World Tree Online- the Endless Savanna- 3rd Dive

by M. A. Carlson

  “Marco, that better be my gin or you are fired,” snapped when Heath entered the dressing room.

  “Sorry, not Marco,” Heath replied.

  “Oh, and who are you?” Elain asked, turning and looking Heath up and down like he was a piece of meat.

  “Heath Rickards,” he introduced simply. “You sounded good out there,” he added, trying to kiss up a little before he asked her to direct him to a different school.

  “Well thank you,” Elain said. “I wish I could say the same for that,” she said, a hand waving toward the stage, then complained, “Why did I take on such a terrible student?” Then with a waggle of her eyebrows, she asked, “But enough about that, what can I do for you? Come for some lessons?”

  “Tempting, but no,” Heath said, not feeling terribly attracted to the older woman. Elain was probably in her seventies with orange hair, probably dyed that way. She was a little frumpy and had a small gap between her two front teeth. It was a little disturbing just how much she looked like the man her character was based on. “Much as I love your music, and I really do. I am a guitar kind of Bard.”

  “Ah, that is too bad. We could have made some beautiful music together. But I do understand, piano is not exactly the most combat ready instrument,” Elain said, her eyes wandering up and down Heath one more time. “So, if you are not here to learn from me, what are you here for?”

  “I was hoping you would be kind enough to direct me to someone that is more my style,” Heath answered.

  “Alright, let me hear it,” Elain said, moving from her dressing chair to a small couch that sat next to it.

  Heath pulled his guitar and started tuning it, changing the ‘Open-A’ string down to ‘Open-G’, then the two outside strings down to ‘D’. He strummed it a few times to make sure it was tuned right before putting his lead finger over the fifth fret and strumming it again, this time making the sound he was looking for. Second finger went to the ‘B’ and third finger to the ‘D’ before strumming up, releasing the ‘B’ and ‘D’ before strumming down again, starting the oh so familiar riff of ‘Start Me Up’ by the Rolling Stones. He played for about a minute before Elain held up a hand to stop him.

  “You are not bad,” Elain complimented him. “Head to the Jaeger Bard Bar, that should be a good fit for you.”

  “Jaeger Bard Bar,” Heath repeated, trying not to sound excited. Jaeger was mighty close to Jagger.

  “Yes sir,” Elain replied. “Now, get on out of here and enjoy the show tonight.”

  Not wanting to be rude, Heath returned to the auditorium and found a spot near the bar to kick back and enjoy the music. It wasn’t necessarily his style, but music was music and Elain was nice enough to help him out. The least he could do was contribute some time and money at the bar. It didn’t hurt that there seemed to be a good number of women there as well.

  The next morning found Heath using his ‘Stealth’ skill to sneak lightly out of a hotel room, the woman inside would be sleeping off the evening for a while yet.

  “Morning,” the overly perky innkeeper greeted Heath as soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

  “Morning,” Heath replied.

  “Would you like some breakfast before you go?” asked.

  Heath’s eyes glanced up the stairs. The woman would probably sleep for quite a bit longer, still, Heath shook his head. “Better not. I don’t suppose you can point me to the Jaeger Bard Bar?”

  “Of course I can, sir,” the perky girl replied. “Though I should warn you, it is not in the safest district.”

  “That’s alright, I think I can handle myself,” Heath replied.

  “Well, if you insist. Jaeger Bard Bar is in Ring 8, Northeast 7. I am not exactly sure where, but once you get there, I am sure someone will be able to help,” the girl answered very quickly.

  “Thanks,” Heath said, flipping the girl a single gold.

  “You are most welcome,” she chirped, snatching the gold out of the air with ease.

  Heath found a jump point easily enough and after flashing his ‘Jump Badge’ to the Patrolman on duty, he was on his way.

  As a talent agent and as a failed musician, Heath had booked dives that left him feeling like he needed a shot of every antibiotic known to man. As a thief, Heath had seen some rather dark and dangerous places. The alley that stood between him and the door that sat below the cracked wooden sign reading ‘Jaeger Bard’, made him rethink his definition of dirty and dangerous.

  Several small groups of thugs were scattered around the alley talking in hushed whispers, occasionally one of them would glance away from their group to look at another group only to quickly look away when said group noticed they were being looked at. That may have been innocuous by itself, except that each thug was armed with an assortment of weapons. Granted, being armed was also commonplace in the World Tree. Still, Heath could feel the tension, especially when every eye turned to look at him.

  “Morning gents,” Heath said casually with a friendly nod. He tried to ignore the stares as he strolled down the alley toward his destination. When none of them moved to attack him, he relaxed a little.

  Reaching the door a minute later, he pulled on the handle only for it not to move. Heath considered the Jaeger Bard Bar might not be open yet. He considered asking the thugs what time the place opened. He considered just waiting after he thought better of asking the armed thugs anything. He didn’t consider his options very long when the door swung open suddenly.

  An Elvin woman with a thick British accent demanded, “Who touched the door?” Her eyes scanned the thugs before landing on Heath.

  “Morning,” Heath said, with a friendly wave.

  was an Elf and a player, Heath could see at first glance just from having her nameplate revealed without an introduction of any kind. She had dark hair with colored highlights that hid most of her pointy ears. She wore heavy eyeliner and dark red lipstick that clashed with the highlights in her hair. Her clothing almost mirrored Heath’s own, a leather jacket and ripped jeans, though she wore knee-high boots with three-inch heals and her leather jacket was littered with buckles.

  “And who the devil are you?” Kimm demanded, narrowing her eyes as she glared at Heath.

  “Heath Rickards, here to learn,” he answered.

  Kimm studied him up and down before turning and reentering the building, the door hanging open behind her. “Close the door behind you,” her voice called back.

  “I think I’m in love,” Heath said softly, following her inside and closing the door behind him. Ahead of him was a long hallway that sloped gently downwards. It wasn’t so dark he couldn’t see but Kimm must have been moving quickly because she was already going through a door at the end of the hallway.

  A male voice from somewhere inside the door at the end of the dark hallway could be heard saying, “Who was it, Kimm?”

  “Another wannabe,” Kimm answered.

  “You never know, he might be able to keep up,” the man replied.

  “Whatever you say, Stone,” Kimm replied.

  “I am the one with an ear for talent,” the man, Stone, replied. “I gave you a shot and look how well that turned out.”

  “Yeah, well, I’ll reserve judgment until I’ve heard the wanker play,” Kimm replied.

  Heath saw her crossing her arms as he entered the school, which was exactly what he thought it was to begin with, a dive bar. One wall was dominated by a long bar that appeared to be in need of some desperate repair. Other than that, it was a stone floor and not a lick of other furniture except on the small stage on the back wall of the place.

  And sitting on that stage was an old man that Heath guessed was Stone, something the man’s nameplate confirmed, . “Well, he has got the right look,” Stone said. Stone was a really old Human. He had a full head of silvery grey hair, and like Heath and Kimm, he wore jeans and a leather jacket, though his jacket was simple by comparison. The man sat on
a wooden stool on the small stage. He was hunched over a guitar that rested on one knee. He held a pick in one hand while the other rested on the neck of the guitar. “What’s your name?” Stone asked, he fingers sliding up and down the strings but not playing a single note.

  “Heath Rickards,” he answered.

  “Gods, that accent is terrible,” Kimm complained.

  Stone rolled his eyes. “Well, come on in. You are here to learn, are you not?”

  “That’s right,” Heath replied.

  “I can see you have already earned the class of Bard,” Stone said, taking note of Heath’s title.

  “I have, I was playing my guitar and figured out how to add mana when I played, next thing I know, I’ve got a class and a bunch of subskills for my ‘Guitar’ skill and I have no idea what they do,” Heath lied. Or rather, he mostly lied. It was true that he didn’t know what the subskills did.

  Guitar II

  Level: 27

  Experience: 74.11%

  Skill Effect: You are able to play the guitar.

  Subskill: Largo

  Speed: 40-76 BPM Spell Effect: Unknown

  Spell Mana Cost: 5 per second Skill Stamina Cost: 5 per second

  Subskill: Andante

  Speed: 76-108 BPM Spell Effect: Unknown

  Spell Mana Cost: 10 per second Skill Stamina Cost: 10 per second

  Subskill: Moderato

  Speed: 108-120 BPM Spell Effect: Unknown

  Spell Mana Cost: 15 per second Skill Stamina Cost: 15 per second

  Subskill: Allegro

  Speed: 120-156 BPM Spell Effect: Unknown

  Spell Mana Cost: 20 per second Skill Stamina Cost: 20 per second

  Subskill: Vivace

  Speed: 156-176 BPM Spell Effect: Unknown

  Spell Mana Cost: 25 per second Skill Stamina Cost: 25 per second

  Subskill: Presto

  Speed: 176-200 BPM Spell Effect: Unknown

  Spell Mana Cost: 30 per second Skill Stamina Cost: 30 per second

  Subskill: Prestissimo

  Speed: 200+ BPM Spell Effect: Unknown

  Spell Mana Cost: 35 per second Skill Stamina Cost: 35 per second

  “I see,” Stone replied. “Well, I suppose that gives us a point to start from. The only question now is whether or not you know how to play your guitar or if you just know how to strum on your guitar. So, let me hear it.”

  Heath equipped his guitar from his inventory, and just like when he played the night before, he retuned it for the song he wanted to play. Resetting it to standard tuning, Heath played that first ‘B’ chord then rolled his finger over the ‘E’, strumming it two more times before moving into the song. He played about ten bars before Stone held up a hand.

  “Stop, good, that was ‘Andante’. Play something at ‘Prestissimo’,” Stone ordered.

  Heath only nodded once. He started again, this time much faster, hitting the ‘A-minor’, ‘C’, ‘D’, and ‘E-minor’ before moving into the riff, a much faster strum with the ‘E-minor’.

  “Alright, that is enough,” Stone called out before Heath got into the first verse. The old man looked at Kimm as if waiting to hear her judgment on the matter, though Heath wasn’t sure why the old man was looking to a player for help.

  “I suppose he might have a little talent,” Kimm said.

  Heath only shrugged. He wasn’t one to get riled up. “Anyway, think you can teach me?”

  “Sure,” Stone replied.

  “One hundred Gold,” Kimm stated.

  Heath once again shrugged. He got the feeling he was being over-charged for the lessons, but a hundred Gold from the thousands he’d stolen was nothing, and that didn’t even take into account the Gold he stashed away in his World Tree Bank account. “Do I pay you or her?” Heath asked.

  “She owns the school, so you pay her,” Stone answered.

  “Follow me,” Kimm said, quickly moving behind the solitary bar and into a back room that was blocked off by a simple black curtain.

  “So, how does a player come to own a bar in Root City?” Heath asked, sitting down across from Kim.

  “I got a quest to save the school. I needed to win a Bard competition. When I won, I was given the chance to buy the school, so I did,” Kimm answered.

  “Nice,” Heath complimented. “Was it expensive?”

  “Very,” Kimm answered. “Even with my winnings from the contest, it cost me every coin I had and more from the real world.”

  “Was it worth it?” Heath asked.

  “Absolutely,” Kimm answered, setting a form in front of Heath. “Sign at the bottom, you can check the information if you feel it necessary, but it’s pretty standard.”

  Heath glanced over the form. It listed his name and the price for lessons, specifying that the lessons only covered the guitar and that any additional instruments would require additional lessons, which of course, he would be required to pay for. Heath signed and passed it back to her.

  “Good, all that’s left is to pay me,” Kimm said.

  Heath counted out the money, setting ten stacks of ten Gold on her desk then watched her count it again. Heath couldn’t exactly blame her for being cautious, he was still a Thief, even if she didn’t know it.

  “Looks like we’re good,” Kimm said after a second count that Heath found somewhat insulting.

  “Great, I assume Stone is the teacher here?” Heath asked.

  “Yep,” Kimm answered, seeming to have relaxed significantly. It gave Heath the impression that she desperately needed the funds. “You can have an hour of his time every day for ten days. It doesn’t need to be ten days in a row. If you use up all ten days, you can purchase another ten days for another 100-Gold.”

  Heath didn’t believe it would take him that long to learn what his ‘Guitar’ subskills were capable of, so he shrugged and asked, “Can I get started?”

  It was Kimm’s turn to shrug. “You’ve paid for the time, have at it.”

  Stone was in the same spot on the stage when Heath returned. The only difference was another stool set across from him. “Come on, son,” Stone said, patting the open stool. “Let us see what we can do about making you into a proper Bard.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Heath replied, equipping his weapon of choice, the guitar.

  “Now, I listened to you earlier and you have good sound, a lot like Kimm’s,” Stone said. “Real songs are always going to give you more powerful effects than just strumming so many beats per minute.”

  “How’s that?” Heath asked.

  Stone smirked and said, “Listen.” The older man started strumming slowly up and down on his guitar. There was no melody or key change or anything like that, just the same chord over and over again and the longer Heath listened, the sleepier he became until suddenly the strumming stopped and Heath snapped back to wakefulness.

  “What was that?” Heath asked. It felt like what that Bard used back in Hammerton the month before, but not nearly as effective.

  “That was ‘Largo,” Stone answered. “It runs between 76 and 108 beats per minute. Just strumming like that creates a sleep effect. Unfortunately, it is slow to work when you are just strumming. Strumming has no emotion to it either, you are just going through the motion. Now, listen again.” Stone started playing a song, it was slow, and his fingers danced across the strings creating a calming and pleasant melody.

  This time Heath was hit by the sound and immediately felt drowsy and tried to stifle a yawn. Then his head bobbed barely fifteen seconds into the song before it once again cut off.

  “Did you feel the difference?” Stone asked, a hand on Heath’s shoulder.

  Seeing the hand on his shoulder and not remembering how it got there, Heath felt uncomfortable as it hit him all at once. “It was so quick to put me to sleep,” he said.

  “That was the effect of playing a song, more than just strumming. It was effective, yes?” Stone asked.

  “Very,” Heath answered.

  “Okay, so, I have shown you two differ
ent ways of playing ‘Largo,” Stone said. “Now, one more time, listen and try to stay conscious.”

  Again, Stone played the same song, but Heath could instantly feel the difference. He felt . . . not just bone weary nut more tired than he had ever been in his life. His eyes looked at the stage and couldn’t help but think it would be a great place to just lie down and rest. And then the music stopped again.

  “Why was that effect so different?” Heath asked, quickly standing from the floor of the stage. He didn’t even remember lying down.

  “A master Bard can elicit feeling and emotion through their music. At a master level, you will have the ability to inflict those feelings on to others,” Stone explained.

  “Does the song choice matter?” Heath asked, interested to start practicing himself.

  “When you reach the master level, yes, absolutely. Until then, not so much,” Stone answered. “Now, are you ready to try to put me to sleep?”

  Guitar already in hand, Heath started playing and thinking ‘Largo’ at the same time to activate the Subskill.

  “Good, beats per minute is on target, I can feel the magic in the music trying to lull me to sleep,” Stone said.

  “Did you resist?” Heath asked, stopping his play.

  Stone just nodded. “Bards tend to be more resistant to the mental effects brought on by music. With time, you will gain the skill ‘Tone Deaf’ which will give you resistance to its effects with time and practice. Now, keep going for a bit, I was enjoying the song.”

  Heath was happy to oblige and restarted the song, playing it through to the end. After which, he took a moment to see if his Subskill updated.

  Guitar II

  Level: 35

  Experience: 3.11%

  Skill Effect: You are able to play the guitar.

  Subskill: Largo

  Speed: 40-76 BPM Spell Effect: You have a 13.50% chance to apply 'Sleep' to any beast or Humanoid within 20-yards.

  Spell Mana Cost: 5 per second Skill Stamina Cost: 5 per second