Maid with Necromancy

Chapter Forty-Nine

They obeyed. There was grumbling, but they obeyed. With a little encouragement. Harmony rode Hyacinth as he loomed over anyone who looked like they were dragging on. "If the other tribes beat us there, I'm blaming you." – "We don't know what they'll throw at us, that's why I selected you." – "If you don't like it, vote for a new leader... If I make it back." Prey properly intimidated, Hyacinth shrank down to pocket size for the dash towards the Sacred Valley.

Eric's little cabal were not standout competitors, to the point where labeling them the best at anything had been stretching it. They'd been the types to grumble when Harmony did her motivational rounds, and the first to start slacking when Adric disappeared from his job as tribe mascot and taskmaster. Yennifer had been particularly sour; the curvy red-lipped huntress had hopes of seducing her pet, and that had been the only thing to motivate her.

Besides her and Eric, three others rounded out his group. Austin Ofer, whose blocky brown pair-bonded armor might as well have been paper for the level of protection it provided. Hecoomb, one of the primary hunters in the squad to farm mimic-kennys until they got "difficult", was a hand-to-hand fighter who used claws, first ones made from the tips of spider legs and now a new metal set crafted by Jenny. And Lee, who brought her poorly trained pet bull. The woman probably bonded the animal to fill out her spots before the competition. It even threw her when she tried to ride it several times.

Owlsley and Milo rounded out the ten because they couldn't go with only Eric's flunkies if this ended up as a team competition.

"The Bull isn't happy about joining us," Lee complained after huffing and grumbling while her pet plodded along silently near the head of the line.

"Wrecked Gears, Lee, you haven't named your pet yet?" Owlsley quipped from Sock's back, a privilege Lee had never managed.

"It's just a stupid animal," Lee answered. The Bull moved a little quicker, shifted in front of Lee, and dropped a turd, and in turn, Legg growled, "Extremely stupid."

Harmony braced herself for a bull kick that never came for Lee's head. Instead, The Bull picked up the pace. Some people weren't cut out for acquiring primal bonds. Not that she'd treated Adric properly when they first connected, but Lee had time and never tried.

The glare Owlsley sent to the back of Lee's head revealed she had the same attitude Ambrosia did around bad pet owners. Even if a pet might visit the grave or marker of a past owner, that didn't mean they weren't better off after the person died.

Owlsley was just one of many cracks in group cohesiveness. These weren't the ten best friends. Even Eric's group barely tolerated each other and their tentative leader. Harmony added her little personal animosities, Lord Tylers, and Gareths, who almost lost his position during the last vote.

Harmony chewed on that. No one here would be comfortable fighting together. The alternative would have been worse. Time to bury the bodies of doubt before they rot.

At the edge of the plateau, the sheer drop was gone, and stairs were provided. "How kind," Harmony muttered

That little change from the sheer drop they had to manage reflected a change that set Harmony's hairs on edge. A formality. A bit of ease before a storm. Ceremony before the sacrifice to come.

Then there was where the stairs led. A colosseum that was almost a copy of the one they'd started the Ascendant Games in. It had a few changes. Most notably, the entrance. For, at the bottom of the stairs, ten doors greeted them, a number for each and a plaque for them to read.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

​

One for those who rule.

Two protect their mind and heart.

Three has the sharpest of blades.

Four spots the unseen.

Five Endures.

Six will outrun death.

Seven bends before they break.

Eight unravels knots of thoughts.

Nine walks a fine line.

Ten tells a good tale.

​

Instructions? Who matches up the best? There were at least five of them she could compete in. That's pride talking. Could she sucker Eric into taking a choice he'd lose at? He wants to rule, but doesn't have a lick of authority. Stroke his ego enough…

"Our necromancer should be the one to outrun death." Eric started.

"She has to be fast, since she chased off poor Prince Adric," Yennifer added with a pout.

That earned Yennifer a light slug in the shoulder from Austin and a warning look.

"All I meant was that none of us are particularly fast, and you never know when there are hidden double meanings in the descriptions. I was thinking you could be considered for that door?" Eric's attempted smile didn't sit pretty on a face that was more prone to gawking or scowling.

They thought she could be the one to be fooled into a weak choice? Worst, was that they weren't wrong. A lot of the choices here played on how much the bonds were able to help in this competition. Socks was probably the quickest, Owlsey's giant sloth might not be able to help, and the prismatic enforcer herself was slow.

"Don't you be hopping along to their tune! We need you for the ruler competition." Loap interjected.

"I didn't hear anyone ask your opinion, pet." Eric snapped.

He didn't just… Harmony reached for [Final Silence]. Tyler beat her to it.

Harmony had to grab the annoying young competitor by his center mass to get any lift. Tyler had the height to haul him up by his neck with only one hand and have him dangling.

To his credit. Eric didn't lash out with any skill. "You're going to have your simpering dog do your dirty work, Lady White? Let's not all pretend you didn't have motives in who you selected for this."

"Set him down, Tyler. We shouldn't act like Loap can't defend her honor. Or that Eric can't dig himself into a hole on his own. And you're not wrong, Eric. I selected you and your conspiratorial friends in the hope that you'll eliminate yourselves. Prove you're not weak backstabbers aiming to worm your way to victory. All you have to do is be better than me. I'll even throw you a bone. The five of you can pick your doors first."

Owsley grunted at that, but didn't say more. It wasn't just Harmony's crew that would be hurt by this offer.

The five didn't even pretend to include anyone else; they gathered together and put up a skill against eavesdropping as they hashed it out while glancing at those who remained. It's not like they could argue against the offer.

One by one, Eric and his crew took the first selection of doors. Bonds were accommodated as The Bull squeezed in after Lee as she entered door number seven.

Milo Viners stepped forward. He'd had a slight discussion with Owlsley. "I know you have some visual skills, Lady White, but I hope your offer extends to everyone else that are not your direct support. Between pappi and me, I think we can mast door number four."

Harmony nodded. She couldn't say no without burning more of a bridge than she'd chosen to do by making the offer. That could potentially make her more opposition than she started with.

Owlsley let out a sigh. "I hope you're making the right choice here, Harmony. They took the stronger defensive options to go after Tyler. I wouldn't have minded one of those, too. I'll be taking door number eight. Even if Socks is able to participate, I don't trust the speed option."

That left doors nine, six, and one.

"I'm not a runner, and I'm certainly not a ruler. I've walked a fine line since being sent to the Games. I'll roll the dice on that one." Gareth answered.

All that posturing, giving up the first five picks to the opposition, and it still looked like she'll have a race with death. Owlsley, Gareth, and Tyler could have all had their choices if only she had played Eric's little game. Harmony walked towards door number six. Tyler's hand on her shoulder stopped her. "I'll take that one."

"Don't be ridiculous." Harmony protested

"There is no way I'll manage to defeat Heir Rosaline if we're facing other tribes. And if we are, I wouldn't want to deny you the opportunity to confront her over Adric."

With that, he and Loap entered in front of her, leaving her with the door number one, for those who rule.