Instrument
1562 Words
The rhythmic slapping of a wet mop against Italian tile echoed as Ryan surveyed his new kingdom. Tyler Bennett hunched over, his face purple with exertion. Every time he glanced up and saw Ryan watching him with cold, predatory eyes, he flinched and scrubbed faster.
"I am finished with the main floor, Mr. Parker," Tyler panted, wiping sweat from his forehead. "I will start on the back storage room. Please tell me that proves my sincerity."
Ryan leaned against the mahogany counter, his new voice resonant and smooth. "The back room is filled with expired syrups and dust. If I find a single sticky patch, our conversation with the fraud department begins."
"Perfectly! Yes, sir!" Tyler scrambled toward the back, his shoes squeaking on the floor he had been so proud of ten minutes ago.
Ryan looked down at his soaked, frayed sneakers. He owned a multi million dollar property but looked like a beggar. A soft chime echoed in his mind, the System interface flickering with a golden hue.
[Ding! New Mission: A King Needs His Sword.]
[Requirement: Every god requires a weapon. Secure a musical instrument worthy of the Music God title. Current equipment: None.]
[Reward: 2000 System Points and a Platinum tier Song Fragment: Requiem for a Traitor.]
"A weapon," Ryan murmured. "A Fender from the display case will not cut it anymore."
He walked next door to Vogue & Verve, a boutique where a single t shirt cost more than his previous monthly rent. The scent of expensive sandalwood hit him. A salesgirl looked up, her professional smile shifting to pure disgust.
"We are closing for a private event," she said politely, eyeing his wet clothes.
"The sign says you are open for three hours," Ryan projected his voice with a depth that made her blink. "I need a complete wardrobe. Suit, casual wear, shoes, and an overcoat. The most expensive and least flashy. Do it in ten minutes and I will double your commission."
The girl stared as he showed her the balance on his banking app. Her jaw hit the carpet. "Right away, sir! Please follow me to the VIP lounge!"
Fifteen minutes later, Ryan stepped back onto the street. He wore a charcoal wool overcoat over a black silk turtleneck and tailored trousers. His wet hair had been dried and styled. He no longer looked like a student; he looked like a young CEO.
He hailed a premium black car and gave the address for Symphony Elite. It was a cathedral of sound in the most expensive district of the city. As Ryan entered, the heavy oak doors muffled the street noise. Colin Ward, a senior consultant known for smelling a person net worth from a mile away, stood behind a marble podium.
"Mr. Parker?" Colin squinted through his spectacles, recognizing him from the academy. "What are you doing here? Where did you get those clothes? Surely you did not steal them after getting fired."
"I am here to buy a guitar, Colin," Ryan said, his voice echoing through the vaulted ceiling. "The one in the center display. The 1959 Vogue Stratus."
Colin let out a sharp bark of laughter. "The Vogue? That instrument is worth 4.8 million dollars. Even Logan Murphy was denied a trial because his technique was not refined enough. You are a mute stagehand, Ryan. Do not make me call the police."
"I am not a mute," Ryan said, his voice dropping an octave to vibrate the nearby glass cases. "And I am not asking for a trial. I am asking for the price."
"You cannot afford the insurance on the case," Colin sneered. "Leave before I have the guards toss you into the gutter."
"Is this how you treat potential clients, Colin?" a cold, feminine voice interrupted.
Victoria Price, the Ice Queen of the music industry and lead judge for the upcoming Starfall Showcase, walked out from the shadows of the grand piano section. She wore a white power suit that radiated authority.
Colin doubled over in a deep bow, his face pale. "Ms. Price! I am sorry! This boy was trespassing."
Victoria ignored the salesman, her eyes locked on Ryan. She lived for unique frequencies, and his speaking voice had stirred a curiosity she had not felt in years.
"He wants the Vogue Stratus," Victoria said calmly. "And you are refusing to show it to him. Why?"
"Because he is a penniless student!" Colin stammered. "He is a janitor at the conservatory! He lost his voice in an accident and has clearly lost his mind."
Victoria looked Ryan up and down, noting the quality of his coat and his absolute stillness. "You have a voice now. And you have the eyes of a man who died and came back. Tell me, Ryan Parker, why do you want that specific guitar?"
"Because it is the only thing in this room that can handle the frequency I intend to play," Ryan said. "Every other instrument here would sound like a tin can."
Victoria raised an eyebrow, a dangerous smile playing on her lips. "Arrogance. I like it. Colin, open the case."
"But Ms. Price!"
"Open it," she snapped. "If he scratches it, I will cover the cost. If he is lying, I will make sure he never works in this city again."
With trembling hands, Colin unlocked the reinforced glass and handed the Vogue Stratus to Ryan like a live bomb.
Ryan sat on a wooden stool in the center of the showroom. He ran his fingers over the fretboard, the Master Level Guitar Proficiency from the System flooding his nervous system. The guitar felt like an extension of his own bones.
He struck the first chord.
The sound was haunting. A complex, dissonant melody suddenly resolved into a soaring, triumphant riff. His fingers moved with impossible speed, executing sweeps and taps that created a wall of sound. It sounded like a man screaming at the heavens, demanding his soul back.
Victoria stood frozen. She had heard the greatest guitarists in the world, but this was pure, unadulterated genius. The way he manipulated the vibrato made the guitar weep.
Ryan stopped abruptly. The final note lingered heavily in the air.
"Is that enough of a trial?" Ryan asked.
Victoria took a slow, deep breath. "Your technique is flawless. I have monitored talent at the academy for five years, and I have never heard your name associated with a guitar."
"I am a fast learner," Ryan said simply. He turned to the stunned salesman. "Colin. The card."
He pulled a matte black titanium card from his wallet. Colin took it with shaking fingers, his face a mask of disbelief. He swiped the card at the terminal, expecting a loud rejection.
The machine let out a cheerful chime.
[Transaction Approved: $4,800,000.00]
Colin stared at the printed receipt, then at Ryan, then at Victoria. The world had turned upside down. "It went through."
"Pack it in a flight case," Ryan commanded. "Deliver it to my new property, The Sound Bar, within the hour."
Victoria stepped closer. "The Sound Bar? You bought the academy favorite hangout spot? You are competing in the Starfall Showcase in three days. I am the head judge. If you play like that on stage, you will start a revolution."
"I am not there for a contract," Ryan said, walking toward the door. "I am there for a reckoning. I will see you on Friday, Victoria."
He left the Ice Queen of the industry standing in stunned silence.
Within thirty minutes, the campus gossip app was on fire.
[User Anon12: Someone just bought the Vogue Stratus from Symphony Elite. Cash. Four point eight million!]
[User GuitarGeek: That guitar has been there for a decade. Who has that kind of money?]
[User VocalQueen: Someone saw a guy in a black overcoat leaving with a black card. He looked like a CEO.]
In her dorm room, Megan Harper scrolled through the feed. She clicked on a blurry photo of the mysterious buyer leaving the store. The man was tall, his back turned, but the set of his shoulders felt terrifyingly familiar.
"No," Megan whispered, her heart skipping a beat as she zoomed in on the man hand. He wore a simple silver ring that Ryan used to wear every day. "It could not be him. Ryan is a broke mute. He was kneeling in the rain an hour ago."
But the dread in her stomach remained. She looked at the luxury contract Logan had given her. For the first time, the gold embossed letters felt heavy.
Back in his penthouse suite at the top of the city most exclusive hotel, Ryan stood on the balcony looking down at the academy lights. He held the Vogue Stratus in his lap.
[Ding! Mission Complete: The King Sword.]
[Reward: 2000 System Points and the fragment of Requiem for a Traitor received.]
Ryan smiled into the wind. "The stage is set, Megan. I hope you practiced your high notes. Because on Friday, I am going to make sure the world hears the truth.”
- Writer
