The group cheered as I approached the table after visiting the innkeeper and purchasing a room. Abernathy looked comfortable amidst the others. I smiled.

  “That is a nice new lute you have there!” Hannah called, whistling.

  “Thanks! It’s a loaner from my mentor.”

  “Congratulations on getting a mentor!” Arlo shouted. Both he and Hannah seemed like they had imbibed a few more ales than the night before. They laughed, and the others joined — everyone was in high spirits.

  I noticed a tan hawk with streaks of white and grey sitting atop Tobias’s shoulder, on a new leather shoulder pad. I greeted the bird. It clicked back at me with its beak, bowing its head slightly.

  I sat down and everyone retold their events of the day, while I ate more of the delicious ‘eternal soup.’ We had already discussed much of it in the group chat, but we talked about it again in person.

  Arlo took some of my bread and sobered up a bit, while Tobias told us about how he had bonded with Lesh.

  The falcon had been raised by his mentor, Yanika Bloomstrider, for just such a purpose. Tobias had been put through a series of trials, first alone, and then paired with the falcon. He had given commands and made split-second decisions. Lesh was an Alpine Swiftwing Falcon, a very intelligent and loyal breed. Of the three falcons brought to the test, it was Lesh that chose Tobias.

  He whispered that there had been four NPC trainees that had also taken the test and not been selected. He had been the fourth to go and had been terrified of failure. He had used the knowledge he gleaned from watching the other testers to pass. We all cheered as he finished his story.

  “Alright, everyone. Since Chanter is here and I am feeling a lot less drunk, let’s talk about the mission I want us to take tomorrow,” Arlo said. He stood and leaned over the table. We leaned in to listen. “I have it on good authority that they will be posting a mission tomorrow morning, for a group to go and check on the runes and sigils that protect the catacombs beneath the city against the undead. It is where the city takes their dead — the ones with the gold to pay for it, at least — to be buried. Multiple rumors of increased undead activity have been reported. What do you all think?”

  “Plenty of shadows to hide in the underground,” Hannah said. She had not slowed down with the drinks, and slurred her words.

  Tobias laughed. “I don’t know if I trust your judgement right now, Hannah, but it sounds good to me.”

  “Yes, my magic is an infusion of Holy and Destruction — it’s a good combination for the undead.” Elsytha said.

  I looked at Abernathy, who had somehow paled beneath his fur. He gulped. “I… I guess so. I will do my best.”

  “Sounds good to me — so we are mainly going down there to do maintenance work on the sigils that prevent the corpses from reanimating, something like that?” I said.

  “It sounds like it,” Arlo said, “there should be more information available at the guild tomorrow morning when they post the job. There aren’t many copper-ranked adventuring teams in the town at the moment, so I don’t think we will have competition.”

  “I propose we all get to bed early, then, so we are properly rested for tomorrow,” Elsytha said.

  “Booo,” Hannah called through two cupped hands.

  “No, Elsytha is right,” Arlo said. “We should head in early so we are all fully rested for tomorrow.”

  “You know ‘ny shongs for that fanshy lute?” Hannah asked, a strong waft of ale on her breath. I recognized enough of the slurred words to make out what she had said. I smiled.

  “Yes! I actually have a new song that my mentor gave me before heading out. I haven't learned it yet.” I pulled out the parchment and began unfolding it. “The other song I know is… explosive. It isn’t exactly appropriate for an inn. Let me see if this one is better.” I read the parchment, which disappeared in a wisp of energy and I absorbed the knowledge within.

  Radiant Winds – Stringed Instrumental Motif

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  Written by Noel, the famed lutenist, this song is often played in solstice festivals to celebrate the beginning and end of life. The small orbs of light that are summoned can be used to harm, as well as to heal.

  Playing this song will summon a multitude of small orbs in the area. These orbs can be used to heal allies or damage enemies, depending on the intent of the bard. The orbs deal very minor damage and heal very minor wounds. Like most battle songs, it takes a few seconds to take effect. Cooldown is 60 seconds. Bardic music does not require mana, instead acting as a ritual, requiring successful completion of the music.

  “This is… very interesting,” I said as I pulled the lute off of my back and held it to perform for the first time. It was slightly larger, but also lighter than the old lute I had before. The wood felt smooth under my hands and it’s glossy finish shone in the firelight of the inn. There were no entertainers tonight.

  When I started playing the motif, all of the eyes in the room swivelled towards me. A wave of anxiety rushed through me, and for a moment I hesitated. I scanned the room, eyes flitting across the many faces of the crowd, and saw smiles teeming with anticipation of what was to come.

  That feeling of doubt faded, the attention became intoxicating. In that moment, I knew why entertainers do what they do.

  My hands knew where to go and what to do for the song. I let them find the chords. It was only a few chords that took three seconds to perform. My fingers danced along the frets, performing a lilting melodic motif that seemed to fuse chaos and order.

  My Beginner’s Luck skill activated and I performed the song admirably, producing seven glowing orbs that floated around me — I received a notification saying I had successfully performed the song at 78%.

  They were slightly smaller than fists and pulsed with a gentle blue-white glow. I felt the orbs connected to my will. I made them dance around the room, which erupted in cheers and applause. They flowed in wide circles and tight spirals before floating into Hannah, who gasped.

  “Ooooh!” she said. “That felt amazing! Aw, but I’m not drunk anymore. That’s no fun. It felt great, though, like sinking into a hot tub! Wow!”

  I explained the song to everyone, and we spent the next several minutes experimenting with it. I played it each minute it came off cooldown, and sent the radiant orbs into my friends and other patrons who saw what we were doing and wanted to give it a try. We realized the feeling that was experienced by the person hit by the healing ball of energy varied depending on the preference of the individual. Some people said it felt like being dunked in a refreshing cold spring of water. Others shared Hannah’s experience of being submerged in warm water. There were a few that said it felt like a cool, or warm breeze. It was universally seen as an enjoyable experience.

  The innkeeper offered to comp my stay if I used the song on the drunkest of his patrons. I happily agreed, and was refunded the money I had spent on the room.

  I spent the next half hour practicing the song, advancing my Stringed Instrument skill to 7/50, and healing fifteen hammered individuals, who were able to make their way up to their rooms or headed home.

  After healing the last of the drunks I headed up to my room. Playing the song dozens of times was exhausting. Performing bardic songs might not cost mana, but it was physically draining nonetheless.

  We gathered at the entrance of the inn and travelled together to the Adventurer’s Guild. They cheered as I presented Cahl’s medallion. Abernathy offered to show the others around the crafting room as I was led back to the Guildmaster.

  “It seems congratulations are in order, for procuring your sponsorship,” Elyva said, looking at me over steepled hands. “Please allow me to be the first to welcome you into the Adventurer’s Guild. Per Guild Guideline Chapter Four, Subsection Seven: New Additions to the Adventurer’s Guild, you must witness the creation of your guild token. Watch carefully.”

  She placed the first finger of her right hand on Cahl’s token, and her second finger on the Mentor’s Token, chanting in a language I could neither understand nor identify. Her eyes flashed a brilliant silver for just a moment and a small curl of smoke drifted from the Mentor’s Token. She lifted her fingers from the emblems and I could see the Mentor’s Token had changed. It was now copper, with my name engraved in the middle. I thought to examine Cahl’s token for the first time:

  Starmetal Adventurer’s Token. The second-highest rank achievable within the Adventurer’s Guild, Starmetal Adventurers have the strength to take on monsters capable of destroying small towns.

  “You will now be welcome at any Adventurer’s Guild. Keep this token on your person as proof of membership and rank. Your current rank is Copper. You can increase your rank by completing missions, peer recommendation, and recognition for exceptional accolades. The latter are rare. Mission availability and reward is based on your rank. Kleyn will go over mission availability and rewards in more detail. You may also sell components obtained from monsters to the guild, sign up for escort missions of Copper difficulty or less, and employ services from the guild artisans. More information is available in the Artisan hall. If you have any questions, please direct them to Kleyn. Once again, I wish to welcome you to the Adventurer’s Guild. Happy Hunting.”

  Quest complete! Join the Adventurer’s Guild. Reward: Adventurer’s Guild Membership, 1 Copper Adventurer’s Chest, Copper Coins x10, 1,000 Experience points.

  -DING-

  Welcome to level 8! New Stat Points available for distribution!

  She held out the two tokens, which I took. I thanked her and stepped out of her office. I opened the copper adventurer’s chest as I followed Kleyn back to the lobby.