Hopeless

We continued petrifying spiders until we had all eight, then we argued over who should keep the reward from the quest giver. I was saying that she'd earned it for all her courage and effort, and she was saying that I'd earned it because she never would have been able to do it without me.

With each of us locked in a stalemate of insisting the other take it, Leilei said: "wait a minute..." then reached into her cleavage and pulled out a second, identical amulet.

Apparently, she had accepted the same quest a while ago, then completely forgot about it because she thought there was no chance of her ever completing it.

Thus, we decided to repeat the process until we had 16 petrified spider pebbles altogether. I was now level 3 (sadly I only got a + 0.5 luck this time, but all the other increases went up the same as before).

I also learned that she had lied to me earlier—for which she prostrated herself before me feverishly. Turns out, she didn't need the legs for her Kraft, but for the other beginning quest, the one from the furniture maker.

It was essential for all players to complete at least one of the starting quests before being allowed to venture outside Faunhaven.

Leilei, however, found herself incapable, because both starting quests required her to enter the Inkweb Spider Cave.

I was shocked by the revelation. "What?! So how did you get all the way to level 5?!"

"I've just been working on my Kraft..."

Oh yeah, she was an Animator, one of the specializations of Paintresses. I should have noticed how odd that was earlier. Your Kraft skill had to be level 25 before you could choose a specialization.

Although krafting gave XP, it was significantly less than questing and killing monsters, so it seemed about right that you could get your character to level 5 by getting your Kraft skill level to 25.

However, there was something crucial that still wasn't adding up.

"How could you possibly afford all those materials?"

Krafting was expensive, so most players just used materials they got from questing and exploring to level up their Kraft at the same time as they leveled up themselves. Of course, it was all but unavoidable to also rely on the Auction House and Trade Channels to get all the material you needed. But that wasn't cheap, so you would generally have to burn most of the gold you earned questing just to keep your Kraft level on par with your character level.

Not only that, but it was also quite difficult to level up, especially without racial bonuses. For example, mine had only gone up 1 point and was now at 11 thanks to my racial perk. Leilei, however, didn't have such a perk: Dryads started at skill level 1 as a Paintress. Only Human Nobility had a +10 skill for Painters. 

Even for me it would be insanely expensive to get my Doll Making skill level to 25, after starting at 10. I couldn't imagine what she must have paid to get hers that high starting from 1.

In other words, it simply wasn't possible for a new character stuck in the starting zone, unable to complete the beginner quests, to be able to afford all the materials necessary to get her Kraft all the way up to level 25.

As I asked her this, however, she just shook her head fiercely, as if trying to shake away some unwanted memories. Maybe she got involved in some kind of black markets schemes.... 

Or worse...

I really didn't even want to think about it.

But she seemed distraught over whatever it was, so I felt the need to console her: "Hey, don't worry about it, you can make your own gold now and... well, I can help you, you know..." I honestly couldn't believe I was saying that. 

I just felt oddly protective over her for some reason, even though she was basically a busty giantess compared to me, who could have been mistaken for a chibi if I weren't so slim.

For all I knew, maybe it was possible to acquire a load of expensive Kraft materials just with bartering prowess alone (but judging by her earlier negotiating skills, I seriously doubted it).

Could it have had something to do with this so called Acquisition?

Stupid face on the wall, I really should have ignored it. Now I couldn't stop thinking it....

I was about to to ask Leilei about it but she spoke up first: "Hey Minori? Why don't we go back to the Inn?"

"The Inn?"

"Oh, you don't have a room there yet? Why don't you just stay with me? I'll even pay for the baths and dinner tonight, so you'll save a bit of copper," she suggested with a bubbly smile.

Wow, a sleepover?! How long had it been? 

I was going to refuse, of course. Slumber parties just weren't my style. 

But seeing and feeling the warmth radiating off her, I was legitimately tempted... I was almost dumb enough to give friendship another chance. 

Almost.

My gaze sank as I opened my mouth to let her down, but once again she spoke first: "Then, once we're cleaned and fed, I'll preform the ritual for you."

Oh yeah, I was so tired and with so much on my mind I almost forgot: it was time to finally bring my doll to life!

***

An hour later I found myself well scrubbed and sparkling clean, with a moonstag tenderloin and a side of sautéed mushrooms in my belly. We were in Leilei's room at the Crooked Horn (the local Faunhaven inn) standing before the binding circle she had just painted. It looked like your typical spell circle: various intricate geometric patterns, aligned in perfect symmetry, with my Sock Monkey in the center.

We had matching spider barrettes in our hair. 

Those were the "special rewards" given to us by the Pixie quest giver for completing the amulet quest. They gave +1 Spirit and looked absolutely adorable. Leilei didn't care much for them, but having one in her hair, as well as having to look at the one on my head, served to continue her exposure therapy. Although her eyes still occasionally darted to it, she no longer seemed so disturbed by it. She was making amazing progress.

Speaking of progress, I was now level 5 and altogether I had 1 silver and sixty pieces of copper. I still hadn't decided what to specialize in. At first I was dead set on improving my Frozen spells, being that they were the most damage oriented. But now with Leilei around and a new doll... well... 

Let's just see where the night takes us.

Leilei picked up her giant paintbrush—which doubled as her staff—and traced the contours of the Sock Monkey with a dry brush. Her eyes were those of someone in a trance: half open yet far away. She then dipped the pen in her inkwell of soul paint that she had prepared, and began painting a copy of the Sock Monkey midair, just above the real thing.

She didn't just paint a single, static image either: she drew and redrew every possible movement pose and action he would make with his stubby little limbs.

Just like a true animator. 

I never paid much attention to the process when I played before, but it was truly mesmerizing to experience in person.

I felt as though I'd been swept along in a current made of colors and sparkles. Leilei was practically glowing as she painted. A purple, horned chipmunk and a couple of plump, cobalt blue-birds had perched themselves upon her windowsill to watch the performance.

This was magic, true magic—in every sense of the word—happening right before our very eyes.

I remembered why I fell in love with this game.

Unlike an animator, however, this didn't take her months or years, but merely a few seconds. Her hands and brush moved in a blur as she waltzed around the circle, detailing every possible movement with grace and precision as she brought life to the ethereal image hovering over the lifeless Sock Monkey on the ground.

I was so transfixed by the ritual that I hadn't noticed these eerie glowing lights descending from the rafters. 

One was inching itself closer down toward the doll, as though it were about to enter it. 

These must be the lost souls, I realized. 

It was mere inches away, when another soul erratically whizzed past in a rush, rudely bumping that one out of the way—binding with the image Leilei had painted, which in turn merged down into the Sock Monkey right below it. 

"Minori! Thank the heavens!" cried the Sock Money as it sprang to life. It leapt to its feet only to fall immediately back over. It jumped back up, only to fall down again. "Darn, this body is going to take some getting used to..."

I merely stood with my mouth agape. 

Not because my inanimate doll had been brought to life—nor because it too somehow knew my name—but because he spoke with the voice of none other than Kosuke Satou.