Patty returned with our drinks a few minutes later, grinning broadly. “Dinner and a room for you to start. Dagut says if you can fill the inn before nightfall that the room and dinner for the rest of your party will be comped.”

  “Including Sebastian?” I asked, returning her smile. She glanced over at Sebastian, then across the inn. It was maybe 1/5 full at the moment.

  She leaned in close. I could smell a floral soap of some kind drifting from her fur. “You fill the place and that won’t be a problem at all. Been weeks since we had a full house.”

  “Great, we have a deal!” I replied, shifting to look around the inn and thinking about the people I had seen as we talked through the village earlier. Patty bobbed her head and turned as a patron called for a refill.

  “So glad to hear. Get started whenever you want. Soup should be ready soon, if you want to get something to eat before you go up.” She flashed one last smile before turning and hurrying across the room toward the dwarf that had called for her.

  “I have an idea. Do you know if this building has roof access?” I asked Sebastian. “And would you be willing to help me with something?”

  Katarina narrowed her eyes with interest, leaning closer to me as Sebastian answered. “I have no clue. Dagut would probably be able to tell you, though.”

  “Whatcha gonna do?” Katarina asked.

  “Burn some mana, and hopefully get some people’s attention. Can you shoot lightning into the sky without electrocuting us, Sebastian?”

  “Um… actually, I think I might be able to. If there is a cloud up there, which is a gamble.”

  “Awesome! The roof looked flat. Let’s go see if we can get up there.”

  I drained my glass, and my friends followed suit, before making our way to the bar. I got Dagut’s attention and after a brief conversation, and the potential for bringing in more people for the evening, he agreed to take us up to the roof.

  We ascended to the second floor, followed Dagut down the hall and up another set of stairs to the third floor, which consisted of four large suites connected to a central hall. The hall ended in a locked door, which he opened for us. This led to another staircase that ended in a trap door that was bolted and locked. He unlocked it and heaved it up and open. A ray of vibrant sunlight blinded us for a moment as we made our way out onto the roof.

  “Alright lad, what’s you’re plan? Don’t have too long, I don’t like pulling Nate from the kitchen to help Patty just before dinner.”

  I looked around. The roof was painted white, with small benches along the edge of the roof. Small tables and decorations littered the terrace, it was obvious they used it for parties on occasion. I glanced up and saw a single cloud drifting high above. It looks so small in the massive expanse of blue.

  “Won’t take long,” I replied, looking over to Sebastian. “Will that cloud work?”

  He looked up, shading his eyes, then looked around the roof for a second before responding. “It… should, yes. But I will need to be over there, on the edge of the roof. You should all stay as far away as possible.”

  “Alright, go over there to that corner, please. Cast it there. I am going to stand at the other corner.” I pulled my lute off my back and began making my way to the corner of the roof that faced the street, on the left side of the building. Sebastian made his way to the opposite corner in front of the building.

  “When should I cast it?” He called.

  I readied my lute as Katarina walked over. “What are you up to, lute boy?”

  “I’m going to use that skill that makes my music louder. You should probably stay by the door with Dagut. I don’t know how loud it will be.”

  She smiled. “That’s cute. Don't worry about me, I’ll be fine.”

  I smiled back, shrugging slightly. It was nice, having her so near. “Thanks.”

  I said it softly. “Of course, idiot.” She responded, just as soft.

  “Send a bolt into the cloud, then I will perform a song. After the performance, send another bolt, please.”

  “Roger that!”

  I transformed my lute into a bawi, pulling the bachi free from beneath the strings and readying myself.

  “Now!” I called. Sebastian raised his hands, his lips moving in a chant. He was too far away for me to make out the sounds, but sparks began swirling between his splayed fingers. Dagut cursed, backing a few steps into the stairwell as arcs of electricity began sparking into the sky.

  Half a dozen small bolts of lightning leapt from the tips of Sebastian’s fingers, twisting upward in a blinding display. They writhed in the sky for half a second before vanishing, being replaced with a brilliant flash of light and energy.

  A sound filled the air, the unmistakable crack of thunder, as a thick bolt of lightning shot from Sebastian’s hands. It streaked through the sky, connecting with the single cloud and filling it with flashes of charged power. The smell of ozone filled my nose and my ears rang.

  The cracking sound of the thunder echoed back from the mountains several times. I slapped the bachi against the strings of the bawi, pouring half of my magic points, 15 points in total, into Explosive Resonance as I began playing Phantasmal Foxfire.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  The sound rivaled that of the thunder. Katarina’s clothing rippled from the force of the sound, and she quickly clasped her ears over her head. The sound was directed away from me, so it wasn’t too bad, but I could still feel the force of the sound as it reverberated through the city.

  I focused on the song, slapping the strings with the bachi and speaking. My voice, strengthened by the skill, rang out over the Arid Spur.

  “Tonight only! Come one, come all, to the Oasis, for a night of entertainment the likes you have never before seen!” I sent swirls of illusion into the sky, forming a large flashing arrow high above the building, pointing down at us. It rotated as I spoke. I continued playing the song, the sounds reverberating and bouncing from the buildings, from the mountains, building into an overlapping melody of organized chaos. The arrow grew, pulsing, as I continued playing and repeated the message. I played through the song three times, then ended with a flourish, transforming the large red arrow into an explosion of fireworks that spread across the sky before dissipating.

  I pointed at Sebastian, who was staring with wide eyes and a slack jaw. He nodded and sent another bolt of lightning into the cloud, which had drifted slightly further away, with a thunderous crack.

  She showed me a bright splash of red on the top of her finger and I cringed, releasing the stored Radiant Winds and sending all twelve of the orbs into her ears. It was probably overkill, but I felt awful.

  Sebastian: Definitely got the message across. Holy hell, Chanter.

  Encore: I will return shortly, Arjay is on his last five questions.

  Chanter: Awesome, would have loved to have you here for this. It will be nice to have you back.

  I flashed Sebastian a thumbs up and the three of us made our way back to the stairs, where Dugat was waiting with a wide smile. “Might be half deaf after that, but I’ll be a damp log if that don’t bring all of the Arid Spur in!” He whooped with excitement as he locked up the door leading to the roof and led us back downstairs.

  We returned to our table, ordered another round of drinks, and had just received three bowls of steaming porridge when Sebastian spoke up again.

  “That was incredible, really. I don’t think I have actually used a full-strength lightning bolt before. It felt powerful.”

  “It looked powerful!” I replied. Katarina laughed.

  “Hell yeah it did, made the hair on my arms and neck stand up! I could feel it from across the roof! That is some strong magic you got, Sebastian.”

  “Shame it’s so indiscriminate.” He mumbled into his cup.

  “How much have you practiced it?” I asked, glancing down at the porridge. Memories of a dark cave and the vague outlines of sheep beastkin, barely illuminated by torchlight, filled my mind and chased away my appetite. I swallowed and pushed the bowl away a little.

  “Not a whole lot. It’s too dangerous. Like I said, that was the first time I really let loose with the skill.”

  “Does it have a skill level? My songs don’t, but my instrument skills, like Stringed instrument, do. As well as skills like the one I used to make the song louder.”

  “The spell itself doesn’t, but I do have a skill called Elemental mastery that is 5 out of 50.”

  “I bet you will get a better control of your lightning if you level that skill up.” Katarina said, nodding. “For someone who forgets to distribute his stats on a regular basis, you are surprisingly sharp sometimes, Chanter.”

  She smiled as she said it, lightly kicking my leg under the table. I smiled back, returning the playful kick. “I have my moments.”

  “Mm, this is good porridge. You should eat up so you have plenty of energy for tonight.” She said the words with a suggestive tone that made me snort.

  “I kinda… lost my appetite. I’ll eat later. I think I might go ahead and start playing.”

  “You should wait for Abe and Encore to get here before you play Requiem. They would want to be here for that.”

  I smiled again. “Wow, you remembered the name. I’m touched.”

  “Of course I remember the name of Requiem Vitae. I will never forget that night.” She blushed as she said it, looking away in a very un-Katarina-like fashion.

  “I get that. Those were… hard times.”

  “It’s not just that. There are other reasons. Don’t worry about it, lute boy. Just… don’t open with that one, okay?”

  “Of course, that is a closer, not an opener. Do you have a request?”

  “Hmmm. I do really like-” She stopped talking mid sentence as a message from Encore came through.

  Encore: We may have a problem. Arjay has been gone for several minutes now. He asked for a moment. With one question remaining. He invited me back for a snack, but I declined. I think I will

  The message cut off. Katarina shot up, half a second before I followed. We were half-way through the inn, sprinting for the door, before Sebastian had registered anything was wrong.

  “Oy, where are you going?!” Dugat’s voice followed us out of the inn, but we paid him no mind.

  Chanter: Encore?! Encore! Respond, please. Are you okay?!

  Katarina: Encore!! Encore!! Oh God, he must have been stifled somehow or knocked out.

  Chanter: Encore, if you can see this, we are on our way! We will be there soon!

  My stomach dropped as a new quest notification appeared.

  New Quest! Rescue your companions. Sentience grants a cornucopia of emotions. Love. Hate. Envy. Pride. Two of your companions are in danger, for two different reasons, though they stem from similar base emotions. You will need to decide on who to help. Did you ever hear the story of the Fox and the Quokka? The fox flew too close to the hand, thinking it only wanted a pet. The hand grasped greedily at the fox, snatching it from the sky. The Quokka? He thought he had found love. He was dragged to a den of vipers by a pretty flower, and now balances on the cusp of death. When is the last time you heard from you good friend, Abernathy? Two friends. Time is of the essence. Who will you save? Rewards: Silver Friendship Chest x1, Silver Coins x10.

  Chanter: Fuck. Abe too? Abernathy? Abernathy can you respond?!

  I saw two flashing quest indicators on my mini-map. One led to Arjay’s shop, the other flickered on the other side of town, near the Guild.

  Katarina: Shit. Shit. Shit. Sebastian, come with me. We will get Abe. Chanter, knock that fucking gnome’s head loose and hurry to help us. Cusp of death? Shit. We need to hurry.