The Crystal Bard: A LitRPG Adventure (Kingmaker Saga Book 2)

by Thomas K. Carpenter

  Chapter Six

  Terran remained in his seat relishing his victory with a wide grin plastered across his face. Jondar's chuckle turned into a full-fledged laugh, but he quickly gathered himself and moved over to sit at the desk where his mentor had just been. He smiled kindly at Terran as he reached out to grab half of the geode resting on the desk.

  "It seems you do have some ability. Honing it will require some work, but I have no doubt you can manage," the plump elf said.

  "I'm not even sure what a Crystal Bard is. I'd never heard of it until you arrived," Terran responded as his smile dissipated.

  "Basically, the Mother Tree can grow crystals when fertilized with the dust from the geodes you brought back. We can take those crystals and place them in armor or weapons, then the bard uses their voice to activate the crystal. The crystals come in various colors, which do different things, like protection, communication, sonic attacks. We can get more into that when it's time to decide which colors to grow. Once you fertilize the tree that option will be available to you.

  "My job will be to teach you the songs and the correct use of your voice to activate the crystals. Your natural ability is just a basic start—to become a full bard will require a lot of dedication and practice. If you can hone your talent the Crystal Bard class may combine with your Earthed Mage class to create something even more powerful, but that will take a long time.

  "For now just know that I am here to help. Zaros may not like humans, but I do. They brew some delicious ales, not as good as the sea dwarves with the herbs they find in the undersea, but close enough," he finished with a wink.

  Terran's shoulders rounded and he sighed. "I may have made a mistake in taking the class. I don't sing."

  "Apparently you do sing," Jondar said, pointing to the open geode Terran was still holding in his hand.

  Terran looked down at the sparkling red crystals inside the rock. "That was just to prove Zaros wrong," he mumbled.

  "Not all motivation needs to be altruistic. Sometimes you do things just for a bite of food, a drink of ale, or to see the look on someone's face. Regardless of the motivation, the job was done. Now, are you ready for your first lesson?" he asked cheerily.

  When Terran didn't respond, Jondar rose from his chair, stood like an opera singer, raised his right arm, and belted out a simple eight-note scale. With each note he sang a different word.

  "Do...You...Want...To...Piss...Zor...as...Off..."

  When he sang the first and last notes the geodes on the desk vibrated harder and dust began pooling in and around the rock halves.

  "The words sung do not matter in this case. You need only sing the correct notes of the scale. That dust is what we use to fertilize the Mother Tree to grow the crystals, and you must perfect your scales, so it is a perfect place to start. You'll know you're doing it right when you see the dust forming. Of course, there is power in the right words. But for now, anything will do, as long as the pitch is perfect.

  "Oh yeah, collect the dust in something. You don't want to have to go back and fight those spiders," he added.

  Jondar reached an arm inside of his robe and pulled out a flask. He took a swig then asked, "Any questions so far?"

  "Seems straightforward," Terran said, scanning the quest dialogue that appeared.

  You have been offered a quest: Collect the dust from the geodes.

  "Good." He took another swig before replacing the flask. "Then the next thing we need to discuss is which color crystal to grow first. You should have access to which colors are available and what they each do. Look that over while I go grab some food. I'll be back shortly."

  As Jondar left the room Terran opened up the settlement tab, scanned down to the crystalline conservatory, and found another page with all of the crystal information. There were many types of crystals he could grow, but the majority required higher levels for the building and the Mother Tree, which left the azure, crimson, and green crystals available. The azure were used in sonic weapons, the crimson for defensive spells, and green for communication or other events across far distances.

  After much deliberation Terran decided that it would be best to grow the azure crystal. If he was going to defeat the peryton he was going to need a more powerful weapon, and it would need to be a ranged weapon. He was thinking about the possible weapons when Jondar returned with a heaping plate of food and a giant smile to match.

  "Ahh. Second breakfast," he said, setting the plate on the desk. "So which color crystal are we going to grow first? If I were a betting elf, which I happen to be, I'd guess blue."

  "Then you'd win," Terran said with a smile.

  "In that case I have more for you to do. I assume you're going to want to mount the crystal in a staff, so you'll need the rare wood for that, and to even grow the crystal you'll need at least one Bluestar flower, a large Tanzanite stone, and the ability to sing the growing song. Shouldn't be a problem for someone with your skills."

  Terran was overwhelmed when his vision flooded with quest notifications.

  Obtain a petrified limb from a tree in the Dead Forest.

  Obtain a Bluestar flower.

  Obtain a large Tanzanite gem.

  Learn and perfect singing the azure crystal song.

  Reward: Increased reputation with the Crystalline Conservatory and the ability to grow azure crystals.

  Jondar laughed heartily when Terran's eyes glazed over while reading all of the notifications. "I suggest you start by asking around the settlement where you can locate the three items. I will teach you the azure crystal song when you are capable of learning it, but for now work on that scale and on collecting the dust from the geodes. That should keep you busy for a while. You know, in case you didn't have enough to deal with being a chieftain and all," he said, winking.

  Terran sighed. He had building upgrades to worry about, a peryton to defeat, a girlfriend to keep happy, a looming threat to the settlement, and now all of this singing and crystal stuff. He was starting to regret trying to prove Zaros wrong.

  His thoughts were interrupted by Jondar announcing, "Well, it's time to prepare lunch. Unless you have any questions, I'm going to find another plate of food. It's impossible to maintain this figure on just three meals a day," he said, grinning and stroking his round belly.

  Terran stood up. "No time like the present to get to work then," he said, leaving the room.

  As soon as he left the conservatory Terran pulled up his map to locate Luna. He found her icon in the shaman hut, which was perfect because he had decided to start his questioning there. Petram seemed to know everything about the land and the elves.

  The shaman was busy putting ingredients into jars for storage when Terran poked his head into his hut. Luna was curled up asleep on the ground next to the warm coals in the firepit. The air had a hint of lilac and mint to it as Terran entered.

  "Ah, Terran the Tenacious. What do you have in store for today?" the shaman asked.

  "I was hoping you could help me locate some items," Terran responded, sitting down and scratching Luna behind the ear. "I need to find a Bluestar flower, a large Tanzanite gem, and some petrified wood from the Dead Forest."

  Petram smiled. "That is quite a list. I assume you have been talking to Zoras. He must have been quite angry that you passed the Crystal Bard test," he said, then laughed.

  Terran nodded. "Jondar seemed happy about it though."

  "He is a kind soul, a bit uncouth for an elf, but kind nonetheless. Will he be doing your training? I believe that is the last step he must complete to become a Lore Keeper."

  "Yes. Zoras stormed out of the room when I broke open the geode. Jondar must be extra kind if he can put up with that guy." Terran wrinkled his nose.

  "Perhaps Zoras, like Kumotake, will come around as you complete your tasks and improve," Petram said with a shrug, then pulled a book off his shelf.

  "Bluestar...Bluestar…" he said, flipping through the pages until he found the correct one. "I myself have never seen one of these
flowers, but it says they are a rare flower that can occasionally be found growing near hibernating shrooms. Our dear Kumotake should be able to help you locate that." He closed the book and moved to sit down on a stool.

  "The Dead Forest is far to the northeast of here. Many weeks of travel, I'm afraid. As for the gem, I do not know," he said, shaking his head. "I would try Ara or Lhoris."

  "Thank you, Petram. As usual, you've been a great help." When Luna made no indication she was going to move, Terran left the hut to continue his search alone.

  He was going to head to the loamer caves to find Kumotake and ask about the Bluestar flower, but he spied Ara at the central fire pit talking with another elf and decided to approach her first.

  "Hello, Terran," the elegant, matronly elf said with a smile as Terran took a seat next to her.

  Terran warmly returned her smile. "Ara, how are you today?"

  "Excellent. What can I do for you? Your curious eyes tell me you have a question for me."

  Terran cocked his head. "Am I that obvious?" he asked with a widening grin. "I need to find a large Tanzanite gem. Would you have any idea where I would find such a thing?"

  Ara looked to the sky in thought. "Hm. I believe the Lost Valley dwarves far to the west mine tanzanite. It is possible that a trader in the town of Salt Luck would have one to purchase."

  The other elf, who had been listening, chimed in. "I saw a trader just the other day. He was on the Old Road nearing the Green River just two days ago. Maybe he would have something like that. Could save you many days of journey at least."

  "Oh I know where that is," Terran said excitedly. "I was just near there yesterday at the geode caves."

  The elf nodded. "Yes. He was heading west on the Old Road, probably going to Salt Luck. I'm sure you could catch him."

  "Thank you. That's a big help."

  Since finding the trader could save him a lot of time and effort, Terran chose to follow that lead first. Avoiding the long journey to Salt Luck sounded like a great plan. He could work on his scales as they traveled. As he made his way back to the shaman hut to wake Luna up, Terran grinned at the thought of how annoyed she was going to be having to listen to him practice..

  Terran gently prodded the gray lynx with his foot. "No more catnaps. Get up, Luna. We have places to go."

  The lynx hissed at Terran, but stood up and arched her back, stretching. "Why do you keep ruining my peace?" she asked with a yawn, retracting her claws.

  "You'd sleep all day if I let you," Terran said.

  "Of course I would. I'm a cat, in case you didn't notice," she responded, rolling her eyes. "What is so important that you'd kick me awake?"

  "I didn't kick you," Terran protested.

  "Well, what do you call it when someone shoves you with their foot? I call it kicking," she snorted.

  Terran just shook his head. "We need to go find a trader on the Old Road."

  "How long will you be gone?" Petram asked from his seat at the table.

  Terran shrugged. "Maybe a couple of days."

  "Don't you think you should upgrade some of the settlement before you go?" Petram asked.

  Terran paused, grumbling internally. Running a settlement required so many decisions. It was hard to keep up and feel like he was making the best ones.

  "I've been busy," said Terran. "What's available?"

  The shaman tapped, glancing sideways. "The loamers returned with a big harvest. We have 1,181 loam and 48 sap available."

  "Wow, that's bigger than normal," said Terran. "What gives?"

  "We're still operating under a battle bonus," said Petram. "The defense of the tree, along with the many kills beneath her canopy, increased our rate of collection by fifty percent, but it's almost over."

  "That's useful," said Terran, rubbing his chin. "How big a battle do we need to keep that bonus? And does it work away from the tree?"

  "I'm afraid it must be here. We are at our core a peaceful tribe. Attacking another would only bring strife to the region. The Mother Tree would not condone it," said the shaman.

  "You're right, Petram. I'm sorry. I was thinking in terms of resources, not people. I'll forget about it," said Terran. "As for the loam, we should put that into the orchard to increase food production. With the new members of the settlement, it's going to be harder to keep up."

  "There is an option to increase rations, or add more kaleidoscope mushrooms to our diet, which will increase the morale of the settlement," said Petram.

  Terran checked his settlement sheet. The increase in morale from hitting Well Fed would bump all other activities up by 15%, including food production. It wouldn't cover the additional food spending, but would at least discount it. Their kaleidoscope mushroom resources were smaller, but had a larger effect on the settlement Happiness.

  "Let's increase food rations, but hold off on the mushrooms since the effect is short but powerful. We should wait for a more opportune time," said Terran.

  "I'll give the instructions," said Petram.

  "Great," said Terran. "Luna and I will be heading out now if we're going to catch him."

  Petram gave a nod and turned back to his work.

  After grabbing supplies from his own hut, Luna and Terran started down the familiar path heading south toward the Old Road and the geode caves. When he first came to the Rock Leaf forest, he'd had to watch where he placed his feet or trip over rocks and gnarled roots, but he found that his feet found their way without him focusing, which gave him the opportunity to practice his scales.

  "Do...You...Want...To...Piss...Zor...as...Off!" he sang as he skipped nimbly down a scree-covered slope. "He's stiff as a board. His humor he doth mourn. Like a codpiece on a whale, his lips are nothing but fail!"

  "Berries and twigs," said Luna, "what is that racket?"

  "I...am...prac...tice...ing...my...sing...ing!"

  Luna glanced back over her shoulder. "Could you do it more quietly?"

  Terran chuckled, before switching to the traditional scale of Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do.

  "What's with the weird words?" asked Luna after they crossed over a trickling stream. "Does singing hurt your brain so you can't think straight?"

  "Don't lynx sing?" asked Terran.

  "We growl," said Luna, adding a throat rumble as an example.

  "Seems rather limited," said Terran.

  "That's what you know," said Luna, flicking her stubby tail at him. "There are forty-eight different growls, not including dialects and accents, and that doesn't even include the screams."

  "Do-You-Know-That-A-Lynx-Can-Scream," he sang, his voice cracking on the last note, which required a quick slug from his water pouch.

  "I can also claw and bite," said Luna. "Do you think you could practice your singing another time, like not when we're trying to be silent in the forest?"

  He gestured back the way they'd come. "We're not far from the glen. There's nothing to worry about, and Jondar says I need to practice my singing, especially my scales."

  "Like a fish?" asked Luna, falling beside him and scrunching up her furry gray face.

  "Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do," he sang, adding a flourish of his hand at the end. "Each one is a different note. They also have letters. C-D-E-F-G-A-B. But the words are more fun."

  Luna responded with a rounded growl. "That means I disagree."

  "Do-You-Know-All-Cats-Can't-Swim!" sang Terran.

  "Pthhbb," said Luna. "I swim fine. I just choose not to. So why do humans and elves even sing? Seems like a silly skill."

  Terran touched his chin. "I bet we developed it to help improve the chance of favorable mating. Make yourself more attractive to the opposite sex. That sort of thing."

  "And these mouth noises work? It sounds so lackluster compared to a good, deep growl," said Luna, adding a chest rumbler for an example. Terran could feel the vibration in his gut.

  "How does a lynx attract their mate?" asked Terran.

  "Since there are no other lynxes left," said Luna, "not very easily."
<
br />   "I'm sorry, Luna. I forgot. I'm really sorry that you're the last of your kind," said Terran sadly.

  "Me too."

  He brightened. "But if there were other lynxes, how would you attract them?"

  "Being a good hunter, finding a great spot to nap, a good grooming session helps," said Luna.

  "The first two aren't so different than humans or elves, but yuck on the last one," said Terran.

  Luna stopped in her tracks, tilting her head as she looked up at him.

  "But I thought I saw you grooming Chanterelle last night, right between—"

  "Hey! You're not supposed to be watching," said Terran, his cheeks growing hot. "I thought you were sleeping."

  "How can I be sleeping with that racket going on?" said Luna.

  Terran cleared his throat and looked away as she examined him. "I should get back to practice."

  Luna sighed. "I'll scout ahead. I might even warn you if something big is coming along to eat you, since you're a living dinner bell."

  "Thanks, Luna, you're the best," he said as she padded ahead, then before she got out of sight he yelled, "No more sleeping in my room!"

  Chapter Seven

  When Terran and Luna reached the Old Road they headed west toward Salt Luck hoping to run into the trader. After a few hours of easy travel along the wide, only slightly overgrown path, Luna perked up her ears and stopped walking.

  "Shh," she admonished Terran. "I can't hear anything over your screeching."

  Terran took a deep breath to belt out an even louder note, but decided not to when he saw the look on Luna's face. Instead, he slowly let the breath out and tried to hear whatever the lynx had noticed. After a few seconds Terran picked up on a high-pitched noise he assumed was a whistle.

  "Is someone whistling?" he whispered to Luna.

  She shook her head. "No. You can't even pick out singing when you hear it. No wonder you're terrible at it."

  "That's too high pitched for singing," Terran said.

  "Says the person who can't sing on pitch to save his life." Luna rolled her eyes. "Come on. I've heard that sound before. I think we may have found our trader."