Chapter Two

Harmony applied her new su–primus badge over her old tertiary ones. She focused on how the magical adhesive was different from [Mend]. The catch-all maid skill preferred materials that were broken, and restoring items or people to previous states, but between her titles, stats, and vigorous training in Material Manipulation class, she’d been able to strengthen general material-on-material bonding. Her changing the skill situationally caused [Mend] to have some similarities to the magic the patches used, so every insight helped.

Threnody wanted new textbooks anyway, so breaking down grading adaptation of skills into sub-categories of base, general, and transformative seemed like an appealing way to go, that is, before branching into how each of those choices affected synergies and energy costs. Using [Mend] this way would be transformative.

The patch created a magical connection stronger than the materials it bonded, but disruptable, a thin layer of foreign sticky-energy. [Mend] when pressed upon could imperfectly copy it, but you had to fight its preference to fuse materials like-with-like or interweave them a little with the assistance of such magic.  If only people were fused together so well, socially, and not the ones she created. For this was only a temporary distraction.

The quest of the prisoner keys turned complicated and fractious. Involving people, as peers, in a team, with a say in what happens, meant they had opinions, and questions, and concerns. They introduced rumors, from urban legends to tales from Alex’s grandfather, and demanded specifics of what she did. It’s not like she knew exactly what mysterious goal she accomplished to earn the gold key; several acts during that run could have qualified. The late-night compromise was that they all would do their own research and get back to her in a week.

“Stupid frackling here.” Hyacinth huffed and darted under the bed.

Harmony cared less about Becca’s tentacle-footed flying familiar than the presence of her resident associate. It meant she got the note that was delivered. When mapping out the consequences of this new ranking change, how it could affect her living situation was at the top of the list. Would it be like White Manor where Ambrosia’s birds needed to hunt reporters like they were mice or gnomes to be struck at from above? It was easier to picture that than no reaction by interested parties.

Harmony managed to get the door open before the knock came, startling the short girl. “Becca, thank you for coming so quickly.”

“It’s no problem. I’ve been meaning to visit after that awful news about what happened in Oorty’s Tomb. I know you suspected as much, and I passed those suspicions along, but to think it actually happened.”

Good to know Becca communicated with the administration. Not that Harmony had expected otherwise when she asked the girl about self-defense and the school's rules and regulations. But it certainly sealed her decision to move every scrap of anything that could be linked to necromancy to her private lab. Not that her room looked unlived-in with schoolbooks and that cursed wooden block from Material Manipulation sitting on her desk.  

“Come in, I have some news slightly related to that.”  Harmony invited.  

“Of course, I’m here to assist all my residents." You can’t fight some aspects of your class, and Becca was an inquisitor always scanning for answers; so Harmony caught the slight hitch in Becca’s breath as she spotted the patch project on the bed. She had to have heard the rumors about Shin Wolf.

“Admin hasn’t informed you of my ranking change?” Harmony asked.

“Addy sent a note that he was going to miss our date tonight because things were going to get busy, but I thought it had more to do with the other incident.”  

“He probably thought it would be best if I informed you if you didn’t already know. I usually like him to have his personal time, but I’ll admit that I’ve asked him to do more than a little bit of heavy-lifting in gathering information, and he’s more comfortable going to the taverns than the books to get it.”

The mention of Prince Adric had her blushing a little. “Yeah. That’s Addy.”  Becca hesitated like she had some questions, probably around that man, before pulling herself together. “Having a tertiary at my dorm has kept me a bit busy, since most of the chosen nine don’t take on-campus housing. Marshmallow has been a terror on some of the nosy tin cards who come by to stamp out their daily news stories. I’ve spent all the last day managing extra interest after the Tomb.  After meeting the tentacles, most people didn’t push too hard and seem to be taking the reports pushed about it being a minor incident by the attacker’s press people.” Becca made a jerk of her head to the badges sitting on the bed. “That will change things. I don’t know how long campus security will keep someone assigned to you, but maybe you could ask for expanded protection?”

Having Officer Cabot for only a little more than a day had already been slightly annoying. No running off to her secret lab to check on Marci. No potential to go to the dungeon to harvest pure rust for those potions professors. No hunting down Houte and making sure he behaved properly. It felt more like a nanny than a guard. She’d chosen her actions in the dungeon to scare other students into giving her more space, not less.

“I’d prefer not to, and I’d like to be considerate of the other residents who I’m sure don’t want campus security around  too much longer. Rules are rules, but they still wish to experience their youth and whatever progress risks they wish to take without authority around them.”

“You mean, Kathy would have to go a week without sneaking in a boy past curfew? She’ll get some kind of smuggling adjective when she evolves with her dedication.”

  Becca confirming all the potential problems this would bring to the Hunter Dorm was a problem that couldn’t be ignored. What would it have been like if she’d started out as su-primus?

“I don’t plan on giving up my space here. But I can give you a break for a few weeks until all this is sorted out.”

“Really?”  Becca asked with some relief in her voice.

[Poise and Bearing] forced a smile. This would mean accelerating some plans. She needed something outside of the school system. She could avail herself of security, housing, the pillars, but that would be from a position of need, and not a position of strength.   “Really. I just wanted to check with you and let you know before I made my move.”

Becca, who usually kept it professional, moved in for a hug. If Harmony was at her normal size, she might have bumped heads with the half-elf, but as it was, the woman’s embrace landed her head into her chest the way she’d sometimes done with Ambrosia. A tad unprofessional, but this was kind of a goodbye, and between the two of them, and after Becca seeing her in her armor, Night, naked, and giving advice, as well as adding in the fact that the resident associate was having sex with her pet, they had gotten kind of closer.  Was Adric like a hinge between them?  

Chronosasis, working with her social skills, hid those awkward thoughts, allowing her to naturally accept the goodbye hug. That was until those foreign bits in Becca’s soul that Harmony had never stopped keeping an eye on pulsed energy into her through their contact.

At least it attempted to. Harmony’s personal control of reality around her hardened beyond a body's natural resistance. Nothing was getting in that she wasn’t allowed without a lot of extra force, and certainly not unknown energy. She’d spent too much time handling potions with ingredients that fluctuate on various energy aspects, dealing with dying curse-filled prisoners always trying to infiltrate people, and before that practicing so she could excise the unfathomable bits from Maxwell and Rosaline. What she did do was sample it slightly, like feeling the heat from a fire rather than putting your hand in the flames. It tasted like a foreign dungeon, and Becca had called them dungeon-touched.

That did force Harmony to break the goodbye early. “What was that?”

Becca stepped back a couple of steps, embarrassed. “I suppose the su-primus would notice. That’s the seeds of my dungeon; they were planted in me to explore other dungeon environments. I thought the first one would be perfect.  It had been so long since it had been visited, but all I received was quiet. With you it’s mixed, but curious. That sickle, which had it scared at first, and then there is something else.”

Ashing elves and bleeding dungeons. “I’m a bit too busy to meet your seed. Curiosity or no, please rein it in.”

“No, of course, I didn’t mean. You’re only the third other dungeon-touched I’ve met. And we share shadow guides.”

Hyacinth hopped out from under the bed. “I am nothing like your fracking!” He cried in the high-pitched voice of his tiny form.

“Oh, behave, Squeaker.” Harmony snapped at her familiar. “See, you have to deal with your seeds, and I have to deal with HIM. I can guarantee my poison flower is more of a rebellious pain. Don’t worry, all is forgiven.”   With the proper tone and inflection guided by her social skills and [Keen Investigative Awareness], she used this to diffuse Becca’s anxiety.

“Yes,” Becca answered, nodding her head. “Even with you being gone, this will attract attention. I’ll need to prepare. Thank you for informing me.”  And with that, Becca departed, with only a little bit of fleeing in her steps.

After a few breaths to make sure she was actually gone, Harmony addressed Hyacinth. “Thank you for helping diffuse that.”

“Nothing like a frackling,” he grumbled.

Cranky butt. Harmony turned to packing up her room. This was Ambrosia’s strength and not hers. After that, it was time to add style, for an entrance would be needed. First, back into her school uniform where the new badge glowed blue and gold on her chest. While the dress code was fairly strict, nails and hair could be modified. [Renew Spirit] was the perfect source of glow, and with the right tweaking she could modify the colors just right to match using [Manipulate Dead], [Mend], and [Beautician] to turn her nails into sparkling blue flames to match her new symbol, not to be left out she changed her left eyebrow to match, drawing eyes to her face, a statement for all to see.

Two big bags in her hand and a toad in her breast pocket, Harmony stepped outside. “Officer Cabot, care to join me on the gloom paths?”

The stoic man in his uniform grunted affirmation. He didn’t like it, but she’d taken him a few times. It was night, and after the very long day, there were plenty of shadows to step into.

After sending the guard downstairs. The smell of books had Harmony feeling like this might be the right decision. Even without a full tour, [Recall] gave her a general layout of the place. Every room she passed was in disrepair, but then she’d worked on worse. Her manor in Hazeldown had corpse-grubs in the walls when they’d first moved in. Ambrosia’s birds and Hyacinth feasted once she got them out. Confirming she’d made the correct choice was the shocked look on Milwep Fairfax’s face as he stood in his robe and undershorts, toothbrush loose in his mouth… until it fell out. Yes, approach this from a position of power.

“Milwep. I hope the renovations of the living quarters are going well. I’ve come to exercise clause Seventeen B, and take up residence in my room at the Association of Amateur Immortalists manor. As the Academy's new su-primus, I’m expecting us to do great things, a revival of sorts.  Brace yourself. ”  

​