Maid with Necromancy

“Ambrosia, I wish you could hug me all day, but I have work to do.” As always with Agent Maxwell’s summoning, she was on a clock. “Is the paper ready?”

“Yes, but I don't know why you need so much,” Ambrosia answered.

They’d done so much work in the past week, too.  Two preserved corpses, if needed, and paper with various writing utensils. She’ll need to request components from her potions and defense classes. There was Necromancy that needed to be done.  Bea waited on the side, still in need of repairs.

The list of tasks to do might be long, but first, she needed to address those pesky contracts for entering and returning, which would prevent the dissemination of outside influences. Just the idea of swallowing another one of those pills and swearing to not share the outside information she’d learned made her mouth itch. The Ascendant Games had been a loophole; one that Von Trell had offhandedly mentioned that he expected the kingdom to lobby to close.

That wasn’t the only loophole.

Harmony placed her hand over a blank sheet of paper and closed her eyes. Half a world away, Harmony sat with Elementary Potions and Procedures - Wilcox, the book assigned for her Potions 201 class, with its first page opened.

[Recall] captured the words. [Manipulate Dead] with a touch of [Shadowed Graves] and [Beautician] gathered the knowledge, and across the great distance, the words appeared on a new page. Though there was a spelling error that had bothered her, that was now corrected.

To conserve energy, they were light gray, but a good scribe could reproduce them properly. She’d need to switch things up. A little [Dust] controlled charcoal dust to do the same, putting the next page’s words down.  Maybe a simple impression into the paper that a light rubbing would reveal could work too? The goal was to get the information down as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“One can’t rise up without the knowledge to do so.”  With a shared giggle, both in Ricord and Hazeldown, she imagined this as the start of one of the greatest heists in history.

“What is the news?” She asked her staff as she worked.

“Only three remain in the Ascendant Games. Tyler, Len, and the legate blade, Felix. The anticipation is high for a local winner, and celebrations are expected. But Felix might be an opponent they can’t overcome.” Gareth informed her.

This came with a discussion of all the different challenges she’d missed.  A pie-eating contest, a scavenger hunt, and bloody battles against invading ants.

“The outrage from the local businesses is still high, and it looks like we can use that to gain a spot on the city council for your house. A financially advantageous position.” Bates told her.

A world away, she couldn’t do much for her friend's monetary position. Killing things and bringing back their resources was the level of financial benefit she could provide. “Carry on, Bates.” Whatever they needed to do to ensure they had coins in their pockets and supplies for her workshop.

“The Flows are performing again. I miss having you on stage.” Ambrosia provided before providing band gossip. Grohl and Tess were seeing each other romantically. Harmony couldn’t imagine the rhythm-obsessed man interested in anything outside of that obsession enough to pair up with a girl.

The news from home lightened her heart. How alone would she be feeling without it?

A third of the way into copying the book, it was time to spend some more energy fixing up her undead guest.  The staff who were not aware of Bea’s condition were ordered to other tasks. Bea still had a mask covering the superficial damage over its face. It would have to stay that way until the more damaged parts were fixed first.

“How are you feeling?” Harmony asked.

“Your repairs are an improvement. My other injuries remain. Being unable to regenerate without assistance is an impediment to being productive for you, Savior White.” Bea answered flatly.

Harmony got to work repairing what she could, strengthening and applying the silencing lattice. Despite having enough energy to do one more bone, she stopped. This would be a slow process.

“Agent Maxwell, if I may. I’d like to have this summon killed.  There was no permanent harm when one died in the alleyway in Naewauld.”

“Um, that seems a bit extreme,” Max answered, turning a little green.

Having died so many times, it was simply another midday event. “I have my reasons.”

Bates stepped forward. “If you feel it is best, Lady White. Please kneel.”

It was a little difficult to take the blow without wanting to defend herself. It was a good, clean shot with his cane. He was the right choice, too, as the more she got to know powerful people, the more she suspected he was at least twice evolved. Confronting him about that felt a bit too intrusive. Everyone deserved some secrets, and Amborisa would let her know if his loyalty was compromised.  

Shaking that death off her mind, Harmony lay in bed, allowing her mind to wander over what to do this weekend. All the other students had arrived, so there would be bigger, more elaborate parties and social gatherings. It wasn’t too late to go to something tonight. Adric would have her delving team’s schedules if she wanted to join them. Having copied a third of a book, going to the Immortalists' library came with no appeal for the night and zero confidence she could retain any information. Words kind of blended together in her brain, making the idea of reading more of a pain.  

“Greep,” Hyacinth complained, bored.

That glutton got to sleep most of the day. Too early to make a trip to Oorty’s Tomb, as a lot of older students were creating lines to get in. The armored guards were not exactly the best way to relieve her partner’s boredom, as they weren’t chewy enough to be satisfying.

“Not getting the chance to play terror in the night?”

“Gwee. Gwee.”

“Oh, the wards everywhere mean you have to use your leg muscles to move around to plan ambushes, and all those twice-evolved people are tricky? Not that I blame you. I’m not sure I want this local constabulary following you back to me. It’s not like you were that subtle in Naewauld.” Harmony scratched under the chin of her tiny toad with her finger. “I’ll find you something entertaining.”

Of all the options, observing how being one of the chosen nine affected one’s self-importance was the answer. It allowed her to not stand out and wear something other than the school uniform, though squeezing into the dresses Ambrosia packed for her was a bit of a problem. Most of them ended above her waist, or strangled her. Then, when she stretched the material too thin, it became translucent. It took sacrificing two dresses to make a new one, a jagged combination of black and red. That only managed to reach mid-thigh; destroying a third dress to get it below the knees wasn’t acceptable. She’d even made a small pocket at her hip for Hyacinth and some coins, but that was the limit of the fabric, even sacrificing some neckline to near immodesty to create that pocket.  

The guards outside Warden’s Rest recognized her and let her down the long stairs. The darkly armored men shifted lightly as she smiled, so a lingering impression had been made.

She passed two people, a second-year and a third-year student who were leaving up the stairs as she descended.

“Looks like we got another new one. Think she’ll do well with the initiation?”

The comment was after she passed, but still well within earshot.

She’d better not be Hyacinth’s entertainment tonight. Having already traveled down most of the stairs. Harmony wasn't interested in turning right around and going back up them.

The door to the club slid open. Drinks, laughter, and a larger crowd waited, a quick count of roughly twenty-four students, half still in school uniforms and a handful of pets or familiars. An owl, best to keep Hyacinth away from that one, a small elephant, a woman wearing roots as clothing with vines as hair, her skin polished mud.

Bennic and Kevin, the secondus and quartus of her group, were here, and Jasper and Houte from curses class were the only familiar faces from the school. Maybe she could get Houte and Kevin to fight.

The host appeared before her. She tried not to flinch.  Speed or teleportation? [Keen Investigative Awareness] would keep an eye on him.

“Tertiary White, you’re the third tertiary present; there are mostly seconduses in attendance, there is a meeting of tertiaries only in a few days. I recommend you attend. Drinks tonight will not be free, but snacks are, just don’t overdo it.”

With that, he was away. Tending to the presentation of his staff as much as the guests here.

Jasper and Bennic both arrived at near the same time, two seconduses from separate years vying for her attention.

“Curie didn’t let you go, did she? I know she said she’d keep the group for another try, but she can be mercurial in private conversations.”

“Not this time,” Harmony answered.

“I wish I had your academic advisor; mine won’t let me out of the core classes. You need to know about the initiation here. It can be a bit….” Bennic started.

More pseudo-guards emerged from the wall, and Gabriel appeared on the central table as the guards started to um… sing.  The odd, hollow, almost metallic voices were an echo of the command skills used in the dungeon for [Sit-freeze-silence], but attempting music while the host waved them on like a conductor

So we greet the newest of nine.

At the warden's table, they will dine.

While we let the prisoners rest.

She shall undergo the test.

Is she strong?

Can she do no wrong?

The test, the test, the test.

She will do the test.

​

[Poise and Bearing] kept a placid look on Harmony’s face. Inwardly, she squirmed and raged.

Who shall stop a crime?

Play both parts of the sinful and divine.

Among their nine, they could be the best.

But first the test.

Is she quick?

Can she take a lick?

The test, the test, the test.

She will do the test.

​

The song droned on, is she wise, is she smart, is she charismatic? At what had to be the end of it, Harmony hoped the test included killing something. Gabriel and his serving staff were at the top of her list.

The guards dressed in uniforms turned and pointed at her. Everyone seemed more amused than wary. With a pop. Spray headed her way. Chronostasis activated, triggered by the sound and an unknown cluster racing towards her.

Multi-colored sparkles shot out, spreading in the process. That kind of decorative mess was the bane of many a cleaner, maid, or houseboy after any party. More than once, Harmony had been lent out to take care of leftovers found days, weeks, or months later. It was one step away from a mechanical disease that spread— Glitter.

[Dust] snapped out. It hit surprising resistance. The bastard. Chronostasis meant she had more time, but she couldn’t be the first one to try to avoid this spray. Every angle was covered, so speed wouldn’t work. [Shadowed Graves] might let her slip out, short jumps in a dungeon, but she’d need to be quick, as in, propel herself down and through it. Too complicated and revealing too much. [Stride Before the Fall] would have her naked on the far side of the room as she banished the original to a pile of clothes and glitter buried Hyacinth.

The worst part was that if it stayed resistant, it would be a pain to get out and follow her around campus and her room for days.

[Mana Rotation] spun up, giving a boost to [Dust] while [Cold Touch], [Mend], and [Final Silence] got to work. Whatever Gabriel did to make the glitter resistant, she suspected it would punch through or go around wind, shields, acid walls, and stone barriers. From that initial manipulation attempt, she knew she couldn’t stop it. But the song had been embarrassing enough.

She might have gritted her teeth, but it looked like a calm smile as she took the embarrassing song with aplomb thanks to her experience and skills. She was not going to tank the pile of glitter. It was all about shaping and slowing the incoming clouds.

Metallic spears of glitter from multiple angles, they weren’t even fused into anything solid, so if they hit her, they’d explode again, but they had been slowed slightly with the effort. [Small Armor] got into play as the defensive skill; despite its strong active ability, its foundation was dodging and only using a small bit of armor when needed. [High Kick] added flexibility and strength. [Style and Grace] allowed her to move smoothly.

There was plenty of experience dodging attacks from multiple angles, but the glitter was still moving nearly as fast as the guards in Oorty’s tomb. Even a graze would leave a smear of the stuff on her.

As she twisted her way out, she cheated, only breaking some personal rules a little bit. A domain, in how she experienced it, was probably out of reach, but the barest space around her, she instituted control of reality. [Disintegrate] surrounded her in a way that there would be a little extra push back, even if it couldn’t destroy the reinforced particulates. And then, as she slid out in a way that seemed impossible to dodge. She used her vital body to shrink just enough to be missed  as she kicked off right when the streams crossed and collided into a pile where she had once been standing.

The resulting poof spread out, but she’d made it out of range, barely, restoring her height while everyone was distracted; it had only been a couple of inches shifting.

“Boo!” someone yelled, not liking having missed the complete color-dousing that had been planned.

“That was not the kind of fun I had planned tonight.” She yelled back.

Bennic returned. “That was impressive.”

“About the test?” Harmony asked.

“That was the test. It is just a bit of fun Gabriel puts on. More light hazing than anything else. I’m still finding glitter in my shoes from earlier in the week.”

Harmony looked for the host, but he was gone. He probably knew she’d give him a glare that might actually cut him. Hyacinth did send some amusement through [Familiar Bond], so the night wasn’t all lost to embarrassment.

The entrance to the Warden’s Rest swung open for new guests. Harmony looked to see which student in the  chosen nine it would be.

With her skills drained from that previous experience, she actually froze and let her jaw hang open. Every step had the ground shake a little as Xera marched into the room, her armored projection coating her hands and feet like boots and gauntlets, giving her extra height and menace.

“Healer White, what did you do!” A patch of her hair on the right side of her forehead draped down; every hair was bright pink, glowing faintly enough to paint her skin in that hue.”

Well, that experiment worked.  

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