[SP - F1] Will Perform for Col! <<Earning a Living>> COMPLETED!

[Seul 1]

The day had been anything but eventful for Seul. The starting city was practically void of any sort of entertainment. The dull players roamed the dull streets, doing and saying dull things on this: The dullest of days. It wasn't like it was that much different from any other day he had spent there, but that was probably part of the problem. Had he fallen into a rut? Was he doomed to forever wander the streets of the boring starting city while other players reached even higher floors? Maybe if he was people would start a legend about him. 'The elusive player who still prowls the streets of the starting city as a level one' was what they'd call him. Or not. It was a mouthful, even though he hadn't even said it aloud. This was a testament to how bored he truly was, as normal people most certainly wouldn't devote precious brain power toward what their fantasy legend name would be. Though, normal people also don't get themselves trapped in a video game.

Edited September 27, 2015 by Seul

[Seul 1]

Mulling over these thoughts as he walked only served as a temporary distraction, but it wasn't long before he'd walk into his next adventure. Literally. He was so lost in thought he hadn't noticed the crowd of people ahead and effectively knocked into some of its members before snapping back to reality. "Eh... What's going on?" He asked only to be met with angry glares and then backs once again. Before he could pursue the matter further tough it hit him what the fuss was about. Music. Unlike any he'd ever heard in the game up till now. It was flowing over the crowd like a calm wave and Seul too could feel himself being swept away by its tide.

[Seul 1]

He managed to sift through the crowd to center stage where a band of traveling NPCs were playing away at various instruments. The sounds blended nicely to create s magical feeling that graced anything that heard the song. To think, something as simple as music could brighten someone's day; it was truly amazing. As the song subsided the crowd grew  in uproarious applause to which the performers responded with waves and bows. All except for one who was seated in the back. He seemed to be a few years older than and had his eyes fixated on the rogue from the moment he walked up. Naturally, Seul returned the gaze with a stare of his own and a raised brow to accompany it. What could an NPC possibly want with someone like him?

[Seul 1]

Stunned was the right word, as Seul never would've guessed what would've unfolded next. The man had jumped from the stage and grabbed Seul by his shoulders, eyes wide and shaking the boy slightly in his grasp. "I can't believe it.." The man started before turning to his fellow band mates. "He has the potential!" He called to them  causing them each to exchange surprised looks. "Are you sure...?" One of them asked. "There's no doubt about it." The man responded. Just what the heck could they have been talking about? Potential? Potential for what? Did they want him to rob a bank or something? It was at times like these when he wished NPCs would just cut straight to the point rather than needlessly drag out every bit of dialogue they had. But out of fear of making them mad and effectively losing the chance to find out what had them so worked up he decided to keep his mouth shut and wait since they'd probably explain anyway.

Edited September 27, 2015 by Seul

[Seul 1]

Listening intently was all he could do as the NPCs carried on with their conversation. "This boy is the one!" The man exclaimed before turning back to face Seul. "We like the way you look kid. You ever been interested in the performer business?" Perform? Seul could barely whistle, let alone sing. His dancing wasn't anything special either. In fact, the night before a dance he had back in middle school his brother said he was cursed with having two left feet as he awkwardly shuffled from side to side while practicing. Instruments? He never really tried playing anything other than video games, so there may have been something there. It's not like he would've been able to get any worse at one. On the flip side he wasn't going to be anywhere near able to play in front of crowds or anything of the sort for years if he did decide to take up one.

[Seul 1]

"Look there must have been some sort of mistake..." He resolved that there was no way in a million years he'd be able to perform anything that was halfway as decent as the songs the played. He'd politely decline and just chalk the whole experience up as being another wacky story to tell his non-existent wife and children in his imaginary home. Then again, maybe learning how to be a performer would help alleviate his boredom. The NPC man held up and hand to stop Seul from talking before continuing. "Shhhh. I'm gonna stop you right there. My name's Minstrel. I was born to notice the latent talent in people and kid you've got the right stuff to make it big out there."

[Seul 1]

What type of name was Minstrel?! Could the developers really not have thought of a better name? Though it was a bit too on the nose, he did suppose it fit quite accurately. The man certainly was dressed for the part, as were the other members of the band. None of them were wearing particularly fancy clothing and each of them hand some sort of musical instrument at their side. And of course the talent to back it up. The man could obviously see his efforts at trying to convince Seul into joining the world of performing wasn't quite working as well as he had originally planned so he shifted the conversation toward something he figured would be more enticing.

Edited September 27, 2015 by Seul

[Seul 1]

"Wouldn't it be nice to make a ton of money?" Seul's attention zeroed in on the man's words like a hawk about to [censored] its prey. He was unbelievably broke, even for a level one player. With no method of earing Col he didn't expect much in terms of buying food or upgrading his gear any time soon. Having a little extra cash flow would've been nice but was unrealistic until he bothered to find a way of obtaining a profession. If this man held the key to earning some easy Col he was all ears. "How exactly would I do that? Only the blacksmiths, tailors, alchemists and other professions are able to do that."

[Seul 1]

"Ah, that's where you're wrong kid."The man said before reaching into his pocket and producing something he had stashed away. At first glance it seemed like any other crystal Seul had seen up till then but upon further inspection it was something he didn't expect: A recording crystal. "You see, a performer's song is not just for fancy toe tapping. No, our songs hold great power and are valued across the land by all. We possess the ability to aid, heal and debuff through song and keeping our songs at one's side could mean the difference between life and death; more so than any piece of armor could." Minstrel did raise an interesting point. What other professions lacked was versatility. A blacksmith would always forge a piece of armor or a weapon, but as a performer one could craft items to cover a multitude of situations. With that line of reasoning he would be able to make money from a broader audience rather than those who only sought him out on occasion.

[Seul 1]

"Alright, where do I sign up?" He asked with renewed interest audible in his voice. At the acceptance of his fate, Minstrel let out a cheer followed by the cheers from the rest of the band who seemed so eager to the point where Seul was certain they were going to start playing some sort of victory fanfare to celebrate the birth of a new performer. A quest window appeared before his eyes aptly named 'Earning a Living' and he quickly dismissed it with the accept button. Now that he was on the path to becoming a performer the real challenge was going to be stocking up on those recording crystals. The only problem was that he had no idea where to get them.

[Seul 1]

"Not so fast!" Minstrel called while swatting away the boy's hand that was trying to swipe the crystal from his grasp. "If you want recording crystals, you'll have to go and hunt for them. There should be a spot not too far away from the city where you can gather some. Try to get at least one and bring it back here, alright?" He said with a smile. Seul nodded a response. He had never actually tried gathering materials before, but it was bound to happen eventually. After pestering Minstrel further to learn the exact location of the gathering spot, he set out for the town gate.

[Seul 1]

The day certainly had taken a strange turn. Less than an hour ago Seul had been complaining about how nothing interesting seemed to be going on. Now he was outside of town and on his way to dig through the dirt for some guy he had just met. Life was just strange like that. He carefully walked along the outside wall of the starting city until he came across a large rock in the place where Minstrel mentioned it'd be. Embedded in the rock were small crystals that shone when the light reflected off them. Surely this must have been the spot for cultivating the materials he needed. Without a second thought he drew his dagger from its scabbard and approached the stone.

[Seul 1]

ID# 33030 | LD: 15 (YEEEEEEEEEES) | +1 Mat

With a mighty swing Seul plunged the end of his dagger into the rock just beside a small chunk of crystal. Surprisingly, the blade cut through the stone like a hot knife through butter and he managed to almost effortlessly remove the crystal with ease. It fell to the ground by his feet and he simply scooped it up in his palm before placing it in his inventory to bring it back to Minstrel and the gang. What he wondered was if Minstrel just had spare crystals lying around why did he force Seul to go out and scavenge for one. It wasn't particularly hard this time around but there was no guarantee that next time would be as easy. If that's what he was attempting to show him then the NPC had failed miserably.

[Seul 1]

Carrying his prize back into town secured in his inventory, Seul approached the group of performers once again before revealing the recording crystal he cultivated. "That was honestly too easy." He gloated while shooting Minstrel a prideful look. Minstrel seemed impressed as he probably didn't expect the boy to return as soon as he had with the task complete. "Well, now that you've obtained your crystal it's time to record. But first you need to pick out an instrument since it'll be hard to make songs without one." At that the man pointed to the wagon beside the stage and indicated for Seul to go inside to procure an instrument.

[Seul 1]

The interior of the wagon was surprisingly roomy. Seul guessed it had to be to accommodate all the band members and their instruments. Scattered around the wagon's floor were instruments of all shapes and sizes, some of which he doubted actually existed outside of the game. Nothing really stuck out to him. For the type of character he played he wanted something that would be small and able to be used at a moment's notice versus something larger that, despite being in the inventory, he felt wouldn't be able to  be transported as easily.

[Seul 1]

He mulled over countless string and horn instruments, but not seemed to fit his needs. Not until he saw it. Upon one of the wagon's shelves sat a small flute-like instrument. It was perfect. Seul was immediately drawn to it and picked it up to examine it further once Minstrel entered. "Ah, I see you've taken a liking to the ocarina." Yes, now he remembered. It was called an ocarina. He recalled playing a game back in the real world once where a hero with elf-like ears had one of them and figured it to be the reason why he was drawn to it. "I can have this?" He asked, obviously failing at trying to hide the excitement in his voice.

[Seul 1]

Minstrel responded with a careful nod before dropping his next piece of information. "You may keep the ocarina... If you first use it to play a show alongside me and the band." The deal was enough to make Seul back out right then and there. Play with the band and on stage no less! The idea was preposterous he didn't even know how to play. Minstrel could see how nervous the thought made the boy so he gave a reassuring smile before making for the wagon's exit. "Don't worry. Once you're up on stage you don't have to think about it really. The music just sort of takes you."

[Seul 1]

Making a break for it seemed like the only plausible course of action Seul slipped the ocarina into his pocket and made a mad dash for the exit only to be greeted by a roaring, twice as large as the one that had been there earlier. It shouldn't have even been possible for such a crowd to amass in such a short amount of time, but there it was staring him in the face. The band members calling out to him from the stage didn't help the situation much either. There wasn't any escaping this. He was doomed to be a laughing stock for the remainder of his days, which hopefully wasn't long given how bad his playing was about to be.

[Seul 1]

He approached the stage halfheartedly, with ocarina in hand. This was the final test. How he would mange to pull this one off was beyond him. All the luck in the world couldn't make up for a lack of talent. He took what he assumed would be his final gulp of air before ascending the stairs and taking a seat at the far back of the stage where hopefully, only those in the front row would be able to see him. The band members all silently exchanged looks almost as if they were communicating telepathically. What exactly did they expect from Seul? Even if he could somehow play the darn thing he wouldn't know any of their songs!

[Seul 1]

Minstrel nodded at him before turning to address the crowd. "Welcome ladies and gentleman, we've got a great show for you that we know you'll enjoy! We're gonna kick things off with our first song now." The crowd cheered in unison and the other band members finished tuning their instruments just as Minstrel finished talking. Then the song began. Each member knew exactly what to do all save for Seul that is. He looked around nervously while the others seemed to be hyper focused on what they were doing. Did they really expect him to play?