Chapter Fifty-Five

“Do you seriously want me to set up a visit to the Grave Society?” Ambrosia asked from her side of the magically heated tub.

It was the disbelieving tone that grated some. “They have the information I need. And what’s wrong with them? I didn’t think you had anything against necromancers.”

“I don’t have anything against necromancers. As you should know. Experiencing the Grave Society in Naewauld is like dealing with a stuck-up assistant. The one that knows they are better than you. Many groups need to hire one as an extra member for the floors, and their cut is fifty percent of the spoils. All their paths are nearly identical. They give necromancers a bad name. Your new skill is hard enough to explain to people who don't know you, but going to entreat with them will make it so much worse.”

“I’m working on fixing the issue with [Shadowed Graves] which is why I need to see the society. Their information will help me avoid similar mistakes.”

"That choice wasn’t a mistake. I’ve seen your slight smile when you’re using it. I’d rather they not influence your path. You would have been so unhappy if you had taken [Rot]. I know you haven’t mentioned how you did it, but I’m betting that bothersome skill of yours helped defeat your chicken rival.”

They could both be right. Access to the Society’s resources could help with her last class and skill stone spots. With evolution within sight, any information that might make one choice clearer than others could be key. Yet, Ambrosia wasn't wrong that they were a bunch of sticks in the mud who were fixated on Their way of doing things. Kelly White’s lessons about “Doing something the way all the others do will just get you stuck as a background character.” Rang in her head. You could be a terrible mom but still have good advice.

“What do you suggest I do?”

Ambrosia’s smile widened. “What you do best. Turn people's expectations and put on a show with a big flashy surprise. Challenging the duke at the ball. Dancing larger than life in the sky. Having a dungeon spirit anoint you a lady. Getting stabbed through the chest in the arms of a prince. They’re asking for you to speak before the gathered members. You are the most successful necromancer in recent memory. Keep that expectation of something shocking.”

Harmony groaned. “You know I don’t do that on purpose. Half of those incidents were things you planned.” She let herself sink under the water. Ambrosia had masterminded most of that. The rest was coincidences. Ambrosia’s legs kicked at her under the water until she surfaced.

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“Don’t go all doubting yourself. It makes the water cold. The fact that you don’t do it on purpose makes it work so well. But I think you deserve the chance to plan one too. Go in there and tell the truth. They need someone to tell them their way isn’t the only path there is. Then drop something big in their laps.”

“Fine, I’ll do it your way. Arrange it and I'll come with a gift.” Having danced in front of a crowd of thousands, how hard could speaking to a small crowd be?

Drying off Harmony flopped down on her bed while Ambrosia giddily skipped off to make the arrangements.

Write out a speech for the event or theory craft her new skill? The latter as always. It was important to fix the issues with [Shadowed Graves] that everyone complained about. [Recall] let her touch into how she influenced the skill, using [Cold Touch] to direct the tree lord to freeze from fear. Now concepts from [High Kick] could be incorporated to influence people to fight in the face of death maybe? Getting them to run? [Small Armor] and maybe [Awareness] avoid death and flee? Those wouldn’t be the goal of course.

What do people like about death? Those few who seemed at ease or eager to please under the cast of her shadow. Appeasement as the safest way to leave a dangerous situation? That thrill of the danger? The beauty of a peaceful rest? [Beautician] would have to play a role, maybe [Style and Grace]? Ideally, those would only be aides or boosts until she managed to control the random nature as well as she did [Manipulate Dead]. That’s what a maid was good at bringing order and tidiness to chaos and messes. All she needed to do was use [Stride] and see if she could get this worked out the next time she was in Nae’s Garden.

While evolution was important, Harmony skipped over the Thibodeux book and picked up Garden of Monsters to review what she’d be up against on the fourth floor. Plant monsters with paralyzing clouds of pollen. Pollen that was prized by alchemists. Large locusts that could come in swarms of up to twenty. Then to top it off a giant snake as a guardian. It felt almost too easy as she drew up a battle plan. [Keen Investigative Awareness] was barely needed.

The investigative skill annoyingly pointed out that this was being used to distract Harmony from her real problems. While Countess Maye had yet to make a move for Adric it was doubtful the woman would stop after he slipped through her fingers. Throwing out the implication she’d leave Adric home while she did the Ascendant Games wasn’t enough. Maybe duplicitously publicly set up lodging and accommodations for him during the Games? She’d probably try to move before then anyway. The bodyguards should stop outright kidnapping. Perhaps it was time to take a less passive role here. Ink to paper, Harmony sketched out a plan.

Even that left out the guardian in the shadows. Queen Talia and her helping hands. The authority from that recognition had since stabilized, countered by quickly rising levels. It was now more useful than not. Could she take back that recognition? The idea of imploding felt almost as bad as being crushed under that authority if expert Fei’s warnings were to be taken seriously. But was that even an attack? There had been no communication since. Authority didn’t seem like something easily taken away. Both Hyacinth and Maxwell could unburden themselves in the face of that. With Maye, at least she knew where that woman was coming from. Maybe it was time to take a page out of all those books she’d borrowed from Lord Tyler on the topic? There was no hiding in shadows when you cast one so long. As evolution came she wouldn’t be a maid forever.