Chapter Two

One of the advantages of having skilled servants like Bates and Ambrosia was that Harmony was able to dump the whole mess of her mother onto them and go hide in her room. That's unfair. She was on a tight schedule and in that schedule privacy to explore her new class and profession was planned. But she certainly didn't want their job. The rushed dash out of Naewauld had been completed while Rose, Len, Max, and Tyler were still at court keeping that pool of vipers and leeches busy.

The bodyguards protested until she'd at least talked to guild mistress Thorne. Goodbyes and thank yous to Ma Bell were done fast as the innkeeper gave her a knowing look. Letters left for everyone and then off she went. Time fretting on the road agreed with the choice to leave, as she was simply not strong enough to deal with whatever was going on with the court, or even if she should. Maekus's commitment to stay out of local politics seemed wise, even if they had gone after her first. Right now all she could do was be careful and get stronger.

A quick [Dust] took care of the room. Harmony pulled the tiny sleeping Hyacinth out of her travel dress's pocket and set him on a pillow on her bed. His diminutive snores were like a little whistle. He still preferred to sleep most of the day when possible. He'd assured her through [Familiar Bond] that his issues were resolved with her evolution and choice of [Familiar Augment]. He needed to adjust to his changes too.

Home. It lacked the opulence she'd gotten used to in Naewauld. Part of her screamed she deserved better. Maybe she was due for some upgrades Harmony mused as she poked around. The underwear in her drawer had been disturbed. There was no doubt that her mother was a good enough actor to fool [Keen Investigative Awareness]. Good to see some of Kelly's claims lined up with reality.

Harmony plopped onto one of the giant pillows that used to be Hyacinth's cushion lounge. After the long ride what she really wanted was one of those tubs she had in her room at The Dragonfly Inn. If her group wasn't busy dealing with Kelly and her band of interlopers she might have been able to wrangle some tub time on arrival. Right now she wasn't going to leave the room until Bates or Ambrosia gave the all clear.

Trapped. She might as well get to work. Evolution had given her more than just an extra little bit of height. It had changed her on a more fundamental level, where previously death and being a necromancer felt clearly delineated from her profession as a maid and now everything felt dedicated to it. To become death, to take life away, is that what being necrotuned did?

[Disintegrate]. A cracked vase on her bedside table crumbled to dust. That cleaner's skill felt death-related. It wouldn't work so well on a living target. People were always more resistant than objects. Synergized with [Manipulate dead] she could see herself being able to put down much of the dead Old Bones could throw at her.

Then there was the authority she'd avoided using due to the pain, sickness, and fatal path it had created. All of Tyler's books on the topic were about gaining it, while very few addressed using it. You could impress people and it could add weight to some skills, but don't use it too much. People born into it seemed to be able to use it effortlessly while also having very little control. What did being royal mean?

Vague answers to those questions were not how she operated, a record of impressions was good, but it was time to see how strong she was now. Under her bed, she pulled out tools she used to test what she could do. A finger bone, a bag of dust, a lock of Ambrosia's hair, a vial of alcohol. While she'd need to come up with new measurable ways to test her skills like [Final Silence], working with the old set used to test [Manipulate Dead], [Dust], [Cold Touch], and various synergies she found most useful would give her a good idea of what she could now do and numbers to record for future progress.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Maxwell, Tyler, Len, and Rosaline would all be here soon enough. Rose would have had to evolve and Thorne would help them fill out their bonds. As allies or competitors Harmony knew she had to do everything possible to get herself ready for the Games. The evolved kingdoms would be sending their best. The least she could do was not embarrass herself for her city. Not even Ambrosia's ballads could recover her from that.

Hours into experimentation Bate's familiar knock graced her door. "Come in."

Bates and Ambrosia entered with disgruntled looks on their faces.

Ambrosia laid into her first. "How could you? I know you've only told me half of the stories about your childhood with your mother. But even the ones you thought were funny anecdotes were truly horrible."

"Lady White made the right choice. The only way we were ever going to have any semblance of control over that woman was by making sure we got her firmly under our household's grasp. A time-honored tradition for any family with blacksheep or troublemakers. Part of the issue is she's brought in several worse candidates into our service as she holds the leashes to their work contracts in a way that if we sign her we get them too. At least we don't have to pay them but her crew has more than a few dodgy characters and the few that are more interested in working with you are more fanatics than fans. The only solution to restore the balance is to increase our staff."

"But we don't have the funds." Harmony started.

"We do." Ambrosia interrupted.

"Maekus Von Trell registered your updated royal status and authority ranking and reinstated Prince Adric. The funds for lords which are mandated by the charter will be flowing towards us. We also instituted several business ventures while you were climbing the garden. Ambrosia here is a wealthy performer in her own right." Bates stated.

"But that's her money."

"Of which she is paying some to her greatest muse and sometimes performer." Bates continued.

"I never asked for.."

"Harm, take my money," Ambrosia said with the firmness she only used when she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Fine. I trust you to find the right staff to counter Mother's crew, Bates. I've been so focused on my immediate problems in Naewauld, that I feel like I've forgotten to prepare for the Ascendant Games properly. And I only have three days to do it. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Rest. We have no idea what the Ascendant Games holds for you. I know that with your skills you've driven yourself to your death over and over again to get here. There is no way you'll be as prepared as you want in the time you have, so rest up while you can." Bates answered.

It was the correct answer and Harmony could find no faults in it at all. But, how could they expect her to rest calmly with her mom in the same house? Even if it was her fault for hiring the woman. "I'll take that under advisement."

Bates and Ambrosia shared knowing looks that made Harmony want to kick them. Stupid bad emotional habits.

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