Chapter Fifty-Three

  “ you please refrain from using that annoying skill? It's embarrassing.” Rose begged, looking ready to bolt at any sed.

  Harmony guessed the princess drew the short straw among those willing to approach her while she practiced [Shadowed Graves]. That, or her family pressured her again as after only two days [Shadowed Graves] was highly unpopur across the city. It was also why she was forced to practice at the guild training grounds.

  Annoying and embarrassing, that summed up [Shadowed Graves]. Yet uhe cloying shadows stretg across the sky and ground, Harmony marveled at its scope, ideas on what she might be able to use it for noted and filed away for further experimentation.

  “Have I eclipsed my allotted time, guild mistress Thorne?”

  “No. Keep it up, Lady White, that's an order! I’ve sent out criers and leaflets inf them when the bckout will occur after lunch. I expect you to be here training then too.” She bellowed.

  The orders were a politiecessity arranged after the first time Harmony activated the skill at the Dragonfly Inn practice yards causing the sky and ground to turn bck with shadows. With it came a feeling like dread. People reported different aspects to that effect. Some froze up a little. Others wao run or scoot away. A few in the yard tried to angrily front her before the bodyguards put a stop to that. Even fewer seemed to enjoy it. All that distracted her initially from seeing how far the dark spread. “Burhere is no sky.”

  There was a sky, but the effect was extensively rge. A field effect. Some people make it rain, others make it snow, or maybe make crops grow slightly quicker. Battlefield effects that granted light inspiration or some other boon or like in this case a fear effect over a wide area. Not that there were any big battles. ive field influences were always things that were weak, and easy t off. The kind of things others sider a waste of a choice.

  The energy to keep it up fgged while Harmony used [Dust] under [Shadowed Graves] effects to create a mound of dirt. “Bloody half useful.” She muttered at that result. Neancer skills were more effit and had a longer range uhe effect, but not her maid or stone-acquired skills. Testing synergies would be .

  Dropping the skill caused a loud sigh of relief among the collected adventurers at the guild. They’d suffered the worst emotional effects uhe shadow. While the darkness spread out far Harmony learhe fear-like effect spread out from her position, from a minor hair tingling back of your neck at the edge to a stant oh-curse-me level nearby.

  [Fear] was sidered a good skill in parison. That skill sent aargeted by it running away in a frantic state until it ended. [Shadowed Gaves] was as Rose described it, annoying and ah enough willpower could push through it. A terrible skill if all you could do was Thibodeux’s method of using the base activation. Not that the skill was making it easy, being so wide and diffuse it would take effort and a better uanding of the skill to be flexible. With [Final Silehe deadening of sound in an area felt like a natural deviation, so that modification had e easily.

  Theoretically, she figured she could focus the fear more narrowly and stronger, even if there was no automatic fleeing. Maybe eveively assign targets. bos and synergies also had potential, but there were kinks to work out.

  “Great Practice!” Adric yelled from the side of the yard, g in the face of everyone else's dislike and relief of the effect being over. “Are you ready to try it out in Nae’s Garden?”

  Where the failure to be able to use [Manipute Dead] on Adric’s hair had presented a w mystery of his post-dead state. [Shadowed Graves] added another. He thrived uhe effect. Said it felt “amazing.” Got boosted more uhe effects than her neancy skills. What is he?

  “Lady White, I was told I could find you here.” The interruption came from Madam Peartree of the Grave Society.

  Harmony twisted [Poise and Bearing] to put on a reserved yet disappointed look on her face as she turo face the woman, walking towards her location.

  “Ah, Madam Peatree, a pleasant surprise. But yes, I’ve been forced to e here to train my test choice. Sihorne is managing our kingdom's entrants, she’s insistirain every skill we have. The guild also has allowances for field-level skill training in their charter. It was an ued happenstance, but I took a gamble on [Shadowed Graves] over my other options.”

  The look Peartree returned was that of a disappoieacher. “This is why you o join us at the Grave Society. I know field skills are rare, but they’re almost always too weak to be of use. We could have taught you how most grave skills had such effects. [Bloodied Graves] caused a rain of blood. [Grave of the Fireflies] made some lights and everyone very very sad. Why would anyone want a skill that causes depression?”

  “I…” The woman had a point. While Harmony wasn’t disappointed in the skill, nor was she ied in following any of the Society's reendations, information was important and there was one more choiake and skill stoo fill before she was ready for evolution. As well as the choice after evolution. “I apologize for my ck of reag out to yanization. I holy felt like I had time before I was to level and forced to make my choibsp; I’d be hoo get whatever information you might have to help me, and iurn, I’m happy to speak and visit with yanization soon.“

  Pure shock coated the necrowitch’s fabsp; “This is wonderful news, Lady White. The truth is I thought of how we’d failed you, allowing you to choose a field skill. I’d known you were from Hazeldown but hadn’t looked into the plete ck of support you’ve had growing up. You joining our ranks will be wonderful.”

  Woah. Woah. Woah. [Poise and Bearing] flickered on. “I have so many itments. I’m happy to discuss and learn from and about yanization. Joining the Grave Society, well, that is something I’ll have to sider iure.”

  “Oh, me. Sorry, I got ahead of myself. I promise that we’ll win you over. Do have your staff let us know when your tour will be.” Peartree answered with a smile. “I’d better run. So many things te.”

  Adric appeared by Harmony’s shoulder as soon as Madam Peartree was away. “I don’t like that woman.”

  Harmony gave him a light slug in the shoulder. “Why are you tellihis now?”

  “I didn’t think you’d actually go and visit her Society. It didn’t seem like you liked her that much.”

  The smell of rottiables was finally clearing out. A st Harmony knew was in her head. “I don’t. But she’s right that I need more information. It would have been o know that you had an issue with her too. You want to e with me on my visit and keep me safe?”

  “Always.” He answered with a certainty that warmed Harmony’s heart.

  The distras for the m were not done. Len ran up. “Harm, I got the bond!”

  There was a duo try, and this time that chi of a bird was cooked. But the wizard looked so eager. Harmony ime away as internally the extra pool created by mana rotation was only starting to curl. Starting [Shadowed Graves] took a lot out of it and then it slowly drained her. If she hadn’t had a mana skill she might have shared the disappoi others showed her when they learned about the skill. “Show me.”

  They walked to the area for training ratacks. Stationary dummies sat staggered for people to use skills and ons on. They chose a spot that had an immobile target a hundred paces away. Len aimed his palm, g his hand towards the target. His arm kicked back, a white paste dripping off his hand. There was nothing to see with the invisible gas until his fireball went off. Harmony had seen the spell during the run on Old Bohis one was four times bigger and shot out faster toward the target. As it cleared the area where the metarine gas was it shrunk a little but not mubsp; The target didn’t survive. “Woo!” the wizard yelled

  “Impressive.” Again she felt a fsh of jealousy at her bonds being filled up.

  “We coated my hand with a viscoestic fluid so it would solidify, both proteg me and allowio shape the bst from the depressing gas. You were right about it! Thank you so much.”

  Flecks of wood from the dummy tio rain down with trails of smoke. “I think people o start sidering you winning the Asdant Games.” She told him.

  “Really?” He asked eagerly.

  Nothing Harmony had was so visibly destructive. “Absolutely. Now Wish me lu Nae’s Garden. I have to be back after lunch or Thorne will have my hide.”