I stared at the six tomes for a while and finally reached out to grab the one that was in the middle.

I studied the tome for a minute and finally looked to see what was inside of it…the words were all gibberish.

“Master Kah’zar…how do I read this?”

The older cherub brought his hand up to his face in order to stifle his laughter. His face turned slightly red as he tried to hold it in.

“Haha, my boy. Just place your hand on it and say ‘Learn’…hahaha. If you have the requirements you should learn the skill.”

I looked at the man angrily before saying, “No need to make fun of me…its my first time learning from a skill book.” I muttered hatefully.

“Sorry kid. I was just laughing at Gor’thaks training methods. A normal teacher would have taught you the basic skills through tomes. Gor’thak likes to do things the old-fashioned way though.”

I nodded my head as I remembered the horrors I experienced in the brief time we trained together, but strangely enough it was a memory I wouldn’t give up for anything.

New Skill: Song Mastery

New Subset Skill: Song of Curses

New Subset Skill: Song of Buffing

New Subset Skill: Song of Healing

“I got the skill from the tome, but it ended up giving me three other subset skills as well.” I exclaimed softly.

Kah’zar looked at me knowingly and said. “Those three skills are given to every 3rd Order Bard. Whether its Hymn of Curses, Beat of Healing, or whatever. It varies slightly depending on what class advancement you took.”

He then proceeded to finish filling out some paperwork on his desk. Once he was done he chanted a few magic words of the page and small laminated card appeared.

“Take this kid. It’s a basic status card. It now list that you are a part of the entertainers guild and you’re a 3rd Order Bard. Along with your name, age, and height.”

Kah’zar gathered the books on his desk and started to place them back into the bookcase.

New Title: Songscryer

The abilities [Song Manipulation] [Song Mastery] [Song of Curses] [Song of Buffing] and [Song of Healing] can be merged into a single group. Would you like to proceed.

I looked at the new message and thought it over for a few seconds before asking Kah’zars opinion.

“It says I can merge them into a group skill. Is that a good thing?” I asked.

“Hmm…from my understanding group skills are just made for convenience so that your skill list isn’t incredibly long. I would say so. To have a group you have to have at least five skills in that area.” He responded quickly before he started to sort through some of the papers on his desk.

I clicked the ‘Yes’ button under the group skills combination and another blue box appeared in front of me.

New Group Skill: Music Mastery

I wanted to check through the specifics of my new skill and my new title, but I had a few more questions to ask before I left.

“What does this status card actually do for me that my own status cannot?”

Kah’zar let out another chuckle, because he couldn’t believe how uneducated I was or at least that’s what I thought.

“Gor’thak really taught you nothing besides how to fight…well the status card serves as identification. You use it to get in and out of towns and cities. You can loan it out to procure items and such temporarily. It has many uses. Once you join a new guild it will be updated with more information.” He stopped speaking and then shooed me away as he had to get some rest.

I got up out of my seat and made my way toward the door. “Don’t forget you can’t join more than three guilds. My recommendation would be the Adventurers Guild or the Mercenary Guild if your looking to make some money…that’s the last bit of advice I have for you and…well we don’t have either of those guilds in Nulia…bye.”

He shut the door quickly behind me as I left and I gave him the evil eye through the door.

I wanted to take a quick look at my new mastery and title before I left the entertainers guild. So I decided to call up the description screen.

“Description: Music Mastery. Songscryer.”

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:Music MasteryNovice634%Music Mastery is a group skill that governs all musical related skills. So far it only incorporates song skills. The more songs you invent and master the more powerful Music Mastery becomes. You can add Buffs, Curses/Afflictions, and Healing to your songs.

Songscryer: Is a fairly ordinary title given to those who chose to become Songscryers after reaching the 3rd Order. It grants a 5% increase in Bard-related skills and a 10% increase in singular or solo buffing. +5 Wis and Int.

I scowled as I walked down the familiar hallway to make my way back to the common room of the entertainer’s guild.

I wanted to visit one last place before I logged off for the night, but I needed to get directions from someone.

The only person that was still left working in the guild for the night was Rea…good ole’ Bipolar Rea and I was not looking forward to talking with her again.

I exited the guild and took a look around the street, but besides a few dunkards I was unable to see anyone I thought would be a ‘credible’ source.

Mustering up mu courage I went back into the entertainers guild and immediately felt a piercing glare digging into my skin.

“Hey Rea…I just had a quick question.” I tried to sound calm and collected.

“First when the hell did we get close enough for you to call me without my surname. Its Rea’zar to you shitty bard.” She replied.

“Ah then Rea’zar. Do you know where the library is? I would like to look up a few things about magic and such.”

Rea smiled immediately upon hearing her full name and spoke in a soft reverent tone.

“Sure honey. Just take a right after you exit the guild and go to the end of the street and then take a left and after that take your first left. You should see a cast iron sign in the shape of an open book.”

I looked at her polite smile and a shiver went down my spin, because I knew the true personality that was behind those cold crazy eyes.

I thanked her and left as quickly as I could. I thought it was in my best interest to only visit that guild in case of emergencies in the future.

Following the path she told me to take I made my way to the end of the street. It seemed that every street in this so-called city was paved with cobblestones just like the dilapidated buildings.

Taking the left at the end of the street I ended up in a less desirable part of town. The street only had one open building and it was a tavern or maybe some kind of brothel.

The part that creeped me out wasn’t the shady people, but the prostitutes. The mixed breed prostitutes looked similar to elves, but the purebloods…they looked like children and it was very off putting. Even if they were at least three times my age.

I shuffled my way out of there pretty quickly, without to many girl or guys trying to pick me up and took the next left.

I could make out the beautiful metal sign that stood above the library door. It was slightly visible under the glow of the magelights (Streetlights but cooler).

The doors to the library were closed for the night so I decided to log off and get some sleep and then come back in the morning.

I called up my icon menu and scrolled down the log off button. Soon finding myself on the outside of my capsule…stumbling over to my bed.

I faded off into a deep slumber…

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I woke up to the sound of my phone buzzing over and over again. Reaching out towards my nightstand I put my hand around my phone and slid my thumb across the screen in order to unlock it.

I had a series of text messages…most of them were from Nate.

Nate: Yo whats up dude

Nate: u playin or sleepin

After that I received about a hundred text messages that were all angry faces, because I wasn’t responding to him.

Nate: I made guild w/ a few friends

Nate: probly cant meetchu in game for a while and I gave ur # to gwen

I almost missed his last text, because I had a text from an unknown number. Scrolling up and reading his text I realized that it was from Gwen…oh its just Gwen….just Gwen…just Gwen.

My soul had separated from my body for second as I tried to register what was going on. I slapped myself to bring me back to reality.

‘Alright.’ I thought. ‘I’ll just read the text first.’

Unknown: Hey this is Gwen. Is this Gideon? My cousin said you’re nearby and I’m trying to make a party. We need a tank cause we already have a healer, mage, and assassin. Sorry if this is weird, but Nate said you’re the best tank he knows.

I was about to respond immediately and say ‘Yes’, but then I realized something. I’m not actually a tank…what gave Nate the idea that I was a tanking class.

I dialed up his number and after a few rings he finally picked up.

“Yo, finally responding I see. Couldn’t care less about the other texts until I brought up Gwen as usual.”

“As much as I appreciate the hookup or whatever…I’m not a tanking class.” I sighed slightly depressed.

“Hahaha…I thought as much, but knowing you you’ll go out and buy a full set of plate just to party up with Gwen, am I right?”

“Damnit. I can’t wear plate because of my class, but I have some defensive skills that will have to do.” I replied.

“What the hecks your class, man?” He asked.

“Umm…I’m a…a bard.”

My reply was met with a roar of thunderous laughter. I felt like I was having deja vu. I swear I will stop being his friend if all our calls continue to end like this.

I ended the phone call and sent a quick reply back to Gwen. Well the reply was quick, but it took me about thirty minutes before I was completely satisfied with the wording.

Gideon: Hey Gwen. This is Gideon. I can join your party. How far away are you guys from Veratha?”

I knew that Veratha was the closest major city, because of my previous master and it was also the city that I was planning to burn to the ground.

A ring from my phone pulled me out of my vengeful thoughts.

Gwen: We are currently hunting around a trade post called Lachlin, about two days south of Veratha. We just left the forest of the elves. We wanted to take on a dungeon, so if you could be here by the end of the week that would be cool.

Gideon: K sounds good.

I kept my message short; because I couldn’t trust myself not to text something stupid back or confess my undying love to her.

I silenced my phone and then went to take a shower and grab some food. My day might seem uneventful in the real world…but hey its summer and VR games are awesome.

Finishing with a few basic necessities I crawled back into my pod and closed the casing around me.

After activating the pod I was immediately surrounded in darkness and a small blue box popped up in front of me. It was a box I knew fairly well. ‘Welcome to Ethaessa’ was spelled out above the login page.

I immediately press the ‘Yes’ button and was transported into my avatar. My eyes opened wide in the world of Ethaessa. The street was more hectic than when I was last online. It was about midday and the library was open.

I could finally get a look inside and get answers to a few questions I had been thinking about for a while.

Chapter 13: Status

Status WindowName:KaiAlignment:NeutralLevel:14Class:BardRace:CherubGender:MaleTitlesSongscryerFame:120Infamy:950-Health:400 / 400Health Regen:3.5 / SecMana:450 / 450Mana Regen:4.0 / SecStamina:550 / 550Stamina Regen:6.0 / Sec-Strength:39 (+44)Agility:43Vitality:43Intelligence:49 (+5)Wisdom:59 (+5)Endurance:63Luck:32 (+44)-Attack:10-15Defense:25 (+65)Physical ResistancesSlashing:15 (+39)Piercing:15 (+39)Crushing:20 (+39)Elemental ResistancesFire:10%Water:10%Wind:10%Earth:10%Light:10%Darkness:10%

Skills/Abilities:

Spoiler : Iron Skin: Intermediate Lvl 3 (14%)

Willpower III: Intermediate Lvl 2 (31%)

Seven Pathways Meditation: Novice Lvl 8 (18%)

Mana Manipulation: Novice Lvl 9 (43%)

Voice Manipulation: Novice Lvl 6 (5%)

Music Mastery: Novice Lvl 6 (34%)

-Song of Renewal: Intermediate Lvl 1 (24%)

-Song of the Slumbering: Novice Lvl 5 (33%)

-Song of Sorrow: Novice Lvl 3 (2%)

Sword Mastery: Novice Lvl 5 (35%)

-Rapier Mastery: Intermediate Lvl 1 (11%)

+Rapid Thrust: Novice Lvl 4 (13%)