Maid with Necromancy

[Familiar Bond] reached out to Hyacinth back at camp. At this distance, it was difficult to get more than emotions, in part because the shadow toad wasn’t a big sharer.  Irritation, boredom, hunger.

“All clear.” Harmony relayed.

“Loap thinks she can get more information from the obelisk, but the group won't move as a whole or even a contingent over to the structure,” Tyler added.

“Pappi says they have signs of stress and anxiety that could be bad for their long-term health, but can’t detect any foreign influences causing it.” Milo passed along.

“Socks is sleeping.” Owsley groaned. “Sleep is important for his kind. You don’t want to have to face a grumpy sloth.”  

Only Kenny didn’t have a partner to leave back at camp. He came in part because of his usual role in the mimic hunt.

If they were going to split the group, they were going to do it right. That meant keeping in contact so both groups knew if the imposter attacked. Spider lights were strapped to their armor, both for illumination and to make it harder for the mimics when they try to copy people.  That was one thing Kenny revealed from the previous hunts.

“Are you ready to do this again?” Harmony asked Kenny. She knew exactly how disturbing it was to see a version of yourself that’s gotten into your head, into your skills, into your class and profession.  Even though he’d been the bait dozens of times, it can’t be pleasant.

“If I stayed, with my luck, they’d accuse me of being the imposter and toss me into the stew. It wasn’t so bad before. Eric had Austin attach a leash skill to me, and I’d walk out into the wasteland. The mimics would keep their distance as they turned into me. The comments were the worst of it before they yanked me back and started killing them. Watch out when they shift their bad luck to you, though.”  

Begrudgingly, Harmony had to admit silently to herself that it was a good plan Eric had come up with. Thinking of the boy reminded her of his heart stilling in her hand as she severed it from the inside. This whole mimic business was an annoying distraction from avenging the impropriety she’d been placed in. Winning these games now sat far below removing that stain.

As for a leash, no one here had the ability to pull Kenny away, but between the light and five extra pairs of eyes, counting Jessicas, everything should work out. The spiderweb they were burning a path through was too fragile to make a good leash. They’ll have to do this the hard way.  But they weren’t out of the woods yet.  To get this done, they had to push through the expected rush.

Like clockwork, it was good to see the new competition hadn’t stopped that change to the games. The dark web-strewn woods came alive. Spiders changed the environment to a writhing mass. Leaving Hyacinth behind meant that their natural fear of them wasn’t dissuading this group.

Tyler lit up the night as blue flames encased his form, his stone maul swinging into action. The smaller spiders popped like seeds exposed to heat and oil when they got close to him, allowing him to crack the big ones like giant man-sized eggs.

Milo’s sword was one of the few Jenny managed to create, struck out in a series of quick lunges, experienced enough to pierce the spiders where a single blow would still them by puncturing their tiny brains before pulling out the sword to enter the next.   Owlsley focused on barriers with her magic to cover the team's  blind spots, but any spider who thought it was being sneaky met her fist, turning it into paste.

Kenny wasn’t useless in the fight, flinging magical darts through the air that slowed, tangled, or pushed back the spiders they hit. None of his attacks caused actual damage, but he was like having a trunk full of options to support others.  It would be more useful if he didn’t trip over his own feet as anxiety overtook him.

Harmony stuck to his side, using [Disintegrate] to blind spiders or cutting them open with her new weapon. [Style and Grace] was focused on Kenny to detect his stumbles and help her catch him before he fell. It was almost like an awkward dance between the two of them.  Through familiarity with this kind of enemy or improvement in abilities since the Ascendant Games started, this kind of battle changed from tough to routine.  The wave settled down into a defeated wasteland of spider corpses.

Harmony propped up Kenny as it ended, her shoulder under his arm, easily able to handle his weight.

“Thanks. I still haven’t gotten to share my bad luck with beings that aren’t human-like. My synchronicity is only two percent, according to the growth chamber. The mimics are always better than me at using it.”

“From my experience, they’re more assertive and vicious when they want to be, also acting without risks. They aren’t better, but they might have more confidence.”

“So, I only have to believe in myself?” Kenny half-joked.

“It’s a place to start.”  Harmony cleaned up the battle by using [Manipulate Dead] to clear the spider guts from all the defenders. [Mend] wasn’t even needed, as no one had taken an injury.  

With the pathway to the mimic-infested wastes clear, they were able to pick up the pace as they trekked out of the woods.

The wall of spider corpses was higher than the last time she’d seen it. A black wall twice as tall as Tyler. Proof that the artificial ecosystem was making some attempt at balance.

“It’s grown every time I’ve seen it. Always had The Bull knock a path through it.” Kenny commented.” He pointed to a section with a little dip at the top. “You can see where we last went through.”

“I think I can do a little better than that. Keep any hiding mimics off of me, please.” Harmony told him as they walked toward the wall.

Harmony let a slight smile crack her serious face. What necromancer doesn’t love a wall of corpses? If the spirits surrounding the Deadwoods were here, she could direct them into containers. Though it was unlikely they’d appreciate becoming an undead spider-horde large enough to drown a kingdom. A fascinating idea, but ultimately wasteful. Who’d want to rule over a drowned kingdom of nightmares?

The Necromancer placed her hand on the mound of corpses. It was time to see how far she’d come. The seal had been a pain, and still was in many ways. She’d watched the sync rate in the growth chamber continue to rise past one hundred percent for [Manipulate Dead], and here was the primary material she worked on, [Beautician] let her cheat on the material that had never been truly alive, but now she had achieved a mastery without it as she crafted for the camp, building shoes and armor out of the caripaces.  

[Manipulate Dead] burst into action. It pushed, moved, and shaped.  [Mend] sealed key spots. This result would never be beautiful, but sometimes practicality was all you needed. The corpses moved, and Harmony walked forward as they parted around her, restacking and solidifying into a tunnel for the group to pass through. Tyler would still need to stoop a little, but everyone else should fit through it comfortably.

It left [Manipulate Dead] and [Renew Spirit] fully exhausted as she used the latter to support this attempt. Much like the concerts, where she joined the Songstress and the Flows with her dancing, it was nice to show off in front of an audience.

 “Let’s catch us a mimic,”  Harmony told the group, using a hint of authority to add weight to the words.

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