“So, what do you think, Martin? Have any insights to give on these?”

The hunter brushed at his mustache, then turned to Mireille. “They’re definitely from not too long ago, though I can’t say I recognize these. Luckily... I’m not the [Ranger] of our party.”

He waved at another of his party members, a woman dressed in dark green who carried a fine longbow. She walked over and joined their group, who were standing by a set of footprints in the mud. It had been a few days since the bird-bath massacre incident, and Olivia had spotted the marks on her morning stroll. After conferring with the rest, Fayette and Mireille had agreed to get the Salted Knives to help identify them.

The [Ranger] kneeled by the footprints and seemed to activate some sort of skill. After focusing for a second she spoke. “It’s a Dire Beavermonkey, just one. There was talk of a herd around here—maybe this is a stray?”

Fayette perked up, sneaking a glance at Mireille. She still hadn’t figured out a way to fully cleanse the pelts she had messed up, and it wouldn’t be long before she would have an angry [Seamstress] after her. Is this maybe an opportunity? And besides…

She turned to look at the [Lady], who was also examining the footprints. For a bit now, she had been running out of ideas on fitting [Lady]-[Maid] activities to do, and their destination was drawing near. There just wasn’t that much she could feasibly arrange on the go, even if she took extreme measures. She had only managed to get a few odd experience points here and there, but this just might do the trick.

Is there anything more traditional than Nobles heading out on hunting parties with their servants to track some sort of prey animal? Especially if it’s for getting a pelt… How much experience could I get if I were to arrange such an event? Can’t be too direct, though. Not a [Maid’s] place.

She coughed a few times into her hands to attract attention, then spoke. “My, a stray beast, a dangerous one at that, moving about near our caravan—wouldn’t it be the duty of proper hunters to go hunt it down?”

Martin thought for a moment, then nodded. “True, this is an opportunity. Maybe our party should hunt it down, while yours could guard the caravan in the meantime?”

Fayette thought fast and found a passable excuse. “No no, our party was the first to find these marks, so it’s our duty to go hunt it down. Besides, it’s only a single beast, we can probably manage with three people or so.”

The [Ranger] shook her head. “Beavermonkeys are clever bastards—they’ll usually be able to evade a single 3-person team. You need to split up and cut off any path of escape.”

Fayette pretended to think for a moment, then dramatically sighed. “Our party isn’t that good at tracking, and we don’t enough members to split up enough, what can we do?”

Martin rubbed his mustache, and slowly but surely, the idea Fayette was hinting at made its way to him. His eyes lit up and he smacked his hands together. “That’s it! We could mix up our teams a bit, and make it an exercise in cooperation. We really haven’t been practicing together enough.”

Fayette smiled discreetly. Hoh hoh hoh. Like taking candy from an orphan child. Now, I’m only missing the last step…

The others seemed to warm up to the idea, and an energetic discussion began to rise about the parties involved. Mireille instantly nabbed the [Ranger] to team up with her, but Fayette slid off to the side, towards the [Lady].

“Miss, are you interested in participating? It would be an opportunity to develop your nature drawings I’m sure, and—” Fayette tapped her broom a few times. “—I’ll keep you safe.”

“Wait, you’ve seen my drawings?” The miss asked, slamming the notebook closed and clutching it to her chest.

“Ah, I just coincidentally saw a few of the landscape drawings in passing,” Fayette said, reassuring, then lowered her voice. “Or is there something I shouldn’t have seen?”

The miss froze for a second, then laughed nervously. “No—of course not. I can show you some more later.”

“Then how about a hunting trip?”

The woman stared at Fayette with suspicion for a moment. “Does this have something to do with why you’ve been arranging all those things for me? That whole fanning thing yesterday was too far.”

Fayette tried to look innocent. “Ahaha, think nothing of that. Just a small joke—cold as the weather had been. But right now... I just thought you might enjoy a leisurely stroll.”

The miss sighed. “Well, I suppose I owe it to you, for doing all those things. I’ll come along.”

Fayette smiled, then re-joined the rest of the group, trying to snag a good tracker to help herself.

So it came that two teams set off to track the beast. The first team had Mireille, Martin, and the [Ranger], Foil. The second had Martino, Fayette, and miss Adrianne.

Before heading out, Fayette took a moment to go over her skills. She still had some skill points to use, and seeing as she was about to head out for a hunt, she thought it prompt to enhance her offense, at least just in case.

I think I’ll keep 2 skill points in reserve. As for the other, I think I should go for either [Maid Armour] or [Maid Martial Arts]. So far, they were her only two Maid Combat options, and it seemed like a straightforward choice between offense and defense.

I would rather finish off opponents before they get a chance to strike at me, and I already have 1 point put into [Maid Armor]. I think MMA should be the choice.

[Skill up: Maid Martial Arts has reached rank 3!]

Fayette stretched her limbs out for a moment, feeling the enhanced coordination. She nodded with satisfaction, then went to join her group. “Let’s set off. No time to waste, right?”

And so, hunters went on a hunt. And a [Lady].

--

The woods weren't that dense, so it was almost a casual morning stroll. Chirping birds, a shining sun, and leaves that were turning auburn with the autumn. A casual morning stroll in search of a beast, of course.

They first followed the trail as one, but split off into their two groups when the tracks became less clear. Martino went first, dressed in simple leather armor and with a sturdy sword by his side. Fayette followed behind him. Truthfully, she had been feeling a bit awkward after seeing the [Lady’s] drawings, so she started to feel jumpy whenever she felt her eyes on her. As a result, she walked close to her side, careful not to be directly in front of her.

Fayette looked at the dense thicket Martino was leading them into doubtfully. “Are you sure this is the right way? That [Ranger] directed the others in a whole different direction.”

Martino steadily continued walking on and turned his head back slightly to answer. “Her name is Foil, and her tracking skill works differently from mine, so we often get conflicting results. We’ll both probably eventually find it, it’s just a matter of who gets there first usually.”

“Or—” Fayette turned to look around them, scanning branches that almost rubbed against her. “—who the beavermonkey runs into first.”

Martino carefully scanned the trees above. “Maybe we should keep quiet and be careful about any extra noise.”

“You don’t have to worry about that—” the miss said, “—I’m using [Control Conversation], so our words can only be heard between us.”

“Oh, that’s a handy skill. I guess a [Governess] can use that to keep the children quiet, eh?” Martino said.

“Naturally, a very handy thing.”

Fayette narrowed her eye at the lie. I do wonder what her deal is. Can’t imagine someone in a deadly situation doodling happily in a notebook. Why is she doing this pretend-[Governess] thing?

“Is that skill the reason you chose her to come along?” Martino asked Fayette.

The [Maid] smiled innocently. “Naturally so.”

Martino turned back forward. “Thanks for the party split idea by the way—I get so little time away from the lot. Being forced to party with your parents is a nightmare.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Fayette said. “I’ve never had parents.”

Martino missed a step, stumbled on a stump, then finally managed to regain his balance. He stammered for a moment as his face reddened. “Ah, s-sorry, I mean no offense.”

Fayette maintained her [Disarming Smile] “None taken.”

An awkward silence came about for a few minutes after Fayette's verbal sucker punch, and she could almost feel the miss squirming against it. Guess that type of thing is what [Ladies] hate the most.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Eventually, the silence grew too terse for her, and the miss spoke. “Sorry, Martino, do you have any experience hunting these things?”

“I know the basics, keep your eyes up and be careful, but I don’t have any experience myself. I think Foil and dad know better.”

“Wait—” Fayette interjected, “All the people who have actual experience with these things are on the other team?”

Martino turned, “Wait, you don’t?”

“Why would I?”

The [Warrior] froze up for a moment. “Uh, you were talking about this thing so confidently… like you knew all about Beavermonkeys. I saw your eyes light up as soon as we found out it was one. I think dad saw too. He probably thought you did know…”

They continued in silence for a moment.

“Damn it,” Fayette eventually cursed. “I should have expected this. Mireille was so quick to grab those two—she always does go after the valuable things…”

“Why were you so interested in this, then?” The miss asked.

“Well, for the pelts,” Fayette admitted. “They’re really valuable for a [Seamstress], and I think I owe Mir a favor right now, and an apology. Probably.”

The [Lady] smiled, hopping over a fallen tree trunk. She really wasn’t bad at moving in such conditions, despite her dress. Her movements were almost dance-like. “You two really are close.”

Fayette didn’t really mind sharing her thoughts on that. “Closest thing I’ve got to family, really. We’re from the same orphanage.”

“Ah, family, you’re like sisters then?”

“I suppose so.”

The miss smiled just a bit wider at that, then turned back forwards, dodging between some branches, as if they were dancers to evade at a ball.

“Ah, it’s nice to hear it. Believe me—some families can be quite troublesome…”

Fayette looked at the miss as she stared upwards for a moment. A family-related scenario, then? I wonder if it’s a run-away-from-marriage or run-away-from-succession-issues scenario. Are there others?

She ran through the books she knew in her mind, but those really were the only choices she came up with. Are high society novels just a bit generic? Now that I think about it, those scenarios don’t really change much at all do they… Well, I still enjoy them, so I guess it’s fine. Maybe that generic recipe is just that good?

Suddenly, she felt her [Dangersense] spark out, and she reacted instantly. “Look out!” She drew out her broom, scanned her surroundings, and moved to cover the miss. Martino had reacted at the same moment, drawing out his sword and getting ready. Fayette frantically looked around but saw no sign of their quarry—until she remembered just what they were hunting. A Dire Beavermonkey. Monkey.

She looked up.

It was a large, fuzzy creature, about the size of a human, except more box-shaped. And with very sharp teeth. It didn’t look too threatening on its own, but it had been prepared. Fayette realized that she had not really thought about how a beavermonkey might fight. An array of trimmed logs had been hauled up into the trees above them, right next to the beast.

Damn it, it was hiding behind those.

“Look out! It’s lured us unto a trap!” She shouted, then jumped backward, pushing the [Lady] away with her.

She saw the beast move at the same time, snapping branches, and an avalanche of logs fell down. Fayette managed to get out just in time but heard a cry of pain from Martino. A cry of pain is good, means he’s not out.

She first checked that the miss was fine, then rose up to face the beast, broom in hand. It was still just hanging up there, one hand on a tree branch, the other hanging loosely by its side. It had a thick, plump middle section, a wide and flat tail, and four narrow limbs. It didn’t look balanced at all, but somehow its blocky construction had no trouble swinging about up there.

With a quick glance to the side, Fayette saw that Martino had one leg trapped under the logs. “Miss, go help out Martino, I’ll take care of this one.”

Fayette jumped as she suddenly felt a wet sensation at the back of her neck. The [Lady]? What? Did she just—

“[Boon of the Stone Bastion],” the woman spoke, taking a step away from the battle-ready [Maid]. “That should help you tank some hits. Go, I'll help him up.”

Fayette felt a tingling sensation manifest at the back of her neck, where the miss had granted the boon and sensed energy flow into it. Ah, a defense buff.

“Don’t worry!” Martino shouted, “I can recover from injuries fast if I get out of this! Focus on the beast!”

“You should still help him,” Fayette said quietly, eyeing the beast. “No use panicking and hurrying. If we wait, allies will find us, and if it attacks, I think I can hold it off alone.”

She sensed the miss nod, then step behind her and off to the side, towards the trapped [Hunter]. Fayette moved to block the beast’s approach and held out her broom to the dusty forest floor.

She used [Sweep Dust].

The fallen, dry logs had set off a cloud of fine wood particles, which got sucked toward her broom along with dry leaves and grime from the ground. She enhanced the mix with [Spicy Cooking], then held it at her side, ready to be sent forward.

The beast still hadn’t moved, and it was starting to bother Fayette. Somehow those tiny yellow eyes just seemed… almost too intelligent. Like it was taunting her. Does it have friends coming? Well, so do we.

She waved her broom at it, making sure it saw the spice-dust mixture at its end. “Hey ugly, you scared?”

The beast opened its mouth, revealing two rows of sharp teeth, and snarled. Then it leaped forwards.

With a flick of her broom, she sent the cloud of dust flying at the beavermonkey. She tracked the beast with her shot, trying to paint a wide swath of tree with spice, but it suddenly swung to the side, changing direction completely.

Fayette swept her broom back and forth, activating and deactivating her [Sweep Dust] to keep up the barrage, but the beast was quick. She realized what it was doing. It wants to get close to me, so I would also hit myself with any area attacks!

It got to the tree right beside her. No wasted time there, it spun a loop around a branch, then launched itself forward, right at the [Maid]. Fayette shifted her grip on the broom, and brought it forward like a bat, metal-end right at the beast’s midsection.

She struck it in the stomach with a satisfying thump, but even as it roared in pain, it still kept up its momentum and fell on top of her. Fayette felt the boon activate and block all damage from the impact, then fade. But she still had a heavy beast on top of her now.

Damnation.

It tried to bite at her, but she struggled under it, bringing her left arm’s uniformed elbow up to block. The teeth hit and bit, but didn’t penetrate her [Maid Armour]. She could already feel herself getting dirtied up on the ground, though, the skill wouldn’t hold forever.

She let go of her broom—it was too unwieldy for close quarters—and called a knife into her right hand with [Cutlery Control]. She brought it up and hit the beast right in the eye, but though it was blinded, it already had a grip on her, and it was starting to squeeze. Can I get at its neck? Where is its neck? Damn!

Fayette left the knife in, but she now had to use both hands to hold back just one of the beasts. It was trying to grab at her neck, and if it could crush that, it would be bad. She grabbed the rough fur with all her strength, managing to gradually bend the hand away. Should I bring out more knives? Or spice myself with it? Or bring out the [All Purpose Cleaner]?

She wasn't panicking yet, she had options. But... none of them would be risk-free or pleasant. As the [Maid] ran through her options, she suddenly focused on a familiar sensation. Her hands felt at the furred skin and muscles bulging against it, and she realized that she somehow remembered that feeling. So familiar, something she had handled only a few days before. It felt a bit like a… pelt.

Almost subconsciously, she focused on that familiar feeling and activated her skill.

She used [Dry Laundry] and squeezed.

Instantly, the beast started thrashing, this time trying to get away from Fayette, but she held on, not letting go of the hand as she upped the pressure. Something liquid began to trickle out. It was slower than with just the pelts, but it was working, and the hand was starting to get wrung out, blood and clumped bits of flesh oozing through in a mess.

Pushing forward, Fayette managed to get back on her feet, then shifted position so the oozing grime wouldn’t fall on top of her, then kicked forward.

She let go of the arm and jumped at the beast’s now exposed neck.

The creature was only focused on escape, so it made no effort to ward her off, and she got her grip. Again, she used her new skill and started to twist and compress the neck.

There was more resistance here—it didn’t feel that much like the pelt she had used before, so she had a harder time visualizing it. Still, the little she did manage to do already served to cut and weaken the beast, and its desperate clawing grew weaker and weaker.

Fayette moved the beast with her knee and grip, and set it below her on the ground, giving her full control over it. She kept up the squeeze, and slowly the struggles ended, and the beast fell still.

[A well-organised hunt!]

[Progress towards next level: 25%]

Fayette let go, and knelt on all fours for just a moment, catching her breath. Tha- that actually worked! I would have had to spice myself up otherwise, glad I managed to keep myself mostly clean.

She got up, a wide smile on her face, and staggered a bit. Wrestling with a beast 3 times her size had taken a lot of her strength. Still, she had won, and the thrill of victory filled her. I bet using this technique will even preserve the pelts better!

Then she finally heard the panicked voice that had been hissing to her for a moment now.

"Fayette!"

Right, that looked dangerous, I'm surprised she didn't-

She turned around and saw that the miss was standing a few paces away from her, supporting Martino at her side. There was a subtle glow of green near her skin, and the log behind seemed to have been lifted up by... a block of dirt? But the [Lady's] eyes were wide. She was standing very still, one hand in front of her mouth.

“Fayette, whatever you do, don’t panic.”

Fayette started, then realized something. Her [Danger Sense] hadn’t stopped. It had been a constant thrum during the fight, and she had thought no more of it, but it was still going strong. “Wha—”

“Don’t talk!” The miss hissed, still keeping one hand in front of her face. “I’m using [Control Conversation], they can’t hear us. Don’t let them see your mouth moving.”

More Beavermonkeys? No, that wouldn’t make sense. Fayette carefully glanced to the side, looking around the little clearing they were in. Around 50 feet away, she saw a man standing behind a tree, bow trained right on her. She moved her gaze back towards the miss, keeping it trained at the treeline, and saw more and more shapes waiting.

She moved a hand in front of her mouth and coughed into it, then spoke quietly. “What are they? [Bandits]? How many?”

[Bandits]? In the middle of a forest, right here? That makes no sense... why?

She kept her eyes on the ground and heard the miss slowly step towards her, still supporting Martino by her side. Her voice was quiet, but it tickled almost like she was speaking right into her ear. “Definitely look like the [Bandit] sort. I see at least eight.”

Fayette took a deep breath, then turned around, taking a full view of the area. The men were no longer trying to stay hidden, and one was approaching, a smile on his face.

“My my, we have found quite the interesting sort here, haven’t we? Quite the wrestling match! You would do well in the pits. No sudden moves, miss. I don’t intend to share that beast’s fate.”

He was tall, had dark hair and bore a confident face. His long, dark cloak swished around as he strode forwards, flicking a knife in his hand. Two belts full of blades showed he had a lot of those to offer.

Fayette took a step back, until she was by the miss’s side. “You good yet, Martino? I don’t think I can take that many and protect you two.” She asked quietly, still keeping a hand in front of her face.

This [Control Conversation] thing is more useful than I thought.

“Need at least three minutes more before I can move my left foot, but my skills and arms are okay. I can at least defend if I stand in one spot.” came the answer.

Fayette frowned—that wasn’t nearly enough.

But—she heard the [Lady’s] quiet voice beside her. “I might be able to get us out of this, but I’ll need you to trust me.”

Fayette turned to look at her, surprised, and met the miss’s eyes. There was fear there, but also strange confidence. A growing flame of daring.

The [Lady] moved her hand away from her mouth, and gripped Fayette’s own tightly. So cold. “For this, I'll need something. To make it work. Will you act as my [Maid]? For just a moment?”

Fayette debated for only a moment. Then answered the grip.

Just a moment? Can't be that bad...

“If it gets us out of this, sure.”

The [Lady] nodded, then stepped in front of Fayette, releasing her hand. She looked at the bandit leader, and spoke. Her voice was near silent, but somehow, it thrummed with power. A capstone skill.

“[Elegant Tea Party].”