Glimpses 66

Gustov cast [Necromantic Urge] again, pairing it with his [Burial] skill; the magic sank the chicken wing into solid stone, an act impossible without the additive effect of his newest class skill. His stomach grumbled, reminding him he could have had a few more bites of meat before he decided to play with his lunch.

Threnody, who was obsessively diving deep into the texts Lady White had written for pedagogical purposes, greatly encouraged experimentation. [Necromantic Urge] in the grave society book barely had a line when looked up. Rare version of [Influence Undead] - Not recommended for Naewauld progression. The uncommon skill talked about mentally manipulating spirits—another revelation of how inaccurate or incomplete the text was.  [Urge] wasn’t only about spirits; it affected necromancy in a broad spectrum.

He’d yet to test if living targets could be buried with the skill into difficult material. [Burial] worked ideally on dead matter, but to use it on a wooze, having the skill up to level twenty was recommended; [Urge] could lower that level requirement for it and other skills, meaning it would be a cheat in most situations. In Old Bones, it had clearly weakened the special floor boss as a way to show off utility.  

When paired with Threnody’s skills, it increased the strength of her [Animate Dead] and other abilities, or weakened them if he pushed his urge in that direction. Perhaps one day he could use it to assist Lady White. Then there was the case of Bea.

Gustov walked over to where he knew the maid would be, giggling with her new friends, to watch her from a distance. She’d done most of the work in Old Bones, and recently she’d clearly stepped up and evolved; so the distance between them was far. The puzzle was that Bea got stronger when he cast [Necromantic Urge] those first few times in the dungeon. And there was the way she worshiped Lady White, though many people who worked here seemed to cherish their lady. Gustov knew he wasn’t immune, but Bea had a fullness to her heart's desires there.

The women laughed as they tried on different headbands with varying fur ears on top, but as the next work shift started, they each waved their farewells.

Gustov acted. Intercepting the pale beauty wasn’t hard, but it took courage, and the memory that Bea hinted she might give him a kiss.  He caught her as she headed towards Lady White’s closed private study.

“Bea, I know your secret.” He blurted out, entirely messing up his plan to say, “It’s been a while; it’s wonderful to see you again, and thank you for saving our lives in the dungeon.”

Many of their recent interactions had been in passing, where she had to rush off to some chore, or he had to be reminded to do his job. But at least this poor interaction got her attention, as the maid froze and twisted to face him with a smooth etherealness of frightening beauty.  

“What’s that you said?” She asked softly in the flat tone that sent shivers down his spine.

“I mean, uh, it’s good to see you. I want to congratulate you on your evolution. I know we don’t talk about our class and profession, but I know your secret. I’ve figured out you have a necromantic adjective somewhere. Between Threnody and me, we can help you with that.”  

Gustov cursed his lack of social skills that caused that awkward jumble in the face of perfection.

“I see,”  Bea answered, the stillness softening a bit. “Bates, Ambrosia, and Lady White all know of my condition, and I have it well in hand.”

Gustov fumbled at what to do next and cast [Necromantic Urge] into the area. The response was a slight wiggle, as Bea’s normally statuesque movements got shook as her hips tilted back and forth briefly.  A distracting wiggle. “Um.” He fumbled again at finding words.

It didn’t help that he was being stared down upon in a way that made him feel small, by eyes that cut into him and caused his lungs to shudder like he’d inhaled ice water.

“I suppose you have been working hard,”  Bea answered as she broke the silence, taking a step and leaning into him, grabbing his chin. And there she placed a kiss on him, not on his lips but his cheek. One that burned at the touch. “Because I do keep my word. But know we both have jobs to do.”  

Gustov watched as she left him there, his knees shaking, unable to decide if this result was better or worse than he’d hoped for.