Chapter Twelve

  The day tested Harmony’s social skills, both the ones she acquired through her profession and those she’d learhrough w at the manor. She was in her new armor, trying it out before she took it into more dangerous but hopefully less stressful situations. Tyler purchased three ems at the au for his colle. She plimented him on his acquisitions as a good maid would.

  Hyath, through their bond, inquired worriedly about her mental state. She assured him this was all business and only temporary. He even asked if toe-sug would help. Sweet but pointless, he couldn’t do anything to help her with the attention her new outfit was garnering. To match, Tyler had chosen to wear his armor. She smiled as he beamed at the pliments she received, even as he missed the mask she wore.

  The neancer knew her mind made it worse than it was. How everyone sidered her the lord’s pything or toy. There were only a few disparaging pliments. This kind of look was the fashion in many pces like the capital. She didn’t pletely abhor being the ter of attention, even if it reminded her of her childhood. Uneartention didn’t represent who she was. Standing up in Cogg and Hall Brews with Ambrosia had felt more natural.

  Lord Tyler eventually picked up on her fifth hint that it might be best if they got to rest before meeting up at one of the dungeorances in the m.

  “Curruck.” Hyath croaked.

  “I’ll be fine. I think I got my hopes up too much that Tyler would be aher than himself since he’s been trying to be nice.”

  Smooth, quients guided by an almost instinctive help of [Small Armor] allowed her to remove and store the outfit for the night. The amount of unbug aening of the straps made her gd she wouldn’t wear them often. Maybe [Small Armor] was an evolved skill?

  Despite all outward appearances of it being a e piece, the armor was good quality and not just decorative. The skills, the armor, and this opportunity were all amazing gifts. She refused to sider them unearned, but they were more of a gift for Lord Tyler.

  Slipping on her nightshirt, she y in the lodge’s bed. It was more fortable than the beds of the Lady’s staff dormitory. Jessica’s bitterness came to mind. A panion of the moment, made to be who the lord wahem to be. This run will be just ara bit of work. Even if all this had her stalled at level twenty-four, she wouldn’t be a bitch about it. Everyone has a different path ression, and the neantic maid felt she was still finding hers.

  Harmony woke up feeling plete, her skills humming in the background rather than the raw near-surfateras that had pgued her retly. No nausea-indug ing, no desire to kiything, and none of the unfortable ping sensations of a new skill settling into her soul. The armor didn’t annoy her more than the work uniforms now, which meant it greatly annoyed her, but it was required for the job. Only this time, she’ll be more protected while is out of a dungeon rather than out of the manor’s attic.

  Donning the armor once more, she made a quick breakfast from the lodge’s pantry, eating as she threw together a pte for the lord. She knocked before entering but still found him half naked, sitting in bed, w on a puzzle box he’d purchased. Supposedly, it was from a duhat required you to evolve before entering. Dungeons drop them sometimes, more often filled with junk but also occasionally rare treasures.

  “Breakfast, M’lord.”

  Tyler dropped the unopened box onto his p. “You look positively amazing. Gear and Wex do such amazing work.”

  Harmony had to draw from her skills to keep from bng. Happy she didn’t have to fli [Poise and Bearing], but Gear and Wex was the premiere armorer in Hazeldown. It was only a branch of the Master shop in the capital, but they wouldn’t put up with any of their shops having low-quality work. A quick mental calcution of Tyler’s spending on this trip went into the scale of things she felt she’d never be able to pay back.

  “You get any sleep. Or did the puzzle box keep you up all night?” Harmo her voice assertive yet pyful, but it wasn’t like she hadn’t been serious about going in well-rested the night before.

  He waved a hand dismissively. “This will be my tenth time clearing the dungeon. It’s a training bde for us until we get to the real thing.”

  The Dig Boys had farmed the third-floor dozens of times until they got hit by that surprise enter with the cube of flesh o outing with them. No one had died, but it had been close. She’d been lucky it had hair. She’d progressed to levels eight and nine from choking that monster with a skill-powered hairball. Two more levels and a few items, and she wouldn’t o step into that pce for a long time.

  “I’m sure you’ll keep me safe. And if it gets real dicey, I’ll kick ’em.”

  Tyler smiled, and Harmony groaned inwardly. He took the tray and started eating. Between bites, he told her they were meeting at the lodge entraher than the guild one, as they were less likely to run into any peting adventurers. A quick walk, and they’d be there. o rush over ahere first. If he’d asked, Harmony would have told him she’d prefer to get there early, letting her have more time with the team, but he didn’t ask.

  The pair moved quickly while the shadow toad lopped by the maid’s side. A small bag hung over her shoulders, mostly empty for the loot she’d need but otherwise stocked with a few essentials.

  Her stomach twisted a little. She could feel herself getting closer to the entrance from the increasing smell of death.

  She read a poster on a wall as a distraissing Cat with a sketch of a mottled fluffy cat wearing a memorable charm. If found, tact Car. She shared her fsh of guilt with her familiar, who had the audacity to share that he didn’t care.

  “Bad toad.” She muttered under her breath.

  The team waited. Len’s school robes were repced by a sturdy over-jacket that went down to his ankles, with wards stitched into the leather for him to activate their properties. He wielded a staff that could double as a cudgel for its weight. His familiar, a rge raven, sat on its top. Rose held her bow, now in its shooting form. Tight leather armged her body, c her in a way that made Harmony feel envious, despite her skills insisting her current armor was better for her. Two long bdes sat strapped to her waist. Sir Maxwell was in the exact same armor as from the other day. Most shog to the neancer was that his hair was still pink.

  “A pack of red-backed sloths would be more on time than you two!” Max yelled.

  Tyler responded with a rude gesture, making a V with his fingers and then closing it into a fist. Implying the knight could go a his progression stalled.

  Harmo stared at. Len’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head, while Max’s was almost lecherous, fog less on the whole picture and more on parts of her. “You’re looking. Ahem, improved Harmony. I was going t you about my hair still being pink before admitting that everyone assumes I’m trying some daring capital fashion.”

  Lady Coodly’s hair only stayed colored for half a day before fading to the inal. The maid was unsure if how she cast it with her new skill mix or if the matriarch’s age and levels made the difference. “Wao ge it back?

  “Oh, no. The Down girls have been enjoying how all of me matches the new color scheme. I show you ter if you like.”

  “Let’s focus on the dungeon run.” She replied while internally her thoughts screamed ‘gods no’ at the knight’s offer.

  Harmony was struck by how they were the only adventurers here. Publitrances had long lines. You’d pay the fee and go in to increase your css skills or farm drops. She’d stuck to the first level for a few solo dives to use the first-floor undead moo test her skills. Nothing like giving a shambling corpse a total beauty makeover. The guild entrances were less busy, where you’d fsh yuild token aer. She’d never been to ary so pletely empty. It was them, a booth with a bored attendant, and the rge cavernous entrance leading down.

  “Fine.”

  The group walked up to the booth. Tyler put a gold down, which the attendant pocketed without returning any ge. With that exorbitant cost, Harmony knew why this entrance was empty. “Coodly Group, one new member.” The tank told the attendant.

  Opening a book, the attendant flipped through and looked at the members before their eyes settled on the neancer. “Do you have any identification?” They asked.

  For publitrances, you wrote your name and where you lived on a bit of paper so that if you didn’t return, they could check the records and see if you attempted the dungeon and didn’t e back. The Guild was more anized in that they had guild medallions that could be used to identify them or their corpses. anizations did simir things. Harmony’s mind drew a bnk, and she saw Tyler ready to step in. What would he say,” This is my personal maid.” It wasn’t like she brought much with her.

  It clicked. The neancer had ohing with her name engraved on it. Out of her bag, she pulled out the token Mike and The Dig Boys had given to her after the near-disastrous run. Her name and the symbols representing the Viridian gym are carved into it. “Will this do?” She asked, handing it over.

  The attendant held it. The way their body tensed briefly, she could see a skill was in py.

  “Yes, this will work.” Then after handing the token back, he took out a fresh sheet of paper and started to sketch the neancer.

  “Is that a Gym badge?” Len asked excitedly. “Viridian too. Those are hard to get.”

  “And here I was expeg a girl Tyler selected for their looks,” Rose ented.

  Harmony blushed at the baded pliment. She’d brought it because Mike had told her that if she showed it to the right people while in the dungeon, she would be more likely to get help.

  “You’re free to enter.” The attendant said, dismissing them.

  Harmony followed the team into the tunnel. As she passed the threshold, the dungeon’s smell of death flooded her strohan ever. New skills pying a bit of havo her css senses, maybe a side effect of the inside her?

  “Have you ever cleared the first floor alone?” Len asked.

  The maid blinked, realizing the question was for her.

  “Not this again,” Rose muttered.

  “steltions and achievements are real things.” Len insisted

  “That’s never been proven.” Rose snapped back.

  “Statistical measures of as show a strong corretion….”

  Rose opened and closed her hand in response, like a puppet mimig the Wizard’s speech.

  “I, for one, would like to see how well our new member does.” Sir Maxwell bumped in.

  “I don’t know,” Tyler said nervously.

  fused by the version, but not enough to miss out on the fact that Tyler’s doubt was a mistake because Max’s grin widened.

  “See, Harmony, we have a bit of a tradition. New members clear the first floor of the dungeon alone. We stay back about fifteen paces.”

  “Twenty!” Len corrects.

  “Twenty paces and will help if things look risky. It’s supposed to improve future progression. But really, it lets us get an idea of what you do. We’ve all do.”

  The maid’s eyes narrowed on Tyler, who nodded slightly in firmation. The only time Harmony had ever pleted floors was with an escort. Even early on, she’d never had any issues with the first floor’s weak dead. She simply never had a reason to push further. Today, though, she his, and if this is what it took to get them to help her level and acquire a champion’s tooth, then she would. She felt her new skills spur her on.

  “Fine. I’ll do it.”

  The entrance opened up to a fork of three pathways. The dungeon shifted, so mapping was useless. All paths were valid fetting through the first floor and to the . The duook up a size greater than Hazeldown, so it wasn’t like there wasn’t plenty of space. Little markers sat near each of the paths. Numbers for whies were entered most retly. Public diving rules were the same. She picked the one visited the lo ago and moved the markers about.

  The team stood twenty paces back. Only she and Hyath, neancer and familiar, stepped onward.

  The first shambler came out of the shadows loping at a gait slower than a run but quicker than a walk. Many people worried about running into a deceased loved one while diving into a dungeon, but the neancer didn’t see it. The majority of corpses adapted by the dungeoaken apart and put back together so that no one could reize who it was. Miss-matched legs gave the shamblers their name.

  The first-floor monsters were as strong as an average human and quick when their parts were aligned correctly. Which wasraordinary but still dangerous as they felt no pain and wouldn’t slow down from nondebilitating injuries. But they had no skills. Those were reserved for specialty creations.

  With a casual flianipute Dead], Harmony fused its joints together, causing the creature to halt in its tracks. At this point, Harmony would practice her other skills, but she khat wasn’t the kind of show her eam wanted her to put on, as funny as giving it pink hair to match Max would be.

  Severing the head wouldn’t even t as the kill, so The Neancer did her preferred way of dispatg the shambler. Straight up the middle, she ripped the thing in two, using her skill to shift the corpse in opposite dires. The two halves fell to the floor, only to be quickly absorbed by the dungeon and repced by a lump of bck coal.

  The fuel was a basic drop, heating every stove, burning in every fe, and the town’s rgest bulk export. She would typically collect these to cover her entrance fee from the publigeon. Today she left it on the ground and marched onward.

  Pack tactics were the only increase in difficulty early on, increasing their numbers. One shambler became two, then Three. Even Hyath was bored as she moved steadily ahead. She used her neantises and skills to leave piles of bisected corpses to be absorbed, then turned into iron penny-type drops on the floor.

  Packs of five became a regur appearahat was when Harmony khe mix was about to ge. The first undead stray pounced out of the shadows, rger than most cats with wickedly sharpened cws. She k was there but felt it was unfair to Hyath to leave him out of the fun.

  The toad’s tongue snapped forward, pulling the beast out of the air and straight into his maw. The loud g of the bones could be heard as he cracked down again and again on the animated corpse before spitting it out. He had enough seo know when the animal shambler would be uo get up again.

  Outside of the increased efficy she felt from [Mana Rotation], quick secutive appearances of two packs left her barely breaking a sweat. This wasn’t a good test of her skills. [High Kick] begged her to see what would happen if she kicked one of the shamblers after she’d locked one in pce, but why ence Tyler that way?

  Of all the floors, the first one was the most straightforward. The dungeo all their weakest, poorly put-together creatures after you, saving anything strenuous for the lower ones. Harmony khe only surprise would be what awaited her at the end of the floor. A dozen different fluardians poputed the dungeon. The test for adventurers, cheg if they are strong enough for the sed floor.

  Of her two runs deeper into the dungeon for leveling with The Dig Boys, Harmony mostly watched as the group took down a living pool of blood trolled by three skulls floating in the fluid. Mike had used a sling to shatter one of the skulls using the magical coal as a sto wasn’t even a css or profession skill, simply a hobby he’d picked up. The sed boss was a shambling chimera, a monster from the deeper levels too damaged to repair but a fair oppo for judging a team. New with [Manipute Dead], the neancer had helped with the base skill activation exploding ks off the rotting creature.

  Harmony missed the first and most obvious clue about the shambler standing at the end of the tuhe fact that it wasn’t in a horde, that it wasn’t charging at her with mindless abandon. She felt the magic of her skill slip off the corpse, uo t as she used the same amount of effort that had carried her through this far.

  The monster’s head snapped up. Its dead eyes were gone, and in its pce, two small but very much alive burning blue fmes. Forward it flew, accelerating quicker than any man.

  [Small Armor] Snapped into a. The armor on her forearm caught the ining swipe, and the impact made her arm numb. She jumped back, and a fast but more normal attack from the opposite arm swung through the space she had been standing in.

  This was wrong.

  [Analyze]

  Shambler-Host

  Host to what? Harmony made a forceful push to lock the creature’s joints. This time she felt the bones fuse together, which was a relief. Still, much of her energy in the skill felt rebuffed aed like her initial attempt. It shouldn’t be this strong, even as a fluardian.

  With a loud crack, the mouth snapped open, breaking free with otherworldly strength to open. “You want to challenge me?” The thing hissed in a sound that reverberated at a frequency that screamed death to Harmony’s css.

  Not that her css was afraid. It was ied and rarely had Harmony ever felt i ing from that part of her soul. A desire that distracted her.

  Snap. Crackle. Pop. Joints broke free. The Shambler-Host moved, and the maid, ft-footed, wondered if her team would save her.

  Someone did. Hyath barreled into it, more tossed bolder than a toad, showing off his hicker skin.

  Fear for her familiar snapped her back to the present. Her toad was already disentangled and slipping into the shadows. The dungeon’s domain blocked long trips, but he could make short hops.

  She empowered arike with [Mana Rotation], pnning to split this one in two like she had the others. “Yes, I challenge you!”

  The strike slipped off the Host’s skull and cut a rift down through the colr bone, ripping just past the monster’s sternum like a huge invisible axe had cleaved into it. The wouarted to stitch together with bits of dead flesh and slowly close.

  A quick check from her css showed that the joints that had been snapped were repaired. Nothing regeed like this on the first floor. Sure, one yell, and the five of them could gang up on it and pound it to dust. But would the team trust her, believe in her, if she did that? Would they let her get what she needed?

  [High Kick] pushed her forward at a speed that matched what she’d faced from the guardian. The thi synergy from [Manipute Dead] to show where the ots were. In her version of a cheat, she twisted that skill synergy into adding the neatic’s skills ability to destroy dead flesh into her blow, and the [High Kick] accepted it. Any bit of destructive poeled. Threads of other skills joined in, [Renew Spirit], [Style and Grace], even [Dust]. Anything that could add a bit of energy or explosive potential. It strained her soul, but screw it.

  ot? It was all desiccated meat. The shambler’s hand reached out to grab and stop the ining blow with the power to back it up. The hand disied, ripped apart by momentum, magid willpower. Enced to bee a spray of debris and dust. The kick did not stop there as it tinued moving, pulverizing the body, sending the legs to colpse on the floor, the free arm to fly off, and the head to roll onto the ground.

  “See you deeper.” The skull hissed before the fire in the eyes went out.

  The whole thing dissolved. Repced by an ordinary lump of coal.

  “What the hell,” Harmony muttered.

  A red wave surged her way from the er of the roer than the group. A wall of blood. As quickly as it rushed, the speed was a joke to what the Shambler-Host had shown.

  pared to the st fight, it was no effort to reato it, find the three floating skulls in the blood and turn them into shattered bits. The fluardian froze, spshed down, and dissolved away. In its pce was a ic core that she needed for her scroll.

  [First Floor Cleared]

  The dungeon’s voinounced pcidly.

  “Wooo!” Max yelled as he came jogging up. “You took down that blood puppet like it was nothing!”

  The others came following less quickly. “Had to py around with that shambler for a moment first, though,” Rose added.

  “Was that [High Kick]? I couldn’t see much from where we were.” Tyler asked.

  “grats on the solo floor clear achievement,” Len added.

  Rose blew a raspberry in response.

  They hadn’t seen it. Hadn’t seen the effort. The skills of the shambler host. How the first swipe had taken more out of her than when she blocked Tyler or Max’s attacks. “Yeah, it’s done.” She replied.

  Looking back to the lump of coal dropped by the Host, she took a few steps toward it and added it to her pack with the ic core.

  “Let’s head to the sed floor.” The knight pushed.

  Harmony pondered what exactly had just happened, keeping quiet as they went down the new opening to the level.