Chapter Twenty-Six
Harmony unsubmerged herself from her tub. It became a nightly tradition for her to stay at The Dragonfly Inn. “I could have hahat better.”
“Oh, I think you hahat perfectly well. You don’t o stick around a bunch of bullies just to be polite. Now scoot over, this rk has some ag wings to soak.” Ambrosia slipped into the tub with her with a long sigh of relief
“Why are you sore? I spent all day in the dungeon w myself silly.”
“Day shows, and w on new pieces with the band. Asdant Games fever has taken root hotter than I expected. Being from Hazeldown is actually an advantage. None of them seem to care that only five from our little kingdetting spots in there, and the rest are from the rger evolved ones. Anyone approag Level Twenty seems to think they level quiough to meet the requirements. There have already been three deaths in the dungeon.”
Harmony wi that. She’d only just hit sixteen.
“Oh, don't worry about yourself. I’m talking about the morons. You’ve already proven yourself.“
“Have I?” Harmony asked.
“You were a level seventeen maid at the beginning of spring and ma it all the way to twenty-four since you got made a dy. If you didn’t o match it with your css so you could evolve, I’m sure it would be higher.”
“But that’s only maid work.”
Ambrosia reached across the water and poked her. “For most people, it is their profession that gs behind. Any old idiot go into the dungeon ahings with sticks, but very few want to put the work in.”
But she’d only pushed herself so hard because she had to. Every level did seem to relieve Hyath and her own issues a tad. Days were running out.
“I think I’ve figured out a teique to help me face the sed floor. I’d hoped to share it with Prince Adric.”
“There you go, Harm. There’s never been a mess you haven’t figured out how to .”
“I haven’t tried it out on pnts yet, but I’ve figured out how to damage skills.”
Ambrosia’s face went dead ft. “Don’t say another word.” The number of times Harmony had seen her friend without an expression like this was never. “Cast your silence spell so no one else hear us.”
Harmony did. “What’s wrong?”
“Are you an idiot?”
She’d just spent the st few moments praising her and now this? “I figured it was theoretically possible. If I damage the skills that allow pnts to move then I should be able to beat them without needing to take some nasty skill like [Rot].”
“What do you know about the forbidden csses?”
A topic that held no i for Harmony, less than that sine of those has been an option when she first got the ce to choose. “There are ten forbidden csses, Demon, Corruptor, Soul Binder, Mindfyer, Unbound, Reaper, Despot, Cupid, Time Twister, and Game Master. In some other kingdoms, there are even more and Neancer is often included. I don’t o know more.”
“Don’t you know why some of those are on the list?”
“I don’t care. Look, ah a silence skill damage a skill. Those strike ones would probably be best. Why is this just a big deal?”
“Half those csses are on the list because they damage or destroy skills. Reapers, Demons, Corrupted. I’m not saying not to use what you o win, but don’t talk about it.”
Demon. Beggar. Neancer. Harmony’s initial choices for her css. The ones she had the greatest potential for based on her experiences. In any other kingdom, she’d probably have been forced to pick beggar or die.
“I didn’t know.” She whispered.
“Of course, you didn’t know. The temples did their best to destroy all that information.”
“How do you know?”
“Let’s just say it is why I don’t like to talk about my parents.”
Harmo herself sink uhe water again. It was the best pn she had. Demon. Would that choice option chase her forever? Would she o acquire rot? The idea had [Recall] bring up the taste of rotteables eaten out of y.
Arms yanked Harmony up out of the water. Ambrosia tugged her up, holding oe the sliess between them. “Quit sulking. I only said don’t talk about it, not to stop using your eique. Not everyone has fotten about it, and you don’t want that getting around. Skills get damaged, but you probably don’t want to be bragging about doing it on purpose. If you weren’t a neahis probably wouldn’t even be an issue.”
“You’re the one who vinced me I’d done something awful.”
“Sorry. My dad was good at that. I don’t reend having a dad as an inquisitor. He’d show up when you least expect it and make you feel bad.”
“Thanks for warnihis day was turning out great, with the best thing she’d done during it possibly garnering more unwatention. “I hope Adries back soon.”
Ambrosia’s squeeze melted into a gentle hug. “I’m sure he will. We all know how tough dealing with family be.”
Prince Adric did not show up that night. She stayed up a little ter than she normally would, thumbing through Duactics 101. Eighty pert filler dealing with group tactics, but while reending you never go into a dungeon alohey had several situational chapters for what to do if you get separated from your party or you’re the only surviving member. Even those coached that you should always go bad leave if possible. Escape the number one priority. But between those lihere was helpful information when you were in a situation like Harmonys' going at it alone.
Prince Adric did not show up in the m either. He was still alive and well. This whole cheg on him was a tad ridiculous. He’d spent plenty of time away from her before his big reveal. Even after, he’d go out and roam Hazeldown’s social se, sometimes fetting he was out running an errand, and end up out for much lohan he has so far. Yet, she erturbed.
The wooze came charging out of the underbrush only because Harmo. She o practice against more than just immobile, helpless creatures if she wao make she she could use her skill-damaging strike when she really . Her foot swung around propelled by [High Kick]. It felt like she was hitting a yer of pillows, but she wasn’t aiming for physical damage. Pop, the metaphysical gss shattered. The fact that she’d discovered the attack would gh the thick fur gave her more hope it would extend into more armored oppos like twiggys.
Rather than go docile, the Wooze spun around in a circle blind, deaf, and senseless. Dangit. She’d broken one of the skills, just not the one she was aiming for.
Harmony’s ption of what she did wrong was interrupted by the snap and crash of a tree falling in the distanbsp; Hyath had his own training to plete. Using his new saw-like spurs he hurees to fell as he adjusted to the Gear and Wex onry attached to his feet. It was not his favorite kind of prey but she appreciated his dedication.
Tomorrow they could test the sed flain. It felt like it was too soon. It probably was. Insanity. She freed aied-up wooze and readied herself again as she thought. To make this attack sed nature she o be able to do it while distracted or panicked. Fog only on dirty tasks was a recipe for burning out if you couldn’t let your mind wander while ing attics, scrubbing Tyler’s rooms, or taking care of shit.
The Asdant Games didn’t matter, but it was a fine excuse for pressure to evolve. It kept her valuable. Got resources given to her. Allowed for the support she o resolve her issues and save Hyath from the pain her authority utting on him. And the sequences of not participating? They’d take it all away. It would also be ridiculous to think she could pete, wouldn't it?
Pop. She released another wooze. Only two left before the brood mother.
Harmo her mind wander more. Prince Adric, Ambrosia was right that he’d grow on her. Hell, Ambrosia and Bates were now tracted to work for her. It took effort, power, and politics to keep them. Sir Maxwell standing up for her honor, bah. Even that pink lout was slowly getting a foothold with her staff.
Pop. [Mend] quickly sealed up where she’d let cws hit one of the bare spots ohigh. Release.
They weren’t one-sided responsibilities. Take care of them and they’ll take care of you. A tree crashed in the distance. Partners like Hyath. You didn’t abandon them when things gh or if they made a choice you didn’t agree with. When their fws might ruin your career. You didn’t send them to the streets for being who they are. If Adrited to deal with his family he didn’t o do it alone.
Pop. The st wooze fell.