“You shouldn’t have done that,” Tom said once we had distanced ourselves from the growing commotion.

“Did you see those girls, mate?” I asked. “They were all skin and bone. I don’t know how they do things in this city, but that guy didn’t have the best of intentions.”

“It did seem odd. Why would the Merchants’ Guild pay him for grabbing shoplifters?” Hruk asked, helping me back onto the cart. “My mother told me the Eldar’s Port officials run the prison system. They don’t like vigilante justice or giving out bounties.”

“Well, things change.” Tom sighed.

Now that I thought about it, the girl had reminded me of my sister. We were close once-upon-a-time but drifted apart during adulthood. Perhaps my subconscious had played a role in my actions. A thud punctuated the yelling behind us. It was likely the purple-coated man getting beaten up on suspicions of being a pervert. My conscience didn’t protest.

As we carried on down the street, I couldn’t help but feel good about myself. I wanted to know more about the prison barges, but it felt like too polarising a topic to ask the locals. My coat and Hruk’s skin drew enough attention already. It was for the best if we changed the subject.

“Where are we heading first?” I asked.

“Well, I’d like to visit the Mages’ and Artificers’ Guilds,” Hruk answered. “Membership will help speed up my progress in both masteries. We’ll have a ready market for our product too as guilds prefer trading with each other over independent entities. What about you?”

“The Bards’ Guild is at the top of my list,” I said. “It feels like the perfect place to make connections and gather information. Afterwards, I’d like to try my luck at the Merchants’ Guild. They might be able to help me out with masteries to get started on our venture.”

“Good luck with the latter,” Tom told me. “I know a pleasant inn. I’ll get the pair of you set up and stable your beast.”

“What about a healer for Booger?” Hruk asked.

“That’s on you to find. I don’t know any healers or beast tamers in Eldar’s Port.”

Tom highlighted parts of the city, and their purpose as we travelled through the city. Apparently, the waterfront served as the city’s commercial centre. It housed the bulk of the shops, guilds, and eateries. Ferries and boats lined the wharf, and unlike in the rest of the city, I barely saw any gnomes on the boardwalk. Humans, goblins, stockier halflings, and fin-eared people moved around carrying boxes and crates. I didn’t spot any segregation among them as they laughed and sang together.

We parted ways when Hruk spotted a human carrying a cart of aetherite scraps in the same direction as several robed individuals. I bid Tom goodbye and set about hunting down the Bards’ Guild. The task proved easy, and I didn’t have to ask for directions. Following the orchestra music, I found a tall, flamboyant building covered in vines and blossoming flowers.

Doctor Whoo had followed me off the cart and walked at my heel, studying the passing pedestrians with big saucer-shaped eyes. People gave her a wide berth, but no one paused to study her. Besides the beak, she resembled a fluffy bear cub when miniaturised, and lacked a mana signature. Since several armoured and armed individuals within the city appeared to have a variety of beasts following them, she probably didn’t stand out as an oddity.

“Keep quiet and don’t get overexcited,” I told her as we stood in front of the building’s door. The sign above it read ‘Bards’ Guild’. Roses and a lute decorated it.

Since the lunar cycles and flow of time differed from Earth, I could no longer tell how long ago I had arrived on Arena Disk. However, after several months, I finally felt like I had arrived where I belonged. Several near-death experiences had made me wary of my new world. Hopefully, joining an organisation would reduce their frequency.

The smell of flowers, mahogany, and leather-bound books assaulted me when I entered the building. Marble statues and dark, wooden varnishing decorated the entrance hall. When the door slammed closed behind me, the music stopped and suddenly, all eyes were on me. Mostly elves and a handful of humans turned their attention to me. Every single specimen appeared much too good looking. Their undivided attention made me squirm, and I felt a lump form in my throat.

“Can we help you, halfling?” A male elf asked, walking up to me. Most occupants of the room returned to their conversations and food while a few kept their gaze on me.

Looking at their clothes, I couldn’t help but feel conscious about my own. The guild members adorned themselves in bright colours and what looked like expensive fabrics. On the other hand, everything I had on was second hand and patched. Only gram’s cloak stood out thanks to the bright blue, pink, and orange. I regretted not using the garment’s magic to clean it before entering.

“Yes,” I answered, struggling to find my voice. “I’m here to join the guild and am looking for assistance finding work.”

“Right.” He peeked over my shoulder at the guitar. As one would expect of the Bards Guild: instruments of every kind filled the entranceway and what I could see of the lounge ahead. However, I didn’t see any guitars or lutes. “Please display your Masteries and their ranks.”

I wasn’t aware that sharing my screens with another was a possibility, but I obliged.

“I thought so,” he said after scanning my Mastery list. “You don’t meet the minimum requirements.”

I didn’t like the sneer on his face. It made me want to swing my instrument into his face.

“You might have the relevant masteries, but you’re far from the minimum ranks to unlock the class mastery. Bards are more than just musicians, you know. We perform for royalty, record the epics of great king and valiant heroes, and study the nobility’s genealogy. Just because you read about one of our great founders assisting some fairy-tale hero, doesn’t mean you can become one of us.”

“Deep breath in, deep breath out,” I mumbled to myself. Elves were assholes. I had received plenty of warnings on the matter. If they would not let me in, I could at least figure out the basic requirements first. “So, what do I need to become one of you?”

“I think hill folk are better off singing their little ditties in the pub.” Grabbing my shoulder, he roughly guided me to the door and shoved me out. “Perception is everything to a bard. How dare you present yourself to the guild looking like a vagrant, expecting us to entertain you and your foolish inquiries?”

Then he slammed the door on my face, leaving me fuming.

“Deep breaths,” I told myself again, trying to calm down. Screw him. I’d become the most badass bard in town, come back and Pretty Woman him until he begged me to join. First, I needed to figure out what he meant by class mastery.

The system must’ve detected my query because a screen appeared floating in front of my eyes.

Masteries:

Musician: Journeyman Rank 5

Mana Wielding: Journeyman Rank 0

—Mana Sense: Journeyman Rank 0

—Mana Control: Journeyman Rank 0

Cooking: Apprentice Rank 8

Sneaking: Apprentice Rank 7

Loreseeker: Novice Rank 5

—Analyse: Apprentice Rank 0

Sleight of Hand: Apprentice Rank 0

Riding: Apprentice Rank 3

Beast Taming: Apprentice Rank 5

—Satchel Monster: Novice Rank 7

—Primordial Magic: Novice Rank 5

Fashion: Novice Rank 5

Scribing Mastery: Novice Rank 5

—Print: Novice Rank 5

There is much to learn and do, but so few slots. Not all masteries are made equal, but they provide valuable attributes and, more importantly, traits. With only ten active Mastery slots, deciding what to keep and what to shelve can get difficult, though.

I don’t do this for everyone, but I like you, and you don’t have a patron to teach you the disk’s basics.

Once you get three or four relevant masteries high enough, they can combine into a class mastery. They require fewer mastery slots and provide comparatively higher attributes. While regular mastery provides a trait slot at Journeyman, Master, and Grandmaster, a class mastery will provide one at ever milestone rank.

Every class mastery requires one or two compulsory skills and require more from a larger pool of options.

You’re well on your way to unlocking multiple class masteries.

Four of the following required for Bard Class:

Journeyman Musician(compulsory), Journeyman Mana Wielding, Journeyman Beast Taming, Journeyman Sneaking, Journeyman Sleight of Hand, Apprentice Loreseeker, Apprentice Fashion, Apprentice Scribing

Three of the following required for Wayfarer Class:

Journeyman Sneaking, Journeyman Sleight of Hand, Journeyman Riding, Apprentice Archery, Apprentice Cartography, Apprentice Sailing, Apprentice Life Magic(or any one of the seven primary magic masteries), Apprentice Herbology, Apprentice Skinning, Apprentice Butchery, Apprentice Trapping

Four of the following required for Merchant Class:

Journeyman Bartering(Or any trading related mastery—compulsory), Journeyman Cooking(Or any crafting related master—compulsory), Journeyman Scribing, Apprentice Loreseeker, Apprentice Fashion

The list goes on, but I assume you get the idea. To check the requirements in the future, check the class mastery tab. It will highlight your progress.

P.S. Just in case no one told you, the Mastery ranks are as follows: Novice, Apprentice, Journeyman, Adept, Expert, Master, Grandmaster.

I had just learned about class masteries, but the fact that I was this close to unlocking three of them took me by surprise. Bard and Wayfarer class felt especially achievable, since I had several masteries off the list close to the required rank. Meanwhile, to unlock the Merchant Class, I needed to get a mercantile mastery. I hoped visiting the guild would rectify the shortcoming.