, but still.

Finally, I was the first in line. I closed my eyes—don’t ask why—and stepped in.

It felt as if I’d plunged under water. All the sounds were drawn out. I moved as if in slow motion. It lasted maybe a couple of seconds. Then a cacophony of voices assaulted my eardrums. I opened my eyes. My jaw dropped.

I had thought that today’s market square had been busy. Well, that was nothing compared to what I was now witnessing. The waiting area of Mellenville’s portal station must have held at least several thousand players. I’d been told many times that the number of the game’s registered users was massive but only now had I realized how seriously large it was.

I received the standard system message complete with the offer to download a few apps. Strangely enough, I found it reassuring.

Using the freshly-installed scheme, I navigated the crowd toward the exit. I was quite happy to discover that the 500 Energy they’d charged hadn’t at all affected my wellbeing. The 100+ Strength points took care of my regeneration just fine. According to Dmitry, by the end of the month I might find it harder but at the moment I shouldn’t sweat it.

Mellenville met me with a bright sunny day and the brilliant splendor of shop windows. I was deafened by the tolling of bells, the clopping of hundreds of horse hooves and the midday chiming of the clock on the donjon.

If someone asked me to describe it all in one word, the word would be
city
.

Carts and carriages of every shape and form scurried about. Flocks of colorful birds fluttered amid groomed trees and shrubs. Children ran around the many fountains and flower beds…

Yes! That’s what it was! All the time I’d been in the game it felt as if something was missing. But only now I knew what it was. Until now, I’d not seen one child in the whole of Mirror World. But here, wherever I turned I could hear children’s happy screaming, laughter and angry whining.

Young mothers promenaded up and down the boulevard, pushing prams and strollers. Newspaper-reading fathers occupied the park benches keeping a watchful eye on toddlers crawling in the grass playing with their colorful toys. Two young students walked past me, engrossed in a passionate discussion. All these babies, children and teenagers made the world of Mellenville so much more real.

I opened the map. According to Dmitry, I should be looking for either a hotel or a player-owned boarding house. The ideal scenario would be to find one owned by an NPC but at the moment I couldn’t hope for that. The interface box of my reputation with the city was displaying a glowing zero. From what I’d read in forums, you had to level up your relationship with NPCs slowly, little by little. It was a bit like building a card house which might tumble at any moment. And one’s reputation with Mellenville was, in the eyes of NPCs, a very important factor indeed. The higher it was, the higher your chances of receiving a nice quest with a hefty reward. Having said that, my reputation with the Portals had already grown 10 points. Not bad for a start.