I followed Cahl through the darkening city streets. We took a series of turns deeper into the city, further away from the docks and slums. Houses shifted, from ramshackle dwellings cobbled together with a variety of materials, to uniform, expensive structures made of elegant, swirling silver and gold. The streets went from sometimes paved, but more often dirt and mud, to cobblestone, then to cobblestone with silver filigree. Trash and debris became manicured bushes dotted with flowers of differing color.

  We walked up to a large unembellished stone building, shaped like a huge cube with a heavy iron door. A large sign of engraved silver and gold showed a stack of coin. Two men in ornate plate armor stood at either side of the large door. They moved to stop us, but waved us in after Cahl flashed the object in the box at them.

  We stepped into a large room illuminated by floating orbs of radiant light. The lobby was large. Everything was white marble flecked with bits of black and gold. A series of empty windows partitioned by polished copper bars stood at the end of the room. The building was empty, likely due to the hour. I followed Cahl through the lobby and another set of large doors. He flashed the object to another guard at this doorway, and we were ushered through, and down a set of stairs that wound into the earth.

  We stepped onto a soft red carpet that coated a room roughly half of the size of the one above. A woman sat behind a desk in front of a door at the far side of the room. Marble tables sat in uniform lines across the room. Cahl gestured at one. The tables were surrounded by alternating stools and heavily padded chairs. “Have a seat; I’ill be right back.”

  I sat in one of the padded seats, sank a full inch into the upholstery, struggled my way back up, and moved to one of the stools. I was in awe of the stark contrast of this place, with the extravagance and wealth, with the bard in which I had first met Cahl.

  “O-okay,” I choked out. I leaned down and rested my elbows on the table, thought better of it, and sat back up. I didn’t know how to act here. Cahl smiled and turned, walking up to the woman.

  They had a muffled conversation that I couldn’t hear. I strained and tried, but could only hear murmurs. Cahl showed her the object, which she took. She turned, opened the door, and bowed slightly, waving him through the door. He stepped within, and she followed. The door closed behind them.

  I waited. The woman returned a few minutes later and sat behind her desk, closing the door. I spent the time catching up with my friends.

  Tobias had successfully bonded with a falcon. He had named the falcon ‘Lesh,’ and was very happy so far. He had been working on a technique that would allow him to look through Lesh’s eyes. It made him experience horrible motion-sickness at the moment, but was supposed to get better with practice and levels.

  Hannah had been successful in her endeavors, of which she didn’t provide specifics. She tended to pry more information from others rather than divulge her own. I assumed it had something to do with her roguish class, and the activities she was doing.

  Elsetha confirmed she could join us later that night, and would adventure out the next day if we could find a mission. She had been studying an offensive spell that her mentor wanted her to get some field experience with.

  Arlo was very happy that we were all going to be coming together for a mission, and hinted that he may have a mission for us to tackle. I clarified that I didn’t know yet what Cahl wanted from me, but that I would be joining the Adventurer’s Guild.

  I also communicated with Abernathy, confirming he would meet us all at the inn so he could be added to our group chat. He also told me that he would join us, at the insistence of his mentor, but that he would likely only be able to join us every other adventure at most, depending on how much crafting he was able to accomplish while in the field. Many things could be crafted without a crafting table, directly from within his inventory, but using the crafting table yielded much better results, more crafting experience, and offered a wider variety of crafting options.

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  I was beginning to get worried. I had no real way of keeping track of the time down here in the basement of the bank, but it felt like it had been hours. Everyone else had met up at the Inn, and Abernathy had even been added to the group chat, having added the others to his contacts.

  The back door opened and Cahl emerged. He wore a combination of fine silk and elegant plate. The plate armor was small and thin, covering one shoulder, half of his chest, and both of his hips. It was protective but not bulky, no more than a fingernail in thickness, and shimmered with faint energy. A lute carved from a dark ebony wood with ivory pegs and soundboard rested along his back, held in place by a turquoise strap. Numerous knives set in sheaths along his arms, torso, and legs. A pearlescent panflute sat in a holster at his hip. He held a smaller lute, this one carved from a blue wood streaked with white and silver, with pegs of sapphire and an emerald soundboard. He laughed at my shocked expression. I was flabbergasted.

  “I know, I know. I clean up nicely.” He laughed again, extending the blue lute to me. “This is a loaner. Do not go swinging it around at enemies like your last lute. This is for music only. Understood?”

  I took the lute in shaking hands, inspecting it.

  Lute of Azure Skies. Unique, Mastercrafted Stringed Instrument.

  Provides the wearer +2 Charisma, +1 Intelligence, +1 Dexterity when equipped. Provides Mastercrafted Instrument bonus to songs, increasing performance by 15%. Hidden ability not yet unlocked. Using this instrument builds a connection. Connection required to unlock hidden ability.

  "It… it’s beautiful.” I said, barely able to speak the words. I looked from the lute to Cahl, who gazed upon me with a stern expression.

  “And you swear not to…”

  “I swear not to hit anything with it. I will protect it with my life.”

  “Don’t go that far. Your life is more valuable than that, though not by much. And it is much tougher than the barely-held-together pile of splinters that was your first lute, but still. Don’t go hitting things with it.”

  “Thank you so much!” I said.

  “Remember, it is a loaner. I will need it returned to me when you find a suitable replacement.”

  “Understood!”

  “Fantastic.” We made our way out of the inn. “What songs do you know?”

  “I just know the one. Kinetic Overload.” I went on to explain the song and how it worked. Cahl laughed, pleased at the destructive nature, but cautioned against using it in a group setting. I agreed, remembering the injuries I had caused Helga, the dwarven woman that had hosted my class exam.

  We walked through the city. I told Cahl where I was meeting my friend for the night, and we talked as we walked that way. He told me that he had a few more errands to run, but would contact me when he was ready to meet again.

  He showed me a way of communicating through the lute, which was connected to his through a special bond.

  I had an idea of who had owned the lute I was borrowing, but didn’t ask.

  Cahl produced a small folded parchment as we approached the Inn. “You need to add to your song repertoire. You will discover songs in your travels in numerous ways. Hidden caches, traveling bards, mission rewards. Always keep an eye and ear open for new songs. This should help provide a bit of support to your group. It is one of my favorites.”

  I thanked him again. He reached out and squeezed my upper arm in a surprisingly affectionate manner, nodding. “Alright. I will send a message when I am ready to meet up again. Join the Adventurer’s Guild. Complete a few missions. Be safe. Protect that lute and my Guild Chit. If you need me, you know how to contact me.”

  “Thank you, Cahl. You be safe, as well.”

  He laughed, turning and walking toward the northern gate. “Not a chance.” He said, waving one final time over his shoulder without looking back.

  I turned and made my way into the inn, pulling the new lute’s strap tight across my chest. The brooch from Moswynd rested on the new strap, just below my hand.