Gray’s eyes opened to a large satchel sitting on his chest. As he turned his head, his eyes met those of Galen Stromm, one of his friends.

  “Here’s all of your stuff back. I’ll be staying here for a few days, so I’ll be keeping the keys… Thanks…” Galen walked over to the couch and laid down, facing the back cushions.

  Gray wiped the sand out of his eyes as he sat up and yawned. “No more Milly, eh?” After speaking, he lightly chuckled.

  Galen didn’t move. “Men fuck women between the legs. Women fuck men in the head.”

  "Jeez..." Gray blew out a loud puff of air as he rubbed his face and slowly got up. “Relax, man. You two will be fine again in a week.”

  …

  After Gray had changed, stretched, and eaten, he walked over to his door. He turned to Galen, who hadn’t yet moved.

  “All yours. I’ll be back tonight, probably... Just... Take it easy.”

  Gray threw a pack over his shoulder and walked out the door.

  ……………

  Gray had soon arrived back at the entertainment district. He immediately headed towards the concert hall, only to find that it was locked.

  “Death and rent…”

  After a moment of breathing heavily and staring blankly, he turned and left.

  …

  Gray soon arrived at a small building on the east side of the entertainment district. Large black letters were painted on the brick, reading, “House of Bards.” He pushed open the door and entered.

  He gave the clerk at the front desk a polite nod and turned toward a hallway, soon arriving in a small practice room. He took a deep breath, nostalgically taking in the familiar smell. As he sat down, he opened his pack and pulled out a small harmonica. However, just as soon as he had grabbed it, it disappeared.

  Gray widened his eyes for a moments, and continued grabbing instruments out of his bag.

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  Gray had just finished taking out the instruments, and sat in thought for a moment. He soon navigated to his inventory and scrolled through the instruments.

  As Gray confirmed his selection, the piccolo materialized in his hand.

  Immediately, another notification popped up.

  Gray was relieved, having finally unlocked something in the interface. He was worried that he could only unlock more sections by leveling up, though he was still unsure how to gain experience. Instead of immediately exploring his dashboard though, he began playing the piccolo.

  ...

  ...

  ...

  ...

  ...

  It had taken him nearly five hours of practice, but he had finally gained enough skill points to purchase a skill in the "Elemental Conducting" category. Now though, he was totally out of breath, his lips were chapped, and his facial muscles were exhausted from his playing.

  Luckily, Gray had figured out that by simply practicing, he could earn skill points. Switching between instruments every so often earned points even faster. Though nothing magical happened as he played, he assumed that he would have to buy performance skills for such an outcome. However, he wanted to save up for one of the elemental skills.

  He left his item pack in the corner of the room for somebody else to grab, and left the room. He nodded to the clerk again before turning toward the door.

  "Shadestone!" A voice interrupted Gray's steps. "Are you going to the concert tonight? Amelia's singing."

  Gray turned to to see a short man in fancy clothing peeking his head out of a practice room. The man began leaning on the doorway.

  "Torren!" Gray smiled and walked over, giving him a friend's handshake. "I... don't think I'll be able to make it tonight. If you see her afterward, give her my regards, and tell her that I expect she sounded great."

  "Will do... By the way, your playing sounded much better than usual yesterday... Now I have even more catching up to do."

  Gray and Torren shared a quick laugh.

  "Yeah I had a bit of a breakthrough, I guess. Though I think I'm going to take a break from performing for a little while... Anyway, I have to run, so I'll see you next time?"

  "Sounds good."

  They parted ways, but before Gray had walked out, he turned again.

  "By the way, Torren, I think you should try playing the organ sometime. You might enjoy it much more than the harpsichord."

  Torren curiously nodded as Gray left.

  ...................

  Gray immediately returned to the concert hall and collected his payment.

  As Gray stepped back outside, a strange glint appeared in his eye. He held the silver stones in his hand and closed his eyes. His mind was at work. After a couple of moments, they disappeared.

  Gray smiled before continuing on to the Market District.

  ……………

  Soon, he had arrived at a building with large letters, reading "The Bardic Emporium."

  As Gray walked inside he was greeted with many familiar sights, as well as hundreds of instruments. He smiled at the storeowner and trailed to the side of the building. There, he saw a large array of small conductor's batons. In front of them all was one that appeared particularly beautiful. He reached to pick it up, but it disappeared immediately.

  Gray winced before navigating to his directory and equipping the baton. He placed it back on the pedestal and backed away. However, the baton suddenly disappeared. He tried a few more times, but soon gave up. He rematerialized it, walked over to the front desk, and purchased it for a whole silver stone.

  "I need to find a way to make money, fast."

  Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, the stone didn't return to his inventory as he departed.

  ……………

  It was once again late into the evening, and a number of stars were fading into sight. Gray walked the cobbled roads for over an hour. Finally, he had reached the city's southern gate. Two soldiers were standing on either side of it as he approached.

  "Hey, buddy. Gate's closing in fifteen minutes. Sure you wanna head out right now?"

  "I am."

  "Alright then... Stay safe."

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