Maid with Necromancy

Von Trell shrugged at the report of murdered students. “They didn't excise the evidence from the slides, so you could write a paper about it and submit it to the administration.  However, someone could be profiting from those deaths, and that might draw attention to you. Some other hero can deal with that.  As your advisor, I'm telling you to let that one go. Here is your class sheet for school purposes.”

Harmony committed to memory the fake pre-evolution identity Von Trell and his apes had provided for her after cross-referencing equivalent abilities.

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Harmony White - magical healer

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[Familiar Bond]

[Mend]

For the purpose of consistency, Makeus had her swap [Final Silence], now named [Silence Guest], for the all-purpose fixing spell.

[Manipulate Matter] - Formerly [Manipulate Dead]

[Renew spirit]

[Preserving cold] Instead of [Cold Touch]

[Bedside Manners] Aspects of [Shadowed Graves] if using it as a single target.  Any leaking shadows, and she was to use [Two Against the End] as an excuse. The fear apparently makes sense because everyone is afraid of doctors.

[Skill transplant] instead of [Claim the Remains of Power]

​Most of the choices were reframing terminology and allowing her to use skills in the flexible manner she preferred for classes. “Do the competent hand waving, but these are the terms to use if needing to write a breakdown of how you accomplished a goal.”

Von Trell was frustratingly vague. But explained that the variety of the skills out there made every learning opportunity an individual experience, and that the teachers cared about results. “That can be your strength. It will also make me look good at this job if you can simply credit all your success to me.”

The Aperture Science building was close to today's welcome week event, and with no good shadows nearby, it was easier to use [Recall] to work back through the construction portal system to reach the exit.

A bedraggled Xera waited in ambush.

“What were you doing late last night?” she demanded.

Harmony hadn't asked for this puppy of a girl to follow her around.  “You told me that you'd give me some space. I accepted your oath. If you need to know, I couldn't sleep, so I visited my pet and trained some.”

“You did something dangerous. I had nightmares that my maid couldn't wake me from. And.. and… this!” She extended her arm, pulling back the sleeve of her uniform jacket and shirt.

Her skin sparkled on her forearm, like she'd been dusted in glitter. Smooth tiny scales?

Harmony turned her soul sight on the girl. [Two Against the End] had grown and connected to everything through her space in rippling waves of energy that acted as tiny hands entering and exiting Xera's skills with tiny changes, but were slowing down.

Harmony traced the skill back to the oath made with her and the encapsulation of her skills. Her soul was stable and unchanged.

“It does appear as though you're going through some changes. I don't see how I'm involved,” Harmony answered.

“When either of us is in danger, a small bit of that potential to stand together helps us become stronger. You had to have been seriously hurt to have the oath work this hard.”

Technically, she's been perfectly fine at the same time one of her died brutally. That was how [Stride Before the Fall) Advanced. It isn't like she would give up training it. The side effects on Xera’s bloodline oath were unexpected. And what if one of Max's summons of her died half a world away?

“Fascinating. You did say it is making you stronger. I don't see how this is my concern.”

“It’s supposed to take weeks of hard work, months of struggles, years of danger to cause even a few changes. With classes coming up, I don't even know how half my skills will function.” Xera complained.

Through [Familiar Bond], Harmony called on Hyacinth, waking the toad from his nap in her pocket.

“Meep,” he croaked crankily. But the pissy mode would be useful.

Xera was in danger.

The monster that stalked her was vicious and deadly, with many kills and intimate knowledge of how to quickly end those under its stalking eyes. Even in the daylight, the terror that croaks could act.

Harmony could feel it like a little alarm through the link. Those parts in her soul started up. It didn't change her skills; the outside energy came from Xera and that sense of danger.

Hyacinth leapt out of Harmony's pocket and landed mouth-first on Xera's exposed arm, chomping down. The tiny toad latched on, making a game out of it. He could have just as easily swallowed the girl whole.

“Eeep!” Xera cried. “What is your toad doing?”

Harmony snatched the stinker back. “Testing something. It seems like I can tell when you're in danger, too.”

“That wasn't real danger.” Xera protested.

“Greep!” Hyacinth squeaked indignantly from the pocket he’d been plopped back into.

That made the skill even more useful. Being able to detect hidden or surprises was valuable.  “I appreciate the sensitivity of your link. As you said, ours was more intense than others in your family. I'm sure you'll stabilize soon.”

“This isn't how it is supposed to…”

“You evolved soon after your choice. Consider this another step in the process. With your skills being so young, that is probably why it is easier for them to adapt. If you trust the process, then accept it or break your oath with me.”

Xera bowed low. “Apologies, Healer White. I will handle our union with more humility. I only ask that you allow me to protect you.”

If Harmony had an iron bit for every time someone made an oath to her and they ended up with their souls and skills changed significantly, she’d have two iron bits. Which isn't a lot, but it was weird that it happened twice. Odd coincidences aside, Harmony filed this away in her mind as firmly not her problem, nor something she should mess with.

“Hey!” Alex yelled, waving his arms at the pair with Tun-Knee and the redhead Tasha in tow. With Tony’s nose, I knew we'd find you. I booked time in one of the campus training rooms for us today. Right now, we only have to compete with other new students for the space. It is never too late to work on our teamwork.”

That was preferable to the social with outdoor games being hosted by the Ricort temples.

The dungeon training hall was a to-scale replica of the first floor.  Old guards were repurposed to be golems for training purposes. A training run was how far you could get through the simulation.

To ensure that students didn't get injured too much, the golems had padded hands and feet that left red stains when they landed a solid blow.  Alex didn't pay extra to get the magical simulation of skills installed on their opponents.

The booking came with training armor specially designed to limit damage from the still heavy blows from the golems, which gave everyone a beige feel. The yellow-pink armor magically sized to fit the wearer, immediately making Harmony take a mental note to find out what kind of enchantment it was and if she could get clothes that worked with how she shifted with vital body. A city where the majority of the populace had reached their second evolutions was bound to have higher-quality goods simply because of that.

The wide hall felt a lot smaller when four other people surrounded you. The loose cluster had Tun-Knee and Tasha as the support and range as the second layer protecting the healer, while Alex and Xera held the front and rear positions. It was time to not lead the charge and get accustomed to being in the support role. More importantly, it gave [Keen investigative Awareness] the ability to take in exactly what she joined up with.

Tun-Knee layered on support abilities, but with no measure of restraint. Harmony could now smell the old body odor of previous participants, rust on the metallic walls, and that Tasha had probably had an intimate encounter last night and not bathed enough after to wash off the boy.  It was more distracting than useful.

Xera was competent, shifting to block potential lines of attack, but that coverage pretty much extended only to Harmony. If the more fragile range or support members were attacked. That extra vigilance could be costly.

Tasha spun two metal balls in each hand as she walked.  It made Harmony curious about the range of attackers' skills. Soul sight only gave a vague impression. The range fighter was the calmest teammate despite having the lowest ranking.

Alex was vibrating with energy, a short sword in each hand, and not shutting up as they walked forward. “We’ll get assigned runs on this as part of the dungeon requirements at The Academy to help get us up to speed before entering the actual dungeon. But I want to see how well we do first. No need to embarrass ourselves.”

Click*

That shouldn’t be how the doors opened.

Everyone turned in time to see the panel swing open, and the golem emerged out of a little cubby. The repurposed guard moved its legs quickly, pushing off, but still started from zero as it picked up steam on its approach to hit the group fast and hard.

Xera had the angle covered. Three layers of semi-translucent shields covered her arm and fist as she swung in for a punch. It tried to dodge, but the young defender clipped it, sending it spinning to the side.  

Tasha launched one of her spheres with a boom as it traveled through the air, and the small metal ball enlarged to about the size of a head. The golem dodged, but it followed, and the ball took off the right arm, revealing the mechanical skeleton underneath at the severed shoulder.

Tun-Knee cast magic at it, but nothing happened. Living or even undead could have been affected by the spell, but this creation was immune to such acts.

Missing a limb, the golem continued charging straight at Alex, but the close combat fighter wasn’t fast enough as the golem kicked a leg out from under the man, leaving a red splotch on his shin as he toppled over.

The golem dodged a second thrown ball now that it had reached what seemed its top speed and agility, which was enough to bypass the seeking aspect of Tasha’s throw.

Tasha danced back.

Tun-Knee threw up a wall of white bricks that the opponent knocked through.

Harmony readied herself for grappling with it.

Xera came flying down with a yell. Her entire body was covered with the triple shield, like she was in a giant suit of armor with stilts to make the legs longer, and she crashed down on the mechanical opponent. Large as she was, she was at least careful enough to avoid any teammates. With a crunch, the metal in its chest collapsed in, crippling the internal mechanisms and slowing it to a halt.

“We did it!” Tasha cried.

Tun-Knee let out a laugh.

Xera had a grin that she’d landed the finishing blow.

Even Alex hobbled over with a grin.

[Poise and Bearing] held off a frown at the scene. These puppets had no skills. The damage didn’t take out both of the key control aspects of the guards, as this superficial damage was enough to stop it. It was too easy to get used to how the training room signaled guards attacking. There was no “click” in the dungeon. Worst of all, this one wasn’t bleeding fast enough.

From the front of the room, where they entered, a slow clap started bringing everyone’s attention to the shirtless man walking up. “Oh, no,” Harmony murmured. She could always order him away through their primal bond, but eventually, everyone would know she had this man for her pet.

“That was pretty good for a first try, but it looks like you could use some work. “

“Who in the broken gears are you?” Alex demanded.

“That,” Harmony laced her words with authority to grab attention. “Is my pet, and strategist, the planar siren, Adric.”

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