The survivors were a ragged bunch, nervously catching their breaths. One [Guard] who seemed to be the most fine of the bunch had the energy to mumble a skill. “[Sense Trespassers].” He looked around for a few seconds, then sighed with relief. “The manor’s clear. Those were all the rest of them.”
Everybody who had still been standing instantly collapsed onto the floor with exhaustion.
“Can’t believe it—”
“We actually made it—”
“That gas trick really—”
“Caroline, Caroline!”
Everybody started babbling, caring little for whether anybody was listening to them. Some were taking things better, while others looked on slain friends with sorrow. Only one remained silent.
Fayette slowly rose to her feet with an eerie calm about her. She stumbled to a [Maid] who was staring into emptiness with an empty expression.
“Hey, can you hear me?”
The [Maid] snapped out of it, and looked at Fayette with a dazed expression. “Is that... you, Fayette? It’s so much—”
She began to shiver, so Fayette grabbed hold of her shoulder. “Hey, focus. Can you use that cleaning skill of yours on me?”
The woman snapped back to attention once again, then looked at Fayette, confused. “What? Oh— I suppose. [Cleanse].”
Her touch sent all the blood and grime on Fayette sliding right off, and Fayette nodded thanks. “Thanks. Keep it together, ok?”
Fayette turned to the [Guards] in the room and clapped her hands to get their attention. “Hey, I’m going to go tell the [Lord] what happened. You can all stay here and rest.” She had a professional smile on her face, just the type of smile a [Maid] might have as she attended to guests.
It sent shivers down the [Guards’] spines.
“...Sure. Go ahead.” One eventually said, and Fayette set off. She had work to do. The day’s cleaning was not done.
She jumped through the hatch into the narrow and dark tunnel. She had cleaned this place a few times over her three years of service, so it was not unknown to her. The other end of the tunnel led to a forest clearing about 2 kilometres away—an ancient safeguard for situations like these.
The more she mused on it, the more Fayette realised just how pointless the slaughter had been. The tunnel had a collapse switch at the other end of it, so there was no need for a grand stand to guard the back. Unless there was some box or whatever that had to be shuffled through first, of course.
I bet he’s just waiting at the other end with a hand on the switch, ready for when that dratted box of his gets through. I best hurry up.
The long walk through the tunnel put Fayette into a particularly brooding mood. She had not had time to really consider the situation as a whole before now, and the questions that had been building up inside her were finally released.
Can a [Ruler] really just order their underlings to die, just like that? Is this what the divine providence of [Rulers] is? To receive such a mandate of command as birthright, what does that do to a man?
Fayette had never liked [Lord] Castellani. She had always felt somewhat offended that she worked so hard to keep the mansion in a pristine state for such a man, especially as she knew how handsy he was with some of the servant women. Before there had been irritation and distaste, but now she could only feel hate.
However, a subtle fear still lurked in the back of her mind. Could she, a humble [Maid], truly raise her hand against a [Lord]? Her class had an inherently subservient relationship with his, though she had not felt anything as direct as the compulsion skill before. The memory of being controlled, compelled, forced to be an observer in her own body, it still lurked fresh in her mind.
Can I even raise my hand against him? If I succeed, will I be smote down for my defiance? He has been chosen as a [Ruler], while I had to choose the path of a [Worker]. The scriptures are clear that the natural order is not to be disturbed...
Still, how could Fayette possibly stay her hand after what she had witnessed? She gripped her mop harder as she fixed her determination. Damn the consequences! If the heavens will smite me down for this, let them!
Fayette knew that she had to be careful with this—the man may be a tad pudgy now, but he had served in the military. She needed to be able to catch him off guard to have any chance. I’ve got one free skill point now... I think I have to put it into [Maid’s Poise] for this. Keeping my emotions and movements under control is probably the most important thing for this.
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[Maid’s Poise advanced to level 3!]
Alright, that should help a bit. The [Maid] could feel her movements getting smoother, and the calm smile on her face became even more professional.
Fayette walked a bit further, and eventually spotted two [Guards] ahead—one was dragging that damned box, while the other was keeping an eye to the back, spear raised. His eyes widened as he saw who was coming through the tunnel.
Fayette smiled broadly. “Hey! The fight’s won! We defeated the kobolds, hurray!” She walked over to the men, and they watched her with apprehension. One began to speak, expression a bit guilty.
“Did you really... win? How did you manage? Without Bernha—”
Fayette smacked him on the back. “Ah, it was fine, it was a tough fight, but we made it! I’ll just head forward and tell that to the [Lord], no need for you two to hurry ahead. Take a deserved rest.”
She started shuffling past them. “It’s just the [Lord] and Bernhard up ahead, right?”
“Yeah, they went forward ahead of us.”
Fayette smiled at the men one last time, then headed forward. Bernhard might complicate things, but she was sure she could manage something.
The men had been close to the exit already, so Fayette only had a bit more to walk. She set down her mop against the wall, did a final brush-off on her uniform to get the last bits of dirt off her, then started slowly walking towards the entrance. After getting close, she raised her voice and cried out.
“Excuse me! M’lord, are you out there? The kobolds have been dealt with! There were a lot less of them left than we thought, and we beat them back easily!”
She could hear shuffling from right outside the entrance, and then a large man appeared at the entrance, holding a rapier in her direction. Fayette responded with a disarming smile. After a moment’s examination, a smile came on the [Lord's] face too.
“Ah, excellent. Excellent news indeed. A pleasant surprise,” he said, putting the rapier away.
Fayette walked towards him and noticed to her frustration that the man was the cleanest person she had seen since the attack had begun—not a speck of blood or grime on him. She managed to feign a normal expression as she approached.
The [Lord] walked back from the door to a pleasant forest meadow, and Fayette followed. She scanned the surroundings but saw no sign of Bernhard.
“M’lord, are you safe out here? Isn’t the [Guard Captain] guarding you?” Fayette asked, careful to make her voice seem concerned.
“Hm? You do not need to worry—he just went to secure the perimeter for a moment, should be back soon.”
Fayette’s smile widened. Could this really be? A chance? I’ll have to be quick with this.
“How many of the servants survived? If the kobolds are truly gone, they will have to be put to work at once to fix all the damage.” The [Lord] asked, leaning against a tree.
Seeing that the man did not hold a speck of concern for the dead, the calm anger in Fayette sharpened further. Before it had been a cold lake, but now it had frozen over. Fayette felt like she could cut the man to shreds with only the edges of her fury. I don’t think he’s being wary of me at all. He just... doesn't even consider me a potential threat.
The moment felt dreamlike to Fayette—the calm clearing, the man sitting right there, defenceless, the chirping birds—it removed all traces of nerves she had felt. It felt like a moment of destiny, an opportunity provided just for her. She took out a cleaning rag and calmly started applying some [All Purpose Cleaner] from her bottle to it.
“M’lord, a bit of grime seems to have gotten on your outfit. May I clean it off?” she asked, making her best effort at a deeply concerned expression.
The man raised his eyebrows at that, but a sly smile soon appeared on his face.
“Yes, sure, go ahead. It is good that you were one of the survivors, perhaps I’ll reward you later.”
Fayette did not hear the man’s words—she was already moving with a calm purpose. The cleaning rag went towards the outfit. She wanted to swerve it up to his face at the last moment, but suddenly there was a strange resistance in her arm. It just wouldn’t move up.
What? Is my class resisting an attempt to harm my employer? No! I refuse to accept him as my employer, this is no longer my household! I resign!
She felt some change go through her, and the [Lord] shifted too, eyes widening. It was too late for him though—the resistance holding Fayette back was gone. Without hesitation, she swerved the rag right into his face.
The [Lord] stood stunned for a split second, caught completely off guard. Then the sizzling liquid pain on his face began to register. He tried to open his mouth to scream out, but Fayette reacted by dragging the rag down, and pushing it whole inside his mouth. Muffled screams turned into quiet gurgles, and blood started pouring out.
Fayette backed off as the man lashed out wildly with his arms. His eyes were already ruined, reduced to runny goop. The rest of his face was not doing much better either. He used some sort of skill, and a bottle of a red liquid appeared in his hand. Fayette narrowed her eyes. Oh no you don’t.
She noticed there was a knife in her hand, then aimed. She threw it off with the assistance of [Cutlery Control], and it moved straight to the potion-holding arm. It pierced the skin, and the man dropped the potion bottle.
He stumbled forward from the tree, grasping around desperately. Fayette circled behind him, then gathered all the power of her rage into a kick between the man’s legs. She sent the kick out, and a sickening crunch sounded out. The man toppled backward on the ground, bringing his head conveniently right in front of Fayette’s legs. She could no longer keep silent.
“You. sick. bastard!" She shouted, accenting each word with a kick. "I’ll make sure no-one recognizes your corpse! Think you can treat us like dirt and not suffer for it, do you!” After another kick, she felt a satisfying snap from the man's neck. It wasn't enough.
She let herself drown in the lake of anger, and the kicks kept coming. The man’s head was tossed about wildly and his struggling gradually ceased. On some level, she kept waiting for something to stop her—divine lightning, guards, Bernhard, some defensive talisman, some elite [Lord] skill, anything. It was all just going so well, it was so easy. But nothing came, so she did not stop.
Kicking the man’s head felt good—cathartic even. She did not know how long she kept at it before she finally backed off, leg sore. She noticed the distinctive ding she had been hearing a lot more often lately.
[A piece of trash taken out, Keep it up!]
[Level up: You have reached Maid level 10! Congratulation!]
[1 Skill point gained!]
[New free skill slot unlocked!]
[You have gained a new skill: Disarming Smile!]
[Progress towards next level: 15%]
Wait, really? Even this?
It was all too much. The encouraging message from the prompt was the final straw, and it sent the [Maid] over the edge. Fayette’s smile broke and gave way to laughter.