Chapter Fifty-Two

Wincing, Harmony stumbled into the arena lounge. It's a thinner crowd celebrating passing the next round. Rather than counting, she checked the number on the door to the social break lounge before it disappeared. Seventeen. This time, she didn't hesitate when grabbing a glass from one of the servers with her free hand.

The calm tranquility she could do without, but it at least numbed her as it did more than heal a small cut in her mouth, as shattered bones snapped into place before solidifying again. A healing potion better than any she'd had before. The lucky graze had made her almost trigger [Stride Before the Fall]. If there was a way to pocket some of the healing potion and shove it into Hyacinth's gut like they'd done for the gems….

Felix Campbell, popping into her view as she looked for ways to cheat, had her hop back a little and grip the handle of her sickle. The weapon had managed to make it through the exit with her. Would it make it out of the competition or games? It felt oddly attached to her. It was her blood filling the entirety of the purloined item.

"Lady White, looking sharp as ever. This last round really let us get in touch with the weapon we chose. I can see your experience with my beauties has you acquiring your own blade. Their affection really is quite intoxicating."

Felix looked as insane as ever. "I suppose you chose your swords?"

"Oh, no. I'd never subject them to such labor. My weapon of choice was love. The trial showed me how much I was a selfish and jealous lover. It required me to find beauty in other, lesser things, and compliment them honestly. At first, it was like fire raking my soul, until I came to accept the value of giving compliments. This time, I was the first to arrive here."

Compliments! [Poise and Bearing] kept her face cool. The puppets she faced required a bit more than that. "Mine was a bit more difficult than that."

Felix grinned. "Yet, you managed to cut your way through here and improved your skills at your chosen weapon. How inspiring." The blade-bonded swordsman seemed particularly proud of giving another compliment.

The challenges this round seemed designed to present a challenge that will increase your connection and understanding of what you selected. If you picked something you were poor at, it would give you a simpler obstacle. That was a trap, because who was to say you could pass something you were naturally bad at? Felix might not have been able to get past that hump of showing love and appreciation for others.

"We're all here to get stronger, Felix. I'm ecstatic that you are finding your way to get stronger without needing to take it out on the other competitors."

A new door opened. Princess Rosaline stumbled out, the eighteenth arrival. Her golden fur outfit was stained red from a wicked wound, and her arm was limp at her side. Len and Tyler weren't here yet, so no need to hold either back or have them interrupt.

"Excuse me, Felix. I have someone I need to address." A little bow to the blade, and she excused herself.

Hargreaves had one of the drinks at her lips, healing her.

"Heir Rosaline, allow me to help clean you up." Asking was only a formality as Harmony used [Manipulate Dead] to clean the blood off Rose. [Beautician] fixed her matted hair and helped manage all adjustments, such as repairing the rip to the fur-covered leather with [Mend], lessening the chance of accidental indecency. While unable to combine the skill for power, it worked well in directing her adjustments. While using the skills, Harmony got a closer picture of Rose's internal status. Checking for chaos was a must; the jamesian bond on her hand was saturated with the stuff, much more than it was when she first got her arrow. Had Saccerate accessed the woman there? The magical adjustments brushed close to the crown; it flared with astral energy that felt wrong, causing the princess to pull back. The iron circlet was solidly fused to Rose's skull.

"I don't need your help!" She snapped.

Hargreaves edged a little between them. "Lady White is merely accepting her servile role, in beginning to clean the waste on you. Submitting to your authority."

Not quite what she was doing. And her skills had removed all stains from Rose's clothes and tailored it slightly neater, so she looked better than when she arrived. If Hargreaves can go out on a limb for her, she could reciprocate. Harmony had her fill of violence anyway.

Before the conflicted princess could snap someone's head off. Harmony bowed low, nearly going to her knees. "I'm at your service."

The authority in her shifted, giving up a piece to Rose. The slightly uncomfortable feeling was laughable to the pain she'd endured before evolving. While not a complete loss, it would take time to recover. Tyler's books stated that acknowledging those with presence, reach, or fame could lead to greater gains in the future, but one had to be careful not to weaken their status.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Rose stumbled back, struggling with the gift. A second drink grabbed from one of the mannequin staff didn't help her labored breathing, but did calm the rage and annoyance that had been building in her eyes.

"It's good that you've finally accepted your proper place in the order of things. Perhaps I can encourage my brother to let go of the anchor he's using to keep in place. A note from you might…"

Harmony dropped the conversation from her attention. Quiet, the kind that swaddled your soul and cut words from your voice. Rather than calming, Harmony knew it as a sign of danger. She threw herself to the side. No [High Kick] to launch her. No [Small Armor ] to block. No [Style and Grace] to act upon her dodge. Pain streaked through her that she couldn't [Mend].

Chronostais was still there, enough to grant a picture. Rose's hand was on Hargreave's shoulder, holding him in place, but she wasn't attacking. Felix was a few paces away with his swords out, but too far away for this. Follow the blood, her blood, ripped from her body to be dead upon the blade of her attacker. Stealth that distorted in the air. Threat one, but they were not alone; beside them, also hidden, were two more.

Run or fight? As done as she was with violence, it was not done with her. Now that she had the general area of her attackers, pulling away would be a mistake. Even silenced, she wasn't out of tools.

Harmony tapped into the savageness she'd needed to act without skills on the puppets of the last challenge. She threw herself at her attackers. A suicidal move, but against three, it wasn't like she'd escape.

Skills, meant to maim, kill, and damage, flared at her face. It was a question of timing. She arched out with the sickle. The length wouldn't be enough. For the first time since discovering the ability of Vital Body, Harmony made herself bigger to reach those extra inches. Her armor split, but she'd worked out little bits to allow for expansion. It made her a bigger target.

[Stride Before the Fall] Split her perspective enough to watch her death. The quantum bonded skill was one of her few that, like her body, was unaffected by silence. But how well had her attackers researched her skills? Her sickle met something as her body was ripped apart. It was funny because she could feel the blade in both her hands. Like Night, this new weapon stayed with her. No time to process this revelation, and now, without escape, the attackers pivoted. Crashing toward the battle, Felix charged into the fray, but to help whom? Rather than trust her size Harmony quickly shrank back down to keep her strength where she was used to it being.

The legate blade's landing came with a laugh. His four swords struck out even as her other body disappeared, but she wasn't the target. Where Harmony escaped the surprise ambush, these attackers did not.

The stealth of the attackers fell as their bodies hit the floor. The familiar faces of Hecoon, Austin, and Ming were twisted in death. Eric's little buddies. The problems she drafted into this to be eliminated as Yennifer had, their deaths would accomplish that too, but it wasn't how it should have gone. Her new class, revivalist, hinted that if she acted now, she could save them. The necromancer wanted her to wait longer for more pliable options, and those skills could be fed to [Claim]. Act or not? As one, the bodies disappeared, removed as quickly as any eliminated competitors. The choice was made without her.

"Words of love are great, but I've always preferred acts of love," Felix stated boldly.

"Harmony!" Len cried, stumbling forward, bruised and half shaken. The door he'd appeared from closed.

"Take a drink, Lenny. I've got this handled." Felix assured him.

The silence effect slipped away. "I, um." The silence was gone. [Poise and Bearing]. [Renew Spirit], and [Mend] got to work righting herself. "Appreciate the help, Mr. Campbell."

Len took his healing potion, and Harmony took another. It opened up again that uncomfortable question of whether, with enough effort and these potions, she could have revived her attackers if they hadn't been removed. Complete death took longer than they had sat dead. Their bodies couldn't even be counted as cold. [Stride] had proven that time and time again in Nae's Garden, how much a body could handle if you pushed yourself while essentially being two feet in a grave.

The attack ended most of the loose socialization, as groups separated off. Rose and Hargreaves stood in the far corner of the room with their tribe. Other contestants kept their distance as Harmony stood with Len and Felix.

"I think they acted once they saw me arrive. An attack of opportunity before support arrived, with Tyler and me having not yet recovered. Felix, I'm in your debt." Len rambled.

"It's nothing, Lenny. I was merely showing my love for the only woman approaching the sharpness of my blades. The penalty notice for removing contestants was a bit harsh when I was only acting in defense."

"Penalty?" Harmony asked.

"An automatic vote of elimination added to my tally for each person I've removed from the games early, because competition breeds excellence.

It didn't say for each person killed. "Do you think the three you struck down are still alive?" Harmony asked.

Felix shrugged. "Don't care."

The man was still lethally crazy. Could you be both grateful for intervention and worried about future attention at the same time?

Eric stumbled out of a doorway. Part of Harmony wished he'd been around for the consequences of the ambush, as it was unlikely he hadn't been involved in planning. Fingering her sickle's handle, she contemplated taking the same penalty as Felix. More doors appeared in rapid succession. Tyler came out of one looking white, with Loap supporting him. Cutting it close to being eliminated, as the door numbers were reaching the end.

​

Dara Westwood has been eliminated and removed from the competition. Gareth Brine has been eliminated and removed from the competition. The next round starts now!

​ Gareth… The room shifted away as Harmony wrestled with the guilt of volunteering him to join her for this match.

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