It was the dawn of the next day.

The sky had darkened from yesterday, threatening rain, but none had come down just yet. The storm was waiting. And Fayette hoped it would keep waiting, because zombie killing in the rain sounded like messy business. Or maybe it would be cleaner than the alternative?

Fayette watched the ocean waves crash against the pier and felt the wind on her forehead. Would all the rain wash away the grime and blood? Hmm… maybe that would be good.

She felt a prod at her back. “Fay, focus on the briefing,” hissed Mireille, quiet but piercing.

“Right right, of course,” Fayette answered, shifting her gaze back up.

Her party was gathered around her, and they were currently with the other hunters at the pier which sat opposite the closed-off island, listening to instructions on what was to come. Sadly, those instructions couldn’t have come from a more boring guy.

Mr. Cadeau, a rather toadish-man had apparently been placed in charge of the first foray, and he now stood on a few stacked wooden crates, like the tackiest statue Fayette had ever seen, croaking out orders in his droning voice. At least his robes are presentable.

“—and I reiterate, it is vital that the Le Pharaon or the other ships are not harmed in the process, so leave those to the specialists hired for the purpose. Now, as to the [Doctor] presence—”

Fayette sighed, zoning back out. I missed too much, and now I have no idea what he’s going on about…

She took a step back, then leaned to Mireille’s ear. “Hey, I missed too much, can you fill me in?”

The [Seamstress] threw a sharp glare her way, but after pursing her lips for a moment, eventually relented. “Fine… It’s nothing much yet. Just that the people hired by [Lord] Du Anglers will handle the actual ships in the shipyard, and that us hunters should stick to our assigned zones.”

“There are other hired people?” Fayette asked, glancing about.

“Yes—apparently the [Lord] has some specialists on call. Don’t count on them too much, they’re not here at the briefing, so I doubt they’ll be helping our parts much.”

Fayette squinted her eyes and cast out her senses, confirming that indeed—there were only other hunters present here. It was easier to get a sense of such things now, after what she had gotten yesterday.

Her new [Maidsense].

Of course, she had taken it! The two skill points she had were burning a hole in her pockets by now, and she had been anxious to finally use them. And it was a brand new tier-2 skill, the only other one she had was her [Maid Martial Arts]. The gains were… interesting.

Her [Dangersense] and [Dustsense] had fused into one, freeing up one general skill slot, so naturally quite a lot had changed. She could still sense dangers when they came, but those dangers now included ones of a [Maidly] sort too—like a drink about to spill over or a garment in danger of falling into mud.

The sense of dust had also expanded, turning into a more general cleanliness sense. Less accurate and precise, but a lot easier on the mind.

However, the key difference came in the new bits—the ones her breakthrough had been reliant on—social position.

Hunters, Nobles, Merchants and Priests all had a rather distinct feel to them now, something beyond just clothes and bearing. Marie for example felt like someone she ought to curtsey before—even with her having renounced her family. Mireille felt similar to the merchants still around town—sharp, but willing to bend and bow, only to smirk afterward. And Olivia just felt… odd.

Fayette didn’t quite know what that feeling meant yet.

But the hunters attending this meeting, they all shared a general sense of freedom, of lacking shackles. Even if the classes of some were the same as the ones Soldiers nearby had, the feeling the two gave off was a world apart. Soldiers and officers all carried a sense of rigor and order—very far from this lot.

They were so free that they had all gotten tired of wearing the plague masks after last night, and none were wearing them on anymore. A sudden collective understanding had spread that everyone would put them on once they approached the island, and not a moment before.

Fayette had naturally agreed, it really was irritating on the face.

She let her [Maidsense] fade, satisfied. A worthwhile skill indeed, I hope advancing my other ones won’t be too difficult, though it probably will. Oh, right, the briefing. Agh, I lost focus and got left behind again—well, whatever.

It wasn’t like there really was much she needed to know personally, as Mireille and Marie were probably better at thinking through plans and talking with the other parties, and Olivia was on top of disease prevention a lot better than the [Lord], probably.

Fayette’s eyes wandered off toward the waiting island once more, cloaked in shadow by the darkening sky. She was almost willing to bet it wouldn’t feel quite that veiled to her now. I think my new skill is going to find quite a bit of use in there…

She was willing to bet that [Infected] classes would feel very particular.

—

Soon the talk concluded, and the hunter parties were asked to split themselves into groups according to their capabilities. More ranged-focused groups, which the majority were, were separated first, and next more heavy-duty teams were split off.

Fayette didn’t really know how her team should have been categorized, they were a bit light on the armor but versatile otherwise, so perhaps it was natural that they were left among the other all-rounders.

The leader, Cadeau, had gone off to inspect the landing boats, and so it was a younger [Mage] who was left to explain matters to the three parties leftover: Fayette’s own crew, the Salted Knives, and a third group of lean men in leather armor.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The [Mage] didn’t introduce himself, instead looking over the leftovers critically for a long minute. Finally, seemingly satisfied, he nodded and spoke. “The other two groups are going to be in charge of clearing out the open areas, baiting out the larger hordes, and securing the perimeter. This leaves you with the last task, sweeping the buildings for any monsters or civilians hiding inside, and dealing with them.”

Fayette almost rolled her eyes. So we get cleanup duty, typical. Though… I can’t really complain, can I? Didn’t we name our party something like that? Maybe he saw it on the form we filled out…

“Are you suited for the task, or would the other groups suit you better?” The man asked.

He was answered by quick nods from Fayette’s party and the Salted Knives, though the last party seemed more hesitant. After a moment of debate, they too nodded.

Martin raised his hand. The [Mage] nodded at him, and the silver-haired [Rogue] stepped forward. “You said we would deal with any people we found there—how?”

The [Mage] was silent for a moment, thick eyebrows going together, and then he nodded. “Right, well—there’s only one option really. Any of them could be carrying the disease, or have taken on an [Infected] class. Confine them together until we can have a [Doctor] check up on them—we can’t let them wander about freely. After that, we’ll gather them together and shelter them.”

Olivia stomped her foot on the ground and raised her hand, and all eyes turned to her. “If you do that, confining everyone tightly together, you’ll end up with even the remaining healthy people infected!”

The [Mage] turned to her, narrowing his eyes, but did not raise his voice. “The safety of our [Doctors] cannot be compromised by letting them into areas with potential monster presence. Additionally, a sweep with our [Priests] will have to be done to find any concealed [Infected].”

“I am a [Doctor],” Olivia said, standing up straighter for emphasis. “I can [Diagnose] people, so if we establish a central point to work from, everyone else could bring people in for me to check. Additionally, we have—”

Olivia almost continued, but then her eyes went back to [Marie] and she stopped, leaving out the last bit. Fayette tensed. Right, revealing too much about Marie’s class might be bad…

“You have what?” The [Mage] asked.

Olivia pursed her lips, frowning, and almost began to speak—until Fayette raised her hand. “Sorry, I have a skill that lets me get a feel for classes—I might be able to identify [Infected].”

The [Mage’s] eyes turned to her. “Might be? How accurate is that? Can you guarantee it?”

“Well—mostly accurate? Maybe? It’s a new skill,” Fayette said.

The [Mage] stood silent, black robes billowing in the wind, regarding Fayette and her team with sharp eyes. Until he finally turned to walk away. “The [Doctor] can do her plan, but your skill sounds too unreliable. I’ll go ask if any [Priests] volunteer to go and see if I can get this group reinforced. Would be splitting up too much otherwise.”

For a brief moment, he looked back, giving Olivia a curt nod. “Thank you for your assistance.”

And then he was gone, walking forward like a soldier on a parade march. Fayette followed him until he was out of sight, then shook her head. She turned to the others.

“Am I the only one who thinks that went surprisingly well?”

Olivia sighed. “No—I expected more trouble too. I’m usually never taken seriously.”

“Is this what things are like when officials get serious?” Mireille asked. “This type of thing is very bad, so maybe they’re setting away all preconceptions.”

Fayette turned to the side, finding a [Lady] in deep thought. “What do you think, Marie? You look like you have some idea.”

“Might be a military [Mage], that one. Had an officer’s bearing to him,” she said.

“Are those types smarter then?” Fayette asked.

Marie shrugged. “No—it’s a matter of skills. I think he might have been using some sort of skill to check whether you knew what you were doing. Eyes had a distinct look to them—they always try to make it not show.”

Sounds really handy, if he—wait. Does that mean he thought I didn’t know what I was doing?

Fayette almost reversed her opinion of the man, then remembered that she really didn’t know exactly what she was doing. Still, she threw out a half-hearted glare to send him out.

“You know—he never even said his name,” Mireille said, sighing. “I wish he was in charge instead of that Cadeau fellow.”

Marie tapped her on the shoulder, then began to walk forward. “Nothing we can do about that, let’s go talk with the other hunters.”

Fayette saw that the other two parties had already gathered together to chat, seemingly old friends. Or maybe Martin is just the type to pat even new acquaintances on the back familiarly?

Fayette followed the rest of her party and gave a nod to Martino and the [Ranger] of the party—she didn’t really remember the other two members. But as she didn’t remember them, they probably weren’t that useful or important people, so she instead regarded the new team, the leather-clad trio.

Seeing their approach Martin waved his hand, a friendly smile on his face. “Ah—introductions! Let me do the introductions! Unless you’ve already met?” He gave the man he was talking to a questioning look and received a shake of the head in reply.

“Right! First off—these fine lasses here are the… sorry, forgot your party’s name—but fine hunters! Don’t let the pretty looks deceive you, they hide sharp thorns!”

Mireille sighed. “Good to see you too, but really, flower metaphors?”

Martin laughed. “Hah, what did I say? Right, then this lot here—” he pointed at the trio of men, and they stood straighter, “—they’re a party called Mousetrap! Right party of trapper-hunters they are, weasely sorts!”

Fayette looked over them with new eyes. Their party’s name is mousetrap? She took a step forward and gave a polite curtsey. “A fine name you have—keep up the good work.”

The tallest of the three, a man built like a gangly tree, elbowed the one in the lead. “I knew we should’ve changed the name, Edmond.”

The burlier man elbowed him back. “Shut up Louis, it’s a fun name.”

The third man, a shorter sort, stayed back and only gave a silent nod.

“Hey, I was being genuine, it’s a good name!” Fayette said, crossing her arms. “Getting rid of mice and rats is important work!”

Louis shook his head, a weary frown on his face. “I know, was a farmer’s son, but still… it ain’t the sort of work an experienced hunter should be known for.”

Edmond just chuckled, and his thick frame shook with the laugh, like a wine barrel with too much pressure within. “Have a sense of humor! We’re trap specialists, and our first job was giant rats! What other name could we have taken?”

Fayette internally agreed with him. At least their name is one that people remember… Now that I think about it, our first real job was rats too. Maybe we could become broom-rat? Smash rat? How would it go…

She spent a few minutes thinking of suitable rat-type party names, discarded them all as not-actually-that-good, then focused back on the conversation, and found that Mireille was talking strategy with the other party leaders.

“—If we’re setting up a spot for Olivia, we’ll want Mousetrap on guard, and then the rest of us would do the clearing and searching—”

So I get to go on the hunt for monsters and [Infected]? Fayette smiled, then focused on her [Maidsense] again. The Mousetrap trio gave off a sneaky and prickly impression, while the Salted Knives felt more aggressive. I wonder how good this skill will get when I put more skill points in it? Though maybe I should put it in other stuff first, I have so many things to work on.

Again, her eyes wandered back to that waiting island, and she found it didn’t unsettle her. Not really. Sure, a plague was a terrible thing, but cleaning up such matters was her whole job these days—it was what a [Maid] was supposed to do. And if she did the job well—she would level.

She quietly reached into her [Apron of Holding], taking out her broom, the newer one. Made of reinforced ironwood, and finished with iron at the handle-end. It felt heavy but sturdy.

Fayette gave it an experimental spin in her arms, letting her body fall into her familiar [Maid Martial Arts]. Then she examined the process closer. Am I really getting the full potential out of this—just going on as I am? Will my skill evolve into anything good if I just keep at it like this?

The motions, whirls, steps forward and broom-smashes felt natural now, as if she had been practicing them for a lifetime. But she hadn’t—it was all coming from a skill. Not really her training and experience.

She wanted to take it further, to really find something new and of her own make. But she wasn’t a noble [Knight] who could spar with expert trainers and find new insights that way—she was a [Maid]. And she had always learned on the job so far. And that was why she didn’t dread the island or the job.

What better training dummies than a bunch of monsters?

As Marie began to turn back her way from the conversation, Fayette hid her smile.