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Naomi stood next to the massive bronze bell in what her guild, the ‘Eastal National Chamber Orchestra’, told her was a Buddhist Temple called Senso-Ji. As a former full-time student at the Hartford Conservatory in Connecticut, USA, she’d take their word for it.
The hour everyone had agreed on had arrived: midnight of Halloween. The atmosphere was almost perfect: a full moon hung overhead, while a chill breeze stirred the few leaves clinging to the Japanese Maples. She nodded to Hiro, who wound up with his Conductor’s Mace.
-BONG-
-BONG-
-BONG-
-BONG-
-BONG-
-BONG-
-BONG-
-BONG-
-BONG-
-BONG-
-BONG-
-BONG-
The noise drew the attention of the late-night revelers and returning Adventurers on the outskirts of Akibara.
Naomi put her violin under her chin, as the rest of the guild's string section played the opening chord of Camille Saint Saens’ ‘Danse Macabre’.
Her first few days and nights after the Apocalypse had been rough. She’d tried to Fairy Ring her way into the South-East US server to play the new Elder Tales with her highschool friends in Atlanta and ended up in Akibara. Hiro, a fellow Elven Bard, had found her playing under a bridge. She’d apparently become a minor celebrity, as the ‘People of the Land’ were awestruck by the sheer variety of music she could play. She’d just been trying to cope and earn enough coin to buy fruit, bread, and cheese. It was bad enough being stuck in a video game, but the nourishing, but tasteless food, would drive anyone around the bend.
She dragged out the first ‘Devil’s Chord’, while Miki readied for the first flute phrase. As Miki began, the wind stirred and swirled dry leaves around the courtyard.
Hiro was an avid Elder Tales player, but also a Post-Grad at the Tokyo College of Music. He brought Naomi back into the Guild Hall and introduced her to the guild he was building from music students who were trapped in the game. Naomi wept in relief as the ‘ENCO’ welcomed her without reservation. If she had to be trapped in the game, at least she wasn’t alone.
Taka and the rest of the strings section finished the first phrase as Naomi began playing Death’s solo. She felt inspired as she played and danced among her fellow musicians.
That first Autumn had brought the Round Table’s second round of festive events; mostly to deal with the dearth of pumpkin-based creature drops. Naomi had just felt melancholy. Halloween as a kid in Dekalb County, Georgia was fine, but her time in New England had really sparked a love for the ‘Spooky Season’. Seldesha’s algorithm-driven season felt like a cheap imitation.
Then, she’d struck on inspiration!
Miki’s wind section perfectly played their call-and-response with her, and Naomi could actually feel the mana coursing around and through the guild as they all played.
It took her and Hiro almost all year to reconstruct ‘Danse Macabre’ from memory, and the last two months had been spent with the guild practicing for the upcoming Fall Festival. Obviously, several members had to periodically forgo practice: the guild survived by serving as a Bard-clearinghouse for Pick-up-Groups, and Guild Hall use was expensive.
The first crescendo hit, and Naomi dared to look up. Several Summoners had apparently gotten into the season, and there were a number of Skeletons and Ghosts dancing through the growing crowd. In fact, every conjured entity was swaying in time with the music. Mage Lights of every type were bobbing in time, as normally malicious Banshee attack spirits pirouetted overhead.
Attempts to coordinate with the Round Table had fallen through, as the aftereffects of the GuildMaster of ‘Honesty’ trying to secure a noble title for himself, had completely upended the political landscape.
Hiro, Naomi, and the rest of the ENCO felt a good old fashioned Flash Mob would be just the thing to give people something positive to think about.
Naomi felt almost possessed as the guild reached the first decrescendo. She stepped out and leapt onto the great red arch at the entrance to the shrine, as she began her second solo movement.
She could see the growing crowd spreading out, as more and more Adventurers began swaying in time with Death's Waltz. There were some Adventurers, as well as all the People of the Land, who were simply looking around in confusion.
They weren't her audience; not yet anyway.
The guild swelled into the second crescendo, and more ghostly dancers began to appear: humans and demi-humans, as well as a not insignificant number of what Naomi knew were full blooded Alvs. Or at least, had been at one time. She played with all the zeal and artistry her training and magic could muster. Halloween only came once a year, and these tired souls deserved a night of revelry.
The guild surged into the finale, as the ghastly Bacchanal swirled around the ancient temple. Suddenly, the Cock Crow was played. The various apparitions and summons began fading as the guild played the final diminuendo.
Naomi was breathing heavily as she lowered her violin. Her arms felt like she had played an entire symphony, not a seven-minute set. When she looked around, she saw the gathered Adventurers were equally tired and equally confused; because looking out over the assembly, she could see the sun rising.
She opened her UI to check the time and noticed her Spell tab flashing with an update. She hesitantly opened the tab.
-New Spell: Death Waltz.-
-Restrictions: Bard Class/Musician Subclass, Five casters minimum-
-AoE: 100 ft. ×10% per additional caster-
-Casting Time: 10 minutes-
-Refresh: 24 hours-
-Effect: All Demi-humans and Adventurers w/in AoE stunned for casting time. All Conjurations and Summoned Constructs banished to nearest graveyard for 24 hours.-
-Flavor Text: “None who have tasted of Death’s sweet kiss, may resist his call to Dance!”-
She looked over at Hiro, and saw her shock mirrored in his eyes. What the hell had they just done!?
A flash of gold caught her eye, and she looked as the dawn reflected off the peak of Mt. Fuji, or whatever it was called in Seldesha.
Coulda been worse: we could have picked “Night on Bald Mountain”.