An amoral monster would use the tricks she’d learned with [Recall] to invade the attackers' minds and rip the answers out of their skulls. Or, if the Marci Winters experiment had been successful, she could have simply taken their skulls to reanimate for answers later. Then there were classic skills which involved compulsion, truth detection, and interrogation. Hyacinth suggested that he simply eat them and let more, stronger, and more knowledgeable ones come. Ten students disappearing would be a tragedy, but not one without historical precedent. Considering the alarms Harmony had set off, early speculation and blame could have been laid on that. Hiding bodies might be a great team bonding exercise that would tie you together for life, but it wasn’t the route she chose, even if it had crossed her mind. No, there was more to be learned by watching what the school did after she dropped this maggot infestation onto their laps.
The knock on Harmony’s dorm door was expected, but one quick use of her combined skills to straighten her spine, calm her mood, cool away any nervous sweat, and get her ready for this meeting always helped.
Harmony greeted the man at the door with a nod. “Advisor Von Trell, thank you for escorting me to this meeting.“ She gave a second one to the campus security man assigned to her door while the school was sorting out the previous day’s events.
As an incident without fatalities, campus security was limited in the level of investigation they could conduct to basic truth detection. That had been one of the reasons, outside of getting to upgrade to humans from gnomes for test subjects, as to why she’d brought them back. No need to risk another poor incident with compulsions or maybe an inspection skill that might reveal more of her deathly nature.
Though when the Lawyers had gotten involved, she almost wished she had gone with Hyacinth’s idea to swallow them whole. She was one of the few who didn’t have one on retainer at the school, but Xera lent over hers. Tun-Knee assured her they would have some for her as soon as the vassalship paperwork was finalized. Reporters were still at the top of her list of most disliked professions, but lawyers were moving up there, especially after Kevin’s showed up.
“Student White, I wouldn’t miss this for the world. You’ll always add a splash of color to my day.” He answered with a grin.
[Poise and Bearing] kept Harmony from rolling her eyes at that oblique reference to their first meeting and her modification of his outfit. Together they set off across campus.
“Do you think Flint will bring up yesterday's incident at this meeting?”
“Officially, it’s still under investigation. I wouldn’t be shocked if the headmaster dumped this on Flint or me. You did have Rango win the betting pool about when the first minor incident would happen.”
“Your apes bet on me?”
“They get bored. He was disappointed when Tasha’s transformation didn’t count, but we specified that administration or campus security needed to be involved. Either way, he managed to catch the window just right to get to do his victory dance.”
Harmony allowed herself a twitch at that. This was the position she was to be in. She’d taken part in bets on how Tyler would disappoint his Gran, before the wild climb her life had become. The rearrangement of the structure and organization of society from servant to master and lady had changed many things she needed to accept. Another reason to respect the process of discipline was that a fully functioning system protects society as much as a working soul, container, and body protects a person. Subverting such mechanisms took a deft touch, even when her existence seemed to disrupt everything.
“He must demonstrate it for me later.”
Von Trell chuckled at that.
They continued their walk across campus. The meeting with Flint Steelheart was in Byerly Hall, on the top floor, which was the Pillar’s office. Unlike the tiny room Von Trell received as a guest professor, Pillars received whole floors of buildings for their privileges. Maekus could have teleported them there, but arriving at the front door was polite, and she'd detected some wear in the general wards around Alex and Tasha’s place after he’d pushed through there, so while he could circumvent the ones around Ricort and campus, it wasn’t without consequences.
The security escort stayed at the bottom of the stairs. “Keep showing that restraint, and you’ll go far, Harmony.” Von Trell told her as they entered Flint’s office.
Ah, yes, because she was always the image of restraint. [Poise and Bearing] let her appear calm and confident as she strode in, with a touch of demureness. It didn’t matter if she kept a soulless in a lab wearing a bloody horn as a hat, killed weak students only to bring them back to life, messed with forces she barely understood, set off alarms no one had heard before in the first dungeon, and discovered a quest key that had yet to be found; it was that she showed restraint. The theft of books should be noted, too.
Flint’s office was a trophy room. She hadn’t sensed it until she stepped past the threshold, and whatever magic had kept the forbidden energies shielded from her senses. The place was more a museum than an office as display cases sat spaced across the one big floor between her and the desk at the far end of the room, where Flint sat.
One hint of a cupid's power lingered from a red bow with enough power that a glance sent a small flame or rage along Harmony’s spine. Three necromantic items in the room called to her. A large black staff ending with an eye the size of her head stared at her. There was a pair of boots in a corner that whispered of knowing where hidden bodies were buried. A doll holding a trapped soul that cried out. It’s not that the cases didn’t contain the powers, but clearly, random energies slipped out from time to time. Other items tickled in other ways, but she’d yet to be officially introduced to their forbidden progenitors .
It was probably a great way to unnerve people you wanted to have meetings with. [Keen Investigative Awareness] was pointing out several objects with bits of evil, malicious, or seductive intent.
[Style and Grace] Kept Harmony moving at an even pace to take a seat in one of the two open chairs in front of Instructor Flint. Maekus took his place in the other one.
“Student White, Guest Professor Von Trell, thank you for coming to see me. I'd hoped this would be a simple meeting to apologize for not properly warning you of the potential side effects of the Cupid’s Heart potion and correct what I knew to be a flaw in this year's ranking system, but with news of yesterday’s incident, things clearly got out of control, and some of this is my fault. I would not blame you if you wished to transfer to a different institution than The Academy.“
Could she do that? That wasn’t how Harmony expected this meeting to start. And she caught nothing but a touch of honest regret and remorse in Flint's presentation. Not that a man who made his profession hunting forbidden classes wouldn’t have some skills at deception. Three examples of the execution of people who held her class tickled the back of her soul even now. Sure, she could leave the problems she’d stirred up if she chose to run now, but also the opportunities she’d made while here would also be wasted. That was ignoring the golden key shoved into her soul, which, if Houte’s warning was true, could cause potential problems.
“Any news of the source of the incident?” Harmony asked rather than give assurances she’d stay.
“Much of the investigation is still ongoing. The students who were recruited seem to have personal or psychological reasons for their commitment to the ambush. But I suspect this is my fault as I made a foolish wager with a.” Flint winced, “Powerful individual. And I think he was afraid I’d use the ranking correction to collect on my bet. The admissions secretary admitted to being a bit lax in your application, but until I saw your performance, I didn’t realize how lax.”
Steelheart’s victory dance better be worth the attempt on her life. No, he does seem slightly remorseful. “Powerful indeed, if he’d risk an attempt on me to mess with you and annoy Hexio Curie and Von Trell,” Harmony responded.
Not that Maekus twitched a single bit at any of this news. He was still technically a name that put fear into people. The attempts by Queen Talia’s court she could almost understand. Remove a disruptive presence before it gets too strong. Someone who triggered clauses in the charter, and managed to get an actual education to see what her friends and family have been denied. This made less sense, considering the consequences around such an act if it were traced back to a person.
“It’s possible there was an accident, or it was simply the quartus trying to move up, and I’m mistaken. I’ll sort it out.” He assured her.
“Then I’ll stay at The Academy. I’ve made connections I wish to explore. I accept your apology for the potion incident. Just keep in mind I have sensitivities, and a new link in [Two Against the End] with Student Chase that might cause tricky effects. Even now, I’m surprised at how you can sit in this room.”
Flint looked at the cases behind her. “I suppose it is time to reapply wards and seals on some of the cases. I’m a bit undersensitive to the forbidden. It’s part of my resistance. It’s easy to take them out when they expect your heart to wither and nothing happens.”
That admission wasn’t going to get her control to slip.
“You mentioned a correction to Student White’s ranking?” Maekus asked, amusement in his voice while speaking for the first time.
Flint let out a small rumbling growl. “Yes, something that could have been avoided if you’d submitted a full report from White’s tutors and educators rather than the minimum stipulated in the scholarship. Assuming that could cover the education and support Harmony had to have received. With you escorting, I think we should have suspected that a world elite was sent to slum here rather than continue with their personal guidance. White, such a simple, and blank name, don’t worry, I won’t ask your lineage or leak my suspicions.”
It was quite easy to keep your face completely blank when you had no idea what a person was talking about. The Academy was an elite school. It was filled with wealthy students like Xera, relatives of emperors like Kevin, strong legacies that can trace their lineage to the gods, and refugees who settled like Alex. Tasha was a valedictorian of a respectable prep school.
Flint scooted over a new swatch of badges to replace her tertiary one. A golden “One” to replace the “Three” of her tertiary status. Zero surprise there after watching her peers perform, except this one was different from the ones Timberly or Houte wore. They had markings designating their class years, Houte being a third year. This one had the projection of a blue flame around it. Harmony had read about it in the student handbook. Knowing the badges was important for reading people's social status. Every half-year had their chosen nine, which meant there were maybe ten primus walking around campus. But only one of them could be the best of the best.
“This is the first time a first year has been the Su-Primus,” Flint stated with a grin.
Bloody chamber pot stained linens in need of a cleaning with the house fire. The Oorty’s Tomb incident had been resolved in a don’t-mess-with-me fashion; no one was dead, and everyone was embarrassed enough that rumors would spread, but it wouldn’t be too bad. That badge literally glowed and screamed number one student. It was a prize people were supposed to work up to after years of being at the academy. If you were really special and you were a third or fourth-year primus, level forty or so, with your bonds and skills developed, you might earn the distinction. The social ramifications were staggering, annoying, and complicated.
Neither Maekus Von Trell nor Hyacinth in her pocket made a peep. Knowing their nature, that earned them a small point of favor. Either of them busting out laughing would ruin Flint’s erroneous assumptions. Assumptions she could use. Let her be protected by the shadowy forces of world elites, rather than the truth of being a penniless maid with a rutting waste of a mother.
“I’m honored that the records have been corrected,” Harmony answered, taking the badges.
“While the chosen nine are all qualified for our smaller intercollegiate games. As Su-Primus, you’ll be sent to the title-bearing competition to represent our school. Are you quickening soon?”
“My clock has her soul settling in post-evolution in three weeks and four days, for her to begin receiving levels again,” Maekus answered.
“Good, maybe we can at least get you a new skill before we get you off to the tournament. I know you’ll be under-leveled for it this year, but it’s been centuries since we placed. I can’t help but have hope you’ll do well for us. Someone has to knock those Broken Isles down a peg or two.
Thank you so much for staying with us, Harmony. And Maekus Von Trell, your reputation is undeserved. Thank you for having her come to this school.”
Knowing a dismissal when she heard one. Harmony stood up and gave a slight bow before walking back the way she came. She could feel the staff with the eye watching her, threatening to rattle in its case. She’d had a long enough meeting as it was, so the look she returned to it promised it a death equal to the swirling chaos of her mood, and the twisted blackened thing looked away.
Halfway down the stairs, [Final Silence] braced with [Mend] and a sheen of [Cold Touch] to physically encircle the pair in a frosted privacy sphere. “What in all of the bleeding dimensions is this!” Harmony yelled, waving her new badges in Maekus’s face.”
“A correction that took far too long. I told you they got your placement wrong. Now just imagine where this will take you?” The man answered with a grin.
“And this isn’t messing with local politics?”
“Hazeldown and Naewauld are far away. This is all by school rules. Imagine how strong you’ll be after all of this. How many wrongs can you set right?” Maekus asked.
A ripple of violence rippled out as Harmony summoned the intent of her tool, even as it remained in her dorm room. It shattered the ice around her. Harmony stomped down the stairs through the bits of frost now melting on the steps. That was his game. Guilt. She could work with that, as long as they were aligned. But he’d asked for restraint, and she wasn’t going to give the old man and his apes that. It was time to let Ambrosia’s rules rule. If you’re going to stand out, you might as well play for the crowd.
-End of Arc 4