Kit Falbo
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MwN Chapter 16 - 154
🕑 Added 2025-06-02 13:24:52 +0000 UTCChapter Sixteen
A vote was not the kind of contest she'd prepared herself for. Being well known, a threat due to competency, or looked down on due to Necromancy was not the kind of thing that kept you in a competition like this. There had to be more to it.
Empress spiders she could fight. Peer politics were a different kind of horrible monster. This was all Hemlock’s fault. What kind of challenge would test a maid newly raised up to a lady? This would certainly make it more tempting for someone with no manners to kill all the competition and take the prize. Not even her slightly bloodthirsty new class and profession suggested she go that route. The question was how to win fairly.
“It's not all that bad,” Adric interjected into the growing silence as they headed to their marked location. “At least you have an immunity idol.” The prince continued after Harmony chose to stay silent.
“I've managed to maintain my status by being a reclusive celebrity. I've told you how well I've done with small group politics, and you've seen my failures with Princess Rosaline.”
Mending that bridge would have to be a priority if they were in the same group. Adric would have to be the connection between them. That solitary condition, and the new cold chain circle bonded to her felt like added complications.
“Everyone here has evolved and grown as a person. And, well, now you get to show the world a new side of yourself while you're trying your best.”
At least with Adric, she’d always have an energetic pet to cheer her on. Wait… “Show... the... world?”
“The scrying spell that's on you. Since Muthu had one too, I figure every competitor has one.”
Harmony froze mid-stride while Adric obliviously marched forward. A spectacle. Hemlock announced that. Adric had been paying more attention than she had at that and must have dismissed the spying eye as standard. Eyes he could see but she couldn't.
It was only a few steps before the pet prince turned to look at Harmony with a perplexed face.
“How many do you think are watching?” She asked.
“I can’t say. The monitoring is only audio and visual. More powerful than any human-made spell in the kingdom. You can’t scry into dungeons during the best of times, and it takes little to no effort to set up protections to block them in most cases. Bates arranged for the manor to have protections for such things. I’d imagine scenes from each competitor are at least being projected into the Colosseum. The guild might have set up viewing locations at various guild houses. About twelve years ago I watched the First Blade Tournament at Naewauld’s stadium. Our one competitor got eliminated in the first round, but it was impressive to watch the others.”
A part of the wider world Harmony had never participated in. Hazeldown's guild never undertook the expense to have such projections set up. And why would you when it was rare for events to do such magical work? You could go watch a pet battle or see a play for cheaper. Beggars and their children didn't focus on things like a trip to Naewauld to watch a tournament.
“Oh.” Harmony ran her hand through her hair. [Beautician] might be hampered, but she could knock out the sticks and twigs picked up from this woodsy hike and add some shine. Keeping appearances wasn’t vain, it was practical. Everyone expected a necromancer to be severe, scary, or gaunt, and appearance has always been one layer of protection.
How she behaved here would matter. Hopefully, hours-long clips of her poking at monster corpses would not be a feature, or using blood to craft. Would they show all the nudity? All these worries before the rules have even been laid out.
Prince Adric reached across and flicked her in the forehead. “Stop obsessing over what people think and expect of you. It’s making you act a bit too much like Rose.”
“I am not!”
Was she? Cursed evolution. How much was a royal like a princess? Loap could tell she'd maintained more authority than the heir. A little bit of self-introspection. Being a maid had always provided a subservient bent that she had fought against, adding lady into that had been bloody unstable. Having people like you, not showing flaws, being in control. Was that what Rose was suffering through? At face value, none of the nudges were outlandish, but anyone could go too far. It’s not like your class and profession were in control, they merely shaped your general direction. If Hyacinth wasn’t asleep he’d have been sure to comment. He’d sniffed around the idol and promptly tucked in for a nap in his new favorite pillows.
“Okay, I’ll try to be better.” That did beg the question she’d hesitated to ask Adric amidst all the chaos of the Deadwoods, evolving, the queen, and her mother's unexpected presence. “And how are you dealing with your sister's current attitude?”
“She evolved more recently than even you. There have to be adjustments and then piling on new bonds on top of that. Look at what all the others are dealing with. Saccerate has been whispering to Max from her prison cell. Tyler pulled me aside to ask for advice about his new pet during the one free moment I had. We need to give Rose time and compassion. Not everyone is as strong as you are.”
Harmony held back a snort, focusing on listening patiently. Adric had a look that showed he had more things to say that he was deciding best how to phrase. “But?” Harmony asked, encouraging him.
“She did try to use a skill on me when I caught up after the teleport. She wanted to reconnect. It was the coldest hug I’ve ever received from her. Part of me wanted to accept her reaching out that way, but she wasn't herself. We should keep an eye on her. If she’s at our site, she could use our support.”
Was that solitary? “I’ll continue to play nice for now. Hopefully, she’ll stabilize and stop being a problem.” Problems were to be removed, her profession reminded her. With or without nuance if it came to it.
In the Ascendant Games that might be as simple as arranging for Rosaline to be voted out of the competition. Returning her to become other people's problems. Not everything needed to end with [Disintegrate]. Sorry Addy, I poofed your sister. That wouldn’t do.
The beacon shined brightly past the tree line. They were nearly there. An obelisk at the edge of a lake at the base of the mountain nearby was three buildings not big enough to hold the number of people she saw milling about. They weren’t the first to arrive. [Poise and Bearing] covered Harmony's nerves as they moved forward.
Comments
phantom
.. It is not vote to remove is it? That does not favor being popular.
Clara
Also reading back, [Vital body] seems too strong for a single seal to cover the entire thing. I wonder what bits of it Harmony still has access to, but which wouldn't be too strong for the competition; perhaps it comes with a healing factor? Would be helpful for her newly discovered bloodletting crafting.
